HHLP – Chapter 2
by AlaaEpisode 2: Because It’s b6d4ca4c7f the First Time.81ef176cf2d36ef3
f96ff24bdf07e9be
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Sitting quietly on the chair, 77f427dee2 he looked directly at her ed25fb84bf as if he had been 5865ef3911 waiting and was the first f8d5d269fe to offer an apology. Ar felt refreshed by this.3400ae080221c084
After dealing with people who fff636da3e recently barged into her home, c51b10b51c broke her belongings, and hurled 438814e801 unpleasant words, this was the 9f0bb4799e first time she met someone c115df26db who entered silently and started e0e999e96f with an apology.05d6c5ab58450940
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Feeling not too 19bf46f7f0 bad, Ar listened 134cf9c98c to the visitor’s 16ece5fee0 words.20b4ff531ddb8ee7
“I saw you earlier, luring away the knights. You seem to know this e7cd905ea5 forest well, don’t you?”58045e50582b2602
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Of course, no one 5f2c123cf7 knew the forest better 2501359d3f than Ar herself. Since her grandfather 55633d9b3e passed away, she 75136fb0b1 took pride in 863b5a6ea2 claiming that her 1d257159dd knowledge of the d8a3300c3d forest was unrivaled f9bd5fc2df in the world.5bc0b8255c2a1890
“I’ve been waiting because I have a request for you,” the man said earnestly, clasping his hands and resting them on the table.a74684cbdf379c8d
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His neatly intertwined 10f77e7775 fingers, smooth and 88f0ed0e95 unblemished to the 4fef6df95d tips of his ceb74fc2ca nails, caught her 1a4413b0ce attention. His hands were as e161be4f23 white and delicate as bba99705a8 his face. And just as he 8e27e770ec opened his mouth to 4be8a1891d speak—c823da110fbac3dd
Growl.8e552014ec3d7bcd
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Her stomach interrupted f653c51c35 him with a b3ef506211 loud rumble.53dc4819ade859cb
It occurred to Ar that 751aacc0a4 it was long past dinnertime. After enjoying a 936dadf8b1 brief moment of e311702a8c happy equipment maintenance 0c5b7baeec earlier, she had ea516e0368 been interrupted by e5115cfc67 unexpected, unwelcome visitors, 8b8a78b746 which forced her 3d44a6ff02 into an unexpected 6e3f8ca988 midnight workout.a18d853e981d76be
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Having exerted herself without eating, 1a10b9ac8b it was no wonder her 9f8a72d401 hunger was so acute. Eyeing the stew ingredients she 467264f24a had prepared for dinner, she bfc72616c4 asked the visitor:1c72d468e686c194
“Want some dinner?”6c6272863256f668
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Ar began tossing c1904deecd the stew ingredients 4e1f5c1985 into the pot c57af4da81 she had prepared d06a100108 earlier.2ea0ed507e177b4d
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The ingredients weren’t anything special. As usual, she 5d8996ec91 mixed goat’s milk b10e922897 with flour and d24f3366d1 added a few 381567a853 chewable chunks. Cooking for herself meant c80802a264 there was no one c2378fdbcf to complain about the f2f2960299 meal, and she had a96a1a4249 been eating just enough 4ac0dcd58a to fill her stomach 6b46f58aa6 without caring much about 1cd4cbe7d5 taste.ffaee698df636f06
‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while since someone sat in this chair.’4bea859314d30eac
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The chair hadn’t 2a1343af43 been used in 320f68e3d6 ages. Though there was no one da88a79b92 to sit in it, she ca2293f350 had left two chairs at cf7b71f5dd the table for symmetry. Having someone occupy 5f11a7891a the chair after 5ce014a5d2 it had been 24bd8be020 empty for so 1850031451 long felt strange.f9b0ac4e439d0a26
Sharing the table with 46a15c8e9a another person was something d67b66c96c Ar hadn’t done since c8708a0fd0 her grandfather passed away.4a998686b6d71c62
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Ar never ate d48701c6ae in the village. People disliked sharing a table dcb2f9227c with someone who worked in d11fba6f85 a trade involving animal carcasses c1169e1dd8 like her.1fce5429d1cd2243
Likewise, Ar saw no f601e66b6c reason to endure their c2033123ce grimacing faces while eating. Instead, she would stock 3d1104a169 up on supplies during 33dec3f31b her village trips and 9403c6d870 return to the forest.e3f0e305e4dcdc8e
