Jinx looked at the pink-haired girl in front of her, whose eyes were shining like two miniature suns, and for a mont, she felt a trace of panic.
Yes, it was panic; she, the Loose Cannon who rode rockets for fun, actually panicked! She had never seen anyone like this before!
Who sees a suspicious, tattooed girl in a dimly lit restaurant, and without even knowing them, imdiately looks at them with shining eyes and starts praising them? Jinx had truly never seen such a person. She had seen strangers shoot at each other, scream at each other, or run away in fear, but she had never seen strangers directly praise each other like this.
Jinx swallowed, her hand twitching toward a gun that wasn't there. "Do you... do you know ? Are you a spy?"
"No! But I feel like you're so cool! You have this aura of... boom!" The girl made an explosion gesture with her hands.
Jinx was dumbfounded. She blinked rapidly. After a long while, she ca back to her senses and said, "We don't even know each other, and you're just saying that? Do you know what kind of person I am? I break things. I'm ssy. I'm loud."
The girl smiled, scratched her head, and said, "I don't know, but I feel like you're a very easygoing person underneath, and you really are very cool! Like a rock star!"
"You… are weird."
"And very beautiful! Your eyes are like athysts!"
Jinx rarely blushed. In all her life, besides Ren's earlier complint (which she dismissed as a trick), this was the first ti anyone had praised her appearance without a sinister motive. Although it felt a bit strange—itchy, almost—how could she dislike being praised?
Seeing Jinx's conflicted expression, the girl smiled brighter and said, "What's your na~?"
"Jinx… Wait… Why should I tell you… I don't give my na to civilians."
"Ah… Jinx! As expected, you have a very cool na! It sounds like magic! My na is Fujiwara Chika! Secretary of the Shuchiin Student Council!"
"Oh… Chika. Sounds... pink."
Jinx completely didn't know how to talk to this girl nad Fujiwara Chika anymore. She thought she was already quite outgoing and chaotic, but compared to the pure, concentrated energy of this girl, Jinx felt like an introvert.
Fujiwara Chika didn't wait for an invitation. She walked straight to the table next to Jinx, sat down, and leaned in. "Is this tattoo a cloud? It's so cool! It glows a little!"
"Yes, it is a cloud. Smoke clouds. I also think it looks very good!" Jinx puffed out her chest slightly.
"Does it have any special aning? Is it a symbol of your clan?"
"I don't know. Do tattoos need aning? If it looks good, just get it. Why overthink art?"
"I want to try it too… but my family wouldn't agree~. My grandfather would faint!"
Fujiwara Chika and Jinx were, fundantally, kindred spirits. They were both very natural, outgoing, and possessed a chaotic, innocent energy that defied social norms. So, once they found a topic they could talk about—rebellion, aesthetics, and chaos—they were like old friends who hadn't seen each other for years, able to chat about anything.
While Ren was preparing food for Fujiwara Chika in the kitchen, the sound of giggles and excited chatter drifted in. He heard them discussing everything from hair dye to the best way to prank authority figures.
He smiled as he tossed the rice in the wok. Sure enough, Jinx still liked making friends and enjoyed having people play with her. Confird, she was a bit of a lonely tsundere girl~.
After Ren finished cooking, he didn't imdiately serve it. Instead, he stood by the kitchen doorway, leaning against the doorfra, quietly watching the two girls.
"Wow! That sounds exciting! Explosions for art? My life is quite monotonous; I can only go to school and occasionally play board gas or sothing…" Chika sighed dramatically.
Jinx waved her hand and said, "Board gas, playing cards? That sounds boring. Unless the cards explode. But is school fun? Do you learn how to build things?"
Fujiwara Chika thought for a mont and said, "Board gas include card gas where you have to bluff, so they're not completely boring! We have a 'Tabletop Ga Club'. But school is quite interesting. I have many friends there—Kaguya-san and Shirogane-kaichou. We can chat together after class, eat lunch together, and then go out to play together after school. But… exams are really annoying… and love battles are exhausting."
A hint of longing flashed in Jinx's purple eyes—a brief flicker of a life she never had. Then she waved her hand dismissively and said, "That sounds pretty good, I guess. But doing that every day would still be quite annoying. Too much structure. Too many rules."
"Don't be annoyed yet; if you keep being annoyed, the fried rice will get cold soon~."
Hearing Ren's voice, Jinx and Fujiwara Chika turned their heads and looked at Ren, who was carrying a steaming plate of fried rice.
