Chapter 152: Quiet Sound (Part 2)
Soft and sweet shrimp, thick and gooey cheese, and various perfectly cut vegetables enveloped in cheese.
Although it lacked the important sweetness, the taste and texture were quite good.
It seems that in the future, when going out, he can blindly let Ryo choose the restaurant.
Ishikawa Hayato ate his meal, while also keeping an eye on Ryo’s situation, and seeing her eat quite fast, he also sped up considerably.
However, as soon as the frequency of his fork hitting the ceramic bowl increased, Ryo immediately noticed.
She looked up, swallowed the food in her mouth, glanced at Ishikawa Hayato’s bowl, and then at his face.
When Ishikawa Hayato looked at her in confusion, she calmly picked up the spoon she hadn't used yet, and, as if scooping a side dish, reached into Ishikawa Hayato’s bowl.
Ishikawa Hayato watched Ryo’s hand holding the spoon, scraping around in his bowl.
She definitely wouldn't be so kind as to help him cut the gooey cheese, she was surely planning to take it for herself.
He asked.
“Ryo?”
“Taste it.”
“Oh.”
He gave up resisting but also picked up his fork, slowly reaching his hand towards Ryo’s bowl.
Ryo’s movement of scraping the cheese lessened, her gaze fixed on Ishikawa Hayato’s hand, following his hand to her own bowl.
Just as Ishikawa Hayato was about to fork the last piece of cod in her bowl, she said.
“No cod.”
“Ryo-neechan?”
Ishikawa Hayato awkwardly looked at her bowl, which, besides the cod, only had a half-eaten fried egg, the end of a sausage, and some greens, and for a moment didn't know what to choose.
Ryo didn't respond.
Seeing her shamelessness, Ishikawa Hayato also stopped being polite and turned his fork towards the fried egg.
“What are you doing?”
Her voice carried some displeasure.
“I can’t just eat plain rice, can I?”
Ryo seemed to have heard a perfect answer, looking up at him with a cute and cheerful expression.
Ishikawa Hayato, unwilling to suffer a loss, quickly and decisively forked the sausage and greens, pulling them towards himself.
At the same time, before Ryo could even speak, he ate the sausage in one bite.
He slowly chewed in front of Ryo.
Ryo watched him, her hand holding the spoon trembled, neatly finishing cutting the thick cheese, her face showing no emotion, she just slowly brought the rice in the spoon to her own bowl.
Ishikawa Hayato took a long time to eat one bite of sausage.
When Ryo placed the spoon aside and stared intently at him, he swallowed the sausage and shamelessly said.
“Delicious, extremely delicious.”
“Pervert.”
“My utmost gratitude.”
Ishikawa Hayato’s words choked Ryo into silence.
She ate the spoils she had gained from Ishikawa Hayato with force, as if in revenge.
Ishikawa Hayato finished the greens and then looked at Ryo.
After the previous skirmish, Ryo’s face was much redder.
Ishikawa Hayato had been listening to her movements earlier.
For a while, her eating speed had been getting slower and slower, and now her gaze was fixed on the tabletop.
After a good while, Ryo swallowed her rice and quickly realized she was being stared at.
She looked up at him across the table, seeing a slightly exasperated smile on Ishikawa Hayato’s face, and immediately suppressed all the little reactions showing on her own face.
Under the table, she confirmed the position of Ishikawa Hayato’s leg, tensed her body, and kicked out forcefully.
Ishikawa Hayato saw her body tense and knew what she was about to do, quickly reaching under the table, estimating the trajectory invisibly, and pressing down on Ryo’s leg.
He leaned forward slightly and said with a somewhat apologetic smile.
“Well, it’s not that I won’t let you kick, it’s just that my leg is very hard, and if you kick hard, your foot might get hurt, and that wouldn’t be good.”
“You owe me three meals.”
Ryo said in a flat tone, simultaneously pulling back her leg slightly.
Ishikawa Hayato wouldn't provoke her further at this moment and quickly let go.
“Alright.”
After Ishikawa Hayato agreed, Ryo lessened her force and kicked him, this time Ishikawa Hayato neither dodged nor blocked.
He could feel Ryo’s anger dissipate all at once, and seeing a storm thus averted, he let out a sigh of relief.
After the small incident, Ishikawa Hayato focused on eating.
He quickly finished and looked at Ryo, seeing that she was also almost done, he clasped his hands on the table and waited for her.
Ishikawa Hayato looked at her quiet demeanor with a little worry.
Although Ryo showed very little emotion, Ishikawa Hayato could still understand that she was indeed not very angry now, but he still couldn’t fathom what she was thinking.
Was she really angry just now? Or was it because of shyness? He didn't know.
“What’s wrong?”
Ryo suddenly looked up and said calmly.
Ishikawa Hayato confirmed it: she was angry from shyness.
But he didn't dare to smile too broadly or stare at her face, fearing she might remember something else.
Ishikawa Hayato looked at her hands with a faint smile.
“No, I just feel that Ryo-neechan is truly gentle.”
Ryo didn't respond.
After paying the bill, the two left the restaurant.
Under the sunlight, Ishikawa Hayato asked Ryo.
“Now what?”
“Didn’t you say you were looking for study materials for Ikuyo?”
Ryo seemed not to mind at all going with Ishikawa Hayato to find something for another girl.
“Ah, I’ve chosen the study materials.”
Ishikawa Hayato showed Ryo the books he had selected.
Ryo glanced at them and looked at Ishikawa Hayato, saying with a hint of surprise.
“Good choice, but this one is relatively new, I wonder if a used bookstore will have it.”
Ishikawa Hayato speculated her thoughts and tentatively said.
