Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Improvement! (6)
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Gob's Perspective
Laboratory 1.
Lucy was dozing off in her chair, her head bobbing.
Should I head straight to Sera right now?
It felt wrong to just leave without a word. Should I at least cover her with something before I go?
I glanced around and spotted a suitable blanket.
I draped it over Lucy's body.
"Gob."
Lucy half-opened her eyes and called my name. Had I woken her?
"Fun."
She tossed out that random word.
She kept her eyes open for about two seconds. Then she closed them again.
Phew, good. Must've been sleep-talking. Turns out Lucy's surprisingly sensitive to sleep.
She looks like a cyborg on the outside, like she never needs to sleep. But in reality, she sleeps a ton.
From my observations, she sleeps at least twelve hours a day.
Which means it's fine if I sneak off now and do some side stuff.
I quietly slipped out of the laboratory so as not to wake Lucy.
The moment I stepped out, I headed straight for the kitchen.
Today's plan was to meet Sera.
I'd been thinking of making a gift for her...
"Hey, where are you going?"
On the way, I ran into the feral dog, Kasha.
Why do I keep bumping into her? Should I report her for stalking?
Irritation surged from the unexpected misfortune, but I forced myself to ignore it and kept walking.
"Hey, where're you off to~?"
Kasha chased after me, poking my cheek.
What business is it of yours where I'm going?
I wanted to yell "Kyaaak!", but that would've just led to trouble, so I held back.
"I'll keep following till you tell me?"
True to her word, Kasha stuck right by my side.
On the way to the kitchen, I stopped by the ingredient storage and gathered various foodstuffs.
It was a bit heavy, so I handed it off to Kasha. She took it without a word.
What? I figured she'd complain about me dumping my load. Unexpected.
"No meat? I wanna eat meat."
Saying that, Kasha grabbed some meat without being asked.
So that's it. She just wants a free meal. Fine, be my pack mule then.
We gathered all sorts of ingredients and arrived at the kitchen.
I pulled out ingredients and cooking tools to get started.
"I like spicy and salty stuff. Gotta have meat, no question~."
Kasha plopped down on a chair in front of the kitchen counter and yapped away.
Sitting there swinging her legs like she was splashing in water, she looked just like a little kid.
I ignored the chattering Kasha and focused on cooking.
First, I roughly chopped meat for Kasha and threw it on the grill.
No point in veggies since she probably won't eat them anyway.
I focused on grilling and sauce, cooking as fast as possible.
About twenty minutes later, it was done. Honestly, even that's too much time for her.
"Sniff sniff. Smells like art."
She buried her nose in the plate and inhaled.
I crossed my arms and watched her reaction.
Kasha dipped the meat in sauce and brought it to her mouth.
She chomped down. Chewed it up, then her eyes flew wide open.
"Whoa~ what is this? First time eating something like it. You're really a goblin? Tastes like the best thing in the world?"
The best in the world...? I scratched my cheek for no reason.
Her reaction was a bit over the top, but it felt good to cook for someone appreciative.
I left Kasha to eat and moved on to the next dish.
This one's cookies. Picked 'em for Sera since she likes sweet things.
The key ingredient: dried Rabechoco.
Not just the taste—it's an ingredient tied to memories with Sera. Perfect.
...About thirty minutes later.
Cookies complete.
They looked just like chocolate chip cookies.
Rabechoco's naturally blue, but baking turned it dark, matching chocolate chips perfectly.
"Hey, can I try just one?"
As I boxed them up, Kasha poked her face in.
Shake shake.
Rejected for now.
"Man, you're stingy. You could spare one."
Tch. I wanted Sera to have the first bite.
No helping it. I picked the ugliest cookie and held it out.
Even as I handed it over with a sour look, Kasha snatched it eagerly.
Shoved it straight in her mouth and crunched away.
"This is way too sweet?"
Kasha grimaced and said. Doesn't suit her taste, huh.
Figured as much.
From what I've seen, Kasha likes spicy and salty, sticks to a meat-heavy diet.
If this was for her, I'd have picked a totally different menu from the start.
Sausage bread or a burger maybe. Definitely not chocolate.
But Sera's sure to love these cookies.
Imagining Sera's eyes sparkling, I packed the cookies neatly into a cute box.
"So, who's this for? Sera?"
Nod nod.
