Comet Dragon, breaking into the gravity field

A few seconds later, she heard a familiar voice coming from the other end...

……

Not wanting to pry into other people's private affairs, Naruse Ritsu remained silent. While patiently waiting for Chihaya Aine to finish her call, he took out his notebook and wrote down his shopping list for the day.

The habit he developed in the past made him always carry paper and pen when he went out to write down the big and small things that happened along the way.

After all, in the world he originally lived in, there were no convenient props like mobile phones.

He was thinking and writing at the same time. However, when Naruse Ritsu had just written the fifth line, the voice of Chihaya Aine in front of him suddenly became louder, causing him to involuntarily move his wrist, and the tip of the pen drew a long ink mark on the paper.

"what happened?"

Noticing that she lowered the phone from her ear, Ritsu Narushe moved a little closer - but still keeping a proper distance.

"Um, that... my mother has something to tell you." Chihaya Aine lowered her head and returned the phone to its original owner. She didn't dare to look at the boy in front of her. Her mind was now a mess.

Not understanding what exactly happened between the mother and daughter, and glancing at Chihaya Aine who was in confusion, Ritsu Narose took the phone with a puzzled look on his face.

Then, he also showed the same expression as Chihaya Aine.

"Eh? 'Can I take care of Chihaya-san for a while?'" Ritsu Naruse was speechless for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.

"It's okay...it's just a small matter. There's no need to be so formal, Aunt Chihaya."

"But, Chihaya-san, you really won't mind?"

Without deliberately lowering his voice, Ritsu Narose looked straight at the other party.

Asking a girl to visit a man who lives alone is a bit outrageous no matter how you look at it. Even if they are neighbors, isn't it too trusting of him?

However, Chihaya Aine's reaction was beyond his expectations.

I thought she would be a little uneasy, but what appeared in front of Ritsu Narose was a smile without a trace of gloom on the girl's face.

While asking him for help with an expectant look in her eyes, she took the initiative to show weakness and apologize to him.

That's amazing, Chihaya Aine.

Unable to help but sigh, Ritsu Narose silently made another note of the heroine in the little notebook in his heart.

11. Supermarket shopping and oolong tea

In the vegetable section of the supermarket, Chihaya Aine, who was in charge of idling around, watched as Ritsu Naruse picked up a cucumber shaped like a machete and gestured with it a few times, then put it into a plastic bag with a satisfied look on her face.

This guy seemed to be completely immersed in the atmosphere of choosing food, and even forgot that there was a cute current JK next to him when he was drunk!

If this continues, won't her presence be even less than that of a ghost?!

"Um, Naruse-kun, do you have any favorite foods?"

Take out the "food deck" that appears at the top of the list. By using topics that interest the other party as an entry point, you can start a conversation naturally and avoid a possible dull moment!

"Favorite food?"

Picking up two stiff cucumbers and forming a cross sword stance, Naruse Ritsu thought for a moment before saying, "Does fish... count?"

Although he had mainly fed on water animals when he lived in the Yiqun Ridge, he went to the river to fish to fill his stomach for a long time after he transformed into a human form.

With just a few blasts of air cannon at the river's surface, a swarm of fish would soon surface, belly up. Occasionally, when the mood struck, I'd dive down below the surface like a predator, catching a few big ones to take home and enjoy.

"I wouldn't say I like it that much. I fish a lot, so I eat fish a lot... Does that count as liking it?"

"Well, I guess so."

I almost forgot, this person's hobbies seem to be slightly different from those of ordinary people. Thinking of the two statues in Naruse Ritsu's yard, Chihaya Aine thought it would be better to change the topic.

But before she could say anything, Naruse Ritsu, who had just finished picking cucumbers, took the initiative to ask, "Chihaya-san, do you have any dietary restrictions?"

"Hmm... something more sour."

Watching Naruse Ritsu pick up a tomato and then put it down, Chihaya Aine continued to ask, "Does Naruse-kun have any food he hates?"

