A Dragon's Guide to Human Rules, Part 2
On the morning of her third day adjusting to the rules, Flare woke up and checked the time. 11:55 AM. She had barely made it. Considering she had stayed up late watching videos, she had actually woken up quite early.
Getting out of bed, Flare grabbed the casual clothes Hyun had bought her and left her room to wash up in the bathroom. As she opened her door, Hyun, who was spending his time in the living room, greeted her warmly.
"You're up? Good morning."
What a strange human. He takes care of me to an almost suspicious degree, even buying me tons of clothes.
Yet, perhaps he's just naturally good-natured, because he's devoted enough for me to acknowledge him and call him by his name.
Still, it's not bad. It's proof that I'm being treated with the respect I deserve.
He didn't even say a word when I cut a hole in my shirt for my tail because I'm a dragon. He seems to have plenty of money, too. I thought about giving him some gold, but decided against it.
They say things are strictly regulated in this world, so what else could I give him? I have no idea.
Well, if Hyun ever needs help in the future, I suppose I'll have to step in.
First, let's just wash up. Dealing with my tail is going to be a bit of a pain, though.
After washing up, Flare came out and asked about the lunch menu.
"Hey, Hyun? What's for lunch? Meat? Bread?"
"Neither. Today we're having noodles. I've already made the broth, and I have spicy sauce for mixing, too."
Noodles. It seemed Hyun was intent on feeding her well. Since he was taking such good care of her, she would gladly accept. One day, she would definitely reward him for serving a dragon so faithfully.
"Then I'll eat well!"
Hyun poured the heated broth into a bowl and added a generous heap of noodles. He topped it with seaweed flakes. Taking her bowl, Flare sat down, loosened the noodles, and picked up a large mouthful with her chopsticks. The savory, clean aroma of anchovy and kelp broth wafted up, cradling the moist noodles. The warmth of the broth seeped through the bowl into her hands.
Finally, she put the noodles into her mouth. The smooth strands slid down her throat effortlessly, barely needing any chewing. The savory, clean flavor of the broth rushed in alongside them. To keep from choking, she lifted the bowl and took a deep gulp of the broth. The liquid and the noodles melded into one, sliding down her throat in perfect harmony.
"Pwah! Delicious! Now this is what I'm talking about. I've noticed this before, but you're a really good cook. My mouth is always happy when I'm with you. You take such good care of me! So, wait up—once I finish this, I'm having the spicy mixed noodles too!"
Only one bite of noodles remained. Since she had to move on to the spicy mixed noodles next, she lifted the bowl and drained every last strand and drop of broth. Humans apparently have to chew their food thoroughly, but she was a dragon. Even if she swallowed rocks or metal, her stomach would just melt them down, so it didn't matter.
"Pwah! So good! Now I'm going to eat the spicy mixed noodles, so you eat too, Hyun!"
"Right, I should eat too."
At her prompting, Hyun scooped out a portion for himself. What would Hyun eat? Spicy mixed? Soup noodles? Hyun's first choice was the soup noodles. With a loud slurp, the noodles vanished into his mouth. But he didn't seem to be able to inhale them the way she did.
Now that she had finished her soup noodles, it was time for the spicy mixed noodles. She added two spoonfuls of the sauce Hyun had brought out to her bowl of noodles, then drizzled a circle of sesame oil over it. Her mouth was already watering at the sight of the red sauce. She picked up her chopsticks and began to mix, dispersing the sauce thoroughly between the strands. To loosen the stiff sauce, she held a chopstick in each hand and tossed the noodles until they were evenly coated. As the red sauce blended with the sesame oil, it took on a glossy sheen, releasing a rich, savory aroma.
Gulp. Saliva pooled in her mouth without her even realizing it.
"This looks amazing! Thank you for the food!"
Now that it was mixed, it was time to eat. *Slurp!* The well-coated noodles entered her mouth, the spicy sauce instantly wrapping around her tongue. She tried to swallow the mixed noodles without chewing, but immediately realized they were much drier than she had expected. It was probably because there was no broth.
"Flare, you're choking, aren't you? Here, I brought some anchovy broth."
Quick-witted Hyun. He had noticed her struggling right away. She immediately took the bowl of broth from him and gulped it down. The clean anchovy broth and the dry mixed noodles slid down her throat in perfect harmony.
"Pwah! That's the stuff! You really are quick on the uptake. Is this what you meant by feeding me? By the way, are you already done?"
When she asked, Hyun showed her his empty bowl, indicating he was finished.
"What? You barely ate anything. Is that all you're having?"
"Yeah, I'm full."
"Heh~ Really? Then I can eat that last portion of noodles left over there, right?"
When she asked, Hyun nodded, giving his permission.
"Alright, I'll finish this first, and then I'm eating that one, so don't you dare touch it!"
She picked up another mouthful of the remaining mixed noodles and popped them into her mouth. The thick sauce was still too dry to swallow easily. Seeing her struggle, Hyun scooped up some more anchovy broth and handed it to her. What a thoughtful human. She took the broth, downed it, and finished the last bite of the mixed noodles.
