Chapter 45: The Tomato Monster’s Beloved Chef

It was spring, and the forest was lush, with emerald canopies rustling softly in the breeze.

Beneath the scattered treetops, a massive, smooth, and vividly red mass had appeared, its presence jarring against the leaf-strewn ground.

When Lu Chen first spotted it, the distance made it impossible for him to discern its true form.

Yet, in what felt like the blink of an eye, it roared past the path, burst from the woods, and revealed its full, rotund shape under the bright sun.

‘Such incredible speed! Such terrifying momentum, comparable to the ‘Knight’ he had encountered at the amusement park…!’

Lu Chen’s heart tightened as he fixed his gaze, scrutinizing the terrifying monster’s appearance.

It was a tomato, a tomato as large as a yoga ball.

It was delightfully bouncy and cute, making one almost want to hop onto it. A bow-like stem even adorned its top. Several children playing in the plaza immediately noticed it, nearly running over to touch and pat it out of curiosity.

Fortunately, the tomato monster promptly split its skin, revealing a monstrous, blood-red maw filled with sharp fangs, transforming into a sight that was anything but adorable.

Without needing a warning from Gu Si, the children and other passersby shrieked and fled.

The young woman adjusted her earring, and a simple, pale flower bloomed from her fingertips.

“Transform.”

Verdant vines burst from the ground, rapidly shooting up and growing, completely obscuring the young woman’s figure. In a swift motion, she became a tangled mass of twisting tendrils.

The monster seemed to sense something, turning towards the vines. It cleared what sounded like pulp from its throat, speaking in a voice that was neither distinctly male nor female:

“You there, I have no eyes, so I can’t see your face… but judging by that obnoxious vegetable stench, you must be Lily of the Valley, am I right?”

Amidst the monster’s taunts, the magical girl Lily of the Valley pushed aside the vines and stepped onto the ground.

Hidden behind a bench, Lu Chen also raised his camera and responded on behalf of the less-than-eloquent young woman:

“Sir, Lily of the Valley is a flower, not a vegetable! A tomato, however, is a vegetable!”

The tomato bounced in place, its stem quivering with fury.

“To think there’s a magical girl with such a crude voice! No wonder she spouts such nonsensical fallacies, utterly devoid of common sense!

“Listen closely! I, the tomato, am not a vegetable, but a noble fruit!

“Ah, my dear, respected, pitiful, tragic Chef, to think you were slain by someone so utterly ignorant of grains!”

Lily of the Valley casually drew forth a vine, hardening and reshaping it into a dagger, which she wielded as a makeshift weapon.

She raised this vine-sword, its tip pointed directly at the tomato’s gaping maw.

“Chef… are you referring to the monster that attacked the pedestrian street yesterday.”

“Now she’s putting on a delicate voice again. What an eccentric magical girl.

“Listen up! Chef isn’t ‘that’ monster; it was this tomato’s lifelong beloved, and you—”

“I’ll send you to join it right now.”

Lily of the Valley, unwilling to waste any more breath on the monster, shattered the ground as she darted forward, reaching the tomato’s stem in an instant.

Before the monster could retaliate, the young woman immediately tightened her grip on the hilt, her entire body enveloped in swirling magic, and brought her sword down, intending to cleave this fruit into a vegetable!

The weapon woven from vines, however, was far too crude and blunt.

The verdant blade struck the tomato’s skin, only to slide off immediately. It merely caused the pulp to jiggle like jelly, failing to cut the monster in half.

“Clearly, you’ve never cooked before! To cut a tomato, you need to score and tear the skin first to peel it properly. Smashing down vertically like that is a huge no-no!”

While giving unsolicited cooking advice, the tomato suddenly slammed into the ground and bounced up.

Under the impact, the ground cracked open, and the fruit shot out like a cannonball, striking the young woman squarely.

Although she had raised her blade to block in advance, Lily of the Valley was vastly outmatched by the tomato in both weight and strength.

