Don't force me to use my right fist.

Holding his sword in one hand to stop the two from resisting, Sawa took out his phone, preparing to contact Kaguya and ask her to send someone over to interrogate the two guys, but suddenly froze on the spot.

Suddenly, the two men's bodies burst into flames, an indescribable stench and pus gushing from them, yet they remained completely unaware, at least glaring at Ruo Zuoyou with eyes brimming with resentment.

"You've won, but nothing changes. The gods will grant us new life, while you, sir, will live on, burdened by this sin!"

After uttering one last harsh word, the bald man's bulging eyes finally burned completely, leaving only two pools of foul-smelling pus.

"So much guts? Being able to revive is really tough." Silently putting his phone away, Zuoyou glanced at the loot they had put into their backpack, and his previously furrowed brows suddenly relaxed. If they can revive, does that mean they're monsters that can respawn infinitely? Then monster farms aren't out of the question, are they?

Chapter 163 Serious girls are still quite adorable.

After the battle, Sōyū didn't even need anyone to clean up the mess.

The werewolf corpses were devoured when the bald man transformed. The two remaining were then bitten into their current pus-filled state. Given that they deliberately chose this deserted, abandoned factory, all Zuo You had to do was pack up and leave; no one would even know he'd been there. After quickly packing his belongings and confirming his spoils, Zuo You went outside, hailed a taxi, and began his journey back to Sakura Academy.

Sitting in the back seat of the car, Zuoyou looked at the two Goodwill Crystals lying quietly in his backpack and nodded in satisfaction. These guys hadn't dropped any new mods besides the guaranteed rotten flesh, but with two Goodwill Crystals in hand, it wasn't a complete loss. Including the two crystals he already had, Zuoyou now had a total of four. Whether to spend some experience to upgrade the enchantment of one of his equipment to level four, or simply draw four more Lucky Cubes, became a dilemma for Zuoyou. Logically, taking risks is always better than enchanting, but Zuoyou currently had nothing to increase his luck stat. He didn't really trust his luck with Lucky Cubes that only had 0 luck. He might end up killing himself, which would be interesting.

As for going to Huiyin's place to get a couple more buckets of milk, that's not out of the question, but Zuoyou is still a little worried about what will happen if Wan- is discovered. She's a half-beast from history; the reason she didn't cause trouble last time might simply be because she hadn't checked the relevant history. Going again would inevitably arouse suspicion. As for enchanting, a level four upgrade is noticeable, whether it's adding it to protection or improving weapon sharpness, it's an excellent choice.

However, after thinking about it for a long time, Saiyu still gave up on the idea. As for defense, even if he stacked up all his protection, he couldn't achieve 100% damage reduction. As for attack power, with the hammer he drew, Saiyu wasn't actually lacking in damage.

If all else fails, you can go straight to the school headgear. Rather than enchanting these combat items, Zuoyou prefers to try enchanting some auxiliary items.

With the removal of restrictions on enchanted items due to the Hellfire enhancement system, some rarely used and obscure items might suddenly become surprisingly effective. For example, the fishing rod in Zuoyou's hand, after being enhanced, became a prime example of a divine artifact.

Actually, Sawa had another idea in mind, but he could only figure it out after he got back.

Besides, although his enchanting table was still there, all the bookshelves had been burned. He'd have to go back and ask Kaguya to get him some more blank books. If possible, he could also start working on the iron golems he'd promised to exchange with the brewery. Having planned what to do next, Saya pursed his lips. Just then, a taxi stopped at the entrance of Sakuragi Academy and dropped him off. After thinking for a moment at the school gate, Saya chose the cooking class over going back to his classroom. He was still a little curious—could Kaguya have suddenly started working towards becoming a little culinary prodigy?

Following Aqua's directions, Saya found the cooking classroom and stood at the door. Just by seeing the girl in the suit standing there, Saya knew that Kaguya was definitely not there yet.

Come to think of it, this guy even invited me to dinner; could it be that he already harbors murderous intent towards me and is planning to poison me sometime?

Saya chuckled, thinking that Kaguya might actually do that given her personality, and then stealthily crept towards the girl in the suit.

"You?" Just as Sōyō was about to enter the door, the girl in the suit named Reisen noticed his hunched figure with his buttocks sticking out. She frowned and was about to ask him a question when she saw him put his finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture. "Shh."

"What are you doing here?" The betrayal of another of Kaguya's personal maids has placed all the burdens of Kaguya's needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter, on her shoulders, inevitably making her a little nervous.

"Of course, I want to see what Kaguya is doing. Has she always done this before?" Standing at the door, peering inside, Saku only saw a plume of black smoke that looked ominous.

