CHAPTER 339: PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!

Even though the entire evening had been a blur of music, laughter, and wild dancing, there was one thing the four of them couldn’t ignore, the fact that everyone’s attention had been glued to them the whole time.

No matter where they moved, no matter what they did, there were eyes following, smiles watching, and cheers erupting at every clumsy spin or ridiculous move Cassius pulled off.

Sure, it felt good in its own way, the warm admiration, the laughter they had caused, the knowledge that they’d made the night merrier, but after hours of it, the constant spotlight began to wear them down.

It was exhausting to be the center of attention for so long, especially for Cassius. He hated the idea of staying in the town overnight with that scarf still wrapped over his face.

Just imagining sleeping with it on made him want to groan.

So, once the celebrations finally wound down in the late hours of the night, they said their goodbyes to the townsfolk, each promise of "Come back soon!" answered with their own "We will, on our way back."

They assured everyone they had to move quickly now, making their polite escapes while the town still bustled with music and dancing.

A decent distance away from the lively streets, they found a quiet clearing where they set up camp. The tents were pitched, the fire was lit, and the night sounds of the forest replaced the music of the festival.

Inside the massive tent, Aisha sat comfortably on her bed, flipping through a brand new book she’d picked up from the town. The flickering light of the campfire made the pages glow warmly, and her eyes moved quickly as the story pulled her in.

Skadi, on the other hand, was completely out of commission. She lay sprawled on her bedding, snoring softly, a little snot bubble inflating and deflating with each breath. Aisha glanced at her with mild irritation, reached over, and gave her a few sharp kicks.

"Stop making that noise." Aisha muttered. "You sound like a sick pig."

Skadi just rolled over with a groan, the bubble popping, and continued sleeping. Aisha sighed and went back to her reading.

Julie, however, was nowhere to be seen in her usual spot. She had told Aisha she was going out for a little midnight training. Aisha had believed her without question.

But the truth was far stranger.

At that very moment, Julie was not training. Instead, she was dressed in her silky nightgown, the one Cassius himself had given her, and was dragging Cassius through the dark forest.

She had a bright, almost mischievous look on her face, her bare feet padding quietly over the grass, while her hand gripped his tightly, pulling him along like an impatient child.

Cassius, in comfortable loose clothes of his own, trudged behind with a grumpy scowl. His voice carried a weary edge.

"Julie...come on. Tell me where we’re going already. I was just about to hit the bed when you came storming in, talking about ’important business’ and dragging me out here. It’s the middle of the night!"

Julie didn’t slow down. "It is important business." She said in a pompous tone. "In fact, it’s a big deal. We have to do it tonight."

"A big deal, huh?" Cassius raised a brow. "I don’t see how anything could be so important that we have to sneak out in the middle of the night."

He said as his eyes drifted down to her back, to the way the silky nightgown clung to her curves. The moonlight made the fabric shimmer, emphasizing the very generous view he had of her hips and plump butt and seeing this sensational sight, a lazy grin crept across his face.

"Y’know...usually when someone sneaks off like this, dragging someone else into the woods at night...it means something naughty. You sure that’s not what’s going on here?"

Julie glanced back at him, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"Not at all, Cassius. Tonight, it won’t be me making you happy...it’ll be you making me a very happy woman."

Cassius’s grin widened, and he leaned in slightly.

"Oh? You mean you want me to pleasure you? Well...I wouldn’t mind at all. I can show you a whole new world, if you let me."

Julie rolled her eyes and stopped abruptly, pushing aside a thick bush.

"I’m not talking about that." She said flatly. "I’m talking about this."

Cassius followed her gesture, peering past the bush and froze.

In the small clearing beyond, there was a fully prepared cooking setup: a pot already hanging over a crackling fire, various fresh ingredients laid out neatly beside it, and utensils ready for use. It looked as though someone had planned making a meal in advance, waiting only for the cook to arrive.

Cassius gulped the instant he took in the sight before him, the pot, the crackling fire, the neat spread of ingredients. His face drained of color so quickly it was almost concerning.

Images of this morning’s breakfast disaster flashed through his head like a war veteran recalling his darkest memories. He could still smell that odd, burnt-sweet scent. He could still taste that indescribable...thing she’d made.

Slowly, he turned to look at Julie, his eyes narrowing as he began to inch backward.

