Dinner Gathering (5)

We continued walking as the path cleared up.

"He pays his own rent?"

"From what I heard-- unfortunately I wasn't at the scene. Nine said that he preferred somewhere the current place he's renting, since he didn't want to burden the family."

"I see.."

Doesn't want to burden the family huh? What a weird family situation, though I believe it isn't uncommon? I can only guess how he feels from this information but-- due to my upbringing, it's hard to say that one is a burden to one's family. After all, it's a personal opinion.

Like Liliath. She's both a burden and not a burden.

At the same time, I can't believe he's already earning a living through streaming.

"Thank you. I think I got to know Nine a little better now," he pays his rent through stream donations? No, there has to be some other source of income? I don't know the specifics. How much does Nine make anyways?

"Ah. I should thank you too for taking care of him."

We returned to the table. Nine, his mouth holding an oyster shell, gave me a suspicious look-- hey. I swear I did not just flirt with your big sister alright? Spare me that disgusted look!

"Noel, where did you get this?" Liliath asked, pointing at my half-full matcha green tea with milk in a cup. Half full? Is it half full, half empty? Who the hell knows?

"Yeah! How did you get this? I didn't see this being served," ah, I see. No wonder it's half-full, this devil drank from it.

"I actually just combined the green tea powder with some warm milk, stirred it and then added the cold one."

I had to use a coffee machine for warm milk, matcha powder from the shaved ice condiment counter, sugar sachets and cold milk from the tapped tank. All of which from different spots. Don't try this at home kids-- I mean, at a buffet.

The little devil gave me a weird look.

"I would like one. Do you mind to guide me? Sorry to trouble you," Liliath asked.

"Alright. Let's go."

And so starts our third round. I'm pretty full so after this would be desserts-- or should i start dessert now? Yeah, let's just get desserts on the way back. Time for some ice cream.

"Are you full, Liliath?"

She nodded. "Quite."

By the way-- Liliath is seriously not a big eater. She came back both rounds with a modest amount of food in fact.

I taught Liliath how I made the matcha milk drink-- don't try this at home kids. I only did it previously because there weren't all that many people around but those who saw me make this custom drink-- I got myself a good number of glares and some copy-cats on the loose.

Afterwards, Liliath and I went to the deserts section. We were about to pick up some ice cream and on the way--

"This is chocolate?"

"Yup."

On the counter, beside the beautifully arranged racks of bite-sized confectionaries ranging from cheese cakes to fruit jelly-- a chocolate fountain. It was quite tall actually. A few kids could be seen holding a stick on a strawberry-- forget I saw that-- I mean a strawberry on a stick and twirling it to coat the outer surface. Taking it out, the chocolate hardens in seconds, forming a nice dark crust.

"There's no problem utilizing this chocolate like how we did with this green tea conglomerate, correct?"

"I don't recommend it since.. there's probably a lot of people watching."

"Then it would not be a problem if there were no witnesses, correct?"

"I suppose.."

I have a bad premonition--

Alas, it came true.

Liliath came back with a soup bowl of chocolate syrup with marshmallows, and to top it off-- a straw.

...

"You do know this is different from the chocolate milk you took last time right?"

"I would never know if I never tried. So now onwards to the milk section?"

What the hell is going on.. I think I might need to review my thoughts on: women generally like sweet things. Has common sense brought back her love for confectionaries?

That chocolate is a little towards the bitter side though..

And so, Liliath made herself a bowl of chocolate milk cereal-- marshmallow cereal. She did manage to finish it, but vowed never to eat something like this again.

Our stomachs became full-- everyone had a satisfied expression on their face except Nine in her female form. Admonished by her elder sister, Tiffany, she held her stomach, moaning in pain as she clutched onto her stomach.

Prune's parents were shocked at the sight. Yep. Gender swap.

"Did I do it? I ate at least a hundred oysters. Assuming each oyster costs 3 dollars each, I ate around 300 dollars worth of food."

