Chapter 27: Four Days

Four days passed in the blink of an eye.

During this time, Nero didn’t receive many new Choices, as Lilly herself had started inviting him to help her with the movements. Hence, the Choice System didn’t have to step in.

Speaking of which, he had also begun exploring his Perfect Memory ability, and it was incredibly useful when it came to remembering things. It was practically a cheat code.

With its help, he had managed to learn the language of the Sakura Federation in just a few hours. The Sakura Federation was one of the world’s major powers, alongside the Liberty Federation.

He also spent more time with Lucas and Jasmine. The three had gotten rather close, often going out to eat together before returning to the training facility.

He also got occasional calls from Old Man Drake where they discussed latest Chapter of Light Sovereign’s Return.

As for his body strengthening, Nero wanted to continue refining himself, but the Alchemy Emperor’s formula couldn’t be used again so soon.

According to the knowledge he had received, his body needed another week to expel the remaining medicinal residue before it could safely undergo another refinement.

Meanwhile, Lilly had been acting rather strangely.

Whenever Nero was around, she would become unusually restless and easily embarrassed. Even the slightest physical contact was enough to make her cheeks turn pink, and she often avoided looking directly at him.

Today marked the sixth day since Nero had started teaching her Mana Cooking.

Over the past several days, Lilly had made considerable progress. She had become much better at manipulating the Mana within ingredients, and her mistakes were becoming increasingly rare.

However, Nero had also noticed something else.

For some reason, Lilly had recently started wearing sleeveless tank tops whenever they practiced together.

Her pale shoulders and collarbones were left exposed, and whenever he guided her hands from behind, he could feel the warmth of her skin much more easily.

It was admittedly a rather strange experience.

Still, Nero had gradually come to enjoy spending time with her.

Today, however, no System Choice appeared.

Nero simply approached Lilly from behind and placed his hands over hers, something that had become almost routine during their lessons.

Lilly didn’t seem surprised anymore. In fact, she appeared to have been quietly looking forward to it.

"Alright, start from the first position."

"Okay."

Nero guided her fingers through the familiar pattern, occasionally adjusting their placement whenever she made a mistake.

With her bare shoulders resting lightly against him, he could feel her warmth through their clothes.

Lilly’s breathing became slightly uneven, but she made no attempt to move away.

"Good. Now the second position."

She followed his instructions, carefully applying pressure to the ingredient.

Her hand trembled slightly beneath his, while the faint floral scent of her shampoo reached him whenever he leaned closer.

"Now for the final step. Retain the Mana and begin cooking."

Lilly nodded and concentrated on the ingredient.

The Mana within the fish began flickering, threatening to dissipate as she transferred it onto the cooking surface.

However, she quickly adjusted her movements according to what Nero had taught her.

The energy stabilized.

Even as the fish continued cooking, the Mana remained perfectly preserved within it.

A few minutes later, the dish was complete.

It was a 1-Star Mana Infused Dish to be exact.

"...!"

Lilly stared at the finished dish before her eyes lit up.

"I did it!"

She immediately turned toward Nero, unable to contain her excitement.

Then, without thinking, she rushed forward and threw her arms around him.

Nero was caught off guard by the sudden embrace.

"Lilly?"

Before he could say anything else, she leaned forward and kissed him.

It was a brief, impulsive kiss that lasted barely a second before Lilly pulled away.

"..."

Nero froze.

"Lilly..."

Lilly seemed to realize what she had just done.

Her eyes widened, and her face turned bright red. However, despite her embarrassment, her arms were still wrapped around him.

For a moment, neither of them said anything.

Lilly slowly raised her head, looking at Nero with an expression he couldn’t quite understand.

She wanted to kiss him again.

Nero could tell from the way she was looking at him, although she seemed too embarrassed to say it herself.

He didn’t know what to do either.

Lilly was standing so close that he could feel her breathing, and the memory of their brief kiss was still fresh in his mind.

Eventually, Nero leaned forward slightly.

Lilly closed the remaining distance.

Their lips met again.

This time, neither of them pulled away immediately.

Lilly tightened her arms around his back, drawing herself closer as the nervousness she had felt earlier gradually faded.

Nero returned her embrace, placing one hand against her lower back while the other rested gently behind her head.

The kiss lasted much longer than their first one.

