As lunch went on, both Eriri and Marin found themselves watching Lala wolf down her food with wide eyes and the occasional gulp. They were genuinely stunned.
At first, they doubted she could even finish everything on her tray. But watching the speed and enthusiasm with which she ate, they quickly abandoned that thought. If anything, they began to suspect this wasn't even her limit.
"Sis, maybe pay a little attention to how everyone's staring at you…" Nana, noticing the strange looks from other students, couldn't help but remind her older sister.
"Huh? Why?" Lala looked up at Nana, confused—grains of rice and bits of food still clinging to the corners of her mouth.
"Uh… never mind. Just keep eating." Seeing her sister's blank expression, Nana gave up trying to explain. No matter what she said, Lala was always going to be Lala.
"Lala-san really is an airhead, isn't she?" Marin chuckled softly.
Nearby, Origami put some food in her mouth, then gently tugged on Yuki's sleeve. When he turned to look, she tilted her head back slightly, offering the food in her mouth toward his.
"Yuki~ say ahhh~"
The gesture was clearly meant to feed him—but in a rather unconventional way. Mouth to mouth. The scene immediately caught Marin and Eriri's attention.
"Tobiichi? What are you doing?!" Marin's eyes went wide in shock.
Eriri didn't say anything, but her equally wide eyes said plenty.
"Feeding him," Origami answered flatly.
"I-I can see that! I mean, why are you doing it like that?!" Marin's cheeks flushed slightly as she stared at Origami, exasperated.
"Why? No reason."
"You could use chopsticks or a spoon! Why your mouth?!" Origami's non-answer was driving Marin up the wall.
"I prefer something more primal. Closer to animal instinct. Like how a mother dog feeds her puppies, or a mother bird feeds her chicks," Origami offered a straightforward example.
"But—they're animals! We're human! There's a difference!" Marin didn't even know where to start with that logic.
"No. There isn't," Origami shook her head.
"There is a difference! A big one! You really need to tell them apart!"
After Marin's persistent protest, Origami eventually gave up on the mouth-to-mouth feeding. Not that Yuki was necessarily against it—it was just that they were in the school cafeteria, surrounded by other people. The public setting made it a bit awkward, so he let it go.
Lala, watching the whole thing, seemed to think it looked fun. She picked up a piece of salmon, held it between her lips, and trotted over to Yuki.
"Yuki! Let me feed you!" Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Uh… Lala-san, don't copy everything you see!" Marin blurted out.
In the end, with Momo's gentle persuasion, Lala—like Origami—also backed down. Once the commotion settled, lunch continued peacefully with casual conversation.
Marin, being an avid anime and manga fan, quickly struck up a discussion with Lala about their shared interests. At one point, they mentioned a manga author named Honjou Souji.
Most people wouldn't recognize that name, but Yuki knew exactly who it was. Honjou Souji was the pen name of Honjou Nia, the very same Spirit who, in the original story, was transformed by Mio. She wielded the angel Sephirah, a super-high-performance "search engine" capable of knowing any event, at any time, in any place. Through her drawings, she could even manipulate the future. She was also the oldest Spirit of them all.
In the original story, she was captured by DEM and subjected to horrific abuse. Westcott studied her powers to gain a complete understanding of Spirits—and eventually stole her inverse power to manifest the Qlipha, the omniscient demon king. But with Westcott already dealt with by Yuki, Honjou Nia had never suffered that fate.
As Marin and Lala talked about her, their conversation naturally turned to her work.
"Honjou-sensei's manga are amazing! I mean, Raikage-sensei's work is great too—but he only has one series, and it's more of a battle manga, so I haven't read much of it," Marin spoke enthusiastically. "Honjou-sensei, on the other hand, has written a lot, and her stories really appeal to girls."
"Huh? Is that so? Hmm… I think they're fine, but I like battle manga too, you know." Lala didn't seem convinced. "And Dragon Ball looks way better on TV after being adapted into an anime!"
"Oh! Lala-san's taste is pretty broad—you even like battle manga!"
The two chatted away without a hint of awkwardness. Eriri, overhearing the conversation—especially the name "Raikage"—grew even more attentive. She leaned in slightly, ears perked, and even tried to steer the discussion toward that particular author.
Yuki watched her and couldn't help but shake his head. Too obvious, Eriri.
While Yuki was eating and chatting, a figure appeared near the entrance of the cafeteria.
A tall girl with long, sleek black hair that flowed down her back like a waterfall walked slowly into the room. She wore a white hairband, and her school uniform hugged a slender, well-proportioned figure, with smooth black stockings encasing her long legs. She had a quiet, refined air about her.
The moment other students noticed her, their eyes lit up—surprised and captivated. Ignoring the stares, the girl made her way to the counter, ordered a simple pasta dish, and picked up her tray. She looked around for an empty seat.
But when her jewel-like crimson eyes caught sight of Yuki's table nearby, a flicker of surprise crossed her fair, elegant face. After a moment of thought, she headed toward them.
Some of the boys who noticed her movement groaned in disbelief.
"No way… Is even Kasumigaoka-senpai going to sit over there?!"
"Damn it, I'm so jealous! That's Kasumigaoka-senpai!"
"What's there to be jealous of? The guy's just good-looking."
"Ugh, he's already surrounded by a bunch of beautiful girls—now a senpai too? Can the rest of us even live?!"
The boys wailed as if their goddess had been stolen. The girls, on the other hand, quietly admired the famous senpai's courage for making the first move.