Chapter 2082: Date Plan Execution ?
Chapter 2082: Date Plan Execution ?
The dishes Kaori-san skillfully prepared were as delicious as ever. As Neun-san once said after tasting her cooking, there’s this warm, homely flavor to it that’s simply wonderful.
[Hou, you’ve got some skill there…… And this sake, you’re sourcing it from Neun?]
[Ah, yes. Neun-sama supplies them along with things like miso. I’ve tried other sake, but when it comes to nihonshu, Neun-san’s is the tastiest.]
When I brought Neun-san here previously, it seemed that various business arrangements had been made, and now Kaori-san sources some seasonings and sake for her restaurant from Neun-san.
Given Neun-san’s strong attachment to Japanese cuisine, her shop seems to be an excellent match. Neun-san herself has taken a liking to Kaori-san’s restaurant and, despite it being in Friendship City Hikari, the city she least wants to get close to in the world, she visits this place fairly often.
[How should I say this…… I feel like Kaori-san’s restaurant is also steadily leveling up.]
[Well, even I think it’s become tastier compared to before since I’ve been able to use higher-quality ingredients. Actually, mostly everything is thanks to Kaito-kun, so I owe you my gratitude.]
[I feel like that "mostly everything" might be an exaggeration, but I’m glad if I’ve been helpful.]
[……Now if only you were a bit gentler on the stomach, it’d be perfect.]
[Unn?][Ah, no, it’s nothing. Ahaha……]
She muttered something under her breath, giving me a sideways glance, but I couldn’t catch what she said. At that moment, a small sake cup was silently offered to me from the side.
[Here, Kaito, drink up. With Shallow Vernal's Blessing, you can nullify the effects of alcohol if you want to, right?]
[Ah, yes. Well then, thank you. It feels a bit odd to drink in broad daylight, though……]
[Why’s that?]
[Explaining this to Megiddo-san and getting you to understand would be incredibly difficult, so let’s not dwell on it. It’s just more of a personal impression.]
Megiddo-san, after all, drinks whenever the mood strikes———– as casually as drinking water. Since Megiddo-san can nullify drunkenness or sober up instantly if needed, there’s probably no issue with drinking at any time.
That said, in her current mysterious girl form, drinking hot sake gives off a refined, alluring vibe.
It’s intriguing how her appearance affects the impression she gives. If it were her typical beast form or her masculine humanized form, she’d just come across as a heavy drinker…… A person's appearance truly has a powerful impact on one's impression of them.
[Oh? What’s this, Kaito? Have I charmed you?]
[No, it’s just that watching you drink in this form creates a unique atmosphere, leaving a different impression than usual.]
[Is that so? By the way, what’s my usual impression?]
[An alcohol-loving, boisterous battle maniac…… I guess?]
[I don’t know what to make of that description, but since I can't really find anything in it to outright deny, I can’t complain either. Oh well, let’s drink!]
Megiddo-san really has such a straightforward personality. Watching her shift topics with a wry smile like this, I can’t help but feel how easy to get along with she is.
Well, I do understand why she might seem scary at first and why Kaori-san and Akane-san seemed flustered when I called Megiddo-san an alcohol-loving, boisterous battle maniac earlier.
[……Kaito, don’t you…… feel afraid at all?]
[No, I think Megiddo-san is much more tolerant than people give her credit for. She doesn’t get angry easily. In fact, today she’s in one of her best moods ever, so there’s really nothing to worry about.]
Yes, for example, when she interacts with Alice, she seems to engage in arguments more as a form of communication than anything serious.
And with others, she’s generally broad-minded and tolerant———– rarely losing her temper. Of course, that’s assuming "Megiddo-san likes the person".
For those she doesn’t like, well, her reactions are probably closer to what Kaori-san and Akane-san might imagine. Incidentally, though, she seems to like Kaori-san, Akane-san, and Frau-san quite a bit, so I think it’s fine for them to talk to her more casually.
Thinking about all that, I enjoyed some lighthearted conversation and a delicious meal.
Oh, that’s right———– since I’d already bought some clothes for Kaori-san, I picked up some clothes for Olivia-san as well, and since I'm here in Friendship City, I’ll make sure to deliver it to her later.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [While Olivia's desperately trying to calm her mind through rigorous training, here comes an incoming attack.]