NOVEL NEXT chapter 47
Episode 44: Magical Girl and Dinner
“Sigh… I’m exhausted…”
After being dragged around the pool by Noah and playing to my heart’s content, I collapsed onto the bed in my room.
Even though I’m a fan of gloomy stories… why did such a romantic comedy-like event have to happen to me today!?
“Seeing the girls in swimsuits for free… the pool is the best!”
Seito, who had returned from the pool, was now basking in joy, a stark contrast to his near-death expression from the morning.
“Looks like you had a lot of fun…”
“Yeah, it was seriously the best! By the way, what about you? You seemed to be having fun swimming with Kurusu-san?”
“Well… yeah.”
Honestly, I was on edge, feeling my existence as a mob character fading away.
But this time, I realized once again, magical girls are wonderful.
Yes, seeing that happy smile turn into despair…!
Come on, bring on the gloom!
“Oh, I just got a message from the girl I hit on earlier! I’ll be back in a bit!”
“Make sure you’re back by dinner.”
I watched Seito leave and then lay back down on the bed.
“Well, I’m tired, so I guess I’ll take a nap…”
And with that, I fell asleep.
◇
—
—
By the time the sun had set and it was completely dark.
We visited the restaurant on the ship for dinner.
“Wow, this is amazing…”
“As expected of a luxury cruise ship. The restaurant is luxurious too.”
The restaurant, bustling with many students, offered Italian cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Japanese cuisine, and more, all prepared by top-notch chefs using top-notch ingredients.
By the way, this is on our own dime.
“Wow! This looks really delicious! What should we get?”
“Well… I think I’ll go with the tonkatsu.”
“Then I’ll have the domestic sirloin steak!”
We each went to get our meals and sat at an empty table by the window.
From the window, we could see the night sea, creating the perfect setting for a meal.
“Mmm, this is really delicious!”
“I’ve never had such delicious tonkatsu before.”
Not only was the price high, but the taste was also excellent.
The crispy, golden-brown coating wrapped around the tender pork, sealing in the meat’s flavor.
‘Indeed, this is delicious! It’s different from our usual meals!’
(That’s because it’s prepared by top-notch chefs using top-notch ingredients.)
‘I see… I was wondering what I was watching when I saw you flirting with the magical girl… but a luxury cruise ship is nice!’
(Hey, who was flirting?)
As I was talking with Voldia, a familiar beautiful voice echoed in the room.
“Oh, isn’t it Souta?”
When I turned around, all the magical girls except Christina had gathered there.
“Good evening, Hayami-kun. I’m happy to see you twice in one day.”
“Good evening, Hayami-kun!”
“……”
What on earth is going on today…
“Uh, it’s been a while… Kurusu-san.”
As soon as he saw Noah, Seito had a somewhat awkward expression.
“Oh, you were here too? Um… what was your name again…?”
—
“……”
Even Seito, who usually has a composed expression, is clearly affected by the comment from the school’s Madonna, Yuna Kurusu, asking, “What’s your name again?”
Knowing Seito, he probably kept pestering her until she disliked him this much. He brought it upon himself.
“Ah… Souta, you can have my steak! I just remembered I have something to do!”
Unable to bear the atmosphere, Seito handed me his sirloin steak and hurriedly ran to his room.
Yes! I got an expensive steak for free.
“Hehe, it seems he has gone somewhere. Hayami-kun, there are no empty seats, so may I sit here?”
“…Go ahead.”
“Thank you, excuse me.”
When I reluctantly answered, Noah and the others sat next to me, with Noah beside me and Luna, Fiona, and Fran in front of me.
With these four sitting down, the same kind of attention we got at the pool earlier started to gather again.
It seems my goddess of gloom is taking a break today.
“By the way, the pool was fun today, wasn’t it, Hayami-kun?”
“Yes, I had a great time too.”
“What? You two played at the pool together today?”
“Yes, today we—”
Noah, as if waiting for this moment, happily started recounting today’s events to everyone.
Fiona listened with great interest, Luna glared at me a little every time she heard something, and Fran eyed the steak.
“Want half?”
“Yes…!”
Being soft on magical girls, I quickly shared it with her.
“And that’s how we spent the day playing.”
“Sounds fun, really enjoyable!”
“……”
At that moment, Luna glared at me.
No, this can’t be helped, right?
“You seemed to have… enjoyed yourself quite a bit… didn’t you, Souta?”
Even without words, it was clear she was saying, “Aren’t you my pet?”
“N-no, this is…”
“Hehe, no food for you for a while…”
—
“That’s not possible…”
“Is there something wrong with the food?”
“No, it’s about dog food. You know, the kind of dog that wags its tail for people other than its owner…”
Reina murmured this to me with a sly smile and then resumed eating her carbonara.
No, that’s scary!