"Please come in," Saten Ruiko said, opening her dorm room door and smiling as she invited the two inside.
"Excuse us," Rod took off his shoes and entered, immediately taking in the scene inside the dorm.
The dorm wasn't large, but it was well-equipped; a low table sat in the center, next to a single bed, and a desk was pressed against the window. The girl's room was clean and tidy, subtly revealing her efficiency.
"Ex-excuse us..." Frenda, swallowing her saliva and looking nervous, snuck in like a thief.
Rod gave Frenda a speechless look, a look that made Frenda's heart almost leap out of her chest, not from shyness, but from fright.
"I'm not going to eat you," Rod said, amused.
"Eeek!? I...I wasn't scared," Frenda replied timidly.
At this moment, she truly felt like crying, but had no tears. She wanted to slip away, but was afraid of Rod's displeasure.
Seeing this, Rod shook his head speechlessly, no longer paying attention to her, and sat down cross-legged.
"Mr. Rod, is oolong tea okay?" Saten Ruiko asked Rod, taking a can of oolong tea from the refrigerator.
"That's fine," Rod nodded casually in response.
"You sit down too, Frenda," Saten Ruiko said, handing Rod a cup of oolong tea, then looked speechlessly at Frenda, who was cowering to the side.
"Uh, no...good." Frenda, who was about to refuse, glanced at Rod's expression, and the moment she noticed the change in his face, she appeared in front of the wooden table as if by teleportation.
"So fast, are you also an Item user?" Saten Ruiko teased, pushing the oolong tea in front of Frenda.
"Wuwuwu..." Frenda puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Saten Ruiko.
Saten Ruiko, who didn't seem to mind at all, stood up and went into the kitchen, carrying canned mackerel.
"Just a moment, I'll start cooking right away."
Then the kitchen door closed, leaving only the two in the room.
Rod, silently sipping his tea, casually asked,
"Has the Item organization had no missions recently?"
"Ye-yes, we haven't received any missions recently. We're all in a state of rest," Frenda replied to Rod's question, kneeling and looking serious.
"You're an Itemless, aren't you?"
"Yes, I'm an Itemless, but...but I have a deep understanding of demolition and firearms," Frenda quickly retorted, thinking Rod was looking down on her for being an Itemless.
If Rod said anything in front of Mugino Shizuri, she was sure she'd be kicked out. Who knew why Mugino was so obsessed with the person in front of her.
He was merely pleasant to look at, had a deep, magnetic voice, and a self-centered personality.
The more she thought about it, the more Frenda's eyes became like mosquito coils, and her cheeks flushed even more.
"What's wrong?" Rod's deep voice entered her ears, making Frenda's ears flush and her head feel dizzy.
"N-nothing," Frenda's beautiful legs, clad in black stockings, tightened slightly as she replied tremulously.
'This...this reaction...I didn't expect this girl to be into such kinky things.'
Rod clearly misunderstood something. One should know that he had seen hundreds, if not a thousand, forbidden anime in his previous life, especially those from studios like Raihaiken; he could even precisely type out their URLs.
Seeing this, Rod stopped asking, letting the girl in front of him enjoy herself.
Frenda, not understanding why, chose to shut up. If she knew Rod's thoughts, who knew how she would react.
"Curry's ready!" Time passed, and as the kitchen door opened, the aroma of curry wafted out. Saten Ruiko emerged, carrying two plates of mackerel curry and rice.
"You actually used precious canned mackerel to make curry, unbelievable!?" Frenda slapped the table, clearly considering it a desecration that her cherished mackerel was made into curry.
"The curry's flavor is too strong; any ingredient will be masked by the curry's taste. The mackerel's flavor and deliciousness are gone, completely ruined!? How can such a dish be good..."
However, after tasting the mackerel curry, Frenda showed a look of astonishment, then began to eat frantically, followed by heartfelt praise.
"It's delicious!?"
"The hot curry combined with the richness and deliciousness of the mackerel didn't cancel each other out, but rather complemented each other, dancing wonderfully on the tongue."
This gourmet critic's demeanor was a stark contrast to her previous denial.
'This kind of behavior reminds me of an old friend.'
Rod propped his cheek with one hand, shaking his head with amusement.
"Don't talk while eating," Saten Ruiko instinctively lectured, as if she were teaching her younger brother.
"Mmm~ Deilig ^o^!?"
"Deilig?" Saten Ruiko tilted her head in confusion, not understanding.
"It means delicious, hawu hawu~" Frenda explained while frantically shoveling curry into her mouth.
"A foreign language? Never mind, as long as it suits your taste," Saten Ruiko said with an awkward smile.
"Another bowl!?" Frenda, who had no concept of politeness, pushed her already empty plate towards Saten Ruiko.
"You're really impolite, you! How is it? Mr. Rod, does it suit your taste?" Saten Ruiko rolled her eyes at Frenda, ignoring her request for more rice, and asked Rod nervously.
"It's very delicious, not inferior to some restaurants. Saten Ruiko has excellent cooking skills," Rod praised sincerely, chewing the mackerel with the spicy aroma of the curry.
"Then please eat more, Mr. Rod. There's still more in the pot." Praised by the person she admired, and with his intimate use of her name, Saten Ruiko's face showed shyness, and she felt delighted.
"Wuwu!? Another bowl." Frenda became inexplicably annoyed at the sight, waving her empty plate in front of Saten Ruiko.
"Go get it from the pot yourself!?" Saten Ruiko's shy demeanor changed, and she pointed towards the kitchen, her face grim, as she spoke to Frenda.
Frenda, feeling a deep sense of pressure, dared not say another word and scurried into the kitchen.
"Hmph!? This face, I've seen through you, Saten Ruiko. But, this curry is really, really delicious." Although Frenda complained, she still filled her plate with curry, and tears of sorrow streamed down her face.
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