Chapter 23: Peaceful dinner

As Benjiro's silence lingered, a palpable unease settled over the room.

Ema's irritation was evident as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, shooting Benjiro a pointed look.

Finally, Benjiro broke the silence, his voice hesitant yet resolute.

"I mean... you know what i mean, right?," he began, his gaze fixed on Ema. "I think we need to talk about what happened."

Ema's expression tightened, but she nodded, albeit begrudgingly. "Fine. Let's talk," she replied, her tone clipped.

Suzuki watched the exchange quietly, her eyes flickering between the others, sensing the tension in the air.

Kanna, ever the peacemaker, attempted to diffuse the situation with a forced smile. "Come on, let's not dwell on the past.

We're here to enjoy dinner together," she interjected, though her attempt fell flat in the face of the palpable tension.

Ignoring Kanna's attempt to change the subject, Benjiro pressed on.

"Ema, I owe you an apology." he said, his tone earnest.

Ema looked at him with a confused look, not understanding why he was apologizing again.

"Didn't he already apologize?" I thought, while the tension was raising from the dephts of my soul.

"Oh please... Don't say anything weird, Benjiro-Kun." That's what i could read from Suzuki's worried expression.

At that exact moment, Benjiro looked down and fell silent for a few seconds. He wanted to say something heavy, something that could ruin the friendly atmosphere that had been created between us. Benjiro lifted his gaze towards Ema. His eyes were sharper than a blade. You could feel pierced just by meeting his gaze.

"Ema. I'm sorry, but tonight—" In that instant, Benjiro slammed his new board game "violently" onto the table, using a force that could destroy the entire universe.

"TONIGHT I WILL DESTROY YOU! HAHAHA! I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!" He said with a malicious and wicked tone, accompanied by a villainous laughter straight out of an action movie.

Ema closed her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief.

She began to take slow breaths, inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth.

It seemed like a breathing technique from some anime.

After a few seconds, Ema opened her eyes and, standing up, pointed her finger at him, challenging him.

"Dream on! Dreaming is everyone's right! You'll never defeat me! I am the world champion of board games!" Ema replied with a determined and "heroic" tone.

"Ah, ah, ah..." Benjiro said, clapping his hands slowly. "I have trained hard to defeat you, Demon," he added, pointing his finger at her. "Tonight you will go home crying..." Benjiro added.

"I'm already at my home." Ema replied, laughing.

Benjiro was taken aback. "R-Right. But you'll cry anyway," Benjiro said.

Meanwhile, I chuckled at the sight of that scene.

So many things had happened in these few days that I had missed such a carefree scene from the old times.

"Come to think of it, it's been a while since we've gathered like this for such an occasion," I thought.

Suzuki was truly captivated and fascinated by that scene, watching the banter between Ema and Benjiro with great amazement, as if she were watching a movie.

Kanna, in the background, was laughing.

"Okay, you'll play later. How about I bring some food now?" I said, interrupting their challenge.

They both looked at me, with a lot of anger.

"Don't you dare interfere, human," Benjiro replied. "It's an unresolved matter between me and this monster."

"I think I agree. It's a matter between me and him."

As the tension between Benjiro and Ema simmered, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of apprehension.

Despite their playful banter, there was an underlying intensity to their exchange that left me uneasy.

"Alright, let's not get too carried away," I interjected, attempting to diffuse the mounting tension. "We're all here to have a good time, remember?"

Ema shot me a grateful glance, her earlier bravado giving way to a sense of relief.

"Fumihiro's right," she said, her tone softer now. "Let's put this aside for now and enjoy the evening together."

Benjiro nodded in agreement, though there was still a hint of competitiveness in his gaze.

"Fine, fine," he conceded, though his eyes sparkled with determination. "But don't think I'll go easy on you when we play that game later."

Ema flashed him a challenging smirk. "Bring it on," she replied, her competitive spirit reignited.

With the tension diffused, we settled back into our seats, the atmosphere lightening once more.

Kanna, ever the peacekeeper, took charge of serving the food, her cheerful demeanor helping to ease any lingering discomfort.

As we enjoyed the meal, conversation flowed freely, with laughter and camaraderie filling the air.

 Benjiro and Ema engaged in friendly banter, their earlier rivalry forgotten in the spirit of the evening.

Suzuki, too, seemed to relax into the festivities, her initial awe giving way to genuine enjoyment.

