The next morning, Yi Chen woke to gentle sunlight.
Yawning, he walked downstairs, expecting an empty living room and one of Paimon's "begging notes."
Instead—
A strange smell hit him.
Burnt… mixed with something oddly sweet.
He blinked hard.
On the dining table sat a spread of things that could loosely be called food.
Lumine stood proudly beside it, wearing an ill-fitting apron, hands on her hips, expression screaming praise me.
Paimon floated nearby, eyes darting, guilt written all over her face.
Yi Chen jolted awake and rushed forward.
"Lumine! Are you okay?! Did you hit your head doing commissions?! Are you sick?!"
Lumine: "???"
Her proud expression shattered instantly.
"WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!"
She pointed furiously at the table.
"Is me making breakfast really a world-ending disaster in your eyes?! Am I that unreliable?!"
Yi Chen shrank back, eyeing the charred, bubbling masses nervously.
"…So… is it paid? Like a prepaid meal plan?"
"NO! It's FREE!"
Lumine roared.
"Enjoy this rare, heartfelt thank-you breakfast, idiot!"
Yi Chen stared at the ominous food, survival instinct kicking in.
He pointed tremblingly at a black, slime-core-shaped object.
"…This isn't a poisoning attempt, right?! Paimon! Say something! Are you being threatened?!"
Paimon whispered, "Paimon tried to stop her… but she insisted…"
Lumine finally looked again at her creation.
"…Yeah. That does look bad."
Her confidence deflated.
"…Let's just eat out. My treat."
Seeing her utterly defeated expression, Yi Chen hesitated.
Then—
He inhaled deeply, grabbed a fork.
"No! I'll eat it!"
He shoved the darkest piece into his mouth.
"DON'T—!!"
Lumine and Paimon screamed.
Yi Chen froze.
His face changed color.
"Traveler! You killed the mysterious crash guy!!!"
Paimon shrieked.
Lumine panicked, hoisted Yi Chen over her shoulder like a sack of grain.
"I'M GETTING BARBARA!"
The jolt made Yi Chen—
"BLEGH!"
Black, bubbling substance sprayed onto the floor, hissing faintly.
"…I think… I'm not dead yet…"
Just then, a knock.
"Yi Chen? Lumine? Are you alright?"
Barbara entered, saw the scene, and gasped.
"By Barbatos…"
She immediately switched to healer mode.
"…Let's go to the church for a checkup."