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! Who's your friend?" She looked at Tiona and smiled. She probably thinks we're more than just friends.
"This is Luan, from the Hestia Familia."
"Luan… Luan… Ah!" The woman thought for a moment and finally recognized me. "You're that author! I've read one of your books before. I really liked it, though not enough to keep reading."
"You're quite blunt, haha."
"Sorry, it's just that I prefer romance novels."
"I recently published a new book called Romeo and Juliet. You should read it—it's a very dramatic love story."
"Oh? I'll definitely check it out. So, what will you two be having today?"
"I've never eaten here before, so I'll let Tiona order."
"You can take a look at the menu," the woman said.
"I trust Tiona to choose something for me. Order whatever you'd like—it's 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, don't say anything unnecessary.
Or at least, that's how I interpreted her look.
Since the waitress stopped teasing, I'm pretty sure I was right.
"All right. I'll have two steak plates with potatoes. And a soup."
"And to drink?"
"I'll have a beer," I said.
"I'll go with a red fruit juice. I'm 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? You're a lucky guy."
Tiona was clearly embarrassed by his comment but didn't say anything.
After a while, our food and drinks arrived.
We ate while chatting about random topics. I didn't mention Tione or Ais—I 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 weather's not looking too good. I think it's 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…"
"What's 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 don't understand how it happened."
"What do you mean?"
"How did you start a relationship with my sister? When did it happen? I just don't get it."
"Do you want the details?"
"No, I'd rather not." Tiona quickly rejected the idea of hearing any details about what I did with her sister.
"I'm just kidding."
"But to give you a straight answer: No, I don't hate you."
"So, you like me?"
"..." Tiona fell silent for several long seconds. She didn't want to answer. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"
"I'd rather not answer that." Her voice trembled a little. She was nervous.
"Well, I like you a lot," I told her. "You're 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 didn't say anything else and then stood up.
I stood up too and held out my hand to her. "Give me your hand. I'll 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 out—only she remained. "Good afternoon," she said.
"Good afternoon. Are you feeling okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Still getting used to living here. The girls are all very kind, so I'm sure I'll settle in quickly."
"Lili and Mikoto are really nice, aren't they? I knew you'd 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 wasn't trying to imply anything, I'm sorry."
"It's 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.
"It's not as good as the tea you make."
"What's this? I wasn't 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 didn't have the courage to start another conversation.
Since seeing her like that was cute, I didn't start one either and just enjoyed the moment.
####
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Next chapters: Chapter 259 - Rubbing Against Me. +18 / Chapter 260 - I'm 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 Doesn't Know About the Wedding / Chapter 267 - She can be quite annoying. / Chapter 268 – Cookie Clicker. / Chapter 269 - Ais's Cofession? / Chapter 270 - Did I Break Ais's Heart? / Chapter 271 - I wish you luck. +18