"Okay… so meat section's done… next are—" I glanced around, basket hanging from my arm, already heavier than I liked.
"Spices," Anathasia cut in immediately, standing by the soy sauce shelf and casually lifting a gallon like it weighed nothing.
She walked over and placed it in the basket with a soft thump.
"Also… I still can't believe you pulled something like that off," she added under her breath.
I shrugged, following closely behind her toward the spices aisle.
"My mother was the one who taught me to take every opportunity that comes my way," I said, eyes drifting over the shelves. Paprika, cumin, star anise, rows of bottles I'd long since memorized. "So I did. Because of that… I can afford to spend a little more than most students."
Anathasia began picking out spices almost automatically. Black pepper, white pepper, extra paprika in case she wanted fried chicken again, dropping them into the basket one by one.
As we started to leave the aisle, a familiar scent slipped into my nose.
Sharp. Bitter. Unmistakable.
Cigarettes.
Just outside the grocery store, two men stood puffing smoke despite the clear NO SMOKING sign plastered on the glass doors. The smell still filtered through the cracks anyway.
Indifferent to rules and policies… just like him.
"Some people really hate reading signs, huh…" Anathasia muttered, her gaze lingering on the two men before security quietly escorted them away.
I turned back to our list and picked out the rest of what we needed.
"Vegetables are next, right?" I glanced at her.
"Yup," she replied. "Also… can we try making kimchi? I'm curious about how it actually tastes."
I paused, considering it.
"Guess we'll need a lot of cabbage, then. What about Korean radish. Can you get that too?" I shifted the basket slightly. "And… my arm is slowly giving up on me here."
"Yeah, sounds easy enough," she said casually, heading toward the vegetables.
"I'll grab some meat buns for a quick snack while we make it," I mumbled while she sauntered over the vegetables section.
—
After getting the rest of our groceries and paying, we were, as usual, immediately back at the house. In the kitchen, specifically.
"Okay… Korean radish and that… red flake thingy," she murmured as they materialized in her hands.
"You mean gochugaru," I corrected, setting the bags down on the counter. "And we'll need something big enough to fit everything. Preferably sealed so it can ferment properly."
A container appeared in her hand almost instantly. Rectangular, deep, and tightly sealed. Exactly like what I'd pictured.
"Is this what you had in mind?"
"Yeah. Perfect."
She set it gently on the counter before moving to the scallions, while I began putting away the rest of the groceries in the fridge.
"Salt the cabbages first. We need to draw out the moisture," I said, turning back to her as she handed me the gochugaru. "I'll make the paste while you handle that."
She nodded, selecting three Napa cabbages and carefully separating them leaf by leaf before salting them. Meanwhile, I mixed the gochugaru with fish sauce and rice flour until it formed a thick, vivid paste.
Roughly forty minutes later, Anathasia rinsed the cabbages at the sink. I prepared the scallions and the Korean radish she'd materialized earlier.
"Okay. Done!" she announced, stepping back from the sink.
The cabbage leaves lifted into the air around her, drifting weightlessly toward the container before settling inside it.
"Nice," I smiled, giving her a thumbs up. "Now we massage the paste onto each one, then add the radishes and scallions."
Anathasia watched intently as I worked the paste between each leaf. Her eyes never leaving my hands. For some reason, it made me feel a little nervous.
After finishing the last one, I went to the sink to wash the leftover paste from my hands. From the corner of my eye, I saw her poking at what remained in the bowl and tasting a bit of it.
"It's… a tad spicy. I don't really get it," she murmured as I turned back and sealed the container.
"It still has to ferment," I said, lifting it and setting it on the cupboard. "Give it three to four days, or a week. That's when you'll get the real flavor."
I turned back to her.
"Anyway… who were those names you mentioned earlier?"
The kitchen cloth moved on its own, wiping down the counter as the bowls I used drifted toward the sink.
"You mean Hinami and Mei?"
"Yeah." I dried my hands with a towel. "What's with them? And why that mischievous smile when you mentioned their names?"
She stiffened, her smile going a little too polite.
"Mischievous smile… I wasn't—"
"Forget that," I cut in. "Just… tell me who they are."
She hesitated, then sighed.
"They're the ones Arianne is connected with."
Two photographs materialized in her hand. She set them on the counter between us. One girl with golden-blonde hair, unmistakably Japanese in features, and another with long, sleek black hair.
"They go way back," Anathasia continued. "Even to Marianne's time, before she… vanished."
Marianne…? That girl again…?
"So… you mean they're after…?"
