In front of the inn, Nic saw Zane waiting for him.
"Zane? What's up?" Nic asked as he walked over.
"Ah, Senior Nic, you finally arrived! Earlier, Olivia, Chloe, and Lily told me to inform you that they're planning to come here later to talk," Zane said.
"Oh? Why so formal, asking permission and all? Were they worried I wouldn't be here?" Nic said as he patted Zane on the shoulder before heading inside. "Tell them I'll be home tonight, so they can come over."
"Yes, Senior Nic!" Zane immediately contacted the three of them.
Meanwhile, Nic began preparing himself, since he already knew they were coming. He went to the kitchen, thinking about cooking something.
"Hm… since I have that anti-hunger passive skill, I rarely eat these days… might as well cook a lot of food for them too. What should I make?" Nic paused to think.
At the same time, the three girlfriends of Nic had already set off after getting the message from Zane.
On the way, they chatted casually.
Lily poked Olivia's waist playfully. "Olivia, about Monica's invitation… are you going to accept it?"
Olivia turned her head while gently gripping Lily's mischievous hand. "Oh, that? I'm actually a little interested. It'd add another activity, right? Besides, we've already been casually singing together with Monica pretty often, so I think we could fit into their lineup, hehe."
"Right! I can already imagine myself dancing on stage while shouting like crazy!" Lily laughed.
"Oh my gosh, Lily, you'll probably be the noisiest one there," Chloe said with a small laugh.
Olivia then asked Chloe if she wanted to join as well.
Chloe shook her head. "Ah, I don't really have the energy for singing and dancing. And I already have my own job anyway—I'll be the one designing your outfits later."
"That's true! Chloe's a fashion expert, so she should totally be our stylist. If she joined the singing too, when would she even have time to think about concepts?" Lily teased Olivia.
They kept chatting casually, and before they realized it, they had already arrived in the rural area and were heading straight toward Nic's inn.
Then they noticed a girl who looked like she had just come back from fishing. It was Marin, and her face looked messy and annoyed, probably because she hadn't caught any fish.
"Um, excuse me, do you know where the inn—" Olivia started, but Lily cut her off.
Lily immediately asked the question she was most curious about. "Um, do you know Nic?"
Marin nodded after hearing that.
Lily instantly looked at Olivia with a teasing smile, as if saying that if they were looking for Nic, everyone would obviously know him.
Chloe instead patted both of their shoulders. "But why even ask? Zane literally just sent us the detailed directions."
They laughed, apologized to Marin, and continued walking. Marin, confused and slightly annoyed, called out to them.
"Heeey!! Wait a second!" Marin shouted.
The three of them turned around in confusion.
"What is it?" Lily asked.
"I'll come with you. I also have some business with him," Marin said.
They didn't mind and invited Marin to walk together with them.
Olivia asked how well Marin knew Nic.
"Well… Nic is definitely a top-class playboy, right?" Marin said.
Lily burst into loud laughter. "Bwahahaha—!! That's hilarious, but it's true! I won't deny it!!"
"Wait a second—who exactly are you guys to Nic?" Marin asked.
Olivia answered gracefully, "I'm Nic's eighth girlfriend."
Lily jumped in. "I'm his ninth girlfriend!"
Olivia and Lily glanced at Chloe while holding back their laughter. Chloe blushed, feeling embarrassed, then walked ahead while muttering, "I-I'm the twenty-seventh…"
Marin was left even more stunned, but she thought that Nic really was far too different from ordinary guys.
They arrived in front of Nic's inn, where Zane was also standing.
"You can just go straight into the room next to mine—Senior Nic told me so!" Zane said while pointing at the neighboring door.
The three of them thanked Zane, knocked on the door, and called out, "Hello, Nic, we're here! We're coming in, okay!"
Nic shouted from the kitchen, "Yeah, come in! Give me a moment!"
By the time they entered, Nic had already finished preparing a huge amount of food.
Then the kitchen door slowly opened…
Nic appeared carrying two large trays filled with food. Warm steam gently rose into the air, and the aroma instantly spread throughout the room.
He carefully placed the first tray on the table.
"Alright, food's here… Creamy Love Corn Soup first, to warm up your stomachs."
One by one, the soup bowls were neatly arranged.
Then he set down the second tray. It was a bit heavy, but he still looked relaxed.
"And here's the main course—Honey Lemon Love Chicken and Butter Garlic Love Fish. Don't fight over it, there's enough for everyone."
He slid the main dishes to the center of the table, the sauces still glossy under the light.
Lastly, he went back for a moment, then returned with a faint smile.
"And for dessert… Fluffy Love Pancakes. Plus Sweet Love Milkshakes and Fresh Love Fruit Juice. Complete, right?"
Nic pulled out a chair, sat down, and looked at their reactions with a small grin.
"Go ahead. If anyone says it doesn't taste good… then cook it yourself tomorrow."
But then Nic suddenly noticed there was an extra person. "Eh, Marin? Why are you here?"
"Ah, am I not allowed to be here? Sorry then, I'll leave," Marin said sulkily.
Nic quickly grabbed her hand. "No, it's actually good that you're here. While you're at it, tell Hinata to come here too so we can eat together. This is way too much food."
"Hinata? Ah, alright, I'll tell her," Marin said as she immediately called Hinata and told her to come to Nic's inn.
While waiting, Nic asked Marin why she had come.
Marin panicked, because honestly she had only said she had business with Nic as a gimmick—she was just curious about what Nic was up to.
