"Chapter 395: A Walk Through the School Festival Full of Events."

Seeing Ada and Chun-Li head toward the Chinese restaurant run by Kuga, Alex gave a small smile. Both girls were curious to see just how different the flavors were — whether Soma's hujiao bing or Kuga's traditional Chinese dishes would come out on top.

Alice, Nobukatsu, Valeri, and Göll followed after them, deciding to try the Chinese cuisine as well. However, their enthusiasm waned quickly once they saw the people inside letting out near-moan-like sounds of pleasure with each bite. The sight of such "delicious" food was, frankly, a little unnerving.

Casting one last glance at his family disappearing into Kuga's restaurant, Alex turned his eyes to GIR, MIMI, and Stitch — who, as always, had already managed to find food somewhere. Alex just hoped they hadn't raided a stall and that no one would come demanding compensation. Either way, he decided not to ask questions and kept moving — on the hunt for something tasty.

GIR, MIMI, and Stitch immediately followed him, hoping to find something truly worth the effort. The trio had already figured out that food in the central zone of the festival was far tastier than what you'd find on the main street.

"Where are we heading next? What do you want to try?" Alex asked, glancing back.

"Meat," the trio answered in unison.

"Well, then let's find some meat," Alex said with a grin, popping a candy into his mouth.

With his hands behind his head, he strolled past Soma's food cart. Soma silently watched him, especially after Alex had tried his dish — and hadn't shown the slightest reaction. No amazement, no surprise — just a simple "tasty" and nothing more. That stung Soma's pride deeply.

Noticing the intense gaze, Alex just smirked and casually tossed a candy at him. Soma caught it, glanced at the sweet in his hand, then looked back at Alex, who was already walking away with that lazy gait of his, like he was already bored of everything in the world.

Meanwhile, the trio had caught a scent. A real, juicy, mouthwatering aroma of grilled meat. Stitch especially — drool poured from him like a waterfall.

Alex looked at the "flood" with mild confusion before realizing — the path was obvious. Just follow the smell. Reaching the source, they found a large crowd. No wonder, with that kind of aroma in the air.

He scanned the line, then looked at Stitch, who was practically half-drenched in drool. Alex briefly considered whether to do what Freya would — charm everyone and skip the line entirely.

"Hey, handsome, come over here!" came a familiar voice behind him.

Alex turned to see Loki, Riku, Moira, Jill, Revy, and Shizuka sitting at a table piled high with meat and a whole battery of empty cans.

For GIR, MIMI, and Stitch, the invitation was a lifesaver — they'd been about ready to start a food riot. Without hesitation, they dashed over and began devouring everything in sight without even asking for permission.

Instead of getting angry, the girls burst out laughing. As Alex walked over, he noticed all the cans were empty — and instantly understood what that meant. Sighing internally, he approached the girls, and just as he was about to grab a chair, Loki stood up from hers, pulled him down into it, then sat herself on his lap.

"Girls, I'm no prude… but I still have to ask: what exactly are you drinking?" he asked, eyeing the empty containers suspiciously.

"What do you mean? Beer, of course. What's a grilled meat party without beer? It's a classic!" Moira answered, taking a swig from another can.

"This is a school festival. A family-friendly event. Children's area," Alex rolled his eyes and placed a palm on his forehead.

"Oh, stop whining. No one's gonna find out. Just try the meat — it's divine!" Loki said, and before he could argue, she shoved a piece right into his mouth.

Tasting the meat, Alex instinctively nodded — the grill here was top-notch. Even if the girls were washing it down with beer, he had a way to handle any issues with the organizers, should someone try to kick them out. Deciding to sit with the girls for a while and chat, Alex wanted to know how the festival was going for them — were they actually enjoying the event, or had they just been eating meat and drinking beer the whole time? Judging by their satisfied faces, they were clearly enjoying the celebration to the fullest.

As he had with the others, Alex placed a small bottle of digestive medicine on the table — just in case someone overate and got a stomachache.

"Where are Hestia and the others?" he asked while chewing another piece of meat that Loki had sneakily stuffed into his mouth.

