"Weren't you disgusted by human food?"
Cogita shot a cold glance at Diancie, her voice dripping with irritation.
At this moment, the little Pokémon had both cheeks stuffed full, showing absolutely no signs of disliking the food.
Most annoyingly…
Because Elias had originally cooked only for her, he hadn't made much food.
With Diancie now joining in, it definitely wouldn't be enough.
But Diancie showed absolutely no intention of stopping for her sake.
On the contrary, when Cogita's gaze landed on her, the Pokémon's chewing speed noticeably increased.
Her little hand even hastily reached out with chopsticks, grabbing several more bites, clearly intending to compete for food.
Seeing this, Cogita felt herself nearly bursting from anger.
As expected, these Pokémon who clung to Elias were all equally annoying.
After hurriedly swallowing another mouthful, Diancie mumbled unclearly:
"Because Elias made it, I obviously have to eat it."
Her tone made it seem perfectly reasonable.
"Besides… if I don't eat, I'm worried you won't be able to finish it all."
Diancie spoke with perfect seriousness.
After finishing, she even nodded to herself as if completely convinced by her own logic.
Cogita's face darkened another shade.
"I can finish it all myself, thank you very much."
As she spoke, she reached out, intending to pull the dishes toward herself.
But just as her slender fingers touched the edges of the plate—
Smack—
Diancie's tiny hand simultaneously slammed down onto it.
Pretending she hadn't noticed, Cogita tugged at the plate forcefully.
But predictably, Diancie also exerted all her strength. No matter how Cogita pulled, she couldn't budge the plate an inch.
Seeing Diancie's small face turning bright red from effort, Cogita gritted her teeth.
If she suddenly let go now… would Diancie tumble badly onto the floor?
But considering the dishes might also fly everywhere, and Diancie might seize the chance to leap into Elias's arms to act spoiled…
Cogita merely considered this silently, without actually doing it.
"Let go," she said coldly.
"No way!"
"I haven't had dinner either!"
Diancie glared at Cogita, huffing stubbornly.
Seeing Diancie and Cogita looking like they were about to fight, Elias used Telekinesis to gently tug the plates away.
Both Cogita's and Diancie's hands were forced to release at the same time.
Compared to his psychic strength, their physical struggle was evidently trivial.
"I'll just make some more," Elias said helplessly, setting the plates down safely.
Luckily, Cogita's kitchen was well-stocked with ingredients, enough for him to cook several more dishes.
Otherwise, he really wouldn't know what to do.
Hearing Elias's words, Diancie immediately nodded, eyes sparkling with delight.
She even glanced smugly at Cogita.
Elias must've decided to make more because he saw that she hadn't eaten dinner yet.
Noticing Diancie's proud look, Cogita snorted disdainfully.
She really felt that Diancie was quite childish—
To the point that even she was almost becoming childish herself.
Still…
Elias must've been concerned that she wouldn't eat her fill, which was why he went to cook more, right?
Thinking this, Cogita's lips curved slightly upward.
Indeed, Elias was as considerate as always.
...
[Only after you've finished preparing several additional dishes are Diancie and Cogita finally satisfied.]
[This time, you've thoughtfully prepared both human dishes and Pokémon-specific food, so the two won't start fighting again.]
...
"I'll wash the dishes!"
After dinner, Diancie volunteered cheerfully.
Compared to Cogita, she considered herself much more thoughtful.
But before her tiny hand could even touch the plates, a pair of pink hands had already lifted them up first.
"Tornadus, I'll trouble you again today."
Cogita narrowed her eyes slightly, speaking gently to Tornadus.
Usually, all her used dishes were cleaned by him anyway.
Tornadus himself had no complaints.
In fact, as a Cyclone Pokémon, he seemed to enjoy the feeling of water flowing over his hands as he washed dishes.
Hearing her, Tornadus gave a small nod and carried the plates to the kitchen.
Cogita then gave Diancie, who stood frozen awkwardly in place, a faint glance and remarked:
"I'm not foolish enough to let a Rock-type Pokémon wash my dishes."
Who knows how many plates she'd end up smashing?
"Uuu…"
Hearing this, Diancie unhappily turned her head away.
Then, touching her belly with one hand, she reached out with the other to gently grasp Elias's hand.
What she felt was icy coldness.
This caused Diancie's expression to dim slightly.
Even though Elias had already awakened, she still had an unfulfilled wish.
She hoped he could possess a real human body…
She wanted to hug Elias and feel warmth.
Unfortunately, that wish currently seemed very difficult to realize.
Thinking of this, Diancie couldn't help feeling somewhat deflated.
Fortunately, she quickly regained her spirit and looked up at Elias, saying:
"Elias, come home with me?"
She wanted to bring him back with her.
Hearing Diancie's invitation, Elias hadn't yet reacted, but Cogita's brow immediately furrowed.
Her breath even slowed instantly.
As expected, Diancie had finally brought up the topic.
Even though Elias had already promised her, she still felt incredibly tense.
She didn't know… what kind of conditions Diancie might propose to persuade Elias.
And she also didn't know if Elias might suddenly change his mind.
After all, until he recovered his former memories, she and Elias were essentially strangers who'd never truly lived together.
Nearby, Elias wasn't particularly surprised by Diancie's question.
At the same moment, Cogita's tense expression was also fully captured in his eyes.
He intentionally assumed a thoughtful look.
Seeing this, both Cogita and Diancie stopped their argument, silently awaiting his answer.
The entire room fell into a strangely oppressive silence.
A moment later, Elias smiled gently and turned toward Cogita, saying softly:
"Sorry, Cogita."
Upon hearing Elias's apology, Cogita's pupils abruptly dilated.
He…changed his mind?!
Realizing this possibility, her breath immediately caught in her throat.
For an instant, all sounds around her seemed to vanish—only the pounding of her heart remained.
A crushing sense of loss flooded her chest.
It was enough to make her feel the sudden urge to cry.
As expected… Diancie was still more important to him?
"N-no, it's fine."
Cogita replied softly.
Throwing a tantrum wasn't her style. Calmly shaking her head and lightly waving goodbye as if nothing mattered—
That would've been her usual reaction.
Yet… for some reason, Cogita felt her body become stiff like rusted metal, completely unable to move.
It wasn't until she saw Elias smiling mischievously, and Diancie covering her mouth and giggling quietly, that she realized something was amiss.
---
...
Umu! I am Nero Claudius—the brilliant Emperor of Rome, the dazzling Saber, the one and only performer who can steal a stage with a single smile!
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