She blinked, surprised, but then shrugged. "Fine. Clean the meat first."
And the moment he heard her tone shift into a casual, expert voice, something in him straightened.
She… actually sounded like she knew what she was talking about. He bent down, lifting one beast with ease, and Yue Yue began giving instructions like a professional chef from some wild beast food show.
"Cut off the head first...yes, like that. Now remove the tough part...no, no, the other side. Yes! Then slice this line… perfect!"
Han Soi's eyebrows slowly lifted. She was skilled. Ridiculously skilled. Her directions were clean, sharp, exact. It was like she had been cutting beasts all her life. Every time he followed her instructions, the meat came out clean and neat.
His chest warmed strangely. She was amazing. A tiny female with bare feet and messy hair… but she handled beast butchering better than most trained soldiers.
By the time the third beast was cut exactly the way she wanted, Han Soi's expression was practically glowing with pride...though his face stayed stoic, his tail quietly flicked in satisfaction behind him.
"Where's water?" Yue Yue suddenly asked.
Before she even finished the sentence, Han Soi pulled out a large metal water canister from his spatial storage, placing it in front of her like magic.
Yue Yue's jaw dropped. "You… you have everything in there. Just like my mom. She can take anything out of nowhere too."
Han Soi paused.
Your… mom?
He blinked, deciding not to ask. He silently poured water as she told him and washed the meat until she approved with a firm nod.
"Now fire," she said.
Fire was easy. Han Soi flicked his wrist, and a bright flame burst to life using a small energy stone. Yue Yue didn't even flinch. She only squatted down and started organizing the meat.
Then she turned to him and asked, "Do you have long sticks?"
Han Soi did.
He reached into his spatial storage and pulled out a set of sleek, needle-like rods...they were extremely high-grade metal, so strong they could pierce giant monsters and even armored beasts. He kept them precisely for emergencies.
But Yue Yue took them with pure innocence and no fear, holding them like they were cheap barbeque skewers.
Han Soi choked.
She had no idea the "sticks" she was holding were worth enough to buy half the floor.
But she looked so happy that he didn't say anything. She stabbed meat pieces onto the rods like she was preparing for a picnic. Then she handed them back to him.
"Okay! Help me roast these!"
He held the skewers carefully enough that Yue Yue had to hide a laugh because he looked like he was holding priceless jewels instead of raw meat.
The fire crackled as he placed each skewer over it. The smell of roasting meat filled the air, and Yue Yue's eyes became round and sparkly like a hungry little animal.
He kept glancing at her small excited face… and he felt something dangerous inside him melt again.
She crouched by his side, explaining how long to roast, how to flip, how to check the meat texture, and Han Soi listened to every word like it was sacred truth.
He had never roasted meat like this before. Orcs normally consumed nutritional solutions, not actual cooked meat. But somehow… following her instructions felt natural.
Maybe this was how the ancient civilizations ate food.
His lips twitched when she used the high-grade monster killing rods to poke the roasting meat, checking if it was cooked.
He didn't even know what to feel anymore.
As the first piece finished roasting, Yue Yue leaned forward so fast she almost bumped into him. Her excitement was so pure and bright that Han Soi had to hold the skewer steady before she accidentally burned herself.
She looked at the meat, shining in the firelight, and smiled so happily that Han Soi felt like his heart had been roasted instead.
He swallowed hard.
"Don't touch it yet," he said, much softer than he intended.
Yue Yue nodded obediently, waiting patiently as the meat cooled a little.
When the first batch finished roasting, he immediately took them off the fire and placed them on a plate. Then, without thinking, he brought the first piece to her lips after it had cooled down.
"Eat," he said softly.
Yue Yue didn't question anything. She didn't even look at him. She just opened her mouth and ate straight from his hand. Too hungry to notice how close he was, too hungry to care about pride or manners.
She chewed and her eyes sparkled. Good...It was so good. So good she almost teared up.
Han Soi watched her eat with growing shock. She ate fast, almost too fast, and every time she swallowed, he felt strangely proud, happy, and relieved. As if her eating well was the greatest achievement of his life.
She clearly liked this food. Even without salt. Even without spices. Just pure roasted meat.
"How long… has she been hungry?" he wondered, throat tightening.
Yue Yue kept eating until her little stomach puffed out like a round dumpling. Only then did she stop, hand rubbing her belly slowly. And only then did she realize...
She never asked him to eat.
The one who hunted the beasts… she hadn't given him even a single bite.
Her face flushed hot and embarrassed at the same time. She looked at him, stuttering softly, "D-do you… want to eat?"
She picked up a skewer of meat with both hands and held it awkwardly in front of his face.
Han Soi hesitated.
He shouldn't eat this meat. His body wouldn't handle this polluted meat. It might even trigger his spiritual riot. But her eyes were so hopeful… so expectant. He couldn't say no.
He leaned in and took the meat, his lips brushing her fingertips by accident.
Both of them froze. Yue Yue blinked, startled.
Han Soi's eyes widened.
Her fingers were… sweet.
And the meat… the meat was unbelievably tasty. His eyebrows shot up in shock.
No wonder she liked this so much… Why had no one thought to cook meat before? This… this was amazing.
He took another bite. Then another. Completely forgetting the danger. Completely forgetting anything except the taste in his mouth.
He devoured the skewer before he even realized it, then reached for more without thinking.
It was his first time eating cooked food. And it felt like a whole new world had opened.