“Then it seems we can only treat it as a date and go over there to take a look.”
“Mm.”
Ryo nodded and started walking.
...
In the afternoon, the two walked side by side on the streets of Shimokitazawa.
Leaving the restaurant, they returned to a world distorted by the sun, and the two walked hurriedly.
Entering the used bookstore, Ryo finally exhaled as the air conditioning blew on her, and she immediately looked around.
It wasn't their first time here, but Ishikawa Hayato still looked around.
And he looked so relaxed, without even a drop of sweat, she couldn't help but complain inwardly.
Pervert.
“It feels so nostalgic. The last time we came here was when we had just met.”
After looking around, Ishikawa Hayato lowered his head and said to Ryo.
“Nothing’s different now.”
Ryo’s voice was flat.
She finished speaking and took a step.
“Eh, that’s not true, is it?”
Ishikawa Hayato called out pitifully, quickly catching up to her.
Ryo secretly smiled where he couldn't see her.
The second visit was easier than the first.
Ishikawa Hayato greeted the owner and walked towards Ryo, who was already rummaging through the stacks of books.
Last time, with Nijika present, she felt a bit bigger, but this time, with only her squatting among the books, she appeared extremely petite.
She was still, as before, casually picking and choosing through the stacks of books.
Ishikawa Hayato squatted beside her, casually chatting while flipping through a book.
“Is it okay? To accompany me to look for books at this time.”
Ryo quickly replied.
“It’s fine, I’m free anyway.”
The single word “free” seemed to convey infinite loneliness, but that was her own choice.
Rather than conforming to others, or being deliberately accommodating to others, it was better to be idle.
Yet at this moment, she had given up that idleness to help Ishikawa Hayato find books here.
Ishikawa Hayato secretly glanced at her.
Her calm, deep gaze scanned the stacks of books, her quiet face showing no outward emotion, truly like a cat.
He had to admit that Ryo was a very charming person.
“What’s wrong?”
Ryo suddenly turned her head to look at him, seemingly wondering why this noisy person had suddenly become quiet.
“No, I’m just very touched. Please allow me to increase my debt and owe Ryo-neechan another meal.”
“Alright.”
Ryo was quite pleased, the corners of her mouth even slightly upturned, but suddenly she seemed to have an idea and said to Ishikawa Hayato.
“Can four times combine into one Jojoen?”
Ishikawa Hayato was startled and quickly refused.
“No! I use the decimal system.”
Going to a high-end yakiniku restaurant like Jojoen would cost at least tens of thousands of yen per visit.
Although he could afford it, money wasn't to be wasted like that.
“10 times, that’s a bit difficult,” Ryo sighed softly, turning back to continue searching through the stacks of books.
Ishikawa Hayato thought she had given up and continued searching for books.
But then, out of the blue, she suddenly spoke.
"If we're dating, can you send me food once a week?"
The air conditioning in the used bookstore hummed, and the indoor breeze it generated shook the wind chimes.
The chimes, touched only occasionally, let out a crisp sound.
The sudden noise was like being startled awake from an afternoon's fatigue.
Ishikawa Hayato's action of flipping a page stopped.
He turned sideways, surprised and hesitant.
He looked at Ryo, only to find that Ryo was already quietly staring at him.
Her golden eyes were calm and pure, showing no emotion other than curiosity.
Ishikawa Hayato tried hard, but he couldn't discern a single thought beneath the surface of her mind.
Moreover, her train of thought was jumping too much this time, and Ishikawa Hayato couldn't judge her seriousness based on the preceding and following context.
He cautiously asked,
"Which part is more important, the first or the second?"
"Not telling you."
Ryo started flipping through a book again.
But Ishikawa Hayato knew she was avoiding his gaze.
Her mind wasn't on the book at all, and her eyes were even fixed on a spot closer to her side between them.
After a moment of hesitation, Ishikawa Hayato didn't observe her reaction.
He looked at the book in front of him and said,
"I absolutely have no problem with it, but there's one thing. Although Kita didn't want me to say it, I think it's better to state it upfront now."
"Mm."
"Kita and I are dating."
"Mm."
Ryo's voice still showed no emotion.
"Is that still okay?"
"It won't affect me getting meal tickets, right?"
Ryo observed Ishikawa Hayato, while Ishikawa Hayato tried his best not to pay attention to Ryo.
After knowing her thoughts, he was afraid he would use his superhuman observation skills to give the "correct" answer.
"It won't affect it."
"Then that's fine."
As she spoke, the sound of shoe soles rubbing against the floor could be heard.
Ishikawa Hayato looked beside him.
Ryo was squatting, her hands pressed on her knees, staring at him as if observing him.
And her expression at that moment was one he had never seen before.
The corners of her eyes weren't as high as usual, drooping slightly with a hint of softness.
The look in her eyes conveyed concern and worry.
Her pupils were like a bottle of deep, swirling wine, making one unable to resist observing the ripples in her agitation.
Her curved eyelashes just happened to lock in that color.
Ishikawa Hayato didn't know what expression to face her with.
After a sigh, he smiled.
"Well then, hello, girlfriend."
"Bastard, boyfriend."
Her voice showed no anger, as if she was just gently complaining.
After Ryo finished speaking, Ishikawa Hayato continued to search for books, only his movements were a bit rougher than before.
He said,
"Since Ryo has agreed, there's one more thing."
Ryo stopped, not looking at him, listening patiently.
"Kita said that if anyone else in the band dates me, we'll automatically break up."
"Whatever."
Her dissatisfaction hadn't lessened.
Clearly, she wasn't sulking because he was already dating multiple people.
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