Although Lin Ye had always proclaimed that he wanted to chase after a forest, once he actually got a girlfriend he would still take her feelings into account.
At the very least, he couldn't be all lovey-dovey with other girls right in front of his own girlfriend—that would be going too far.
Lin Ye couldn't bring himself to do something so vile.
"Anything else you want to say?"
Seeing Lin Ye hesitate, Yukino Yukinoshita took the initiative to ask.
"..."
"If there's nothing, then I'll be going."
"Yukino,"
But the girl had taken only two steps when Lin Ye called out to stop her. "The one I have an appointment with is a girl."
"I understand, go ahead!"
Her tone was flat,
but Lin Ye felt that the girl was actually a tiny bit pleased.
The way Yukinoshita had pretended not to care just now—that had been a test aimed at him, right!
Close call.
Cold sweat welled up in Lin Ye's heart.
This counted as her passing the test... right!?
"A girl has feelings for me, you know! As my girlfriend, aren't you the least bit nervous?"
The teasing words immediately earned a sidelong glance from Yukinoshita.
Did this guy really think he was a man everyone adored?
If that were truly the case, he wouldn't have stayed single for so long at Sobu High.
"Don't flatter yourself—it's one of life's three great illusions."
Why was it that whenever he told the truth, no one ever believed him?
Sigh!
Lin Ye let out a long sigh.
Too hard.
No one believes the truth, yet people believe lies.
"I'll be off now."
Yukino Yukinoshita gave a simple farewell and turned to walk toward the classroom door.
In no time she reached the doorway, but a blue-haired girl appeared before her, prompting Yukinoshita to take an extra glance.
Rui Tachibana, the younger sister of Tachibana-sensei.
They had once eaten together, so Yukinoshita had a fairly good impression of her.
"Student Yukinoshita,"
"Student Tachibana,"
Yukinoshita maintained basic courtesy.
"I'm here to see Student Lin. Is he in the classroom?"
As she finished speaking, Rui Tachibana spotted Lin Ye inside the classroom.
Lin Ye felt the atmosphere had turned strange.
What a coincidence—the two had met right at the door.
He even briefly wondered whether Rui Tachibana had done it on purpose.
They'd agreed to contact each other by phone, so why had she come directly? Was she worried he'd slip away?
He wasn't the type to break a promise and run off; whatever he agreed to, he would surely carry out well.
"You're the one who arranged to meet him?"
Yukino Yukinoshita asked instinctively.
"Yes,"
Rui Tachibana nodded.
This caused Yukinoshita's expression to shift slightly.
She shot Lin Ye a meaningful glance but said nothing more.
Yet that look made Lin Ye realize he wouldn't escape a round of interrogation from Yukinoshita later.
Fine.
In any case, he had a clear conscience, and he definitely wouldn't let anything happen with Rui Tachibana—there was no need to worry at all.
"He's inside,"
After saying this, Yukino Yukinoshita stepped out of the classroom and headed toward the club building.
Indifferent, cool and aloof, uninterested in the world around her—that was the atmosphere she left behind.
"Student Yukinoshita is unhappy,"
A while after Yukinoshita had left, Rui Tachibana looked toward Lin Ye and said,
"Is she?"
"She is. I'm a girl—I can sense her emotional changes,"
This... counted as a reason too? Lin Ye thought to himself.
"Student Lin and Student Yukinoshita have been getting along quite well lately."
She looked at Lin Ye. "That's the conclusion I reached from my observations and investigation."
"You really are closer than ordinary classmates."
Lin Ye didn't deny it.
The two were now lovers, a betrothed couple—of course that was closer than ordinary people.
But there was no need to spell it out in detail.
Neither Yukinoshita nor he wanted this relationship exposed at school too early, stirring up unnecessary public commotion.
"Student Yukinoshita is very hard to pursue,"
That sentence rather surprised Lin Ye.
"My sister told me that Student Lin is currently pursuing Student Yukinoshita, that you like her very much."