"That shrimp's wandering around with Hephaestus somewhere. The rest scattered too. We're just sitting here enjoying the delicious meat," Loki answered lazily, leaning against his chest.

"I saw Lucy, Lucina, and Kiwi," added Moira, waving toward the direction the girls had gone. "They mentioned something about ramen."

"Ramen, huh? Sounds tempting," Alex mused. "Last time I was in Japan, I didn't get a chance to try it. And I doubt a zombie chef could've prepared it properly."

"Now I want ramen too... But I'm staying put for now. That last piece of meat was clearly one too many," said Shizuka, grimacing slightly and rubbing her stomach.

Alex sighed and silently placed the medicine bottle in front of her. Shizuka instantly grabbed it, popped a tablet, and leaned back in her chair, waiting for the discomfort to pass.

After sitting a bit longer, Alex decided to go in search of ramen — maybe he'd run into Lucy, Kiwi, and Lucina. Before leaving, he kissed the girls goodbye and told them not to overeat. In response, the girls waved him off, clearly signaling they weren't kids. Smirking, Alex tugged along GIR, MIMI, and Stitch — the trio who clearly didn't want to leave the meat stall. But when they heard that ramen also had meat in it, the foodies bolted ahead.

Following the academy map, Alex made his way to the area where ramen was being served. As he got closer, he noticed a strange crowd and muffled voices coming from it. Curious, he and his companions pushed through the people — and came upon a very strange scene.

On the ground sat a ramen stand student in uniform, crying his eyes out, snot and tears running down his face — he looked as if his very soul had been drained.

Next to him, sitting calmly, were Lucy, Lucina, Kiwi — along with White and Red. But what shocked Alex most was that White and Red were still talking, and the student's face was growing paler by the second.

Rubbing his face at the onset of a headache, Alex decided to find out what had happened. Skirting around the poor chef, he approached his girls.

"Girls... what happened here? Why is this poor guy on the floor crying?"

Lucy, Lucina, and Kiwi exchanged glances, then looked over at the student — they knew exactly what had happened, and who was responsible. It had started when the three of them decided to try ramen and ran into White and Red along the way. Inviting the androids to come along, they went to the ramen stall and placed their order.

But White and Red immediately began to thoroughly analyze the dish — its taste, texture, ingredients, cooking method, spice balance...

Unfortunately for the student, their critique was so brutally detailed that he just couldn't take it and broke down in tears, which quickly drew a crowd of onlookers. All the poor guy had wanted was to serve a bowl of noodles.

After hearing the story, Alex couldn't help but glance at the student with sympathy. The guy had simply been unlucky to run into the analytical might of White and Red. But Alex hadn't come here to sympathize — he wanted ramen.

"Hey, student," Alex said, looking at the poor guy. "Quit crying. Did you come to this academy to become a chef? Do you think these two are the toughest clients you'll ever have? Believe me, it only gets worse from here. If you're going to react like this every time, you'd be better off quitting now and becoming an office clerk. By the time you're thirty, you'll be bald and chugging coffee by the gallon just to stay awake at your desk."

At Alex's words, sorrowful sighs rippled through the crowd, especially from a few men who clutched their chests in offense, as the sun gleamed off their thinning scalps. Those who noticed the scene quickly covered their mouths, trying not to laugh.

But Alex's speech lit a spark in the student's eyes. He remembered why he had come to this academy — with dreams and ambitions. His dream was simple but sincere: to open a restaurant that served the tastiest ramen imaginable. Remembering this, the student's eyes burned with determination, and he promised himself he'd make ramen that no one would dare criticize.

Suddenly springing to his feet, he dashed back into the kitchen, eyes blazing, ready to show the world what he was capable of. The inspired crowd applauded Alex for his words, which had seemingly brought the young man back to life. But Alex simply shook his head — he hadn't said it to be motivational; he just wanted a decent bowl of ramen without having to search for another stand.

"Hahaha, Alex, there you go again. Your words made that poor student believe in himself. Come here, I'll give you your reward," Lucina said, patting the spot next to her.

"I just didn't want to go looking for another ramen stall," Alex replied calmly as he sat beside her.

