Chapter 45 Shopping and the Mysterious Girl: Ethan returned safely...

Ethan made it back to his little apartment in Tenus without incident.

Although it took quite a bit of time—at least half an hour—to explain what had happened to Xingyun and persuade him to go, he eventually returned successfully.

The apartment in Tenas contained unopened toiletries, barely used kitchenware, and an empty refrigerator; the only items found were some noodles in the cupboard.

After Ethan finished organizing the clothes, he stuffed them into the closet in the second bedroom. Then he started unpacking the toiletries, arranging the toothbrush, mouthwash cup, and towel neatly.

To create the impression of human habitation, food is unavoidable, but Ethan is unable to eat; even a taste will make him vomit. The more he craves food, the more he wants to eat, so it would have been better if he hadn't eaten at all in the first place.

But even if you put the food in the refrigerator and don't eat it, it will still spoil. Wouldn't that be too wasteful?

Does Lord Starfall eat? I don't think I've ever seen him eat. Oh well, never mind. I'll buy some first, then secretly make some. If Lord Starfall doesn't eat, I'll give it to Cassie and the others. If all else fails, I'll just grab a beggar I pass by and give him some food.

Ethan put on his mask and went to the nearest supermarket to buy food.

The supermarket isn't far from here, just a two-minute walk. Ethan is just around the corner.

But it was precisely at this corner that an accident occurred. Ethan bumped into the girl who suddenly appeared, knocking her to the ground and scattering her belongings everywhere.

"It hurts..." The blonde girl on the ground covered her head and gasped softly.

"Sorry, sorry." Ethan was flustered, trying to help the girl up, but he didn't dare to touch her carelessly. He could only reach out his hand and ask the girl to put her hand on his: "Can you get up?"

"I think I twisted my ankle." The girl looked up, her eyes blurry with tears, looking extremely pitiful. Her green eyes, soaked with tears, seemed even brighter.

The girl placed her hand on his and tried to stand up on her own, but she still couldn't manage it, and looked down in frustration.

"Excuse me," Ethan said, reaching under the girl's arm to help her up.

"Thank you so much." The girl leaned into Ethan's arms, but he dodged and almost made her fall again. Luckily, he caught her with quick reflexes.

girl:"???"

But she quickly composed herself, tears welling up in her eyes: "I'm sorry, maybe I wasn't standing properly. I was too careless and hurt my foot so I couldn't stand steadily."

"It wasn't your fault." Ethan was also a little embarrassed, realizing his subconscious muscle memory had just caused this. Looking at the girl in front of him, who was crying sadly, he was at a loss for what to do. "I wasn't watching where I was going and accidentally bumped into you. I'm so sorry... Let me help you to the bench over there. I'll go buy some medicine."

The girl thought about it for a moment, nodded in agreement, and then sat on a park bench, eagerly waiting.

Ethan was quick; he returned in less than five minutes carrying a bag of things.

Under the girl's surprised gaze, he took out a boxed strawberry cake and a bottle of water for her, squatted down in front of her, opened the bag again and took out an ice pack, wanting to give her an ice pack first.

"Is this an apology gift?" The girl tilted her head, looking at the plump strawberries inside the delicate little cake in her hand.

"No, I just wanted you to eat some sweets to distract yourself from the pain of applying the medicine for me," Ethan answered honestly, his hands still moving as he prepared to apply the medicine after a while.

"Pfft, oh my god, you really..." The girl suddenly laughed, as if she had seen something interesting, and anyone with eyes could see that she was in a good mood.

Although Ethan was a little confused, he didn't ask any more questions. After applying the ice for a few minutes, he started applying medicine for sprains and bruises, thinking that the pain should have subsided during the ice application, so applying the medicine shouldn't be so painful, right?

How did he bump into this girl? He didn't seem to be paying attention. Damn it, you can't be distracted after turning a corner! He didn't even notice her, causing an innocent girl to twist her ankle.

Ethan was annoyed with himself, but his movements became even gentler.

To divert attention, Ethan, who is socially awkward, tried to start a conversation by exchanging names.

Applying the medicine didn't take too long, and there was no need for continuous massage. As Ethan applied the medicine, he used the medical skills he had learned to set the girl's bones. There was a crisp snapping sound. He apologized again after he finished, because he was afraid that the girl would be nervous if he told her beforehand.

After applying the medicine, Ethan offered to take the girl home, but she refused.

"My family will be here to pick me up soon!" The girl smiled brightly and waved goodbye to Ethan: "Goodbye, Ethan."

Before leaving, Ethan glanced back at her. The girl named Helia sat obediently in place and smiled at him when she saw him turn around.

After Ethan's figure completely disappeared, the girl picked up the strawberry cake, unwrapped it, and began to eat it, her legs wobbling involuntarily.

“He’s really not like Hoshimeki-chan’s style. I didn’t expect Hoshimeki-chan to like this kind of person as a guardian.” Helia, who is actually the female version of Kagerou, squinted her eyes happily as she tasted the sweet flavor in her mouth: “But he is indeed very good. His personality, but Little Tenas probably doesn’t know that he is male.”

"You have such a twisted sense of humor," Noviglad said, appearing beside her at some point. "You're just pretending to be a little girl to fool people."

"What are you talking about? Novigrad." Yang Yan looked extremely innocent: "I'm just a little girl."

