"Rhine, you don't like to eat scarlet vegetables?"

While eating, Hua Shao, who was sitting next to Yura, asked Rhines curiously.

"Oh, what?" Reins stopped picking aside the red leaves and asked defensively, "Is this important?" ”

"It's not ...... It's just that my mother doesn't like to eat either, and it is said that my aunt doesn't like it either. Hua Shao smiled simply, "You guys are really alike, I haven't inherited this, I like to eat this very much." ”

Rhines looked like she didn't know if she should continue eating.

"You don't eat scarlet vegetables?" Apaya, who was sitting next to the mercenary, raised an eyebrow, "You seem to have eaten it when you were in the ruins before. ”

"There was no choice at that time - since there was a way to replenish energy, there was no reason to allow yourself to fight on an empty stomach. But now it's different, I have a choice. Reins retorted, "Seriously, why do you care about this—like an inexplicable family gathering, I'm like a kid being pointed out as a picky eater by my elders." ”

"At least I promise that no one here wants to be your elder." Hua Shao said meaningfully, "I'm just curious—so what do you like to eat?" ”

"What...... Why do we have to discuss this topic? Reins looked embarrassed, "It's not important at all—"

"Rheinland likes to eat soft foods, especially meat." Ella happily engaged, "Actually, Rhine doesn't like to eat anything that hasn't been processed. ”

"Ella!"

"And Sister Rhine likes to eat sweet food. Sweet meat, sweet snack. Illian also smiled innocently and said, "If you can make the food more flavorful, Sister Rhine will also like to eat it." ”

"Ellie!"

Rhines looked in a great dilemma.

"Can this food still be eaten well?" She grumbled and stood up, "Come on, you guys eat, I'll go back first." ”

With that, she walked in the direction of the door of the restaurant, and her plate barely touched.

Rhine was a little annoyed. "You shouldn't have said this in so many outsiders, she wouldn't be like that when it's just us," Bora said flatly. ”

Appaya also stood up, looking like she wanted to follow.

"Are you going to the Rhein?" Lillian asked, "If so, you'd better bring something to eat, she won't come back here to eat even if she is coaxed by you, she loves face." ”

The Engineer accepted the kind suggestion and left the table for the buffet area.

"Leanne, I noticed that you started helping the engineer." Imi said thoughtfully, "So, what did he do to make you feel better?" ”

"You know, I'm pretty much the one who knows the Rhine best, so I'm more aware of things, and I think the engineers are already very proactive, so they have to help, right?" Lillian wiped her hands with a tissue and stood up, "Okay, since Rhine isn't here, I'm going to get some food she can't tolerate back, who's going with me?" ”

Of course she knew something, and although she seemed careless, her instincts could tell her little things that showed up. Lilian thought to herself. For example, when the wrong box caused the "Gift" to explode, when it emitted an ominous light, the Engineer subconsciously made a move to protect Rheinth, which was definitely not a gentleman's plot out of caring for women - even Hermiria would not do such a thing casually.

Reins couldn't help but sigh as she walked back to her station.

Running out on impulse doesn't it make others feel that they are acting unnaturally?

She rubbed her hair.

But she couldn't go back now anyway, it was too embarrassing - hopefully there was some food left in the station, and she could make do with it.

In fact, the most embarrassing thing is not to say this in front of the people in the family, come on, how can she care about the opinions of irrelevant people? But...... Next to her sat Apaya.

Thinking of this, Rhines had an even more headache.

Leanne was a crow's beak, and there was no doubt that she decided to blame Leanne whether or not it was a revelation from the aether. I just said in the station that I would make some kind of decision after Huck and Hua Shao had a decisive change, and the result happened immediately...... Plus the inexplicable pattern of getting along for a whole day from last night to today...... Will she be able to escape a little longer?

Reins walked to the station, and was about to enter the house when she suddenly felt a throbbing in her soul.

Someone looking for her trail? …… This breath is...... ...... Apaya?

No, no, no, how is this possible. The mercenary thought as he propped his forehead. There's no way the engineer could have learned this kind of aura sensing in the soul side, even if he could carve a magic circle on the machine, but in the end, those things just need to be carved according to the examples in the book.

But it's certain that someone is locking her spot. So she found a chair in the garden and sat down, intending to wait until she was sure of the situation before considering whether to go back to the building.

And that didn't keep her waiting long.

With a blank expression, she saw Apaya approaching.

