"Do you want some wine to go with it?" asked Alexander.

  Seeing that Diana seemed reluctant and embarrassed to refuse, Alexander took a step back. "You don't have to drink wine if you don't want to. I just thought it would go well with the food."

  "It's alright," said Diana, blushing at being discovered. "I'm just not very used to wine."

  "No need to force yourself," replied Alexander smiling. "I'll serve you something else that should be more to your taste."

  After filling Diana's glass with orange juice, Alexander served himself wine and they began to eat.

  As he was about to eat, Alexander thought about how cooking had once been a hobby of his back on Earth, yet now he had no desire to keep it up.

  The most interesting thing was that after tasting the food, he thought it was fine to cook sometimes.

  The taste of the food, especially the meat, was much more intense than Earth food.

  Diana was also amazed by the taste of the food—her dish seemed to change with the addition of the berry sauce.

  The true champion was Ocean, who voraciously devoured her portion and finished long before they did.

  Alexander became a bit worried that the amount of fat in the dish would affect Ocean, as it would be bad for any canine on Earth.

  Seeing she was fine, he relaxed and went back to eating and talking with Diana.

  When they were almost finished eating, Diana gathered courage—motivated mainly by her curiosity—and asked for a little wine.

  Alexander found the scene a little amusing.

  He knew that wines—even fruity ones—tend to have a more closed taste, the fermentation process transforming sugars into alcohol.

  As soon as she took a sip of the wine, Diana couldn't help but make a grimace.

  The change from the sweet taste of the juice to that of the wine was significant.

  "Eat a piece of the meat and concentrate on its flavor," said Alexander, trying not to smile. "That should help."

  Diana did as Alexander said and felt a bit better when the flavors of the meat and sauce—whose flavors included a touch of wine to complement it—resonated in her mouth.

  It wasn’t as if Diana suddenly loved the wine—that would take time and her own taste—but at least it wasn’t as bad as before.

  When they finished eating, Alexander stored what they hadn't eaten in ceramic containers and gave them to Diana along with the remaining bottle of wine they had drunk, saying: "Take it to eat, or share with someone, later… I can always make more when I want."

  Diana thanked Alexander with a smile and tried to say goodbye, but he soon interrupted her: "Where are you going? We're not finished yet."

  Diana's heart jumped and a mixture of feelings swirled in her head.

  She soon calmed down when she saw Alexander take a cylinder from his storage item and serve her something inside it.

  "Try it," encouraged Alexander. "I think you'll like it."

  As soon as Diana tasted the rustic ice cream, her face became a mix of joy and surprise. She had never tasted anything like it.

  "Better eat it slowly, or you’ll get a headache," warned Alexander upon seeing Diana so excited about the new treat.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  After all, he knew ice cream must be something excitingly new, as emulsions probably weren't common in that world.

  "Can I take some of this too?" asked Diana, embarrassed.

  "Of course," replied Alexander smiling. "You should eat it today, or it will melt and lose its consistency."

  Very happy with the meal he’d made and her storage now full of delicious treats, Diana said goodbye and returned to where she was staying.

  As soon as Diana left, Alexander cleaned everything with water spells, sat in his room, and finalized the event mission to receive his rewards.

  『 Missions 』

  Integration Event

  Mission Type: Challenge.

  Mission Description: Win the Twin Combats Academy integration event. Completion Evaluation: {S}

  Rewards: (40000 XP points), (2 growth points), (10 free attribute points)

  Ding!

  [You completed the mission: (Integration Event)]

  [You received: (40000 XP points), (2 growth points), (10 free attribute points)]

  Alexander expected to get a grade higher than {S} this time, since most other students brought a 1st evolution creature and he brought a 3rd evolution one. Remembering how he won, and that he had Ocean's extra support, he concluded the {S} grade was reasonable.

  Setting aside his small expectation, Alexander assigned the free attribute points he earned to (Agility). He felt he needed to increase it.

  With his physical and mental condition adjusted and back to maximum, Alexander took a deep breath, picked up the [Asura Mantra] book, and began trying to learn it.

  POV Diana

  As soon as she returned from Alexander's house, Diana approached the daughter of the inn owner where she lived with a smile. "You have to try this."

  "Calm down, puppy," said the young woman, seeming very happy to see Diana so excited. "Why are you so excited?"

  "Don't call me puppy," said Diana, blushing with embarrassment, and a bit regretful for having told her they said she looked like a puppy.

  "Fine, fine," said the young woman without seeming convincing. "Now tell me, why are you so excited."

  "You have to try some of this," said Diana as she pulled the girl to a table and took out the food and wine Alexander gave her.

  Diana knew her friend liked wine a lot and went looking for her as soon as she left Alexander's house.

  To her surprise, her friend's face didn't show happiness upon tasting the food, rather concern.

  "Did you buy this at some establishment, Diana?" asked the young woman.

  "No," replied Diana sincerely. "A friend gave it to me."

  Hearing the mention of "friend," Diana's friend grew even more worried about her and said: "You'd better stay away from him if you have no romantic interest in him."

  Seeing the strangeness, as well as the total confusion on Diana's face, her friend explained: "I really don't want to make you sad. But these dishes are too expensive for him to give you without intention."

  "He said it was no problem, because he could always make more when he wanted," replied Diana, reflexively defending Alexander.

  "Wait. Did he make this food?" asked the surprised young woman.

  "Yes?" replied Diana uncertainly.

  "When did you meet a cook, Diana?" joked the young woman to lighten the mood—she realized she made it heavy. "Is my food that bad?"

  "He's not a cook. He's an adventurer," replied Diana. "I didn't even know he cooked so well."

  Discovering Diana's "friend" was an adventurer seemed to turn a key in the young woman's mind and she began correlating things. "Don't tell me it's the owner of that wolf that walks with you… The one who called you a large pup?"

  Her friend couldn’t help laughing when Diana blushed and shrank in embarrassment, giving her a mischievous look. "I see, I see… It seems he really treats you very well."

  "Stop it, Xiao Yin," scolded Diana, completely red.

  "Alright, alright," said Xiao Yin, with a clearly provocative smile. "But he really treats you very well. All the ingredients he used are very, very good—therefore, very expensive."

  "Really?" asked Diana.

  Even knowing how to cook well, she still didn't have enough experience—like Xiao Yin—to differentiate ingredients just by the food's taste.

  "Yes," replied Xiao Yin with conviction. "He used everything, from milk and butter to noble herbs, wine, eggs, and meat. All of the highest quality."

  Diana knew Alexander must have saved a considerable amount of money—he never saw him spend the money he earned from his missions. But she also knew animal-origin foods were ridiculously expensive.

  The reason was obvious: there was no easy—much less safe—way to raise animals in this world.

  Besides the market not having much demand for their meat, large-scale livestock farming would also require a very large area and be a potential attractant for beasts and monsters of all kinds.

  Seeing Diana quiet, Xiao Yin decided to tease her: "Hey Diana, since you and he still have nothing, can I try to get him for myself?"

  After laughing, Xiao Yin looked at Diana, only to see her staring, expressionless.

  There was neither joy nor sadness—no emotion.

  Only Diana herself knew what was going on in her head.

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