r18novel Page 179
Page 179
The reception room of SE.RA.PH.
With the red handprint on her face, Mochizuki Oboro waited for the meeting in Meltryllis to end.
His girlfriend, blushing with embarrassment and anger, slapped him. The effect was so great that he could cosplay the fiery sunset clouds without even needing to put on makeup.
With nothing better to do, the bored Mochizuki followed the map to the bedroom door and pushed it open.
A faint, lingering aura of danger and chaos seemed to remain in the air, coupled with the familiar space and layout... If Mochizuki Oboro remembered correctly, this was where BB had done his misdeeds. To put it in a more unconventional way, it was an ancient battlefield.
Mochizuki Oboro walked into the room, her gaze sweeping over the neatly arranged books on the bookshelf. She pulled out a chair and sat down, then stretched out her arm and casually picked up a seemingly ordinary notebook from the top shelf.
It's BB's journal. The content is about the sister order of SAKURA FIVE.
"If we only consider seniority and not mental age, then from oldest to youngest, they are Passionlip, Meltryllis, Violet, Kingprotea, and Kazuradrop."
Judging by appearances alone, Mochizuki Oboro thought Violet was the eldest sister. She'll ask BB more about Kazuradrop and the others later.
"Melt wants to add some awful new stuff again, calling it a major update. They really do whatever comes to mind. Master, you should go back now... wait, what are you looking at?!"
Kazuradrop jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, frantically snatching the notebook BB had left from Mochizuki Oboro's hand: "Secret! Privacy! Don't look at it casually!"
The truth is, watching it won't have any effect. But that's just how complicated a girl's heart is.
This notebook left by BB is full of dark history, and can be called a nuclear bomb for the SAKURA FIVE special attack. Kazuradrop cannot understand how such a dangerous item could be placed in such a place.
Her current feelings are no different from those of Ayachi Nene, whose detonator button was seen by others.
Mochizuki Oboro was a little confused by her intense reaction. He subconsciously raised his hand and scratched the back of his head in confusion: "Is it embarrassing?"
"Master, you grew up with Erise, so you know that feeling of accidentally bumping into each other during puberty, right?" Kazuradrop tried to get Mochizuki Oboro to empathize: "When Erise saw that, didn't you feel really embarrassed?"
“No. I’ll just have her leave for a bit; I need to take care of this.” Mochizuki Oboro pinched her chin as if deep in thought, then answered earnestly, “However, most people would probably be ashamed to talk about this kind of thing.”
Kazuradrop sighed. "At least you can understand this feeling a little."
"Because I accidentally saw Eri working as a miner. Then she beat me up in a fit of rage."
"I'm only thankful Eri is good-natured for not killing you."
……
"Ah-"
Eri, who was sitting at the table, sneezed without warning, then pulled out a tissue and blew her nose.
"Did you catch a cold?" Medea asked with concern. After all, the dormitory air conditioner was set very low last night.
"No. I just inexplicably remembered some embarrassing things." Eri shook her head.
Reines, who was fiddling with the tea bags, exclaimed, "Oh, why is your face red?"
"I already said it's an awkward thing, don't ask any more questions." Eri didn't want to dwell on the topic any longer and quickly ended the conversation.
Detective Abigail pulled out a magnifying glass: "Erise and senpai grew up together, didn't they?"
"Oh~~" Reines immediately drew out her words, making a sound of sudden realization mixed with extreme teasing: "You were accidentally seen changing clothes when you were little?"
"You're such a troublemaker," Eri said, half-annoyed, grabbing a water glass from the table and shoving it into Reines' mouth. "Can't you be quiet for a second?"
At the same time, upstairs.
Landmine, Blindfold, Fool, Literature Department—Dorm 456 is a hidden gem, teeming with talent.
Every time she sees her roommate Arcueid, Kuonji Yuzu always thinks of a short story she once read.
"What kind of person is the happiest?" To find the answer, a traveler visited the supreme king and also asked a destitute beggar on the street. However, regardless of status or wealth, people seemed to be troubled by their own worries.
When the traveler returned home, bewildered and empty-handed, he suddenly caught sight of the perpetually cheerful, simple-minded man from the neighboring village. In that instant, the traveler realized: only those without worries, those who are oblivious to the world's troubles, can attain the purest joy!
Of course, calling her a "fool" is disrespectful, and Arcueid wasn't exaggerating to that extent. Perhaps "Patrick Star" would be a more fitting description.
"Let's go get ramen!" Arcueid waved the voucher in her hand. "And the school supermarket has half-price potato chips today!"
