The sounds of pan-frying, stir-frying, and deep-frying filled the kitchen as an enticing aroma wafted into the living room.
Relying on sheer talent, the gray-haired girl, who had crushed the Herrscher of Rice in culinary arts, stood before the stove, skillfully handling various dishes.
Li Zihan, whose only presentable dish was a Great Britain's Breakfast, was chopping vegetables with a kitchen knife.
"Bronya, is there something you want to ask me?"
The young man, who had never cooked and mostly survived on takeout and restaurants, was chopping vegetables when he lifted his head and looked at the somewhat distracted girl.
Hearing his words, the girl who was preparing a soup stiffened, then turned her head to look at him.
"Boss, you could tell?"
"That kind of conflict and confusion is practically written all over your face. Anyone with eyes could see it."
The young man, whose condition was very close to that of a Pseudo-Servant due to carrying Karna's Saint Graph, shrugged and said.
It was rather embarrassing to admit.
The reason he had chosen to fuse with Karna's Saint Graph was that he felt his body couldn't quite keep up during his journey with Aoko and Alice.
As a science-side vampire, his recovery abilities were indeed strong, but if he was giving it his all day after day, he would eventually run on empty, right?
Even super-speed recovery has its limits.
Therefore, he had to raise his own physical stats a little.
Fusing with a Servant's Saint Graph was clearly a shortcut.
And so he did it. He left just enough Command Spells to allow the Gilgamesh and the crazed Big Dog trapped in the Stigmata Space to commit suicide, and used all the rest to erase the curses on Karna and fuse with his Saint Graph.
Karna was more than happy to bestow his power upon his Master, so the fusion was very successful, with almost no loss.
Including the enhancement from his Stigmata, if Li Zihan's current physical condition were expressed in a Servant's status sheet, it would probably be A+ in all stats.
Because of this, he inherited many things from his Servant, which naturally included some skills.
For example, Discernment of the Poor.
Discernment of the Poor (A):
Karna, who had the opportunity to question the lives and values of the weak as one who lived in solitude, possesses this skill which shows his power to grasp the true nature of an opponent. It is an eye for seeing through the other person's character and attributes, and he will not be deceived by verbal excuses or deceptions.
Li Zihan, having inherited this skill from Karna, now had observation skills that were frankly hacked.
Was it that obvious?
Being called out so directly, Bronya's mood soured a little.
"Very obvious."
The young man, having anticipated Miss Banya's thoughts, said.
Miss Banya's mood instantly became even worse.
"Um... boss, what do you think of Seele?"
Bronya, who could already clearly sense that Seele's affection for the boss was abnormally high, bit her lip tightly.
Then she spoke, asking a question that made her a little sad.
She didn't quite understand what the boss thought of Seele.
But as for what Seele thought of the boss, the answer was already clear.
"A pure, clean, and beautiful girl. She looks timid, but she's a very strong and cute girl."
The young man, whose resistance to lolis and soft-spoken girls was very low, raised an eyebrow and gave his evaluation.
"She's right in my strike zone."
"If she were the first girl I met on my life's journey, I would probably consider a life of 'holding her hand and growing old with her'."
A stiffness that was clearly different from her usual sanwu expression appeared on Bronya's exquisite cheeks.
For a typical playboy like the boss to say something like that...
His affection level for Seele was ridiculously high.
"So, boss, do you actually like Seele?"
Bronya's voice had completely lost its usual calm, carrying a hint of being flustered.
That was a stupid question.
After saying all that, it would be bizarre if he said he didn't like her.
"I like her a lot."
The young man, who truly did like Seele a lot, answered with his usual brevity.
So, they like each other?
Does that mean my promise with Seele was a pointless insistence?
The girl, who had rejected the boss she liked very much because of her promise with Seele, didn't feel sad because of this. She just felt a little empty inside.
"Then, boss, what do you think of me?"
The girl, who already had a very high level of affection for Li Zihan, which had then been amplified by Jizo Mitama, was silent for a long time before these words escaped her thin lips.
"I like you quite a bit."
"A girl who is strong, brave, and intelligent, but fears loneliness, is also very cute, isn't she?"
Such words came from the young man's mouth.
The evaluation was surprisingly high, and unique.
"Fears loneliness?"
Bronya, who had never expected to be labeled with such a tag, was stunned.
"To say it's simply a fear of loneliness isn't quite right, either."
As if his evaluation was being questioned, Li Zihan's brow furrowed slightly, and he continued.
"There should be an element of being starved for affection as well."
"Starved for affection?"
Bronya, who had a good relationship with every member of the Cocolia Orphanage, was stunned again.
"Because before the age of twelve, you had never felt warmth and were accustomed to loneliness."
"But after you turned twelve, you were accidentally adopted by Cocolia, and you experienced love and warmth. Your life instantly went from a harsh winter to a peak summer."
Li Zihan shrugged and said.
"But having experienced that harsh winter, you're actually very afraid of losing everything you have now, aren't you?"
"Afraid of losing love, afraid of returning to solitude. At the root of it all, you were just too starved for affection in the past."
"Is that... so?"
Bronya was silent for a long time. Her childhood had indeed been very miserable.
The boss's analysis was quite accurate.
"Whether you're starved for affection now, I don't know. But before you met Seele, you were definitely very starved for affection."
Li Zihan shrugged.
"So much so that if anyone showed you any affection, there was a high probability you'd be won over and become a loyal dog-type girlfriend."
Bronya was silent for a very long time.
She liked Seele, in large part because Seele was the first person to show her kindness.
But now, she was confused again.
So then, why would she, who had been evaluated as a "loyal dog-type girlfriend," develop feelings for the boss?
"Boss, this time, it seems you've made a mistake."
The girl, having roughly figured out what kind of feelings she had for the boss, summoned her courage.
"Really?"
"Where did I go wrong?"
Li Zihan raised an eyebrow, his expression a little surprised.
Back when he played Honkai Impact 3rd, he had read the background introductions for all the characters.
His deductions based on that information shouldn't have been wrong.
"Um, I think I might like you."