Wait a second...
Ryuji looked at the sudden sparkle in Rosh's eyes and felt a strange sense of foreboding wash over him.
Sure enough, Sharan's next words confird his suspicion.
"Oh, if that's the case, then I can rest easy."
Sharan let out a sigh of relief.
"Although the Mage Guild has a pretty generous budget overall, the portion allocated for food isn't particularly high. If this kid keeps eating at the cafeteria without restraint, we might soon have to ask all the mages to pay for their own als. After all... this child alone consus half of the entire food budget."
She pinched Rosh's cheek with a helpless look on her face.
Half the budget?
If Ryuji had a cigarette in his mouth, it would've fallen straight to the floor right now. The sheer impact of that statent was enough to blow his mind.
"Ehehe~"
Rosh scratched her cheek sheepishly, but didn't seem all that embarrassed.
"I-it's mostly because I starved for too long before... Normally, I don't eat that much, really."
"..."
He remained skeptical.
"Are you sure? Or is the Guild's food budget just extrely low?"
"Well... it's true that the budget isn't that high, but I wasn't lying... okay, maybe it was half a joke. Still, there's a reason I recomnded Rosh to you. This kid's magical abilities are nothing to scoff at. She can definitely lend a hand in your studies. I wouldn't set you up for failure."
Sharan chuckled lightly.
"I see."
Ryuji nodded, then turned to Rosh.
"Well, I'm counting on you then."
He extended his hand, and Rosh politely bowed before stepping forward to shake it, looking every bit the well-mannered girl.
"Please take care of !"
This kid's actually pretty polite.
He blinked. That caught him off guard. In gas or fanfics, mages were usually either rude, aloof, or acted like spoiled kids. But this one? She was a total sweetheart.
"Well then, let's go grab sothing to eat."
At those words, Rosh's eyes lit up again. She gave another deep bow, her fiery red twin tails swaying with the movent—it was honestly a beautiful sight.
Too bad her twin tails weren't styled all that well, and her fra was a bit too petite. If she grew a bit more, he might've even entertained so strange thoughts.
But right now, not a trace of worldly desire stirred within him.
"Okay! Thank you, Brother Ryuji!"
The way she called him "brother" filled him with reassurance that he hadn't been scamd. With a nod to Sharan, he headed off with Rosh, taking her through a small alley near the Mage Guild toward a decent-looking restaurant.
But just before they stepped inside, Rosh tugged gently at his sleeve.
Ryuji turned to her curiously. She looked a little hesitant.
"Umm... Brother Ryuji, maybe... we shouldn't eat here. It's kind of expensive, and I don't want to make you spend too much. I know a place that's super tasty and really cheap!"
Her eyes were full of anticipation—and worry. And unfortunately for Ryuji, thanks to his genetic tweaks and post-apocalyptic instincts, he had absolutely no defense against this kind of look. He froze for a second, then smiled as he ruffled her red hair.
Now he understood why "dad-with-daughter" stories and "little sister" light novels were so popular.
The reason was simple: walking around with a cute, polite, and considerate girl who never causes trouble is just incredibly soothing.
"No worries. I've got plenty of money."
He patted his wallet. With his stash of iron ingots from 7 Days to Die, he didn't have to worry about running out of cash anyti soon.
But as soon as he said that, Rosh's cute little face took on an awkward expression again.
"W-Well... it's just that I really like that other place. Also... I kinda have a bad relationship with this restaurant's owner. One ti, they kicked out while I was eating..."
Kicked out?
Ryuji's eyes shifted to the owner behind the counter. The man didn't exactly look thrilled at the sight of Rosh. He thought for a mont, then grabbed her hand and turned around.
"Alright, let's go to your favorite spot then."
Rosh let out a big sigh of relief and even patted her flat, non-existent chest in exaggeration.
Ryuji couldn't help but feel curious.
Why was she this relieved? Didn't Sharan say that the whole budget thing was kind of a joke?
Still, to be on the safe side, when they finally reached the little restaurant Rosh ntioned and sat down to order, Ryuji made sure to glance at the nu first.
"Three copper coins for a bowl of rice, twenty copper for a dish... nothing over a silver coin? That's pretty cheap."
Feeling reassured, he rubbed his wallet. With a few dozen gold coins to his na, there was no way a single little girl could eat that much.
"Yes! That's why I always co here when I'm super hungry! The lady who owns this place really likes too... not sure why she's not around today though."
Ryuji nodded.
"Got it. Go ahead and order. Eat whatever you like."
There was no way a girl this small—barely reaching his chest—could possibly eat enough to put a dent in his finances.
"Okay! Thank you, Brother Ryuji!"
Rosh bead and then raised her hand to the waiter.
"Um, I'd like three bowls of rice, and these five dishes, please!"
Three bowls, five dishes—didn't sound like much. Why was Sharan making such a big deal?
He nodded, then froze.
Three... bowls?
He turned his head just in ti to see two servers approach, each carrying massive stears nearly a ter in diater.
His jaw dropped.
They gently placed the three steaming containers on their table. Then one of them, clearly familiar with Rosh, smiled fondly and ruffled her red hair, mirroring the exact sa pampering look Ryuji had worn earlier.
"Not feeling well today, sweetheart? Why such a tiny portion? Just a warm-up snack?"
Tiny... warm-up...?
Ryuji stared blankly at the 15cm-high, one-ter-wide stear in front of him.
He slowly picked up a pair of chopsticks, gripping them like a trembling cigarette, and placed one solitary grain of rice in his mouth.
He had made a grave mistake.
He had underestimated what it ant to be a two-dinsional ani girl.
~~~~~~~
Bonus chapter every 200 PS.
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