"How strange," Renz thought to himself. He decided to ignore whatever bizarre thoughts Alice Nakiri was having and return to the bedroom to find a way to avoid awkwardness tonight.
"I'm going back to my room to rest," Renz said calmly.
Erina hadn't quite grasped Renz's intentions. Because she didn't understand his line of thinking, she followed him, wanting to get to the bottom of it. The largest bedroom in the villa was, in gaming terms, Renz's 'spawn point'. Aside from the very first day, Renz hadn't been in this room.
As Erina walked into the bedroom, just about to speak, Renz closed the door behind her and gently locked it. In the living room, Alice's ears perked up. Even though the sound of the lock was barely audible, she, whose attention was entirely on Erina, heard it clearly.
They locked the door! They actually locked the door!
"Rina, shall we go back to our room?" Alice crouched down, smiling. In this situation, staying in the living room was simply too awkward. But… there was still a big, chubby boy in the living room!
"Haruki, how about the three of us play some cards?" Alice felt like crying inside, her heart crumbling. The couple wanted private time, and she, the cousin, had to help them out like this, providing cover. She should have just let Rina sleep with her parents. Now, she had to find every way possible to distract these two children.
Outside in the living room, Alice was in a panic. Inside the bedroom, after Renz locked the door, Erina's expression subtly changed, a hint of panic in her heart.
"Your cousin is a real pain," Renz sighed. He had thought he could just muddle through, but it seemed he had run into something difficult.
"Why didn't you let Haruki sleep in a room with us?" Erina, however, voiced her own curiosity.
"Are you an idiot?"
"If Haruki sleeps with us, we'd have to sleep on the same bed. If Haruki doesn't sleep with us, we have room to maneuver," Renz said irritably. "I locked the door to prevent them from peeking." Renz calmly analyzed. "Now, check the closet for other bedding. I can just sleep on the floor; I'm used to it anyway," Renz suggested.
Erina internally slapped herself. The strange thoughts that flooded her mind when she saw Renz lock the door were truly awful. Realizing her mistake, Erina rummaged through drawers and cabinets, but couldn't find any bedding in the bedroom; the closet was full of clothes.
"None?" Renz could only settle for a lesser option. "Find me a few down jackets. I can just wrap myself in them to sleep tonight."
"You can sleep like that?" Erina asked, surprised. "Renz, were your living conditions not good back home?"
"They were okay, I had a normal house, but I can sleep like this because of work," Renz said, glancing at Erina.
"Work reason?" Erina grew even more curious. "Renz, did you start working ten years ago?"
"Yes, ten years ago, I was a professional gamer, like someone who just retired from the profession," Renz didn't hide his past. "When I first started playing professionally, my results weren't very good, so I trained in a basement with a bunch of youth training players."
"Then the youth training players would move up to the main roster one by one. If they did well, they'd continue playing; if not, they'd leave, either joining another club or quitting."
"Youth training and substitutes had it worse. After all, it was a niche game, and the club was quite ordinary. Only the main roster players had their own rooms."
"Everyone else slept in the basement."
"Just spread something on the floor, a blanket, and you could sleep. Wake up and continue training. I only stayed for a month before I got promoted."
"Playing professionally is a dead end anyway. It's better to study hard and get a normal job; that's more practical."
As Renz finished speaking, Erina suddenly swayed, clutching her stomach.
"Pain…"
"What's wrong?" Renz quickly went to support Erina.
"Maybe I'm hungry?" Erina said weakly. She hadn't eaten much at the buffet earlier, only had a little ordinary drink. "My tongue is quite sensitive, so I can't eat ordinary food. I even get an aversion to it," Erina forced a smile.
Renz had always thought that the God's Tongue was just a special skill for discerning good and bad tastes. He had never imagined it would have such a side effect.
"I'm sorry," Renz apologized. This was where he had been inconsiderate. Perhaps… he should try to understand Erina even more?
"It's okay. We weren't really there to eat anyway; we just wanted to buy some time to figure out how to deal with Alice, though we didn't come up with any good ideas in the end," Erina said, biting her lip. "I can just cook something for myself later."
"Erina, could you explain the drawbacks of the God's Tongue to me in detail?" Renz asked, a little troubled.
"Those with the God's Tongue have a perception and sensitivity to ingredients and flavors far beyond ordinary people; I've told you this before," Erina said helplessly. "But similarly, the demands and requirements for cuisine from a God's Tongue wielder will also grow higher and higher."
"The first time they eat a dish, they might find it good. After one or two times, they'll develop an aversion. After gradually tasting all the world's delicacies, foods that can satisfy their taste buds will become increasingly rare. So, a loss of appetite is something every God's Tongue wielder experiences."
Renz fell silent. Was this a capability to be proud of? This was clearly a curse.
"Do you think Rina will have the God's Tongue?" Renz asked, his emotions complex. Perhaps it could be Haruki too. He needed to observe his children carefully now. Whether it was his son or daughter, Renz's attitude had always been one of equal treatment.
Erina felt a little ruffled. Hearing about the drawbacks of the God's Tongue, his first concern was his daughter? I'm the one with the real God's Tongue, why aren't you concerned about me? You perverted daughter-lover! Erina felt a surge of indignation.
But she still answered Renz's question.
"I'm not sure," Erina said. "Not every person from the Nakiri family has the God's Tongue. However, no matter what, I hope to give Rina a wonderful childhood."
Sigh, alright, she admitted it, she was also a serious daughter-lover. Coupled with Erina's isolated education experience as a child, she actually wanted to give Rina and Haruki a complete family more than anyone else.
"Although I still want to go back ten years, it seems there's no way to go back! The surroundings are unfamiliar, but life still has to go on."
"Renz, let's work hard together!"
The Big Tsundere wasn't tsundere today.
"From today onwards, let's take good care of the children together!"
---
With Erina's unexpected vulnerability and shared resolve, what new dynamics will emerge between her and Renz? How will the revelation of the God's Tongue's curse impact their perception of their children's future and their collaborative efforts as a family?
---Support with power stones