The "skirmishes" between Ethan and Logan were just a bit of daily amusement. Logan quickly discovered his cigars had been tampered with, but at most, it only caused him a little trouble. He didn't even lose the box of cigars.
As for Rin, since she had been to the Artemis multiple times and stayed there for extended periods, she had gradually stopped feeling like an outsider and began living quite naturally.
In fact, except for Rin, the rest of them didn't see themselves as guests at all. They ate and used things as if it were their own home.
Only Rin took a little time to adjust. Occasionally, she still felt a bit embarrassed when facing Ethan because she was essentially enjoying free food, shelter, and magical instruction.
Even though she was nominally Scáthach's disciple now, she still felt uneasy.
Scáthach also seemed like she was freeloading. Rin didn't know that Scáthach had actually paid for her stay using energy from the Land of Shadows.
Because she felt embarrassed, Rin would occasionally help with tasks she could manage, such as showing off her equally impressive cooking skills.
"It'd be better if she didn't make Mapo Tofu every single time."
"Oh, sorry. It's just a habit I picked up back then."
"It's fine."
Ethan had originally wanted to find a cook, and he had been eyeing Shirou, but he hadn't expected Rin's cooking to be decent as well.
Thinking about it, it made sense. Her father died in the Holy Grail War when she was young, and not long after, her mother passed away too. Her guardian, Kirei Kotomine, didn't seem like someone who would cook. Rin couldn't have grown up eating takeout every day, could she?
He remembered that after her parents died, the Tohsaka family's financial situation worsened. In that environment, she still had to practice Gem Magecraft, which burned through money, and had to live frugally. So it wasn't surprising that she had learned to cook.
When Ethan asked Rin what other dishes she could make, her answer left him very satisfied. She could cook most home-style dishes. That was more than enough. Once Shirou officially joined, meals aboard the ship would no longer be a problem.
Although the ship had machines that could produce convenient meals, eating too much of that fast-food-like food would wear down anyone's patience, no matter how good it tasted.
With Shirou in charge as the head chef and Rin occasionally improving the menu, life on the ship would become much more enjoyable.
For the crew aboard the ship, now that they were connected to multiple worlds, they could always travel to the Marvel Universe or the Starship Troopers Universe to eat and then return to rest.
But for Ethan, this was his home.
Why keep going out to eat instead of eating at home? He could accept going out occasionally to change things up or have some fun, but he couldn't accept never eating at home.
"I'm still the same as I was before."
Although Ethan was now very different from who he had been in his past life, some things had remained the same. Those preserved parts weren't necessarily good, but he didn't want to change them.
What was the point of becoming some perfect being? Was he really supposed to become some high-and-mighty deity?
Ethan didn't see any appeal in that. Just like now, he did what he needed to do and what he wanted to do. Even if he knew something was wrong, as long as he wanted to do it, he would. As long as he was happy, wasn't that enough?
"Hmph. I'm not happy at all."
Selene pulled on her vest, found one sock in the corner, and, since she couldn't find the other, simply put on her pants and wore her shoes barefoot.
"Saying that now is a bit late, isn't it?"
Ethan clasped his hands behind his head, then half-sat against the headboard, watching Selene turn in circles as she rummaged through her clothes.
"You weren't saying that last night."
Selene paused, gave Ethan a sharp look, then continued getting dressed.
When Ethan hadn't made a move, she had been anxious, frustrated, and even a bit impatient. But now that everything had already happened, looking at Ethan now, Selene inexplicably felt... embarrassed. She couldn't help but feel like some old woman who had just "nibbled on tender grass," and the guilt was overwhelming.
Even though she knew full well how "dangerous" the innocent-looking child in front of her was, the wild memories of last night and the soreness all over her body proved that clearly.
Still, she couldn't shake that guilty feeling. Now that the emotional pressure tormenting her ("Are you going to make a move or not? Do you think I'm unwanted?") was gone, Selene made up her mind.
Absolutely no more messing around with Ethan in his current form.
"Doesn't that count as eating and running?"
Ethan was so frustrated he nearly coughed up blood after hearing Selene's decision. Why were they all like this?