The moment he sat down, Lucina kissed him on the cheek.

"But that doesn't change the fact that student's self-esteem is pretty fragile," Kiwi remarked, pointing her chopsticks toward the kitchen.

"Sigh... And you two, how many students have you already pushed into an existential crisis?" Alex asked with a light sigh, glancing over at White and Red.

"If constructive criticism makes them give up, then they never should've pursued this in the first place," White replied coldly.

"Without critique, they can't see their mistakes. And without seeing mistakes, they can't grow. Without progress, all their effort is meaningless. No matter how much they try to comfort themselves — taste doesn't lie," Red added with equal calm.

"I'm not against criticism. It's just... the way you two say things, it sounds like you're actively trying to break people," Alex said, resting his cheek on his hand.

"That's not our problem," the two girls replied in unison.

Alex shook his head, chuckling softly. Deciding to change the subject, he asked where the girls had already been and what food they'd tried at the festival. As they chatted, waiting for the ramen, he couldn't help but wonder: how many students had been reduced to tears by White and Red? After all, their databases held terabytes of global culinary data, including critiques from professional reviewers. They were true experts.

When the girls listed how many stalls they had visited, Alex came to the conclusion that half the festival's participants had probably lost all confidence in their cooking abilities. Or… maybe they had managed to endure it.

But that was no longer his concern — because at last, the ramen arrived. Taking a bite, Alex immediately felt the student's piercing gaze, holding his breath in anticipation of a reaction. Alex sighed. The ramen was good. Not exceptional yet, perhaps, but the guy was definitely on the right track.

Smiling slightly, Alex nodded in the student's direction. The young man clenched his fist under the counter, and the fire reignited in his eyes.

Lucina and Kiwi watched the scene, smiling and shaking their heads.

"I thought you were about to start criticizing him too," Kiwi said, sipping her green tea.

"I wouldn't say this ramen gave me some kind of culinary epiphany, but... the flavor is pleasant, rich, not greasy. It's decent enough to fill your stomach. Especially considering this is only the second bowl of ramen I've ever had," Alex replied, continuing to eat.

"Wait... when did you have ramen the first time?" Lucina asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Oh, come on — like you don't know. Back when we lived in Night City, you dragged me into that ramen restaurant on our first date. The meat was synthetic, but to be honest, the taste wasn't bad. We even ordered delivery from there afterward," Alex said, smirking as he pinched Lucina's nose.

Lucina smiled, leaned against Alex, and rested her head on his shoulder. Their relationship had just begun to blossom back then — or rather, it had taken off rapidly. They continued eating in silence, broken only by the sounds of ramen slurping from G.I.R., MIMI, and Stitch. The trio was already finishing their fourth bowl and still managing to order the next one.

Alex and the girls watched the gourmands with amused curiosity, starting to suspect that the three of them were seriously trying to sample every type of ramen at the stand. No one in their family even tried to understand anymore where those three managed to fit all that food. It was one of those mysteries everyone had long given up on.

Finishing his bowl, Alex ordered a cup of green tea to refresh his throat.

"Where are Becca and Jinx?" he asked, sipping his tea. "I'm afraid Becca might shoot some idiot out of pure irritation."

"And where do you think Becca would take our daughter?" Kiwi asked with a knowing squint.

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't it obvious?" Lucina drawled lazily, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder. "She definitely went off looking for a good hamburger. And I'm sure she's trying to get Jinx hooked on her favorite food."

"Not surprised. Becca's always loved burgers. If there's a festival somewhere, she's the first one looking for the burger stand. But I still worry — what if someone starts bothering her and she decides to open fire…" Alex said with a heavy sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Relax," Lucina said with a light smile, sipping tea from his cup. "I'm sure Gloria will stop Becca if it comes to that."

Still, Alex decided to check for himself. He closed his eyes and spread his mana across the entire academy grounds, searching for traces of Becca and Jinx. Soon, he found them — they were with Gloria, Brunhilde, Hestia, and Hephaestus. Solid security, Alex thought with relief.

At the same time, Anya and Nyarko were with Coco, Valmet, Chiquita, Cammy, Sherry, Revy, and Claire. Once he confirmed that everyone was safe, Alex let out a relieved breath, and a calm smile appeared on his face.

