"Sir, your order has arrived."
The waitress's voice came from outside the room. Akira slowly pulled himself out of Sajuna's embrace and walked to the door.
"Click."
He opened the door and saw the uniformed waitress holding a black tray with Akira's order of fried tempura and takoyaki.
Akira took the tray. The waitress nodded at him and then said,
"If you have any questions, you can call us using the phone next to the computer."
After bidding farewell to the waitress at the door, Akira brought the food into the room, placed the tray on the computer desk, then picked up a pair of chopsticks, picked up a takoyaki ball, and offered it to Sajuna's mouth.
"Ah!"
Akira prompted, and Sajuna obediently opened her mouth, taking a small bite of the ball. The moment the skin of the takoyaki was broken, the fresh flavor of octopus legs, cabbage, and dried shrimp from inside the ball wafted out, tempting one's appetite.
The takoyaki's surface had been grilled, looking crispy and delicious. When it came out of the pan, it was sprinkled with a layer of white mayonnaise. Sajuna ate half of the takoyaki in one bite, and the mayonnaise on the outside stretched into a long string by her mouth.
Under Akira's gaze, Sajuna couldn't help but blush. She then demurely ate the remaining half of the takoyaki and took out a tissue from her bag to wipe her mouth.
Akira shook his head at Sajuna's actions, then picked up a second ball, intending to continue feeding her, but she shook her head to refuse him.
"Aki-Kun, you eat some too."
Akira nodded, put the picked-up ball into his mouth, and with one bite, the fresh aroma of octopus and the softness of the wheat flour batter mingled and fused in his mouth. Paired with the mayonnaise on the ball, it was sweet but not greasy.
"It's really good."
Akira nodded, picked up a second one and brought it to his mouth, then asked Sajuna, "Sajuna, do you like it?"
"If you like it, I can make it for you at home, Sajuna."
"Aki-Kun, you're really very domestic."
Sajuna looked at Akira in front of her, always feeling that he looked both handsome and cute.
He was clearly a handsome boy, but as a boyfriend, he always felt like a mother taking care of her.
Sajuna thought this, and her gaze towards Akira was a little off.
"Because my girlfriend is Sajuna, after all."
Akira said, chewing on a ball in his mouth, "To keep Sajuna by my side, it feels like I can't lack any skills."
"You don't need to!"
Sajuna emphasized.
"As long as Aki-Kun is by my side, that's enough."
As Sajuna said this, she sat next to Akira, took another pair of chopsticks from the tray, picked up a piece of fried tempura from another plate, dipped it in a little pepper from the condiment dish nearby, and then offered it to Akira's mouth.
"Sajuna."
Akira leaned over and ate the fried tempura Sajuna offered him, then said,
"I feel like we've turned this manga cafe into a restaurant."
"It's a manga cafe, but we haven't even read a single manga."
"Oh, it seems so."
Sajuna couldn't help but smile as she watched Akira eat, like a water-soaked lotus quietly blooming.
"I couldn't help but treat it as a date with Aki-Kun."
"It is a date, but we should also find something to do."
Akira replied.
Sajuna nodded, picked up a piece of fried tempura and put it in her mouth. The moment it entered her mouth, she felt that the surface of the tempura wasn't as crispy as she imagined; instead, it was soft and limp.
"I didn't expect the fried tempura to be soft already, even though it hasn't been out for long."
Sajuna said strangely.
"Is that so?"
Akira leaned his face closer, then picked up a piece of tempura from the plate, put it into his mouth, and after a few chews, he frowned: "It really has started to soften. What a pity."
"Only I got to eat the freshly fried tempura."
"Oh, Aki-Kun, it must have already been soft when you ate it."
Sajuna raised her face and looked at Akira in front of her. The slightly dim yellow light shone on Akira's cheek, making his smile look even gentler than before.
It must have been the same, the time between the first bite and the second wasn't long at all.
And Aki-Kun was such a great chef, he wouldn't be unable to distinguish the state of the food.
"It was actually very delicious, it's just a pity Sajuna didn't get to taste it freshly fried."
Akira looked at Sajuna in front of him with a smile, only feeling as if something had suddenly touched her.
Sajuna suddenly gathered her courage, extended both hands to cup Akira's cheeks, and pulled his face towards her.
Akira also put down his chopsticks, extended his hands and gently embraced Sajuna's slender waist. The belt around her waist gave Akira a unique sensation.
Sajuna held Akira's face without speaking. The two were very close, their foreheads almost touching. Sajuna looked at Aki-Kun in front of her, only feeling that his eyes were like a sky full of stars, like a galaxy in motion. If she relaxed her guard even slightly, she would be trapped within them, never to return.
Sajuna parted her lips, and in the end, could only allow her lips to slightly open, her alluring pink tongue half-protruding, like a scout peeking out from a formation.
Akira couldn't resist for a moment and leaned his face closer, slowly capturing this "scout" that had ventured out. He only felt that this enemy he had caught was warm, wet, and lively.
The sensation from the tip of her tongue made Akira a little breathless. Another kind of impulse arose within him, wildly urging him to take the next step.
Akira didn't indulge for long. He withdrew his hands and took Sajuna's hands that were cupping his cheeks.
"Sajuna, are you alright? I'm sorry for doing something so out of line."
"No, no problem."
Sajuna looked into Akira's eyes, always feeling that the affection in her heart was so rich it seemed ready to overflow from her eyes. When Akira suddenly attacked earlier, she felt like the world had stopped. Her entire tongue was numb and tingly, exposed and unable to move.
She had wanted to take the initiative to do something out of line, but before she could, Aki-Kun had already made his move.
Sajuna often felt that she was very passive in relationships. Even after changing how she and Aki-Kun interacted, this problem still persisted.
She actually always felt that she should be more proactive, but compared to her worries about gains and losses, Sajuna wasn't concerned that Akira would think she was casual or not demure enough. Rather, she wasn't sure which parts of herself Aki-Kun particularly liked.
And Aki-Kun, it seemed, could always precisely grasp her feelings of attraction.
Sajuna looked up at Akira, at his serious expression, at his hands holding hers, at the lipstick stain remaining on the corner of his mouth. She felt a tickle in her heart. What was this? If Aki-Kun, who was so proper in front of her, liked feet and stockings so much, then she would find opportunities to show them to him in various ways!