Chapter 164: Jeanne Alter Appears
[Half an hour later]
[You and Marie Alter have changed into dry clothes and are preparing to go have dinner.]
[And at this moment, somewhere else, a little situation is also unfolding...]
In the shopping mall of Academy City, the Jeanne family of three sisters were out shopping.
Amid the bustling crowd, the automatic glass door reflected the silhouettes of three figures. Jeanne Alter, wearing casual clothes, her expression gloomy, carrying large and small shopping bags in both hands, the tip of her left foot repeatedly tapping on the shiny tiled floor — she was using an extremely awkward method to express her impatience.
From the nearby clothing store came the lively melody of pop music. Jeanne White had just bought new summer outfits for the two of them and was now preparing to step out of the store.
"I want this, I want that."
Jeanne Lily tugged at her sister's clothing, pointing toward the pink Ruby staff in the toy store across the way.
"Then keep wanting." Jeanne Alter replied in a tone as bland as plain water.
"Master also bought one for Nursery Rhyme."
"That suspicious white-haired priest? Then go find him and ask, don't nag me."
"Uu..." Jeanne Lily bit her lip unwillingly, "If my brother-in-law were here, he would definitely buy it for me!"
"Who's your brother-in-law?!"
"Sorry," Jeanne White heard that line and her face turned slightly red, "Looks like the matter between me and Eikou can't be hidden anymore..."
"What does that have to do with you?! Are you crazy? Earlier you called him your little brother, how did he suddenly become your boyfriend? Can you keep your character setting consistent?!" Jeanne Alter yelled, "I'm done talking to you two, I'm leaving."
"Haizz… honestly, little sister," Jeanne White sighed, "It's rare for us to go shopping together, why are you acting like we're forcing you to do something you don't like?"
Jeanne Alter muttered: "Because you are forcing me, aren't you? What else?"
The white ahoge on top of her head drooped slightly — a sign that she was quibbling but… also a bit guilty.
Alright, Jeanne White did hit the mark somewhat.
Although Dragon Witch rarely had a good mood to begin with, tonight she felt even more nervous and irritated.
Because she was worried about Eikou's date.
Jeanne Alter wasn't worried that Eikou would do anything excessive, but Marie Alter, that predator-type woman, was unpredictable.
The later it got, the more restless she felt, genuinely afraid that the two of them might have already started an "intense British–French war."
Should she text Eikou to ask how things were going?
"..."
Jeanne Alter hesitated, the corner of her mouth twitching.
If she sent this message, wouldn't it obviously show that she cared a lot about their date?
If Eikou teased her a little, that would still be fine, but if he didn't reply at all…
Wouldn't that mean…
She was so stupid, committing such a basic, childish mistake — harboring the naive thought of "letting Eikou repay this debt quickly and get things over with Marie Alter," then taking the initiative to suggest that he go on a date with her.
But thinking carefully, it was clear that Marie Alter wouldn't let go of this relationship so easily.
Should she still just text him for peace of mind?
Roughly speaking, she had already confessed to him, and he had reciprocated her feelings. Basically, that made them lovers already, right? If they were lovers, messaging to check on him was perfectly normal, wasn't it?
She couldn't ask too directly, she would just say she suddenly wanted to invite him out for dinner!
No, she should first ask if he's eaten yet.
"Darling~"
Just as Jeanne Alter was typing on her phone to message him, she suddenly heard a sweet and seductive female voice.
She froze, turning her head toward the source of the sound.
She saw Mochizuki Eikou and Marie Alter, the two of them linking arms intimately like a couple, walking from the commercial street on the opposite side.
They didn't notice Jeanne Alter at all, still whispering to each other affectionately.
"There's a pretty good French restaurant in the commercial street, let's go there tonight~" Marie Alter said.
"French food, huh," Eikou looked curious, "I've never tried it, sure."
"..."
"..."
Jeanne Alter stared blankly as the two of them walked right past her.
"..."
The good news was: nothing seemed to have happened yet.
The bad news was: they looked very likely to make something happen!
Calling it a date was still acceptable, but the way they were acting was completely unrestrained — all that intimate, lovey-dovey physical contact was basically no different from lovers already! Weren't they getting a bit too deep into character?!
"Little sister?"
Jeanne White didn't see Eikou among the crowd, she only noticed that something was clearly wrong with Jeanne Alter's expression.
Jeanne Alter jolted, quickly saying:
"I'm going out for a walk!"
After saying that, she hurriedly ran toward Eikou, so flustered that she even forgot to hand the shopping bags to Jeanne White.
Since she had already run into them here, there was no way Jeanne Alter could pretend she didn't see.
She had to keep a close eye on them, to prevent them from crossing a line that must NOT be crossed!
...
[On the way to dinner with Marie Alter, Jeanne Alter accidentally discovered the two of you.]
[It's just that, for now, you still haven't noticed her.]
In the bustling, lively commercial street, Jeanne Alter secretly trailed behind them.
Although she wasn't an Assassin and didn't have the Presence Concealment skill, fortunately the nighttime streets were crowded and noisy, and on Marie Alter's side her guard was completely down, so she didn't notice Jeanne Alter at all.
Following the footsteps of the two, they gradually left the busiest part of the street.
There were many restaurants along the way, but Marie Alter didn't look at any of them. Instead, she gently tugged on Eikou's sleeve, guiding him deeper into the street.
This path didn't seem to be leading toward any restaurant, but rather…
Toward those love hotels glowing with pink lights, decorated with hearts and giant LOVE signs?!
This royal cow was definitely planning to take him to book a room!
Amid the noisy crowd, she vaguely picked up fragments of their conversation.
"This street… are we really just going to have dinner…?"
Noticing the change in the atmosphere around them, Eikou asked nervously.
"We're really just going to 'eat' dinner, don't worry, I won't do anything bad to you."
Marie Alter leaned her head on his shoulder like an adorable clingy cat.
Why did it look like a scene where some blond playboy was coaxing a naïve married woman into a hotel?! And who exactly was supposed to be the married woman here?!
"Well, that's what I said..."
Marie Alter smiled and asked:
"But you brought your ID, right?"
Hey, you absolutely do NOT need an ID to eat French food, only hotels require that! Jeanne Alter screamed internally. What kind of French "cuisine" was she planning to eat — could it be his… "baguette"?!
"Huh? Why do you need an ID to eat French food? Sounds weird!"
Even Eikou noticed something was off, showing a nervous expression.
Seeing such a strong reaction, Jeanne Alter couldn't help but sigh in relief.
Thank goodness, this kid might not use his brain much, but at least one wrinkle is still functioning…
"If we need IDs, doesn't that mean the French meal we're about to eat is a limited-entry type…? Wouldn't something like that be expensive?!"
Eikou let out a heavy sigh,
"To be honest, I'm a bit short on money these days, could we maybe split the bill…"
He really believed it?! You country bumpkin, Mochizuki Eikou, did you just crawl out from some farm village?!
Idiots like you were born to be lured off by wicked women like her!
...