As I said each new review = new chapter (Be thankful to "Sumeragi_Ryushin")
...
Eh? It doesn't hurt anymore.
Kitagawa Marin opened her eyes in surprise.
Gojo Satoru had already let go of her face. He leaned back lazily, drinking his coffee like nothing had happened.
"Gojo-sensei… how did you do that?! I'm curious!"
"Pff—!"
He had just taken a sip. The moment he heard that phrase, Gojo Satoru instantly spat out the coffee and stared at Kitagawa Marin with a strange expression.
…You're not the Marin, I knew!
Were you dropped by Chitanda Eru, you were, weren't you?
Why did you even say "I'm curious" in that exact tone?!
Kitagawa Marin blinked innocently.
Then, as if she understood the meaning behind his weird expression, she smiled brightly and said:
"I learned Eru's mantra!"
Speaking of Chitanda Eru…
Her family had asked her to take a week off, and she wouldn't return to school until next Monday.
After all, something huge happened on "May 60."
Even if the adults didn't say it out loud, everyone knew it was the kind of incident that left both the body and mind shaken.
A short break to recover was necessary.
That specially goes for Eru Chitanda....
She leaned forward again, refusing to let Gojo escape.
"Anyway! Let's not talk about that first. Gojo-sensei, how did you do it?"
As she spoke, she poked the spot where the tear stains had been just a moment ago.
'Hmm.'
Nothing at all.
Not even redness.
It was like it had never happened.
Gojo Satoru lifted an eyebrow.
Then he replied in the most "I'm looking at an idiot" tone possible.
"Just do this, then do that, and then breathe once… and it's fine. Don't you know?"
"Huh?"
Kitagawa Marin tilted her head.
"Do this… then do that… and then breathe? What?"
She even gestured with her hands in a goofy, overly-serious way, as if she was trying to copy some secret magic technique.
That sight nearly made Gojo Satoru laugh out loud.
"Cough, cough."
He quickly suppressed his laughter, cleared his throat, and smoothly changed the topic like a professional.
"Okay, don't think too much. Aren't you hungry? Let's go eat."
"Yeah! Eat!"
The moment she heard the word food, Kitagawa Marin's eyes lit up like a kid seeing a candy store.
The mysterious healing technique from earlier?
Thrown away instantly.
With the bags lifted, the two paid the coffee bill, left the money on the table, and walked out of the café together.
Outside,
The sky was slowly dimming, dyed in a soft orange, then turning deeper and deeper.
The wind was warm.
But somehow…
Gojo Satoru felt a faint discomfort in the air.
Like something dirty was spreading.
Something that didn't belong.
Kitagawa Marin, of course, noticed none of that.
She was happily walking beside him, swinging a bag like it was a trophy.
Gojo check his phone, before pushing the thought behind his head, anyway he had just sense it—trying to find the source will take time. And he can also do it after safely dropping his student home.
.....
Not long after, the two arrived at a small fried rice restaurant.
It was one of those places that didn't look flashy, but was always packed.
The smell of oil, soy sauce, and garlic filled the air.
Inside, Kitagawa Marin was already eating fried rice with a blissful expression.
Meanwhile, Gojo Satoru's mouth corner twitched.
"…What's wrong, Gojo-sensei?"
Kitagawa Marin asked vaguely, her cheeks puffed out as she chewed the fried rice.
"Why do you keep staring at me?"
"Why aren't you eating?"
"No, it's nothing."
Gojo Satoru silently withdrew his gaze, then picked up his spoon and took a bite of his fried rice.
Deciding to eat in this restaurant was Kitagawa Marin idea.
According to her, this was one of her frequent places.
Not only did it serve fried rice from various countries, but the fried rice here was also "super delicious." And also the fact that the customer can close to eat their meal in a private room.
Gojo Satoru and Kitagawa Marin decided to have the meal in the private room since their were just too many customers in this hour.
Both had ordered Yangzhou Fried Rice and also a bowl of udon.
The second dish was also served shortly after, as the waiter placed the dish on the table and left after bowing.
Kitagawa Marin looked at her meal with sparkling eyes.
Then—
Under Gojo Satoru's horrified gaze—
She casually poured the udon noodles straight onto the fried rice.The noodles slid down like a waterfall, mixing with the rice, sauce, and egg.
And she looked completely satisfied.
Gojo Satoru: "..."
He stared.
I am sorry, I underestimated you! You are not a normal girl....
Although this does not belong to dark cuisine (he had seen worse..), but don't you think it's weird to eat?
Udon noodles are covered with fried rice, doesn't it taste weird?
Gojo Satoru stared at her with the expression of a man who had just witnessed a food crime!
....
After a few minutes…
Kitagawa Marin patted her slightly bulging stomach in satisfaction and sighed happily.
