Jiangxia Tongzhi stayed up late, threw together a few simple control groups, and begrudgingly came to some conclusions.
——Xiaobai and Tengu had eaten the "tribute," and aside from looking like they'd been hit by a ghost truck, they didn't show any other changes. Also, burning the tribute together with regular food or ghost mint did nothing for the other three ghosts.
So for now, this method of replacing murderous vibes with a meal only worked on Miyano Akemi. And apparently, it had to be food cooked by Haibara Ai herself.
On top of that, since the appearance and smell of the tribute were beyond human tolerance, Miyano Akemi had managed just a few bites on the strength of love alone before collapsing into a ghostly husk. She simply couldn't keep going.
So Jiangxia, with a generous heart and a nose that still hadn't recovered, decided to improve the ghost food recipe.
He tried tossing ghost mint—normally impossible to—into the dish directly. No dice.
Cooked it with the dish? Still no dice.
Finally, after countless failed attempts using leftovers, he discovered that ghost mint worked best when stuffed into a tea-bag-like seasoning pouch and pressure-cooked along with the food.
By then, there were only scraps left.
Miyano Akemi, faced with food that finally resembled something from the land of the living, burst into tears of ghostly gratitude.
Jiangxia patted her head kindly and, while he was at it, sneakily pressed her falling ghost tears back into her body to save energy. Then he left Akemi to her meal and went off to wash the lunch box and return it to the doctor's place.
Dr. Agasa had eaten and promptly passed out on the sofa. It was Haibara Ai who came to open the door.
Haibara Ai still hadn't figured out how to deal with Jiangxia . Mostly because his real-life personality was... a far cry from what she'd expected. She hadn't quite adjusted.
So during the meal earlier, Haibara had given it some serious thought—then gave up and went with Jiangxia's suggestion: act like they'd just met. Keep it simple. Stranger-mode.
Now, having accepted the lunch box, Haibara Ai avoided his gaze, forced herself to break old habits, and swallowed the words she'd wanted to say.
She was about to turn and head back inside when she noticed Jiangxia still standing in the doorway, looking like he had something to say.
She hugged the lunch box a little tighter and looked up at him, puzzled.
"Um…" Jiangxia felt a little guilty. He'd just told her to draw a clear line, to pretend they didn't know each other. Then he'd turned around and come over to mooch her food. Not exactly honorable.
But there was a hungry ghost at home and no other options. He cleared his throat and pretended nothing weird had just happened.
"When you cook next time… could you make an extra portion? Like today." Then, with the gravitas of someone striking a fair trade, he added: "As payment, if there's anything you want, I'll try to get it for you."
...Might as well lock in a long-term meal ticket before she realized how much her cooking was worth.
Jiangxia remembered that Haibara Ai really liked designer bags. Right now, freshly escaped from the Black Organization, she was broke and bagless. Surely she'd be open to exchanging food for fashion. After all, it doesn't matter if you're cooking for one or for two—a pot is a pot.
Jiangxia fully expected her eyes to light up in the next second, for her to put down the lunch box and raise her hand to summon the vision of a dream handbag.
But instead—
Haibara Ai teared up. She actually looked like she was about to pull out a tiny handkerchief and dab her eyes.
Jangxia: "...?"
Haibara Ai's feelings were... complicated.
Even though the real Jiangxia wasn't like the one she'd imagined, they did have one thing in common: neither version seemed all that interested in her.
But this Jiangxia was now asking to eat her cooking every day?
Tch. He must've been eating like a loner for so long, making do with whatever, that now a little home-cooked food had him emotionally compromised.
Jiangxia leaned against the doorframe, puzzled. Was she getting all emotional because she had wanted a bag for ages, and now that a bag opportunity had suddenly appeared, she didn't know how to act?
After a moment, Haibara Ai recovered her composure.
She shook her head. "No need. I usually prefer cooking larger portions anyway. And..."
She glanced at the sleeping Dr. Agasa on the couch.
Then, turning back to Jiangxia , she said softly, "You saved me. If we're keeping track of who owes what, you already paid in advance. You don't need to give me anything."
Jiangxia's heart jumped. He remembered the time he brought Sherry back to the doctor's place with Xiaobai and instantly felt a pang of guilt.
He wasn't sure why Haibara Ai was saying this, but one thing was certain: what shouldn't be revealed, must never be revealed.
Jangxia put on a convincingly confused expression. "Saved you?"
Haibara Ai lowered her head. "You didn't actually do anything. But just by not reporting me to the Organization, you already saved me. So..."
She wasn't used to talking to people like this. But some things needed to be said plainly.
"So if you ever need my help, just ask. You don't have to offer me something every time. My life's worth a lot—and you've already paid in full."
She kept her head lowered the whole time.
Honestly, when Jiangxia had said "What do you want?" earlier, a mental slideshow of all the bags she'd been eyeing instantly appeared. They lined up like a little fashion army.
...If Jiangxia had just been a bit richer, she might've looted him then and there.
But realistically speaking—he was still a student, working part-time at most. Any savings he had should go toward his future, not her wardrobe.
Turning his limited funds into her designer bag? Even she couldn't go that far.
Still, Jiangxia was gaining popularity…
So far, all the murder cases he solved were purely coincidental. No commissions. But soon, surely someone would pay big money to bring him in—
SMACK—
Haibara Ai slapped her face, deadpan. She mentally shoved the parade of designer bags back into their boutique windows.
…Calm down.
No means no.
Thankfully, she'd just given that dramatic speech and fully shut down any possible bag-related negotiations. Otherwise, she was honestly scared she'd give in.
Jiangxia stared at the strange child who'd gone from teary to scheming to self-slapping in the span of a minute.
…He didn't know what just happened, but the important part was clear: the food deal was a success.
He reached out and patted Haibara Ai on the head. While doing so, he sneakily snatched up Miyano Akemi, who had been lying on top of her sister's head rubbing it affectionately, and carried her off.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 4/50(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:0/10*
Glossary
tribute – Ghostly offerings made as part of supernatural rituals; often food with questionable appearance and scent.