As for Feitan's height, let's not talk about that.
Even after more than a decade, he'd only grown to 155cm at his tallest.
This was a constant source of pain for him.
Only Phinks, his life-and-death companion, could bring up Feitan's height so thoughtlessly.
If it were anyone else, Feitan would have fought them head-on long ago.
But with this suitable destination, it was a perfect place for everyone to go.
And there was no need to sneak around the church anymore.
It would save them from making such a fuss, which was both inconvenient and unsafe.
So, having made their decision, they immediately took action.
Before leaving for good, Luke also raised his head and smiled toward the glass of a certain room in the church.
Then, along with Phinks and Feitan, they hurried towards their home.
"Just now... Did that person notice us?"
Little Pakunoda, in the screening room, noticed Luke's smile before he left and wondered in surprise.
She wasn't mistaken, for Luke's gaze was directed towards them.
"I once read in a book that people are very sensitive to gazes projected at them by others."
Little Chrollo, however, didn't think much of it: "We've been watching him from here for so long, of course, he must have noticed."
As he spoke, a curved smile appeared on his lips: "It seems he's a fascinating person, too. I really want to find a chance to meet him."
After Luke and the others left, many people gathered near the large tree below where Luke and the others had been staying.
Everyone caught a whiff of the rich fragrance wafting through the air.
One by one, their faces revealed expressions of deep ecstasy and greed.
"Hiss!"
Some even took a deep breath, trying to absorb the entire aroma into their nostrils. Such behavior also drew angry glares from the others.
Some even thought that the delicious food must be there, but it must have been hidden by those who arrived first.
For various reasons, the group gathered around and started arguing and even fighting.
Well, fighting is always inevitable in Meteor City.
…
Leaving aside little Chrollo's curiosity about Luke and those people's meaningless fights, Luke, Uvogin, and Machi smoothly followed Phinks and Feitan to Feitan's house.
Although Uvogin was very annoyed with Phinks, he would still be happy to take the opportunity to steal food from them.
Feitan's house was not large, and its exterior was just as shabby as Luke's. But the contents inside were more substantial than Luke's.
At least, besides the bed, there were simple tables and chairs, and a small cabinet for storing things.
Though still just as shabby. But for things scavenged from the junk piles, you couldn't be picky; having them at all was already good.
Luke's main focus was on the rotting tree in Feitan's house.
Thankfully, the Plant Re-modeler only required plants; there was no specific requirement for living or dead plants.
Luke immediately took out two more modifiers and loaded them into the syringes.
Now that he had received Phinks' commission, his inventory had expanded considerably.
Puff.
He inserted the syringe into the tree again, and under the gazes of Phinks and Feitan, whose eyes shifted from curiosity to shock, the tree sprouted, blossomed, and bore fruit.
A large black coconut fruit took shape.
"So that's how you get your food..."
Phinks muttered to himself, stunned and almost dazed.
Feitan, though silent, nearly opened his normally squinting eyes to their widest.
He watched the birth of the second black coconut fruit, as if wanting to see it all clearly, to see how it was done.
However, all their shock and confusion ended when the lid of the black coconut fruit was opened.
Crack.
The rich aroma wafted into their nostrils, stimulating their brains.
Instantly, it gave them a shudder.
All their shock, curiosity, and confusion vanished at that moment.
What replaced them was a deep longing for the bowl of food before them.
A rice bowl piled high with thick pork cutlets, and a steaming stir-fry filled with bean sprouts, shredded meat, and greens.
Two dishes of food they had never seen before sat right in front of them, making their throats churn uncontrollably.
Even Uvogin and Machi, who had already eaten, couldn't help but salivate.
And, upon seeing the food, Uvogin's expression gradually grew subtler.
"Bastard! These are ours, don't even think about taking them away!"
Before Uvogin could act, Phinks, as if already anticipating it, immediately carried the two dishes far away.
"Don't think I don't know what filthy schemes you're plotting, you bastard!"
Phinks glared at Uvogin viciously: "Your eyes and drool already sold you out!"
"Hm? Was it that obvious?"
Uvogin, having failed, regretfully wiped the corner of his mouth.
Sure enough, there was quite a lot of drool.