Back then, he worked hard to become stronger and finally gained a divine body. But after all these years, he had only "eaten meat" twice, and now he didn't even know when he'd get to again.
Could it get any more tragic?
"Then hurry up and grow up. Your current appearance is really..."
After saying that, Selene turned and ran off before Ethan could protest. She felt that if she stayed any longer, she'd fall into the same complicated emotions as the night before. Better to escape first.
Leaving Ethan sitting alone in his small house feeling deeply frustrated. He was sure that after today, Selene wouldn't even come see him again for a while and might even run off to another world to hide.
"No wonder Ada always avoided meeting me face-to-face..."
Ever since he had turned into a child, aside from seeing Ada once in the beginning, she had only contacted him via communication devices. Clearly, she had anticipated this situation and stayed far away. Even if Ethan wanted to act, he wouldn't have the chance.
Of course, if Ethan really insisted on doing something, no amount of distance would matter. But Ada knew that Ethan would never ignore her feelings. That just wasn't who he was.
After washing up and getting dressed, Ethan stepped out of his small wooden house.
His house was built on the peak of a mountain. Snow had accumulated heavily, and the temperature was low. Aside from him, no one else built their home at this altitude.
Even Illya, who loved snow, didn't build her house up here. She hated the cold, and at most, she'd bundle up tightly and take an occasional stroll.
But today, there was a visitor.
Ethan spotted Shiro swaying contentedly, rolling around in the snow, clearly enjoying himself. He suddenly remembered this guy was essentially a polar bear.
"You must have been overheating this whole time."
Even though Shiro's growth had been halted using special food, his physical constitution remained the same. His fur made him well-suited for the cold but ill-suited for heat.
Ethan squatted down, rubbed Shiro roughly as he rolled around, and even scratched his belly a few times. Then he noticed Shiro's eyes were fixed on the magic stone Ethan was crunching like a biscuit.
"You want to try this?"
Ethan chewed the magic stone loudly, which had clearly piqued Shiro's interest. He probably thought it was something delicious.
"You can't eat this..." Ethan paused mid-sentence. Then he suddenly thought, this bear was already abnormal. Making him even more abnormal wouldn't hurt. It could even count as boosting combat effectiveness, and he could help Illya when needed. "If you really want to eat it, it's not impossible, but I'd need to modify you first."
Ethan had been speaking casually, not expecting a bear to understand him.
Unexpectedly, Shiro was smarter than he seemed. He shook his head rapidly as if he understood, then got up and bolted down the snowy slope, disappearing in an instant.
"..."
Ethan was speechless. He even forgot to finish his magic stone, starting to wonder if he had some strange constitution or hidden ability. Why were all the animals around him so magical?
"Should I use a Time-Turner to go back a few decades in the Harry Potter world for a spin? Maybe I could lure a bunch of creatures from Newt's suitcase?"
He walked to the edge of the nearby cliff and looked down at the island below, thinking that adding some magical creatures to the island might be pretty nice.
"There were also winged horses during the Triwizard Tournament. I could get a few samples."
Standing there, letting the cold wind blow against him, Ethan thought about what he should do next.
First, he needed to check on the subordinates he had sent to different worlds.
O'Connell, Jonathan, and Maria Hill had completed their mission in the G.I. Joe world, retrieving both the data and physical samples of several items Ethan had specified.
Whether it was nanotechnology or exoskeleton armor, neither was of much use to the Artemis. They were more supplementary technologies.
However, they were extremely useful for Cherry Military Industry. If used well, these two techs could help the company grow again and pave the way for future warship orders.
Those matters were progressing in an orderly fashion, so Ethan didn't need to step in.
The main ones he needed to pay attention to were Ryu and Shirou.
Ryu and Medea were doing quite well in the YuYu Hakusho world. They had already become close comrades with the main characters and joined Yusuke's team. Ethan also noticed that Ryu had not only learned to use spiritual energy but had also picked up techniques from several key characters.
As for Shirou, he had completed his first adventure. When Ethan checked in, Shirou and his companions had just bid farewell to their allies and were packing up, preparing to return.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)