Shikime Natsu's slightly teasing 'chicken soup for the soul' made Ichinose Honami feel a lot more relaxed.
Listening to him, Ichinose Honami felt as if a corner of the heavy stone that had been suppressing her heart for so long had truly been lifted. That suffocating sense of guilt also miraculously dissipated a great deal along with Shikime Natsu's words.
"Mn..."
She nodded vigorously, and a smile from the bottom of her heart appeared on her face.
"Shikime-san really is a very gentle person."
If not for Shikime Natsu, she didn't know how much longer she would be tortured by that secret. Perhaps she would have really been trapped in the shadows of the past, unable to extricate herself, just as he said.
"Since Shikime-san helped me so much, then... as a reward, let me treat you to dinner?"
Ichinose Honami proposed somewhat shyly.
"Whether it's the school cafeteria or the various restaurants at Keyaki Mall, anywhere is fine."
Ichinose Honami wanted to express her gratitude, and she also wanted to stay with Shikime Natsu a little longer.
That sense of security from being understood and accepted by someone made her somewhat greedy for more. Although she had always played that role for others, she also yearned to meet someone she could rely on.
"Sure."
Shikime Natsu agreed readily.
Being able to have dinner with a top-tier beautiful girl was an enjoyable thing in itself.
Moreover, although Ichinose Honami's current state seemed to have improved a lot, this kind of issue couldn't be completely solved just by words and listening; it still required a certain period of stabilization.
If he let her go back alone now, and she started letting her imagination run wild again, wouldn't his earlier counseling be in vain?
Therefore, it was very necessary to stabilize her emotions and consolidate the results.
"However..."
Shikime Natsu changed the subject, speaking with a smile.
"I don't plan to eat at an outside restaurant.
"If you don't mind, would you like to come to my dorm? I'll cook personally and let you taste my skills."
"Eh?"
Ichinose Honami froze instantly, obviously not expecting Shikime Natsu to extend such an invitation.
Go... Go to his dorm?
And... he would cook personally?
A blush instantly spread across the girl's cheeks, and her heartbeat involuntarily sped up a few notches.
Isn't this... progressing too fast?
Looking at Ichinose Honami's somewhat flustered and cute appearance, Shikime Natsu roughly guessed what she was thinking.
"Don't worry, I'm not the kind of person who would take the opportunity to do something bad.
"If you're not at ease, you can invite Amikura-san to come along. It's livelier with more people anyway."
"N-No, that's not it!"
Ichinose Honami shook her head hurriedly, her face turning even redder.
"I don't distrust Shikime-san... It's just..."
She explained somewhat incoherently.
"It should have been me thanking Shikime-san, so how did it end up with you treating me instead? And troubling you to cook personally...
"And... I trust Shikime-san quite a lot."
Towards the end, her voice became very small, like the buzzing of a mosquito.
"After all... Shikime-san was willing to listen so gently to my past that I can't bear to look back on, without showing the slightest bit of disdain..."
How could such a person be a bad guy?
"No need to be polite."
Shikime Natsu waved his hand, speaking with a relaxed expression.
"Actually, I haven't eaten cafeteria food for a long time. Whether it's lunch or dinner, I basically prepare it myself.
"Besides, I can guarantee you that my cooking is highly acclaimed. It definitely won't disappoint you."
"Then... I'll look forward to Shikime-san's cooking."
Looking at Shikime Natsu's confident appearance, that trace of apprehension in Ichinose Honami's heart vanished into thin air, replaced by a faint anticipation.
Cooking made by Shikime Natsu?
I wonder what it will taste like?
...
The two walked side-by-side on the road back to the dormitory. Suddenly, several familiar noisy voices came from not far ahead.
Shikime Natsu looked up and saw the "Idiot Trio" of Class D—Yamauchi Haruki, Ike Kanji, and Sudou Ken—walking out of the convenience store with their arms around each other's shoulders. They actually didn't go to the study group?
Kushida Kikyou and Horikita Suzune really have it hard. Since that's the case, he would help them punish Yamauchi Haruki a little.
Anyway, the cooldown time for this Skill Card wasn't too long, and using this kind of negative effect on someone like Yamauchi Haruki could be considered making the best use of everything.
Yamauchi Haruki was bragging about something with a beaming face.
With a thought, Shikime Natsu directly used the Skill Card: Guilt on Yamauchi Haruki.
The next second, a shocking scene occurred.
