Fire Finch remained oblivious to Li Jia, who was lost in self-doubt.
A ball of flame ignited in Fire Finch’s right hand, swiftly heating the takeaway box.
Cold meat simply wasn’t palatable; it needed warming.
The Vermillion Bird residing within her body would never have imagined that its immortal flame would one day be relegated to a mere tool for grilling.
Was this truly the degradation of human nature, or perhaps…
Once the food was sufficiently heated, Fire Finch picked up another skewer and continued to savor it.
“Mmm! It truly tastes better warm,” she hummed.
However, after only a couple of bites, she paused, as something suddenly dawned on her.
Gently setting down the bamboo skewer, she bent down and disappeared beneath the table.
After all, a proper skewer feast couldn’t possibly be complete without its very soul!
When she re-emerged from under the table, she held a bottle of beer, emanating a faint chill, seemingly conjured from thin air.
By its appearance, it had just been retrieved from a refrigerator.
One could only wonder why such an item would be found in the president’s office.
“Xiao Jia’er, fetch your elder sister two glasses.”
Since Li Jia had brought the food, it felt improper for Fire Finch to enjoy it alone.
This was the perfect opportunity for her to teach Li Jia the true art of a skewer feast.
Given Aya Tone’s personality, that boy would undoubtedly have ordered Sprite, just like a child.
How could one truly call it a skewer feast without beer?
“…”
“Ha! What a relief!”
The bottom of the glass met the tabletop with a sharp clink.
After downing a glass of ice-cold beer, Fire Finch exclaimed her satisfaction.
Recently, her elders at home had been watching her closely, preventing her from visiting her favorite barbecue joint for some time.
She had never expected that a good girl like Li Jia would share this particular indulgence.
Indeed, one should never judge a book by its cover.
“Xiao Jiajia, here!” Fire Finch generously offered Li Jia a skewer.
This skewer was a tribute to the heroine!
Oh, oh, oh, oh.
“Uh… I think I’ll pass…”
Clutching the glass in her hand, Li Jia watched awkwardly as Fire Finch devoured skewer after skewer.
This seemed… vastly different from what she had envisioned.
“Not eating? Alright then…” Fire Finch didn’t press the issue.
It was probably for the best; there weren’t many skewers in the takeaway box, and if Li Jia had really wanted one, Fire Finch would have been short a skewer herself.
‘Mmm… delicious…’
Li Jia: “…”
Watching Fire Finch eat with such gusto, Li Jia felt a pang of unease.
She couldn’t help but wonder if the problem lay with her; otherwise, how could she explain why both Fire Finch and Aya Tone enjoyed such things?
Knowing it was rat meat, could they truly stomach it?
At that moment, Li Jia found herself lost in thought.
Yet…
As Li Jia recalled the aroma of cumin, she unconsciously swallowed.
After a brief internal struggle, she couldn’t resist picking up a skewer, despite Fire Finch’s furious glare.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Fire Finch’s eyes widened, fixated on Li Jia.
‘That’s mine! Let go!’
‘Didn’t she say she wasn’t going to eat it?’
‘And to think she even specially heated it with her immortal flame!’
‘Damn it!’
“Don’t yell, I brought it back myself,” Li Jia retorted, caring little for Fire Finch’s thoughts as she steeled her resolve.
Sometimes, people were simply like that, easily swayed by external influences.
When Li Jia first learned the truth in the shop, her immediate reaction was one of utter rejection.
However, upon realizing that those around her were all the same, she couldn’t help but try to accept it.
Just like at this very moment.
If one could forget the food’s origin, it was indeed a rare delicacy.
Nevertheless, it was fine now.
Once she embraced her own weakness, she would become…
Invincible!
****
Heaven’s Mandate Apartment
“Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap…”
Aya Tone, in his magical girl form, sat before his computer, slowly entering a string of mysterious code into the search bar.
The moment the Enter key was pressed, an identity verification prompt appeared.
