Demon hunter's Cooking Manual

The girl looked at Kuituo and Luogen as they returned and couldn’t help but be taken aback, then she burst into laughter.

It was a cute smile, and even her shoulder-length blonde hair seemed to shine with a dazzling light in the midst of that adorable smile.

Kuituo paid no attention and kept looking down.

"I seem to have lost my little knife here."

Luogen, on the other hand, was explaining.

"I, I can help you," said the girl, her voice clear and pleasant.

Kuituo and Luogen did not refuse; the thick underbrush near the small woods behind the school and the dimming light of the evening made it beneficial to have an extra pair of eyes searching.

And it didn’t take long for Kuituo and Luogen to feel grateful for such a thought.

"Is this it?"

The girl held up the small knife in her hand, looking expectantly at Kuituo and Luogen.

"Yes, that’s it."

"It was a gift from my dad."

"It is my most treasured possession."

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate it."

Luogen joyfully took the knife and thanked the girl profusely.

The girl shook her head repeatedly, uncertain what to do, but deep down she felt reluctant again.

The knife was found.

They were going to leave, right?

She wished she could stay with them a bit longer.

The girl thought to herself silently.

Then—

"Kuituo, Luogen!"

Esther’s figure appeared on one side of the teaching building, and upon spotting Kuituo and Luogen, she quickly ran over, visibly relieved to see that the two boys were unhurt.

After waiting for 10 minutes at the school entrance, the punctual Esther could no longer wait and went into the school to look for them.

After asking other students in the classroom, Esther quickly found his way to the small woodland behind the school.

"You’re not hurt, are you?"

Even though his eyes confirmed it, Esther still asked.

"No."

"They ran away when they saw me and Kuituo."

"We just came back to look for my knife."

Luogen shook his head and replied.

"That’s good."

"Did you find the knife?"

Esther asked with a smile.

"We found it!"

"It was this senior student who helped me find it!"

Luogen pointed to the girl standing beside them.

Esther immediately flashed a friendly smile towards the girl.

"Hello, I’m Esther, their guardian," Esther introduced himself.

"Hello, I’m Emma."

Out of politeness, the girl gave her name.

"Are you a student here?"

Esther asked.

"Sort of."

Emma vaguely responded, seemingly with some unspeakable difficulty. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Esther naturally understood, but he didn’t mind; as long as Kuituo and Luogen were fine, the rest did not matter to him.

Who cares.

Just as Esther was about to bid farewell to the girl who had helped Kuituo and Luogen, it suddenly occurred to him that maybe it would not be bad for Kuituo and Luogen to have another friend?

With that thought, Esther suddenly said, "As a thank you, our family would like to invite you over for dinner. Would you like to join us?"

"Of course!"

The girl immediately nodded, her face lighting up with a smile once again.

It was still that black muscle car.

With its seven seats, having three extra kids on board wasn’t a problem at all.

Aras looked curiously at the newly joined little girl.

"Hello, I’m Emma, a student at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters."

Emma introduced herself.

"Aras."

Aras immediately presented a generous smile.

"Avent Jo."

Behind the mask, Avent Jo also revealed a friendly smile. For some reason, he didn’t feel annoyed with three more kids in the car; instead, he felt a faint sense of warmth.

It seemed this was what he had always longed for.

Family, perhaps?

Avent wondered, then his gaze turned to Jason.

That look was filled with undisguised annoyance.

Avent genuinely disliked Jason; he always felt Jason’s occasional look of condescension was an insult to him.

Moreover, Avent always felt that Jason was so out of place in the car, affecting the warm feeling of family.

However, Avent also understood how tragic an existence like Jason was within an organization like the ’Night Owl Court.’

Emotionally detached, even forbidden to have feelings.

They could never comprehend familial, friendship or romantic love, nor could they understand the feeling of a family.

Such people were truly pitiable!

With this in mind, Avent’s gaze towards Jason softened with a hint of pity.

Jason saw the look of annoyance mixed with a bit of pity in Avent’s eyes and responded with an indifferent one.

Don’t bother with fools. Stay updated through empire

Jason reminded himself, and then, he simply said to Emma, "Jason."

Despite Jason’s aloof manner, Emma did not seem to mind.

"I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Jason."

"And Sister Aras, Mr. Avent."

Emma behaved very politely.

This made Avent and Aras like the little girl even more.

Along the way, everyone engaged in continuous conversation.

And the car drove towards the previous temporary secret base of the ’Brotherhood,’ ’Hydra,’ ’Taotie Society,’ and ’Night Owl Court’—a place Esther had rented with his savings, serving as a secret base for the four organizations and as housing for Kuituo, Luogen, Pasi—the wife of Valen—and Danfoss, the girlfriend of Clive.

The elderly Aidiven couple had their own house and would occasionally come here as well.