Lucina and Kiwi noticed right away and immediately understood what he had just done.

"Couldn't help yourself, huh? Had to check everything personally," Kiwi said with mild irony. "Our overprotective husband."

"I just don't want anything ruining your moods," Alex replied warmly. "We're supposed to be relaxing. I want everyone to enjoy this week."

"If you say so, our caring family head. So, where are you off to now?" Lucina asked, poking his cheek with her finger.

"Haven't decided yet. Why, want to come with me?" Alex said with a playful smile.

"We'd love to, but sadly for you, my dear husband," Lucina replied with a grin, "the girls and I are going to hunt down more Japanese cuisine."

Alex nodded understandingly, not insisting. As a farewell, he kissed Lucina, Kiwi, Lucy, Red, and White, then dragged along the trio of gourmets who, judging by their enthusiasm, were seriously planning to eat the entire ramen stand.

While Alex chatted with the girls, G.I.R., MIMI, and Stitch didn't stop ordering new portions without the slightest pause. Finally, pulling them away from the noodles, Alex headed further into the festival. After a hearty meal, he wanted something sweet — so it was time to find the dessert stand.

"How about something sweet?" he suggested to the trio.

They nodded in unison. They didn't care what it was — as long as it was tasty and didn't remind them of that strange potion once made by a group of girls suspiciously like witches.

Deciding not to check the academy map, Alex just walked forward, strolling through the festival alleys. And it paid off — soon they came across an ice cream stand. Of course, they tried it. But it didn't end with just one ice cream. Seeing a nearby pastry booth, the whole group immediately headed there.

Taking a slice of cake and a cup of coffee each, Alex and his gourmets sat down at a table.

"The cake tastes good, but still... it's not enough," Alex said, spearing a strawberry with his fork.

"Not enough," Stitch agreed, tossing a piece into his mouth.

"We need more sweets," G.I.R. declared with glowing eyes.

"Mmmm! I want to try something else!" MIMI added, nodding excitedly.

Alex nodded, quickly finishing his cake and downing his coffee in one gulp. Deciding to search for more sweets, he noticed many stands nearby, but strangely, none of the desserts caught his interest anymore. It was as if the appearance of the pastries no longer intrigued him.

As he walked further, he spotted Hlökk and Alvitr happily eating some chocolate candies. Intrigued, Alex approached with his three gourmets.

"Hlökk, Alvitr, where are your sisters?" he asked.

"What a silly question, Alex. Isn't it obvious? They're not here," Hlökk said lazily, rolling her eyes.

Alex responded with a blank look and shook his head. But the valkyries just laughed and continued eating their filled chocolates. Interested, Alex decided to try some himself. Approaching the stand, he saw a rich selection of sweets, but his attention was drawn to the chocolate-covered strawberries and candies with strawberry cream. Taking some samples, he returned to Hlökk and Alvitr and also gave a few pieces to his three gourmets to taste.

"Where do you want to go next?" Alex asked, putting a piece of chocolate-covered strawberry in his mouth.

"We heard mortals talking about some molecular gastronomy stand… or something like that. We want to check it out," Alvitr replied, stealing another piece of strawberry from him.

"Molecular gastronomy, huh… Maybe we should try it too. I'm curious what it tastes like," Alex said, scratching his chin while completely ignoring the fact that his strawberry candies were slowly disappearing into someone else's mouths.

Alex knew only one girl in the academy who was into molecular gastronomy — Nakiri Alice. He had met her before — most memorably when she scolded him for smoking on academy grounds and even threatened to kick him out if she saw him with a cigarette again.

Laughing at the memory, Alex reached for another candy… but found nothing. Lowering his gaze, he realized the plate was empty. Looking up, he met the mocking glances of Hlökk and Alvitr. Alex shook his head and tousled both their hair.

"Hey! Don't touch my hair! I did it this morning, and you're messing it up with your hands. Didn't anyone tell you that hair is an important part of a woman's beauty?" Hlökk protested, brushing his hand away.

