Main World.
Lynn Manor.
Dining Room.
With a loud clack, Ai placed the final dish in front of Avrora with a stony expression.
Her sea-blue eyes stared silently at Avrora, as if voicing silent discontent.
But Avrora paid her no mind. Her attention was locked onto the dazzling spread of food on the table.
She licked her lips repeatedly, then raised her eyes and looked expectantly at Lynn.
Seeing this, Lynn smiled and said, "Go ahead. It's all for you."
Hearing that, Avrora's eyes lit up instantly, and she began to dig in with enthusiasm.
Lynn shook his head.
Didn't expect to bring home a glutton this time.
Watching her eat so heartily stirred Lynn's own appetite, and he began to sample the food Ai had prepared for him as well.
The moment he took a bite.
He immediately noticed the improvement in flavor compared to before.
Surprised, he asked, "You made this, Ai?"
Hearing his voice, Ai returned to her senses and finally stopped glaring at Avrora. She looked over, tucked her hair behind her ear, and replied casually, "How is it?"
Lynn gave her a thumbs-up. "You've made serious progress."
Even though Ai had served as his maid for a while, her cooking had always been just average.
She might not have even matched Mahiru in skill.
But…
In just a few days, she had improved drastically!
Hearing Lynn's praise, Ai was clearly pleased, though she fought to keep the corners of her mouth from curling into a smile.
She maintained a composed tone and said, "I went to the Totsuki Club at Shuchiin for some extra training. Still not good enough to graduate."
"It's already amazing," Lynn praised without holding back.
His maid had pushed herself for the sake of his taste buds. She deserved recognition for that.
But—
Totsuki…
That name brought to mind Nakiri Erina, who had been in contact with him frequently through [Devil's Correspondence].
He had been busy with matters in the World of the Soul Reapers lately, and it felt like he hadn't "fed" that digital pet in a while.
Lynn took out his phone and opened [Devil's Correspondence], only to see a flood of unread messages from Erina.
Lynn: "…"
Was this girl about to lose it?
Tokyo.
A restaurant.
Nakiri Erina sat inside, eyes blank and unfocused, absently stirring the food before her.
She didn't take a single bite.
The chef standing nearby was drenched in sweat, nervously wringing his hands.
Was… was the dish not to her taste?
He was terrified.
One bad word from Nakiri Erina, and his entire culinary career could be over.
"Miss?"
Hisako stood quietly behind Erina, concern written all over her face.
Erina had been in a terrible state lately.
Was it because of that devil gentleman?
Sigh.
She sighed in her heart.
What kind of magic did that man use to make such a proud girl so obsessed?
Still…
If this continued.
Hisako clenched her fists.
Should she report this to the head of the family?
She hesitated.
Just then.
Erina's phone vibrated.
The moment she heard the buzz, she stiffened, and her eyes lit up in an instant.
She quickly pulled out her phone, nervous anticipation mixed with hope in her gaze.
After all…
It was just a vibration.
It could be anything.
Maybe just another push notification from some app.
She'd experienced this countless times.
Still, she checked her phone every time.
This time, though…
She wasn't disappointed!
"It's Mr. Devil!!"
Erina exclaimed and jumped from her seat in excitement. "Hisako, let's go!"
Hisako blinked in confusion for a second, then obediently nodded. "Yes!"
"?"
The chef was stunned. Seeing that Erina was about to leave, he quickly stepped forward. "Miss Nakiri, my evaluation…"
"Huh?"
Being stopped clearly annoyed her, but she remembered why she came. She waved dismissively, "You pass."
With that, Erina and Hisako quickly exited the restaurant.
The chef opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.
He looked down at the food that hadn't even been touched, mashed into a mess on the plate.
"…"
This… counts as passing?
But…
She didn't even taste it…
…
In the car.
Erina sat in the back seat, one leg bouncing anxiously, eyes locked on the new message from [Devil's Correspondence].
Her God's Tongue seemed to sense its salvation and was already secreting saliva.
But…
The good news was.
Her tongue was about to be satisfied again.
The bad news.
This time, the conditions were even more demanding!
Erina stared at the message, lips tightly pressed together.
"Provide cooking training for his maid team?"
Was this an in-person meeting?
She hesitated.
Thinking of the risqué photos and videos she had previously sent through the app, her cheeks burned and her mind went blank.
Behind a screen, she could still maintain a shred of dignity.
But face-to-face…
Her breathing grew shallow and her hand clenched around her phone.
What should she do?
She had a bad feeling about this…
It felt like she was being lured into a devil's trap, descending one step at a time.
And yet.
Erina moved her tongue, then held her empty stomach with a helpless expression.
Once she had tasted the food Lynn gave her, ordinary cuisine was no longer edible to her Divine Tongue.
Since that first deal with him, she had been hooked.
Going even a short time without it left her exhausted and tormented.
"Haa…"
Erina exhaled and muttered softly, "There's no helping it…"
She had no choice…
She had to go.
To avoid starving to death.
Erina compromised.
Still…
Just training, right?
That should be fine.
Should be…
But…
Was it really okay to meet the devil in person?
Erina wrestled with the thought, and after a few minutes of inner struggle, her eyes grew firm.
She made her decision.
She'd go!
After solidifying her resolve, she looked at Hisako, who was driving, and tried her best to sound composed.
"Hisako, change our route…"
(To be continued.)