"Young Miss never cooks. As for why she does that, shouldn't you be the one asking, Mr. Saya?" Narrowing her eyes, Reisen knew perfectly well why Kaguya acted this way. Ever since Saya rescued her, Kaguya hadn't been normal. However, recalling Kaguya's perpetually icy, unsmiling face and the occasional lonely and desolate expression, Reisen felt that Kaguya wasn't so bad now.

"How would I know? If I knew, I wouldn't be here peeping."

Sōyū had no idea what she meant. He frowned and then moved closer to her.

He had never known what was going on in Kaguya's little head; he wasn't a mind reader.

"If you want to know so badly, then go in and ask yourself. Miss's mood isn't great right now. Your presence might make her feel better." Reisen raised an eyebrow, showing no intention of reporting Kaguya's arrival. The young lady's expression when she came to ask her how to make cookies today wasn't exactly cheerful. Now that Saya is here, giving her a surprise wouldn't be bad.

"If I go in, are you sure she won't get even more agitated? She's been giving me the cold shoulder all day, you know?"

Sawa pointed to himself, not expecting Kaguya to have a pleasant expression towards him right now.

"Who has spent more time with the young lady, you or me? You'll understand once you go in. Trust me, you're curious too, aren't you?"

Reisen gave Zuoyou a push, shoving him into the cooking classroom. She expertly hung the classroom door shut and sighed.

That was all she could do; the rest was up to the young lady and this guy. Saya, pushed along, kept a low voice, not making much noise, so he didn't attract the attention of the girl in an apron struggling with a lump of dough. In fact, she seemed completely absorbed in the dough in front of her; otherwise, she wouldn't have noticed the pot beside her was already burnt and emitting black smoke. Saya secretly went over and turned off the oven that was still charring, then quietly circled around to Kaguya's side, resting his chin on his hand as he watched the girl's focused expression. The pink apron added a touch of cuteness to the usually aloof Kaguya, and the small chef's hat on her head was tilted to one side, revealing Kaguya's face, which was covered in flour like a kitten's.

A person looks incredibly cool when they're focused on doing something, and when a beautiful girl does the same, she becomes even more captivating. Even Saya had to admit that Teruie now had a bit of a virtuous wife and mother vibe, and having concealed her usual sharpness, she had finally revealed her true nature as a beautiful young woman.

She's still a pretty and cute girl. Finally, as the alarm clock—which Kaguya herself had set—sounded, the girl stopped stirring and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her flour-covered hands. Just as Kaguya was about to begin the next step of preparation, she noticed the boy already sitting in front of her.

"When did you arrive? Didn't we agree to go and take care of other things first?"

Kaguya paused for a moment, then turned her face away as she carefully placed the risen dough into a container, asking Wakasaya a question.

"Actually, I just got back. Seeing how seriously you were cooking, I didn't want to disturb you."

Sōyu scratched his head. He hadn't expected that, just as Reisen had said, this guy surprisingly didn't seem angry.

"Well, so, did you get anything out of it?" Kaguya was actually quite pleased that Saya came to find her immediately after returning instead of going back to the classroom. A slight smile appeared on her lips as she continued to ask Saya questions while busy with her work.

Well, I didn't get anything out of it at first, but then the people from the True Word Church suddenly approached me, and I had a chat with them.

Saya truthfully recounted his recent whereabouts to Kaguya, glossing over the matter of Hell Girl. However, since she was also a party to the True Word Church, there was no need to hide it from her.

"Are they trying to turn you against us?" Kaguya paused as she placed the cookies into the oven. The purpose of the Mantra Church members approaching Saya alone was probably nothing more than this.

Hmm, the terms offered are quite tempting; no wonder your maid betrayed you.

Sawa nodded, hesitating whether or not to tell her about the maid's resurrection.

"And then, you accepted? So now you're here to kill me as a pledge of allegiance to the other side?" Kaguya turned around, patted her apron, and tilted her head to ask Saya. This was nothing more than what she feared most; Saya's answer was of paramount importance to her.

"Didn't I tell you? I've never been interested in these weird churches and stuff."

Sōyū stood up. After removing the slightly slippery piece of dough stuck to the tip of her nose, he looked into her eyes and answered.

Chapter 164 is good-looking, but a bit flat...

"Even if you say that, I won't be happy about it. This is what you should do, right?" Kaguya turned her head away, a blush creeping onto her face. She said she wouldn't be happy about it, but judging from her uneasy little hands that started to interlock her fingers, she might not be as calm as she said.

