Nosyuk Research Institute, 1st floor, Area D.

The rooms are mostly used as the maid's residence in the institute and the utility room where utensils are stored, so it is also called the maid's area.

It is also the most intact area in the entire Nosyuk Institute.

The sub-kitchen for the maids is not far from Lumière's room, at the end of the long corridor in the maid's quarter.

Most of the facilities in the room are intact, with no obvious signs of battle, and most of the damaged parts are psionic modules and supply lines that connect to the entire area.

The institute has been abandoned for several years, and even if there were ingredients, most of them have become inedible over time.

Antonieva and Otilia were just in the mood to give it a try and see if they could find something like sealed canned food or dried cheese.

"Neva-sir, stand back, it might stink. Huh, empty? ”

Holding her breath, Otilia carefully opened the refrigerator. There was no rotten and foul smell of the ingredients as expected, and on the contrary, the refrigerator was clean and empty.

Next, the two of them opened each cabinet door or storage compartment in the room one by one, but except for some salt and sugar, the entire auxiliary kitchen could be said to be empty.

"The rice jar is also empty, and there is nothing in the storage compartment underneath. There's some sealed salt and sugar in the seasoning compartment......"

Otilia put her index finger against her lower lip, looked at the empty kitchen in front of her in confusion, and frowned as she tried to organize the language, "It's like ......"

"It's like I knew I was going to be away for a while, so I emptied the kitchen early."

Antonieva continued Otilia's words in a cold tone, turning her head to look at the blank space on the side, "Noah, tell me what happened in the first place. ”

A vague projection of the silver-white virtual butler appeared to the side and shook his head.

"The relevant data has been deleted by Archon Hiro, except for the basic logical emotion, including all the previous data that has been locked and cannot be retrieved. After the system was started again, there were no people from the second institute who came back here. This is a question that may only be answered by His Excellency the Consul. ”

After being silent for a while, Antoneva clenched his fists hard, and a trace of complicated emotions flashed in his amber eyes, "Of course, I will definitely find out that guy and ask him clearly." ”

"Neva ......"

Otilia glanced at Antonieva with some concern, and then paused without asking any more questions.

I don't know much, but the existence that can confront an archon, or even force him out of this city, can only be done by the archons and even higher, those big people at the top of this world.

The stakes were too complicated, and Otilia clearly understood that this was not at all something that she could understand and touch as a second-year student who had not yet advanced to the rank of a beginner spirit, and all she could do was silently keep this matter in mind.

Turning to look at the empty kitchen around her, Otilia spread her hands helplessly.

"So what now, there doesn't seem to be anything left in the kitchen. You haven't come back yet, should we go to another room first? ”

Nothing? Antoneva came back to her senses, her eyes swept over the empty kitchen, and her eyes lit up.

"It's too early to say that they won't find anything, maybe they still have something left."

With that, she walked to the stove and squatted down, stretched out her hand and knocked on the floor below, hearing a hollow sound from below.

Antoneva's eyes were full of tender memories.

————

"Sister Qianjia, what are you doing here?"

One night in April, when the evening breeze was at its softest, a little girl in a light pink loose pajamas stood in the courtyard and looked like she was about eleven or twelve years old.

"Ah, it turned out to be little Antoneva, it scared me."

On the leafy green plum tree, a short-haired woman dressed as a simple black and white maid breathed a sigh of relief, lifted the basket resting on the trunk, and jumped down from the tree with one hand on an apron decorated with white ruffles.

The basket is filled with plump plums after the April drizzle, exuding an attractive fruity aroma. Antoneva took advantage of Qianjia's inattention, and secretly reached out and took one and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Hmm, it's sour." The next moment, the delicate little face was wrinkled, and Antoneva made a bitter face and spit out the green plum in his mouth.

"April plums aren't for eating." Chika rubbed Antonieva's head, took out a piece of hard candy from her apron pocket, peeled it off, and stuffed it into Antoneva's mouth, "But if it's used to make plum wine, it's the most suitable." ”

The two sat side by side on a wooden chair in the courtyard, and Chika raised her right hand, her fingers tapping gently in the air as if playing a piano. The pure water like a ribbon rolls up the green plums in the basket and washes them carefully, creating a beautiful picture at night.

"Plum wine?" Antonieva blinked, and then noticed that in the small box beside them, there were several bottles of clear liquor, and a faint trace of intoxicating wine could be smelled in the breeze.

"Want to drink? If you promise not to tell Yuri-sama, then when summer comes, I'll give you a small bite. Noticing little Antoneva's eyes, Chika asked in a seductive tone.

"It's only after drinking plum wine that you feel, ah, summer is coming."

Gollum, eleven-year-old Lori's amber eyes lit up and she nodded vigorously.

————

Click.

Antonieva fumbled around the inside of the cooktop, and there was a crisp sound of a machine spring in front of him, and the floor under the cooktop sank slightly, revealing a shallow dark grid.

Four sealed glass bottles lay silently in the dark compartment.

Sure enough, even if the kitchen is emptied, Sister Qianjia doesn't have time to take the wine away in front of Sister Yuri's nose. I'm so lucky. ”

Antoneva stretched out his hand in surprise, his fingers touching the cold glass bottle, and closed his eyes to feel the intoxicating fragrance of the liquid flowing from the bottle.

Fingers slid and paused, and she suddenly fell in a low mood, "I don't know, are they okay?" ”

After a moment's hesitation, Antoneva took out only a bottle of plum wine, and solemnly closed the compartment again.

"Lord Neva, what is this? Where did you find it? Can you still eat it? ”

Otilia, who was blocked behind her, leaned her head curiously and looked at the extra glass bottle in Antoneva's hand.

"This ......"

Antoneva turned around and sat down with her back against the cabinet on the stove, recalling the scene where she and Qianjia secretly hid in the kitchen to drink plum wine every summer.

Like, almost, that's the time.

Antoneva gently shook the glass bottle in his hand, quietly looked at the clear plum wine in the bottle through the light, his eyes left a trace of trance, and said softly on his face.

"It's ...... Summer. ”