Aoba looked at Ino, who was clinging to him, and felt a bit helpless.
But knowing Ino's personality, she probably wouldn't do anything too over the line.
So he simply let her do as she pleased.
The two of them left the room and, led by Taruho, arrived at the grand hall in the shrine that was specially used to receive guests.
Taruho stopped at the entrance.
Aoba and Ino walked straight in. The moment he stepped inside, he caught a strong fragrance in the air.
He looked toward Shion, and her outfit at that moment surprised him a little.
Because she had changed into miko robes.
Proper miko robes, of course, but they did make her look even cuter.
To be honest, this was the first time since coming to this world that Aoba had seen miko attire.
It really gave him a fresh, eye-catching feeling.
"Aoba, Ino, you're here. Come, have a seat."
When Shion saw the two of them enter, she quickly stood up and spoke a little stiffly.
Even though she had been the one to invite them to stay for lunch, just thinking about the matter she wanted to discuss afterward made it impossible not to feel nervous.
"Shion, you don't have to be so tense."
Seeing how restrained she was, Aoba suddenly couldn't tell who was the guest and who was the host.
"Mm."
Shion nodded lightly and sat back down. As for whether she really took that to heart, that was hard to say.
Seeing that, Aoba didn't say anything more and sat down with Ino.
But the moment they sat, Ino reached for a cup first and poured a glass of water.
Aoba thought she had accidentally choked earlier and her throat was still uncomfortable.
Instead, she handed the water to him.
He looked at her in confusion. She simply gave him a gentle smile. There was suddenly a feeling about her, like a virtuous wife and caring mother.
"Aoba, you just woke up. Drink some water first to moisten your throat and get some fluids."
"..."
Aoba's expression was strange, but he still took the cup and drank a couple of sips.
Shion watched this scene with a bit of confusion too, but she didn't think much of it.
She picked up her chopsticks, but instead of taking food right away, she looked at Aoba expectantly.
"Aoba, try the dishes first. I don't know if they suit your taste."
"Mm, they all look pretty good."
Dishes prepared to entertain guests were rarely bad.
Aoba picked up his chopsticks and was just about to take something from the plate in front of him when another pair of chopsticks had already lifted a piece of fish to his mouth.
"..."
He bit the fish and, after tasting it carefully, nodded seriously.
"It tastes good."
"I'm glad you like it."
Shion didn't seem affected by Ino's actions at all. A happy smile appeared on her face.
After that, it was just normal mealtime.
Shion wasn't a talkative person to begin with, so things were quiet while eating.
But Ino… She was quiet too, not making any noise.
Yet Aoba finally understood how she planned to make Shion back off.
Simply put, she was showing off their affection.
Every so often she would pick up a piece of meat for him, pass him a napkin, refill his water the moment his cup was empty.
When she spotted a bit of sauce at the corner of his mouth that did not even exist, she would wipe his lips for him.
She wanted to show Shion how loving they were.
But Shion only kept watching, and her expression barely changed.
If anything, there was a little more curiosity.
Shion knew that Ino was one of Aoba's future wives, but she didn't understand how husbands and wives were supposed to get along. Maybe it was just like this.
As for anger or jealousy, she really didn't feel any.
Let alone backing off like Ino had expected.
Shion silently observed Ino's display of affection. Her eyes turned slightly as she thought for a moment. Then she simply picked up a piece of fish as well and placed it into Aoba's bowl.
Aoba, Ino: "?"
Seeing the fish that had suddenly appeared in his bowl, both of them paused and looked at Shion in a strange way.
Shion tilted her head in confusion, as if a huge question mark was floating above it.
"What's wrong?"
"I just didn't expect you to suddenly put food in my bowl."
Aoba glanced at Ino, who was puffing lightly beside him. After a moment's thought, he picked up the fish from his bowl and ate it.
"I saw Ino keep giving you this fish. You must like this one more, right?"
Shion smiled a little shyly, then picked up an even bigger piece of fish and put it into Aoba's bowl.
"If you like it, eat more."
Then she copied Ino and added some water to his cup.
As for wiping his mouth, since she really couldn't find any sauce on his lips, she gave up on that.
Watching all this, Ino felt terrible.
She realized that not only had her womanly charm failed to make Shion retreat, it felt like she had personally given her a one-on-one lesson instead.
'What is wrong with this miko?'
'Is she really this confident about snatching someone else's man?'
"..."
Aoba's shoulders trembled slightly. He was holding back laughter.
If Ino hadn't been pinching his thigh hard under the table, he probably would have laughed out loud.
What was this supposed to be? Lost the lady and lost the army too.
Seeing that the "showing affection" plan wasn't working, Ino simply stopped and began eating in silence, looking unhappy.
At least if she ate faster, they could finish sooner and leave earlier.
Otherwise, Shion might end up learning everything she did.
Then she would basically be helping her rival.
Shion, on the other hand, looked confused at the scene.
'Why isn't Ino continuing to put food into Aoba's bowl?'
Aoba also sped up his eating. This strange lunch atmosphere finally came to an end.
After having the dishes cleared away, Shion looked at Aoba and Ino again.
This time her expression was much more serious as she spoke about the real matter.
"Aoba, I wonder if the Land of Demons can form an alliance with the Land of Fire?"
"An alliance?"
Aoba paused slightly. After thinking for a short while, he nodded in agreement.
"Of course, no problem."
Forming an alliance with the Land of Demons wasn't a bad thing.
After all, it had been a neutral country for hundreds of years, almost completely cut off from the outside world.
In other words, to the outside world, the entire Land of Demons was like a huge untapped market.
On top of that, there were many undeveloped resources within its borders. An alliance would bring benefits without real drawbacks.
But generally, only when two sides were of similar strength could it truly be called an alliance.
Given the current gap between the Land of Demons and the Land of Fire, this so-called alliance was only temporary.
"Thank you, Aoba."
Shion was very happy to see him agree.
After all, without the threat of Moryo for a long time to come, it would be impossible for the Land of Demons to maintain its former neutral position.
And if they formed an alliance with the Land of Fire, then she could also… Shion glanced at Ino beside him with a hint of guilt. The tips of her ears turned slightly red as she continued.
"But… Aoba, since you agreed to the alliance, I have one more request. Could I speak with you alone?"
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