My eyes bulged out of my skull as the enormity of the task before me finally hit.

"Miia," I said slowly, staring at the extensive list of ingredients and intimidating cooking directions in my hand, "Maybe we should... uh, start with something a little simpler?"

"Nuh uh, we said we were gonna make this, so we're gonna do it!" Miia vehemently stated as the two of us strolled into the supermarket. "I won't let something like this stop me now!"

I sighed and palmed my face, feeling lost. I was no stranger to cooking, but I had never attempted something as complicated as doro wat. Red onions had to be caramelized, Ethiopian spiced butter needed to be clarified, sourdough bread had to be fermented for three to four days, and I was overwhelmed by the complexity of what I had promised to do. I might have taken on more than I could handle when I assured Miia that I would help her cook.

Even after I had read her the entire recipe, Miia followed it. Although the result would likely be a hot mess at every step, I thought, what better way to learn than from our mistakes?

"Right, so this recipe should be enough to feed twelve people, but it'll probably only last us two meals," I declared. As we entered the aisle with the fruits and vegetables, I said, "To be honest, I have no idea what Berbere is, but I'm hoping this store has some."

"We'll figure it out as we go along," Miia supplied cheerfully, "So, are there any fruits and veggies on the list?"

I peered down the list, reciting the items one by one. "Two large onions, chicken legs, eggs, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, various flours, berbere... and a bunch of other stuff I'll have to ask an employee about." I squinted at the list of ingredients, a feeling of doubt creeping in. "Something tells me they won't have quite as much in the way of traditional Ethiopian spices as I'd hoped, though."

"Don't worry," Miia reassured me as she glided to the red onions. She made a face when she held two of them, one in each hand. "Ugh...are there going to be more vegetables than meat?"

I couldn't help but laugh at the sudden change in her attitude. "Oh, so now you have regrets?" I chuckled, pushing the shopping cart towards her. She retaliated by jokingly sticking her tongue out at me.

"No, I'd just like less unpalatable things in my food, that's all," Miia retorted indignantly. However, she placed the onions in the cart nonetheless, "But I want this dish to be as perfect as can be, so if the recipe says that these unpalatable ingredients make it better, then I'll have to accept it!"

I elected not to think too hard about that statement.

"The recipe will certainly be an exhilarating adventure; there's no doubt about that," I muttered as we continued through the store. "Up next is the flour... teff, barley, and wheat. Never heard of teff before, but I'm sure I can broaden my horizons. Let's see what they have!"

Shopping with Miia was surprisingly stress-free. She was much more relaxed than with Kurusu, and although she tended to bump into things, it was nothing too severe. All in all, it wasn't as bad as I had initially feared.

Miia shouted out, "Romance Master!" drawing the attention of everyone around us. Holding a carton of eggs in her hands, her eyes sparkled with delight as she asked with a mischievous grin, "Why don't eggs tell jokes?"

I stared long and hard at the preemptively giggling girl before me, knowing full damn well what I was in store (heh). Regardless, I forged onward.

"Why not?"

She exclaimed, full of pride for what was no doubt a well-thought-out joke, "Because they'd crack each other up!" It was truly heartwarming to see her get so enthusiastic over something so small.

I have always had a great fondness for corny jokes, despite what some of my friends may think about them. They might not be the highest form of humor, but I still think they are humorous and punny!

... This is the part where I insincerely apologize for that, right?

"That's..." I started to say, covering my mouth to unsuccessfully cover my snort, "That's, uh, quite the zinger you got there, Miia."

"Thanks," she happily replied, humming to herself as she set the carton in our cart, "Hopefully, Darling thinks it's funny, too!"

"I don't see why not," I said, picking up another carton from the refrigerated shelf.

"Speaking of..." Miia murmured nervously, tapping her index fingers, "About what Darling said a couple of nights ago...."

Right, that. Let's see how this goes.

"Before I say anything, do you promise to stay calm and composed? There are many people around and plenty of things that can be knocked over, so let's keep it under control, okay?"

"Aye, aye, Romance Master!" She saluted me sternly, her face betraying the gravity of the moment. I nodded in silent approval.

I inhaled deeply, silently praying to God for the courage to face the situation and bear the results. "I think he is interested in you. I'm sure he wants to pick you," I said confidently.

Miia's ears twitched ever so slightly as her face went slack. Then, her lips curved upwards, her eyes widening with a smile slowly but steadily spreading across her face.

"U-Um," she stuttered. Oh boy, she was getting red now. Damn, she was even a brighter shade of red than her hair now. "C-Could y-you ssssssay that again?"