Before Aya Tone could even react, the website displayed “Identity Verification Successful” and granted him direct access to its internal pages.
Aya Tone was accustomed to this process, so he wasn’t concerned about it being a scam website.
This was, after all, a national security website accessible only to high-ranking government officials.
It was said to be a cyber empire forged by several S-rank network masters, responsible for the nation’s cybersecurity.
The official website itself was something they had created in their spare time, and the higher-ups, finding it excellent, simply appropriated it.
Its security was impeccable.
Each person’s authentication method was unique, making it impossible for anyone else to use.
Aya Tone didn’t know the principle behind the authentication, but his instructor had explained it this way.
It had certainly left a lasting impression.
During his first login, he had been skeptical, so he let Aya Jiu press the Enter key.
As expected, a “login failed” message popped up.
Then her account was even blocked, which was hilarious…
Finally, after a thorough lecture, her account was unblocked, the verbal reprimand alone lasting a full two hours.
Since then, he hadn’t dared to mess around carelessly.
Still, he was quite curious if a male identity could log in.
‘Heh heh, the urge to court disaster was bubbling up.’
‘No!’
‘Hold it in! Must not court disaster!’
Aya Tone shook his head, forcefully dispelling that dangerous thought.
‘That was close; he almost exposed himself.’
Returning to the website, he surveyed the content.
It was filled with first-hand news and situational analyses concerning high-level dungeons in major cities.
At the very top, a glaring red alert was prominently displayed: “WARNING! An S-rank dungeon is projected to appear in the Imperial Capital within one week.”
‘An S-rank dungeon?’
Aya Tone pondered for a moment, then decided it was best to finish his current task before anything else.
Yan’an City was not close to the Imperial Capital; it was at least further than Fengtai City.
‘If an S-rank dungeon truly appeared in the Imperial Capital, surely (he whispered to himself) someone would intervene to handle it.’
‘He was just a weak, ordinary person; why bother thinking so much?’
Slowly scrolling down, he finally found his target among the officially sold items.
Marrow Cleansing Milk Powder.
Price: 50,000.
‘So expensive…’
This was merely the internal government price; if sold externally, a single can would easily double in cost.
With a few simple clicks of the mouse.
“Ding! You have a pending order, please confirm.”
‘Confirm!’
Balance: -1,000,000.
“Ah… no money again.” He closed the computer, and his magical attire faded away.
Aya Tone seemed to have his soul drawn out of him, staring blankly at the payment information on his phone.
His per diem for the business trip hadn’t arrived yet, and his balance was already critically low.
Even counting what he earned today…
It was barely enough to cover the payment.
Aya Tone calculated in his mind, ‘The remaining money…’
‘It should last until next month, right?’
Sigh…
Such was the harsh reality of the adult world, a relentless daily struggle for three meals.
However, for Xiao Jiu’s future, this expenditure was absolutely necessary.
‘It’s just one less anime waifu; he could endure it!’
‘Wuwuwu, a super cute magical girl figurine had just been released, and he absolutely adored it.’
‘What a pity; he would just have to wait until next month to check it out.’
Indeed, after gaining some wealth, Aya Tone had finally stepped into that endless abyss—the world of anime and manga!
As a veteran otaku,
He didn’t dislike magical girls; he just disliked *being* a magical girl himself.
It was akin to Lord Ye’s love for dragons.
Talking big was fine, but if it truly became reality…
‘Sorry!’
‘He’d kneel 360 degrees to the ground!’
‘Eheheh…’
“Ding-dong!”
Just as Aya Tone was still fretting over next month’s living expenses, the doorbell chimed.
‘Hmm? Who could it be?’
Aya Tone reluctantly rose to his feet.
He didn’t even need to look to know who was at the door.
At this hour, Xiao Jiu wasn’t home from school yet, and his neighbors across the hall hadn’t finished work.
That left only one person…