The Goddess At My University

In his dream, Chase found himself standing in an endless void, the silence so profound it was almost deafening. Before him stood a shadowy figure dressed in an impeccably tailored suit. The figure's face was obscured, its features just beyond the edge of recognition, but its voice was clear and commanding.

"I am entrusting you," the figure said, its tone devoid of emotion, as if the statement alone held all the weight of the world.

Chase opened his mouth to respond, to ask what that even meant, but before the words could form, the figure vanished, leaving him alone in the void. The silence grew heavier, and a strange pressure wrapped around him. Entrusting him with what?

Before he could grasp the meaning, a sudden jolt pulled him out of the dream.

"Chase!"

He opened his eyes groggily to find Diana shaking his shoulder, her silver eyes narrowed in mild annoyance. "Finally," she said with a huff, stepping back as he rubbed his temples.

Still disoriented, Chase sat up slowly, the remnants of the dream lingering like fog in his mind. The figure's words echoed faintly, but he shook them off, convincing himself it was just a dream—nothing more, even if it felt different somehow.

Diana crossed her arms impatiently. "It's been two hours," she declared, her tone carrying a slight whine. "I'm hungry again."

Chase let out a small sigh, pushing the odd dream to the back of his mind as he stood. "Alright, alright. I'll get started."

Chase quickly gathered all the grocery bags cluttering the kitchen counter and carried them into his room, clearing the space. He didn't want to admit that the mess made him self-conscious, but at least now the kitchen felt less chaotic. With that done, he slipped on his apron, tying the strings behind his back in a practiced motion.

"Have you ever cooked before?" he asked, glancing over at Diana.

Diana looked up from inspecting the kitchen. Her silver eyes narrowed slightly, as if the question offended her. "I've hunted for most of my life. Cooking can't be harder than that," she said, crossing her arms.

Chase raised a brow, suppressing a smile. "Fair enough," he said lightly. "In that case, start by washing the potatoes and other vegetables. The sink's over there." He pointed.

Diana nodded briskly and made her way to the sink. She picked up the potatoes first, examining them as though assessing prey, before rinsing them under the tap. Chase tried not to laugh at her overly serious expression, instead focusing on prepping the rest of the ingredients.

After a few minutes, he heard the sound of the water shutting off and turned to see Diana wiping her hands on a towel. She disappeared into the bathroom and returned moments later with a hair tie. Without a word, she pulled her dark hair into a neat bun.

Chase froze. With her hair tied back, her features—sharp yet elegant—were fully revealed. He found himself staring for a moment too long.

"Why are you staring at me?" she asked, tilting her head slightly, her silver eyes meeting his.

Chase quickly turned away, muttering, "I wasn't."

Diana didn't seem convinced, but she didn't press the issue. Instead, she glanced at his hair. "Why don't you tie yours back? It's going to get in your way."

Chase ran a hand through his golden locks, brushing them back absently. "I don't know. I've just never thought about it," he admitted. After a pause, he added, "Now that I think about it, my hair's never fallen out. The only time I've seen it off my head was when I cut some in grade school."

"Must be nice," Diana muttered, tying the apron strings around her waist. "Ever since I became mortal, I've been finding my hair everywhere. It's a nuisance." She sighed. "Another gift from your mother, I guess."

Chase shrugged, unsure of how to respond. Instead, he washed his hands and gestured to the counter. "Alright, we're making hamburger patties. Here's how it works. Start with the ground beef—about a pound makes four patties. Put it in the mixing bowl." He demonstrated, grabbing the meat and dropping it into the bowl.

Diana stepped closer, watching intently.

"Next, season it. We'll keep it simple: salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a little smoked paprika." He sprinkled the spices over the beef, measuring by sight. "Then you mix it together. Don't overdo it—you want the patties tender, not tough."

Diana frowned slightly but followed his lead as he began to knead the mixture.

"Once it's mixed, divide it into portions. About the size of a baseball for each patty." Chase shaped one into a neat ball and flattened it with his palm. "Make a small dent in the middle with your thumb. It keeps the patties from puffing up when they cook."

"Like this?" Diana asked, mimicking his actions. Her hands moved carefully, shaping the patty into a near-perfect circle before pressing a small dent in the center with her thumb.

"Yeah, that's perfect," Chase said, nodding in approval. "You've got the hang of it."

Diana placed the patty on the plate beside his and glanced at him curiously. "How did you learn to do this?"

Chase shrugged lightly as he rinsed his hands. "When you live by yourself, you kind of have to figure things out," he explained. "Cooking, cleaning, laundry—you name it. If you don't learn, you end up living off instant noodles and takeout, and trust me, that gets old fast."

