Chapter 131: Pekola and the Holy Light!
As Lucoa's words fell, Minos (who was happily devouring a skewer, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's), Yusa (who was eating her own food while also feeding her sister), and the two angels all looked over at Ryohei Tanaka with curiosity.
However, the gaze that Ryohei felt most intensely—the one with the most presence—was Yurine's. For a split second, he had the distinct illusion of being trapped in the middle of a love-triangle battlefield.
"Mmm... Lucoa, it's the thought that counts. You don't have to feed me. You eat it yourself," Ryohei said, but even as he spoke, he accepted Lucoa's offering.
Perhaps afraid he would refuse, Lucoa had shoved the piece of Kraken meat right up to his mouth, making it impossible to refuse. Besides, she was doing it under the pretext of "thanking him for his hard work." Whatever her real intentions were, he decided to just go with it. Ryohei graciously accepted her feeding.
"Mhm, mhm."
Seeing Ryohei give her face and not refuse, a "tax-evading" (sly, successful) smile spread across Lucoa's mature, captivating face. As for his words about "not needing to be fed," they had gone in one ear and out the other.
However, she didn't plan on feeding him frequently. That would be inappropriate, and she was afraid of really setting someone off. Lucoa planned to just feed him once or twice more... nice and slow... just like boiling a frog.
Yurine looked at Ryohei and Lucoa with a hint of exasperation, but she wasn't really jealous. Not over something this small.
She was actually very satisfied with Ryohei. When Lucoa had asked him to put sunscreen on her earlier, he hadn't taken advantage of the situation. Although... that was probably because she was there, and he was likely quite disappointed about it. But in the end, he didn't put sunscreen on Lucoa, and that's what mattered!
Yurine was happy that Ryohei was considerate of her feelings. But at the same time, she had a new worry—
What do you do when your boyfriend is too popular?
Even the familiar he summoned was scheming against her! And Minos, who lived with them, was also very fond of him and was always following him around. Not to mention the "vixens" who occasionally showed up as customers...
It wasn't that Yurine didn't have faith in Ryohei. It's just that, no matter how much faith you have, it's hard to stay composed when faced with someone like Lucoa, who was more of a succubus than an actual succubus.
...
"How is it, Tanaka-kun? Is it good?" Minos asked, swallowing her food and looking at Ryohei with curiosity as he tasted the Kraken meat.
"Mhm... it's delicious!" Ryohei replied, giving her a thumbs-up while simultaneously brushing oil on some chicken wings. It was truly delicious.
The meat, having just come off the grill, was naturally a bit hot, but it was within a tolerable range. As he chewed, he noted the slightly crispy, char-grilled exterior, while the inside was incredibly tender, springy, and chewy. The piping-hot temperature seemed to intensify the Kraken's natural umami and the flavor of the BBQ sauce. The sweet and savory sauce blended perfectly with the meat's own flavor, followed by the light fragrance of sesame oil and the spicy kick of black pepper, which balanced the overall sweetness.
"You all have to try this. The flavor and texture are amazing," Ryohei said enthusiastically. "Personally, I think it's even better than regular grilled squid. Highly recommended!"
After saying that, he turned his head to Yurine, carefully checking her expression. Seeing that she wasn't angry and seemed calm, he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He then smiled and said, "Yurine, could you grab two more plates of this? I want to try it with a different flavor profile."
"Okay," Yurine nodded, and turned to get more ingredients from the table.
...
Hearing Ryohei's strong recommendation, Minos, who was already curious, immediately grabbed a slice of Kraken meat with her chopsticks. Poporon, Pekola, and Yusa followed suit.
Pekola had been skeptical about whether this "mysterious monster meat" was even edible. But seeing that Ryohei was fine after eating it and was even recommending it, she finally relaxed and took a bite with anticipation.
"Super delicious—!"
The moment it entered her mouth, Pekola was stunned. Her voice shot up an octave, her eyes (red on top, yellow on the bottom) flew wide open, and tiny stars seemed to sparkle in her pupils.
At the same time, a soft, holy light emerged from her body, rippling outwards like water, mingling with the light of the setting sun.
"Whoa—! Pekola, you're glowing!" Minos's eyes widened as she stared at Pekola in amazement.
Koji-kun, however, seemed uncomfortable in the presence of the light and instinctively shuffled away.
"Is that... Holy Light!?" Poporon's cute, idol-like face was a picture of astonishment. 'Why... why now? It doesn't look like she's doing it on purpose...'
Seeing Pekola staring at her own glowing hands in bewilderment, Poporon made a mental assessment.
Ryohei glanced at Poporon, saw that she wasn't glowing, and then looked back at Pekola. "Pekola, what's going on?"
This was the first time Ryohei had ever seen someone just start glowing while eating. It was a new one for him.
"I don't know!" Pekola replied, completely baffled. The moment she spoke, the light vanished, as if someone had suddenly flipped a switch, so sudden it was startling.
"Try eating another piece," Ryohei suggested, using his tongs to place another piece of Kraken meat on her plate.
"Mhm." It was delicious, so Pekola was more than happy to oblige. She picked up the meat, blew on it lightly, and put it in her mouth.
Fwoosh—the light instantly returned.
"Ooh! She's glowing again!" Minos was having a great time watching this. "Pekola, you're so interesting!"
This was basically a talent show. Eating delicious BBQ while watching a show—Minos was having a great time!
"Poporon, do you know what's happening?" Pekola asked, seeing Poporon staring at her thoughtfully, as if she'd figured something out. Come to think of it, Poporon had never glowed...
"Umm... it's probably the Kraken meat," Poporon analyzed with a thoughtful expression, glancing at the meat on the grill. "It must be stimulating the angelic power inside of you, Lady Pekola..."
"Then why aren't you glowing?" Pekola shot back, confused. They were both angels; it didn't make sense that it would only affect her.
"Perhaps my angelic power hasn't reached a high enough level yet," Poporon said with a slight shrug.
An angel's halo could be regenerated with angelic power. Pekola had lost her halo long before she had, and she had also been stronger to begin with. Her regeneration rate was probably faster, too. She had likely already accumulated a significant amount of angelic power by now. Maybe it wouldn't be long before she could regenerate her halo...
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