"Here's your jasmine milk green tea."
Just as Lily's thoughts were starting to spiral, Shinji's sudden voice jolted her back to reality. She blinked, startled, and saw him sliding the drink across the table toward her.
"Oh, right. Thanks."
She nodded quickly and pulled out her phone to transfer the money. Even for something as minor as a milk tea, she had no intention of freeloading off Shinji.
As she sipped, her mind drifted back to the scene from earlier. She couldn't stop thinking about the two girls and how she had reacted. It wasn't like her to get flustered over something so small... but it had definitely shaken her.
Shinji noticed that she seemed distracted. He had initially planned to use this quiet moment to explain the misunderstanding with the girls, but seeing her preoccupied, he decided to wait a little longer.
He took a sip of his own drink. This was actually the first time he'd tried milk tea since arriving in this world, and it turned out to be surprisingly decent. Most milk teas didn't vary much between shops, but this one hit a nostalgic note.
"It feels like..."
Lily suddenly spoke, lowering her cup slightly. "There are a lot of people staring at us, aren't there?"
The constant side glances and hushed murmurs coming from around the shop were starting to make her feel self-conscious.
"That's probably my fault. Seems like they've recognized me."
Shinji answered calmly, his tone light.
"Ah... right. You're S-Class Rank 5 now. Of course, you're well-known."
Lily quickly realized that Shinji wasn't just some talented rookie anymore, he had become a full-blown public figure. Especially after the meteor incident, the Hero Association had gone out of its way to promote him.
It wasn't purely out of gratitude, either. The Association had its own reasons. Just like Pretty Mask had become their most visible PR asset, used to attract talent, raise funds, and build public confidence, Shinji now served a similar role. The dramatic image of a lone hero standing against a falling meteor, paired with his overwhelming power and striking appearance, had made him a natural symbol for their campaigns.
"By the way, are you still attending this school? Or have you already gone full-time as a pro hero?" Shinji asked with mild curiosity as he watched her stir her drink.
"Yeah, I'm still enrolled, but ever since I became a pro, the school has stopped requiring full attendance. As long as I show up for exams, they don't care much." Lily replied without hesitation. These days, her focus had shifted almost entirely to the Blizzard Group. Academics had taken a backseat.
That was pretty common in this world. Power held more value than anything else. If you were strong, money would follow. But no amount of money could buy strength. As a result, education often fell by the wayside.
Take Fubuki and Psykos, for example. Neither of them had ever attended college. Based on what was known, they had both finished high school around four years ago. Since then, Psykos had already started the Monster Association, and Fubuki had joined the Hero Association at the earliest opportunity. There was no way they had also managed to complete four years of university in that time.
And yet both were thriving. Psykos wielded Dragon-level power, and Fubuki was one of the top A-Class heroes, although her ranking is 1st B-Class.
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Shinji nodded slightly. He couldn't exactly lecture Lily about staying in school or aiming for academic success. In this world, that kind of advice would just sound out of touch.
"What about you? You don't seem much older than me. Are you still in school?" Lily asked, her curiosity slipping through. She genuinely had no idea how old he was, since his face looked so young.
Part of it was due to his naturally youthful appearance. Even though Shinji was already twenty, he barely looked older than a high school student. Only the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan gave him an air of maturity that hinted at something deeper.
"Not really. I only made it through half of university."
He replied casually, as if it was no big deal.
He wasn't lying. Before being transported to this world, he had been a sophomore on the verge of entering his junior year. After that, life had taken a hard turn, and continuing school became impossible. Dropping out wasn't a choice, it was inevitable.
"Oh, I see."
Lily didn't look the least bit surprised. Honestly, it wasn't unusual in their world. She herself might go full-time as a pro hero at any point. And with Shinji already sitting at S-Class Rank 5, holding both fame and fortune, dropping out seemed like the logical path.
"Hold on. I had a reason for dropping out. It's not like I just gave up on school for no reason."
Shinji quickly added that clarification, as if realizing something mid-thought. He was worried Lily might take his situation as inspiration to do the same.
"...is that so?"
In truth, if he hadn't said that, Lily really might have started considering it. The idea had already crept into the back of her mind.
"By the way, about that time I invited you over for tea... actually, what I meant was, " Shinji tried to bring it up gently, but Lily suddenly cut him off.
"I... I've actually thought it through now. I just wasn't mentally prepared back then..."
"...No, listen. Let me explain first."
He sighed lightly, not annoyed but needing to clear the air. "That was just a normal invitation. Nothing romantic. Like how I'd invite any guest over. Even Fubuki comes by from time to time."
"Lady Fubuki...?"
Lily froze. Her body tensed the moment the name left his mouth. It was obvious she had latched onto just one part of that sentence, Fubuki.
"What's wrong?"
Shinji tilted his head, confused by her sudden reaction.
"N-nothing..." Lily gave a small shake of her head, but her expression had clearly shifted. Her eyes darted off to the side, and a subtle tension settled in her shoulders.
Lady Fubuki... Since when? They're already...?
She didn't even need the details. Just that sentence was enough to throw her imagination into overdrive. In her subconscious, having tea at someone's place wasn't something casual since it was something people in a close relationship do.
But why did that even matter to her? Was it because it was Lady Fubuki? Or... was it because it was Shinji?
Shinji immediately picked up on the change in her expression. He had a bad feeling about it.
"...Did something happen? Can you talk to me about it?"
He kept his voice calm, his tone gently probing. He didn't want this misunderstanding to fester. If it went any further, it could spiral into something much harder to fix.
"I... I'm not going to let you have..."
She blurted out the beginning of something strange, then seemed to stop herself. Her lips trembled, and she pivoted awkwardly.
"I'm not going to let you have Lady Fubuki!"