"...Wait, why did this guy tag along?"
"What, am I not welcome here?"
Seeing her childhood friend walking alongside her best friend, Arisawa Tatsuki's eyes filled with undisguised annoyance.
"What's a guy like you doing at our girls' night?"
"Can you even call two people a 'night'?"
"Shut it!"
"I ran into Asakura-kun on my way back from grocery shopping, and I hadn't properly thanked him for last time, so I invited him to join us for dinner," Inoue Orihime explained. Even without the explanation, Tatsuki had already guessed as much.
"Don't worry, I'm just here for the food. I'm not staying the night."
"Duh! What else would you be doing?" Tatsuki gave Asakura Yoh a look of disdain. She was seriously starting to suspect her childhood friend had some 'more-than-friends' intentions toward her best friend.
Remembering what Orihime said about Yoh and an older beauty, Tatsuki instinctively shielded Orihime behind her, leaving both Yoh and Orihime completely confused.
To be honest, Yoh didn't really want to crash their 'world for two,' nor was he particularly hungry. He only agreed to come because he felt a faint, intermittent sense of hostility.
If he wasn't mistaken, that hostility came from Orihime's late brother, Inoue Sora. If he remembered correctly, around this time, Sora should have been dragged into Hueco Mundo and forced into Hollowfication.
He had been looking for him lately, hoping to find him before the Hollowfication took place, but he had clearly failed.
It wasn't surprising. He didn't know Sora and wasn't familiar with his Spiritual Pressure. Finding him meant relying on luck near the Inoue residence.
'But it doesn't matter. It's not too late yet.'
...
"Ta-da! Here is tonight's dinner—Banana Milk Roasted Fish Ramen!"
...
Yoh stared in shock at the ramen and roasted fish soaking in steaming hot banana milk. His pupils dilated in pure horror.
Seriously? Can these things even be eaten together?
Although Orihime had mentioned the name of the dinner before cooking, he had assumed the banana milk was a drink, the roasted fish was a side dish, and the ramen was the main course.
'It's all in one dish?!'
Tatsuki watched Yoh's frozen expression with glee, patting his shoulder with a look of mock sympathy.
"Ta-Tatsuki, aren't you eating? This... this was handmade by Inoue. As her best friend, I think you should be the one to try it..."
"I brought my own lunch box." Well-prepared, Tatsuki laid out her oversized bento on the table—five dishes, two soups, and two bowls of rice, a perfectly balanced meal.
This clearly wasn't just for one person. She knew Orihime lived alone and often made bizarre concoctions, so she frequently brought nutritious food from home to share.
Although Orihime always insisted her cooking was delicious, Tatsuki had zero desire to try it. Today, however, Yoh was in for a treat.
"Is it too late for me to leave?" Yoh asked weakly in a low voice.
"What do you think?" Tatsuki pointed toward Orihime, who was looking at Yoh with wide-eyed anticipation. Her meaning was clear.
'If you dare disappoint Orihime, I'll kill you!'
Knowing there was no retreat, Yoh tremblingly picked up his chopsticks. Looking at the slender noodles soaking in the pale yellow, milky liquid, his internal resistance reached its peak.
'But...'
Orihime was watching him with sparkling eyes, and Tatsuki was glaring at him with a threatening, smug look...
'Whatever. At worst, I'll just be stuck in the bathroom all night. Let's do this!'
With a look of grim determination as if facing his end, Yoh grabbed a large clump of noodles and shoved them into his mouth.
"Mmph!" Yoh's eyes widened. After swallowing the mouthful, he licked his sweet-tasting lips in disbelief.
"It... it's actually pretty good...?"
"No way!"
"Right? See! I told you it was good! Jeez, Tatsuki-chan just never believes me!"
Tatsuki gaped at Yoh like he was a freak. Orihime, on the other hand, was overjoyed. This was the first time anyone had ever praised her cooking.
"Yeah! It's delicious, really delicious, Inoue! Great job, you're practically a culinary genius!"
"Hehe! You flatter me, Gourmet Master Asakura!"
Tatsuki suddenly felt exhausted. She hadn't expected these two to actually share the same taste buds.
'Their taste buds are definitely wired differently from normal people...'
...
After dinner, the three of them chatted and played board games. It was almost midnight, yet Yoh still hadn't encountered the Hollowfied Inoue Sora.
He realized the spirit was wary of him. It seemed as long as he was there, the other wouldn't show up.
"Alright, it's about time for me to head out," Yoh said, standing up.
"Eh? But I feel like we haven't played enough yet..." Orihime said, sounding a bit disappointed.
"That's enough, Orihime. It's getting late. Any later and it won't be safe."
"Mhm..."
Once Yoh left, Tatsuki suddenly perked up. She sat cross-legged and looked at Orihime with a meaningful expression.
"Tatsuki-chan?"
"That guy, Yoh... do you think he's into you, Orihime?"
Orihime tilted her head in confusion at first, but once it clicked, her face turned bright red and steam practically puffed from her head.
"Ta-Ta-Ta-Tatsuki! Wh-Wh-What are you ta-ta-talking about! I-I don't have feelings for Yo-Yo-Yo..."
"No, I didn't say you liked him. I said he might be into you." Tatsuki waved her hand and began her serious analysis.
"I've never seen him pay this much attention to a girl our age. He barely even speaks to most people, let alone comes over to their house to hang out."
"Ma-Maybe it's because you were here, Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime guessed shyly.
"No way. I was watching closely. That guy's eyes were either on you or scanning your room. He's definitely into you."
Tatsuki's words made Orihime so embarrassed she nearly fainted, and a little theater began playing in her head.
[Miss Inoue, much like the delicious food you create, you have deeply captured my heart.]
[But Gourmet Master Asakura-kun, I still have my dream of becoming the Queen of Cuisine to fulfill. I cannot accept your love just yet.]
[It's alright. I will wait for you. I will wait forever until that day comes!]
[Asakura-kun.]
[Miss Inoue.]
[Yoh.]
[Orihime.]
"Waaaaah!"
Orihime fainted from over-fantasizing.