Hina-sensei even told you about that! Lin Ye pondered the purpose of Hina-sensei's behavior.
"Isn't that so?"
"I'm not pursuing her,"
On this point Lin Ye was certain—he had never pursued Yukinoshita,
and now that they were already lovers, there was even less need to pursue her.
"Then you like her,"
"Yes,"
On this point Lin Ye admitted it outright—liking Yukino Yukinoshita was nothing shameful.
As Sobu High's cool and aloof campus belle, Yukinoshita was liked by who-knows-how-many men; since enrolling at Sobu High, untold numbers of men had confessed and professed their love to her in all sorts of ways.
Everyone failed, yet he succeeded—didn't that actually prove he was more impressive?
Hahaha,
Lin Ye couldn't help feeling a surge of delight.
"Winning her over is very difficult,"
Rui Tachibana repeated the sentence again.
"Mm, it is very difficult. Could it be that Student Tachibana is planning to help me strategize a way to win her over?"
This counter-question left Rui Tachibana utterly stunned—she had never considered such a question.
Her relationship with Yukinoshita was merely that of classmates who'd met a handful of times, with conversations that barely counted, and she wasn't an outgoing girl either, so for her to offer help in assisting Lin Ye to win over Yukino Yukinoshita—
she felt it was completely impossible.
"My advice is that Student Lin would be better off changing targets."
Hina-sensei had once said the same thing, even suggesting he pursue her younger sister—the very girl standing before him, Rui Tachibana.
"Changing targets doesn't necessarily mean I'd succeed in pursuing her either, does it?"
"No,"
Rui Tachibana negated.
"If one doesn't work, change to two, until you find a suitable girl—a girl who won't make you feel tired,"
Lin Ye thought of matchmaking; in his previous life, domestic blind dates basically followed this exact process.
"That really is a simple, quick, and effective method, but I'll gratefully decline Rui Tachibana's advice. I know what I want, and I know what I want to do."
The two walked along the path heading out toward the school gate.
'Ta-ta-ta...'
The two walked side by side,
along Sobu High's tree-lined path, with trees rustling on both sides.
The evening breeze blew in from the direction of the setting sun,
cool yet carrying a faint trace of warmth.
In the teaching building office,
Hina Tachibana was standing by the window getting some air to clear her mind, but the two figures that appeared below suddenly startled her.
"Rui and... Lin Ye?"
"How did these two end up together?"
She instinctively pulled out her phone, about to call, but in the end her thumb didn't press down.
"I'll ask Rui when she gets home tonight. No wonder Rui told me to eat alone tonight—who would've thought!"
Hina Tachibana had assumed her younger sister had made a friend at Sobu High and was going out to eat with that friend, but the person she had actually gone out with turned out to be Lin Ye—the one person she could never have imagined.
Now,
Hina Tachibana grew expectant.
If by chance her sister and Lin Ye really were going out on a date, then she was quite looking forward to that development.
"It seems Lin-kun couldn't win over Yukinoshita, and has finally faced reality, deciding to try getting in contact with my sister,"
"My little sister Rui really is quite cute!"
"Gentle and obedient—where else could you find such a wonderful girl?"
...
She murmured softly with a smile; in a few years, she might just gain a new family member.
She looked forward to her future family life even more now.
"What are you grinning foolishly about, Hina?"
A voice suddenly pulled Hina back to reality.
"Hiratsuka-senpai..."
Hina turned to see a familiar person.
Shizuka Hiratsuka, dressed in a white coat, had come up before Hina Tachibana.
"What are you grinning about?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka took a couple of steps to the window and looked outside; there was no one in particular on the campus path below, so she couldn't make any connection.
"It's nothing, nothing,"
Hina Tachibana shook her head repeatedly, her tone awkward.
"You think I can't tell? Hiding things from me isn't nice,"
"There's really nothing."
"Really?"
"Mm, of course."