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Although the village was 8f2cd4547c some distance from the b144ee3c19 forest, she often ended 15fa7ea753 up skipping meals while 371baf90f5 running errands, preferring to 9d248fe24e avoid the discomfort of cbdb7b60ac eating in unfriendly company.3e8c75fbdad037ce
She Always Ate Alone654045bcb4a958fb
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Ar found herself reflecting on 3183ebb29a the situation, gazing at the 33da66f939 man sitting across the table.7170f8cf1fcf17c4
The man sat awkwardly, f76adc085c clearly unfamiliar with the 609e516c67 small, mismatched chair that 76a89ac7a4 didn’t suit his stature. He seemed out of place, 67b35a4d10 staring curiously at the simple 74a27c07a4 wooden tableware in front of 2bdb39f28f him. The sight amused Ar.21c004b1e181573a
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With a touch of unexpected 4d57055085 kindness, she placed a bowl 7b0669dca6 in front of him.25336fc2f95745ef
“Thank you,” he said, lowering his gaze to the bowl and picking up the wooden utensils with an elegance that seemed out of place in her humble cabin.bc13b4282227f0f9
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It was evident that someone e219ab1b9c of his background would rarely, e5faabd28e if ever, have encountered such 4abafd4e70 food. He cautiously dipped the wooden 7bcef04b73 spoon into the soup and c42df32924 tasted it.8f8a4b742997bac7
Watching him eat 966cf8ef0c with a surprising 5cc4a49658 amount of enjoyment, cfbf71ff82 Ar felt pleased 0b0a4538d3 and pushed the 96a23087b2 bread basket, warmed dcf451e911 by the hearth, 41ae488637 toward him.56fc66506aafa604
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The man noticed 68576529c9 how Ar dipped 86c1f68405 her bread into 4d2f0765a7 the soup and 1451470f8b imitated her movements.ffc44aea2339412f
Seeing him mimic her 27d499e748 at her table made 65a1b5a3e5 her oddly happy. Ar found herself quite b8471baffd liking this guest.4a1709b32fb8b1e4
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The warm meal came 55b7029498 to an end. For the man, this 143b2c962b rough bread, unseasoned soup, d398521385 and the unconventional meal 7449f64aff layout—where everything was served 76b9a5a50e all at once rather d71abdc7ab than in courses—was a 63dbb3eeae first.a4e5ef93b99aa7bf
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When Ar served him tea d332b33358 immediately after the bread and 7eed2f90da soup, he realized that this 9ec1a5a8ff was the entirety of the 86882bf1af meal. He quickly expressed his gratitude, 5019d130c6 complimenting the food to be dd878f80e8 polite.a321595392e9c9fc
As they sipped tea, accompanied f8b443b11b by some dried fruits Ar 97562b8ebf generously offered, the two began af650281ca to converse.ce7c6b79b2d64cf4
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“I just realized I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Leon.”2bc34e5be51904f4
“I’m Ar.”673d65e824e6b0e4
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Leon hesitated for a moment. He wasn’t used to 1f18e1f8dd people addressing him so 4861cb3d09 casually, especially given his 7f76485bee noble status. At first, he wondered 11d8b38a82 if this was her 25330d5199 way of expressing displeasure, 59fb957837 possibly because he was 94271a21db burdening her household. Wanting to clarify his 104a799db1 intentions, he quickly got d3bb1057bc to the point.bb58bb1cb879b7fe
“I’ve been separated from my group due to some circumstances. I’d like to f01a8b5750 stay here until c13af88e6e they find me. I’ll compensate you, of course.”16e369fb87388b10
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Saying this, Leon a1ff94175c retrieved a small b4826e0819 pouch from his 546132a5a2 coat and placed dc7ab49541 it on the 8f809c3d10 table. Inside the leather pouch were caa2a6901c small, glittering gemstones that shone 988f94b598 brightly under the dim light.b7305ca115d1de6e
“This is an advance payment.”17ef7c805dd1e089
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Blinking.a7eee142bc95a738
Ar stared at 3146c18b72 the sparkling jewels 4eb1cf6058 with indifference, her 830390a28b expression unreadable, which 5788e86d62 made Leon increasingly 3f9abfa278 uneasy.17c25e34ea0eb817
