"Yeah~ (^～^)"
"So what do we do now?"
Lumine looked at Ying with a mischievous smile and said, "What do you think, little Ying-ying~"
"Uh... you, you, you said you wouldn't tease me if I ate... Σ(|||▽|||)"
"But the food has gone cold, so we can't eat it anymore~"
"It's... it's just cold, it's still edible... Huh?!"
Ying quickly tried to grab the bowl and chopsticks, but before she could move, Lumine scooped her up. As she walked towards Ying's room, Lumine smiled and said to Ying, "Hehe~ Now it's my turn to eat (^～^)"
"Huh?! Wait! It's just cold, it's still edible!"
"That won't do, you'll get sick. I'll heat it up later and then eat it."
"But the outcome of this 'later' is me being eaten by you..."
"Hehe~ You don't hate being eaten by me, do you, Ying~"
"I just don't hate it!"
"Not hating it means you like it~"
"This... then I like the top, not the bottom!"
Lumine threw Ying onto the bed and then pressed down on her, saying with a wicked smile, "Hehe~ You can't escape this meal."
"Then then then... you can't go all the way at once... (//∇//)"
"Hahaha~ Alright, alright, I'll take just one small step this time~"
"How big is a small step..."
"Hmm... probably everything except those few 'firsts' that you value, Ying~"
"That's not a small step at all!!"
"It's not small? We've done it before, haven't we?"
"Ah, this... it seems so..."
"Hehe~ Then I won't be polite~"
"Mmm... why does this feel familiar..." Just as Ying recalled a past event that made her feel ashamed, she suddenly felt a familiar sensation in her abdomen and asked in confusion.
"Oh? Familiar? Does your sister often do that to you?"
"Mmm... Huh?!" Ying quickly looked down and saw Hu Tao's hands were already on her stomach at some point.
"Mmm mmm mmm?! Wait! Why did you stick your hand inside my clothes?! Ah?! Stop tickling me there! It tickles! It tickles!"
"Oh? So Ying is ticklish~" Hu Tao seemed to have discovered a new continent and immediately launched an offensive once she learned of Ying's weakness.
"No?! Hahaha~ Don't do that... Stop it, hahaha~"
"Hehe~ Now you're even less of a match for me, Ying."
"Stop... stop... I'm really ticklish..." Ying tried to escape from Hu Tao, but she was so weak from laughing that she could only beg for mercy.
"Hmph hmph~ Let this hall master test where you're most ticklish~"
"Ha?! You, you, you don't mess around... Be careful, I'll get back at you tenfold later... Ah?! Help!"
* * *
"Spicy Boiled Black Bass is here~ Huh? Why does Ying look like she has no will to live?! How long has it been since you last ate?" Xiangling exclaimed in surprise as soon as she came out and saw Ying slumped motionlessly on the table with a vacant look.
"It's... it's been quite a while... haha... ha..."
"I see, then eat quickly, don't starve yourself."
"That's right, that's right. You need to eat to have strength~ Look how weak you've become (^～^)"
"Haha... ha... You're right..." (I'm like this because of you...)
Ying ate, casting a resentful glance at Hu Tao, but judging by the way Hu Tao was eating, she probably didn't notice Ying's gaze.
(It's enough that you played this trick on me, and you're still eating so deliciously... I will get revenge!)
The host has quite a few targets for revenge...
"I didn't expect Ying to know how to use chopsticks. In my impression, most outsiders don't really know how to use them," Xiangling remarked with a sigh upon seeing Ying skillfully using chopsticks.
"Ah~ Actually, I quite like using chopsticks. Because utensils like forks and knives have limitations, while chopsticks, except for not being able to hold soup, are almost omnipotent (^～^)"
"Mmm mmm! I think so too!"
"By the way, Xiangling, can you cook any kind of food?"
"I can't say I can cook everything, but when it comes to Liyue dishes, I can guarantee them."
"I see... Speaking of which, I have a few recipes for Mondstadt cuisine here. Do you want them?"
"Huh?! From Mondstadt?!"
"Mmm mmm, I bought them on the way before I left." (Okay, actually, I wrote them myself when I was bored...)
"Can I really have them? Something so precious?"
"Uh... it's fine for me, really. And it's better to give them to you than to let them go to waste here." Saying that, Ying took out a few pieces of paper from her space and handed them to Xiangling.
"Ying... Thank you so much! Remember to come here and eat often from now on, I'll give you a special discount!"
"Hahaha, thank you so much."
"Hehe~ I'll go study these dishes right away!" With that, Xiangling "whooshed" into the kitchen.
"Xiangling really likes these things."
"Absolutely, because she loves cooking so much that whenever I play a prank on her, she immediately forgives me if I give her some rare ingredients (^～^)"
"e
"Hmm? What did you say, you hateful what?" Hu Tao, who was savoring the Spicy Boiled Black Bass, noticed Ying gritting her teeth and muttering something, and curiously asked.
"Huh? Hateful... hateful... stinky man!"
"Stinky man? What's going on? Tell me about it."