Chapter 115
As she read the reply sent by Takamine Mineo, the dark pupils of Tojo Nozomi's eyes momentarily constricted.
She fell silent for a short while. Only after several seconds had ticked by did she finally pick up her phone to type a response.
"I never imagined that the situation would actually develop like this!"
"I suddenly find myself at a loss for words."
"Mineo-kun... hiding this from me... How cruel of you..."
"Do you think I should show a bit of an angry expression right now?"
"Nozomi-chan, about this, the situation is a bit complicated... Actually, I also..."
"Forget it, Mineo-kun, let's end this topic here. Since I've already gotten the answer I wanted, the truth behind the incident isn't important anymore!"
"Did Eli just message you? If I'm not guessing wrong, she must be absolutely furious right now..."
"Next, what do you plan to do, Mineo-kun? Eli is my best friend; I don't want to see her get hurt."
As she sent the message to Mineo, a complex flash of light flickered in Nozomi's eyes. However, her outward expression remained perfectly still, showing no change at all.
At that moment, Mineo's reply came through.
"Nozomi-chan, tomorrow night, let's meet up!"
"There are a few things I want to talk to you about in person."
"Meeting me tomorrow night?"
Tojo Nozomi took a deep breath and then replied:
"Sure! As for the specific time and location, you can decide, Mineo-kun!"
"Alright, once I arrive in Tokyo, I'll send you a message."
"Okay!"
She rested the hand holding her phone flat against her shapely thigh. Nozomi stared off into the distance, her thoughts unreadable.
At the same time, Minami Kotori, Honoka, and the others had returned to the school rooftop. By now, the three young girls were beginning to look excited and enthusiastic.
"Mineo-oniichan! That—the Student Council President already agreed to make campus access permits for us."
"Roughly when will you be coming!?"
"Or how about we pick you up at the airport..."
"There's no need to pick me up at the airport, you're still students and have to attend classes! Wait until I arrive at the location, then I'll contact you again."
"Tonight, dinner is on me!"
After ending the conversation with Kotori and the others, Mineo set his phone aside. Tonight, Erina and Alice were coming to the restaurant to eat, so he needed to make preparations beforehand.
Time passed quickly until it reached six in the evening. A black Mercedes-Benz moved slowly along the street and pulled up in front of Mineo's restaurant.
Once the car doors opened, two pairs of slender, beautiful legs stepped out. The figures of Alice and Erina appeared on either side of the vehicle.
Erina's blonde hair, which usually flowed like a waterfall, was tied up into a cute, rounded bun. Resting against her elegant collarbone was a small, delicate white gold necklace.
A dress made of pure white lace perfectly accentuated Erina's slim physique. On her slender, pale feet, she wore a pair of thin-strapped high heels in a shimmering silver-water hue.
In contrast to Erina's all-white ensemble, Alice wore a tight black dress with an off-the-shoulder horizontal neckline. Even though the light in the sky was starting to dim, her pale legs still gave off a striking radiance.
With graceful steps, Alice and Erina walked slowly into the restaurant. Upon spotting Mineo, Alice immediately approached him.
"Mineo-kun!"
"Where have you been these past few days?"
"Why was Kobayashi-senpai guarding your restaurant?"
After Alice finished speaking, Erina also bit her thin lip slightly and said, enunciating each word:
"Regarding the matter with Kobayashi-senpai, what exactly is the story there?"
"Why was she... inside your restaurant!?"
"Could it be that...?"
Before Erina could finish, Mineo gave a helpless smile and said:
"Oh, My Lady and Second Young Lady!"
"Did you two come here to eat, or to interrogate me...?"
"I know you both have many questions you want to ask me right now."
"But, please take a seat at the dining table first. I'll finish up these dishes, and then we can chat slowly over the meal."
Hearing Mineo's answer, Alice gave a highly dissatisfied huff.
"Fine then, I'll wait for Mineo-kun to give us an explanation later."
"Erina, let's go..."
After Erina and Alice found a table and sat down, Mineo brought out the dishes one by one from the back kitchen.
Initially, the Eldest Daughter and the Second Young Lady sat there with serious expressions, brooding over certain thoughts. However, the moment they caught the mouth-watering aroma of the cooking, their attention was instantly diverted.
"Erina, even though Mineo-kun is indeed a bit annoying, his cooking skills are truly extraordinary."
"Look at these dishes—the color, aroma, and taste are so perfect there isn't a single flaw."
"How do you think he actually trained his cooking skills to this level...?"
Hearing Alice's words, Erina smiled helplessly.
"You can ask him that yourself later!"
"By the way, where are the things we brought?"
"The things we brought?"
Alice's expression turned confused, but after a few seconds, she hurriedly stood up.
"They're still in the trunk! I'll go grab them now!"
Just at that moment, Mineo emerged from the kitchen. After placing the final dish on the table, he asked Erina curiously:
"Where's Alice?"
"She went to the car trunk to get something! For our visit to the restaurant this time, Alice and I have each prepared a gift for you, Mineo-kun!"
"A gift? For me!?"
Hearing Erina's words, Mineo felt intrigued.
"You're just coming to my place to eat, there's no need to be so formal. By the way, if I may ask, what kind of gifts did you bring...?"
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