I teleported with Tiona to a nearby alley, and we went to a restaurant she recommended. It was empty, but she said the food was good. As soon as we walked in, the waitress recognized her.
"Oh, Tiona, welcome! Whoās your friend?" She looked at Tiona and smiled. She probably thinks weāre more than just friends.
"This is Luan, from the Hestia Familia."
"Luan... Luan... Ah!" The woman thought for a moment and finally recognized me. "Youāre that author! Iāve read one of your books before. I really liked it, though not enough to keep reading."
"Youāre quite blunt, haha."
"Sorry, itās just that I prefer romance novels."
"I recently published a new book called Romeo and Juliet. You should read itāitās a very dramatic love story."
"Oh? Iāll definitely check it out. So, what will you two be having today?"
"Iāve never eaten here before, so Iāll let Tiona order."
"You can take a look at the menu," the woman said.
"I trust Tiona to choose something for me. Order whatever youād likeāitās on me."
"How gentlemanly~~" The waitress grinned from ear to ear as she looked at Tiona. Tiona looked a bit uncomfortable and gave her a look that said, Calm down, donāt say anything unnecessary.
Or at least, thatās how I interpreted her look.
Since the waitress stopped teasing, Iām pretty sure I was right.
"All right. Iāll have two steak plates with potatoes. And a soup."
"And to drink?"
"Iāll have a beer," I said.
"Iāll go with a red fruit juice. Iām not in the mood to drink right now."
"Got it." The waitress wrote down the order and left the table.
More people started coming into the restaurant, and a few of them recognized me. They came over and asked for autographs. I signed for them and politely asked them not to disturb me.
One of the men, before walking away, said, "Are you on a date with Tiona? Youāre a lucky guy."
Tiona was clearly embarrassed by his comment but didnāt say anything.
After a while, our food and drinks arrived.
We ate while chatting about random topics. I didnāt mention Tione or AisāI thought bringing up other women in this situation would be inappropriate.
Once we finished eating, I paid the bill and we left the restaurant.
"The food really was great," I said, reaching out my hand for Tiona to hold.
Without hesitation, she took my hand, and I teleported us to the rooftop of a building near the tower. Once there, I lay down and looked up at the sky.
"The weatherās not looking too good. I think itās going to rain soon."
"Then maybe we should head back home." Tiona sat down on the rooftop. She had a cute smile on her face as she looked at me.
I turned to her, and our eyes met.
"Tiona, can I ask you something?"
"Hm?"
"What do you think of me? Do you find me unpleasant?"
She saw everything I did with her sister. Even though she seems to like me, maybe she feels some disgust because of what she witnessed. Though she really did seem to enjoy watching...
"What do you mean, what I think of you?"
"Do you hate me for what I did with Tione?" I got straight to the point.
Tiona fell silent and looked away. Then she lay down on the rooftop and stared at the sky, just like I was doing.
"Hmmm..."
"Whatās wrong? Do you really need to think that hard to answer?"
"Yes, I do," she replied coldly.
"..."
"When I saw that, I was shocked. To this day, I still donāt understand how it happened."
"What do you mean?"
"How did you start a relationship with my sister? When did it happen? I just donāt get it."
"Do you want the details?"
"No, Iād rather not." Tiona quickly rejected the idea of hearing any details about what I did with her sister.
"Iām just kidding."
"But to give you a straight answer: No, I donāt hate you."
"So, you like me?"
"..." Tiona fell silent for several long seconds. She didnāt want to answer. "Whatās wrong? Cat got your tongue?"
"Iād rather not answer that." Her voice trembled a little. She was nervous.
"Well, I like you a lot," I told her. "Youāre a great girl."
I was direct and then stayed quiet. Sometimes, a few sincere words are enough to soften the heart of a woman who clearly has feelings for you.
"..."
Tiona didnāt say anything else and then stood up.
I stood up too and held out my hand to her. "Give me your hand. Iāll take you down."
"No need. See you later," Tiona said, then vanished in an instant.
Huff~~ I let out a sigh and smiled.
"Maybe this will be harder than I thought."
####
I returned home and was greeted by Haruhime in the living room. Everyone else had gone outāonly she remained. "Good afternoon," she said.
"Good afternoon. Are you feeling okay?"
"Yes, Iām fine. Still getting used to living here. The girls are all very kind, so Iām sure Iāll settle in quickly."
"Lili and Mikoto are really nice, arenāt they? I knew youād like them."
"..." Haruhime stood up and I followed her into the kitchen. She started preparing tea, and I watched her for a while. But not wanting to make her uncomfortable, I returned to the living room.
A few minutes later, she came back carrying two cups of tea. "Here."
"Thanks."
"Sorry to ask, but... where were you?"
"I was out eating with a friend."
"I see, a friend."
"What? She really is just a friend."
"I wasnāt trying to imply anything, Iām sorry."
"Itās all good." I chuckled and took a sip of the tea she made. "Hmm, this is great." Even though it was very sweet, the flavor was excellent.
"Itās not as good as the tea you make."
"Whatās this? I wasnāt expecting a compliment from you."
"Idiot." Haruhime blushed and took a sip of her tea.
We continued drinking in silence. For some reason, Haruhime seemed flustered and didnāt have the courage to start another conversation.
Since seeing her like that was cute, I didnāt start one either and just enjoyed the moment.
####
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Next Chapters: Chapter 259 - Rubbing Against Me. +18 / Chapter 260 - Iām tired. Do you want to get married? +18 / Chapter 261 - Marriage? / Chapter 262 - Crazy. ( Beginning of wedding preparations ) / Chapter 263 - Family and Friends. / Chapter 264 - Place for the Wedding. / Chapter 265 - Are You Going to Buy the Buildings?! / Chapter 266 - Ais Doesnāt Know About the Wedding / Chapter 267 - She can be quite annoying. / Chapter 268 ā Cookie Clicker. / Chapter 269 - Aisās Cofession? / Chapter 270 - Did I Break Aisās Heart? / Chapter 271 - I wish you luck. +18