She tilted her head slightly, studying him. "So, it's all self-taught?"

"Pretty much," he replied, drying his hands. "I figured if I wanted to eat good food, it was better to just learn how to make it myself. Plus, it's nice to know I don't have to rely on anyone else for the basics."

Diana nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful. "That's... admirable," she said, her voice softening. "You're more capable than most people I've met."

Chase blinked, slightly taken aback. "Uh, thanks," he said, not used to such straightforward praise.

She smirked a little, her teasing tone returning. "Don't get too full of yourself. I'm still better at hunting."

"Fair enough," Chase said with a chuckle. "But I think I'm winning in the kitchen."

Diana laughed softly, a sound that surprised even herself. "You might be," she admitted, glancing at the patties. "What's next?"

"We'll let these sit while I heat up the skillet. Then it's just a few minutes on each side, and they'll be ready," Chase explained as he moved to the stove.

Then Chase remembered the fries. Quickly, he turned on the stove to preheat the skillet and went to grab his hand-press french fry cutter. He could cut the potatoes manually, but that took too long, and the whole point of making burgers and fries was that it didn't require much effort.

He handed the cutter to Diana, explaining how to use it. She picked up on it quickly, working with precision as if she'd done it before.

While she pressed the potatoes into neat strips, Chase placed two patties in the heated pan, the satisfying sizzle filling the kitchen. Grabbing a large, heavy pot, he filled it about halfway with oil and set it on the stove to heat.

"Seven potatoes should be enough," he said, glancing at the pile. "Better to have extra than not enough."

Diana nodded, already pressing the last potato through the cutter. "Got it. What's next?"

Chase glanced around, realizing there wasn't much else for Diana to do while he cooked. Unsure if she was familiar with slicing onions, he decided to ask.

"How skilled are you with a knife?"

"Very," Diana replied, her voice tinged with annoyance that he even needed to ask.

Chase couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright then. Take an onion and a knife from the drawer in front of you." He pointed to the drawer in the island, which was directly in front of her, the sink behind her.

Diana nodded and walked over, easily retrieving both the onion and the knife from the drawer. "Cut off the stem and the skin layer, then slice it into thin strips for me so I can sauté them," Chase explained as he flipped the burgers in the pan.

Diana set the onion on the cutting board with a quick glance, then methodically sliced off the stem before peeling away the outer skin layer. She took a moment to make sure the skin was fully removed, then sliced the onion in half. With careful precision, she began cutting the onion into thin, even strips.

Chase glanced over, impressed by her skill. She wasn't lying when she said she was good with a knife—her movements were fast and steady, each slice perfect. He focused back on the burgers, the sound of the onion slices hitting the cutting board becoming a steady rhythm as the smell of cooking food filled the air.

Chase finished the burgers he was working on and, before adding more to the pan, turned the heat down to low. He wet his hand and flicked a few drops of water into the oil. It sizzled and popped immediately, signaling it was hot enough for the fries. He turned to a bowl on the counter which Diana had placed the fries in with water after chopping them.

He drained the water, tilting the bowl over the sink, then refilled it, rinsing the fries once more. Satisfied, he added half of them to the pot, letting them cook. As they sizzled, he placed more patties into the pan, the sound of them cooking filling the kitchen.

Diana, on the other hand, was growing frustrated. Her eyes were tearing up, and she couldn't figure out why.

Chase, noticing her discomfort, glanced over and couldn't help but chuckle. The sight of her scrunching her face in irritation only made him laugh harder.

Diana, already irritated, shot him a glare. "What did you do to me? My eyes burn!" she demanded, her voice full of anger.

"Onions do that when you cut into them," Chase said between laughs.

His amusement only seemed to make her more upset. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she put the knife down with a dramatic sigh before storming out of the kitchen, her hood pulling up over her head. Without another word, she plopped down in the living room, grabbing her tablet and returning to her game.

Chase watched her go, still chuckling at her childish behavior. He couldn't help but laugh harder at the whole situation, the sound echoing in the kitchen as he continued cooking.

Chase finished cooking the patties. Two each seemed like enough for now, but he added a few more to the pan, just in case either of them got hungry again later. He took a bowl and lined it with paper towels, ensuring they would soak up the excess oil. He carefully removed the fries from the pot that were finished, placing them in the bowl to drain, then added the remaining fries into the oil to cook.

He turned his attention to the burgers, flipping the patties in the pan. After a few minutes, he checked their doneness. Satisfied, he placed the cooked patties onto a plate that already had the other finished ones stacked neatly. He decided there was no need to wash the pan just yet, so he kept it on the stove to sauté the onions.