"Do you have plans tonight?"
"Ah!"
Hina Tachibana froze.
Surely Hiratsuka-senpai wasn't planning to invite her to dinner together!?
Wouldn't that be perfectly convenient.
"Senpai, you're..."
"How about we go for a drink together? It's been a while since I last drank, the stress has been a bit much, I need someone to keep me company while I drink,"
Shizuka Hiratsuka recalled her experiences of the past few days, the stress in her heart immense,
especially that one 'Akihabara Confession Incident,' which had dealt her an even stronger blow.
Even the big star Mai Sakurajima had a boyfriend, was dating,
while she, an old woman approaching thirty, couldn't even find a partner,
This wasn't right!
You had to understand, Mai Sakurajima was a big star—for the sake of her career she shouldn't be dating, and even if she was, she should keep it secret rather than officially announce it to the whole world.
Add to that matters at work, and Shizuka Hiratsuka was under enormous stress, in a very bad mood.
"Um... my alcohol tolerance..."
"Heh, you're still putting on an act with me? Your tolerance is no good? You think I'd believe that?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka snorted a couple of times. "You'd be better off saying you're having a big meal with your sister—that reason holds up."
"That's not it, actually—Rui has a date tonight."
"Oh!"
Shizuka Hiratsuka let out an 'mm,' then thought of something. "Who does your sister have a date with? It wouldn't be a boy, would it!"
Hina Tachibana was instantly stumped by the question.
How should she answer this?
Yes, or no?
Both were problems.
"So it really is a boy—that was fast! How long has your sister been at Sobu High, and she's already been asked out to dinner by a boy,"
Shizuka Hiratsuka once again suffered a massive critical hit.
High schoolers, every single one of them dating and not studying, huh! Every one of them with their heads full of nothing but love, love, huh!
Study properly for me—don't go dating! Dating now means an extremely high chance you won't get married in the future, so what's the point of dating.
The old single woman kept griping and complaining inwardly,
Her mood today grew even worse.
"Um, well... Rui surely knows quite a few boys here too, and besides, Rui is so cute, it's normal for a boy to ask her out,"
Faced with Hina Tachibana's explanation, Shizuka Hiratsuka suddenly wore a look of shock.
In Shizuka Hiratsuka's view, when faced with a boy approaching one's younger sister, shouldn't an ordinary older sister's normal reaction be worry and anxiety, hoping the sister wouldn't get too close to males?
How was it that Hina was completely different, not caring in the slightest that her sister might be swept away?
"You're not worried about your sister?"
"Not... worried—of course I'm worried, but I should also trust my sister. The fact that she's willing to go out shows the other person is acceptable. As her older sister, I just need to give her proper reminders and ensure her safety,"
This cheerful attitude was something even Shizuka Hiratsuka could hardly believe.
Was there really such an open-minded older sister?
Take Haruno, for example—if her sister Yukino went out to eat alone with a man, and Haruno found out, she would absolutely rush over immediately. She wouldn't stop it, but she would definitely secretly observe and protect Yukino's safety.
Or take herself—if she also had a younger sister, and she found out the sister was on a date with a boy, she would absolutely follow along to ensure her sister's safety.
"Fine! Since you, the older sister, aren't even worried, I won't say any more. Tonight—drinks—it's happily decided then."
Shizuka Hiratsuka patted Hina Tachibana's shoulder, settling tonight's arrangement.
Hina Tachibana agreed.
Since she didn't need to go home for dinner tonight, going out to eat and drink with Hiratsuka-senpai was quite nice too.
It had also been a long time since she'd had drinks with someone.
Now that she had a drinking buddy in Hiratsuka-senpai, she should be able to drink to her heart's content tonight.
As for worrying about her sister,
Hina Tachibana had none at all.
You see, she had pitched her sister to Lin Ye countless times, and Lin Ye had been unmoved, looking utterly uninterested—this showed that even if the two were in contact today, Lin Ye couldn't possibly be in a rush to do something or make something happen.
