"This probably isn't edible, right?"
Power put a corner of the brick into her mouth and gave it a gentle bite.
She found it too hard, and it had no flavor.
"You can't eat it, but you can hit people with it."
As they spoke, the server brought their hot pot ingredients to the table.
"Denji, trade presents with me." Power felt that an inedible brick wasn't much use. The clothes Denji had were better.
"No way!!" Denji hurriedly hid his present behind his back.
But what she did next made Aki Hayakawa abruptly stand up to stop her. "Hey, Power, don't put the brick in the pot!!"
"I'm seeing if cooking it will make it softer."
"I told you, it's for using, not eating." Aki Hayakawa snatched the brick away and put it on the floor.
"Give me back my present."
"After dinner." Aki Hayakawa sat down and began adding food to the pot.
"Why haven't I seen Arai?" Meng Fan asked.
"Arai took leave the day before you left. Apparently, his mother was hospitalized." Himeno swished a piece of meat she'd taken from the pot in her bowl of sesame sauce.
"By the way, why isn't Miss Makima here? You didn't forget to invite her, did you?" Denji asked. Without Makima at the Fourth Division's dinner, he couldn't even muster the enthusiasm to eat.
"I tried calling Miss Makima, but I couldn't reach her. I don't know where she went," Himeno replied as she ate her meat. "Meng Fan, didn't you ask where Miss Makima lived? Didn't you go to her place?"
"I did, but Miss Makima wasn't home. She might have already eaten by now." Meng Fan smiled. When he checked the dream, Makima was still crouching on the floor, but the dog food bowl had been