Now, only one portion of noodles remained. How should she eat it? Spicy mixed? Or with soup? She was torn. Both were so delicious. Just then, Hyun held something up in front of her.
"This is cold noodle broth. How about this?"
Cold noodle broth. She had heard that humans poured this icy broth over other types of noodles to eat them cold. Without hesitation, she demanded it.
"I want that too!"
"Hold on. I'll go shave some of the frozen broth real quick."
While Hyun went to shave the frozen broth, she rinsed her spicy noodle bowl with water, erasing all traces of the red sauce. It was time for cold noodles.
"Here's the shaved broth ice, and this is the chilled broth."
Hyun returned in less than five minutes. When she poured the shaved ice Hyun handed her into the bowl, the finely crushed ice made a crisp, clinking sound.
"Great. Now I just pour the broth, right?"
As she poured the cold noodle broth, the slightly cloudy meat broth cascaded into the bowl, blending with the shaved ice and instantly chilling the bowl. After waiting about two minutes, she finally picked up her chopsticks. The bowl sent a biting chill through her left hand. A human would have let go immediately, but to a dragon like her, it felt barely lukewarm. She lifted the bowl and took a sip of the broth first. The rich meat broth, accompanied by the shaved ice, flooded her mouth with a deeply savory flavor. She wanted to keep drinking it forever, but then she'd be left with dry noodles. She pulled the bowl away, set it down, and picked up the noodles with her chopsticks.
Having bathed in the icy broth, the noodles had become incredibly springy. *Slurp!* As she pulled the noodles into her mouth, the chilled strands, fully coated in the savory broth, slid rapidly down her throat. The distinct aroma and rich savoriness of the meat broth paired perfectly with the noodles, making it incredibly addictive. She lifted the bowl and slurped down the rest. Before she knew it, the noodles were gone, leaving only the slightly warmed broth behind. She lifted the bowl and drank the remaining broth. The stray strands of noodles floating in the broth slid down her throat along with the liquid.
"Pwah! That was amazing, Hyun! I'm stuffed."
This was a lie. A dragon's stomach could never be filled by such a small amount. Although she could survive without eating thanks to her Dragon Heart, she still felt hunger. That was why dragons hunted, after all.
"I'm glad you liked it. You've got sauce all over your face, so wipe it off."
She wiped her mouth with the tissue Hyun handed her, then eyed the remaining pot of broth. It had been so delicious. Now she was curious about what was for dinner.
"Hey, what are we having for dinner? I'm curious."
"I'm still thinking about what to make. How about knife-cut noodles?"
"We have plenty of anchovy broth left, so the base is the same. I bought some knife-cut noodles, too."
"Let's do that for dinner! It's going to be delicious."
"Alright, I get it, so calm your tail down, Flare. You're about to drill a hole through the floor."
"Mean Hyun! Hmph! My tail just moves on its own. Don't look at it and laugh!!"
She thoroughly enjoyed dinner as well. Heh. Knife-cut noodles weren't bad at all. She loved the thick, plump noodles that had soaked up the rich broth. The combination of zucchini, finely chopped onions, shrimp, crab, and the anchovy-kelp broth was absolutely perfect. So this is why people eat. Finishing it off with a porridge made of beaten eggs and leftover cold rice was pure ecstasy.
She glanced at Hyun as he went to wash the dishes, lost in thought. She was curious about Hyun's past. But since she would have to share her own story in return, they simply kept quiet. She wondered if Hyun would share his past with her one day, but that would probably be in the distant future—or perhaps after she had already left this place. Her future companion would need to have a matching lifespan, and this place was merely a temporary shelter. After all, she was a dragon. Would she really take a mere human as her companion? Their lifespan wouldn't even reach eighty years. She didn't know her own future, though perhaps there was some entity out there who could see it.
Hyun is just the human who took me in. For now, it's only right that I treat him well. As she was thinking this, the clatter of dishes stopped, and the sound of running water died down.
"Hyun? Are you done with the dishes? Dinner was delicious today, too. As expected of the human I approved of."
She noticed something like a lump of fluff in Hyun's hands.
"Huh? What's that in your hand?"
"This? It's a stuffed animal. A teddy bear. Want one? I found some unopened gifts in the storage room. I didn't know what to do with the giant one, so I was thinking of selling it secondhand."
A teddy bear. The thought of a giant stuffed animal was incredibly appealing. She wondered if he would give it to her if she asked.
"Can I have the big teddy bear? I really want it."
"It's pretty big, are you sure? It's about the size of your upper body, so it might be hard to carry."
"It's fine. That's nothing. I'm a dragon, after all. It'll be a piece of cake."
She went into the storage room with Hyun, pulled out the wrapped teddy bear, handed the plastic wrapping back to him, and carried the bear into her room. It felt nice and soft. Since it was time for bed, she would hug it tight as she slept. Thus ended the night of her third day adjusting to the rules.