Watching Saint Halo eat with such obvious relish, Shinji Terumi's eyes gradually filled with confusion. She was already clearly full, yet she still picked up another slice of pizza.
After hesitating for a while, she finally bit off the pointed tip of the slice. The taste was familiar enough that Shinji lowered his own half-eaten piece back onto his plate and came to the conclusion that the problem was not with him after all.
This was not a particularly upscale pizza place. The pizza had tasted fairly good at first, but after several slices, even Shinji had reached the point of complete fullness. That only made it more obvious how much Saint Halo genuinely liked pizza. That sense of novelty on her face suggested she had either rarely eaten it before, or had perhaps never eaten it at all.
"Is it really that good?" he asked.
"Mhm~!"
Her reply came out muffled, but Saint Halo's usual refined young-lady elegance had already started to crumble. She did not seem to care in the least. She just kept stuffing pizza into her mouth, her tail swishing more and more quickly behind her.
She really was happy.
And Shinji really was starting to regret a few things.
Back then, he probably should have preserved a little more of her poise. These days, she could throw everything away for the sake of results, in training and in races alike, with no concern for appearances. Without even realizing it, she had gradually stopped caring about maintaining her image the way she once had, turning instead into a pure pragmatist.
"Next time I'll take you somewhere better," Shinji said.
He truly had not expected her to love pizza this much, so this time he had simply chosen a nearby place. Seeing her eat one slice after another without even changing flavors, he sighed. Only now did he start to understand just how strictly Goodbye Halo must have controlled her daughter in the past.
"I'm full!"
Only after finishing an entire extra pizza by herself did Saint Halo finally call it a meal, leaning back into her chair. Her stomach had rounded out just a little, and when Shinji shot her a sidelong glance and laughed, she blinked at him in confusion.
"What is it, Trainer?"
"How is it I'm the one getting laughed at?"
She tilted her head, puzzled.
"You'd better not turn into Special Week," Shinji said. "The race is right around the corner. Don't go losing control of your weight and ballooning out of nowhere."
Her weight had been carefully conditioned, and even if it fluctuated a little, the changes should have been minor. Shinji always aimed for perfection in his preparations, so seeing Saint Halo looking like this now naturally made him suspicious.
"Please, you don't have to worry about that!"
A little offended by his lack of trust, Saint Halo pushed herself to her feet. But just as she was about to take a step, Shinji spoke again.
"I already paid. Let's go."
Saint Halo froze. She had not even noticed when he had settled the bill. She was not stupid. She could tell Shinji had not been particularly interested in tonight's dinner. He had only come because she wanted to.
If she had not been his horse girl, he most likely would not have bothered coming at all, just like Narita Brian and Offside Trap had not.
So she had originally intended to pay for all that she had eaten herself, but Shinji's thoughtfulness made her look deeply into his eyes.
She suddenly found herself unable to understand him.
Why was it that sometimes he could be so caring that she could barely suppress how much her heart raced for him, while at other times he seemed so distant and utterly unapproachable?
It was almost as though he understood everything and deliberately chose to tease her anyway.
The moment that thought occurred to her, Saint Halo felt irritation bloom in her chest. Shinji had not even said a word, yet he had already managed to make her angry. That only made her more convinced she was right.
[Negative Emotion +60]
Shinji's steps faltered. He had no idea what had gone wrong, or why Saint Halo, who had just enjoyed the meal she had wanted so much, was suddenly in a bad mood.
Still, free negative emotion was always welcome.
"Trainer."
"Hmm?"
"What did you like to eat when you were little?"
Shinji stopped dead in his tracks.
Saint Halo did not notice anything strange. She was only curious.
"Nothing special, really. I liked all sorts of things…"
Of course, he was not about to say that what he truly missed were the foods from the place he had come from, especially the noodles his mother had made with her own hands. Too many years had passed now. He would never find that exact taste again.
"Is that so…"
Saint Halo was a little troubled.
She had been thinking of maybe trying to cook something herself. If she knew what Shinji liked, then perhaps she could use it to make him smile.
Because although Shinji did smile often enough, and every one of those smiles had left a deep impression on her, she still felt that the number of times he had smiled sincerely, from the bottom of his heart, had been very few.
"What's wrong?"
"What do you mean, what's wrong? I was just asking. What else could it be?"
Saint Halo snapped back like a startled cat. Shinji was genuinely taken aback by how strongly she reacted.
She regretted it immediately. She had been too absorbed in her own thoughts and far too embarrassed. When Shinji suddenly responded, she had instinctively panicked, as though he had seen straight through her, and rushed to cover herself.
Turning her head away, she felt a stab of guilt, but she did not dare look into his eyes.
"If you really want an answer," Shinji said after a pause, his tone softening, "I probably loved fast food when I was a kid."
Saint Halo looked at him, startled.
In that instant, she felt as though she understood him.
He had assumed she disliked his vague answer, when the truth behind it had been something else entirely.
That only deepened her guilt. Tentatively, she moved closer until she stood beside him, shoulder to shoulder. From this distance, it felt like she could catch his scent.
It smelled nice, some sort of woody fragrance, and her face grew even redder.
She had heard that if two people's genes were mutually attracted, then they would find each other's scent pleasant, that it would become part of what drew them together.
Saint Halo did not dare think any further.
"Back then I thought fast food was the best," Shinji continued. "Burgers, fried chicken, fries. Better than noodles or rice."
Listening to him, Saint Halo gradually fell silent. Even her tail settled gently against her back.
"But after growing up, there hasn't really been anything I especially love eating. Sometimes when I go out of my way to get fast food, I can't even tell whether it's because I still genuinely like it, or because I'm chasing after a memory."
Saint Halo pressed her lips together. If she only learned how to make fast food, that would feel too insincere.
And yet her trainer really did not seem to have any special favorite foods.
"All right, don't overthink it," Shinji said suddenly. "Honestly, no matter what you made for me, I'd be happy."
Saint Halo's eyes flew open.
She had not said anything, and yet he had understood everything.
Just as she had thought, he really did understand it all.
"So full of yourself. I'm not cooking for you."
Her reply sounded firm, but only on the surface. Shinji merely smiled.
"All right, then next time we'll go somewhere even better—"
"Fine. I get it…"
Still trying to maintain her resistance, Saint Halo stole a glance at the man standing beside her and let out the faintest little huff.
And yet, on a night like this, in an atmosphere like this, she found herself hoping.
If she got angry, even just a little, would that earn her a hug from him? Some comfort? Some coaxing?
If it did, she thought, then perhaps she would be very happy indeed.
And perhaps she would stop being angry after all.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 165)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter220)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter125)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 220
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 185
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 230
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 125
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 115
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 110
My Harem Is Indescribable 100
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 105
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 78
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 90
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 75
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 85
Why did they assign me to Uma 75
MYGO Beauties 70
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 75
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 100
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 60
The Uma Musume Who Became 60
I'm Definitely Not the King of 80
After Maxing Out Every Class 80
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 44
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 57
I, the Elden Sword Saint 50
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 43
No One Knows Pokémon Better 50
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 45
From Trilobites to Titans 45
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 55
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 60
An Anime Heroine Darkened 55
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