"What!?" Illya made a sound of disbelief because she had seen the one who walked out from behind Jiang You. Although she hadn't interacted with every servant Jiang You brought, she had seen them all. Isn't this that Fairy Knight Lancelot? How is this possible? Logically, the channels of this world have been cut off by the World Consciousness and "She..."
"Is there a problem?"
Seeing Jiang You show a confused expression and unconsciously protect Melusine, Illya realized she had lost her composure. It seemed Jiang You had not yet discovered the truth of the matter, so for this world to survive a little longer, she could not yet speak the truth. Using her height to glare at Melusine, Illya quickly found an explanation: "She looks like she's only in her early tens... In this country, isn't that a crime?"
Although Illya herself was not qualified to say anything about Melusine, she had at least used magic to disguise herself, making her look a bit more mature than her original appearance.
"You mean this?" Jiang You put his arm around Melusine, making a very intimate gesture. "Don't let her looks fool you, she's actually an adult. Her situation is similar to yours. Before long, she and I will be getting married. That's why I wanted to introduce her to you all specifically, otherwise it would be embarrassing. She does look too young, just like your reaction just now."
"Married?" Illya was stunned. What the hell is going on? I made the first move, so how could someone else beat me to it? I can understand other people, but where did this Melusine, who has barely appeared, come from? Is this guy Jiang You really such a promiscuous person?
Illya really wanted to scream "No!" and then grab Jiang You by the collar and ask if he was blind. Can't you see that this person looks exactly like the one you know from the "game"! I at least used a disguise, but she's not even trying to hide it. Doesn't this make me look like a fool for bothering to disguise myself! Illya was furious, but she had to hold it in. She needed to maintain her persona for now.
Illya wondered how she'd ever agreed to dine at Jiang You's place. Her temples were throbbing. Meanwhile, the Servant named Melusine was hiding behind her, wearing an expression of sheer enjoyment—wasn't this a blatant provocation? And as for Jiang You... this guy was definitely a lolicon. Trying to look more mature was a terrible move on her part. If she'd just come as herself, she probably would have succeeded by now.
"So, here's the problem: I don't think I know how to cook," Melusine said, looking perplexed as Jiang You tied an apron around her. Her previous life had never required her to prepare meals. When she did get close to someone, it was usually to teach them martial arts; cooking was just too delicate a task for her. "I'm afraid I can't help you with this, even if you use a Command Spell."
"You don't have to go that far," Jiang You replied. He had only meant to tease Illya, and he was actually quite pleased that she'd taken the initiative to come. Still, he couldn't let her off the hook after the things she'd said about him—revenge was a must. "I've got plenty of food stored in my Inventory. I've granted you access to it, and I've already given you a copy of most of the items. You can just take what you need from there."
"Inventory?" Melusine, who hadn't really played games before, tilted her head, but she quickly found what Jiang You had mentioned. It was like a Noble Phantasm, binding a personal space to her that could store any item. "It's actually quite convenient."
Then Melusine grabbed Jiang You's wrist. "It seems... it doesn't work."
"You dare use my spell against me?" Jiang You's Inventory no longer had the restriction of not being able to store living creatures; he could even put people inside. However, he hadn't planned to use it, because putting someone into a dark, endless space was too horrifying. He wouldn't do it to friends, and for enemies, there was no need for such trouble. So Jiang You had still restricted this function. He tapped Melusine on the head. "You don't have a possessive streak, do you? I'm not an item."
"I was just curious," Melusine said, showing a disappointed look.
"Just serve a dish in a few minutes. I'm going to talk with Illya first. Oh... right, just bring out the Mapo tofu. Illya will definitely miss that taste. Also..." After arranging Melusine's task, Jiang You returned to the living room and sat down in front of the restless Illya.
"Miss Christina, how are you settling into life here?" Jiang You served a cup of black tea. It was actually borrowed from Illya's home, and if she took a sip, she would instantly notice the clue. However, at its current temperature, it would be a miracle if Illya could even drink it, so the secret wouldn't be revealed immediately.
Illya was lost in thought for a moment before realizing Christina was referring to her. She had almost completely forgotten that cursed name.
"It's fine. Everyone here is very friendly," Illya replied absentmindedly. In truth, she hadn't really interacted with anyone here at all, as they were all creations of Jiang You's subconscious, true NPCs.
"Is that so?" Jiang You flashed a playful smile. "It seems Christina has adapted very quickly. I remember when I first met you, your Chinese was still faltering, but now it's already very fluent... Let me think, it's only been about three days, right? Christina, you must be a language genius."
"You flatter me." Illya's expression turned a bit stiff. Normally, such progress would indeed be a bit too fast, and the current situation hadn't allowed her to fully consider this point.
Just as Illya was racking her brains to concoct an excuse, Melusine emerged carrying two plates of steaming Mapo tofu.
The bright red sauce brought back unpleasant memories for Illya, and she felt a phantom pain beginning to spread through her. Does Jiang You also enjoy this stuff in reality? Since Jiang You had taken Mapo Man to eat it, Illya naturally assumed it was his own personal preference.
Jiang You was actually dropping a hint to Illya, but he knew she wouldn't dare gamble on whether he already knew the truth. The price of losing such a bet was simply too high.
"Mapo tofu, a home-cooked dish my wife specifically learned. You should taste her cooking, you'll definitely be satisfied." Jiang You pushed the Mapo tofu in front of Illya. The familiar spicy aroma almost made her want to flee.
Seeing Melusine return to the kitchen, Illya couldn't help but ask, "Are there only two plates? Your fiancée..."
"Because she's pregnant, so she can't eat spicy food." In truth, there was no such thing, but Jiang You had already achieved his goal.
"What did you say?!" Illya nearly jumped out of her seat.