A little while later.
Akari returned from the kitchen carrying a large wooden pot. Steam rose gently from it, filling the room with a pleasant herbal aroma.
Noah was already seated at a low wooden table in the traditional style common throughout the Eastern Duchies. Its design reminded him very much of the tables described in old Japanese culture.
After taking a bath, he had changed into a fresh set of spare clothes from his storage ring. His body finally felt clean after an entire day of training.
Akari carefully placed the pot on the table.
"Dinner is ready."
Noah looked curiously at the steaming pot before glancing around the room.
Then something occurred to him.
"Wait."
He looked back at her.
"How did you cook all this using only wooden utensils?"
Akari smiled faintly.
"I don’t."
She pointed toward a corner of the kitchen.
"There are several smooth stones stacked together there. I built a simple stone stove years ago. I gather dry firewood from the forest and use a flint stone to start a fire."
She continued calmly,
"The wooden pot never touches the flames directly. I suspend it above the fire using a wooden frame reinforced with thick green vines. It takes a little longer than metal cookware, but these trees produce wood that resists heat surprisingly well."
Noah looked genuinely impressed.
"That’s amazing."
He glanced back at the pot.
"So... what did you make?"
Akari thought for a moment.
"Soup. I made it from several edible green leaves that grow nearby. I don’t know their proper names. I also added a few fruits that naturally have a salty flavor instead of using salt. And some small spicy berries to give it a little warmth."
She looked slightly embarrassed.
"It’s... rather simple. I hope you don’t mind. No way. It already smells incredible."
Akari quietly brought two wooden bowls before carefully ladling the soup into them. She handed one bowl and a carved wooden spoon to Noah.
He accepted it with a smile. "Thank you."
The soup was still steaming. He gently blew across the surface before taking his first spoonful. The warm broth spread across his tongue.
His eyes widened. He froze.
Across the table Akari quietly watched every tiny change in his expression.
’I hope he likes it...’
She had never cared much about flavor. Living alone for sixty years meant food had simply become fuel. She honestly had no idea whether her cooking would suit someone else’s taste.
Seeing Noah remain completely silent only made her more nervous.
’Did I fail? Maybe I’m actually terrible at cooking. What was the point of spending all those years learning if it still tastes awful...?’
Noah slowly lowered the spoon. Then looked directly at her. He kept staring.
Akari’s brows slowly furrowed.
"You didn’t like it?"
She quietly asked. A trace of disappointment surfaced in her eyes.
’So I really am a terrible cook. All those years. Completely useless.’
"Akari..."
He suddenly spoke.
"Will you marry me?"
"Huh?"
She blinked. Her mind completely stopped.
’Did he just said...Marry Me?’
Her eyes instantly widened.
"W-What?!" She almost stood up in surprise. "What are you saying all of a sudden? Yo- You...I-I am married... No..."
She quickly corrected herself.
"I’m not anymore...But... I’m so much older than you! How can you suddenly propose to me? We only met today!"
Without realizing it a faint blush slowly spread across her cheeks. Her carefully maintained composure crumbled completely. It was from embarrassment. Since he younger age no one ever dares to propose her. It was her first time, that also for marriage
Noah stared at her for a second before bursting into laughter. "Hahaha! Akari! Calm down. At least let me finish."
He waved both hands helplessly. "I wasn’t seriously proposing. I meant your cooking is so unbelievably delicious that it makes me want to marry the person who cooked it. It’s just a saying. My way of telling you how much I love your cooking."
"..."
Akari remained frozen. Then relief slowly washed over her.
’So that’s what he meant.’
For one terrifying moment. She had genuinely believed he was proposing.
Noah continued eating happily.
"You know...You looked incredibly adorable just now. And honestly... I don’t think age really matters. I’m sure plenty of men would still want to marry someone as beautiful as you."
"..."
’This boy!’
He said it so naturally. Without hesitation or any embarrassment. It genuinely sounded as though he believed every word.
Akari slowly took a deep breath. She forced herself to regain her usual calm expression.
"Thank you."
She answered in her familiar composed voice.
"I’m... glad to hear that."
Noah chuckled before extending his now-empty bowl toward her.
"Another serving, please. And you should eat too. It’ll get cold."
She quietly accepted the bowl.
"Alright."
She gently poured him another serving.
As she did, Noah rested his chin on one hand and casually spoke,
"To be honest... We’re the only two people here. We have no idea how long we’ll remain trapped. It could be months or even years."
She paused halfway through pouring.
"Go on."
He smiled mischievously.
"So maybe... We should just get married while we’re here."
"..."
"..."
"Noah!!"
She finally exploded.
"That is incredibly improper! You don’t say things like that to an older woman!"
Her face flushed bright red.
’This young man...He’s openly... what they say? what was that word? hah yes! flirting! He is flirting with me! Without even trying to hide it!’
And somehow an absurd thought briefly crossed her mind.
’If...if we really stayed here together. We might have to stay for few more years.. i don’t know how many... so being close to him that way.. just two of us..’
She immediately shook her head.
’No! What am I thinking?!’
It wasn’t that she had suddenly developed feelings for him. Far from it. But after sixty years of complete solitude. Simply imagining sharing countless years with another person felt strangely comforting.
She looked at him with narrowed eyes. "I don’t even look normal anymore."
She lightly touched the scales along her neck.
"And I’m over ninety years old. If I actually looked like a ninety-year-old grandmother... Would you still say the same thing?"
She handed his bowl back to him.
Noah accepted it before thoughtfully looking up.
Then he smirked.
"If you really looked ninety... And your life was almost over...Then probably not."
Akari nodded once. "See?"
"But..." He continued. "If you still had hundreds of years left to live. Even if you looked like an old grandmother. I’d probably still—"
"You are absolutely shameless."
Akari interrupted with her eyes closed. Her voice had become perfectly calm again. Almost frighteningly calm. Her hands clenched tightly atop her kimono.
She slowly opened her eyes. "...Is this truly how young men treat women nowadays?"
Before she could continue.
"Hahaha! Alright! I’m sorry!"
Noah quickly raised both hands in surrender.
"I’ll stop teasing you. I promise. I was just having a little fun."
Akari stared at him silently for several seconds.
Eventually she sighed.
Then without realizing it herself. A small smile formed on her lips.
’This feeling...Sharing a meal... Talking...Laughing together. It’s far warmer than I remembered.’
She searched her memories. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she had enjoyed a dinner like this.
Not even with Lionel. Not even when Ophelia was still a child. As a noble and traditional lady, most of her dinners were normal and filled with disciplined. And those memories had long since faded beneath sixty years of loneliness.
She slowly shook her head before looking at Noah again. "You’re too much."
Noah grinned. "You’ll get used to me."
Akari smiled back.
"Perhaps. I will." She finally picked up her own bowl. For the first time in decades she wasn’t eating alone.
That simple meal shared across a small wooden table. Filled with harmless teasing, quiet laughter, and ordinary conversation. Became the warmest dinner she had ever experienced in her entire life.
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