Saya crouched down next to Kaguya's still-open oven and turned the temperature down a bit. No wonder it looks like a battlefield here when she's baking cookies at such a high temperature.

"It's passable, at least he lived up to my trust." She didn't press further about what had happened to Saya. Even a simple verbal reply that he hadn't betrayed her was enough for Kaguya. She trusted Saya; although he sometimes acted erratically, she didn't trust his promises as much as Kaguya did. Even if Saya did betray her one day, when she asked why, he would honestly give her the reason.

"Actually, the conditions those guys offered were quite tempting, but it's a pity there weren't any beautiful girls. Plus, they were all things I already had, so they weren't very attractive."

Saya sighed and started joking with Kaguya, who was sitting on the stool next to him. Kaguya's face fell when she heard the teasing in Saya's words, but she didn't usually like to joke like this, so she surprisingly picked up on Saya's words and asked him a question.

"While it's a bit difficult to find someone prettier than me, would you be tempted if I offered a few less attractive women, but in larger quantities?"

"Like our lovely class monitor, or your lovely green-haired deskmate."

"Hmm, I wanted to tell you loudly that I'm that kind of person, but then I thought about it—that would make me seem too hypocritical. But even so, I'll probably think about it for a few seconds before rejecting it."

Also, aren't you being a little too narcissistic? I admit you're good-looking, but you're not quite at the level of a stunning beauty. At least you fall short in one aspect.

Sawa continued teasing Ruo, pinching her chin. His eyes lingered on her only flaw. In terms of face and overall presence, he was unmatched. But a girl's beauty is judged by her whole body. Even with a beautiful face and long legs, if you can't tell the front from the back when looking at her, she's not exactly perfect.

"Do you know that you said something very serious? I can't pretend I didn't hear it."

Kaguya's face darkened, her entire being sinking into a gloomy state. She stared at Saya's face with a murderous glare. Was this guy crazy, or...?

"I'm just stating the facts. You said yourself that you couldn't find anyone prettier than you. I'm just pointing out your disadvantages. You're still young. You have a future. The fearless Sawa can't go against his conscience; if something doesn't exist, it doesn't exist. He's an honest man."

"I'll give you another chance. You have half a minute to organize your thoughts."

Kaguya picked up a kitchen knife from the nearby counter, ran her fingertip along the blade, and said to Saya. He had to take back what he said. Some things could be said, but some facts, even if true, were not to be spoken to a girl.

"Look, when I rejected those people from the Church of Truth, they had the same attitude, threatening me just like that. Fine, I won't hold it against you, let's pretend nothing happened, okay?"

Saya suppressed a smile. Perhaps seeing Kaguya's side, so different from any other girl, made him completely relax this time. He even dared to joke with Kaguya like this. If it were her old self, with her stern face and iceberg-like demeanor, Saya naturally wouldn't have talked to her this much, let alone joked with her.

"Hmph, so what happened to them in the end? Since they came looking for you on purpose, they must have been prepared beforehand, right?" Kaguya put down her kitchen knife upon hearing this. She actually knew that this thing was practically a toy to Sawa; even if he brought a Gatling gun that spewed blue flames, it wouldn't make a difference. But this wasn't the reason he provoked her; no, this wasn't a provocation, this was practically a personal attack.

Is this something she can control? Innate traits have nothing to do with her efforts later in life.

"Of course, I took care of it easily. Otherwise, how could I be sitting here chatting with you now? Would they have let me come back?" Zuoyou gestured with his fist at her. He had just used this thing to punch that weirdo and send it flying.

"So you mean if I persist, you'll punch me too?" Kaguya stretched out her small hand, made a fist, and compared it with Saya's fist. Although Saya wasn't exactly a muscle-bound man, his fist was still a whole size bigger than her small fist.

"It's probably unlikely. I don't usually hit women; it's not my style."

Saya put the headband back. He hadn't even considered what kind of outrageous thing Kaguya would have to do to provoke him into taking action.

"So you don't dare touch me? Does that mean I'm the only one who can beat you up? And you still dare to jump around in front of me?" After receiving Sawa's reply that he wouldn't make a move, Kaguya immediately became arrogant. If the other party didn't dare to fight back, what did she have to be afraid of? It should be the other party who was afraid of her.

Kaguya placed her small fist on Saya's head, looking at Saya who was shorter than her because he was sitting. She didn't know why, even though she had never felt there was anything special about being superior to others, suppressing Saya like this gave her an indescribable sense of accomplishment.

"How can you call this jumping? This is just daring to speak frankly and offer advice. In ancient times, someone like me would be a loyal minister who would be enshrined in the ancestral hall, I'm telling you." Zuo You looked aggrieved and shrank back obediently, looking just like a bullied little girl.

