Chapter 85

On the rooftop of the teaching building, all traces of last night's battle had been erased.

Even the large hole by the entrance door, which had been created by Sanzai Reika after she was possessed by a ghost, had been repaired with quick-drying cement.

Aoba reached out, gripped the doorknob, used her true qi to unlock it, and pushed the door open to enter the rooftop.

The traces of last night's intense battle had also disappeared from the rooftop; the uneven ground had been repaired, and the magic array had been cleared.

If there was any difference between the rooftop now and its usual state, it was that the sunshade and the table and chairs in the center of the rooftop were gone, and a bench with a backrest, often seen in parks, had appeared by the railing.

However, the sunshade and the table and chairs had been moved by Sanzai Reika and Sanzai Reika to set up the magic array, not last night.

As for the bench with a backrest, it was clearly there because of the other person on the rooftop besides Aoba.

That person was sitting on the bench, quietly looking down at the school grounds. Although Aoba couldn't see their face, she recognized who it was from the beautiful blonde hair—Sanzai Natsu.

"Aoba? You're here so early! You came right after lunch break started," Sanzai Natsu turned to look at Aoba and smiled.

"Didn't you always call me Uesugi-san before? Why are you suddenly calling me Aoba?" Aoba asked as she walked over and sat down on the bench.

"I just suddenly felt that calling you by your surname was too distant. After all, we are friends now, so I decided to call you by your first name. Besides, don't you call Battler-san by her first name? You can call me Natsu the same way," Sanzai Natsu said with a hint of defiance.

"She doesn't call me by my first name; you didn't hear her always call me Aoba-sama!" Aoba shook her head.

"Are you saying you want me to call you Aoba-sama?" Sanzai Natsu turned to look at Aoba, her eyes full of amusement.

"Call me Aoba! That's fine, Natsu." Aoba smiled.

Sanzai Natsu nodded in satisfaction.

"Didn't you have classes this morning? You've been here all along?" Aoba guessed.

"Um, the events of yesterday still feel somewhat unreal, especially the experiences in the illusion. It brought back some details from my childhood that had already faded," Sanzai Natsu hugged her arms, and for a moment, the usually strong young lady seemed somewhat frail.

The two fell silent, quietly staring at the school grounds below.

"Thank you for saving Mom!" After a while, Sanzai Natsu said.

"That was just an illusion," Aoba said softly.

"It was enough to give me a beautiful dream, wasn't it? You know, I dreamed about those times again last night, but this time I wasn't woken up by a nightmare because a hero saved Mom," Sanzai Natsu smiled.

"Was that hero me?" Aoba smiled back.

"Guess?" Sanzai Natsu tilted her head and looked at him, her gaze full of a charm she had never shown before.

Aoba shook his head, indicating he couldn't guess, and then asked, "Have you had lunch yet?"

"Um, no, why?" Sanzai Natsu nodded.

"Want to have lunch together?" Aoba took out his bento box.

"Bento? Did you make it yourself?" Sanzai Natsu immediately became curious.

"Yes! I made one for you too, let's eat together!" Aoba nodded.

"Really? You made one for me too? Did you prepare two portions from the start?" Sanzai Natsu was puzzled.

"Exactly, I suddenly thought of it this morning. I wanted to make something for you to try!" Aoba nodded.

"In that case, I'll give it a try. If it's not good, I'll tell you," Sanzai Natsu said with a look that suggested she wouldn't hold back.

"Then please, give it a try!" Aoba placed the bento box on the space between them on the bench.

"Alright, I won't hold back." Sanzai Natsu opened the bento box, and her expression froze as she looked at Aoba. "This is?"

"It's a green pepper sandwich! Try it," Aoba nodded, encouraging her.

Sanzai Natsu bit her lip and didn't say anything. Instead, she reached out with a slightly trembling hand, picked up a piece of the sandwich, and stuffed it into her mouth.

As the green pepper sandwich entered her mouth, tears began to stream down her face.

"Is it good?" Aoba asked.

"It's far worse than what Mom makes," Sanzai Natsu said, her mouth full, completely losing the elegance she usually displayed when eating.

As she ate, tears continued to fall from her eyes.

"The wind is so strong today, it's blowing sand into my eyes!" After finishing a piece of the sandwich, Sanzai Natsu wiped her eyes and said with a smile that was hard to describe.

"Yes, the wind is really strong today," Aoba looked up at the clear, cloudless sky and smiled.

Aoba also took out a green pepper sandwich from the bento box and took a big bite.

"Mm, it's good! My cooking is the best! I can't imagine your mom's green pepper sandwiches being better than this," Aoba said as he continued to eat.

"Of course, you can't compare to Mom," Sanzai Natsu said proudly, but the tears on her face made her proud expression less of the usual aloofness of a young lady.

"Hey, if you don't eat, I'll finish the rest," Aoba said after finishing a piece of the sandwich and took another one from the bento box.

"Wait, I'll have some too." Sanzai Natsu immediately picked up a piece, and the two began to chew together.

They continued until they had finished all the sandwiches in the bento box.

"Oh no, oh no, we still have classes this afternoon! I ate so many green peppers, will my breath smell?" Sanzai Natsu covered her mouth and kept breathing in and out, trying to smell her breath, but found it impossible to detect anything.

"Let me smell, does it smell like green peppers?" Sanzai Natsu turned to Aoba and blew into his face, asking him to help.

Aoba had no choice but to turn and lean in to smell. The scent of a young girl lightly brushed his face, and Aoba took a deep breath but only smelled fresh air, with no hint of any odor.

"No smell," Aoba replied.

"Lean in a bit closer and smell again," Sanzai Natsu said, unsatisfied.

Aoba had to lean in a bit closer.

"I just ate a lot of green peppers too, so I can't smell anything even if there is a smell!"

As Aoba leaned in, Sanzai Natsu suddenly reached out, grabbed his collar, and pulled him towards her.

And just like that, the premeditated Sanzai Natsu lightly touched her soft lips to Aoba's.

Aoba didn't move, and neither did Sanzai Natsu.

They remained in this lip-locked position for several seconds before Sanzai Natsu slowly pulled away.

******

My friend's book "Duel, Uncle!" will be released on Friday afternoon. Everyone is welcome to support it! It's a great book, and you can check it out.

Finally, as usual, I'm asking for recommendations.

Group number: 102850266!

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