The good thing about living in a place designed by someone who either was from earth or had visited it was that the kitchen was modern to the bone. Claire Hill spun a knife in her hand and chopped. Then whisked. She started a stove whose flames spewed from god knows where and got to cooking.

'Honestly, a fantasy world without any modern conveniences would be annoying. I wonder how all those isekai protagonists do it. What bathroom do they use? Surely they just don't dig holes in the ground and squat down, right?' She held some interesting, but odd, thoughts as she cooked. 'I'm glad this isekai has the tact to cheat.'

By the time she had created a breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, bacon, apple slices, freshly squeezed orange juice, and her partner's favorites, bought skewers—the simple stuff—Alicia was still fast asleep. Claire walked to the side of the giant bed, which laid beside the kitchen and faced a glass-like wall, and looked down at the companion of hers.

". . .for someone who doesn't need to sleep, you sure do enjoy your snooze, hmm?" Claire chided and poked at the girl's cheek. "You might be cute, but get up, Sleeping Beauty."

She meant every word of what she said for her girlfriend was the most beautiful girl she knew, earthly or otherworldly. Golden hair covered the bed as the girl she loved laid there, fair skin and body heaving softly up and down. She already looked like a goddess, then there was the tiny fangs that poked out from between the girl's lips that added another layer of cuteness alongside her innocently sleeping face.

In the end, seeing as Alicia did not awake even after her poking, Claire climbed upon the bed, overlooking her companion's face.

'Way too cute,' She thought. Although she was aware of her own beauty, hers was a chilling one, and Alicia's was warm. If she was cold like frost, then her partner was the sun, even as the two were similar in how they behaved at times.

She placed her lips to the girls. The squirming came rather quickly as their tongues intertwined.

"Mhmn. . ."

Ruby eyes opened and both stared at each other. As Claire smiled, knowing that this was another instance she dragged her partner back from slumber with a kiss, Alicia touched her lips.

"Why. . .?"

"You're too cute, I couldn't help myself."

"Sweet," The girl licked, now more awake than ever as she grinned at her companion.

"Why thanks, now up, I've made breakfast."

They made their way to the dining station and the vampire blinked her eyes at the food. In seconds, her expression turned to elation as drool struggled to stay out of her mouth—especially when she saw the skewers Claire had so aptly bought from a familiar stand in Aclair.

"Dig in," Claire smiled, taking a seat.

"Hum hum!"

Although Alicia could go without food for hundreds of years, and Claire could survive on water alone, both enjoyed a good meal from time to time. Nodding in content as her partner devoured her cooking, cheeks growing full, Claire spoke.

"As I said before, I think it's paramount we increase our strength. Can't be ended by an endgame boss if you reach it first, and this game won't beat itself," She said, "So, first we conquer this tower, then we move on to your issue. Do you know what you need to become a True Demon Lord?"

The so-called tower was exactly where they lived. A Crystal Tower of 10 Trials. Claire had only finished 3 of them, not for lack of strength but time, and the glorified suite they resided in was a floor in the tower rewarded from the second of these trials.

As she pondered what, if any, rewards the others may hold, Alicia gulped down, a half-eaten skewer of meat in her grasp, and nodded.

"I need more of your blood," She said. Claire expected that to be the end, but the girl continued. ". . .and I need to go to the tomb of my previous life."

The Ice Queen's crimson eyes mellowed as she remembered the Mana Well that Alicia had soaked in. Changed by the hands of a demon who called himself the 'Sin of Pride', trying to be some hidden villain she long guessed, he had pushed memories into the girl from a past life in an attempt to revive their Demon Lord.

'That said, we do need to find time and look into this Deadly Sins business.' She thought. Cliched or not, it would impact them in this isekai, and she always hated a lack of knowledge whenever she was met with a decision.

"You saw something in your memories?" She finally asked after running through her mind.

She too had seen them, briefly when they shared a kiss within that crimson well, but she surmised that Alicia had likely seen much more than she first thought.

"Yes. I saw a lot of my first life as a Demon Lord. And I saw that there, I left something for my future self once I revived."

"But you didn't revive. . .what did you leave?"

"I don't know."

Claire furrowed her brows and Alicia simply opened her mouth wide and devoured the meat off of a fresh skewer. As the girl reached across the circular table for her plate, Claire smacked her hand.

"I would like to eat too, you know?" She chided, eyes frosting.

"But. . ."

The vampire stared at her as if she were betrayed, crimson eyes shaking.

"Honestly. . .fine, you can have one more." Claire sighed.

Alicia laughed blissfully and quickly scooped one up. As she watched the vampire smile so innocently, Claire realized she could never find it within her to be hard on the girl. A far cry from how she usually was with others.

'I suppose that's love for you.' She thought. She had been in love once before. She wouldn't forget the rejection of that emotion. But this world had allowed her to actually be with someone for the first time. And it was a person she found peace with, in and out.

Claire looked down at her plate.

"Hey—I thought I said one?"

"I have no idea what you mean? Couldn't you have simply eaten one yourself?" Alicia blinked her eyes.

Claire brought her remaining skewer to her mouth with skeptical eyes—she would remember if she had eaten one herself—and took a graceful bite. The tantalizing taste of the fragrant meal brought a new thought of their first days in this world.

'This reminds me of Aura and Fieth. . .I wonder how they're doing.' As she reminisced about the boy who was practically forced to buy the skewers for them in the beginning, she finished her meal.

Breakfast ended rather quickly after that. The two washed the plates, took their bedsheets to the washer, and replaced them with clean ones as Claire wondered just where the electricity came from before deciding it was magic probably. They switched from their nightwear and into their standard clothing next to each other, unashamed of each other's nakedness.

"Alright," Claire nodded and held out a hand once they finished. "Let's get going and start a new arc, shall we?"

It had been two days since their last adventure. That was to say, ever since the matters of the Dungeon Raid had been settled, the two had done nothing but enjoy their time together. Now, it was time to tackle this other world they found themselves within before it came knocking.

Alicia grasped that hand with her own, the coldness of Claire's skin mingled with hers as she nodded, placing a half-mask of white upon her beautiful face.

"Together. With you." She smiled, fang poking out.

LotsChrono

Discord Server: https://discord.gg/vwKhVUR