"Julie..." He said cautiously. "...It is true that I ate your food this morning. And yeah...I ate the whole thing. With a smile on my face, no less." He raised his hands in surrender. "But that doesn’t mean I’m doing it again."

"My body can only take so much abuse, you know? I’ve already used the toilet so many times today that my butt hurts. It burns a little, actually."

"...And if I eat your cooking again, I might just go to another world all over again."

Julie’s cheerful smile immediately collapsed into a pouty scowl.

"Harumph!" She huffed, stomping forward and grabbing his arm before he could retreat. "It’s not that! I’m not making you another meal. You’ve already suffered enough"

Cassius blinked. "It’s...aren’t?"

She shook her head, still glaring at him.

"You’re misunderstanding why I brought you here, Cassius."

Then her irritation melted into something far more excited.

"To tell you the truth...I’ve been practicing the knitting you taught me all day. Every bit of free time I had, I worked on it...And you know what? I’ve made unbelievable progress!"

"Every second I do it, I get better. And it’s all because your method actually works!"

Cassius straightened slightly, a small, smug smirk forming. "Well, of course it does. I am a good teacher."

"Exactly!" She said, her face lighting up. "That’s why I started thinking about something else. If you can teach me knitting, then you can teach me...cooking."

Cassius’s smirk froze. "Oh no."

"Oh yes!" She said, nodding enthusiastically. "I’ve been thinking about it the whole day. Even when I was lying in bed just now, I couldn’t stop imagining it, you teaching me how to cook."

"I got so excited I couldn’t even sleep...So I thought, why wait so I set this all up, and now...you can teach me right now!"

She gave him a beaming smile, practically bouncing on her feet like a student eager for her first lesson, while Cassius rubbed his temple in annoyance.

"Julie...this is really not the time for a cooking lesson. It’s time for sleep."

But she only folded her arms with a proud, almost philosophical look.

"No, no, no, you’re thinking about this all wrong. Everything is about mindset! If you want to sleep during the day, you can sleep during the day. If you want to exercise at night, you can exercise at night."

"There’s no universal rule that says you have to follow a certain schedule. That’s the beauty of man, the freedom to choose. And right now, I choose cooking."

Cassius stared at her in deadpan silence.

"...That’s your decision. But my decision, as a man with my own free will, is to go to sleep."

He said as turned and quickly added,

"Bye-bye...See you in the morning."

"Wait, no—!" Julie yelped, darting forward to grab his hand in both of hers. "You can’t go! I already set everything up! You can’t leave now!"

But Cassius just kept walking, dragging her along as she clung to him like a stubborn child refusing to be left behind.

"I don’t have time for this—"

But he didn’t finish as her grip suddenly tightened, very tightly, until her breasts were completely pressed and smooshed against his arm.

Cassius froze mid-step. "...You’re cheating."

Julie’s voice softened into something almost pitiful, and when he glanced at her, she was giving him wide, puppy-dog eyes.

"Please, Cassius...I’ve been looking forward to this all day. This is the first time in my entire life I’ve been this excited for something. Even when I was declared a Grand Master, I didn’t feel much."

"...But now? Just thinking about learning cooking makes me so giddy I can’t sleep."

"Julie..." Cassius muttered, already feeling his resolve weaken.

She squeezed his hand tighter. "Please, help me. Only you can do it."

He stared at her for a long moment, at the pleading in her eyes, the faint warmth against his arm, and the stubborn determination on her face.

Finally, he let out a long, defeated sigh.

"Fine. I’ll try teaching you...But if you screw up even once, I’m going back to sleep."

Immediately, her sad-puppy face vanished, replaced with a smug, almost cheeky grin.

"No, no, no, no...That’s not how it works." She shook her head. "You’re my teacher now. A teacher’s duty is to teach their student, no matter how many times they mess up."

"...It’s only natural that I’ll screw up, but you can’t run away just because of that."

She said as she walked towards the cooking set up with a satisfied look on her face like she has pulled off a perfect scane

"Unbelievable..." Cassius muttered under his breath. "She never depends on anyone for anything. Not Aisha, not Skadi. She takes pride in doing everything on her own."

"...But when it comes to me? She throws her whole load on my shoulders."

He wasn’t sure if he should feel frustrated...or secretly proud about that.