And though her sister was naive, she wasn't so naive as to be fooled by a man into giving herself away.
So,
Hina Tachibana felt completely at ease.
"I'll head back to my office to tidy up first,"
"Alright, Hiratsuka-senpai, I'll come find you at your office afterward,"
Hina Tachibana also began tidying up the documents and teaching records on her desk.
Tonight she'd just have a drink and relax properly!
Rui had even gone on a date,
so it wasn't too much for her, the older sister, to relax a little!
Thinking this, Hina Tachibana finished tidying her desk, picked up her ladies' handbag, and walked out of the office.
Soon,
she met up with Shizuka Hiratsuka,
and the two went together toward the parking lot,
Shizuka Hiratsuka driving to the izakaya they'd reserved.
"Hiratsuka-senpai, who's driving back?"
"We'll take a taxi back."
Shizuka Hiratsuka shot Hina Tachibana an annoyed glance. "You didn't think I was planning to drive back, did you!"
"No—of course not!"
But inwardly,
Hina Tachibana really did think so.
Based on her understanding of Shizuka Hiratsuka, the woman pulling off a drunk-driving stunt really wasn't impossible.
"If you dared to ride, I still wouldn't dare drive—I'm afraid of an accident too. Drinking and driving is an absolutely forbidden thing."
Shizuka Hiratsuka added, and these words finally put Hina Tachibana at ease.
She'd been overthinking it.
Tonight she'd just drink to her heart's content.
...
Tokyo,
Nerima Mall,
A girl in fashionable clothing was strolling with a bag in hand, her brown hair fluttering, a cool blue short-sleeved top paired with a knee-length skirt, a pair of slender long legs wrapped in black stockings—highlighting her youthfulness while exuding a faint sensuality,
She was a female university student who combined purity and sexiness.
She suddenly stopped in her tracks, gazing at a man who appeared ahead, frowned, and immediately turned around.
"Wait,"
"Student Ichinose, wait..."
Seeing the girl turn and leave, the man immediately quickened his pace to follow, and the girl walked even faster, even breaking into a run, but in the end she was still caught up to by the man.
"How many times have I said it—stop coming to bother me,"
"I'm not bothering you,"
The man's words were firm.
"Pestering me,"
"I'm not,"
"Harassing me,"
"That's going too far!"
The man pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"This is going too far, so don't come harass me. Harass me again, and I'll call the police to arrest you."
As she spoke, the brown-long-haired girl immediately took out her phone and pointed the 110 displayed on the screen toward the man.
The man's expression, however, was very calm, without a trace of timidity or wavering; to him, this had become routine.
It wasn't the first time he'd been threatened by the girl like this.
"Student Ichinose, please,"
As he spoke, the man lowered his head,
"I've already said I refuse. I have no intention of casually meeting some man of unknown background—who knows what bad intentions you might have."
"There aren't any, truly none. I just want to introduce our Nerima University's campus belle—you, Miss Chizuru Ichinose—to my Brother Lin. Brother Lin is really great, please do meet with him just once,"
The man was the otaku Honda Kazuya, who had once been swept into a 'Strange Movie' along with other companions, and had survived thanks to following Lin Ye.
In the end, after witnessing a companion who had died in the mission commit suicide in reality, he voluntarily promised Lin Ye to introduce the campus belle of his Nerima University, Chizuru Ichinose, to Lin Ye.
So many days had passed, and he had been working hard the whole time without giving up; it was just that he still hadn't managed to persuade her until now—except that now there was finally a turning point.
"Not interested. I have absolutely no interest in this Brother Lin you speak of,"
Chizuru Ichinose's gaze was cold, her right hand casually brushing back her long hair as she watched the otaku man before her,
"Don't waste your effort coming here anymore—I won't agree,"
"Student Ichinose, have you forgotten a certain promise you once made?"
"A promise?"
She had a promise with the man before her?
