“At first, I was thinking this restaurant is the perfect place for our meeting, but…looks like we ought to postpone our talk to tomorrow. Iʼll let Neko know beforehand.” Shihime said after taking a quick glance at Shun and Rya’s exhausted faces and gave a sorry smile. “How was your training with him today?” 

“Hell,” Shun muttered while he stared into his cup of tea. 

“Mm.” Rya was too tired to even utter a response. 

“Hmm…” Shihime folded her arms across her chest for a while before smiling. “Don’t worry, I know just the right food to restore your spirits.”

“?” Both of them stared curiously at her as she whispered an instruction to Zhu’er, who then passed it on to a passing waiter. Just after Shun had finished drinking his tea, the waiter came back with two white porcelain plates. 

“I heard from the head chef that he had recently acquired an interesting recipe to make bread from the West,” Shihime explained while the waiter set the plates down on their table. “If I’m not mistaken, it’s called ‘French toast’. Well, why don’t you two give it a try?”

French toast? Indeed, as Shun noted after a close observation, it looked very similar to the French toast he was familiar with. It had a yellow dough that was drenched in custard, with a caramelised golden brown texture on the top. White powdered sugar had been sifted over it, giving the honey a rich colour while exuding a sweet aroma. 

Unable to resist his hunger, he picked up a slice in his hand and brought it to his watering mouth. Immediately the scent and taste of honey exploded on his tongue; yet it wasn’t overwhelming, but rather quickly melted away with a mild sweet aftertaste that made him feel like it wasn’t enough and he wanted to eat more of it.  

“T-this…” Rya’s eyes widened as well when she took her first bite at the corner of her French toast. “It’s crispy on the surface, but so fluffy and sweet on the inside! What kind of bread is this?” 

“I know, right?” Shihime nodded her head excitedly. “French toast is all the rage these days because of its one-of-a-kind flavour.”

“One-of-a-kind, indeed…” But why would there be French toast in this world in the first place? Is this another one of that goddess’ doing again?! 

“If you like it, I can order some more for you to take back to your room to enjoy.” 

Rya sat up straight and tapped eagerly on his arm. “Oooh! Shun, can we, can we?”

“Hmm?” He was too engrossed in relishing the taste of the French toast, so he absent-mindedly nodded his head.

“Yess!”

“...huh?” 

***

“You sure bought a ton of French toast, didn’t you?” he murmured as they made their way up the stairs to the second floor.  

“D-did I?” She glanced down at the large paper bag in her hands and chuckled nervously. “We can, uh, eat the extra for breakfast tomorrow?” 

“Rya, it wouldn’t taste good by then.” 

“Oh…is that so…”

Actually, I’m impressed there is French toast in this world. Wait, isn’t ‘French toast’ the name of a recovery item in the game?

“I guess we can give Reimiru some,” he said while unlocking the door. “Speaking of which, I haven’t seen her in a…”

Reimiru let out a surprised gasp as she spun around to face them in the room. 

“...while.” 

A stunned silence ensued while they stared at each other. 

“Welcome back,” Reimiru said cheerfully while fixing the sash on her lavender dressing gown. “Howʼs your day been?” 

“G-good, how about you?” he faltered, trying not to stare too discreetly at her ample half-exposed bosom. D*mn, is she doing this on purpose? Not that I mind, I’ll gladly welcome her into my harem!   

“What are you doing here?” Rya demanded angrily. 

“Oh, I was just helping to tidy up the place. Just part of the many services we provide her, you know?” she replied without hesitation, showing them the feather brush in her hand. 

Her glare hardened. “...we donʼt need you to do that.” 

“Mm, got it. Iʼll keep that in mind in future.” She gave a polite bow and took her leave. 

Rya hastily ran into the room and opened the dresser and wardrobe to search through them. 

“Um…” He lowered his voice after closing the door behind him. “I know you and Reimiru arenʼt on the best of terms, but she is providing us accommodation, so why don’t you two try to get along?” 

She didnʼt say a word for a while. “...looks like thereʼs really nothing, huh.” 

“Of course not,” he said with a reassuring smile. “Reimiru doesnʼt have a reason to spy on us, does she?” 

“Yeah, I guess.” She shook her head before turning around and smiling at him. “Don’t you think tonight’s hotter than usual? I’m really itching for a shower, are you?” 

Without hesitation, Shun took off his shirt and flung it to one side. “Oh, yes—” 

“What are you doing? I’m going in the bath first.” She crossed her arms across her chest and smirked. “Why, I thought you’re more interested in a bath with Reimiru?” 

Gulp. “A-ah, um, about that…” He hung his head in meek submission. “I wasn’t intentionally staring, I swear.” 

She made a disappointed ‘tsk-tsk’ click of her tongue and lifted his chin with her finger. “Naughty Shun needs some punishment, don’t you agree?”