When you agreed to become Ellen’s roommate for convenience’s sake, you couldn’t help but be curious about what it would be like to live with a shark thiren. The two of you got along well enough, each minding your own business and staying in your own rooms.

Recently, you had submitted an application to become General Chop’s personal assistant. It was a big step—not only would it provide you with a stable income, but it would also offer new opportunities. You were thrilled when you got hired, and although you wanted to tell Ellen the good news, she was rarely home these days, probably busy with school and the housekeeping job she had mentioned before.

Still, it wasn’t a huge concern. You were employed now, and as part of your job, you spent a lot of time cooking. It didn’t take long for you to realize that you genuinely enjoyed it. Cooking became second nature, and a growing passion bloomed inside you. You found yourself wanting to experiment, to change old recipes—maybe even invent some new ones.

That’s when an idea came to you.

Late at night, lying in bed, you found yourself unable to sleep. The idea gnawed at you until finally, you sat up, swinging your legs over the edge of the bed. Without fully thinking it through, you tiptoed across the apartment’s wooden floors and stopped in front of Ellen’s door. You sighed softly, hoping she was asleep.

Because what you were about to do was… pretty drastic.

You planned to cut off a small piece of Ellen’s shark tail—for culinary purposes, of course. You told yourself it was fine. It would probably grow back, right? Maybe you could make some thiren sushi… or ramen… the possibilities were endless.

Before you realized it, you were already inside her room.

Ellen was fast asleep, lying on her stomach. Perfect.

You pulled a small knife from your pocket. Your heart raced as you slowly approached her. Carefully, you reached out, trying to steady her tail in your hands. You thought if you were quick about it, she wouldn’t even notice.

But the moment your fingers brushed against her tail, it jerked reflexively out of your grasp.

You blinked, confused. You tried again, this time gripping it more firmly and moving the knife into position. But the tail reacted even more violently—and before you could comprehend what was happening, it whipped around and smacked you hard across the room.

The impact against the wall left a large crack behind you, and the force was enough to knock you out cold for the rest of the night.

“Hey… wake up.”

You heard Ellen’s voice calling out. Slowly, you opened your eyes, groaning as you tried to sit up. Your head throbbed from the impact. When you looked up, you saw Ellen standing over you, a conflicted look on her face.

“What’s this about?”

Ellen asked, her tone laced with passive aggression.

You followed her gaze to the floor—your knife was lying there, just out of reach.

Your heart sank.

“You’re late for work, by the way.”

Ellen added nonchalantly, though her stare made it clear she was anything but indifferent. She might have informed you that it was already morning, but you were terribly late regardless.

You stared at her, mind blank, humiliation creeping up your spine.

“Are you going to tell me? I’m not going to wait around all day.”

Ellen continued, her voice turning serious.

You said nothing, frozen in place. How were you supposed to admit that you had tried to cut off a piece of her tail… just to cook with it?