She chatted animatedly with Kanna, exchanging stories and sharing laughs as if she had known us for years.

During the dinner, we discussed about lots of things, and i told everyone about the girl that was about to come tomorrow, the transfer student.

"Guys, i think that tomorrow will be a strange day at school. Arai-sensei called me and told me about this Evangeline Beaufort, the transfer student. She's coming tomorrow." I said, opening the topic.

I saw Ema smiling at me.

"You don't plan to cheat me, do you?" She said with a gentle but murderous tone.

I softly chuckled at her reply.

"No, not at all. I think i'll just be a guide in school for her for a few days, nothing more. I'll introduce her to all of you." I said, while finishing to eat.

"Oh, okay. I'm not jealous. Not at all." Ema said with a really cute pout on her face.

"It doesn't seem so." Kanna replied with a laugh.

"Well, Fumi..." Benjiro stood up and walked up to me, to wrap his arm around my neck, hugging me in a friendly way.

"So... Will you introduce me to this girl too...?" He said with a mischievous grin.

I nodded at him.

"Yes, why not. You really need a girlfriend, don't you?" I added.

"Good job, Benjiro-Kun. That's a good way to protect my future husband. Thank you." Ema said proudly while giving him a thumbs up.

Meanwhile, Suzuki-san was staying silent.

She didn't like to see me and Ema acting like a couple.

I felt guilty in that situation but there was nothing i could do.

"Suzuki? Is everything alright?" Ema asked.

It looked like she was daydreaming.

"E-Eh..? Yes... i'm just tired, nothing more... Hehe~" Suzuki replied, with a glimpse of sadness in her voice.

"What time is it?" Kanna asked.

I checked up my phone.

It was 10 P.M. already. A little bit late.

"Oh shoot! It's pretty late, isn't it?" Benjiro said.

"Ema. I think that we'll play another time. Be ready to be destroyed." He added with a challengine tone.

Ema nodded and laughed at him. "Dream, my little boy." She said.

What a funny, peaceful scene.

I wanted this to go on forever.

Suddenly, Suzuki got a call from her father.

"Yes, dad?---Oh, is he already outside? Okay, i'm going." Suzuki said while hanging up the phone.

"What is it, Suzuki?" I asked her.

She blushed.

"N-Nothing... they came to pick me up..." She was looking away.

Ema surely noticed this.

Benjiro tried to interfere in the situation.

"Can you give me a ride to my home, Suzuki?" He said with a friendly tone.

Suzuki nodded.

"Great!!!" Benjiro said with a happy tone.

He was faking it to distract Ema from Suzuki's reaction.

Benjiro didn't want Ema to notice any strange behavior in Suzuki.

He then whispered something in her hear and she blushed even more.

Suzuki then spoke to us.

"So, we are leaving now, i guess. Thank you for dinner. See you at school , guys!" 

"Bye guys!" Benjiro added

We waved at them.

"See you tomorrow!" me and Ema said.

And so, as the night drew to a close, Benjiro and Suzuki bid us farewell, their smiles warm and genuine.

Ema and I exchanged a glance, a silent acknowledgment of the unexpected turn of events that had brought us closer together.

As I watched them leave, I couldn't shake the feeling of contentment that settled over me.

Despite the bumps along the way, tonight had been a reminder of the power of friendship and the importance of cherishing those moments of connection.

With a smile, I turned to Ema, her presence a comforting anchor in the midst of life's uncertainties.

Together, we cleaned up the remnants of the evening, the warmth of companionship guiding us forward into the night.

"Good night... guys... *yawn*" Kanna said with a tired tone, while going into her room and closing the door.

"Goodnight, Kanna." I said while smiling.

"Goodnight, sister!" Ema said.

Such a peaceful dinner.

My mind was at ease and i was feeling happy, like i've forgotten all that happened the past days.

I then hugged Ema from behind and gave her a small kiss on her cheek.

"I love you, Ema." I whispered to her ear.

Her body trembled , but in a positive way.

She really liked that.

Ema's hand then reached for my right cheek, caressing it softly.

"I love you too..." She replied.

Ema then turned towards me, and I saw that her eyes were wet, as if she were about to cry at any moment.

She wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed me in a very passionate way.

After one minute, she broke the kiss.

"There's something i want to tell you... but let's first finish this upstairs, in my room... shall we～?" She said with a heavy breath and a very seductive and sexy tone.

I was really excited.

"This is gonna be a wild night." I thought.

But...