Chapter 152

"If Sister Ryo likes that Lovehotel, let's go there now."

Liang shut her mouth and stopped talking to him.

The two were silent for a short while before the waiter brought the rice and side dishes.

"The cod rice and sashimi salad are mine; the other two are his."

The arrangement of each dish was completed quickly.

The rice and side dishes were served to Ishikawa Hayato; the steaming food, the aroma, and the well-matched colors were quite enticing.

Before Ishikawa Hayato could say anything, Ryo clasped his hands together to signal that they were ready to eat and started picking up his chopsticks.

Remembering that her stomach had been growling with hunger, he smiled and didn't disturb her, picking up his fork as well.

Soft and sweet shrimp, thick and sticky cheese, and various perfectly chopped vegetables wrapped in cheese.

Although it lacks a key element of sweetness, the taste and texture are still quite good.

Looks like from now on, when we go out to play, I can just let Liang choose the restaurants without a second thought.

As Ishikawa Hayato ate, he kept an eye on Ryota. Seeing that she was eating quite quickly, he also sped up his meal.

However, as soon as he increased the frequency of his fork hitting the porcelain bowl, Liang immediately noticed.

She raised her head, swallowed the food in her mouth, glanced at Ishikawa Hayato's bowl, and then looked at his face.

When Ishikawa Hayato looked up at her with a puzzled expression, she calmly picked up the spoon that she hadn't used before and, as if scooping up some side dishes, reached into Ishikawa Hayato's bowl.

Ishikawa Hayato looked down at Liang's cool hands, who were shoveling food into his bowl with a spoon. She certainly wasn't going to be so kind as to help him cut this sticky cheese; she was definitely planning to take it for herself.

He asked.

"Cold?"

"Try it."

"Oh."

He gave up resisting but still picked up the fork and slowly reached for the bowl on the cold side.

Liang's movements of slicing cheese slowed, her gaze lingering on Ishikawa Hayato's hand, then following his hand to look at her own bowl.

She said this as Ishikawa Hayato was about to put his fork into the last piece of cod in her bowl.

"Cod won't do."

"Sister Ryo?"

Ishikawa Hayato looked awkwardly at her bowl, which contained only cod, a half-eaten fried egg, the last bit of sausage, and some greens, and didn't know what to choose.

Liang did not respond.

Seeing her shamelessness, Ishikawa Hayato didn't hold back and turned his fork towards the fried egg.

"What are you up to?"

There was a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice.

"You can't expect me to eat for free."

Liang seemed to have heard a perfect answer, and looked up at him with a cute and sunny expression.

Ishikawa Hayato, never one to be outdone, swiftly and decisively forked the sausage and vegetables towards himself.

Before he could even open his mouth, he ate the sausage in one bite while it was still cool.

He chewed the noodles slowly, even though they were cold.

Liang looked at him, her hand holding the spoon trembled, and she cut the thick layer of cheese. Her face was unreadable, she just slowly put the rice from the spoon into her own bowl.

It took Ishikawa Hayato a long time to finish just one sausage.

As Liang put the spoon aside and stared intently at him, he swallowed the sausage and shamelessly said...

"Delicious, absolutely delicious."

"Abnormal."

"Thank you so much."

She was speechless, choked by Ishikawa Hayato's words, and devoured the spoils she had obtained from Ishikawa Hayato as if in revenge.

After finishing his vegetables, Ishikawa Hayato glanced at the cold dishes.

Liang's face was quite red after the battle.

Ishikawa Hayato had been listening to her for a while; recently, she had been eating slower and slower, and now her gaze was fixed on the table.

After a while, Liang swallowed his rice and quickly realized that he was being watched.

She looked up at the opposite side and saw the slightly smug smile on Ishikawa Hayato's face. She immediately suppressed the various little reactions that had appeared on her face.

Under the table, she pinpointed the location of Ishikawa Hayato's leg, tensed her body, and kicked out with force.

Ishikawa Hayato knew what she was going to do when he saw her tense up. He quickly reached under the table, anticipated her trajectory without her being able to see, and pressed down on Liang's leg.

He leaned forward slightly and said with a somewhat embarrassed smile.

"Well, it's not that I don't want you to kick me, it's just that my legs are very strong, and it wouldn't be good if I kicked too hard and hurt my foot."

You owe me three meals.

Liang spoke in a completely flat tone, while simultaneously pulling his legs back slightly.