Lilith, who was putting on makeup in front of the mirror, politely declined, saying, "I have something to do later, you guys go ahead."
Typhon immediately narrowed his eyes warily: "Why are you putting on makeup?"
Laziness is human nature; few people are willing to go through unnecessary trouble. Makeup is a skill, very time-consuming, and too much of it can damage the skin.
What's even more obvious is that, in all the time they've known each other, Typhon has hardly ever seen Lilith wear makeup. The very few times they've done so have been on dates.
"Guess." Lilith tilted her head, giving him an ambiguous smile.
Tifeng gritted his teeth in anger, took out his phone, and immediately activated the voice call function to pursue and kill him face to face.
The moment Mochizuki Oboro answered the call, Tsutsumi Toyo raised his voice a few decibels: "Let's go out for ramen together."
However, what came from the speaker was a slightly immature, playful voice with a touch of electronic sound.
"You're looking for your Master? He's not here right now. This is Kazuradrop, your smart communication assistant. Please leave a message."
Typhon clearly gave the instruction: "Ask him if he wants to bring Lilith along for ramen later."
"Your message has been received. Kazuradrop will relay it to your Master. Goodbye~"
Hang up. Call ended.
……
6:30 in the evening.
Inside a mysterious little shop in the Seventh School District.
"Here, please enjoy." A cheerful voice brought a plate of fresh lava cuisine to the table.
Typhon's facial muscles contorted slightly: "Didn't we agree to go eat ramen?"
“It’s ramen. This is just a free side dish.” Arcueid handed the voucher to her roommates: “This restaurant has a new ramen with a unique flavor. We can each have a bowl with the voucher.”
"I'll make you feel so good you'll fly in a minute." Lilith's lips twitched.
Kuonji Yuju took out a tissue, preparing herself for the profuse sweating.
Mochizuki Oboro rested her chin on her hands and looked at Chef Kotomine, who was busy in the kitchen: "Is this a new dish that you developed after repeated research?"
“No, it was just a whim,” Kirei Kotomine replied.
That's it, we're doomed.
Before long, five bowls of bright red ramen were served on the table.
That could no longer be simply called "ramen." The bowl steamed with scorching heat, and the broth was a heart-stopping, intensely rich crimson. Countless chili flakes and unidentified spice particles tumbled and leaped on the surface of the soup like boiling lava.
The noodles themselves seemed to have absorbed the terrifying red color, their glow resembling a specialty of the distant, radiant Milky Way.
"Please go first." Mochizuki Oboro respectfully handed the chopsticks to Arcueid.
Chapter 246 The Deadly Chef
Firm noodles, salty vegetables, double the amount of minced garlic, and lots of oil—this is a classic ramen battle by a certain 0721 master.
When Mochizuki Oboro picked up the first bite of noodles, bright red in color and steaming like lava, his hand holding the chopsticks paused slightly. His thoughts seemed to be suddenly pulled away from his body by the intense, almost tangible, spicy steam, drifting towards some distant and absurd parallel universe.
It's as if what he's facing isn't a bowl of ordinary (?) spicy ramen, but rather half-cooked green beans, a pork knuckle braised in pure Shaoxing wine, and a beggar's chicken that's been roasted without being covered in mud...
However, the dishes that Chef Kotomine served were far more dangerous than those of the chef from that distant universe.
It is said that the human brain automatically filters out some overly painful memories; this is a biological instinctive protective mechanism.
When she came to her senses, Mochizuki Oboro found herself slumped on the cold wooden dining table, her stomach burning with pain, and every breath was accompanied by a searing agony.
Kirei Kotomine seemed unsurprised by the result. He crossed his arms and glanced regretfully at the five bowls of ramen on the table that had barely been touched: "What a pity. This bowl of ramen was a new creation of mine that came to me on a whim, intended to challenge the limits of human endurance."
"...What is the recipe?" Mochizuki Oboro forced herself to lift her head: "I could... sneak a few bites of Erise's Mapo Tofu before, but this bowl... just one chopstickful is enough to... finish me off."
Kirei Kotomine didn't hold back, happily revealing the recipe: "The noodles are the soul of ramen, and they must be made by hand. First, the top-grade chili powder, ground to perfection, is mixed with high-gluten flour in a special ratio."
“That sounds like a challenge.” Robin flapped her wings, hopped onto the table, and tilted her head. “Miss Yuzhu took a small sip and collapsed, but I’d like to try it too.”
Tifeng slumped over the table and said weakly, "This time, I don't need Yuju to kill you myself."
Five seconds later.
Robin is dead again.