I urgently tried to prevent her from experiencing a 'Blue Screen of Death' moment by cautioning, "It's not completely a sure thing; it was more of a careless remark from him, and he quickly retracted it afterward..."

"B-But he sssssaid...." Miia continued, chest heaving. Shit, she looked like she was overheating, even though the supermarket had the air conditioning going pretty strong, "He... ch-ch-chose m-m-me?!"

Oh wow, I had never experienced such a strong reaction to finding out that my crush had feelings for me too. I had never felt such intense love for someone as Miia did, possibly due to her species' tendency towards intense passion. This certainly didn't help the situation.

"...I think so, yes," I sighed, "But -"

Miia urgently yelled, grabbing the ingredients list from my grip and slithering away, "We mustn't waste any more time! I must create a magnificent, romantic meal for my Darling so that he'll immediately propose to me!"

All I could do was watch her fade away, her unexpected rush of frenetic energy stealing away the little strength I had left. Conscious of the disapproving looks of the other people around me, I slowly cupped my face and released a drawn-out, deep, sorrowful sigh.

"I'm so sick of this shit," I groaned. Regardless, I stepped forward.

The rest of the shopping went surprisingly well; Miia found everything she was looking for, including the obscure berbere (an Ethiopian spice mixture), in a fraction of the time it would've usually taken. Unfortunately, our little incident in the supermarket caused us to be no longer welcome; the intimidating atmosphere and the knocked-down display of goods probably didn't help our case.

Not that Miia was bothered by any of that, of course. She was ecstatic the entire time, bouncing around with every step she took with sheer joy. Nothing I said could bring her back to reality; she was so lost in her dream-like state. It was a beautiful sight, even if it was a bit reckless.

"Hey, Miia!" I called after the humming girl walking ahead of me on the sidewalk, trying to ignore the disapproving glare of the supermarket's manager as we left. "If you could take at least a few of these groceries, that would be awesome!" I jiggled the numerous bags in my hands for emphasis.

"Alrighty!" she replied in a saccharine-sweet tone. After checking that she'd taken only the bags with nothing breakable, I breathed relief as some of my burdens were lightened. Hmm, I seemed to be sighing a lot recently. Maybe I should try to keep that to a minimum.

"So, I think it's really important that we have a more in-depth conversation about this," I said, struggling to keep up with her pace while carefully balancing my bags. I looked pretty strange, walking with long strides while keeping my arms straight, weighed down by flapping plastic bags. I knew I wasn't making the best impression on the "cool kids." "Namely, your plan to get him to propose won't work."

That finally got her attention. "Eh?" She tilted her head to the side, her daydream cut off, however briefly. "What do you mean?"

"He doesn't want to get married right now because he feels like it's being forced upon him," I explained. "He'd rather let the relationship take its natural course and let things develop in their own time."

"But..." Shit, the puppy dog eyes were slowly coming out again. "You said he picked me?"

"Yes, as someone he wants to date," I said, relieved that she had finally calmed down. "Most people want to get to know each other properly before committing to a long-term relationship. He does like you, so don't worry about that," I reassured her, "But this is a process that takes time and effort."

"What if," Miia said hesitantly, her shoulders drooping. The enthusiasm from earlier had vanished entirely, and her tail's movements had slowed. "What if... he only likes me because he's not familiar with who I am?"

The sudden change in her took me aback. "Where is this coming from?" I asked, incredulous. What had happened to the girl who was always so sure of herself and willing to take whatever she wanted? "This isn't like you," I said.

"I don't..." Miia took a deep, shuddering breath. "Sorry, maybe this is just me getting all emotional 'cause I thought Darling would marry me soon, but... I don't have all that much going for me. Cerea's out there, training with MON and going to fight bad guys. Papi doesn't have a care in the world and makes friends so easily. Suu can transform and read minds and clean things super quickly. Rachnera is so cool and says whatever she wants. Mero acts like a refined princess and is so polite and sweet. And I'm...." Her breath hitched. "All I got is constantly failing to 'seduce' him... nothing else real about me."

I stopped in my tracks, pondering what to do next. This was certainly not the result I had anticipated. Reflecting on her words, I realized this could have percolated since the full moon a month ago. I recalled Miia making it clear that she desired more than just physical intimacy with him. Suddenly, her breakdown made more sense.

"... Hey, let's take the long way through the park," I eventually decided, gently nudging her with my elbow.

"But... won't the eggs spoil?" Miia sniffled.

"Eh, it's no biggy," I promised her with a shrug, "C'mon, let's go."