"There's nothing I particularly dislike. If I had to say, I hate food that's so bad it's inedible."

Chihaya Aine: “…”

"Chihaya-san, is there anything you like?" As she was about to leave the vegetable area, Ritsu Narose looked back at the pink girl who was following closely behind her.

"When I first moved here, Uncle Chihaya and the others helped me a lot, so Chihaya-san, feel free to choose. You're welcome."

Upon hearing the unexpected news, Chihaya Aine, who had been daydreaming, suddenly came back to her senses.

I almost forgot that the person in front of me is a master who studied alone in Tokyo.

While politely replying to Naruse Ritsu, saying that she would follow the host's wishes, Chihaya Aine rolled up her doubts into a ball and flung them out with a nonchalant air:

"Is Naruse-kun always home alone?"

"Yeah, but sometimes I go to a friend's house to kill time."

friend?

If she remembered correctly, Ritsu Narose had only been in Tokyo for a few months.

How could she have made such close friends so quickly? She had few friends to talk to in London besides her roommate...

By the way, isn’t Ritsu Narose’s Japanese too good?

"Chihaya-san?" There was no movement behind him. When Ritsu Narose turned around, he found Chihaya Aine staring at a box of garlic in a daze.

"Well... I don't mind girls eating garlic, as long as they rinse their mouths promptly."

"Eh? Garlic? Me?" Looking at Naruse Ritsu in surprise, Chihaya Aine just realized that the place where she was daydreaming seemed a little strange.

Not wanting to give that impression at all, she hurried to the other side of the cart, keeping parallel with Ritsu Narose.

Although it was the weekend, the mall wasn't crowded at this time. Only a few housewives and their children were walking around picking out fruits, vegetables, and yogurt.

Occasionally, a woman with nothing to do would look at the two of them with strange eyes, but they were both focused on the food in front of them, while one was carefully calculating in her mind.

So until they bought everything on their shopping list, this young group, who stood out in the mall, remained in peace.

However, the atmosphere between the two did not become strange because of other people's gazes.

"It's really fake..."

Pushing the [Silver Thunder] loaded with vegetables, meat and other accessories out of the supermarket, the driver Ritsu Narushe sighed.

Upon hearing this, Chihaya Aine's first reaction was that she had bought a fake, but looking at Naruse Ritsu's expression, that didn't seem to be the case.

"Isn't that how it usually goes in novels? Two people go shopping at the supermarket, and at the checkout they come across a raffle, and then they win the first prize, a 'hot spring trip' or 'mountain accommodation' or something like that."

Walking together on the sunny streets, looking at Ritsu Narose who was talking beside her, Chihaya Aine once again confirmed that he was a strange person.

But it's not annoying.

If I had met him in London, would I have been able to persevere and not end up like this...

"Are you tired, Chihaya-san?"

"Hey, hey... a little bit."

With a playful and cute smile, Chihaya Aine, who had fallen a little behind, quickened her pace and caught up again.

More than ten minutes later, when she saw the two stone statues guarding the yard again, she was no longer as shocked as when she first saw them.

"Excuse me~"

Stepping into this unfamiliar house, Chihaya Aine couldn't help but look around.

The sun, nearing midday, streamed in from the balcony, adding a warm and bright atmosphere to the house. A pair of handles sat on the sofa in the middle of the living room, and a few unopened packages of snacks sat on the coffee table—it wasn't hard to imagine what had happened here before.

Pushing the cart to the side of the kitchen, Ritsu Narose didn't care about her living habits being discovered.

"Coke, coffee, oolong tea, and milk, what would you like to drink, Chihaya-san?"

“Oolong tea will do!”

After taking out two bottles of room-temperature oolong tea from the locker on the other side, Ming Lai Ritsu returned to the living room.

"Eh~ I thought Naruse-kun was the type who made his own tea." After taking the drink and slowly relaxing her body, Chihaya Aine finally felt like joking.

"Actually, I'm the type who likes iced drinks," Naruse Ritsu unscrewed the bottle cap and took the first sip of oolong tea, "but it's better for girls to drink less cold drinks."