"How are you sitting here?" He stood in front of her, "Why don't you go back and sit?" It's still a little warmer. ”

“…… How did you do that? Reins pressed her forehead a little dizzy, "Soul breath tracking magic? ”

"Well, what's wrong?" Appaya looked a little puzzled, "What do you mean by 'how'?" ”

"What are you calling that?" The mercenary stood up a little frantically, "How can you use soul-related magic...... That's something that you can learn by understanding the nature of the soul—"

"So I understand, what's wrong with that?"

Reins glared at him.

"'What's wrong with that'? I never knew you understood magic to the same level as a high magician—"

"I'm also aware of a problem, Rhine." Appaya sighed, then sat down with her on the shoulder, "You have a serious bias about some of my perceptions - but let's not talk about that, let's fill our stomachs first, okay?" ”

"Deviation? …… Hmm, you brought food out? ”

Apaya took the lunch box out of the bag he had been carrying.

"It should still be hot, and its thermal insulation performance is okay." He commented, "Eat first—or talk as you go, don't be hungry, it's almost time for dinner." ”

The mercenary cooperatively summoned a table and placed it in front of them, and he placed the lunch box on the table.

"Take a look, is this okay?" "I tried to find what you like to eat — well, some of it is mine," he said, with some uncertainty in his hand. ”

Reins felt her face burn.

"Don't mention that again, Apaya."

"Huh? I don't think there's anything, everyone has something to eat......" Appaya saw her expression even more embarrassed, so she complied, "Okay, let's not mention it." ”

In fact, the lunch box was basically based on the food provided by Ella and Illion, which made her feel very awkward in her heart, but seeing the Engineer's natural face, she reluctantly began to eat quietly as if nothing had happened.

"So you just said that I have some biases about your perception." Lynes suddenly remembered the previous topic when she was halfway through her meal, and her expression showed that she was very skeptical of this statement, "What is it?" ”

"For example, in your cognition, I don't know anything about magic, only what you describe." Apaya tilted her head, "I wasn't aware of your perception before, but I didn't realize it until recently. I always thought you knew, I was trying to learn the theory of magic. ”

"Unbelievable." Reins whispered, "But...... How so? ”

Apaya sighed.

"Remember, Rhine, we discussed the effects of blessings and curses and the affected bodies in one of our actions not long ago, and that already involved the soul. Further back in time, we talked about the relationship between the scope of spatial teleportation and spiritual power. And even further forward, how to deal with the herb in order to preserve the information left behind by its soul......"

The mercenary's expression looked very shocked.

"Oh yes, we talked about this...... she looked at the lunch box in a daze, "why didn't I realize this ...... at all?" ”

"I think it's because there's a deep-seated prejudice against me in your heart that makes you refuse to accept the clues that will allow you to discover the truth." Apaya pursed her lips and placed a piece of black-purple food in front of her, "How about a taste of this?" ”

"Is that so......" Reins' mind was still on what she had just said, and then she subconsciously put it in her mouth, "Oh—what is this?" ”

The completely unfamiliar texture and taste made her entangled, but this did not disgust her, so she chose to swallow it.

"The fruit of the Iza grass, I think it should be stewed badly, and a lot of seasonings are used." Apaya ate his own food leisurely, "How does it feel?" ”

"Hmm...... Hard to describe. She frowned, "But...... Not annoying. ”

"Consider adding it to your recipe?"

"Perhaps......" she suddenly came to her senses, "Apaya! Didn't you say don't mention this! ”

The engineer laughed heartily, and Reins stared at him intently.

"Sorry, are you angry?" Apaya noticed her silence and quickly suppressed her smile, "I'm not laughing at you, I just think your reaction is a little cute." ”

"I'm not angry...... "I'm still looking at his face, I'm a little surprised, I've never seen you smile like that." ”

Appaya didn't seem to expect such an answer.

"So now you see it." He pondered for a moment, then continued, "I really don't laugh like this very often, I should say...... But just now I just wanted to laugh like this. ”

He reached out and rubbed Reins' head.

"Because your reaction was really cute." He repeated, "So I can't help but want to laugh." ”

Apaya's hand was knocked off.

"Don't just say that other people are cute." Reins turned back to look at the lunch box, "That sounds so weird. ”

"Why?"

The mercenary didn't answer him immediately, but after swallowing a few mouthfuls of food, he put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a tissue.

"Where did you come from so much...... Isn't it strange? Say I'm cute? That's used to describe the twins and Ellie. ”

The blonde man looked confused.

"But to me, you're just cute." He said seriously, "I like you, so you're the cutest." ”

Reins felt like her brain went blank.