Chapter 291

Hiratsuka Shizuka clicked her tongue, abandoning any thought of his common sense, and held out her hand to him, "Fine, let me read your work."

"Do you think I would carry that kind of thing around with me everywhere... By the way, go buy me some legitimate copies of the magazine to support my cause, isn't that a friend's duty?"

"Mean,"

Hiratsuka Shizuka took out her phone. "What's your name?"

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

"It doesn't sound like anything serious."

Yukino Shita Yukino to the side, nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"I'm sorry for being so inappropriate."

"Oh~ It's also sold online. The illustration on the cover is quite nice, it's pretty good, it has a kind of fantasy feel!"

"Since it's a fantasy harem work, and I also drew the illustrations, you can praise me even more~"

"You're quite talented... but a harem, huh?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka raised her eyes and looked at him teasingly, "You don't actually have any intention of building a harem, do you?"

"So what if you have it? Isn't that what most boys want?"

"It's precisely because you can actually do it that it's so scary..."

Hiratsuka Shizuka sighed and pressed the payment button on her phone. "Alright, I bought five copies of each volume. One copy for everyone except you. Is that okay?"

"Wow! Thank you for your support! Teacher Shizuka is so generous!"

Sakurakoji Talent clapped enthusiastically.

"Wait! Teacher Hiratsuka, I didn't say I wanted..."

Yukino Shita Yukino looked surprised and unconsciously reached out her hand.

"It's alright, isn't it? It's good to see him find fault with things."

"I hate you familiar haters..."

Sakurakoji Talent turned his head and muttered to himself.

"By the way, what's the name of the game? I'll buy it too."

Hiratsuka Shizuka inquired.

"That's not finished yet; it shouldn't be released until the end of the month."

"Is it some kind of poorly made work?"

She raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Although it's a small team production, it's absolutely a masterpiece, you can rest assured about that. The plot, character illustrations, and music are all top-notch. The name is <White Album>, and the genre is romance."

"Another romance story? Can't you make some action-oriented works?"

"It's just a part-time job, please don't have so many expectations of me."

He shook his head helplessly, "Well, if you like fighting manga, I might be able to draw some for you sometime in the future."

"Oh! Then I'll look forward to it!"

"..."

After the club activity ended, the group members left separately.

Sakurakoji Talent got into Hiratsuka Shizuka's car and went to have dinner with her.

Where are we going?

"Matsudo."

Hiratsuka Shizuka shifted gears, put on sunglasses, released the brake, and lightly pressed the accelerator, explaining, "Matsudo has always been a hub for Ramen shops; there are so many delicious ones there."

"Hey~ Have you decided to eat Ramen?"

His beautiful eyes were slightly closed, his expression subtle; it seemed he hadn't escaped this situation after all.

"By the way, how ancient is 'since ancient times'?"

"It probably started when I was in middle school? I used to run over there for noodles after school all the time~"

Hiratsuka Shizuka wore a nostalgic expression.

"So close... but precisely because it's close, it's even more valuable for reference."

"That's right, that's exactly it!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka smiled relaxedly.

"But Teacher Shizuka, are you still planning to go to Starry tonight? Or are you just going there to see me off?"

He had this question because Matsudo is a prefecture under the jurisdiction of Chiba City, and it is located in the direction of Tokyo.

Which one would you like?

Hiratsuka Shizuka squinted at him, a smile playing on her lips.

"I hope to visit your home tonight and stay the night."

"..."

Hiratsuka Shizuka blushed slightly. "So young and already thinking about going to single women's homes every day, what a bad thing!"

"Hey~ It's just asking for a place to stay, what are you thinking, Teacher Shizuka?"

"Really? You want to visit Hoshika's house as a guest or to stay overnight?"

"... You two really are best friends who can talk about anything."

Sakurakoji Talent.

She already knows about this thing that he only mentioned to Ichiji Hoshika the day before yesterday?

Sigh, this is what it's like for older, unmarried women with few friends.

"How does it taste?"

In a Ramen shop in Matsudo, shortly after the meal was served, Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at him and asked a question.

"Hmm... the broth is quite good, the noodles are also quite chewy, and it's fresh and delicious. For this price, it's definitely a hidden gem of a restaurant."

He commented as he chewed the noodles, still juicy in his mouth, with his eyes closed.

