About an hour passed before Lilia returned. In her hands she held what looked like a combination of huge watermelon and an apple.

“Umm… what is that?”

Lilia looked at me, then at the watermelon apple fruit, then at me again.

“This? According to the catalog it’s a papaya.” She said with a straight face.

That doesn’t look anything close to a papaya if you ask me.

“… it seems… different from what I remember.” I commented, still trying to understand what part of that was the papaya.

“Really? The first time I saw a real one was when I came here.” She walked over to where I stood then handed me the papaya? fruit.

“It can’t be eaten like this so we have to cook it fir-” she suddenly came to a stop and glared at me “you reek.”

And just like that I was forced to shower again. My clothes were washed and dried on the spot as well.

We began preparing lunch immediately after. I gathered the wood for the fire, careful not to go too far of course, while Lilia prepared the watermelon-apple-papaya fruit thing.

She took out a knife from her bag and started pilling the fruit. That took some time considering the size of the thing. But the knife was so sharp it cut through it like butter. The huge watermelon apple turned into a bunch of small cubes which Lilia dropped into a pot.

She then brought out something else from her bag, a cylinder the size and appearance of a bottle, although as Lilia spilled its content into the pot I could tell with simple eye measuring that the amount of water it stored shouldn’t be anywhere near what came out. Another strange device was then used to start the fire.

I waited for a few seconds as Lilia silently observed the contents of the pot. A couple of minutes later I started to feel that something wasn't right.

“… That’s it?” I asked.

“Hm? Yes, what did you expect?” Lilia said with blank look.

I didn’t know how that could be considered cooking. Can’t we at least add some salt?

~◇~

“This is… amazing!!!!”

Thirteen minutes later the papaya fruit melted in the water turning to a yellow thick soup. The smell was really nice, then when Lilia served me a bowl and I took the first spoonful I was bashed by strong potato and cheese like taste.

I gulped down the first one in a flash then went and asked for a refill, making Lilia blink in surprise.

“Is it that good?” She asked.

“Yes! Really good!”

“Hmm… indeed, it has a stronger taste than any papaya themed product I have ever tried.” Said the girl after trying a spoonful.

What kind of biology made an apple shaped watermelon called a papaya taste like potato? I mean, I can accept the potato part but how the hell does a fruit taste like cheese? That doesn’t matter right now, all I know is that I can’t get enough of it.

Seeing me eat with full disregard for manners was probably why Lilia kept observing me while leaving her portion as it is. Or it could be that she can’t handle my smell and lost her appetite. I just showered, you know?

Suddenly she let out a chuckle.

“It’s just plain soup you know.”

Whoa…

I put my spoon down and turn aside, coughing in fist.

“A-are you alright? Here, have some water.” She presented me the bottle from earlier with a worried look.

“N-no, I’m alright… thanks.”

That smile… that smile is dangerous!

As I drank the water I wondered if I could live for long if she keeps using that smile on me.

“You don’t have to rush, just take your time.” She said, going back to her seat.

I stole glances at her a few times as we ate. The longer I looked at her the more charmed I got by her looks. While I was absentmindedly staring at her she stood up and took the pot.

“Sorry, I know you like it but we have to leave enough for later, okay?”

“… Ok.” It was after this that I noticed my bowl was empty. Maybe she interpreted the way I looked at her as asking for another refill. So embarrassing.

In the end I got away with three servings while Lilia managed two. When we were done the pot was still half full. We’re going to have that for dinner tonight so I can at least say I’m safe from the calorie bars for now.

“haaaah… that was good.”

“I have to agree, it turned out better than I expected.” Lilia let out a satisfied sigh.

Now that we are done eating there was nothing to talk about. It is the return of the awkward silence. Lilia sat there looking at the sky. Even when doing nothing she could easily steal the heart of any man lucky enough to see her. A woman with her beauty could be the cause of wars in old times.

I averted my eyes when she noticed me staring but they ended up on a part of her I was trying my best not to look at.

“… Hey…”

“y-y-yes!” Startled by her sudden call I straitened my back.

“There is something I wanted to ask you for sometime now.” She said, her expression having changed from a few seconds ago.

Twirling some strands of her hair around her finger as a faint pink color painted her cheeks, she looked at me in a shy manner and seemed to hesitate a bit.

“Is… something wrong?” I gulped down audibly, my heart beating like crazy.

“Well, I already told you my name but…” she continued after a short pause, stopping to take a deep breath. “I still haven’t heard yours.”