"You shouldn't have done that.. we're booking a special suite, and a single spot already costs more than usual but-- I think you almost beat it."

I think. I didn't have the exact number on the price of each seat but I'm sure it's somewhere around 300 to 400 dollars per person. I think. Well, I probably shouldn't have said that because Nine looked like she had just lost her soul while Tiffany looked at me with a pale face.

Whatever. I know it's a lot of money but welp, that's just how it is.

"Liliath, do you have any magic you can use to cure indigestion?"

"Indigestion? The best I can do is alleviate the pain. Overeating can't really be cured using magic-- from my mixed opinions."

"Okay. You don't mind if I use the points on the shop right?"

"There isn't any worth in saving points without use."

I brought my UI up, scrolled through the item shop and pulled out a small vial of stomach ache medicine. I saw this last time, so I'm sure I'm not using it wrong. Even the description states that it can be used during constipation, stomach aches caused by eating rotten food and overeating. The cost is 96 points-- that is after the 20 percent discount it had.

"Here, Nine."

"Eh! Where did you get that from?" Novelle looked at the item with wide eyes.

"The shop, Nine."

"Okay, what is this?"

"Just drink it."

"Ugh.. I'm so full though.."

"What is that? Medicine?" Tiffany expressed her doubts.

"Something like that."

Nine did eventually take medicine, saying something like it tasted like roasted cockroaches but edible. I wonder how she came to such a conclusion..

Her stomach pain gradually subsided and the effects were able to sustain long enough to bring the effect along through to his male form that also had a stomach ache.

"Let's take a group photo," Prune recommended.

We arranged ourselves appropriately-- a waiter came in and helped us with the shoot and with a click, our fancy dinner night came to a close.

Just as everyone was preparing to leave the restaurant, I scrolled through the UI again, thinking of any other possible uses of the points-- then I stumbled upon one.

"Prune," I called out to her.

"Yes?" shifting the gaze from the scenic view, she looked at me.

"Have you tried cooking dragon meat?"

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"Elder sister, how did you get here?" Nine asked, looking at the clouds as rain continued to pour heavily from the sky above. The night world that wasn't shrouded in darkness-- illuminated multicoloured shop signs, traffic lights and lamp posts. Each raindrop reflected a rainbow.

"By train," Tiffany took out an umbrella from her bag.

"Tiffany, is it alright if we drive you over? The Gilgamesh Garden station is quite a distance away isn't it?" My father recommended.

"It's alright. I can walk," Tiffany smiled to turn the offer down.

"We're going to pass by the station on the way back. It's alright to just join us," My mom said in a motherly voice.

"Ah.. Thank you then."

Ugine and Georgia, Prune's parents thanked us for the meal, seeing Prune off before leaving.

"See you. Will be missing you again," My mom said.

"See you big brother, see you big sister Liliath!" the little devil said.

"May we see you again."

"See you. Hope you had your share of Lilium, Novelle," I said to the little devil.

""Lilium?""

"Nevermind.."

After that, I believe my mom drove Tiffany to the station before going straight home with Novelle. The rest of us hopped into my father's car to return to the apartment.

"Noel, just to be clear," yawning as he spoke. "In the future, take my words with a pinch of salt alright. I'm not planning to start a family until I feel like I'm prepared for it. So all the cajoling I did was just for fun."

"That's good to know."

Basically, Nine is telling me that he's not falling for me.

"As much of a womanizer you are, I can't really blame you. It's part of your TALENT after all-- harem king."

"I don't have a harem?"

"Yet."

"Will never.."

I guess he's just worried about my circumstances huh? I won't be so easily deterred. No harem will absolutely come true.

Nine just looked away, gazing outside. Water droplets tracing the window, lights that shifted, shadows that stretched, shrunk, disappeared. The light hit his face, illuminating his side profile. Angular chin, hair swept to the side, and the sharpness of his eyes. The look of someone who had grown through countless failures and self-perseverance.

--If only he were taller.