Dinner

Higashino Makoto had no idea that a small drama had unfolded on the first floor. After taking a brief look around, he prepared to head to the second floor.

"I never noticed it in the game, but now that I'm walking through it, each floor really is huge!"

Muttering under his breath, Higashino Makoto stepped onto the teleportation gate in the center of the plaza.

Upon arriving at the second floor, the "Eternal Day Arena," Gokusai Kaibi, who had been waiting for quite some time, took two steps forward to stand beside Higashino Makoto.

"Lord Amon, thank you for your hard work inspecting the first floor."

"May I ask whether you intend to continue inspecting the second floor? Please allow me to accompany you."

"I will introduce the floor's details to you."

After informing all the Floor Guardians and showing off the ring on her hand, Gokusai Kaibi quickly learned of Higashino Makoto's movements.

When she learned that the Supreme Being was preparing to inspect the floors, she urgently gathered detailed information from all the Guardians apart from those of the first floor.

She intended to serve as Higashino Makoto's guide and introduce every floor to him.

A man and a woman strolling around together...

This was practically a date!

But the excited girl did not understand Higashino Makoto's true nature.

Higashino Makoto was not a particularly patient person. He often became enthusiastic because something suddenly came to mind, only to lose interest again after his fleeting passion burned out.

His so-called "secretary rotation system" was mostly meant to ensure that he would not get too full from one meal and develop aesthetic fatigue, losing interest in them.

Higashino Makoto had faith in his own willpower. If he did not establish this strategy, then if those NPCs modeled after his anime waifus seduced him even a little, he definitely would not be able to stop himself from making a move.

He would probably start sleeping in one bed with all of them in less than a month, then quickly enter a period of burnout.

After all, a shut-in changed wives every three months. Getting tired of the old and craving the new was simply human nature.

With random rotation, he should be able to maintain his interest to the greatest extent possible.

There was a threshold to human excitement. If it was surpassed too much all at once, he always felt that life would become terribly boring afterward.

For someone with eternal life, boredom was an extremely troublesome thing.

He did not think he would become like those people in anime and novels who sought death out of boredom, but occasionally choosing to "hibernate" because he was bored was still entirely foreseeable.

Hmm... now that he thought about it, there was no need to rush into touring Novas Aetir.

He needed to learn to slow down and find hobbies that could help pass the time...

Well, as a horny foodie, his appetite and libido should be enough to carry him through most of his life.

That was why choosing a race like humans, one that would not affect his desires, was truly important!

If he ended up like Old Bone, losing his sense of taste and finding sex out of the question, how much less joy would there be in life?

At that thought, Higashino Makoto stopped walking.

"Forget it for today. Let's go to the cafeteria on the seventh floor and grab something to eat first."

Seeing the girl's surprised expression at his answer—her steps even faltering for a moment—Higashino Makoto burst into laughter.

"Ha ha—"

Higashino Makoto turned around, stepped forward, and wrapped an arm around Gokusai Kaibi's shoulders. Then he suddenly kissed her on the cheek.

"Come on, let's have a candlelit dinner! I'm still not sure what good food the cafeteria has, so make sure to give me some proper recommendations."

"And have you washed up? If not, we can go soak in the hot springs together after we eat..."

On the seventh floor, in Higashino Makoto's private little kitchen.

Higashino Makoto and Gokusai Kaibi sat facing one another.

A tablecloth embroidered with intricate patterns covered the long silver table. In its center sat some simple bread, fruit, and a bottle of champagne of an unknown brand.

Petals continuously drifted down from the ceiling, but the moment they touched the two of them, they dissolved into a fragrant scent and vanished.

Two rows of candles burned endlessly without showing the slightest sign of being consumed.

Everything in the room, from the tables, chairs, and stools to the plates, utensils, and forks, was a magical item.

The ever-falling magical petals, magical candles that never went out, chairs that increased comfort, a self-cleaning tablecloth, a long table that maintained the food's temperature...

And this was merely one of the little kitchen's dozens of themed restaurants.

He picked up a purple fruit that did not exist in the real world and popped it into his mouth. Its crisp, sweet flavor and lingering aftertaste made Higashino Makoto narrow his eyes in enjoyment.

There was no need to mention the cyberpunk world. Fresh fruit was a luxury only the uppermost class could enjoy, and Higashino Makoto in his previous life had barely ever encountered it.

Even in the life before that, wouldn't this stuff have sold for several thousand per pound at the very least?

After trying each of the other fruits as well, he looked happily toward Gokusai Kaibi across from him.

The girl was still dressed in her classic outfit: a pink backless dress paired with exquisite jewelry.

Her long, fair hands slowly turned the menu's pages as she considered what to order to make this date even more perfect.

Besides happiness, the girl actually felt even more fear; she simply had not shown it before.

But now, the unease in her heart was steadily growing.

Never mind that for now. First, she had to obey her lord's "ordering" command.

First, nothing with bones, spines, or shells—such as chicken wings, bone-in lamb chops, or whole fish. Those could make one look awkward while eating.

Anything with an overly strong smell—such as garlic, blue cheese, or stinky tofu—was also out.

Naturally, fibrous vegetables that easily got stuck between one's teeth were unsuitable as well, like enoki mushrooms or celery.

In the end, she chose smoked salmon as the appetizer, paired with a rich lobster and crab bisque.

For the main course, she chose a special filet mignon with truffle pasta as the staple, finishing with caramel pudding for dessert.

Once the dishes had been decided, she merely closed the menu and set it aside. As a flash of magic lit up, the menu was delivered straight into the head chef's hands without any need to call for service.

"Listen up, boys! Awaiting their meal are Guardian Gokusai Kaibi, and the Supreme Being of Novas Aetir, Lord Amon Nikola!"

"Get yourselves together! You'd better serve them your finest work!"

"Now get moving, all of you!"

"OOOOOOH—"

Unlike the kitchen, which had burst into activity, Higashino Makoto looked utterly relaxed, though Gokusai Kaibi was a little restrained.

After eating a couple more bites of fruit, he opened the champagne, intending to pour each of them a glass.

To be honest, Higashino Makoto was not particularly interested in alcohol. He could only drink a little, and only ever took a taste.

Gokusai Kaibi hurriedly grabbed Amon Nikola's hand and took the bottle from him.

"How could I let Lord Amon pour wine for me?!"

Watching Gokusai Kaibi pour the wine, he increasingly felt that the description "hostess" suited her rather well.

Her adorable yet seductive appearance, along with her practiced way of pouring wine, was pleasing to the eye.

To ease the atmosphere, Higashino Makoto looked over the girl's delicate features while rubbing his chin with his left hand and making a joke.

"Am I really that scary?"

"How could you be! The benevolent, dignified, and powerful Supreme Being, Lord Amon Nikola, is someone everyone in Novas Aetir admires!"

"Admiration, huh?"

Higashino Makoto suddenly recalled a saying—

Admiration was the greatest distance from understanding.

Ha!

They weren't going to start reading far too much into everything like the guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, were they?