Due to the sheer excellence of the cuisine, Chisato was currently slumped over the table with a look of pure intoxication, grinning foolishly while a trail of clear saliva escaped the corner of her mouth. Ryunosuke took a tissue from the table to wipe it away.
Snapped out of her trance by the touch, Chisato suddenly grabbed both of Ryunosuke's shoulders with an iron grip, as if she would never let go.
"Be my personal chef! How much do I have to pay you?"
It was clear: Chisato had become a prisoner of Ryunosuke's cooking. If she were ever unable to eat it again, she might lose her mind. Ryunosuke, being shaken until his head spun, could only answer with resignation.
"If you want to eat, I can cook for you every day, but not in the short term. I have to go back to school."
"In a few days, after I compete in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament, I'll have to leave."
Chisato's face fell into a look of disappointment. "In that case, can't you just drop out of school?"
"I cannot!" Ryunosuke refused seriously.
Chisato pouted her lips while burying her face back on the table. "Stingy!"
Ryunosuke sighed, propping his chin up with one hand while the other stroked Chisato's head as if he were coaxing a small child.
"Don't be fussy; I'm very busy. If you really like it, I'll cook more for you next time."
Chisato refused to accept this; her arms and legs thrashed against the floor while she whined.
"I don't care! I want to eat your food; if I don't, I'll die!"
She rolled around on the floor, acting completely shameless.
Watching the spectacle, Shino glanced at the Beef Noodles in her hands that she hadn't had a chance to eat yet. She thought to herself, "Is it really that good?"
She decided to try a single mouthful, and instantly let out a sound that could trigger a misunderstanding.
"Hmm?" Ryunosuke and Chisato both simultaneously turned their heads toward her.
Shino's face turned beet red. She covered her face with her hands and then slammed her head against the table with a loud thud. She felt she no longer had the face to see anyone...
In an instant, she snatched her bag and bid them a hasty farewell to go home early. She truly ran, yet did not forget to bring the unfinished bowl of Beef Noodles with her. One could only imagine how delicious that dish was. Ryunosuke and Chisato could only share an amused expression at the sight.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
A short while later, Ryunosuke and Chisato also parted ways in front of the LycoReco Cafe door. Before leaving, Chisato handed 170 million Yen to Ryunosuke. Strictly speaking, if divided equally by three, they each should have received about 166.66 million Yen, but the remainder was considered Ryunosuke's cooking fee. Chisato intentionally split it that way because she knew Ryunosuke needed the money, but she wanted to protect her friend's dignity.
Ryunosuke expressed his gratitude and left with the 170 million Yen to continue writing his novels at home. He had finished the first volumes of six different novel titles and intended to hand them over to the publisher for immediate printing. However, he was somewhat reluctant to go there because of Utaha...
He didn't want to get any further involved with that woman. He already had too many wives; if he added more, the situation could spiral out of control. Therefore, Ryunosuke deliberately avoided Utaha so they wouldn't form a deeper relationship. He called Megumi and handed over the six novel drafts, asking her to deliver them for him.
Megumi tilted her head in confusion. Though she didn't know what her husband was planning, she remained obedient and carried out the order.
Ryunosuke only watched from a distance as Megumi entered the publishing house building. This was the only way he could think of to avoid interacting directly with Utaha.
Just as Ryunosuke was about to turn and leave, suddenly a beautiful girl with blonde twin-tails, wearing a green tracksuit and black-framed glasses, collided with him forcefully.
The girl was clutching a large folder, and since she was running toward Fujimi Publishing, she was clearly one of the writers there. The contents of the folder weren't hard to guess; it was most likely a manuscript draft.
At most, she was the type of writer who liked to be chased by end-of-the-month deadlines. Ryunosuke hated that kind of writer most because they were often late with updates. Nevertheless, he caught the girl to keep her from falling over after the collision.
The girl looked very startled; she sat on the ground and kept backing away using her feet. The documents inside her folder scattered everywhere. Ryunosuke picked up a piece of paper to check it, and it turned out to be an adult manga (ero-manga) drawing. He knit his brows.
He looked at the girl in front of him. Although she wore a hat that hid her blonde hair inside, the large blue eyes, the characteristic black glasses, and the green tracksuit made Ryunosuke remember someone.
Eriri.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
On the other side, in the breakroom of the owner of Fushikawa Publishing.
Hiyori's mother, Yuna, was currently drinking tea with a noblewoman wearing a kimono. The woman across from her was named Sayuri, Eriri's mother.
The two were best friends who both loved reading books. However, the types of books they read were quite different.
Sayuri was a high-level fujoshi who loved reading same-sex stories (BL). Meanwhile, Yuna was a literary girl who loved works of literature. It was a miracle they could be such good friends despite their tastes being worlds apart.
Yuna had just received the first six volumes of the novels sent by Ryunosuke via Megumi. To be honest, she had been startled earlier.
The girl named Kato Megumi had appeared as suddenly as a ghost before her eyes, nearly giving her a heart attack. However, she still felt happy because she had received six very excellent novel volumes. Besides being able to bring profit to the publisher, the most important thing was that she herself enjoyed reading them to fill her spare time.
Yuna stroked the books in her arms as if she were holding an invaluable treasure. Sayuri, sitting across from her, took a sip of tea and then set the cup on the table while commenting.
"You're still the same as ever, a bookworm who is absolutely crazy about reading?"
Yuna laughed softly. "You haven't changed either, you fujoshi."
The two laughed together. Only then did Yuna remember Sayuri's daughter.
"Why hasn't your Eriri arrived yet? It's almost time to submit the drafts."
Sayuri answered with resignation. "That child stayed up all night yesterday drawing adult comics to chase the deadline; as a result, she overslept today. Just wait a little longer."
"For the sake of our relationship, give her a little more time."
Yuna was clearly not going to accept that so easily. "Every month it's always submitting drafts at the last minute. Deal with that child of yours; don't let her continue like this. If it weren't for the fact that I'm so close to you, others wouldn't be willing to pamper her like this."
Sayuri also felt helpless. "Ever since she met that wild boy ten years ago, her mind has often been drifting off to who-knows-where."
"Even though they only interacted for a few days, Eriri was truly made to go crazy for him."
👨🏻💻Support me by reading on my Patreon: Patreon.com/cw/transenden or bit.ly/4uObLvf
☕Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/lovefanfiction
🛍️Benefits:
🎁Access 210+ chapters: [Anime Crossover: Making Money in Classroom of the Elite]
🎁Access 50 chapters : [Sharingan from the Start: Infinite Death-Seeking in Demon Slayer]
🎁Access 30 chapters: [Journey to Planar Word]
🎁Access 130+ chapters: [Infinity Reincarnation]
📜Update Schedule:
📨Translated Fanfiction: 3 chapters per day
📨Original Fanfiction: 1-2 chapters per day
👍🏻Thank you so much for your incredible support, everyone!👍🏻