Lilly tilted her head slightly, and Nero followed her movement, neither of them wanting to break away just yet.

Eventually, however, they separated.

Lilly took a moment to catch her breath, her cheeks still flushed from what had happened.

Then she asked something Nero hadn’t expected.

"What are we?"

Her voice was unusually quiet.

"..."

Nero was equally confused.

"I don’t know. You tell me."

Lilly lowered her head, lightly gripping the front of his shirt.

"You’ve been hugging me almost every day while teaching me," she admitted. "And being so close to you has been making me feel strange."

Nero didn’t know how to respond.

Lilly was an incredibly beautiful girl, and after what had just happened, even he was having trouble understanding his feelings.

He had never imagined that their relationship would develop in this direction.

Just then, a familiar golden window appeared.

[Choice Detected: Crossroads of the Heart]

[Option 1: Hug Lilly and kiss her again.]

[Reward: Master Playboy (Epic)]

[Option 2: Leave this place as if nothing happened.]

[Reward: The Art of Stoicism (Epic)]

Nero stared at the options.

’Master Playboy?’

What kind of reward was that?

He had no idea what the ability actually did, but the name certainly caught his attention.

Besides, leaving Lilly alone after everything that had just happened didn’t feel right.

He couldn’t simply pretend that nothing had happened between them.

After considering it for a moment, Nero selected the first option.

[Option 1 Selected.]

[Master Playboy (Epic) Acquired.]

[Master Playboy: The user’s natural charm, emotional intuition, and ability to understand romantic interactions are greatly enhanced. The user possesses an extraordinary ability to satisfy the desires of women.]

Nero read through the description.

’What the hell is this ability...?’

Before he could think too much about it, he turned his attention back toward Lilly.

She was still standing in front of him, her purple eyes filled with anticipation.

Nero stepped forward and embraced her again.

Lilly immediately responded, wrapping her arms around his neck before pulling herself closer to kiss him.

This time, there was considerably less hesitation.

She had been suppressing these unfamiliar feelings for days, and now that she had finally acted on them, she didn’t particularly want to stop.

Nero held her gently as they kissed again.

The Master Playboy ability seemed to be influencing his instincts, allowing him to understand Lilly’s emotions and respond to them much more naturally.

He knew when to hold her closer and when to give her time to breathe, making the entire experience feel surprisingly comfortable despite his lack of experience.

Lilly was breathing heavily, her face still flushed as she tried to understand what had just happened.

She had never experienced anything like this before.

And strangely enough, she already found herself wanting to do it again.

However, before either of them could say anything, footsteps suddenly approached the kitchen.

"...!"

Both immediately froze.

Lilly hurriedly released Nero and adjusted her tank top, while Nero stepped away from the counter.

A moment later, the mansion’s cook entered.

She was a middle-aged woman with a kind face, and although she seemed slightly curious about why they were standing so far apart, she didn’t notice anything particularly unusual.

However, when her attention landed on the dish sitting on the counter, her expression changed.

"Miss Lilly, did you make this?"

Lilly quickly wiped her lips with the back of her hand before answering.

"That’s right."

The cook immediately became excited.

She approached the dish and began examining it, clearly impressed that Lilly had finally managed to prepare 1-Star Mana Food.

Meanwhile, Nero decided that staying in the kitchen any longer would only make things more awkward.

"I’m going to take a shower."

With that, he quickly left.

Once he was alone, Nero finally had time to think about what had happened.

His heart was still beating faster than usual, and although he felt nervous, he couldn’t deny that he was also rather pleased.

He had never experienced anything like that before.

Kissing Lilly had been completely unexpected, especially considering how distant their relationship had been just a few days ago.

Yet somehow, they had ended up kissing each other several times in the kitchen.

And to make matters worse, Nero found himself wanting more.

He could still remember the softness of her lips and how tightly she had held him.

"..."

Nero shook his head.

’What am I even thinking about?’

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

If there was one thing the Ultimate Choice System had taught him through all its ridiculous Choices, it was how to control his emotions.

Even when faced with situations that would normally make him panic, he was gradually learning to remain composed.

And now, something unexpected had happened between him and Lilly.

Nero still wasn’t sure what their relationship would become, but he had already made up his mind about one thing.

Whatever happened next, he wasn’t going to run away from it.