Chizuru Ichinose had no impression of it at all.
"Last time when I made my request to you, you once said you didn't want to fall in love,"
"Right, and I still don't want to fall in love now. I want to earn money, I want to save up, I want to realize my dream."
Chizuru Ichinose had a dream of becoming a female celebrity, and the idol in her heart was Mai Sakurajima, that underage, hugely popular female star.
"Right, but don't forget, you also said back then that you were a fan of Mai Sakurajima, and that unless Mai Sakurajima fell in love and started dating a boyfriend, you would agree to me—otherwise it would be impossible for you to agree,"
Chizuru Ichinose: ???
She remembered—back then, in order to shake off the bespectacled otaku, she really had said such a thing.
The female celebrity Mai Sakurajima couldn't possibly fall in love, much less have a boyfriend, and even if she did, she couldn't possibly announce it officially—she'd only secretly hide it away and date in private.
Therefore, her promise had absolutely no possibility of being fulfilled.
But now,
the situation had changed!
Mai Sakurajima had earlier been confessed to and kissed by that man, and today she had even explained, on a live-streamed press conference, the situation between herself and the man, confirming that the two were now officially dating and in a relationship.
This...
This...
How could it turn out like this?
Chizuru Ichinose's mind went a little blank,
Why had something with a probability of nearly zero appeared right before her?
Cursed.
Truly cursed.
"So, Student Ichinose, now it's time for you to fulfill your promise. Surely Miss Chizuru Ichinose, the second-year campus belle of Nerima University's Literature Department, isn't a girl unwilling to keep the promise she made!"
Chizuru Ichinose's lips twitched.
Of course she didn't want the bad reputation of breaking a promise, and she didn't think this otaku's 'smearing' and 'slander' could have much impact on her, but in the end she was the one in the wrong on this matter.
She could play the rogue, but she really didn't want to.
But meeting a strange man—she was nervous too!
If he really were some bad person, then wouldn't she be in danger?
The other party was looking for a campus belle, which clearly meant he liked pretty girls; this man liked pretty girls, so what would he want to do? There was no need to spell it out further.
"Student Honda, can I treat you to a meal as compensation?"
"I'll bring my Brother Lin along,"
Chizuru Ichinose: "..."
Do you value that Brother Lin of yours so much?
I, a university campus belle, am willing to treat you to a meal, to eat alone with you, and you still want to bring another man along?
Are you even a man?
Chizuru Ichinose stared for a good while, and from the otaku aura radiating off the other party, she immediately understood that this guy was probably only interested in 2D beautiful girls, and that his eagerness toward her came more from that 'Brother Lin.'
"I'm worried about safety,"
"The location can be decided by you, Student Ichinose, and we'll show up on time for the appointment,"
"I'll bring my friends along,"
"No problem,"
Faced with Honda Kazuya's ready agreement, Chizuru Ichinose began to believe him a little—this otaku probably really had no ill intentions.
But necessary precautions were still needed.
"So, Student Ichinose, does this mean you agree?"
"..."
Chizuru Ichinose still couldn't fully make up her mind, but at the thought that if she didn't agree, Honda Kazuya's pestering would never end and would continue endlessly,
From the first time Honda Kazuya appeared before her until now, how much time had passed?
It had already been very long.
"Fine. The specific location and time will be determined by me,"
"Alright, I'll contact Brother Lin to settle on a time that suits both sides."
Chizuru Ichinose nodded.
Honda Kazuya instantly let out a sigh of relief.
It worked,
He'd finally succeeded.
He'd finally arranged a meeting with Chizuru Ichinose for Brother Lin.
The hardships of this whole journey were known to him alone.
Arranging a date with a girl was truly too difficult, too tormenting, the psychological pressure too great; midway through he had truly given up countless times, thinking he'd just apologize to Lin Ye and express his regret.
Worst case, he'd spend money to take Brother Lin to one of Tokyo's higher-end red-light establishments for a good time.
