Chapter 87: Trait: Glutton

The next morning, in the Hiei household.

As if living in her own home, Mao Li Lan had already risen early to prepare breakfast and lunch.

In fact, she had gotten up even earlier than usual today.

It was not because she did not want to sleep a little longer.

Rather, her appetite had surged dramatically, requiring far more breakfast and lunch to be prepared, so she needed to rise earlier to begin.

Yet these preparations alone kept Mao Li Lan busy in the kitchen for nearly three hours.

The sky outside the window began to brighten gradually.

"Crack!"

Hiei Eri, yawning and wearing only a nightgown, stumbled out of her room in a daze.

"Sniff sniff~"

The pleasant aroma in the room made her open her eyes a bit wider.

Following the scent, she walked toward the kitchen.

There she saw her daughter, still in her nightgown and wearing an apron, working hard inside the kitchen.

Just as she prepared to approach and greet her daughter, a glance at the table made her pause.

"... So much?"

The table was already filled with many prepared dishes.

Hiei Eri knew which lunchbox was hers.

But what was that lunchbox right beside it, completely four times her size?

Hiei Eri rubbed her eyes, walked over, and made a comparison.

"It's more than four times the size of my lunchbox."

"This must be two or three times larger than an adult man's appetite."

The square box she compared it to was merely the first layer, meant for plain white rice.

Beside it stood four equally large boxes, each brimming with all sorts of dishes.

Various meat dishes, plus fried chicken, fried pork cutlets, broccoli, bamboo shoots, and hamburger steaks.

The variety was fine, and the nutritional balance was excellent.

But the quantity was simply off.

"Could it be she's preparing to eat with Sonoko today?"

"Even so, the portion is far too large."

"Is she still in shock?"

Hiei Eri had not gone out to work all day yesterday; she had stayed home with Mao Li Lan the entire time.

Yet she had not noticed Mao Li Lan showing excessive sadness or doing anything strange.

Adjusting her mindset, Hiei Eri arrived at the kitchen doorway, leaning her shoulder against the doorframe.

"Mao Li Lan, you're up so early?"

"Yes, there's a bit more to prepare today."

"... Mao Li Lan, did you make plans to eat with Sonoko today?"

"No."

That single sentence completely crushed her guess.

"I didn't make any such arrangement with Sonoko."

"Then... you prepared so much today, intending to eat it all yourself?"

"... Yes, I'm preparing to eat it all myself."

This statement nearly made Hiei Eri collapse right there on the floor.

Turning back to look at the table, where the portions equaled several adult men's worth, this could not possibly be Mao Li Lan's usual amount.

"Could this be binge eating triggered by shock?"

Hiei Eri's breath briefly halted for a moment.

She carefully approached Mao Li Lan's side, keeping a close watch on her daughter's emotions.

"Mao Li Lan, you can't possibly eat all this by yourself."

"Come, tell Mom—is it because of that boy?"

"..."

Hearing this, Mao Li Lan knew her mother had misunderstood.

"Why would I do this because of Shinichi!"

"He's not even dead!"

"The reason I'm eating so much is entirely due to that title I won in the diary lottery."

"Both 'Glutton' and 'Digestion Monster'—if I don't prepare more, my stomach can't handle it."

But she could not bring herself to tell her mother these things.

No, more accurately, she felt that if she told her mother this now, her mother would think she was hallucinating because of Shinichi.

She might even drag her to see a psychiatrist.