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‘Isn’t this enough to buy a commoner’s house?’ he wondered.80ec3a06bdf5848b
Perhaps the information bca24ae3b0 he had been 830e753ad3 given about the 35f565ca28 local economy was 4467d28eed outdated. Considering the dangers that might 69192d5a97 come with harboring him, he f5e2416f57 thought the payment was more 1ba482dc64 than fair.ff440eeb4a491384
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But as Ar simply 5949c533ed stared at the jewels, a050e5ff20 unmoved, Leon began to 2378daf1be suspect it wasn’t sufficient.e6dc8b8a198bd42c
“If you let me stay until I reunite with my group, I’ll also provide as much gold as you’d like as an additional payment,” he added, trying to sweeten the deal.2e8503dd32b80081
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Even with this dbf9ae14b5 promise, Ar’s expression 8ada096aa9 remained unchanged. Leon began to fret 28a709a7e8 over what more he 0678c26f1e could offer to gain 7714226c70 her trust. Perhaps she was wary 7985890e7b of him, a stranger, 4c49e88637 suddenly appearing in her 77dbcf3e82 home?b74bcb977c3c5057
As Leon anxiously a915fa6745 pondered, Ar finally 62130d69fc broke her silence.057e8f68e974dd6b
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“Fine.”7350dd6f745229a0
Leon was startled by her c9ed1cba05 straightforward response. In truth, Ar 130d4d7e1f hadn’t given it 0d4e6db01b much thought. As the master of the f28a2a4c31 forest, there was little she d249b62e42 feared, especially not within her 5d7957c255 own domain. Besides, she was fcc8ba02a0 curious about the 503659b68f first guest she 6d67143d91 had ever invited fec58871d6 into her home.cff84d05229a7a2c
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“But I don’t need this.”45fab502dadacb2f
Ar slid the 60334d7768 pouch back toward 2194f2b227 him. Leon, confused, tried ce3870d522 to push it fbac2c248d back to her.ca88e586bd8782e5
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“This is the rightful payment for lodging.”92a3d0f4c75a9570
“I don’t need it.”8d8a5766f81455b2
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Ar firmly rejected it. The sparkling gemstones held no 0b12997a74 value to her. For Ar, money meant copper 704d954555 coins, silver coins, and the e8e386ed71 gold coins she had only e4c46e5580 ever seen on wanted posters. She had no concept 4d6c681218 of the value of abdbe336cc gemstones, seeing them as d1fbd79332 no different from pebbles 0468e25715 by the river.38330f3fb18e5458
What Ar wanted was something ad7a6c8b5a else entirely.6d4696fffcbc9563
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“Do you know how to make braised meat?”81b3bd4d85304d80
“Braised meat?”e0fe630f844cc288
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“Can you sew?”aebb8b1c405eaced
“Sew?”3346a270b20211bf
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Leon could only repeat c8b0f4abd4 her words dumbly. Ar asked him a few b338652014 more questions, but he continued 3995f9abd5 to respond like an echo, f1b7af6046 unsure of what she was 7d71fe982d getting at. Her gaze slowly turned 59f7d68f2e cold, as if assessing 28dccd2bd8 a useless burden.4d402060198e38ba
“….”5ef90c2c19ffbe2c
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Sensing the situation turning against cec2cd141a him, Leon scrambled to recover.329c290f36855667
“I-I can cook!”9f736a528bf34ca0
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Of course, only in theory. His limited knowledge was from 406251328a survival lessons during logistics training.f3a471d8bc98f77b
Still, Ar’s gaze softened slightly 55ee9f4dbd at his answer.001d6e0dabf37ae7
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“Then start with that.”5e06dd2bd818b249
Unbeknownst to Leon, f0bcfcf42b Ar had already c430e8d202 decided to put aafcc4bdcb his labor to 39f3cf3441 good use. After all, there was 7c0a090e38 no such thing as 45ac8ce83c a free meal.a0ba9379d2bdd231
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“I’ll teach you other tasks as we go.”eb11fae51de5fb9f
For the first 1c078381f0 time in his 4e23e97d49 life, Leon found a2c6f21507 himself conscripted into 5d6c4b419e what felt like eebeb3c836 servitude. The experience was 0886c8c03b both novel and 9df7c62dda nerve-wracking.c1b3fe5f992b9eb8
