Judging from the way the two of them were acting, this bowl of noodles clearly hadn't been drugged… or maybe the drug just didn't have such an exaggerated effect in this world.
Tatsuki had honestly been a little worried Chika and the others would suddenly have their clothes explode while eating.
While the two girls were chatting, Tatsuki's gaze shifted to Yukino.
Her eyes were calm, but when her gaze met Tatsuki's, her cheeks flushed slightly. "W-why are you looking at me?"
Tatsuki smiled faintly. "Yukino, do you want a bite too?"
"I…"
Normally, Yukino would definitely refuse. Those chopsticks had already been used by two people, and her own ramen should be about done as well.
But in reality, she was very tempted. As a maiden at heart, Yukino also liked sweet, fluffy romance.
Even if doing lewd things was already full of happiness and pleasure, the little spices of life were not just about making love.
Of course, doing that was absolutely necessary! Only by going hard at it could life truly be blessed and blissful.
When she saw Chika and Eriri just now, faces full of happiness as they were fed, Yukino had actually felt a strong sense of envy and yearning.
It was precisely because Tatsuki had picked up on Yukino's mood that he took the initiative like this.
He might be a scumbag, but he wasn't the type to casually ignore anyone.
Even with that wild girl Leone, aside from being a bit rough when they were doing things, he was actually very gentle when just hanging out and playing with her.
Without giving Yukino the chance to hesitate and get tangled up in her thoughts, Tatsuki had already made his move.
Eriri and Chika's gazes also shifted over, making Yukino's pretty face flush bright red.
Putting on a show of calm, she smoothed a lock of hair back behind her ear, then slowly lowered her head and accepted Tatsuki's feeding.
"This ramen is really delicious…"
After taking the bite, Yukino was surprised too. There was this hard-to-describe but incredibly warm taste to it.
Tatsuki also took a bite himself. It really was insanely good.
Using the crude words of a modern brute like him to describe it, that would be… "Ah~ tastes like Mom!"
Yeah, that came out wrong. Just then, Megumi Tadokoro walked over.
This time, she was carrying a bowl of ramen in each hand, looking tense and flustered.
Megumi was worried Tatsuki and the others had been waiting too long, so she'd tried to bring two bowls over in one trip on purpose.
But she had overestimated herself.
Holding one large bowl of ramen in one hand was already a bit much. She had to keep the bowls level so they didn't spill, and also keep a firm grip on them, which meant she didn't notice the table leg and chair by her foot.
She was just about to reach Tatsuki's table when her foot caught on that bit of table leg.
"Uwaah!"
In that instant, her sense of balance vanished. Her body pitched forward, and the ramen bowls flew out of her hands.
I'm done for!
That was the only thought in her mind.
Seeing that she was about to smash into the floor, Megumi squeezed her eyes shut in fear but before she could fall very far, a pair of large hands caught her firmly.
"Did you get hurt?" Tatsuki asked softly.
"I-I'm fine." Megumi opened her eyes to find her body already set upright again.
She was being supported by Tatsuki, but her head was filled with thoughts of the ramen.
She remembered the ramen flying out—it had looked like it was going straight toward Tatsuki!
She immediately started apologizing in a panic. "I'm really, really sorry, are you burned anywhere? Please let me take you to the hospital, I'll take full responsibility for everything!"
"No, I caught the ramen. It didn't spill." Tatsuki pointed toward the table.
"Eh?"
Following his finger, Megumi saw the two big bowls of ramen sitting there on the table, filled to the brim, not a drop of soup spilled.
She scratched her head in confusion. But I clearly remember the bowls flipping… Did I remember wrong?
Of course she hadn't remembered wrong. Tatsuki had simply used Vector Manipulation to pull all the flying broth and noodles back into the bowls.
"Be more careful next time, don't push yourself so hard. We're not in that much of a hurry." Tatsuki gently suggested.
"I understand. I'm really, truly sorry. I'll go bring over the other bowl right away!"
After bowing and apologizing again, Megumi hurried back to the kitchen. This time she moved a lot more cleanly and efficiently.
She'd just wanted to say a few more words when new customers arrived, so she could only give them an apologetic nod and then rush off to keep working.
Chika sighed. "Megumi-chan sure is busy."
Eriri didn't quite get it. "A student from Totsuki can really be that clumsy?"
Yukino had a different view. "Maybe she just doesn't want us to wait too long."
"How do you know that?" Eriri looked at her suspiciously.
Yukino didn't explain. She simply took another bite of ramen and said lightly, "I can feel it from the noodles."
"Huh?" Eriri was instantly dumbfounded.
Why did that sound so mystical? What are you, some kind of gourmet master?
"It really was thanks to Tatsuki-kun just now. Otherwise, she would've felt so guilty."
Chika scratched her hair. She and Megumi were more or less familiar, and she knew well how kind, attentive, and sensitive Megumi's personality was.
If anything had really happened, Megumi would definitely have kept it in her heart and felt awful about it for a long time.
"Mm, it's nothing." Tatsuki didn't mind at all, and he gestured at Chika. "Glutton, your noodles are here. Hurry up and eat."
"Mm-mm!"
Ten-odd minutes later…
They finished their meal.
At this time of day, more customers were coming in, and Megumi seemed to be very busy in the kitchen as well.
Chika had originally wanted to say goodbye before they left, but after thinking about it, she decided to forget it so she wouldn't disturb Megumi's work.
After paying the bill, the four of them left directly.
By the time Megumi came out from the kitchen with another bowl of ramen, Tatsuki and the others' seats were already empty.
She had wanted to treat them to the meal as compensation and take the chance to apologize properly again, but they were already gone.
"Next time they come, I'll apologize properly then."
Thinking that, Megumi buried herself in her work once more.
…
"Tatsuki-kun, is it really okay for you to walk me home like this? What about Eriri and Yukino…"
Under the streetlights, Chika leaned against Tatsuki, both arms hugging his arm tightly, trapping his hand in a field of softness.
"Don't worry. Yukino's really strong now."
At present, Yukino had completely mastered her ice powers and was already performing at something close to a one-versus-five level.
Eriri, in the middle of special training, had also started to grasp and enhance her own power.
With the Body of the Redeeming Angel, her Haki and Rokushiki were improving at a rapid pace.
Her Heavenly Dragon Slayer Magic had also reached the point where she could take on three opponents at once.
If Yukino's growth came from the boosts of the Apocalypse Game, then Eriri's was purely from her own talent—her angel body and her Dragon Slayer Magic.
Learning the Heavenly Dragon Slayer Magic had also brought huge changes to her physical constitution.
"Hehe." Chika let out a sweet, slightly goofy giggle.
She just wanted to spend a little more time with Tatsuki. So they had been strolling all the way.
It wasn't that far anyway. In just over ten minutes, they would reach her home.
"Chika-nee?" That soft, girly voice instantly froze Chika's happy, silly smile.
Her stiff neck rose as she lifted her head, only to see Moeha under the streetlight, head tilted, looking at her while carrying a trash bag.
Chika quickly stepped away from Tatsuki, scratching her head with a forced "what a coincidence" look. "Ahaha, Moeha, why aren't you in bed yet?"
"Uh, it's only seven o'clock." Moeha answered, then immediately asked, "Chika-nee, is this your boyfriend?"
"!!!"
Cold sweat almost dripped down Chika's back from nerves.
She really didn't want her family to know about her love life just yet—it was way too embarrassing!
....
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