"Hmph~ Of course! How could my recommendation be wrong!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka proudly puffed out her ample bosom, briefly attracting his attention.

"But you only ordered firm noodles, what do you mean by 'chewy'? If you want chewy noodles, you should order my kind of firm noodles!"

"If I wasn't afraid of your disapproving look, I actually wanted to order soft noodles today. The doctor said I have a sensitive stomach and can only eat soft and tender foods."

"Nonsense, at your age, how many times have you been to the hospital?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka rolled her eyes at him again, then lowered her head to slurp up the noodles covered in red broth, before covering her face in enjoyment.

"One day, you'll be able to accept things you used to dislike."

She shared her experience, then chuckled, "Of course, if you're with me, you'll accept it even faster!"

"Is it acceptable, or will it be forced upon you?"

"If you don't accept it, I will force you to accept it!"

"Teacher Shizuka is really tough~ But I don't dislike that about you!"

"Huh? You don't dislike it? That means you like it..."

Hiratsuka Shizuka gasped in surprise, covering her slender lips with her handkerchief.

"Even so, there are almost no foods I'll dislike, so I don't think I need to gradually get used to them; I can accept them right now."

He interrupted her conditioned reflex of climaxing.

"... a personality that likes everything is also not very likable,"

Hiratsuka Shizuka pouted in dissatisfaction, then picked up another piece of noodles and put it in her mouth. "So, firm noodles are acceptable too?"

"Certainly!"

After saying that, he quickly reached out with his chopsticks, picked up a strand of noodles from her large bowl, slid it into his mouth, chewed it, and found that it was indeed chewier than the noodles in his own bowl.

"How despicable! Who told you to take food from my bowl! What am I going to do if I don't get enough to eat!"

"Then take some from my bowl too."

"Then, then..."

Hiratsuka Shizuka fluttered her eyelashes slightly faster, feeling warm after drinking the hot soup.

Without any hesitation, she picked a strand from his bowl and said, "This... this combination has a unique flavor."

"Teacher Shizuka, have you never eaten like this before?"

"If it's just one person, you can't order two portions, that would be too wasteful."

"That's true. It wouldn't be appropriate to do this with Miss Haruno and the manager, would it? So, if you want to eat like this in the future, just call me along? I think that would be a great idea."

"It's settled then!"

Silence fell over the table between the two, broken only by the constant act of picking noodles from each other's bowls and the table becoming increasingly red—stained with soup.

After dinner, Sakurakoji Talent declined Hiratsuka Shizuka's offer to take him home and instead took a taxi back to his apartment.

When she returned to her room, Shiina Mahiru was nowhere to be found.

He received a message in the afternoon saying that she wanted to return to Fuchu City, so he sent a car to take her back, and therefore he wasn't worried.

But what should we do tonight?

Having gotten used to the current pace of life, having nothing to do really makes me feel empty -- actually, it's not like I have nothing at all, for example, I write scripts, compose music, make clothes, pack and check game progress, etc.

But with no one around, I always feel a little lonely... Lonely? When did I become so weak?

He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and, in the quiet environment where only the faint sound of the wind could be heard, calmly observed the night view outside.

The city lights at night are truly a spectacle. This seemingly endless forest of steel and concrete can only be glimpsed from hundreds of meters above the ground.

Ah, if someone else were here, this scenery alone would surely become a cherished and unforgettable memory.

Unfortunately, for him, who lives here every day, the initial excitement is long gone—that's the trouble of luxury, isn't it?

The feeling of being moved can only erupt with sudden joy and delight when something is rarely seen or only caught a fleeting glimpse.

Should he return to a normal life for a while? This thought crossed his mind.

It wasn't too late yet; it was the peak of nightlife, but some buildings had already turned off their lights.

That's Filia, right? Besides it, you rarely see any other buildings around here that turn off most of their room lights this early.

Oh, right, let's go find that person!

A glint flashed in his eyes as he thought of Filia.

Come to think of it, it's been quite a while since I've seen her anywhere other than at a tea party. She's probably in her room now, right?

He turned around, walked to the sofa, picked up his phone, and sent her a text message.

Not long after, I received a positive reply.

Hmm~

It's decided! I'll go over there and bother them tonight!

Satisfied, he snapped his fingers and walked outside.

After going down to one of the apartment floors, he rang the doorbell.

Snap~