"You call yourself a loyal minister? Are you implying I'm a tyrant?"

Kaguya realized that he had subtly insulted her again, and annoyed, she playfully punched Saya's shoulder with her little fists, as if to teach him a lesson. Saya suppressed a smile and turned to the side, letting Kaguya's little fists rain down on his back. The massage-like pressure was almost too good to be true; this guy could definitely win a gold medal as a back massage therapist.

"Fine, I won't argue with you. So why did you come here? Didn't you say you'd wait for me in the classroom?"

Seeing that Saya not only showed no sign of resentment but was actually enjoying her beating, Kaguya kicked him in the shin in disgust. This guy was as hard as a rock; she couldn't do anything with him. Finally getting back to the point, Kaguya sat down next to Saya, propping her chin up with one hand, just like him, and squinted her eyes contentedly.

"I was just worried about you. Everyone says that young ladies like you are all spoiled and pampered, but you came to a place like this and started cooking. How could I not be curious?"

Saya reached out and touched Kaguya's smooth, jade-like forehead with the back of his hand. After confirming that she did not have a fever, he voiced his doubts.

"Mind your own business. Just be your tool. If you happen to be here, then have a good taste of it. But you're not allowed to say that what I made is bad, you can only offer a little feedback."

When Saya brought up this topic, Kaguya turned her head away, her blush refusing to fade, making her look quite charming.

"You want me to give my opinion, but you won't let me say it's not good. Aren't you forcing me? What exactly do you want? Can't I just give you my opinion?"

Sawa was a little dizzy from the condition she proposed. What kind of strange request was this? Was she sure she wanted him to come and enjoy the food instead of playing a prank on him?

"Anyway, I don't care, just tell me if you're going to eat or not. Let me make this clear first, I don't like being criticized. You know that, right?" A conflicted expression appeared on Kaguya's face. She'd gone to such lengths; didn't this guy have even a little bit of consideration for a young girl's feelings?

"Alright, alright, I'll definitely be a grateful and dedicated taste tester. I promise you'll be satisfied, okay? Anyway, go wash your face now, even though you still look cute." Saya, who wanted to reach out and wipe Kaguya's flour-covered face, resisted the urge and reluctantly gave in to her.

Chapter 165 You actually guessed that?

The ambiguous atmosphere between the two vanished with the crisp beep of the oven. Saya helped her remove the cookies, now fragrant with a caramelized aroma, from the oven and placed them on the table. Reisen, of course, wouldn't teach Kaguya any particularly difficult dishes. Take cookies, for example. Unless someone has an exceptional talent like Saya, it's unlikely they'd burn like Kaguya did, due to a lack of control over the heat. However, this time, thanks to Saya's secret help in controlling the temperature and time, there was no chance of a disaster. Saya, smelling the barely perceptible caramelized aroma of Saya's food, breathed a sigh of relief. It was all Saya's fault for being so impactful; seeing these things gave him a bit of PTSD.

"Is this all you wanted me to try? You've been busy with this all afternoon, haven't you?"

Ignoring the still-hot temperature, Saku picked up a slightly burnt cookie from the baking tray and asked the girl who had suddenly fallen silent beside him.

This brownish tinge is something beginners can't control when making dough; if you really want none at all, then you can only rely on practice. However, considering this is Kaguya's first day making this, it's quite impressive that it's done this well, and Saya naturally wouldn't hold back his praise.

"Actually, in terms of appearance, it's already quite successful, and the aroma has been brought out. For a beginner, it's a pretty good start. To be honest, I probably wouldn't dislike eating these cookies. Let's just consider this her first finished product. wih Kaguya is definitely born to be a young lady. The cookie dough hasn't risen completely, but precisely because of her personality, she's very strict about the proportions and added seasonings. For Saku, his bottom line is just that she doesn't mix up the salt and sugar; he doesn't expect much else. So, after carefully savoring it, Saku nodded to the young girl and gave her a thumbs up."

While it may not quite compare to Tsubasa Amakawa's bento, it's definitely a delicious meal compared to Saya's cookies.

Besides, it was indeed her first time cooking, and she did a pretty good job. As for Amakawa Tsubasa, she must have cooked for herself at home before, so comparing Kaguya to her is really too much of a stretch.

"Really? Actually, I was just joking with you. If it's really that bad, you don't have to force yourself to eat it."

Kaguya rarely showed an expression of insecurity. Just looking at the black and white pieces of the cookie, she already knew that she had most likely failed again. She hadn't expected that she would still be able to get Saya's approval.