Chapter 47: Nia: Dare You Say You're Not Tempted by Her Body?!
"I never expected Satoru's cooking to be this good. It's unlike a boy."
"Even better than Big Sister's cooking."
"Uh..."
Hearing her younger sister's words, Asahi, seated at the dining table, couldn't help but show an awkward expression before somewhat embarrassed continuing to eat with her head down.
This was Satoru's home, where they had been invited for a meal.
He seemed to live alone, but the house was quite spacious—large enough to accommodate several people.
She had wanted to help cook, but Satoru insisted they just try his cooking.
...Unexpectedly, his culinary skills were astonishing; she had never tasted such delicious food before!
She cooked frequently herself and was quite confident—usually surpassing most girls her age—but she was completely outmatched by Satoru...
"Ohh~ Satoru's cooking is still as amazing as ever~!"
"Indeed, this is the only merit worth praising about this person."
Meanwhile, Mei and Ayano, who were sitting nearby, also expressed similar sentiments.
These two weren't surprised at all, having known about this for a long time. In fact, they occasionally came over specifically to enjoy meals.
After all, someone's culinary skills were unimaginably superb—once you tasted it, it became addictive and absolutely unforgettable.
"Even though you're all enjoying the food so much, you still have to mock me. Well, whatever makes you happy~"
Seeing Ayano rapidly picking up food with her chopsticks while teasing him, Satoru couldn't help but laugh and shake his head while teasing back.
This kind of scene often appeared in anime.
After a major battle, there would be a reunion feast where laughter would dissolve past grudges.
Of course, since everyone never had any real grudges to begin with, it was naturally easier to bring them closer together.
...Naturally, he wasn't thinking of these people as his "harem," but rather as "friends" with whom he wanted to deepen relationships~
He certainly wasn't thinking about using his cooking skills to capture their stomachs and further increase their affection levels~
"Kurumi, don't just space out—have some chicken soup."
But right now, the most important thing was undoubtedly her.
"...Understood, thank you, Satoru~"
Kurumi, sitting beside Satoru, chuckled softly upon hearing this, then picked up the bowl of chicken soup that Satoru had just filled for her and began drinking slowly.
Although Kurumi's expression appeared as gentle as usual, there was a trace of confusion in her eyes, and her movements seemed slightly sluggish.
Even though she could tell the taste in her mouth was incredibly delicious, she wasn't in the mood to savor it carefully.
To be honest, she felt she probably shouldn't be in this place.
This space was filled with laughter and joy, the atmosphere too harmonious.
Although she had achieved her wish and Sawa was still alive—as long as they could find a way to solve the Reiryoku problem, she would surely recover...
But still, her hands were ultimately stained with blood. She had killed countless people and destroyed innumerable families.
Did someone like her really deserve to sit together with these pure, innocent girls and enjoy delicious food?
Back on that island, she had actually considered staying there alone for a while. After all, she could leave anytime she wanted.
She thought about living alone temporarily, perhaps even communicating more with Sawa...
But Satoru had brought her back with him.
"Don't mention it. Speaking of which, what do you plan to do from now on? Now that your wish has been fulfilled, you're not still thinking about 'chivalrous justice,' are you?"
"..." xN
When they heard these last words, all the girls who had been eating stopped and simultaneously turned their gazes toward Kurumi.
The term "chivalrous justice" sounded like a good thing, but everyone understood its actual meaning.
To change fate, Kurumi had previously killed many ordinary people—something they had all heard about before...
"Although all of those were irredeemable scum, continuing to do so now would still be illegal and would only add to your psychological burden."
Fortunately, Satoru quickly explained the specific circumstances, which slightly improved their expressions.
Even though it was killing, at least it was killing bad people, so...
Well, it couldn't be considered completely fine, but it was much better than indiscriminately slaughtering innocent people!
To be honest, they still held some reservations about Kurumi, especially after hearing she had personally killed thousands of people—that was truly terrifying.
Moreover, after her inversion earlier, her friend had also attacked Satoru, which made them still somewhat worried about Kurumi.
"Please rest assured, I won't kill anyone anymore~ As for Sawa's situation, I'll think of other ways to resolve it~"
"Yes, I should be able to solve this problem. With a few more inversions, that door should open more smoothly."
"Eh?! Satoru, are you planning to let that Ms. Sawa come out again?!"
Hearing this, Mei and the others immediately showed nervous expressions, clearly still apprehensive about Sawa's previous condition.
"Of course not now. We'll talk about it when it's absolutely safe."
Naturally, Satoru wasn't foolish enough to help her undo it immediately. Her emotions were even more unstable than Kurumi's in the original story, so it was better to wait until things were safer.
"...I'm sorry, Satoru~ I'll communicate properly with Sawa~"
"Well, after you resolve this issue, our Service Club's commission can be considered completely finished, right?"
"Yes indeed, you've been a great help~ I don't even know how to repay you properly~"
"Then why not just offer yourself in marriage~"
...
...
...
"I didn't say that. Nia, stop imitating my voice."
Hearing a familiar voice come from behind him, and sensing the atmosphere becoming quite tense, Satoru reached behind himself with a mix of amusement and exasperation, pulling out the silver-haired girl who had remained silent the whole time, complaining with some annoyance.
"What are you talking about? I just said what was in your heart, young man. And with such a beautiful girl, dare you say you're not attracted to her?!"
"..."
He was attracted indeed...