Like the other chocolates he had eaten, whether from Kaguya or Asuna, these were just as delicious.
You could tell the difference between something made with care and something made without.
"How is it?" Megumi asked, slightly nervous.
"Mhmm, very delicious," Yusei said with a smile.
Megumi let out a sigh of relief, gently patting her chest.
"I was afraid they might have gone bad."
"Haha, not that bad. Chocolate doesn't spoil so easily in winter. Besides, even if it had, I'd still eat it. No matter what, it's Megumi's sincere effort."
"Eh?" Megumi was slightly stunned, her pretty face blushing at a visible speed before the color faded again.
She seemed afraid to meet Yusei's gaze, slightly shifting her eyes to look elsewhere.
Yusei didn't say anything else that might be misunderstood.
Seeing Megumi blush a little today was already a win. After all, she usually seemed so utterly calm, like a saint detached from worldly affairs.
Afterwards, the two moved on to studying.
Originally, Megumi had asked Yusei to tutor her primarily to get a chance for them to be alone and to give him the Valentine's chocolates. She hadn't actually expected Yusei to tutor her.
She knew Yusei's academic grades all too well as his deskmate.
However, over the next few hours, Megumi was shocked and astonished. Problems she found difficult were solved swiftly under Yusei's pen.
In just one morning, Megumi made huge improvements in various subjects, especially mathematics and physics.
"So, so amazing... Yusei-kun." Megumi looked at the scratch paper filled with writing, gazing at Yusei with admiration.
"Well, it's alright. Can these kinds of problems really be considered the highest difficulty tie-breaker problems in Olympiad competitions?" Yusei said very modestly.
"Mhmm, thank you, Yusei-kun."
Today, Megumi had gains in every aspect.
Both academically and emotionally!
"It's already noon. I should probably head back. I have a few little sisters at home."
Looking at the time on the wall, Yusei smiled at Megumi.
"Okay. Thank you very much for your help today, Yusei-kun." Though somewhat reluctant, Megumi replied with a calm smile.
As if suddenly remembering something, she quickly said, "Please wait a moment! I'll go get something."
Megumi hurried downstairs. Yusei followed and saw her gathering biscuits, milkshake, cake, and other things.
"This is...?" Yusei looked at Megumi, puzzled.
Megumi was packing them together. Hearing his question, she smiled faintly, "Please take these for your little sisters to eat. Even though I'm not good at much, I can still make some snacks."
Under her gaze that seemed to say 'You must accept them', Yusei could only nod and take the package.
"Alright, I'll accept them then. Thank you, Megumi. They will definitely like them."
Yusei walked out of Megumi's house. Seeing her still at the door seeing him off, he smiled slightly, turned back, and said,
"Megumi, you're very capable. You'll definitely make a good wife in the future."
After saying this, Yusei didn't look back at Megumi, because he already knew what expression she probably had now.
Shy? He wasn't sure, but she was certainly thrown into confusion for a short while.
…
The streets of Tokyo felt more vibrant than usual.
A while ago, due to various reasons, the entire city was shrouded in gloom.
It was either raining or overcast all day, making people feel oppressed from within.
But now, the weather seemed to have returned to normal, becoming much better.
Following the route he came by, Yusei took the train, planning to head home and check if that unreliable dragon maid had properly cooked the meal.
However, on the train, a figure caught Yusei's attention.
That figure also seemed to see Yusei. After a moment of surprise, she ran towards him.
"Yo, long time no see, Rich Boy-kun."
"What kind of nickname is 'Rich Boy-kun'?" Yusei retorted.
"Well, it's based on my impression of you. I think it fits quite well." The girl said cheerfully, looking very lively and energetic.
The person who came was Kaori. By sheer coincidence, they had met on the train.
Today, Kaori was wearing a thick down jacket, which is very warm, with a skirt reaching her knees and warm tights, giving off a fresh and bright youthful feeling.
But the most eye-catching thing was the violin case on her back.
Yusei saw the violin and asked curiously, "Did you go for a violin lesson with your teacher today?"
His impression of this girl remained centered around lending the umbrella, the violin, and the ALS skill.
The precious ALS skill was one that even Yusei couldn't bring himself to remove yet. The [Violin Performance] skill he copied last time had been replaced by the [All-Rounder] skill.
Yusei's current skills were: Sunshine Girl, All-Rounder, ALS, Electricity Storage, and Healing Spell.
Hearing Yusei's question, Kaori shook her head, "No, there's a violin competition today. I'm going to participate."
"Oh? A violin competition? You seem pretty skilled."
"It's just for teenagers, and only in the Tokyo region."
Kaori stuck out her tongue playfully, looking somewhat embarrassed but still very cheerful and lively.
Seeing the girl like this, Yusei hesitated slightly. He didn't know if she had listened to his advice from last time.
'She seemed like a nice girl.'
'It would be a pity if she just died.'
"Last time, I told you to get a check-up at the hospital. Did you go?" Yusei asked.
"Uh, that... I did. The doctor said I'm fine."
Kaori remembered their first meeting and Yusei 'fortune-telling' for her.
After looking it up online, she had basically concluded that Yusei was a rich kid playing at being mystical.
Go to the hospital? She never went. But to prevent this rich boy from asking further, she'd just say she did...
"The doctor said you're fine?" Yusei frowned, opening his left eye to scan Kaori.
The ALS was still there. It had even progressed from the initial 'mild' stage to 'moderate'.
The condition has worsened...