By the time Sol and Hoshimi Miyabi had finished chatting, the table was already a field of empty plates.

Nicole stared blankly, watching the mountain-sized dishes vanish before her eyes, with only a single piece of braised pork left gleaming in the center of a plate.

"Last bite—can't waste it!"

Soukaku popped the braised pork into her mouth, her icy-blue slender tail swaying gently.

"She, she, she actually finished it all!?"

Nicole collapsed forward in despair.

There had been so much food—over thirty pounds in total.

And yet, before she could even eat her fill, Soukaku had polished off everything.

It was terrifying.

Thank goodness she wasn't part of Cunning Hares, or just the cost of potatoes alone would've buried them in debt.

"I was no match."

Anby set down her utensils, her tone a little dispirited.

When it came to eating—she had lost.

"Watching her eat... even the hydro battery tastes better."

Billy took a blissful sip of his hydro battery, as if he could taste meat in it now.

Perhaps that was the true meaning behind food livestreams—allowing even robots to feel the power of cuisine.

"Soukaku, did the food suit your taste? Did you get enough to eat?"

Sol asked with a smile.

Seeing someone truly enjoy his cooking made him genuinely happy.

For a chef, a diner like Soukaku was pure emotional value.

"It tasted great! All my favorite meats!" Soukaku praised without hesitation. "As for whether I'm full..."

She thought for a moment, then sheepishly held up a single finger.

"Still not quite full!?"

Sol's eyes widened instinctively.

So much food—and it still wasn't enough to fill her?

By normal standards—say, two pounds per person—that was fifteen servings of food.

He, Hoshimi Miyabi, and Nicole had each eaten one portion, Anby had eaten two.

The remaining ten servings had all gone into Soukaku's belly.

And even then, it was still not enough. This blue-haired loli was terrifyingly ravenous!

"That's not what I meant." Soukaku proudly raised her head. "I can eat forever!"

She was very satisfied with this meal. Even in the Section 6 cafeteria, she rarely ate this well.

But just a bit more would've been even better.

"..."

Sol had no words—he simply gave a thumbs-up.

Alright, alright, this is how it's gonna be, huh?

Raising one finger didn't mean "just a little more"—it meant infinite appetite.

You've really got something special. What is it, a dimensional stomach like Saber?

"This is insane!" Nicole stared at Soukaku in disbelief, secretly relieved. Good thing she only eats one meal a day.

Just this one meal had cost nearly 100,000 Denny. If they'd treated her at a restaurant... she didn't even want to imagine the bill.

This wasn't some elite from Section 6—this was a bipedal gold-devouring beast!

Staring at the vanished dishes, Nicole couldn't help feeling the pinch.

After eating so much, she had to get something in return.

"You two are elite members of the Hollow Special Ops—I've admired your unit for a long time." Nicole looked at Hoshimi Miyabi and pleaded earnestly, "It's such an honor to share a meal with you. Would it be possible to take a photo together as a memento?"

"Hollow Special Ops business isn't made public—we can't leave behind any photos."

Hoshimi Miyabi's delicate face showed a hint of apology.

"I see. What a pity."

Nicole visibly deflated.

Usually she was the one freeloading others—but today, she'd been freeloaded.

"Section Chief, maybe not as part of the Hollow Special Ops... but as friends, taking a photo shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Soukaku, with a full belly and short tongue, jumped in to help.

"Friends, huh?" Hoshimi Miyabi hesitated, then agreed. "That's not wrong, I suppose."

They'd agreed to spar, shared a meal—"friends" wasn't far off.

Plus, Sol had agreed to consider official commissions. He might even be a colleague in the future.

In the end, all six of them stood together for a group photo.

Looking at the image on her phone, Nicole felt utterly delighted.

From today on, even Cunning Hares had an official connection. Her network had grown tremendously.

Even if she didn't show it off, just keeping it at home to ward off bad luck was already worth it.

With everything settled, Hoshimi Miyabi stood to bid farewell. "Thank you all for the hospitality. It's getting late—we'll take our leave now."

"See you next weekend, then."

Sol had actually wanted to invite them to stay the night, but in the end, didn't say it out loud.

It wasn't that he had any ulterior motives—he was just worried about two delicate girls walking home late at night.

Even though Hoshimi Miyabi was a Void Hunter, there was still the chance of running into someone stronger and... twisted.

"Could we move the meeting a bit earlier? I want to experience your swordsmanship as soon as possible."

Hoshimi Miyabi said seriously.

As a scion of a renowned martial family, she had a strong desire to spar with a skilled swordsman.

"Nope." Sol refused without hesitation. "Sparring with a Void Hunter—I need to bathe, burn incense, and make all the proper preparations."

"Sounds like you're a devoted warrior. Now I'm looking forward to next weekend's match even more."

Hoshimi Miyabi smiled—a rare expression—genuinely appreciating his reply.

According to her family's traditions, bathing and burning incense before a duel wasn't mere ceremony—it was a sacred rite to focus the mind and give one's all.

Only warriors from true lineages would understand such rituals.

Clearly, he was an excellent opponent.

"Hmm... you're right. I am a devoted warrior."

Sol went quiet for a moment.

Suddenly, he felt a little guilty. That "incense and bath" thing was just an excuse.

He wanted to delay the duel by a week to pull a purple card—hopefully to boost his sword skills.

In a life-or-death fight, he feared no one among the known human elites of New Eridu.

Because people die when they are killed—and compared to Ethereals, humans had way more weak points. He could endlessly dodge until the right moment for a clean American-style iai slash.

But a spar with Hoshimi Miyabi—he couldn't use that flashy move. Even dodging should be minimized. Rolling around wasn't exactly elegant.

In pure swordsmanship, even though he had Martial Arts Grandmaster proficiency, he was still a bit behind Hoshimi Miyabi.

That iaido slash she used on Nineveh—he couldn't pull that off yet.

If he wanted to properly spar with Miyabi, he either needed a lucky card pull or some deep personal training.

Right now, he was more of an ADC. If he tried to duel Miyabi head-on, she'd still outclass him like a boss with special attributes.

Hoshimi Miyabi nodded lightly, then turned and left with Soukaku.

"Goodbye, kind-hearted human!"

Soukaku waved enthusiastically at Sol.

After a big meal, she no longer looked frail and sickly. Instead, she was in high spirits, full of energy.

The kind-hearted human who had fed her—he'd never run out of meals in this lifetime.

Sol chuckled warmly as he watched Hoshimi Miyabi and the now-bouncy Soukaku walk away, feeling genuinely pleased.