He then took a small amount of oil and added it to the pan that had cooked the burgers. Once heated, he tossed in the sliced onions, letting them sizzle. He stirred them occasionally, allowing them to soften and caramelize slightly. After a few minutes, the onions were golden brown, with a nice crisp edge, making them the perfect topping for the burgers.

Next, Chase moved on to the bacon. He placed strips of bacon in the same pan, letting them sizzle as the grease bubbled around them. The smell of the bacon filled the kitchen, making his stomach growl. He flipped the bacon occasionally to ensure even cooking until it was crispy and golden brown.

While the bacon cooked, Chase went back to the fries. He took the rest of the fries out of the pot and placed them on top of the first batch that had finished cooking. He then poured seasoning salt and black pepper into the bowl and shook them around to evenly coat the fries. After tasting one, he confirmed they weren't too salty. They tasted good—nothing special, just perfectly seasoned fries.

Finally, the bacon was ready. Chase removed it from the pan and set it aside on a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess grease. With everything done, he stepped back to admire his work, the delicious smells filling the kitchen.

With the food finished, Chase took off his apron and decided to make their plates. He gave each of them two burgers, neatly stacked with buns, lettuce, cheese, sautéed onions, and crispy bacon. Then, he piled some fries onto both plates.

He sighed contentedly and grabbed Diana's plate, carrying it over to her. She accepted it but didn't acknowledge him, already engrossed in her tablet.

"She learns quickly, though," Chase thought as he observed her. He noticed she was careful not to get any grease on her hands as she ate, clearly mindful of her tablet. It was a two-hand game she was playing, but in the beginning, it had mostly been a back-and-forth of parry and attack until you could get your special.

Chase sat down at the table, his attention briefly drifting. He decided to watch a gameplay video of an unreleased game on the TV while he ate, the screen flickering with the bright, colorful footage of the game's beta version.

His peace was interrupted by Diana's voice, her tone slightly annoyed. "I'm out of energy. What do I do now?"

Chase chuckled softly at her frustration before responding, "Well, there are three things you can do. First, you can play a game mode that doesn't require energy, though most people don't bother with it. It just gives you credits and other stuff. Second, you can spend credits to get your energy back. Or, third, if you have any energy refills, you can use one of those."

He paused, taking a bite of his burger, letting her absorb the information. "Up to you," he added, leaning back slightly.

But what Chase didn't expect to happen this early took him completely by surprise. He saw Diana pull out her credit card and start typing in her information, and he assumed she was going to buy credits for the game. The sound of a beep from her tablet confirmed his assumption, signaling that her purchase had gone through. But what shocked him next was that she didn't stop after one transaction—she bought more.

After realizing she didn't need the card anymore, she put it away, but then she bought even more, again and again, a total of ten times. Chase stared in disbelief. He had no idea she would do something like this.

He had to ask, "How many credits did you just buy?"

Diana glanced up at him, smiling as she happily resumed playing. "Hmm, not that many. A little less than 15 thousand. Why?"

Chase's jaw dropped. She just spent a thousand dollars in one sitting. He was stunned by the amount. "A thousand dollars?" he muttered under his breath. If that was the case, she would breeze through the early game.

Chase finished his food, glancing over at Diana's plate. She was eating slower now, probably distracted by her game. He knew he should be heading to bed soon, especially with Orientation coming up tomorrow. He still needed to dye his hair early in the morning. With that in mind, he decided to get in the shower to start winding down for the night.

Chase put his plate in the sink and turned to Diana, letting her know, "I'm going to shower." He quickly hopped into the bathroom, running through his usual routine. Once he was done, he stepped out and dried his hair, then brushed his teeth, still tasting onions on his breath.

After finishing up, he walked back to the living room. Diana seemed to have made herself another plate of food, but she was still glued to her tablet, engrossed in the game. Chase, feeling a bit concerned for her, decided to tell her, "You can go take a shower when you're finished."

He plopped onto the couch and grabbed a bag of chips, continuing to watch whatever was on the TV. Before he realized it, he felt the familiar pull of sleep. It seemed like he was really tired today. He finished the chips, tossing the empty bag into the trash, then plugged his phone into the charger.

When Diana eventually got up to put her plate in the sink, he reminded her, "Make sure you put your phone on the charger before you go to sleep." She nodded in acknowledgment.

He grabbed the cover he used the previous night since Diana was heading for the shower. Diana left her tablet in his room, and he laid down on the couch, settling in for the night. With everything quiet around him, sleep quickly consumed him, and he drifted off, exhaustion finally taking over.