Rikuo looked in surprise at the Undead Card Raana took out.
"Kitty, have you encountered any Anomalies recently? Undead Cards are supposed to attract Anomalies."
Raana responded while eating a parfait.
"Anomalies? No."
Rikuo thought for a moment. Raana liked to play with stray cats. The news earlier showed groups of animals worshiping, which meant animals could likely sense Anomalies in advance.
So, it wasn't incomprehensible that Raana, by following stray cats, could avoid Anomalies, especially since he had resolved many Anomalies nearby.
Rikuo carefully looked at the Undead Card in Raana's hand.
"3 of Spades - Beat Lion (Ability: Increases the power of punches; AP: 600). A cat getting a lion, it's a similar species. Then, Kitty, I'll add Concealment for you. Just keep this for self-defense. By the way, how did you get this Undead Card?"
"Cat, brought it. Felt interesting, so I kept it. Power, endless."
"Good cat, did she actually figure out how to use it herself?"
"SPACE, want to go?"
Rikuo was suddenly invited by Raana and looked bewildered.
'I don't play instruments, so I can't help you rebuild SPACE. And if SPACE really wanted to be built, it certainly could be. Your grandmother probably just wants you to study hard and not spend all day in SPACE.'
"I don't play instruments, Raana, why are you inviting me?"
Raana thought for a moment, seemingly unsure of the answer herself.
"Grandmother said, find a home. Rikuo, very warm, feels very comfortable."
'If you said that in front of everyone, I'd probably be in trouble tomorrow.'
"Raana, you're not familiar with me yet, and your grandmother's idea of a 'home' certainly isn't me. She doesn't want you to pass on your guitar and feelings to..."
"Rikuo, how do you know?"
Rikuo choked.
'I accidentally blurted out the plot. I'll just find an excuse to brush it off for now.'
"Perhaps, I understand your current feelings?"
"Rikuo, indeed, interesting!"
Seeing that Rikuo had no intention of accompanying her to SPACE, Raana finished her parfait and ran off.
"She really is a stray cat, just as Taki said. But now she's going to become a house cat?"
Soyo also walked out of the training room after tidying up her belongings.
"Rikuo-kun, you still haven't answered me, do you have time the day after tomorrow?"
"Oh, I was in too much of a hurry chasing Anon and the others just now. I forgot to reply. Yes, I do, as long as no Anomalies appear, there shouldn't be any problem."
"Alright, then I'll take my leave as well. I look forward to Rikuo-kun's arrival the day after tomorrow."
Watching Soyo leave, Rikuo thought for a moment.
"My current defensive Undead Cards seem to only be 9 of Clubs, but Tomori and Anon don't have any yet. Should I give 6 of Clubs to Tomori? But elemental abilities don't have direct defensive or self-strengthening effects."
"There's also Sakiko. Sakiko often goes out alone, just like today. In the future, there's also Ave Mujica. It feels like even if I gather all the defensive types, it won't be enough."
Rikuo composed himself and walked out of RiNG.
"Never mind, we'll just go in pairs then. Sakiko and Mutsumi both live with me anyway. Speaking of which, I wonder what kind of dinner Kiyotsugu has prepared. It seems there's still an Anomaly in the Osaka shopping street that hasn't been dealt with yet? I remember it was an observable spatial distortion. I don't know if it's caused any harm. I'll go check it out after dinner."
...
Rikuo returned to the apartment and saw Mutsumi already sitting at the dining table.
Mutsumi's posture still looked very robotic, after all, she had only been there for two days.
"Mutsumi, I'm back. Do you know what dishes Kiyotsugu made today?"
Since Mutsumi no longer lived in her big house, she no longer had a private car to pick her up. She went straight back to the apartment after school at Tsukinomori, so Rikuo wanted to get information from Mutsumi first.
"Uncle Togawa said, it's a secret, so, I don't know."
"Is that so? Hmm, I'm even more worried now."
Hearing Mutsumi's answer, Rikuo decided to sneak a peek to see what Togawa Kiyotsugu was up to.
He walked to the kitchen and found that the kitchen door was locked from the inside. Rikuo could only press his ear against the door and listen to the movements inside.
"Let's make dumplings today. Sakiko likes sweets, and Rikuo-kun always favors Sakiko, so wrapping chocolate or red bean paste inside the dumplings should be fine."
Listening to Togawa Kiyotsugu's movements, Rikuo felt his worldview being shattered.
"The mapo tofu over there is ready."
Rikuo heard mapo tofu and thought that this should be fine.
'I remember there's a restaurant nearby that makes normal mapo tofu, so Kiyotsugu shouldn't mess this up.'
"Because Sakiko likes strawberries, I made a special strawberry mapo tofu. Sakiko hasn't had fruit in a long time, so she should be happy today."
'That's not right, I clearly smelled spicy, but this dish sounds sweet no matter what?'
"I heard that Rikuo-kun likes spicy food."
'That's right, I do like spicy miso.'
"So let's make spicy tofu pudding."
Rikuo left the kitchen door with a look of awe and walked to the dining table.
"Mutsumi, do you like fried chicken?"
"Haven't had it, but want to."
"Then let's deal with Kiyotsugu later and go eat fried chicken. Kiyotsugu's cooking is no longer something normal humans can handle, not even the Joker."
Although Mutsumi didn't understand Rikuo's meaning, she nodded in agreement.
...
"Shima Noboru said to face one's inner self. What is my inner self? Wanting to prove myself to the Togawa Family? Piano? Mother? Or beating up Father?"
Sakiko had already gotten off the train and was on her way to the apartment.
"I'm almost at the apartment, I won't think about these things for now. I can't let Rikuo know. By the way, I wonder what dinner Father and Rikuo have prepared."
Sakiko arrived at the apartment and opened the door. She saw Rikuo with an expression that screamed, "Run! There's an Undead inside!"
Unfortunately, it was too late.
"Sakiko is back too? My dinner is also ready. Everyone, let's eat."
Togawa Kiyotsugu brought out dinner. Rikuo looked at the strawberry mapo tofu, spicy tofu pudding, and glutinous rice balls called 'dumplings' on the table.
"It tastes pretty good, Father. I haven't had strawberries in a long time."
Sakiko picked up a dumpling and took a bite.
"Chocolate-flavored dumplings? They're delicious."
Rikuo looked at Sakiko with the expression of seeing a stranger.
'Did Sakiko's transformation into Light Saki involve putting all her divine attributes into her sense of taste? As expected of father and daughter!'
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