Chapter 107: Hungry Little Fox

Ethan stared at Lumi in complete disbelief.

For a few seconds, his brain simply refused to process what had just happened.

Aster’s book.

The book that had taught him about practically everything in this world and countless other things he still hadn’t had the chance to properly study.

Lumi had just swallowed it.

"You—"

Ethan’s expression changed immediately.

"Lumi!"

His first thought wasn’t even about the book anymore.

It was about her.

Could she actually digest something like that?

The book was far too large for a little fox like Lumi to swallow, and even if her spiritual body had certain differences from an ordinary animal, Ethan couldn’t imagine that something as big as Aster’s book could simply disappear into her stomach without causing a problem.

"What if it gets stuck?"

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Lumi suddenly began coughing.

"Yip! Yip!"

Ethan’s heart jumped.

"Oh, shit!"

He immediately rushed toward her, watching as Lumi coughed repeatedly, her tiny body jerking with each cough.

"It’s stuck, isn’t it? I knew it!"

Ethan quickly picked her up and held her carefully, trying to figure out what he could do without accidentally hurting her. He patted her back gently at first, but when that didn’t work, he carefully opened her mouth and tried to see if he could catch a glimpse of the book.

Nothing.

"Come on, Lumi. Open your mouth."

Lumi wriggled in his hands and gave another muffled cough.

"I know, I know. I’m trying to help you."

Ethan’s mind raced.

He couldn’t exactly reach into her throat and pull out an entire book, and he definitely wasn’t going to start shaking her around in panic. There had to be another way.

Then he remembered that Lumi wasn’t an ordinary fox.

She was his spiritual companion.

Their connection was much deeper than that of a normal human and animal, and he had already learned that his thoughts and energy could affect her.

Ethan immediately calmed himself and focused on their spiritual connection, sending a small amount of his energy toward Lumi while gently rubbing her back.

"Come on. Spit it out."

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then Lumi coughed again.

"Yip!"

Something suddenly shifted.

Ethan barely had time to react before Lumi opened her mouth and the book came flying out, dropping onto the floor with a heavy thud.

Ethan stared at it.

Then he stared at Lumi.

Then back at the book.

His shoulders immediately sagged with relief.

"Holy shit."

He quickly picked Lumi up again and checked her from head to tail, making sure she was breathing properly and that there was nothing else wrong with her.

"You scared me!"

Lumi blinked innocently at him.

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

"Bad Lumi."

Her ears immediately drooped.

"Bad Lumi," he repeated, pointing at her before glancing toward Aster’s book. "You almost swallowed one of the most important things I have!"

Lumi lowered her head even further, looking almost guilty.

Ethan sighed.

He couldn’t stay angry at her for long.

Especially after everything she had just gone through.

His expression softened as he gently rubbed her head.

"Just don’t eat books again, okay?"

Lumi gave a small yip.

Ethan stared at her.

"Was that a yes?"

Another cheerful yip.

"Good."

He placed her down carefully and glanced at Aster’s book again, picking it up and checking it for damage.

Thankfully, apart from the fact that it was covered in fox slime, it appeared to be fine.

Ethan let out another quiet sigh of relief before looking back at Lumi.

Now that the immediate problem was over, another thought suddenly occurred to him.

She was hungry.

Considering how much spiritual energy Lumi had used during the Guidance session and how much energy she had apparently needed to recover, it made sense that she would need food too.

Spiritual companions didn’t survive on spiritual energy alone. They could also consume ordinary food, and judging by Lumi’s recent behavior, Ethan suspected she was probably starving.

"Okay," he said, crouching in front of her. "Let’s figure out what you can eat."

Lumi’s ears immediately perked up.

Ethan began listing different foods he could remember having access to.

"Meat?"

"Yip!"

"Yes?"

Another enthusiastic yip.

"Bread?"

Lumi stared at him.

"No?"

"Yip."

Ethan blinked.

"You don’t like bread?" How could any human not like bread?

Apparently Lumi was one because she immediately shook herself and turned her head away.

"Okay, then. No bread."

He continued.

"Fruits?"

Lumi gave another cheerful yip.

"Vegetables?"

Silence.

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"No?"

Lumi looked away.

"Yeah, I thought so."

He continued going through different foods, paying attention to every cheerful yip, every dismissive sound, and every time Lumi simply stared at him without responding.

By the time he finished, Ethan had a rough idea of what she liked and what she absolutely refused to eat.

"Alright," he muttered, mentally taking note of everything. "I’ll get you something when I go to the cafeteria."

Lumi’s tail immediately began wagging.

Ethan chuckled.

"You really are hungry, huh?"

Lumi gave him another excited yip.

"Okay, okay. I heard you."

Since spiritual companions could recover through both spiritual energy and real food, Ethan figured getting Lumi something nutritious was probably the best thing he could do for her.

Once he was certain Lumi was completely fine, Ethan prepared to leave the dungeon. The moment he returned to his room, Ethan realized something else.

The amount of time he had spent inside his dungeon had apparently been enough for the entire night to pass outside.

He blinked at the room before quickly checking himself.

He had lost track of time completely.

Ethan quickly freshened up, changed his clothes, and made sure he had everything he needed before leaving his room.

Lumi stayed behind as he stepped out, and Ethan gave her one final glance before closing the door.

He had food to get.

For himself...

And for one extremely hungry little fox.

With that thought, Ethan made his way toward the dorm cafeteria.