Yamauchi Haruki, who had been laughing loudly just a moment ago, suddenly looked as if he had been possessed. The smile on his face froze instantly, and then he fell to his knees with a "thud".
"Boohoohoo... I'm sorry... everyone..."
He pounded the ground with both hands and wailed loudly.
"I'm really a piece of trash... I dragged down everyone in the class... Why am I alive...
"I'm sorry for being born human!!!"
Beside him, Ike Kanji and Sudou Ken were dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events. They looked at Yamauchi Haruki, who was kneeling on the ground crying bitterly, with faces full of horror, and then involuntarily put some distance between them. They had no idea what was happening—was he possessed?
Yamauchi Haruki: "It shouldn't be. Aren't I a phony? Why would I have a sense of guilt?"
Shikime Natsu confirmed it. Even on Yamauchi Haruki, this skill was effective, and the effect was quite good. He then spoke to Ichinose Honami beside him.
"Don't look. He probably wants to practice his acting skills. Let's go."
"Ah... O-Okay."
Although Ichinose Honami thought it was very strange, seeing Yamauchi Haruki's manic appearance, she still subconsciously quickened her pace to follow Shikime Natsu.
After this small interlude, the two returned to the dormitory building without any obstruction.
And it was the classic scenario of returning to the dorm with a girl without encountering anyone on the way.
Arriving at the door of Shikime Natsu's room, Ichinose Honami appeared somewhat reserved.
This was her first time entering a boy's room, and with just a lone man and a lone woman together, she inevitably felt a little nervous.
"Please, come in."
Shikime Natsu opened the door and turned sideways, making a "please" gesture.
Ichinose Honami took a deep breath and stepped inside cautiously.
The scene that greeted her eyes made her freeze slightly.
The room was extremely clean, one could even say spotless.
The floor shone like new, the table and chairs were arranged neatly, and even the air was permeated with a faint fragrance. It completely lacked that legendary feeling of a boys' dormitory.
"Wow... It's so clean."
Ichinose Honami couldn't help but exclaim.
"Shikime-san must clean the room often, right? It's really quite different from the boy's room I imagined."
"Heh, it's alright."
Shikime Natsu smiled.
Clean often?
Non-existent.
This was all maintained by the "Auto-Clean" effect of his superpower. He didn't need to lift a finger every day, and the room would automatically look brand new.
But naturally, he couldn't say such things out loud.
"Then what does the boy's room you imagined look like?"
He asked back.
"Mn... W-Well..."
Ichinose Honami tilted her head and thought for a moment.
"Although I can't say the specific feeling, at least... it should be a little messier, right? Like clothes thrown around in disorder, or books piled up everywhere..."
"Then do you think my way counts as good or bad?"
"Of course it counts as good!"
Ichinose Honami answered without hesitation.
"That's good then."
Shikime Natsu smiled and turned to walk towards the kitchen area.
"By the way, what kind of cuisine do you like?"
"?"
Ichinose Honami froze for a moment.
She remembered that Shikime Natsu seemed empty-handed when he came back and hadn't gone to buy ingredients with her.
If he was preparing a meal, he could only choose from inside the refrigerator, and she didn't know what ingredients were in Shikime Natsu's refrigerator.
Ichinose Honami tossed the choice back.
"As long as it's a dish prepared by Shikime-san, I look forward to it."
"Alright."
Shikime Natsu nodded.
He directly opened the refrigerator and took out some fresh ingredients that seemed to have been prepared long ago.
Actually, this was still thanks to the System. He could manifest whatever ingredients he wanted at any time, so there was simply no need to worry about problems like the refrigerator being empty.
While Shikime Natsu was busy in the kitchen, Ichinose Honami grew a little bolder.
She began to size up the room more carefully.
Mn, it really is clean and tidy everywhere.
Not only the floor and the table, but even the quilt on the bed was folded neatly, and the bedsheet was so smooth it didn't have a single crease.
The trash can was also empty, without even a scrap of paper.
As for under the bed, the girl wasn't such a rude person and didn't think about exploring it.
"Um... Shikime-san, do you need my help?"
Watching Shikime Natsu skillfully chopping vegetables and cooking in the kitchen, Ichinose Honami asked somewhat embarrassedly.
After all, she was here to mooch a meal; sitting and waiting idly didn't seem quite right.
"No need, just sit tight."
Shikime Natsu said without looking back.
"I can handle this little thing alone. You just wait to enjoy the meal."