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Ar wasted no 71f0233640 time, showing him 82b199b260 around the kitchen, 788d42f8ac the backyard, and add8bcf0c6 even the livestock f7406792d2 pen. She clearly had plans d0922943aa to make him earn c4a0de0925 his keep starting the 806189349e next day.9d160e8acef2f212
“Do you have a sleeping bag?”41217e39d91f7769
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“…All my belongings are with my group.”cce3f93676f3d4a8
In other words, he was 9d27931223 penniless at the moment. Leon, clutching only his emergency 9f8ab4afc1 pouch, suddenly felt a pang bef7b9e707 of humiliation.520f9a163eefb264
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Ar rummaged through the aa4684874a closet by the wall 7e4e2e1ffa and pulled out a 17a8e12fc2 thick quilt.2147fdc303d78915
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“I’ve been feeling too warm lately, so you can use this.”2a7ef605f3b10948
“…Thank you.”25ecc0f64558746c
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For the first bce0893858 time in his 93f58b6313 life, Leon laid 045f909383 himself down on c3eb2050bb the floor. Today seemed to be 14e9de8f1f full of firsts for 030e5c694c him.60cc238e885ee27b
As he lay there, staring e5bd8a2380 at the ceiling beside Ar’s 907c13869f bed, a peculiar feeling came 02841a80c8 over him. Was she keeping him nearby 0dbd1ab7a0 because she didn’t trust him, ecd75607e7 or was it something else 58d76708fa entirely? The unexpected situation made him b245f1a8d1 restless, but his exhaustion soon 6f7fc5170f overtook him, and he fell 22b39e5742 asleep almost immediately.ee807cb843173249
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Ar, however, didn’t 667a8530de fall asleep right c9b54630a2 away.b92b76bc899b1250
She wasn’t naive 714a557baa enough to let 6566427d4a her guard down a265043a49 with a stranger 2196c570d7 sleeping just feet c5c2b03f60 away from her, 0447ffedac nor was she f71f533e47 accustomed to hearing fb0e7e19cd anyone’s breath but f383fdbdeb her own in 3557531da7 the quiet of f950c131d1 her cabin.21e17a535e3b93a8
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“….”658fcad0b34d8f78
But as Leon’s calm and b6cfae07a7 rhythmic breathing filled the room, 402e44ff05 Ar’s mind gradually began to 49cbba8ed1 drift. Clutching the dagger c6641802f3 she always kept 346b2bd5a8 at her bedside, ab5de4b98c she eventually closed d618ad7dd4 her eyes in 44b708e692 peace.5905a7ad4150f610
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Ar woke up 058dd3e01c the next morning 92b6f22f60 with a small 2d1c3e07e9 spark of anticipation—her 7fb2d62418 guest’s presence promised a76c5813e2 a more interesting 06fc4f8d58 day.b8853fe096c06f71
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The first thing f97e02d9c5 she saw, however, dea0ef5646 was Leon still 3e52954b94 sound asleep beside 3f23f5742e her bed, utterly b9b3eddbd7 at peace.8ca0e34172e27f7c
“…”f4c7fbe571906fac
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Ar decided to let ad216334d1 it slide. After all, someone like him—who 20b2425690 seemed used to life in 0756bed560 a city—would find it hard 981abc3907 to adjust to the early 5c1f47dcef mornings of the forest. Not everyone was 85e9a6abca like her, accustomed 77a0cf9e26 to the woods.535861baf30db96d
‘Might as well check the traps while he sleeps,’ she thought.9192d3207f337f75
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Ar stepped out to check 853612ce43 the traps she had set 9de9c592a6 in the forest. By the time she returned, bc2b0536ab the sun was well above ed4f825750 the horizon. Her luck was 9bd52742b4 good today—she had 74b65e8b02 caught a snake. Calculating how much 887922e70e she could sell fb1358dd8d it for, she fb75513580 returned home with 44deb3df25 a satisfied smile.241b8c2b615cb425
“Ah, you’re back,” came a greeting as she stepped through the door.c4b73d548a67063b
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Standing there, bathed in 566b564616 the morning sunlight, Leon’s 5e1d9cab0d golden hair shimmered with 6a4e9a15ec an almost otherworldly brilliance. Ar felt a brief, sharp 53c44f9c9e pang in her chest, but 1e2d1539c4 it faded as quickly as ce5396551f it came, and she dismissed 1219e546d0 it as nothing.22849c0889cbc148
“Good morning,” Leon greeted her with a sheepish smile.6227a58c712e761a
