Chapter 497 - An Awkward Lunch
"—Please, enjoy your meal."
The waiter—who was also the chef—departed with a theatrical turn of phrase and a respectful bow, fitting for the high-class restaurant's interior. Left behind were two lunch sets and an atmosphere bordering on an accident.
Two girls sat facing each other at a single table, one with a blank expression, the other with a look of indescribable tension, frozen as they stared at one another.
Neither moved—though, while one (Nia) was rigid with nervousness, confusion, and other emotions, the other (Iris) was simply contemplating, 'What should I talk about?'
The two, a study in contrasts both inside and out, spent a brief time in a formal staring contest…
"—Let's eat."
"…………!"
One offering a prayer in her heart, the other aloud, they brought their hands together in perfect sync, like reflections in a mirror. For two girls of foreign descent to be observing Japanese custom in a Western-style restaurant would likely be quite a peculiar sight for any onlooker.
However, before them sat the chef's specialty: mackerel in miso set meals. As it was the master of the kitchen who was rebelling against the 'Place' aspect of TPO, there was no problem at all.
The only real problem was one thing.
Neither Nia nor Iris had any idea how to act one-on-one with a difficult acquaintance who was also a love rival in a co-op relationship—
◇◆◇◆◇
A fair number of days had passed since Nia had moved into the 'dormitory' here.
However, perhaps due to her busy schedule as expected, or perhaps because she had been showing an unexpected level of fair play by giving Nia some time and space, the 'Princess' was rarely seen. She was either out or remained in her room. Nia had only seen her a handful of times.
Including the time she came to greet her right after she finished moving in, it had been a mere three times. The initial greeting, a passing in the hallway, and this chance encounter.
In other words, she hadn't built up any familiarity whatsoever. There was also the question of whether a day would ever come when she could get used to Alicia White's truly otherworldly beauty, but that aside, she had zero resistance. Honestly, if she let her guard down, she felt like she'd be captivated every second.
Setting aside the whole love rival business, she couldn't stop feeling a sense of awe as a fellow human being. Thanks to her best friend constantly hyping her up, Nia had a certain degree of confidence in her own looks, but… this was on a whole other level. A different genre, even.
She didn't even feel a sense of frustration as a girl anymore. It was like trying to compete with a 2D heroine; it would just be empty.
Why did she look so divine even while poking at a mackerel in miso set meal?
"…………"
"…、…………"
No conversation was starting.
It wasn't that she disliked her, and thankfully, she had a feeling that she wasn't disliked either.
She just had absolutely no idea what to talk about.
There were no conversation starters, no common ground.
Well, there was one huge thing they had in common, but she didn't have the courage to create her own personal hell by talking about their shared crush with a love rival, so it was as good as non-existent.
However—
"…………"
"………………"
"…………"
"…!…………"
"…………、………………"
—like this, the endless awkwardness would eventually lead to a different kind of hell. Nia moved her chopsticks with a vacant mind, as if to escape reality, and—
"…Thank you for the meal."
"?!"
—she realized that the girl across from her had finished her extra-large lunch in a matter of minutes, adding another layer of awe for Alicia White.
◇◆◇◆◇
She had absolutely no idea what to talk about.
She was the one who had proposed the unreasonable idea of a joint front, but that was just a figure of speech. It was a proposal to first work together to make him fall in love, not a plan to hold hands and cooperate.
They were facing a challenge that seemed to be beyond the point of competition, so they had simply formed a treaty to 'attack and nothing else.' Personally, she wanted to be friends, but she was at a loss as to how much she should close the distance.
There was the fact that she was, for all intents and purposes, a love rival, and even setting that aside, Iris understood that she herself was a difficult person to befriend.
Because, more than anyone, she herself correctly, deeply—and heavily—recognized the unique nature of 'Alicia White.'
She had known since she was young how she appeared in the eyes of others… even before she became known as a player.
Her appearance, her way of being—she had known since she was a child that everything about her deviated from the norm.
That's just how people of the White family are. A family of connoisseurs attracts other connoisseurs who are specialized in something, and their blood and way of life have been continuously refined to this day.
Although it was only recently that their name had become widely known, they were a group of people who had always been seen as a 'special family.' Therefore, being looked at with special eyes was a matter of course for Alicia White.
In short—she was completely used to being stared at, being the object of nervousness, and being viewed with awe by people of all genders.
And it was because she understood this that it was so difficult.
Given that she was already a being who was seen as special from the outset, it was easy to imagine how difficult it would be to interact with someone who harbored feelings for the same person.
Essentially, because she could read Nia's feelings of being frozen in her presence, Iris was also frozen. Honestly, she couldn't see a way out.
Again, personally, she wanted to be friends.
But unfortunately, she didn't possess the talent to close the distance with people with the same incredible momentum as he did, so—
"…Thank you for the meal."
"?!"
—she decided to take her time, build mutual understanding, and hope for 'someday.'
By the way, it was Alicia who ordered the mackerel in miso. Nia-chan, flustered by the sudden encounter, avoided overthinking and just ordered the same thing.