Chapter 135: I’m here...
Thank you [MonsterGirlHarem] for your gift - A Car (^_^) Thank you so much, bro!
Thank you [steven_moulton] For your gift - A Chair
Thank you [RadAsha] For your gift - A Chair
Author note: I apologize if the slow pacing of the plot has caused frustration for some. However, I am trying to flesh out the story for each female character. Naturally, my goal is to write this book based entirely on my own vision and ideas, without relying on the input of other authors.
Therefore, if you find anything bothersome or feel I haven’t done a good enough job while reading, please overlook it. I will strive to do better.
Additionally, the book primarily follows these genres: Daily Life, Slice of Life, Mature, Harem, and R17.
I am truly grateful to the readers who have supported me.
Thank you so muchhh!!!
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Saraya returned to the apartment as the late afternoon sunlight spread over the western buildings of Silver Moon.
She stood in front of the door for a while before taking the key Erik had left her from her pocket. The sound of metal turning in the lock was very soft. In the past, almost every time she returned home, Erik had already been inside. If he heard the door open, he would usually come out of the kitchen, ask whether she was tired, then take her coat.
Today, there were no footsteps behind the door.
Saraya pushed it open and slowly stepped inside. The apartment had been cleaned thoroughly. The cushions on the sofa were arranged neatly, the floor was free of dust, and several items she had damaged during her outbursts had been repaired or replaced. Her books were still on the shelf, beside the small things Erik had once bought.
Nothing suggested that this place had just gone through a breakup.
Except for the absence of the person who had once lived with her.
Saraya set the bag of medicine on the table, then walked into the kitchen. Erik’s dark apron was still hanging on the rack. The cooking utensils were neatly arranged, the counter was clean, and even the cleaning cloth was folded carefully beside the sink.
She opened the refrigerator.
Meat, vegetables, and fruit had been separated into different compartments. None of the monster meat with the fishy scent she disliked was there. A sheet of paper listing expiration dates and storage instructions was attached to the refrigerator door, Erik’s handwriting so clear that Saraya recognized it at a glance.
She touched the paper and suddenly remembered the times she had returned home late. Erik would often have food ready, needing only to be reheated. Back then, she had always found it convenient, but had never asked how long it took him to buy the ingredients, prepare them, and arrange everything.
Saraya closed the refrigerator door.
"You really... don’t know how to be angry at anyone."
She spoke very softly, then realized that she did not even know whether that sentence was meant for Erik or herself.
Returning to the living room, Saraya sat down on the sofa and hugged a cushion against her chest. The chair opposite was still in its old spot. She remembered Erik sitting there, holding a glass of water, listening as she talked and occasionally asking a few more questions.
She had once found those questions annoying.
Now, she only wished she could hear them one more time.
"Erik..."
No one answered. The sound of cars came in through the window, while inside the room, only the clock continued ticking with each passing second. Saraya lowered her head, letting several tears fall onto the cushion.
He had still prepared a place for her to live. He had still asked Meira to take care of her when she was injured. But the apartment key was not a promise that he would return. Saraya had known that from the moment she left the hospital, but only while standing among these familiar things did she truly feel the emptiness he had left behind.
She sat there for a long time. Only when her stomach began to growl did Saraya wipe her face and stand up.
If Erik were still here, he would probably have asked what she wanted to eat.
But tonight, she had to take care of herself.
Saraya walked into the kitchen and took some meat and vegetables from the refrigerator. She spread them across the cutting board, picked up the knife, and thought about the movements she had seen Erik make before.
Chop the vegetables, slice the meat, put everything into the pan. It did not sound complicated at all.
She chose a carrot and began slicing it. The first pieces were different in thickness, and the uncut part of the carrot kept sliding across the cutting board. Saraya adjusted her grip and tried bringing the knife down again.
"Ah!"
The blade grazed her index finger. A thin streak of blood immediately appeared. Startled, she hurriedly held her hand beneath the faucet, then found the first aid kit and put on a bandage.
Looking at the bandage on her finger, Saraya was speechless for a moment.
She had once used weapons to defeat monsters, yet now she had lost to a carrot.
"Stay calm."
Saraya reminded herself before returning to the counter. This time, she was more careful, but when she started cutting the meat, the blade still slipped away from where she intended.
"Agh!" She let out a soft groan as another finger was cut.
She dropped the knife onto the counter and stared at the two injuries in disbelief. If the Healer had not told her to limit her mana use, she would have used a skill to deal with these ingredients already.
After several minutes of frustration, Saraya continued anyway. Nearly twenty minutes later, the meat and vegetables were finally cut. The sizes were uneven, but she decided not to care anymore.
She placed the pan on the stove, poured in oil, waited a moment, then added the meat.
Sizzle!
"Ah!"
Several drops of hot oil splattered onto the back of Saraya’s hand, making her jump back and nearly drop the plate. She hurriedly put her hand beneath cool running water. When she turned back, the meat in the pan had already begun to darken.
"Wait, that fast?"
Saraya frantically grabbed a utensil to stir the food. One piece of meat flew out, followed by several pieces of vegetables falling onto the counter. She tried to lower the heat, but the smell of burning quickly spread through the room.
In the end, after adding more vegetables to salvage the dish, she accidentally seasoned it with far too much salt. Saraya tasted a piece, immediately frowned, then reached for a glass of water.
"Cough... Too salty!"
She looked at the pan, not knowing whether she should be angry or laugh. Half the meat was charred, the rest had not cooked evenly, the vegetables were mushy, and the sauce at the bottom of the pan was a color that did not inspire much confidence.
Saraya turned off the stove.
The counter was covered in vegetable scraps, grease had splattered around the stove, and dishes were piled beside the sink. Two pieces of carrot that she did not know when she had dropped were lying on the floor. The back of her hand stung, and the two bandaged fingers had begun to ache again.