"Hey, that'll never work. Give up already?"
She scarfed down the meat happily, but now she's picking on me.
I was about to yell "Kyaaak!" when I heard footsteps.
Looking over, Sera was approaching.
My eyes met those of the pure white angel.
"There you are. I was looking for you."
The moment her voice reached my ears, my heart thumped hard.
"Looking for me? What's up?"
Kasha barged in out of nowhere, ruining the mood. Just leave already.
"No, I came looking for Gob."
"...Gob? You're awfully chummy calling him that?"
Brushing past the muttering, flustered Kasha, Sera came straight to me.
"Shall we talk in my room?"
Nod nod.
"What? What're you two gonna talk about?"
"It's a secret."
"Aw, what~? Ditching me?"
Kasha pouted playfully.
"I'll tell you later. Right now, it's just between us."
"...Fine."
Subdued by Sera's serious vibe, even the rowdy Kasha quieted down.
"Shall we go?"
Sera looked at me and asked.
Nod nod.
I nodded obediently and followed behind Sera.
I hugged the cookie box tight to my chest, just in case I forgot it.
"Tch. Acting all meek just 'cause Sera's here."
I ignored Kasha's jealous jab. All I need is Sera anyway.
I felt around in my pants pocket for the libido suppressant I'd stashed there.
Took it ahead of time for smooth talk with Sera.
Can't have myself going into heat mid-conversation, so I'll pop it on the way.
Sera's Perspective
Sera's room.
She poured pre-boiled tea into cups.
Chrrp... The green tea filled the cups.
Carrying two cups, she headed to the round table.
Gob sat quietly at one side of the table, waiting.
"It's called 'Rentrio'. It'll warm you up inside."
Sera said as she set the cups on the table.
Gob nodded, picked up a cup with his small hands, and blew on it gently.
The sight was so adorably squirrel-like that Sera's lips curved up slightly.
How could she have hated such a harmless creature so much before? Looking back now, she couldn't understand her past self at all.
"It's hot, so drink slowly."
Sera said with a soft smile.
Gob nodded again and blew on the cup some more.
Gob took a sip of the tea, then slid over the box he'd brought.
"What's this?"
Sera asked as she took the box.
She'd noticed him clutching it tightly since he arrived.
Gob fiddled with the notepad and pen hanging around his neck.
[It's a gift.]
"A gift? Can I open it now?"
Nod nod.
Sera carefully opened the box.
Inside were cute little pastries.
A sweet aroma tickled her nose, making her mouth water.
"Is this... cookies?"
Nod nod.
Gob's eyes were full of anticipation.
Clearly waiting for her reaction after tasting them.
"Can I try one now?"
Nod nod!
"Then I'll dig right in."
Crunch. Sera took a bite of a cookie.
Before eating, she'd planned to pretend it was delicious even if it wasn't.
But one bite in, she realized no acting was needed.
Crispy texture. Sweet base. Accents from the dried Rabechoco. Perfect for her taste.
"This is amazing! Did you make it yourself?"
Nod nod.
"Wow, you're really good at cooking."
Genuine admiration.
Especially the dried Rabechoco chunks embedded in the cookies—they were spot on.
When was the last time she had Rabechoco?
A memory suddenly flashed in Sera's mind.
There was that time she brought Rabechoco to Gob's hut.
The first time she'd seduced him, satisfied her sexual curiosity, and fled like a coward.
Recalling that far made Sera's face heat up.
"Kerruk?"
As Sera spaced out for a moment, Gob tilted his head.
"It was so good I lost myself for a sec."
Sera joked with a light smile.
"Kerrr."
Gob smiled contentedly.
The awkward atmosphere from entering the room alone together.
Warm tea and sweet cookies melted it away completely.
Sera didn't want to ruin the good mood now.
She really, really didn't.
But she had to.
"Gob. There's something I want to tell you."
The moment she started speaking, her chest tightened.
Her body seemed to reject the words to come.
Just let it slide, it'll fade with time.
But Sera couldn't allow such cowardice.
"Will you hear my story?"
Sera's earnest plea.
At her words, Gob's eyes trembled faintly.
He seemed to gather his thoughts for a moment, then gripped his pen and notepad.
His hand fidgeted, then he held the notepad out to Sera.
[I want to hear it.]
The firmly pressed writing. She could feel the intent to write straight.