Su Yu looked at her obvious attempt to play it cool, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't press down the smile at the corner of his mouth.
This girl… she was starting to feel more and more like a living person again.
Right.
He suddenly remembered something.
Kiana didn't have a phone.
In this era, a phone was basically a person's second organ.
No phone meant no contacting people, no paying, no navigation, no… doing anything at all.
They'd have to buy her one later.
Soon, the dishes began arriving one after another.
The braised pork belly gleamed a rich red-brown. The sweet-and-sour ribs looked irresistibly tangy and sweet. The dry-fried shredded beef steamed with heat and a faint charred fragrance…
All those aggressive aromas mixed together and formed a force field above the cramped little table—something no human could resist.
Kiana stared at the spread. Her throat bobbed in a very obvious swallow.
But she didn't pick up her chopsticks.
Her hands sat neatly on her knees. Her eyes fixed on Su Yu, like a child who wouldn't dare start eating until a parent gave permission.
Su Yu froze for a beat, and a dull ache rose in his chest.
She still couldn't fully relax.
She was practically drooling, yet she still waited for her so-called "feeder" to nod first. That invisible barrier called being dependent on someone else wasn't something that disappeared overnight.
But it was fine.
Time would solve everything.
The pain, and that barrier too—this ordinary, smoky, human everyday life would grind them smooth bit by bit.
He believed that before long, the loud, shameless idiot Kiana—the one who'd steal Mei's chicken leg without a second thought—would come back.
"What are you spacing out for?" Su Yu picked up his chopsticks and dropped the biggest piece of braised pork belly into her bowl. "Eat. It won't taste as good once it cools."
Kiana's eyes lit up.
She snatched up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of pork belly, and stuffed it into her mouth.
The meat was so soft it almost melted on her tongue. The savory-sweet sauce punched straight through her taste buds.
Her eyes narrowed, her face slipping into an expression of near intoxication.
Then a second piece. A third…
Her pace got faster and faster. Her cheeks puffed out with a mouthful of food, like two little buns.
Su Yu watched her like she'd been reincarnated from a starving ghost, and he couldn't help laughing.
This was right.
This was what Kiana Kaslana was supposed to look like.
Eat well. Sleep well. Worry about nothing.
Kiana snapped back at the sound of his laughter, finally realizing how ugly her eating manners were.
Her face went whoosh red.
She swallowed, straightened her back, and tried to reclaim some Kaslana-family elegance.
A noble young lady from the north.
Proper etiquette.
No losing composure.
She picked up a sweet-and-sour rib and brought it to her mouth with practiced grace, chewing slowly and delicately.
Good. Hold it together.
But that forced aristocratic vibe lasted less than ten seconds.
The dry-fried shredded beef's numbing-spicy fragrance was just too domineering—and then there was that bowl of steaming hot, distinct-grain white rice…
To hell with etiquette!
If you're not enthusiastic about eating, your ideology has problems!
In under ten minutes, the rice bowl in front of Kiana was empty, and more than half the meat on the plates was gone.
Sauce smeared her lips again. A few grains of rice clung to the rim of her bowl.
It wasn't pretty.
But for some reason, Su Yu found it incredibly pleasing to look at.
Watching her eat so happily made even this ordinary home-style meal feel like some once-in-a-lifetime delicacy.
"Want more?" Su Yu pointed at her empty bowl. "Another bowl of rice? I know you martial-types have big appetites."
Kiana was about to put the last strand of beef into her mouth when she paused.
She looked up. In those mismatched eyes was a little embarrassment—and a whole lot of anticipation.
Like she was asking: Really? Is it okay? Am I eating too much?
"…Is it okay?" she asked softly.
"Of course. Eat as much as you want."
Su Yu grinned and waved to the server, sounding bold like a nouveau riche.
"Miss, over here—one more big bowl of rice! I want it piled up!"
...
After a full meal—
Su Yu paid, and the two of them stepped out of the restaurant.
Streetlights were already on. Warm orange lamps mixed with neon shop signs, dyeing the whole street in cozy colors.
"Phone shop first," Su Yu said. "I'm buying you one. Modern people without phones are basically half-disabled."
Kiana followed behind him like a small tail again, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the corner of his sleeve.
"This world's phones…" she asked hesitantly. "Are they different from the ones where I'm from?"