"... 'Kay."

It didn't take long to get to the park. Luckily, there were not many people there today, giving us a sense of privacy. After a few awkward moments of silence, I finally broke the ice.

"Do you seriously think there's nothing real about you?"

Miia blinked at me, surprised at the question, before nodding slowly.

She let out a forced, bitter chuckle and shook her head in disbelief. "It's funny," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I never realized it until I thought we'd get married, but I'm a small-town girl who's never seen the world. I've never gone anywhere, never done anything exciting... I've just been living in the same place, going through the same motions daily."

"Heh, that is kind of funny," I echoed with a sarcastic smile, "Mostly because that sounds pretty similar to how I was way back when."

"Really?"

"Until the second half of my senior year of high school, I had been leading a rather isolated life. I would go to class, rarely engaging with anyone, playing out conversations in my head where I would say something witty or clever if only someone would approach me. This lifestyle was uninspiring and dull and not a way to live. I felt like I had no true identity."

"That... doesn't sound like you," Miia admitted with a slight smile, her brief levity a small victory. "Sure, you may be a bit strange and appear aloof sometimes, but you have a unique personality!"

I chuckled. "Thank you. What you just said is also true for you. I don't understand how you can honestly say you aren't "real." You are one of the most genuine people I know!"

The smile faded. "Now that... is not true at all," she murmured, fidgeting and looking away from me. "I've lied plenty."

"Join the club," I immediately dismissed. I knew precisely what she was implying, and it didn't matter at all. She had no plan of taking Kurusu away to make him her village's sexual servant, so that was the matter's conclusion. "Everybody lies, Miia. Did you lie about loving Kurusu?"

"... No."

"Well, there you go."

"It's... hey, it's not that simple!"

"Seems simple to me," I observed, "You love him, but you don't think you're worth him loving you back. So what're you going to do about it?"

"I don't know," she huffed, "And it's still not that simple!"

"Then here's a hint," I leaned in slightly, "Forget about the whole marriage thing."

"What?!"

"You heard me."

"But... but if I do that, Cerea will win!"

"Who cares?" I replied, trying to sound understanding rather than uncaring. "Cerea is putting her career first now, and that's a good thing. If I were you, I would focus on living my life, finding a job that I'm passionate about, doing things that bring me joy, and being content with who I am and where I am in life. That's how you'll find self-worth and true happiness."

Miia and I walked silently through the park, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment. It wasn't until we reached the end of the park that she finally spoke again, breaking the comfortable silence between us.

"Are you sure? I've only ever done what people told me to...."

The only reason she left her village was because her mother wanted her to find a suitable partner for their orgies. However, an unfortunate mistake led to her winding up on Kurusu's doorstep, with no way to correct the error. Knowing all too well what it was like to live a life of conformity and fear, I could empathize with her more than she could have ever known. It was not until I met the right people that I could break free from the confines of my previous existence.

They set me free. It was high time I returned the favor.

"I'm certain," I said to her, "for the love of Christ, you have the opportunity to explore a new culture and live in a place that would have been impossible to reach five years ago! Stop worrying about some guy and savor this experience, alright?"

Miia stared at me for an uncomfortably long time before her lips slowly started to curl upwards, eventually forming a broad, beaming smile that made her cheeks crease with joy as she let out a hearty laugh.

"Haha, it's true what they say!" she said between giggles.

"...And what's that?" I asked nervously.

"That you can be pretty corny when you wanna be," Miia said, playfully winking at me and giving me a warm smile. Her expression slowly softened as she continued, "But... that's not so bad. I mean, I can't imagine my Romance Master any other way." She laughed, bumping my shoulder with hers in a friendly gesture. "Thanks for putting up with me."

"Bah, what're friends for? You good, though?"

Miia nodded with enthusiasm. "Yes, I certainly needed that." She gave me a dazzling and infectious smile. "Now, let's hurry home before the eggs spoil!" With that, she took off in a dash, her laughter echoing.

"Hey, slow down!" I protested, albeit weakly, as I chased after her.

From soaring on cloud nine to crashing down to rock bottom in less than half an hour, Miia's life was an emotional rollercoaster. Despite her rough exterior, she was more genuine than she gave herself credit for, a trait I wished I had. Questions flooded my mind as I wondered how Miia and others would respond if I revealed my knowledge of them. Would they still accept me despite my attempt at manipulation, or would I be instantly rejected? I suppose I'd never know until I tested the waters - a somewhat intimidating thought.

Until then, I'd keep supporting them. That much was true.

To be continued...