Volume 1 Chapter 673

Chapter 673: Run!

Lolth had demonstrated exceptional talent and a profound interest in cooking during her school years.

For her, covertly stashing an electric stove and rice cooker on campus wasn’t an uncommon practice.

This naturally revealed Lolth’s utter disregard for school regulations even back in her high school days.

She was never one to follow rules.

Isabella, standing nearby, watched wide-eyed as Lolth produced these items and arranged them on the floor with practiced ease.

"These…"

"My secret stash for midnight snacks," Lolth chuckled, unzipping her backpack to reveal two tomatoes, a pair of eggs, and a bundle of dried noodles. "Perfect timing for tomato sauce noodles—care to join?"

At this invitation, Isabella’s expression shifted through multiple shades of surprise.

"But…how did you keep the tomatoes from getting crushed in your bag?"

"A magician never reveals her wrapping techniques," Lolth quipped, igniting the stove beneath a pot of water. "There’s enough here for two…though I usually eat straight from the pot. Hope you don’t mind sharing."

The casual remark about sharing utensils sent a rosy flush across Isabella’s cheeks.

The young girl had been wrestling with whether to accept the offer.

Lolth’s last comment effectively decided the matter.

"I…wouldn’t mind…"

Isabella murmured, settling into a crouch beside Lolth while hugging her knees.

Her azure eyes followed the dancing bubbles in the boiling water with tentative anticipation.

As Lolth meticulously chopped vegetables, Isabella’s attention gradually drifted from the ingredients to the cook herself.

"Do you always prepare meals like this?"

Isabella’s voice softened like steam rising from the pot.

"Often enough at home…Wait, you knew I could cook, right?"

When met with silence, Lolth glanced up to find Isabella nibbling her lip in thought.

"Actually…this is my first time learning about it."

"First time seeing me cook too?"

Lolth’s knife paused mid-slice as she frowned.

"Strangely…this feels familiar."

"Oh?" Isabella’s laughter tinkled like windchimes, ice-blue eyes curving into crescents. "Did I star in your culinary dreams?"

The question hung in the air as Lolth’s hands froze completely.

"A dream…?"

She murmured pensively, then resumed tending to the simmering noodles.

"Perhaps… It feels as though I lingered in an endless dream across distant realms…"

"In that place, I believe we shared… a deeper connection."

As Lolth spoke, fragmented memories shimmered through her consciousness—visions of an Isabella more vivid than the uniformed girl before her. A kaleidoscope of impressions surfaced: disciplined yet tender, formidable yet vulnerable, aloof yet fervent…

The one-of-a-kind Isabella.

These phantoms seemed illusory, mere figments of imagination.

Yet their emotional resonance felt undeniably tangible.

Lolth swirled the noodles absently, wooden chopsticks tracing circles in the steaming pot. A new uncertainty gripped her. Could this tranquil reality itself be another beguiling dream? Such perfection seemed… improbable.

"Oh! You truly dreamed of me?"

"Closer than this? We’re already… that is… properly acquainted as friends!"

"Though greater closeness wouldn’t be… unwelcome…"

Isabella’s flustered interjection shattered Lolth’s reverie. The silver-haired girl fidgeted, crimson blooming across her cheeks as syllables tripped over each other. Watching this cascade of uncharacteristic babbling, Lolth’s lips twitched before laughter bubbled forth.

"However sweet, dreams remain phantoms after all…"

"We should treasure reality’s gifts—I’ve indulged too much in fanciful thoughts."

Turning down the induction cooker’s glow, she drained noodles glistening with steam. Rich tomato broth swirled with golden egg blossoms beneath her practiced hands until every strand gleamed crimson and gold.

Passing the aromatic creation to Isabella, Lolth’s eyes crinkled with muted warmth. "For this ‘first time,’ you’ll honor me by tasting proper home cooking, yes?"

"It smells divine…" Isabella maintained decorum despite the tantalizing aroma, lifting a delicate portion with practiced chopstick grace. The moment flavors touched her tongue—

Her amber eyes ignited like dawn breaking through stormclouds.

By the time she regained her composure, Isabella had already devoured nearly half the pot’s contents. Blushing at her own actions, she hastily swallowed the remaining noodles and dabbed her mouth with a sleeve.

"I… I’m sorry, Lolth!" she stammered, embarrassment coloring her cheeks. "It’s just… this was too delicious to stop…"

Lolth dismissed the apology with an airy wave. "Don’t worry – I intended half of it for you anyway." A pleased smile blossomed across her face as she accepted the returned pot. "Hearing you enjoy my cooking… I couldn’t be happier!"

Her chopsticks hovered over the noodles when an authoritarian voice cracked across the rooftop. "You two! Explain this classroom absence immediately!"

Lolth’s face drained of color. "Holy crap, Master Extinction… Move!" She sealed the pot with practiced efficiency, wrapped it in her school blazer, and grabbed Isabella’s wrist. "Fire exit! Now!"

Their shoes splashed through rooftop puddles as they sprinted. Within moments, Lolth realized their roles had reversed – Isabella’s athletic strides were now leading their escape.

"Let me carry it!" The blonde girl snatched the bundled pot mid-stride. Their pace quickened as they blurred past ventilation units, reaching the metal exit just as loafers clicked onto the rooftop behind them.

The stairwell deposited them into the faculty corridor’s sterile silence. Clumsily clutching their aromatic prize, the pair rounded a corner and collided with a walking stack of notebooks.

"Ouch!" Papers snowed around a petite figure adjusting her glasses. A perfectly aligned name badge identified the flustered girl:

Dorothy.