Su Yu thought for a moment, stopped, and turned back to her.
"Hardware-wise, probably not much different. Just a slab of glass, and the logic is similar. You can think of it like a civilian terminal from your world. But—"
He paused, then added, "The apps and websites from your world definitely won't exist here."
"But it's fine," he continued. "You're not some ancient person who time-traveled from 1,200 years ago. You'll get the hang of it fast. Besides, I'm pretty sure you weren't exactly innocent about sneaking your phone in class."
Kiana blinked.
Su Yu's words felt… pointed.
What did he mean, "an ancient person from 1,200 years ago"?
And how did he know she used to play on her phone in class?
Su Yu coughed and didn't explain—just quickened his pace toward the phone shop up ahead.
The store was brightly lit.
Behind the glass counters, rows of phones were displayed in neat lines: silver, black, rose gold—glittering under the lights.
The clerk was a young woman with a high ponytail, wearing a standard blue uniform. Hearing the door chime, she immediately lifted her head with a professional smile.
"Welcome—"
And the last word caught in her throat.
Her gaze slid past the ordinary man and locked onto the girl behind him.
A rare waterfall of white hair. Eyes like mismatched gemstones.
She was clearly wearing an oversized men's black T-shirt, but that only made her skin look like it was glowing. That special aura—half girl, half warrior—was brighter than every new flagship model in the display case combined.
Was that… cosplay?
Or some trainee who hadn't debuted yet?
The clerk's professional enthusiasm instantly mutated into gossip enthusiasm. She hurried over, eyes glued to Kiana.
"Hi, miss! Are you looking at the newest model? We just got—"
Kiana jumped at the sudden intensity.
Years of wandering and being hunted had trained her instincts; she was naturally wary of strangers closing in.
She reflexively stepped back half a pace. The movement was so natural—like a startled little animal—that she ended up hiding behind Su Yu, only half her head peeking out.
The clerk froze.
That reaction was… too cute.
Confused, she finally looked at the man she'd been ignoring.
Su Yu smiled, subtly shifting a step to the side—perfectly placed to block that overly direct gaze from Kiana.
"Sorry. She's a bit shy—she's not used to this," he explained gently. "How about this: I'll choose."
He swept his eyes over the phones and made a decision fast.
A tech content creator he followed had recently recommended a new model—good value, easy system.
"This one," he said, pointing at a handset. "And add a case and a tempered-glass screen protector."
The clerk pulled back her longing, let-me-chat-up-the-pretty-girl stare with visible reluctance.
Sigh. Such a gorgeous girl, and she was that shy.
But business was business.
"Alright, please wait a moment."
-------
Promotion Valentine's Month Sale: 20% off for 7 days. Apply now!
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (123 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (72 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (92 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (93 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (75 Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (75 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (65 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (115 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (105 Chapter)
Honkai: The Romance System Only Shows Up After I Marry Mei (55 Chapter)
Arknights: Who Are You Calling Repressed, X?! (105 Chapter)
The Chat Group Only Arrived After I'd Cleared the Game (42 Chapter)
Gojo Satoru Flat-Out Refuses to Admit He's a Supporting Character (40 Chapter)
Chat Group Isn't Supposed to Be Like This! (30 Chapter)
If You're Moriarty…then Who Am I? (56 Chapter)
Uma Musume: Since I "Can't See," They Take Turns Stealing My Underwear (50 Chapter)
Arknights: Why Are All My "Brothers" Girls? (54 Chapter)
Danmachi: Start Training Haki (59 Chapter)
Emiya Shirou's Rebirth (30 Chapter)
I Can Get Stronger Just by AFK'ing—So I Joined a Chat Group (50 Chapter)
Endfield: I Can Always Pull Out One Yuan (50 Chapter)
Limbus Company : I Started a Company in Project Moon (50 Chapter)
Lobotomy: Do Cooks of Alley 23 Dream of Bloodfiend Knights? (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: Freya Familia's "One-Blade Shura" (53 Chapter)
DanMachi: Emiya, the Great Hero Becomes the Protagonist (56 Chapter)
TYPE-MOON: One Special Instance Every Week (40 Chapter)
From Danmachi: The Abundance Apothecary (55 Chapter)
Lord Shadow Descends on DanMachi (40 Chapter)
Fuse with Me, Exusiai! (40 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it