The car stopped, and under Avent’s supervision, the children ran straight towards the detached apartment.

"Why not separate?"

After the children burst into the room, Aras asked curiously.

"Hiding is a profound art; simply detaching oneself and emphasizing secrecy is not that clever. On the contrary, integrating into life is the best, it is..."

Esther spoke earnestly.

However, under Jason’s gaze, the young man who wished to live a long life simply shrugged his shoulders and came clean.

"Alright, I can’t make up any more stories. Simply put, after renting this place, I didn’t have money to rent anywhere else."

"Don’t ask if Senior Edmund has money."

"He is even poorer than I am."

"But poverty is temporary; I will soon be able to claim reimbursements from both the ’shelter’ and the Holy Serpent Society. Then we will be able to have an additional secret base."

Esther said with full confidence.

"Let’s go, dinner is about to start."

"I’ve heard from Clive about how delicious his girlfriend’s cooking is. I wonder..."

Esther said excitedly.

But she had spoken only half of it when her expression turned somber.

She clearly remembered Clive, who had died inexplicably.

She couldn’t help but inhale deeply.

Hiding her sadness, Esther plastered on a smile and strode into the room.

Aras was about to follow when she took a step and noticed that Jason was still standing there, not having moved an inch.

"Jason?"

Aras looked at Jason in surprise.

"Tell Esther for me that I have some personal matters to attend to."

After saying that, Jason turned around and walked away.

Aras stared blankly at the departing Jason, her face filled with astonishment.

She understood Jason well.

When it came to food, Jason’s love was genuine.

And now?

To skip dinner for personal matters?

What personal matters could be more important than eating?

Carrying her perplexity deep within, Aras entered the house.

Hearing the closing door behind him, Jason forcefully flared his nostrils.

It smells so good!

I really want to eat!

But...

If I were to go, probably everyone else would go hungry.

Jason, very aware of himself, couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

Although he could currently restrain his ’hunger’ a little, such restraint was only before he started eating. Once he started, Jason knew very well what state he’d be in.

Probably not a bit of food would be left.

Adults can handle going hungry for a meal or two, but children cannot.

Moreover, one of them is a guest.

"Self-restraint... still not enough, huh!"

With a sigh, Jason pulled his oversized hood over his face, concealing his cheeks as he walked the streets of Ang City at night, soon merging with the crowd of people getting off work.

The street lamps and moonlight mixed together to cast a bright yet gentle glow on the streets.

The off-duty crowd unconsciously slowed their pace.

It seemed as if they were enjoying the most precious moments of the day.

Smiles naturally surfaced on their faces.

Happy, aren’t they?

At least, at this moment, they were happy.

Within this slow-paced happiness, the almost running Kuya naturally stood out.

But Kuya didn’t care about the eyes of those around her.

She was herself, the distinctive Kuya.

Right now, all she wanted was to get home as fast as possible.

’Claw 13’ must have been waiting outside the house for a long time, right?

No!

He should always be waiting around me.

Kuya, having refused her habitual overtime, couldn’t help but look up; she just wanted to take a look.

Then…

A tall, familiar figure came into view.

That is!

Kuya almost cried out loud.

But she forcibly held it back.

She started chasing after that figure, even knocking down a couple of unsuspecting office workers who didn’t dodge in time.

"Sorry."

"I’m chasing happiness!"

Kuya didn’t help them up; she could only apologize with sincere regret.

The two office workers who were knocked to the ground first looked surprised, then could only smile wryly, one of them, obviously good-natured and loving to join in, shouted loudly, "Go for it, be happy!"

Such a shout naturally drew attention.

People looked at Kuya running and then at the tall figure she chased, and they couldn’t help but smile.

At some point in their past, they too had been similarly impetuous.

Soft blessings began to emerge.

Kuya’s face turned red, and she ran even faster.

Jason, on the other hand, wore a gloomy expression.

Damn Esther, why choose a place so close to the Holy Serpent Society!

Carrying such a curse, Jason walked faster and faster.

Seeing Jason getting further and further away from her, Kuya chasing at full speed couldn’t help but feel disappointment rising.

Why?

Do you dislike me that much?

Beyond missions, do you not wish to see me?

Not willing to give up, Kuya shouted out loud—

"I just wanted to invite you to dinner!"

Gasping, gasping.

After shouting that, Kuya, her hands on her knees and panting heavily, had exhausted her strength.

She was too tired and couldn’t catch up.

Fatigue and a profound sense of disappointment made her experience an unfamiliar discomfort.

And at that moment, amidst the sound of a cloak sweeping through the night sky, a shadow cast by the moon appeared on the ground; Kuya was startled, then lifted her head with a surge of joy.

She saw the familiar mask.

Her... ’Claw 13’.

Familiar figure.

Familiar presence.

And that familiar voice—

"Where shall we eat?"