“Boom!”

A horrifying crash erupted, sending her flying as if struck by a massive truck. She slammed into the Morning Star statue, bending and deforming it, then rolled several times across the ground before finally coming to a halt.

The tomato’s power was terrifying, likely enough to pierce a third-rate mech pilot clean through. However, Lily of the Valley was a professional at taking hits; such minor injuries were nothing to her.

The young woman let out a short, muffled grunt, her body emanating a shimmering green light.

As she used “Emerald Grace” to heal her wounds and support her body, she swayed to her feet, warily observing the tomato’s movements.

The fruit split open its massive mouth, letting out a shrill, inexplicable wail:

“Chef, oh, Chef! How could you be killed by such a yellow-haired brat?! What about our promise…!”

As the monster spoke, its skin tightened, and its stem swayed like a wind chime. Its massive body shriveled into a smaller mass, yet the power it accumulated grew ever more immense.

“Lily of the Valley! I’ll send you to vegetable hell, where you can truly feel my wrath between the cabbage and water spinach!”

Lily of the Valley tightened her grip on the dagger, her heart sinking.

Monsters fed on hatred, drawing strength from negative emotions.

All other conditions being equal, the more a monster was filled with murderous intent and madness, the stronger and more dangerous it became.

Therefore, despite its unusual appearance, this tomato, with its clearly abnormal—or perhaps nonexistent—brain, was undoubtedly a grave threat, categorizing it as an extremely dangerous type.

Conversely, she currently lacked a proper weapon, having lost her primary means of offense. Even breaking through its defense would be a challenge.

‘…It doesn’t matter. Whatever happens.’

She took a deep breath, lowering her body like a leopard, her eyes gleaming with a fierce, verdant light as her gaze locked onto the monster.

“Come on.”

“Heh… excellent. That saves me the trouble of taking a hostage. Lily of the Valley, I shall now teach you the true essence of fruit cuisine!”

The magical girl and the monster faced each other, and the air in the plaza grew tense and heavy.

Lu Chen strode purposefully between the two, sharply addressing the tomato:

“Wait. You’ve misunderstood. Miss Lily of the Valley did not kill ‘Chef’; rather, she is its benefactor!”

Lily of the Valley had never known Lu Chen to suffer from hysteria, and seeing him suddenly act this way, she was momentarily bewildered.

The tomato reacted similarly. Its stem spun around twice in confusion, resembling a pinwheel from a children’s show.

“…So you’re not Lily of the Valley after all. Never mind. Who are you? What nonsense are you spouting?”

Lu Chen cleared his throat and declared:

“To ask who I am, you heartless, ungrateful fool! I am ‘Chef’ himself!”

“Wh-what?!”

Faced with the young man’s shocking declaration, the tomato froze in place. Lily of the Valley seized the opportunity, hastily rushing to his side and whispering:

“Did you hit your head somewhere? I’ll heal you…!”

Lu Chen lowered his voice and quickly explained the situation.

“I’m not hurt, and my mind is perfectly sound. I’m just trying to buy time.

“Xia Shi is nearby, but she doesn’t seem to be checking her phone; she hasn’t replied to my messages or calls. She’ll definitely sense the fight here and come, but it might take a few minutes.”

The young woman’s eyes immediately widened.

“You’re using *that* kind of trick to buy time?! Do you think it’s an imbecile?”

“Given that this thing, as an ingredient, fell in love with a chef, it just might be. Besides, it doesn’t have eyes, so it won’t recognize me.”

“That’s outrageous! Absolutely not!”

“Don’t worry, I have the protection of the Heart of Silvermoon. I won’t die.

“As for you, Miss Lily of the Valley, I truly don’t want to see another magical girl killed by a monster, so please quickly seek safet— Wait, Mr. Tomato seems about to speak.”

The tomato was facing Lu Chen, and from its gaping maw, a liquid that looked suspiciously like blood-tears began to flow.

“Oh, oh… Chef, is that really you?”