Novigrad: Too lazy to criticize, I hope they have the self-awareness.

After leaving, Ethan went to buy food as planned.

He had always done housework at home, and even cooking was something Selene would bring back for him to do. Going out to buy groceries for the first time was a novel experience for him.

Ethan bought some vegetables to make a salad, and of course, he didn't forget to pick up some salad dressing, as well as some meat, some tortilla chips, some potatoes, and bread.

Buying a little here and a little there, along with some seasonings, before they knew it, they had two big bags. When Ethan went to pay, he almost used his own card, but then he thought that if Turner came back next time and found that he had bought things but his card hadn't been swiped, that would be too suspicious.

"I'll pay you back when we're completely honest with each other," Ethan thought to himself, looking at the bill that was almost four figures.

He hadn't expected to buy so much. The individual prices of each item were within his budget, but he never imagined that the total would amount to such a staggering number.

The object was quite heavy, and it quickly turned Ethan's fingers red. However, besides developing his magical abilities, Ethan also wanted to improve his physical fitness, so the weight was nothing to him. He just didn't know when the red marks would fade, since his body's circulation would be poor after he died.

After buying the items, Ethan arranged the seasonings in a place where he could easily reach them if he were cooking. He also put the ingredients in the refrigerator according to their categories. He even bought some fruit and stuffed it on the top shelf along with the vegetables.

Unexpectedly, it was already noon. Ethan hadn't cooked in a long time and was wondering if he could eat some Starfall when Turnas arrived halfway through his cooking.

Unexpectedly, the next time Turnas said he would come to see him was the next day. Well, it shouldn't really be considered the next day, since it was almost midnight when they met. It took him some time to buy things, and after Turnas left, it also took him some time to go back before he had time to come over.

Less than eight hours after we separated, this helpful colleague came to my door with a file bag, saying that everything was ready for school. What speed!

"Ternus, are you asleep? Why are you moving so fast?" Ethan really didn't want to go to school. Faced with the kind-hearted Ternus, he could only force a smile that was worse than a grimace, and invited him to sit down, asking if he wanted to have some brunch.

After a moment's hesitation, Ethan guessed that he was trying to avoid the sensitive feelings associated with his identity. Sure enough, he only hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

When he saw that Ethan had only served a single portion, he immediately stood up and said, "You can eat it yourself."

As if realizing she had disturbed Ethan, she hesitated for a few seconds and said, "I just came to deliver some documents for enrollment and to see how you're settling in. Since there's nothing else, I'll be going now." With that, she turned to leave.

Ethan tried to stop him but couldn't. What was he eating? He was a corpse and didn't need to eat. If he ate, he would just vomit it up. He couldn't digest it. It would be better to give it to someone with a normal metabolism, or to Lord Starfall.

But Tenas ran too fast. Seeing the still steaming food on the table, Ethan decided to pack it all up and open the portal to send warmth to Starfall.

"Did you make this?" Starfall asked, looking at the food being held aloft by magic.

Ethan nodded frantically, looking at him expectantly to see if Lord Starfall would eat what he made. If possible, to avoid suspicion, he would cook all the meals for Lord Starfall from now on, so that he wouldn't be unable to resist swallowing food for the sake of his appetite and end up having to drink magic potions to induce vomiting anyway. Wouldn't that be more economical?

To Ethan's surprise, Starfall actually took them and ate them all up. He had only prayed that he would eat them, but he didn't expect that he would actually eat them.

Watching the food he had made being eaten, Ethan felt a strange sense of satisfaction welling up inside him, and his eyes shone brightly.

After finishing his meal, Xingyun pulled out a handkerchief from somewhere. Magic used the handkerchief to wipe the corner of his mouth, looking extremely elegant.

Ethan had always seen Starfall as someone detached from worldly affairs, and this was the first time he had ever seen Starfall eat. He had never even seen him drink any potions. After eating, he still maintained that aloof and noble young master demeanor.

If he hadn't died, or had been chosen to become a guardian, someone like him would never have had the chance to come into contact with someone like Lord Starfall in his entire life.

Thinking about it, I realized that dying wouldn't be such a bad thing. Although I wouldn't be able to reunite with my mother, I would have met so many good people.

Lord Starfall, Sister Bertha, Sister Cassie, Aunt Mary, and a bunch of other magician colleagues like Terry and Dan, though we weren't particularly close, but we also had the Guardians.

Everyone here is a good person. Although the line between good and bad is somewhat blurred in this world, their character is impeccable, which makes his peaceful life more colorful.

Let's go see Mom tonight.

Ethan collected all the discs and walked towards the portal, intending to return to his apartment, thinking casually.

Starfall, who had just finished eating and wanted to chat with Ethan, was left bewildered: "???"

Is he really that unpopular that Ethan doesn't even want to chat with him?

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Author's note: Although I didn't write it out, Yang Yan wasn't the second one to try and cause trouble. In the past year, which I didn't write about, some city leaders also took the opportunity to meet Ethan.

My head and eyes hurt tonight, and seeing the 1000+ practice questions my teacher posted made it even worse.

I haven't even started practicing for the gynecology and pediatrics certification exams in a couple of days, not to mention the gynecology and pediatrics training reports I still need to write—it's a ton of work! And I have my final English exam on Friday.