But in the end, he held back and persevered, continuously launching offensives at Chizuru Ichinose, finally achieving a breakthrough on this very day.
"Thank you, Mai,"
Honda Kazuya was immensely grateful to Mai Sakurajima.
He was also a fan of Mai Sakurajima, and felt a certain degree of displeasure about her having a boyfriend, but because of Brother Lin's matter, what he felt was more surprise and delight.
A delight that fell from the sky, as if even the heavens were helping him.
Otherwise, why would Mai have suddenly gained a boyfriend out of the blue?
This must be his wishes succeeding.
"I wonder what kind of background Mai Sakurajima's boyfriend has."
This sentence likewise stirred up Chizuru Ichinose's interest.
"You're a fan of Mai's too?"
"Sort of!"
"Oh, an otaku who likes 2D beautiful girls is also a fan of a 3D big star?"
"In my eyes, Mai Sakurajima is the manifestation of my 2D beautiful girl in the 3D world."
It could be like that? Faced with Honda Kazuya's matter-of-fact response, Chizuru Ichinose was speechless.
"So a 3D beauty is the manifestation of a 2D beautiful girl, huh!"
"No—for example, you, Student Ichinose, are not."
Chizuru Ichinose nearly couldn't maintain her composure.
This guy really had no regard for face whatsoever.
Did she not look like a beautiful girl who'd stepped out of 2D?
Her looks ranked among the best in all of Nerima University—otherwise she wouldn't have earned the title of campus belle.
Perhaps, in the eyes of boys like Honda Kazuya, they really had no interest at all in real-world beautiful girls.
If that were the case, then how could that 'Brother Lin' Honda Kazuya spoke of be interested in her!?
Shouldn't an otaku's friend also be an otaku? Shouldn't he also have no interest in real-world women?
People really may be different from one another.
Chizuru Ichinose sighed softly.
Now she had developed a tiny bit of interest in that 'Brother Lin' whom she'd never met but had heard about more than once.
Meeting him, taking a look, was fine too.
But the premise of all this was ensuring her own safety.
She was unwilling to let anything happen to herself.
"I'll be going now—I'll contact you later, Student Ichinose."
"Mm, wait—you have my contact info?"
"I asked a friend to get it for me,"
Chizuru Ichinose was stunned, mainly startled that Honda Kazuya had obtained her contact number, yet had never taken the initiative to use the phone to contact her.
This surprised her greatly.
"You never thought of using the phone to contact me?"
"I did, but it'd be meaningless. You could just hang up and block me—I have no use for that method with its extremely low success rate, and that method would greatly provoke your disgust,"
That was true,
"But your daily behavior of seeking me out still provokes my disgust,"
"But haven't I succeeded now?"
A counter-question once again left Chizuru Ichinose unsure how to refute.
She had indeed succeeded—but this success was built more on the sudden incident of Mai Sakurajima abruptly announcing she had a boyfriend.
Yet she also knew that if not for Honda Kazuya's persistent 'pestering' over this recent period, the likelihood of her agreeing would have been very low too.
It was because she'd grown annoyed by the pestering and wanted to shake off Honda Kazuya sooner, to end this business of being pestered, that she finally relented and agreed to meet that 'Brother Lin' once.
In terms of result, he had succeeded.
"Goodbye,"
"Goodbye, Student Ichinose,"
The otaku Honda Kazuya said his farewell and left without the slightest sign of hesitation.
Chizuru Ichinose watched the otaku disappear around the corner, then continued her own shopping, but after walking for a good while, she found she no longer had her initial mood for shopping.
"Mai, you've really doomed me."
In the end, she complained about Mai Sakurajima.
Mai Sakurajima, the big star—why did she have to go and find a partner; though the help and care of the partner Mai Sakurajima spoke of did stir a bit of interest in her as well.
On the other side,
Honda Kazuya immediately composed a text message and sent it to Lin Ye.
