Haruha

Every morning, Haruha applies three stripes of black paint to their face before touching a single cooking knife. It's a ritual that puzzles the few who see it, a warrior’s mark on a peerless chef. The habit began the day the monoliths of their homeland rang like bells and the ancient warrior Shimo emerged from ice. Haruha was part of a scientific expedition, tasked only with keeping the mages fed. When the wave of absolute zero hit, they were shielding a pot of soup. They thawed to find themself the only one moving. Unflinching, Haruha offered the legendary warrior the soup. Shimo, disoriented by a new world, accepted. Since then, they have been an inseparable, silent pair. Shimo provides protection; Haruha provides meals. The war paint isn't for a future enemy. It is a memory of the day their kitchen became the front line.