Hearing him say this, Ichinose Honami could only sit obediently on the chair, resting her chin in her hands, quietly watching his busy back in the kitchen.
In that moment, a warm current surged in her heart.
Shikime-san... truly is a person who is both kind and gentle.
Not only was he willing to spend time listening to her speak of that heavy dark history without the slightest disdain or accusation, but now he was also so thoughtfully preparing dinner for her.
This feeling of being treated with care was really nice.
Soon, a tempting aroma wafted out of the kitchen.
Before long, Shikime Natsu walked out carrying two plates of cuisine that were perfect in color, aroma, and taste.
"Sorry for the wait."
He placed the plates on the table.
It was a portion of exquisite-looking Western-style stew, paired with bread baked to a golden crisp, emitting a fragrance that made one's index finger twitch.
"Wow... It looks so delicious!"
Ichinose Honami couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, her eyes lighting up.
"Enjoy your meal."
Shikime Natsu said with a smile, handing her a set of cutlery.
"Then I won't be polite!"
Ichinose Honami put her hands together and said "Itadakimasu," then couldn't wait to taste a mouthful.
"Mn?!"
The moment the food entered her mouth, her eyes snapped open wide.
Delicious!
It's truly too delicious!
But this wasn't just an enjoyment of the sense of taste.
The moment she swallowed the food, an indescribable emotion seemed to well up from the depths of her heart.
That was her mother's expectation for her, her sister's expectation for her after she had been decadent for half a year, and then the feelings of her resolving to work hard to change, to strive upwards, and to grasp the future again.
This was, of course, the magical effect of Shikime Natsu's cooking.
As a person possessing a Legendary Cooking Skill, the food he made could not only drug people and glow, but more importantly, it could trigger emotional resonance in people, amplifying certain emotions deep within the consumer's heart.
Previously, Ichinose Honami was troubled by guilt because the image of her crying mother, her mother's kindness to her, and the guilt of having let all that down kept looping in her mind.
But now, through this dish, Shikime Natsu deliberately amplified the positive emotions on the other side of her heart—that desire to grasp the future and to become better.
Just like how Tadokoro Megumi in Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma moved the cold Chef Shinomiya with her warm cooking.
Shikime Natsu felt that relying solely on the "speechcraft" just now, although effective, wasn't thorough enough.
Only by truly awakening her yearning for the future emotionally could that guilt be better suppressed.
This was also the real reason why he had specially invited Ichinose Honami to the dorm for a meal.
"Ugh..."
As she ate, Ichinose Honami suddenly felt a stinging sensation in her nose, and tears flowed down involuntarily.
But these weren't tears of sadness.
Different from the tears filled with regret and self-blame she shed when recounting her sins earlier, this time, her tears carried a trace of relief, and a joy of rebirth.
"What's wrong? Is it not good?"
Shikime Natsu asked deliberately.
"N-No..."
Ichinose Honami shook her head desperately while wiping her tears, but a smile was on her face.
"It's because it's too delicious... D-Delicious enough to make one want to cry...
"Thank you, Shikime-san."
She raised her head, grateful light shimmering in those azure eyes.
"Really... thank you so very much."
"No need to thank me. We are friends, so... I want to do what I can for a friend."
Shikime Natsu nodded, looking at her gently. He really was a good person; he was even moved by himself.
"As long as it can make you happy, this meal wasn't made in vain."
Ichinose Honami looked at the young man before her, her heart filled with being moved.
Being able to muster the courage to tell Shikime Natsu that secret was truly great.
Being able to choose to pull herself together again, come to this school, and then meet someone like Shikime Natsu was truly great.
[Ding~]
[CG42: Treated with Gentleness (Ichinose Honami)]
[It's really great to be able to meet Shikime-san]
[Congratulations Host on acquiring Skill Card: Mind Purification (Eliminates all current negative emotions. Can only be used on one target once per day)]
Ichinose Honami.jpg
Two CGs in one day? Shikime Natsu was also very moved.
Just as the two were enjoying dinner.
Suddenly, the phone on the table vibrated, and the screen lit up.
Shikime Natsu picked up the phone and took a glance.
The person who sent the message was actually Sakayanagi Arisu.
That white-haired loli who always liked to cause trouble.
Looking at that familiar name, Shikime Natsu's eyebrows raised slightly.
This smug brat, sending a message at a time like this... what does she plan to do now?
____
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