"Done,"
"The thing I promised Brother Lin, I've already accomplished it,"
"Completed in full,"
"If I ever run into that kind of situation in the future, and Brother Lin is present, he'll surely lend me a hand,"
He, Honda Kazuya, would have his survival rate against the Strange greatly increased.
But after experiencing that one Strange event, he had never encountered the Strange again, which had led him to feel at one point that he wouldn't encounter it anymore,
and even when he was at a loss while repeatedly inviting Chizuru Ichinose, this became one reason he wanted to give up.
Since he wasn't going to encounter the Strange anymore, what was the point of inviting Chizuru Ichinose and introducing her to Brother Lin?
Chizuru Ichinose wasn't willing, and his continued pestering didn't carry much meaning.
He might as well give up.
It was just that,
in the end, after repeated deliberation, he still chose persistence and effort.
Brother Lin might not care, but he had made a promise; if one day in the future Brother Lin remembered it, and he had already given up on the invitation and introduction, how would he account for that?
The otaku Honda Kazuya recalled Lin Ye's performance in the Strange event,
One to be befriended only, never to be made an enemy.
Otherwise he wouldn't even know how he died.
Returning to the university dormitory,
Honda Kazuya immediately announced the good news of his successful arrangement.
"Congratulations, congratulations,"
"You've won over the campus belle of Nerima University's Literature Department—impressive, impressive,"
"Persistence really is useful—I'm going to go pursue another campus belle too."
...
"I already told you, it's not an introduction for me, it's an introduction for my Brother Lin—got it?"
Honda Kazuya looked at these dormmates of his,
and several dormmates immediately erupted in mockery.
They mocked Honda Kazuya so much that he fled the university dormitory building in disarray.
...
...
Meanwhile, Lin Ye and Rui Tachibana took the train to the shopping street,
"Let's just casually look for a restaurant,"
"Mm,"
The two wandered aimlessly, entering a secluded alley,
A grilled-meat restaurant came into view,
Smelling the tempting aroma of grilled meat in the air, Lin Ye looked toward the girl,
Rui Tachibana nodded to indicate it was fine,
so the two walked into the barbecue restaurant.
"Welcome."
Led by a waiter, the two walked in.
It was mealtime, but surprisingly there weren't many customers.
Lin Ye and Rui Tachibana chose a seat by the side and sat down,
He wasn't in a hurry to ask Rui Tachibana her purpose for arranging the meeting, but instead handed the menu to the girl, Rui Tachibana.
"You go ahead,"
But seeing Lin Ye shake his head, Rui Tachibana stopped insisting and went ahead ordering the ingredients.
A few minutes later, she handed the menu back to Lin Ye.
Lin Ye added a few more ingredients.
The stove was lit and began heating,
It was just a charcoal grill stove,
The charcoal was slowly turning red, releasing light and heat.
A few minutes later,
the ingredients were brought to the table,
Lin Ye picked them up and placed them on the grill rack.
'Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...'
Grease seeped out, the aroma wafting everywhere.
Faced with Lin Ye, who still hadn't asked anything, Rui Tachibana instead felt her inner pressure increase.
"Let's eat first! We'll talk after we finish."
This made it even harder for Rui Tachibana to bring it up.
She used her chopsticks to pick up a piece and ate it, and her expression instantly changed.
"So delicious—what kind of meat is this?"
Although Rui Tachibana was no gourmet, she had eaten quite a lot of meat; she was the one who cooked at home, but the meat she'd just eaten—she couldn't identify what kind of meat it was.
"Student Lin, you try it and see what kind of meat this is."
"Mm."
Lin Ye put a piece in his mouth and chewed, and after a mere second, his expression also changed.
"This texture and flavor..."
There could be no mistake,
This was an ingredient he had tasted in the Inner World.
Why would this barbecue restaurant have ingredients from the Inner World?
Lin Ye caught onto the strangeness of this barbecue restaurant.
This was a Strange restaurant.
...
...
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