Ishikawa Hayato wouldn't continue teasing her at this point, so he quickly let go.

"OK."

After Ishikawa Hayato agreed, Ryo eased up a bit and kicked him. This time, Ishikawa Hayato neither dodged nor blocked.

He could feel Liang's anger subside instantly, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the storm dissipate.

After the minor incident subsided, Ishikawa Hayato focused on cooking.

He quickly finished eating and looked at Liang. Seeing that she was almost finished eating as well, he folded his hands on the table and waited for her.

Ishikawa Hayato looked at her quiet demeanor and felt a little worried.

Although Ryo showed very little emotion, Ishikawa Hayato could still tell that she wasn't really angry anymore, but he still couldn't see through her thoughts.

He didn't know if she was really angry or just shy.

"What's wrong?"

Liang suddenly looked up and said calmly.

Ishikawa Hayato was certain; he was so shy he got angry.

But he didn't dare laugh too happily or stare at her face, afraid that she would remember something. Ishikawa Hayato looked at her hand with a faint smile.

"No, I just feel that Sister Ryo is really gentle."

Liang did not respond.

After paying the bill, the two came out of the restaurant.

Under the sunlight, Ishikawa Hayato asked Ryo a question.

"And now?"

"Wasn't the job to find teaching materials for Ikuyo?"

Ryo seemed completely unconcerned about going with Ishikawa Hayato to find things for the other girls.

"Ah, I've chosen the textbooks."

Ishikawa Hayato showed Ryo the name he had chosen.

Ryo glanced at it and looked at Ishikawa Hayato with a slightly surprised expression.

"Good choice, but this textbook is quite new; I don't know if secondhand bookstores have it."

Ishikawa Hayato, trying to guess her thoughts, probed.

"Then it seems we'll have to treat it as a date and go check it out over there."

"Um."

Liang nodded and took a step.

In the afternoon, the two walked Shimokitazawa.

Leaving the restaurant, they returned to a world distorted by the sun, and the two walked hurriedly.

Stepping into the secondhand bookstore, she breathed a sigh of relief as the air conditioning blew in the cool breeze. Then she looked around.

This wasn't his first time here, but Ishikawa Hayato still looked around.

Moreover, he looked so relaxed, without even breaking a sweat, which made her inwardly complain.

Abnormal.

"How nostalgic! The last time I came here was when we had just met."

After looking around, Ishikawa Hayato lowered his head and said to Ryo.

"Nothing has changed now."

Her voice was flat and emotionless as she finished speaking and took a step forward.

"Hey, that's not how it works."

Ishikawa Hayato cried pitifully and hurried to catch up with her.

Liang chuckled secretly where he couldn't see.

Practice makes perfect Ishikawa Hayato greeted the shopkeeper and then headed towards Ryo, who was already flipping through the pile of books.

Last time, when there was Nijika to compare her to, she felt that she was a bit bigger, but this time, when she was the only one squatting by the pile of books, she looked extremely petite.

She casually picked through the books, just like last time.

Ishikawa Hayato squatted down next to her, flipping through a book as they chatted casually.

"Are you alright? Come with me to find the book now."

Liang answered quickly.

"It's fine, I'm free anyway."

The word "idle" seems to convey endless loneliness, but it is something she chose herself.

Rather than conforming to others or being indulged by them for their own purposes, it's better to stay idle.

But she gave up her leisure time to help Ishikawa Hayato find books.

Ishikawa Hayato stole a glance at her. Her calm, deep gaze swept across the pile of books, and her quiet, emotionless face was just like a cat's.

He had to admit that Liang was a very charming person.

"What's wrong?"

Liang suddenly turned her head and looked at him, seemingly wondering why this noisy person had suddenly become quiet.

"No, I'm just very touched. Please allow me to increase my debt and owe Sister Ryo another meal."

"Good."

Ryo was quite happy, a slight smile playing on her lips, but suddenly, as if struck by an idea, she spoke to Ishikawa Hayato.

Can four attempts combine to create one Nanjuen?

Ishikawa Hayato was startled and quickly refused.

"No! I'm using decimal."

A single visit to a high-end yakiniku restaurant like Nanjuen would cost at least tens of thousands of yen. Although he could afford it, he wasn't one to squander money like that.

"Ten times, that's a bit difficult." Liang sighed softly, then turned back to continue searching through the pile of books.