Fujiwara Chika smiled and said, "Ah! Shopkeeper, you're so fast! It slls amazing!"
"Fried rice isn't a dish that takes a long ti to make; it's about high heat and speed. I've been watching you two chat for a while now~. You seem to really like Jinx?"
Jinx subtly glanced at Fujiwara Chika, waiting for the inevitable rejection.
Fujiwara Chika smiled brightly and said, "Yes, yes! Jinx is very interesting and very cool! I'm so envious of her freedom! I wish I could be that cool!"
Jinx turned her head away and propped up her face with her hand, hiding a small smile. She's envious of... ?
Ren smiled and said, "Hmm, Jinx is indeed very interesting. Well then, enjoy your al."
Fujiwara Chika looked at the fried rice in front of her. It was a mound of golden grains, speckled with green onions, egg, and large chunks of beef.
To eat fried rice, one uses a spoon, because whether it's fried rice, rice bowls, or mixed rice, any dish involving rice gathers all the desired deliciousness into one bowl. A spoon is the best tool to allow you to taste the most deliciousness in one bite without dropping a grain.
"Itadakimasu!"
She scooped a large spoonful.
"Mmm~ So delicious! This is Beef Fried Rice! But is the beef usually this big?!"
With one spoonful, the tenderness of the beef lted on her tongue. The rice grains had been bathed in oil and seasoning, becoming slightly firm on the outside yet plump and soft inside. The sweetness and freshness brought by the cabbage and the sharp bite of the green onions balanced the richness.
"It's so fluffy!" Chika exclaid.
Fujiwara Chika was already soone who didn't care too much about appearances when eating good food. At this mont, she scooped spoonful after spoonful of fried rice, continuously bringing it to her mouth like a machine. For her, eating was a joy to be consud enthusiastically.
Jinx looked at Fujiwara Chika's happy, stuffed-squirrel expression while eating the fried rice. She inexplicably felt a sense of peace. It was just like Ren said: being full brings peace, and seeing others eat heartily brings a secondary warmth.
Jinx looked at Ren, who was sitting at his seat, reading a book and occasionally taking a sip of tea. She looked at the clean and quiet little shop, free from the noisy, toxic smog of Zaun, free from the screams, and without the need to worry about being ambushed by Enforcers or chem-barons.
There were no thugs who spoke disrespectfully to her. Only a calm chef and a pink-haired girl who thought she was cool.
Jinx had once wondered if she would go crazy from boredom in such a quiet place because she couldn't cause any destruction. But here, she felt nothing but a quietness that settled in the bottom of her heart, soothing the constant static in her mind.
"Phew! That was really delicious! Shopkeeper, you're amazing! This is the best late-night al I've ever had!" Chika announced, placing her spoon on the empty plate.
"Glad it suited your taste. You said you're a student, and it's so late. Tomorrow… um… it's already past midnight. Don't you have to go to school today? Or did you escape?"
Fujiwara Chika smiled and said, "I took a leave of absence! Because I ca back late from a family trip overseas, my vacation ends tomorrow. I just got off the plane today! My body clock is all ssed up!"
"Eh? Then you must be quite tired~. Jet lag is tough."
"Yes! Very tired! But after eating the shopkeeper's food, I'm completely revitalized! My energy bar is full! And I also made a new friend!"
Jinx was stunned. She pointed at herself, her finger trembling slightly. "?"
"Yes, yes! It's really great! I didn't expect to et soone so fun, Jinx! We should hang out!"
Jinx opened her mouth but said nothing. Hang out? With ?
Fujiwara Chika stretched her arms. "Shopkeeper! Check, please!"
"Seven hundred yen~."
"Eh? So cheap! The money's here." She placed the coins on the table. "Well then, Jinx, I'm going ho now! See you if we get a chance! Maybe you can teach about tattoos next ti! Bye bye~!"
Jinx watched Fujiwara Chika push open the door to leave. She quietly whispered, "Bye..."
The door closed. Silence returned.
Jinx turned her head away and stopped talking, staring at the wall.
Seeing this, Ren just smiled and said, "You're the first one. You've already lost the bet, Jinx. You made a friend."
Jinx huffed, refusing to look at him. "No way… Chika is an exception… She's weird. Like ."
"Then let's continue~. The night is young. There's still a long ti until dawn. Who knows who else might walk in?"
[Akarin Note:
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