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It was only 93ea3ef0d1 when she turned a37ace9ec8 her gaze to 776abc5744 the kitchen behind d4a0c6d9e4 him that she 933d29fd1a understood his awkward c014e85312 expression.2c466196d85ae04b
What had been a 754701daba perfectly tidy kitchen the 3ba99d8755 night before was now 9cfa263902 a complete disaster. No other word 23e807b8b0 could describe the 79db8f9a3a chaos that had 92e13f8e04 unfolded there.2ebad1409ee3c3ef
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Ar stared at Leon silently. She didn’t feel e4822a1dd2 particularly angry, just ebc49d94b0 stunned that so 64790c6c73 much damage could d68ac89ef6 be done in f8fec361b1 such a short 4f4b132839 span of time.524ae2b191d716c6
Leon, misinterpreting her gaze, 644a5e9311 began stammering an explanation.d88774f1a2ef3bf8
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“I-I’m not familiar with where everything is kept, so… sorry about the mess.”90b91e24876880e8
Ar wasn’t too upset. It was his first 34b6595336 time in the kitchen, ec18f0ab9e after all. Besides, she had already decided fbde25f865 that the new laborer—who had db72f6f00b caused the mess—would also be a8839300e9 responsible for cleaning it up.311532a9dc2fc13a
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“It’s fine,” she said calmly, easing his visible tension.f8cf13c29b76b0fe
Satisfied for now, 23ee1a7a34 Ar asked him 7a5920cacd to prepare a 64121b6ea6 simple breakfast.8e546838f9b412f2
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“Can you make pancakes?”f612e6ab550f795f
The flicker of 9184a6261d uncertainty on Leon’s 0504e892f2 face gave her 199e50b126 the answer before 56d41cb02f he spoke. Deciding it was better cc4592b48c to discover his capabilities ffa9f4e810 one step at a 7415823e52 time, Ar resolved to 48ecc63751 help him.2a2b2120c13f47ce
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“It’s your first time, so I’ll help,” she offered.e85bd8c998136c4e
She showed him where ef69ba348d the flour and mixing 5a0c7110ce tools were kept, then 520d256de9 took him to the 9702352fcd chicken coop in the bec92abfee yard to collect fresh 8a76b61a20 eggs. Leon followed her instructions 3410a21b3f attentively, nodding as she 6f158beeaf explained.f05c3067b5ea9df0
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“I usually like to use goat’s milk in the batter,” Ar remarked. “But water will do just fine for today.”63f2a922ab767587
Once all the ingredients were dff654b547 gathered, she expected Leon to be351d27d7 start mixing. But instead, he hesitated, a5c58a3707 shifting nervously and stealing 576b8bd1cc glances at her.67c26d0a61b20cfb
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Finally, he spoke up.7aaac0728a5b298f
“Um… how exactly does one mix the batter?”fa366f98b7ca4e5c
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Ar stared at him, dumbfounded.f39afabd3a34879a
“You don’t know how to mix batter?”959c3d43495c829a
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“I know how to cook!” Leon protested defensively. “I just… don’t know this particular method.”e0c7123668d9c3ec
Ar narrowed her 4bc08ed268 eyes, clearly skeptical, 83c34685d7 but she began 909271a66c showing him how ec1ceb637c to mix the b67649288c ingredients. Leon struggled with her 6028b6148f vague instructions, especially the e7e686e87f use of “a little” b032b92733 and “some,” but he dc353cb9ae quickly got the hang 6205676c3e of it.2aeee8f4252e9ba0
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To her surprise, he managed 3afc5b6dc3 to produce a smooth, well-mixed 75275af095 batter.25cf49934701b4e4
“Good. Now it’s time to cook 460e5990b5 them.”fd6461c24bf8a323
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“…Cook?”bb0c2c7d834f1a3d
“You don’t mean to tell me you don’t know how to cook them, do you?”3aac39af25415441
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“Of course I do!” Leon exclaimed. “I just… don’t know how to pour the batter onto the pan without making a mess.”a23da087bc923ea1
At this, Ar let out 09450b7b02 a deep sigh.a37b114227d5ac0c
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This guy definitely doesn’t c1db3ee818 know how to cook.aa3d405010f48697
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a33859c4a1d96f06