She appeared beside me in an instant, resting her palm lightly on the counter next to the photos.
"Us."
She corrected herself.
"Me, specifically. I don't exactly have proper paperwork, remember?"
She shrugged.
"Yeah, I'm registered as Filipino in the system, but I archived it so only officials and us can actually see it."
"Think of it as information manipulation, layered over perception manipulation. The file exists… but even if they open it, they can't really see it. Or retrieve anything meaningful from it."
I nodded, crossing my arms loosely over my chest before looking at her.
"Yeah… no Filipino looks like…" I gestured vaguely toward her hair, "this. Maybe if you were European or western, it'd be a bit more believable."
She scoffed, glancing back down at the photos.
"I can't help it. This is the only thing I can use to make sure you don't look at anyone else."
My expression immediately flattened.
"Girl, you're beautiful, yes. But where is this insecurity coming from…?"
Her cheeks puffed up slightly before she deflated with a small shake of her head.
"Kidding. I know I have you wrapped around my finger."
My eyes widened for a moment.
She wasn't exactly wrong… but still.
"Anyway," she continued, tapping the photos lightly, "it's my only default appearance, okay? And that's not the issue here. It's these girls, along with Arianne, who've been eyeing us like a hawk."
"That's true…" I murmured, looking down at the pictures. "But what exactly are we supposed to do about that? She's… well, filthy rich and influential. Not just in France, but outside it too."
"She's literally a prodigy," I added, glancing at Anathasia. "A model who shot up through the ranks and took the industry by surprise…"
Anathasia didn't respond right away. She just kept staring at the photos like they might change if she looked at them long enough.
A small smile slowly tugged at her lips. And on the counter, the photos quietly dissolved into dust.
"How about…" she turned toward me, eyes gleaming, "I make her see what cosmic horror actually means—"
POMFP
Without another word, I stuffed one of the meat buns I bought earlier straight into her mouth.
"No, idiot. They'll go insane," I said flatly.
Anathasia simply held the bun with both hands, chewing through it in seconds before looking back at me, completely unbothered.
"No, think about it! If I scare them off, they'd immediately think, 'Nah, this is not human!' and run away, right?"
My expression flattened even further.
"No. That'd just make you a target for subjugation…"
She looked away, clicking her tongue in annoyance.
"Then what are we supposed to do? I don't like the idea of being watched. Especially by some high socialite girl who's probably loved by the universe or something," she grumbled.
I gently shook my head before reaching out to tousle a lock of her clear white hair between my fingers.
"She thinks we're connected to Marianne's sudden fallout from her position," I remarked. "True, the girl was obsessed with me… but in the first place, why would Marianne suddenly just… fall from power like the people you see in the news?"
Anathasia's eyes drifted toward the window.
"Some higher being… like a god, probably did it," she said lightly.
I froze, then slowly turned my gaze toward her.
"Anathasia… you didn't… do anything to Marianne, right?"
"No. Why?" she shrugged. "I just… indirectly planted suspicions here and there since I saw her planning on kidnapping you while I was chilling outside time and space."
…What. The. Fu…?
For a moment, I just stared at her—half relieved, half deeply uneasy, knowing she had played some role in what happened to Marianne. And once again, it hit me: despite everything, Anathasia was still a god. A being who could decide how things would turn out.
"Okay, stop with that thought process," she said suddenly. "Why would I ever control how your fate goes?"
I stopped short.
"…Oh… right."
This was the same person who didn't want to cheat in exams because it was unfair. Despite all her power.
"Anyway," she cut in again, reaching out to cup my cheeks in both hands.
"Marianne isn't our concern right now. And she's safely under Arianne's care either way."
She pinched my cheek lightly.
"The real problem is those heiresses. They've already started moving. That mall they're opening is just the first piece. They're also already in NSGU."
My eyes narrowed.
"They are…?"
"Mhm. Since the start of second year's first semester."
She leaned back slightly, her expression growing more serious.
"They already have a lot of basic information about you… and absolutely nothing about me."
Her gaze dipped for a moment before meeting mine again.
"So instead… how about I set things straight in Arianne's consciousness, while you talk her out of all this? It's my fault anyway."
She's willing to take responsibility…? That's… new—
"Shut up. I'm trying to deal with the repercussions of my own actions here… and I still don't regret what I did."
"…you're really unyielding, aren't you?"
"What?" She tilted her head slightly. "Humans always do selfish things to get or protect what they love. Why shouldn't I?"
I opened my mouth to argue.
But the words just… died on my tongue.
And I wasn't entirely sure why.