"So, you're both chefs, traveling and honing your culinary skills, with the dream of becoming Super-Grade Chefs." Li Xuan stood with his arms crossed. After listening to the two familiars' life stories, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was all a familiar trope. It felt like he was watching Cooking Master Boy. Are you two Liu Maoxing? No, wait, he was already a Super-Grade Chef.
"Mhm, that's right! I'll definitely become a Super-Grade Chef, woof!" said the dog-eared girl named Pretty, puffing out her (admittedly flat) chest with confidence.
"Hmph! A dumb dog's ice cubes, dreaming of becoming super-grade cuisine. Pathetic," said the rabbit-eared girl named Eviya, glancing at Pretty with a disdainful squint.
"They're not ice cubes! It's ice cream! You stupid rabbit!" the dog-eared girl retorted angrily.
"Alright, alright. You came here to compete and see whose cooking is better, right?!" Li Xuan hastily intervened, stopping the two familiars who were already squaring up for a fight.
"That's right! We will settle this with our cooking and defeat this shameless rabbit (dumb dog)!" the two familiars declared in unison, glaring at each other as sparks flew.
"A cooking competition! To see who makes the better food?!" Kiana's eyes lit up as she stared at the two tiny familiars, a wide grin on her face. It was clear her foodie soul was once again burning brightly.
"I believe you'll be needing a food critic to judge whose dish is superior, won't you?" Kiana flashed a suspicious smile, like a creepy uncle luring a little girl to see his goldfish.
Heh, you just want to eat their food for free, don't you?! Li Xuan thought, seeing right through Kiana's gluttonous nature. After all, every time they ate, she looked like a starving tiger descending a mountain, making you wonder if she was secretly a burly man in a pretty girl's skin. Hmm! That might actually explain some of Kiana's behavior.
"A judge!.." The two familiars looked at each other and nodded in agreement with Kiana's idea. "But we don't know who can be the judge," they said. After a moment's thought, they pointed at Kiana, who had suggested it. "How about… you do it?!"
"Hehe~" Kiana's smile was one of pure triumph. "Of… course, no problem!" She gave a thumbs-up, sealing her fate.
"Since we have a judge, this one and the dumb dog will use the nearest ingredient—the giant squid—to create a dish that will capture one's stomach!" declared the rabbit-eared Eviya.
Can you even eat something that's been infected with Honkai energy? Li Xuan silently wondered.
"I told you, I'm not a dumb dog, I'm a wolf! You damn rabbit!" the dog-eared Pretty cried, biting on a handkerchief and whimpering.
At this point, Kiana was in no mood to pay attention to the two familiars, who were on the verge of another fight. She was staring blankly at the giant squid in the distance. Using a Honkai-infected squid as an ingredient… Dad… can my stomach really handle this?! The thought made Kiana feel sick. No! I have to find a way out of this. I absolutely cannot be the judge!
"Ahem, uh, my stomach suddenly hurts, so I need to use the restroom…" Kiana shamelessly employed the classic bathroom escape tactic.
"..." The two familiars stopped arguing and stared silently at Kiana, slowly approaching her. A sense of alarm flared in Kiana's mind. A 'Mjolnir' appeared in her hand, and she raised it, about to threaten the two familiars to keep their distance. And then… there was no 'and then.' Eviya executed a beautiful flash-step and a swift chop to the neck, easily resolving the problem.
"…Why did you force my hand?" the rabbit-eared Eviya said coolly, standing over Kiana's unconscious body and wiping her hands with a handkerchief, her eyes fixed on Li Xuan and the others.
'What do we do?' Li Xuan communicated with Raiden Mei through eye contact.
'Uh… I don't think I can beat that rabbit. She's too fast… Bronya, what do you think?' Mei responded with her eyes, then looked to Bronya for her opinion.
'Bronya calculates a one percent probability that she intends to harm Kiana… Kiana should be fine.' Bronya answered precisely with her gaze.
'Then let's not make a move for now.' The three of them concluded their silent conversation.
And so, Kiana was knocked out… while the others just stood by and watched.