From Yuan Shikai's perspective, he was already quite satisfied with the meal.
He knew nothing of what Alice was thinking. He merely wanted to enjoy a little peace before the great battle and ease the exhaustion of the past few days.
He glanced at the pendulum clock that had appeared on the wall at some point. It was almost eleven.
Although he could shamelessly insist on staying the night, Alice, the mansion's owner, would probably mind.
After all, despite knowing each other for so long, he had never once managed to stay overnight.
As for finding an excuse, could he really claim it was dangerous to walk home at night? If anyone tried to rob their group, the robbers would be the ones in danger.
He could think of plenty more excuses, but Yuan Shikai did not want to provoke Alice's sharp tongue.
For reasons he could not fathom, Alice had been unusually quiet today. She had not even made any snide remarks at Aoko.
Yuan Shikai was the first to rise. "Aoko's cooking has improved tremendously. You're already as good as a hotel chef. How about we open a restaurant together? We'd make a fortune."
Aoko Aozaki said, "No way. I'm the student council president, and I'm already swamped with work. I have to study magecraft too. Where would I find the time for another job?"
After a little more polite conversation, Yuan Shikai said, "It's almost eleven. We should get going. We won't keep you from getting some rest."
Had things ended there, the meal would have been practically perfect.
But there were exceptions to everything, and Alice spoke up just then.
Alice said, "It's so late now. Walking home at night isn't safe. Why don't you stay here tonight? There are plenty of rooms, anyway."
Everyone was