She pulled out a chair and sat down in the middle of the messy kitchen.
Nearly an hour had passed, yet she still had nothing to eat.
Saraya looked at the pan in front of her, unconsciously remembering how Erik used to work all day before coming home and cooking two or three dishes. He did it quickly and neatly, so much so that she had always thought it did not take much effort. There were even days when she complained because the food reached the table too late or was not hot enough.
He had never argued back. He would only bring the food into the kitchen, reheat it, and serve it again.
"So... it was this hard?"
Saraya looked at her fingers. Today, she had only needed to make dinner for one person, yet she had struggled this much. Erik had also needed to earn money, shop for groceries, wash clothes, and clean. The little things she had considered trivial had taken up most of his time for three months.
What hurt her most was not that she had just failed, but that she had never truly wanted to understand how hard he had worked before.
Saraya stood, intending to carry the pan to the sink. But when her fingertips touched the handle, the pain made her pull back. She looked at the burnt pan, then at the clean apartment Erik had left for her.
Since returning, she had made the place messy again.
Saraya bit her lip. Tears fell before she could wipe them away.
She left the pan alone and slowly returned to the living room. Sitting down on the sofa, she pulled her legs up and hugged her knees tightly.
If Erik were still here, he would probably have taught her how to hold a knife, how to avoid oil splattering. He might even laugh and tell her that ruining a dish the first time was not a big deal before rubbing her head, or perhaps... he would do everything himself, telling her she could sit and watch television while waiting for him.
Saraya wanted to tell him what had just happened. She wanted to ask whether he had ever been burned like that before, whether he had ever been so tired that all he wanted was to sit still.
But she had never asked while she still had the chance.
"I’m sorry..."
Saraya buried her face in the cushion. A sob broke from her, heavier than before. She did not know what to do to fix the past. The apartment had been cleaned, and the refrigerator was stocked with food, but no one could answer in Erik’s place.
Ding dong!
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Saraya immediately jerked her head up.
’Erik?’
Her heart began pounding. Had he returned?
She hurried toward the door, wiping away tears with her sleeve as she went. She even forgot to put on her slippers, bare feet stepping across the cold floor. Everything she wanted to say appeared in her mind at once: her thanks, her apology, even the story of how she had lost to a frying pan and a carrot.
𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
"I’m coming!"
Saraya opened the door.
"Erik, I..."
She froze.
The person standing outside was Vylana.
She wore an elegant long dress, her hair combed neatly as usual. In one hand, she held a bag of food. Yet instead of her familiar confident smile, Vylana’s face held a rare look of awkwardness.
The two looked at each other for a long time.
"Vylana..." Saraya called softly.
Vylana looked at her friend’s tear-streaked face, then lowered her gaze to the two bandaged fingers and the burn marks on the back of Saraya’s hand. The smell of burnt food drifted out from the apartment behind her.
"Are you hurt?"
"I..."
Saraya did not know where to begin. She had imagined countless things to say to Erik, yet before her old friend, even a simple sentence became difficult.
Vylana looked over Saraya’s shoulder and saw the messy kitchen behind her. She tightened her grip on the bag, then spoke softly.
"I heard you were leaving the hospital today, so I brought some food. I didn’t know whether you had returned yet..."
Her voice gradually faded. Their last argument was still fresh in both their minds. Vylana had admitted that her jealous words had caused Saraya to doubt Erik. She had also forced her friend to confront her own responsibility.
Vylana had once thought she had done the right thing by telling the truth, but seeing Saraya standing before her with swollen red eyes, she could not help feeling ashamed of what she had caused.
"If you don’t want to see me, I can leave the bag here." Vylana tried to smile. "I just wanted to know that you were alright."
Saraya looked at her, her lips trembling slightly.
There were still many things between them that had not been resolved. She had once been angry with Vylana and had not wanted to hear another word from her. But now, looking at her once-proud friend standing awkwardly at the door, Saraya could not bring herself to say anything reproachful.
Vylana lowered her gaze, then finally bowed her head.
"I’m sorry, Saraya. About what happened before... I’m truly sorry."
Saraya stood still.
Vylana waited for a moment, but received no response. She became even more embarrassed and could only bend down to set the bag of food by the door.
At that very moment, Saraya stepped forward.
"Ah!"
Before Vylana could react, Saraya’s arms had already wrapped tightly around her. The bag fell to the floor, and Vylana staggered back half a step.
"Sa... Saraya?"
Saraya buried her face against Vylana’s shoulder, holding her so tightly that her injured fingers began to throb again. But she did not let go.
"Vylana..."
Saraya’s voice trembled. Then the sobs she could no longer suppress broke free.
"Wah...!"
She began crying loudly like a child.
Vylana stood frozen. She had prepared herself to hear reproaches, perhaps even to be driven away, but she had never imagined Saraya would hold her like this.
Only then did Vylana realize how violently her friend’s shoulders were shaking. Through the fabric of her dress, hot tears quickly soaked into her shoulder.
Vylana slowly placed one hand on Saraya’s back, while the other wrapped around her friend’s shoulders and drew her closer.
"I’m here."
Saraya only shook her head and continued crying.
Vylana gently stroked her tangled blonde hair, her voice growing choked as well.
"I’m here."
Neither of them mentioned Erik again. Nor did they bring up their earlier argument. What lay between them could not be resolved with a single hug, but Vylana no longer wanted to explain anything at that moment.
She only stood there at the doorway, holding Saraya tightly as the sound of crying continued through the quiet hallway.
Behind them, the kitchen was still in disarray, the pan had long gone cold, and the bag of food Vylana had brought lay tilted on the floor.
Neither of them hurried to pick it up.