Lilith is completely offline, the Typhon is badly damaged, the legendary Master is negotiating with his stomach, Arcueid, the culprit, was almost split apart by Capsaicin XIII, and the fate of the Witch is unknown.
Everyone was fortunate to survive.
"Boss, as usual, one serving of Mapo Tofu with Er Yi 3 [ (V) 卄琦久柳珊'倭越.漪饭 etc., brother?!"
Erise's pupils widened in shock as she entered the store: "Is this a crime scene?"
[Additional attribute - Constitution (B) is active.]
"It's up to you... Don't waste it..." With her last remaining strength, Mochizuki Oboro handed her bowl of ramen to Eri: "Inherit my... legacy... and carry on..."
Throughout her life, Eri has faced many challenges, some academic and some personal, but she has rarely witnessed a scene like today.
The vibrant, sizzling broth and the novel noodles I've never seen before—just looking at them, you know they're no ordinary food.
"Welcome. This is the newest dish, please feel free to offer your feedback." Kirei Kotomine opened his arms wide: "I still need more practice."
In many works about youth and school life, the male and female protagonists using the same set of tableware for various reasons has always been a classic trope for escalating romance. However, for Erise, that's pure nonsense.
Besides their shared love of spicy food, Eri and Mochizuki Oboro have many overlapping food preferences, so there's no way they'd be polite in that situation. It's always a matter of whoever gets it first, and whoever's first gets it.
As a child, Erise had no concept of gender differences and even stole a fried chicken leg from Mochizuki Oboro's mouth. At the time, most of what Tiamat made for Mochizuki Oboro was swallowed by the bandit Erise.
The bowl of ramen in front of me is naturally nothing special.
Suck.
I couldn't taste anything, so I continued.
Suck.
"It's spicier than Mapo Tofu, but not too outrageous," Eri commented.
Kirei Kotomine nodded: "That's right, I deliberately reduced the proportion of chili powder."
When he ate it himself, the flour content was several times lower than those five bowls of ramen; it was all filled with chili powder. It was all hard work.
"Good evening." Karen pushed open the door and entered. "Boss, do you still have the fresh ramen?"
"That's all. It's a trial opening today, so I only prepared five servings." Kirei Kotomine's tone was flat and indifferent, and his gaze did not linger on Kallen.
The only one who knew the inside story of the relationship between the two, Mochizuki Oboro, nudged Kuonji Yuusu's arm: "Are you still planning to eat?"
Kuonji Yuzu, who had been burying her face in the crook of her arms, shook her head and said in a muffled voice, "I'm not eating anymore. Do whatever you want with it. I recommend feeding it to Robin."
"Ms. Karen, there's another one here that's barely touched."
After saying that, Mochizuki Oboro obediently picked up a spoon and scooped a spoonful of soup from Erise's side to feed Robin.
Robin, Shadows Die Twice.
"Is this for Kuonji-kun? Then I won't be polite." Karen clapped her hands and accepted the ramen with a big smile.
Now I don't even have to pay out of my own pocket. So satisfying!
There were no pleasantries or other interactions. Karen seemed to ignore her biological father, and Kirei Kotomine also seemed to disregard the customer's other identity.
What a strange relationship. Mochizuki Oboro thought to herself.
……
"I can not make it."
Tifeng, like a lump of melted clay, pressed her entire weight onto Mochizuki Ryou's back, and said with a mournful voice, "At first I thought it was just the color that was intimidating, but after taking too much with my chopsticks the first time, I feel like there's a fire burning in my stomach now."
"It's alright, tomorrow will be even spicier." Mochizuki Oboro said meaningfully, "Especially when we go to pick flowers."
Typhon remained unmoved: "Beautiful girls don't need to go to the toilet. Also, I hope you can say something nice."
"Then I wish you a smooth journey."
"..."
Tifeng looked like a wilted cabbage at that moment, and said wearily, "Other people's relationships are all sweet and sour, why is it that we're already having this kind of life conversation that has no romance whatsoever before we've even confirmed our relationship?"
"Then I'll put more roses in the bathroom."
Tifeng, unable to contain himself any longer, grabbed Mochizuki Oboro's ear: "Are you addicted to going to the toilet? Or are you just a White Zetsu clone who has never experienced what it feels like to go to the toilet and is asking me this so impatiently?"
"I surrender, meow," Mochizuki Oboro said insincerely.
“It’s too grating to hear you say it in your normal voice. Go back and wait for the mugwort.” Tsutsumi said in a sinister tone, “If you’re so eager to know what it’s like to go to the bathroom, then I might as well bring some props and take the initiative.”