"Besides, this unopened bottled drink is safer."

Chihaya Aine understood what he meant, but she didn't expect that the other party would care about this detail more than she did.

She was not like some sensitive people who thought this was a form of vigilance and felt unhappy. Rather, she felt relieved that Mingse Ritsu could be so thoughtful.

"How thoughtful, Naruse-kun."

"That's basic common sense, Chihaya-san."

Walking into the kitchen, Ritsu Narose sorted the purchased ingredients into categories while thinking about the menu for today's lunch.

However, just as he put on his apron, he saw a pink creature sneak into the kitchen.

"Oh! You look like a very househusband, Naruse-kun."

Seeing Ritsu Narose wearing an apron, Chihaya Aine's eyes lit up instantly. She had never thought that just an apron could change Ritsu Narose's temperament so drastically.

"Even if you praise me like that, I won't let guests help in the kitchen."

"It's a visit, a tour~"

Putting her hands together, Chihaya Aine's smile grew even wider.

12. Chef Breaks the Sky

The aroma of food being cooked wafted slowly from the semi-open kitchen. The sizzling sound of the oil pan became the ambient sound in this empty space, and the heart that was shaking with hunger also calmed down.

It was a perfectly ordinary scene, yet it exuded a calming atmosphere. Chihaya Aine felt like Alice falling down a rabbit hole, encountering a wondrous sight she had never seen before.

In the end, Ritsu Naruse agreed to let Chihaya Aine stay in the kitchen.

The space here is more than enough to accommodate two people, and since she is willing to take the initiative to help, Ritsu Narose has no other reason to refuse.

Although Naruse Ritsu often eats out, he also cooks for himself. Over time, his cooking skills and efficiency have naturally surpassed those of ordinary people.

Preparing one more portion wasn't a difficult task for him now. With Chihaya Aine's enthusiastic assistance, the lunch menu was quickly served steaming hot.

Perhaps because of their previous conversation, Chihaya Aine enthusiastically suggested that the lunch could be themed around "fish."

Ritsu Naruse doesn't care about it.

Rather, he felt a little sorry for Chihaya Aine's figure. Now that the opportunity to feed her was right in front of him, Naruse Ritsu wondered if this was his only chance in his lifetime.

So, he agreed to Chihaya Aine's request.

Pan-fried cod, fried fish fillet rice bowl with scrambled egg, yellowtail stewed with radish, and ice grass salad with fish roe - this is the menu for today's lunch.

There aren't many types, but the firepower is sufficient.

“Isn’t it too rich…” After bringing the dishes to the table, Chihaya Aine, who was sitting on the chair, stared at the food on the table as if facing a great enemy.

This color, this fragrance, this taste—

Turning to look at Naruse Ritsu, who was sitting diagonally across from her, Chihaya Aine faintly saw a golden light spreading across his entire body.

[That's the world of chefs. There's no fancy magic, only culinary skills that have been cultivated to the highest level!]

[Vegetable Cutter, Kitchen Helper, Chef, Head Chef, Chef Spirit, Chef King, Chef Emperor, Chef Master, Chef Venerable, and the pinnacle after the fall of the emperor - Chef Saint!]

[There's a daily gap between different levels of society, and the fish dish on the table could only be made by someone who has reached the Grand Perfection of the Master Chef realm, or even someone above the level of a Chef Spirit.]

[However, Naruse Ritsu was able to successfully prepare this set meal with the help of Chihaya Aine, who couldn't even chop cabbage properly!]

[This boy is so terrifying, he will become a great man in time! ]

"Are you telling a story, Naruse-kun?" After hearing his mumbling, Chihaya Aine gave an awkward but polite smile.

He's still thinking about that cabbage!

……

*Time goes back ten minutes*

Seeing the arbitrary look of Ritsu Narose in charge of the kitchen and managing all the kitchen utensils, a certain arrogant lunatic couldn't help but have improper thoughts.