"Please, have some tea."
Looking at the cup the girl had placed before him, Luo Yu smiled.
"You even studied tea ceremony?"
Sitting upright in her chair, Yukino gently rested both hands on her lap before replying.
"My mother arranged for me to learn many things while I was growing up. Tea ceremony was one of them. Although I haven't demonstrated it much, it's a relatively simple skill, so I still remember how to do it."
Luo Yu lifted the cup and inhaled the aroma before taking a sip.
Then he smiled.
"A beautiful girl performing a tea ceremony right in front of me is definitely a pleasant sight. And the tea itself smells excellent as well. I'm the one who benefits from this."
Under Yukino's gaze, he calmly took a sip.
Their eyes met.
The moment Yukino made contact with his gaze, even though it lasted only a few seconds, she instinctively looked away.
A faint tension rose in her heart.
She herself didn't quite understand why, but out of a sense of gratitude, she had chosen to do this for him.
Over the past several years, she had only performed the tea ceremony a few times—mostly back when she first learned it, to demonstrate her progress to her mother.
And now…
She had performed it in front of a boy.
Had something gone wrong with her mind?
While Yukino was lost in thought, the subtle changes in her expression were all clearly visible to Luo Yu.
He didn't interrupt her awkward moment.
Instead, he simply watched quietly while continuing to sip the fragrant tea.
To be honest, Luo Yu hadn't been exaggerating earlier.
With Yukino's appearance and temperament, watching her perform the tea ceremony alone in front of him was genuinely pleasing to the eye and soothing to the mood.
The only thing slightly out of place was the high school uniform she was wearing.
Still, with Yukino's natural beauty, the uniform actually added a strangely alluring charm to the scene.
Although…
If she happened to reveal a pair of cat ears and a tail right now, that would be even better.
Fortunately, Yukino's inner conflict didn't last long. She quickly composed herself and poured another cup of tea for Luo Yu.
Looking at her, Luo Yu asked, "You're going to Tokyo on Friday. Are you still coming over for training today?"
Without hesitation, Yukino answered, "Yes. I'll come after school today. But tomorrow afternoon my sister is taking me to try on a dress, so I won't be able to make it then."
Luo Yu nodded.
"Alright. That works. Once you know the exact location of the banquet, tell me. Ranni and I will stay nearby on Friday. If anything happens, we'll arrive immediately."
After thinking for a moment—just in case he couldn't arrive in time—Luo Yu reached into his inventory and took out a golden, coin-like object.
"What is that?"
"It's a Hero Rune. It contains the blessing granted to heroes on the battlefields of the Lands Between and holds a tremendous amount of rune power."
After giving that brief explanation, Luo Yu took out a dagger.
Covering the blade with magic, he began carving delicate patterns onto the Hero Rune.
Several minutes later, the engraving was complete.
He handed the rune, now covered in fine magical markings, to Yukino.
"Take it. Keep it on you. If something dangerous happens at the banquet, crush it immediately. It will release a powerful burst of magical shockwaves along with several counterattack spells I've prepared. I'll also sense it instantly and rush over."
The moment Yukino accepted the Hero Rune, she immediately felt the immense power contained within it.
Then the intricate markings slowly faded into the rune itself, and its aura gradually calmed.
She nodded firmly and carefully placed the Hero Rune into the small pouch hanging around her neck.
"I'll keep it safe."
Once the tea was finished and their conversation concluded, the two of them left the clubroom and returned to their classroom.
As they walked back, Shizuka Hiratsuka happened to step out of the restroom just in time to see their backs as they walked side by side.
Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, she muttered to herself,
"Are those two actually involved somehow? Hmm… they do seem quite compatible in many ways. I'll observe a little longer. If I tell Haruno right now, that overprotective sister will definitely stir up trouble."
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the corridor, Nino Nakano and her younger sister Miku Nakano were also walking together when they noticed Luo Yu and Yukino.
When Nino saw Yukino turn her head slightly toward Luo Yu while speaking, the elegant profile of her face made Nino pause.
A hint of envy appeared in her expression.
Miku, who was sipping fruit juice beside her, noticed the change and asked curiously,
"Nino, what's wrong?"
Puffing her cheeks slightly, Nino replied with a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone.
"Nothing. I'm just… a little annoyed."
Following Nino's line of sight, Miku also noticed Luo Yu and Yukino entering the classroom together.
"That boy… could he be the one Itsuki mentioned? The one named Luo Yu? Nino, do you like him?"
Nino's cheeks turned faintly red.
"It's not exactly that I like him. I just have a bit of a good impression of him. I mean, he's really handsome, isn't he? Itsuki talked with him before and said he's a nice person too."
She paused before continuing with a slightly displeased tone.
"But I didn't expect he already had someone. That girl… if I remember correctly, she's the second daughter of the Yukinoshita family. I saw her once at a banquet we attended last year."
"Hmph. She's not even that pretty. And her figure isn't as good as mine!"
Miku blinked and softly replied,
"They're in the same class, so they obviously have more chances to interact. I think you could try approaching him more, Nino. Maybe they're not actually dating. They might just happen to be walking together."
"…Maybe. I'll see."
Miku could tell at once.
Nino was all talk. When it came to actually taking action, she would probably hesitate.
After school that afternoon, Yukino left the classroom with Luo Yu just like they had at noon. The two of them walked together all the way out of the school gates.
As for Miko, she had to go home today and couldn't come for magic training.
On the way back, Luo Yu noticed that his kitchen was running low on ingredients.
So he brought Yukino along to the supermarket for a large grocery run.
Watching Luo Yu continuously pile various meats and vegetables into the shopping cart, Yukino asked,
"Do we really need to buy this much?"
Luo Yu explained while pushing the cart.
"Meat can be stocked up. Vegetables should be bought in smaller amounts so they stay fresh. Oh—this seafood looks good. Do you have any food restrictions?"
Yukino watched as Luo Yu excitedly pushed the cart toward the seafood section, studying the large king crabs displayed there.
She fell silent and simply followed behind him.
The moment she arrived beside him, Luo Yu began talking enthusiastically.
"You know, back in the Lands Between there were crabs too. Not just small ones. Some were gigantic—bigger than a person. When they crouched down they were still about two meters tall. Their strength and shells were terrifying, and dealing with them took a lot of effort."
"And besides the giant crabs, there were massive lobsters too. The water jets they fired were so powerful that even with my shield raised, they could push me back several meters. Even if you ran away, they would keep chasing and attacking for quite a while."
"…T-two meters tall crabs?"
Yukino imagined the scene in her mind.
Suddenly, she didn't feel like eating crab anymore.
Her fear of enormous creatures was starting to kick in.
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