"As you say, my spoiled valkyrie. So, shall we go see what that molecular gastronomy is all about?" Alex said with a smile.

Hlökk snorted and slapped Alex's hand again, but her face showed she had no real objection to the words "my valkyrie." The two valkyries took Alex by the arms, and the three of them pushed through the crowd, occasionally stopping to peek at yet another sweets stall.

Walking through the festival, Alex and the two valkyries attracted a lot of attention. The male audience, especially the students, were clearly envious — after all, Alex was walking alongside two very attractive girls. But when their eyes landed on Alex's face, envy turned into outright hatred: compared to him, the other guys looked like "potatoes with eyes."

"How stupid these guys are," Hlökk snorted contemptuously. "All they can do is envy. They should look in the mirror first. Even a gorilla at the zoo looks better than any of them."

"You're right, sister," nodded Alvitr. "Even a gorilla is better."

Alex calmly scanned the students and other men who had heard every word the two valkyries said. Students of the Totsuki Academy, as well as students from other schools who had come with friends or family, and even adult men — all clutched their chests in shock at what they'd just heard.

Alex felt a slight pity, but he couldn't control what Hlökk and Alvitr said — that was just their nature.

"Ugly. Ugly. Ugly," G.I.R., MIMI, and Stitch started chanting, adding fuel to the fire.

Alex distinctly heard something crack — it was the hearts of the men whose pride had just been ruthlessly and unexpectedly crushed. The words of G.I.R., MIMI, and Stitch were the final straw that broke the already fragile male self-esteem.

Some students dropped to their knees, crying and cursing themselves for not being born beautiful. It was as if the harsh truth of their whole lives had been rubbed in their faces. Alex barely held back laughter — such a sight didn't happen every day — a whole crowd of guys sobbing on their knees.

But then came Hlökk's last words:

"Pathetic."

That was the final blow. A couple of students even fainted from the emotional pain. Alex glanced at Hlökk, who was undoubtedly enjoying the effect of her words. He began to suspect that because of the spiritual bond between him and the valkyries, he had unintentionally influenced their personalities. Even Brunhilde had changed over time under his influence.

Leaving behind the scene of the "tragedy," where the male part of the crowd was sobbing, Alex and his companions calmly made their way to the molecular gastronomy stand. They walked slowly because Hlökk and Alvitr kept pulling Alex by the hands, leading him to new stands with interesting food. Everything they didn't finish was automatically given to Alex.

He tried to protest, suggesting to give the leftovers to G.I.R., MIMI, or Stitch — the eternal gourmets — but the valkyries simply ignored his words and continued "feeding" him like a personal taste tester.

Resigned, Alex accepted this "role," since he had no other choice anyway.

Finally, they reached the stand where Nakiri Alice was supposed to be working. However, waiting for them was a sign:

"Closed. Ingredients have run out. We apologize for the inconvenience."

"What the hell?!" Hlökk snapped irritably. "We came all this way just for this, and no one's here?"

"It says here the ingredients are finished. Molecular gastronomy takes time and preparation. It's hard to prepare everything again in a short time," Alex explained calmly, trying to soothe the valkyrie.

"I really wanted to try those strange sweets..." Alvitr said sadly, looking at the sign as if it were a broken dream.

"Don't be upset. We can always stay here for another day or two. No need to leave this world right away," Alex said, gently stroking both their heads.

"THAT's what you should've said from the start, idiot!" Hlökk snorted and gave Alex a spiteful kick in the leg. "I thought we were only here for a day! I haven't even tried half the things at this festival!"

Alex just smirked and shook his head. But Hlökk and Alvitr, as a parting shot, simultaneously kicked him in the leg again, stuck out their tongues, and holding hands, disappeared into the crowd. Alex was left standing in front of the closed stand with the three gourmets, who were clearly confused.

He was speechless at the behavior of these two spoiled valkyries.

Deciding not to bother, Alex pulled out his phone and checked the time. Some restaurants in the elite area of the festival opened later than the other stands, and it was time to head there — to try the cuisine of the elite ten members.

Besides, he knew Freya and other girls who preferred the refined atmosphere and food had already gone there.

To be continued...

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