Sitting at the dining table, Shuya looked around at everyone.
Saeko, Rei, Saya, Yuriko, Shizuka… and even Rika, who Shizuka had dragged out of bed despite how wiped out she still was from this morning.
The whole group was here.
Because not everyone knew each other well yet, the atmosphere felt a little stiff and quiet.
Saya kept sneaking glances at Yuriko and Rei sitting on either side of her. Shizuka was staring hungrily at the food on the table. Saeko curiously observed the other girls—she had already met Yuriko briefly during breakfast, but this was her first time seeing Rika, who she'd only heard about from Shizuka before.
Seeing the slightly awkward mood, Shuya—the one connecting all six of them—smiled lightly and said, "No need to be so formal. Everyone, dig in."
"Yay~"
The first one to move her chopsticks was Shizuka, whose appetite had already been thoroughly teased by the smell of the food.
Rika, sitting right next to her, stared at Shuya with a strange expression on her face.
Everyone else had plain white rice in their bowls.
Only hers was red bean rice.
In this situation, almost everyone understood exactly what that meant.
Maybe except for Saya.
Rei bit the tip of her chopsticks lightly, feeling a bit sour inside.
I was here first.
She and Shuya had known each other for over half a month, yet Rika—this woman who had only met him yesterday and immediately tried to jump him—had somehow cut in line.
So unfair…
Still, Rei quickly swallowed that feeling. She reached out with her chopsticks, picked up a piece of meat, and placed it in Shuya's bowl. "The Tokyo University-style dish you made smelled amazing when it came out of the pan. I snuck a little taste earlier. It's really good, Shuya-kun. You should try some."
"Thanks," Shuya said, giving her a surprised but gentle look. "If you like it, make sure you eat plenty too."
"Shuya, here—try this," Saya said, also putting food in his bowl. But the second his eyes landed on her, her tsundere switch flipped. "Don't get the wrong idea! I just don't like this dish, that's all!"
Yuriko watched from the side with a helpless look in her eyes.
She felt like the little cabbage she had carefully raised was growing a bit crooked.
She had already told her that being tsundere was outdated.
And yet here they were.
Unable to watch any longer, Yuriko rested her left cheek on her hand, tilted her head, and teased Shuya with a playful smile:
"Little brother Shuya, you really are blessed. While the rest of the world is worrying about their next meal, you've got beautiful girls all around you. I wonder though… can you actually handle them all at night?"
Saya stared at her "big sister" in shock.
So bold…
She wished she could be that daring.
But after thinking about it, she knew she could never say something like that out loud.
Shuya gave Yuriko a quick glance and answered with clear disdain, "Why don't you try it yourself and find out?"
"…There might be a chance," Yuriko answered, slightly flustered.
She had expected him to show at least a little embarrassment like a normal guy, giving her some fun teasing material. Instead, he had thrown the ball right back at her.
Yuriko—defeated once again.
After Yuriko stopped stirring the pot, the table settled back into a peaceful quiet as everyone finished their lunch.
Once the meal was over…
Saeko proactively took charge of cleaning up. "Shuya-kouhai, you probably have things to discuss with the others, right? I'll handle the dishes."
"Alright," Shuya nodded.
They had a dishwasher, so cleaning up wasn't a big deal. He didn't refuse her offer.
Besides, he really did have something important to do with Yuriko—the water divination test he'd been thinking about earlier.
Even though he strongly suspected she was a Transmuter based on her personality, a guess was still just a guess. The test would confirm it.
"Miss Takagi, could you come here for a moment?" Shuya called out as Yuriko was about to leave with Saya. Then he turned to Rei. "Rei, you stay too. Don't go anywhere yet."
"Miss Takagi?" Yuriko blinked, then smiled. "That's such a distant way to address me. I've been calling you 'little brother Shuya' this whole time, but you won't even call me 'big sister' once?"
Shuya rolled his eyes at her.
He then began explaining the six Nen types and the water divination test method right in front of Yuriko.
Once she realized he was talking about something serious related to Nen, Yuriko immediately straightened up and listened carefully.
"So, little brother Shuya wants me to do this water divination test to determine my Nen type?"
"Exactly," Shuya confirmed.
"Understood."
Yuriko didn't hesitate. She nodded and went to fetch a cup of water and a leaf for the test.
Once she left, Shuya turned to Rei, who had been quietly listening the whole time.
Rei looked confused. She didn't understand why he had asked her to stay—she hadn't even started learning Nen control yet. The most she knew was the basic explanation Shizuka had given her and Saya yesterday in the infirmary.
Shuya stood in front of her and conjured a contract parchment scroll.
He offered her the exact same three choices he had given Rika this morning.
Even though Rei had some questionable moments in the original story, after spending more than half a month with her, Shuya felt he understood this girl very well. If danger ever came, she was the type who would never hesitate to show her best qualities as a heroine. She would even be willing to die for him.
"Um…"
Rei hesitated for a moment. "Can I read what's written on it first?"
"Of course," Shuya said without suspicion and handed her the scroll.
Rei took the parchment and examined it seriously. She clearly remembered what Shizuka had said yesterday in the infirmary: the fastest way to become a Nen user was to have Shuya share his Nen with her. This scroll was probably the key.
She read every single word carefully, afraid to miss anything.
"Rei-chan, what are you looking at so seriously? Can big sister take a look too?"
Yuriko had just returned with the cup of water and a leaf from the balcony. Seeing Rei staring intently at the scroll, she couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Shuya-kun?" Rei looked at him, unsure whether she should let Yuriko see it.
"It's fine. Let her read it," Shuya said.
Since Yuriko had already joined the group, it was only a matter of time before she signed a contract anyway. The only reason he hadn't contracted her yet was because trust hadn't reached that level.
"We haven't finished reading it yet. Want to read it together?" Rei suggested.
Yuriko set down the cup and leaned in beside Rei. The more she read, the more serious her expression became.
She quickly understood what this small scroll truly represented.
It was proof of being genuinely accepted and trusted by Shuya.
Yuriko felt a little helpless. Because of her personality and past, she knew earning that kind of trust from him wouldn't be easy.
But that was just how things were. She had spent years on Wall Street, a place that ate people alive. In that world, simply having ability wasn't enough—you needed cunning and multiple faces just to survive.
She had been deliberately showing her good side to Shuya, but the results weren't great.
Maybe… her tsundere but easy-to-read little sister Saya actually had better chances.
As Yuriko stared at Shuya, a wild, never-before-considered thought suddenly popped into her head.
Maybe I should just night raid him tonight…?