Muxiao was conflicted.
And utterly confused.
His mind was a whirlwind. Toa's words had hit him like a bombshell, overloading him with information. Taking it back? What did she mean by retracting those words?
And that so-called tentacle monster queen? This wasn't a beehive—why would tentacle monsters have a queen?
Muxiao pressed his forehead, overwhelmed. Too chaotic. I need to calm down. As he mulled, a steaming crepe was suddenly thrust in front of him. "Tentacle-kun~"
"???"
"I'm not greedy—I'll share. Try it! It smells amazing, and it probably tastes great too," Toa said. From the outside, she was a pure, adorable JK-style girl. No one would guess this sweet-smiling girl was a yandere tentacle monster.
Hmm, kinda like Saya?
"Why'd you only buy one?"
"Instead of two, sharing one's more romantic, don't you think? It's fine, I don't eat much," Toa giggled, urging him. "Try it, try it~"
"Sharing…"
You're not serious, are you?
"I'll do it myself."
"Don't you lack hands? It's inconvenient, right? And exposing your tentacles in public's a crisis," Toa insisted, holding the fragrant crepe to his mouth, unrelenting until he took a bite.
Muxiao glanced around, reluctantly opening his mouth. His sharp teeth bit into the crepe. It was delicious, but Toa's sweet smile, the ambiguous stares from passersby, and her faint fragrance made him awkward.
Why does this feel like a date?
"Tentacle-kun, doesn't this feel like a date?" As if reading his mind, Toa said cheerfully, deliberately biting the same spot Muxiao had, her vibrant lips grazing the crepe's mark.
Muxiao's brow twitched wildly. "Matsubara…"
"Call me by my name! 'Matsubara' could mean Houichi or me," Toa interrupted, squinting happily as she savored the crepe.
"…Toa-san, don't you have anything better to do than follow me around?"
"I'm usually free. Besides you, I don't have other close friends. The survivors from my old school probably hate my guts," Toa said casually, unbothered by their hostility, before putting on a pitiful expression. "Tentacle-kun, you don't mind me, do you? You're the only one I can talk to now…"
Muxiao almost nodded but, seeing her pitiful look and recalling her shared secrets, softened. "I'm just not used to you like this. As for someone to talk to, what about that queen you mentioned? Can't you communicate with her?"
"Who knows? She's all mysterious. I can't even meet her," Toa said, offering the sweet crepe again.
Watching him reluctantly bite where she had, her smile grew sweeter. "Are you really curious about her, Tentacle-kun?"
To onlookers, the young couple sharing a crepe looked undeniably romantic.
Muxiao knew this was too… But Toa's stubbornness made him fear she'd go full yandere if he refused. He still couldn't figure out why she was so fixated on him.
Just because I saved her?
"Just curious."
"If you're really curious, I'll dig up some info on her sometime," Toa said, taking his side despite the queen. "We're allies, after all~"
She remembers that.
Honestly, Muxiao had nearly forgotten their alliance since joining the Himegami Society, which Toa had introduced him to. Glancing at her with a complex look, he said, "If you acted more normal, Toa, you'd actually be a decent girl."
"Like now?" Toa leaned closer, her big eyes sparkling.
Muxiao didn't deny it, nodding. "You're much more normal now compared to the dark, yandere vibe at your old school. Way easier on the eyes."
"That's because I'm with you, Tentacle-kun," Toa said, kicking a pebble lightly. "I'm still a rotten, bad girl at heart."
"But what I did to Natsumi-senpai back then? I won't do that again. Don't worry," she sighed, playing with her braid. "I don't want you to hate me, after all~"
"…"
Toa suddenly hugged his arm, pressing her youthful, soft body against him unabashedly, her faint fragrance wafting. "You've got time, right? Let's have a proper date today, Tentacle-kun."
"…"
Muxiao and Toa crossed a busy intersection, arm in arm, looking intimate. Toa seemed like an ordinary, lively, cute girl, enjoying a date with her lover.
Muxiao couldn't find a reason to refuse, though he occasionally wondered about their complex relationship. She called them allies, but this didn't feel like an alliance. Lovers? Impossible—Toa was obsessed with her brother.
Yet these past few days, why was she clinging to him? And those words earlier… Muxiao also knew Toa had overheard his intimate moments with Natsumi and Reina multiple times.
He couldn't define this strange, ambiguous relationship with Toa.
"Tentacle-kun, look, a gym! Let's check it out!"
Muxiao's brow twitched. "A gym for a date?"
It was a reflex comment, but Toa lit up, hugging his arm tighter, her chest pressing against him, flaunting her figure. "You think it's a date too, right? Hehe~"
"As for the gym… I was frail before and never got to visit one, so I'm curious. Movie theaters and typical date spots can wait. Come on, Tentacle-kun~ Go with me~"
You're planning more dates?!
Her cutesy tone sent shivers down his spine. Suddenly, Muxiao spotted a familiar figure, and his lips curved. "Sure, let's check it out."