"Ah~ Rice really is the most delicious food in the world."
"…You're done already?"
Gojo Satoru was a little surprised.
He glanced at her empty plate.
Then he glanced at his own plate, which still had half the fried rice left.
He sighed deeply.
"You can really eat, Kitagawa-san."
Kitagawa Marin's happy expression froze instantly.
Her face turned red.
Then, with absolutely no shame, she grabbed the sleeve of a certain white-haired monster and started pulling while shouting.
"Don't say I eat a lot! You can't say that! Gojo-sensei—bah!"
"I'm just telling the truth!"
Gojo Satoru's words became messy as he was shaken violently.
"You can't stop people tell the truth—hey! Why are you climbing on top of me?!"
"Ugh—!"
Kitagawa Marin seemed determined to shut him up.
But she wasn't tall enough.
So she did the only logical thing.
She crawled straight into his arms. Then she reached up and covered his mouth with both hands.
{T/N: ....you are shorter then him even when he was seating....}
"Don't say it."
She said softly.
Gojo Satoru's mouth was completely covered.
He could only make muffled noises.
"Mm! Mm—!"
Kitagawa Marin's cheeks were slightly red, but her eyes were stubborn.
Like she was fighting for her pride.
Gojo Satoru, being forced into this ridiculous position, could only nod obediently.
"Mm."
He nodded.
Kitagawa Marin finally relaxed.
But because she was still sitting half in his lap, and because Gojo Satoru's arms were instinctively around her slender waist to stop her from slipping down…
The atmosphere…became a little strange.
Very strange....
Kitagawa Marin's wine-red eyes met Gojo Satoru's blue eyes exposed by the slipped sunglasses of the two looked at each other quietly.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
The restaurant noise faded into the background.
The air itself felt warmer.
"Hoo… hoo…"
Finally, feeling the large hand around her waist, Kitagawa Marin's breathing became slightly hasty.
Her eyes gradually blurred.
Gojo-sensei…
He's really handsome.
He's literally the perfect boyfriend in my imagination.
Tall.
Handsome.
Strong.
And he's willing to make cosplay outfits for me.
He even accompanied me to the mall in this heat, as promised.
If possible…
If possible…
'Gojo-sensei… would be a great boyfriend.'
{T/N: Rip Gojo...}
That thought suddenly popped up in Kitagawa Marin's mind.
And once it appeared…it wouldn't go away.
Kitagawa Marin was an open-minded girl.
Even though she had never had a boyfriend, and in sixteen years she hadn't been close to any man…She did have some guy acquaintances but that was mostly because they were in the same class...
She isn't someone who care what others think about her.
Teacher and student?
Forbidden love?
Moral judgment?
People gossiping later?
She didn't care.
Kitagawa Marin only cared about one thing.
Whether she liked him.
And right now…
In this moment…
In this ridiculous position…
She was absolutely sure.
'I think…I really like Gojo-sensei.'
Her heart beat faster.
Her cheeks got hotter.
And without realizing it, she leaned closer.
Just a little.
And then—
The curtain at the entrance of the private room was suddenly pushed open.
A middle-aged female boss walked in with a calm voice, as she greeted them.
"Hello, Is the udon enough?! If it's not enough, We will give you another—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Because the moment she stepped inside…
She saw their back.
Kitagawa Marin sitting in Gojo Satoru's arms.
Gojo Satoru hand holding her waist.
Kitagawa Marin head lowered as of she was kissing him.
The atmosphere so ambiguous that even the steam from the fried rice seemed to blush.
The boss froze.
"…Ah."
"…Ahhhhh."
Then—
She bowed like her life depended on it.
"SORRY FOR DISTURBING!"
And ran away at lightning speed.
The curtain flapped violently behind her.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Kitagawa Marin froze.
Gojo Satoru froze too.
They stared at the entrance.
Then slowly looked back at each other.
Gojo Satoru finally pulled back his hand that was covering his mouth and spoke with deep grief.
"It's over…My innocence!"
Kitagawa Marin pouted.
"It should be my innocence, Gojo-sensei."
"…Huh?"
Gojo Satoru blinked.
Kitagawa Marin spoke seriously, like she was presenting a perfectly logical argument.
"Gojo-sensei, you don't understand. Since I'm a girl logically…and also because the boss also know me very well. So she'll definitely think it's my innocence that got stolen."
Gojo Satoru stared.
Then hesitated.
"…Uh.…That actually makes sense."
"Right?!"
Gojo Satoru looked at her.
Looked at her slightly swollen cheeks.
Looked at her udon-and-fried-rice monster plate.
And then—he said,
"However, I feel that something is very wrong here...."
"Oh, you think too much."
"Really? All right then."
....
Word Count — 1,615