Chapter 307: Kobayashi and the Pumpkin Prince!
Afterward, they played five more rounds of the game.
It's worth mentioning that when it was Ryohei Tanaka and Lucoa's turn to team up, and Lucoa drew an uppercase letter, she actually used jam to write the character "正" (meaning 'correct' or a tally mark) on her thigh.
Yurine was instantly furious, her face puffing up like a steamed bun.
However, after this incident, she also let loose a bit. In the subsequent games, she even slightly retaliated against Lucoa, which made Ryohei Tanaka envious; he wanted to play that way too!
The next day—
"Ohayo."
"Ohayo."
"..."
As the dawn broke, the campsite began to bustle.
Ryohei Tanaka put on a beige hoodie, matching pants, and an outer jacket. He left the tent, greeted a few early risers, and went to wash up.
After washing, he returned to the campsite and casually pulled Yusa and Tohru to assist him.
He didn't see Jashin-chan and Pino; those two might still be asleep, but with Yusa and Tohru helping, it was enough—he hadn't planned on making anything too complicated for breakfast anyway!
"Mr. Human, are you making food now?"
As soon as she saw the activity on Ryohei Tanaka's side, Elma happily trotted over.
"Yes."
Ryohei Tanaka looked up at Elma—seeing her face full of curiosity and anticipation, he couldn't help but smile, and his tone unconsciously softened as he asked: "Elma, do you prefer sweet porridge or savory porridge? I plan to make pumpkin yam millet porridge and lean meat and vegetable porridge."
"I want both!"
Elma immediately raised her hand, her voice brimming with excitement.
"That works. You can serve yourself when it's ready." Ryohei Tanaka smiled and then assigned Elma the task of washing eggs—he planned to have some boiled eggs as a side dish.
Elma happily accepted—she came over with the intention of helping, as she couldn't just eat all the time without working.
The foodie dragon had already perfectly assimilated into the 'employee' role!
"..."
"Hey—! Use less force, don't crush the eggs."
By the sink—
Tohru, who was washing an old pumpkin with rice water, glanced at Elma carrying a basin of eggs and reminded her nonchalantly.
"I know."
Seeing Tohru initiating conversation, Elma happily wagged her tail, her mood becoming even brighter.
She put down the eggs, filled another stainless steel vegetable basin with water, pointed at it towards Tohru, and said: "Tohru, please breathe some fire. Mr. Human said to wash the eggs with warm water."
"—Ha!?"
Hearing this, Tohru was instantly displeased. She turned her head, her cute face showing signs of 'dragonification', and bared her teeth at Elma: "By what right are you ordering me around!?"
"I'm not ordering you; I'm requesting you." Elma looked surprised and waved her hand.
"I didn't hear you making a request!"
"Is that so? Well, then—I request you to breathe some fire." Elma, the little smarty-pants, added the word 'request' and paused deliberately so Tohru could hear clearly.
"..." Tohru couldn't help but lean back, looking at Elma, who wore an expression of 'You hear it now, right?', and was momentarily speechless.
Yusa, next to them, glanced sideways, watching the two with interest.
"Tch—!"
The dragon maid turned her face away, clicked her tongue lightly, and then puffed out her cheeks—
"Hoo—!"
A fiery, orange-red tongue of flame erupted from her mouth, precisely landing on the stainless steel vegetable basin filled with water.
In just a few seconds, the water in the basin became warm to the touch.
Elma tested the water temperature with her finger, a bright smile blooming on her face, and said politely:
"Arigato!"
Afterward, she picked up a bottle of white vinegar, poured more than half the bottle into the vegetable basin, stirred it, and then picked the eggs one by one from the other basin into this one to soak.
This was also taught to her by Ryohei Tanaka—
Washing with warm water mixed with vinegar can more effectively remove stains on the eggshells.
However, after cleaning, they needed to be rinsed in clean water again to prevent the residual vinegar flavor from affecting the original taste of the eggs.
At the campsite, cooking smoke curled up, gradually merging into the morning light.
As time passed, the warm, sweet aroma of the pumpkin yam millet porridge and the savory freshness of the lean meat and vegetable porridge quietly diffused and intertwined in the air.
Around 7 o'clock—
Both kinds of porridge were ready.
Ryohei Tanaka looked around, saw everyone was awake, and announced it was time to eat.
"Pumpkin yam millet porridge, a mix of gold and white, and lean meat and vegetable porridge, full of greenery... which one should I eat first?"
(´﹃｀)
Elma held a ramen bowl in her hand, standing in front of the two pots, her eyes sparkling as she looked left and right, appearing utterly indecisive and greedy.
After struggling for a moment, she finally scooped a bowl of pumpkin yam millet porridge first—
On one hand, she preferred sweets, and on the other hand, dragons somewhat have a liking for golden things. In terms of appearance, the pumpkin yam millet porridge better suited her taste.
The rest of the group also successively served themselves the porridge they wanted according to their preferences.
The twenty people were scattered throughout the campsite, four people to a table—Ryohei Tanaka felt small tables created a better atmosphere, and no one else had objections.
"..."
"Itadakimasu—!"
Clear, cheerful voices rose one after another.
Elma, who naturally sat at Tohru, Kanna, and Kobayashi's table, finished speaking, then scooped a spoonful of pumpkin yam millet porridge, radiating a soft golden light, and eagerly sent it into her mouth.
"Mmh-hmm—! So delicious!"
(≧∀≦)
The moment the warm porridge entered her mouth, the soft, smooth, and fragrant texture gently spread between her lips and teeth.
The subtle yet mellow sweetness of the pumpkin emerged first. Immediately after, the delicate and creamy richness of the yam quietly filled her tongue—it wasn't as sweet as the pumpkin but had a unique elegant charm.
The millet had been boiled until it blossomed, melting easily with a light press, releasing a mild, long-lasting rice aroma...
"..." Elma involuntarily lifted her small face, gently cupping her cheek with her left hand, her expression softening visibly.
She's eating with such enjoyment...
Kobayashi, sitting opposite her, took a look, then began to taste the porridge with anticipation.
The moment it entered her mouth, the eyes behind her glasses widened!
"..."
Her consciousness felt pulled by some invisible force, falling into a chaotic darkness.
No, rather than being taken somewhere, it was more like—
She was waking up in another body!
Kobayashi could clearly feel the presence of her limbs, but she couldn't move, or even open her eyes.
As if confined by some invisible shackles!
Until—
A warm, sweet sensation suddenly touched her lips.
As if by magic, the confinement instantly lifted, and an unspeakable feeling of relaxation permeated her heart.
Kobayashi opened her eyes in surprise, and what came into view was, surprisingly... a Pumpkin Prince!
~~~
Get early access to 20+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
~~~
Every 5 new reviews = 1 extra chapters
Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter