Ding dong!!
A little past 8:00 PM.
The door to the Erdao Cafe was pushed open.
At this moment, Reze was leaning over a table, writing something. Not wanting to break her focus, she didn't turn around, simply calling out with her back to the door, "Sorry, the cafe is already closed."
"Reze, it's me."
The man's voice was very familiar. Reze immediately put down her pen and looked toward the door. "Denji-kun, what brings you here?"
If Denji had shown up at 8:00 AM, Reze wouldn't have been surprised. But it was 8:00 PM, and Denji had come to the cafe all by himself. If there were any holes in what he said next, Reze would absolutely blast him with a rocket.
"My Master went out this afternoon and hasn't come back. Aki didn't come home tonight either because of the whole breast pad incident. It's just me and Power at home, and there's nobody to cook, so I came here to get something to eat. And to see if you were safe, Reze."
"That's very sweet of you, Denji-kun. But why didn't Power come with you?"
"She's 'grown up' now and knows how to pan-fry steaks herself. And just to stop me from getting any, she hid them all!" At the mention of steak, Denji instantly clenched his fists.
He definitely wasn't going to bring a selfish comrade who only cared about stuffing her own face with steak to see Reze.
"Then what would Denji-kun like to eat?"
"If possible, a pork cutlet curry bowl."
"Alright, wait a moment, I'll go make it for you."
"Thank you, Reze."
Denji scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. After all, showing up to beg for food right when someone was getting off work... anyone else would have locked him out long ago.
"I'm already happy enough that Denji-kun came to keep me company. Don't act like a stranger," Reze said while wiping down the counter.
As Denji waited for his food, he noticed where Reze had just been sitting. There were a couple of books and some study materials left on the table. However, as for the contents of the books, Denji could only understand the pictures. He couldn't read a single word.
"Does Denji-kun want to learn?" Seeing Denji interested in the books, Reze took the initiative to ask.
"Of course. It'd be so great if I could go to school and take classes together with you, Reze."
"Why don't we go to school tonight?" Reze suddenly flashed Denji a sweet smile, the two of them locking eyes.
"Tonight?! Isn't school already out?" Denji was the first to lower his head and look away.
"Exactly. So there will be no one to bother the two of us while we study."
"That sounds great and all, but I'm afraid my Master won't be able to find me when he gets back. I was planning on heading home right after eating."
"It's rare for Denji-kun to not be with your Master. Come accompany me to school so you can experience it. I can even do that with you in the classroom..."
"What?! Reze, are you serious?!" Denji's face instantly turned tomato red. Who cares about his Master? Who cares about going home?! None of that was more important than going to a classroom!
"Of course. So, does Denji-kun want to go or not?"
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!!!" Denji's mouth turned into a literal machine gun, firing off the words non-stop.
"Then Denji-kun can sit down for a bit. I'll finish making your pork cutlet bowl right away."
"I'm not eating, I'm not eating! I don't have an appetite anymore," Denji laughed eagerly. At this moment, his previously dominant desire for food had been entirely usurped by other desires.
"It's already done. If Denji-kun doesn't eat tonight, you won't have the stamina to do anything else, you know."
Reze brought out the Tonkatsu curry and set it on the table.
Denji saw that there was no getting out of it. He grabbed a spoon and fork and rapidly devoured the entire tonkatsu curry bowl, wiping the plate completely clean. His eating posture was no less ferocious than a starving pig lunging at a trough.
"Alright Reze, I'm done! Let's go to school!"
"Denji-kun, you're so interesting," Reze beamed. She then picked up a napkin and gently wiped the grease from the corners of Denji's mouth.
Denji froze in place, his gaze locked directly onto Reze's lips. Even though he was full, he couldn't stop salivating. In his mind, he had already lunged forward and kissed her like a madman.
But in reality, he stood completely motionless.
Rumble!!
A clap of thunder echoed in the distant sky.
"Denji-kun, it looks like it's going to rain outside. Should we do it another day?"
"It's fine! We can just bring an umbrella!"
"It seems Denji-kun really can't wait to study together with me in the classroom."
"Yeah, yeah! Mutual studying! Because it's my first time, too."
"Then let's hurry up and leave before it starts raining."
Reze found two umbrellas, turned off the lights, and locked the door. The two of them ran in the direction of the school. Because it was about to rain, the night streets had become exceptionally dark.
"Denji-kun, walk slower. We have the whole night to study in the classroom, there's no need to rush." Reze was shining a flashlight from behind, lightly tugging on the hem of Denji's shirt.
"I'm just afraid it'll start pouring suddenly, that's why I'm walking fast."
"It doesn't matter. Worst case scenario, we can just stroll naked in the rain."
"Whoa, is it really that thrilling? Strolling in the street... with no clothes on..."
"What, is Denji-kun scared?"
"M-Me? How could I be scared?! I've even seen a ghost!"
"Denji-kun has seen a ghost?"
"Of course! This morning, my Master and I hunted a ghost. And that ghost even turned me into a breast pad! But in the end, it was killed by my Master, and its corpse got absorbed too."
"Arata-senpai absorbed the corpse?!" Reze knew how to read between the lines, immediately locking onto the crucial detail.
"No!! I misspoke! Master disposed of the corpse! How could my Master absorb corpses? It's not like he's some monster." Denji hastily corrected his slip of the tongue.
"Denji-kun, why do you like to lie so much? Later when we get to the classroom, I'm going to play the teacher, and then I'll spank you with a pointer."
"Teachers are supposed to educate students! How could they hit students?"
"Denji-kun really has never been to school, to not even know that."
Before they even finished chatting, the two had unknowingly arrived near the school.
Denji could already see the pitch-black building in the distance. During the day, it was a place bustling with youth and vitality. But at night, the massive school was entirely desolate without a single light on.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. The school's teaching building was illuminated for a split second.
BOOM!!
Followed immediately by a deafening clap of thunder.
"Reze, it looks like there's someone in the school."
"Are you kidding? How could anyone be there this late?"
"I just saw someone standing over there." Denji pointed at the teaching building, counting the floors. "Right when the lightning flashed, it looked like there was someone on the 8th floor."
"Denji-kun, are you trying to scare me on purpose?" Reze pretended to act angry, though inwardly she was completely unfazed.
"No, no! I probably just saw it wrong."
Soon, another bolt of lightning illuminated the teaching building. Denji's eyes instantly darted toward the 8th floor. This time, he didn't see anything.
"Denji-kun, stop looking. We're going to the 8th floor."
"Huh? Why the 8th floor?"
"Didn't you say there was someone on the 8th floor? So we'll go up and take a look. We can have a three-person study session."
"Reze... are you really that open-minded?!"
"What's the big deal? Back in the day, I used to study in a single room with ten other people."
"Well, alright then. As long as it's not a guy, I guess I wouldn't mind a group study session."
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