"Uh, it's about… Ah! Turns out you're really good at cooking!? That's amazing!" Marin suddenly changed the topic.
The three girlfriends of Nic froze, and so did Nic—but then Nic laughed and didn't mind it.
"It's fine, Marin. You're actually lucky to come here and get to eat my love-filled cooking."
Lily approached Marin. "That's right! There's no cooking more delicious than Nic's! You'll definitely get addicted!"
"Ah—ahaha, i-is that so? Then I'll happily eat a lot," Marin said shyly.
Then Olivia spoke to Nic. "By the way, Nic, it seems like your problem is already resolved, right?"
Nic nodded. "How was it? I once again got involved in someone else's trouble and tried to solve it."
"Well, if you look at it that way, it does seem like you're always meddling in other people's business," Chloe said. "But Nic, that word doesn't quite fit… You don't just meddle—you step into problems and solve them without being asked. That's not some trivial interference. You have good intentions that are just really hard to understand."
Marin suddenly joined in, feeling the same way. "That's true. Now I understand why so many people like Nic. I saw it myself back in the Kyushin area."
Nic rested his chin on his hand and looked at Marin. "Oh? So you've finally accepted this playboy?"
"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!" Marin shouted.
They all laughed, just as someone knocked on the door.
"Excuse me, Nic, it's me, Hinata… I happen to be with Lingmei and Ochana. May the three of us come in?" Hinata said from outside.
"Oh, sure, but it might be a bit cramped. Sorry, hehe," Nic replied.
The three of them entered and saw Nic's girlfriends.
"Huh? You look kind of familiar," Lingmei said while looking at the three of them.
Nic explained to Lingmei that they were exchange students, and that his old alter ego had met them before, which was why they felt familiar.
They greeted Lingmei, Ochana, and Hinata.
After that, everyone sat together in a circle. Ochana was completely amazed by the sheer amount of food.
Hinata was practically drooling while staring at the pancakes she loved so much.
"Haha, Chef Nic is definitely not to be underestimated," Lily said.
Since everyone had gathered, Nic told them to start eating while the food was still warm.
"LET'S EAT!!" everyone shouted together.
They immediately dug in.
"If Mika were here, this would all be gone instantly," Chloe said.
"Haha, that's harsh, Chloe," Nic replied.
Then Olivia brought up an important topic—that after finishing their exchange program, they would be returning to the Western region tomorrow.
"Hm, I see. In that case, I'll also be leaving this place soon," Nic said, surprising everyone.
"Eh? Where are you going, Nic?" Ochana asked.
"The problem isn't fully resolved yet, Ochana. Shen Akira ran away, but I know where he went, and I'm going to look for him myself," Nic said while drinking his juice.
"Are you going to capture him?" Lingmei asked.
Nic nodded. "I'll explain the details later at the Unity Temple. I'll have everyone gather there."
Everyone understood. Lily raised her hand. "Can we join the gathering too, Nic?"
"Won't you miss your school bus? Aren't you all going back together?" Nic asked.
Chloe sighed. "Ah, that's true. Fine then, Lily, you don't have to join. Anyway, we already know what Nic is going to do."
Lily looked at Chloe. "What is he going to do, exactly?"
Nic answered, "I just want to share some information, Lily. It's nothing too important. After that, I'll say goodbye like usual."
Lily understood.
They continued eating until everyone was full.
Marin, Hinata, and the others then said their goodbyes and went home.
Before leaving, Nic's three girlfriends told him something.
"Nic, did you know? We're going to become idols soon!" Lily said excitedly.
"Idols? Seriously? Has the Unity agency I made back then already grown that much?" Nic asked.
Olivia nodded. "Secretary Emily said she found four new girls. They're idols and are already Unity members now. And Monica said she wants to form one big group, so she invited us."
"That's great. You should join and develop it well so you can succeed and become even more famous," Nic said with a smile.
"Aren't you coming too, Nic?" Chloe asked.
"Me? Haha, I'll support you from afar. I'm already very happy just seeing you grow this much. It's already late—you should head home," Nic said.
They hugged him, then finally left.
Nic cleaned up the dining area, took some food he had stored in the fridge, and knocked on Zane's room.
Zane opened the door. "Huh, Senior Nic? What's up?"
"This is for you. I want to talk for a bit," Nic said.
"wow really? Thanks, Senior!" Zane took it and immediately started eating enthusiastically.
"So, how's the Western region? Is there anything that could become a threat?" Nic asked.
Zane looked slightly confused. "Hm, how should I put it… Since that tragedy, everyone knows now and is scared to do anything reckless again. They're probably more cautious, especially when it comes to bothering Unity."
"That's a relief," Nic said. "I wanted to tell you that I'm going to Northern."
"Northern?? As far as I know, that's an extremely cold country. Massive ice mountains everywhere, and the seas there are very dangerous. I got information from friends in the Eastern region that traveling there by ship is extremely risky. The safest way is definitely by plane, but flights are very rare and only operate on certain days when the airspace is safe," Zane explained.
Nic smiled and looked at Zane. "Then I'll go by ship."
"Ah… Senior Nic, you're not joking, are you?" Zane said, already used to this kind of thing.
"Yup. The sooner I go, the sooner my business will be finished. Well then, I'm going to sleep," Nic said as he headed back into his inn.
"Looks like Northern should prepare itself… a monster is coming there, haha," Zane said with a laugh before going inside.
To be continued…