Luo Shu turned slightly at the tap on his shoulder and immediately saw Alice Nakiri, radiant in her Totsuki Academy uniform.
Seeing her, he remarked without surprise:
"Is shoulder-tapping your signature greeting, Alice?"
Alice pressed a finger to her chin in thought before clapping her hands together:
"If that's how you want to interpret it, sure!"
Her gaze then drifted to the plate in Luo Shu's hands, and she let out a surprised noise at the assortment of vegetables and fruits:
"Huh? Are you on a diet, Luo Shu? Or did Erina overfeed you, so you're going vegetarian?"
Luo Shu gave her a slightly puzzled look.
Wasn't she being a bit too familiar?
"So you admit you were eavesdropping just now?"
Alice tilted her head up, considering this:
"I wasn't planning to deny it, but you knew I was watching and didn't tell Erina?"
She seemed genuinely surprised, her smile turning sly as she pieced something together:
"Don't tell me you're the type who enjoys seeing Erina cry?"
"...I'm not that cruel." Luo Shu's lips twitched.
"So just a little teasing, then making her laugh afterwards."
Alice nodded sagely, patting his shoulder:
"Looks like we get along pretty well!"
In the matter of teasing Erina, Alice felt she and Luo Shu had reached a mutual understanding.
Luo Shu carried his plate of vegetables to the side, scooping some salad dressing over them:
"So you came all this way just to tell me we 'get along'?"
"Mmm—!"
"Not really."
Alice Nakiri blinked, thought for a moment, then said with a grin:
"I'm here to try and steal you away from Erina!"
"If I manage to snatch you up, she'd probably cry tears of joy, don't you think?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu couldn't help but roll his eyes as he walked towards a nearby seat:
"Whether Erina cries or not, I don't know, but I'm certainly about to cry."
"Why?" Alice Nakiri trotted after Luo Shu, curious.
"Because after I leave with you, the next one to abandon me would be you, right?"
"You'd probably use bullying Erina as an excuse, saying, as her elder sister, you need to avenge her."
After saying this, Luo Shu sat down and calmly twirled some shredded vegetables with his fork:
"You just want to tease Erina, hence thinking stealing her boyfriend would anger her. But if I had no connection with Erina, it would be meaningless to you."
"In short, your earlier words were just looking for a tool to provoke Erina. But if the provocation goes too far, you'd be the first to apologise, right? After all, you're actually the last person who wants to see Erina cry."
"Eh... You got everything right..."
Alice Nakiri sat opposite Luo Shu, leaning on the table as she watched him:
"You seem to understand both me and Erina very well... Did you hire a detective to investigate beforehand?"
"Now you're testing whether I'm approaching Erina with ulterior motives?"
"Don't forget, I was invited by your grandfather, Miss Alice."
Luo Shu raised an eyebrow, ate a mouthful of vegetables, and after chewing, said cheerfully:
"But speaking of which, Erina living with you in the Nakiri household must provide daily entertainment, right?"
Luo Shu's tone was very suggestive - the entertainment between Erina and Alice didn't necessarily have to be limited to the Nakiri household; the Luo residence could work too.
Not catching Luo Shu's implication, Alice blinked. It was her first time meeting a man who could read her thoughts so thoroughly - or perhaps she'd been too simplistic:
"Fine, everything I said earlier was just joking."
Alice sat up straight, tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and crossed her legs:
"After all, if things really became ambiguous between us, Erina would absolutely hate me."
Though she constantly thought about ways to annoy Erina Nakiri, Alice didn't actually want to anger her truly.
So stealing a boyfriend was just empty talk from Alice Nakiri.
"Is that so?"
Luo Shu raised an eyebrow, then glanced at Alice and said calmly:
"But unlike you, I do have some interest in you."
"Eh?"
Alice was stunned. Just as she was about to say she wasn't interested, her eyes caught sight of an angry Erina Nakiri approaching.
Seeing this, Alice's eyes darted, and she quickly changed her tune:
"Interested in me?"
"Fine, if you break up with Erina, I could date you."
Hearing this, Erina Nakiri immediately stopped in her tracks and gave them a strange look.
'What's going on? Why isn't Erina angry?' Alice wondered in confusion.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu said calmly:
"Dating is out of the question. I prefer women with more mature personalities..."
"Huh?" Alice was stunned. Was this sarcasm about her immaturity?
Then Luo Shu said:
"I believe Miss Alice specialises in molecular gastronomy, correct?"
"It's about revolutionising molecular gastronomy." Alice Nakiri puffed up with pride at the topic: "Unlike the by-the-book Erina, I'm destined to transform molecular gastronomy!"
"That's not important."
Luo Shu waved his hand dismissively before continuing:
"I'm only curious about one thing. Suppose there's a new type of meat ingredient with a texture similar to wagyu beef but fifty times more nutritious."
"Could you use molecular gastronomy to create a gourmet product from it and establish a standardised industrial production line, like canned food?"
Alice Nakiri stared blankly for a long moment before retorting:
"...Are you here to pick a fight with me?"
"Can't do it?" Luo Shu countered with a smile.
"It's not about capability but existence. The ingredient you're describing couldn't possibly exist in this world... wait... new ingredients?"
Alice Nakiri seemed to realise something, her expression suddenly filled with hesitation.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu took a few more bites of vegetables before standing up:
"When Miss Alice has figured it out, you can come find me. Chef Dōjima has my contact details."
As he rose, he turned to Erina Nakiri:
"Let's go. We'll take my car to Tokyo together."
Erina Nakiri nodded, casting a glance at Alice, who was biting her thumbnail, then followed Luo Shu.
"Hisako, come with me to Tokyo."
Hisako Arato blinked in surprise, first looking at Luo Shu before pointing at herself:
"Can I come too?"
Hearing this, Erina could only sigh inwardly. Would she have called Hisako along without discussing it with Luo Shu first?
"I won't repeat myself."
"Yes, young mistress!"
Hisako immediately brightened up. 'Even with a boyfriend, the young mistress still loves me the most!'
Luo Shu glanced at Hisako and instantly recognised her misunderstanding.
'If this girl knew Erina only invited her because I mentioned we're short of clerical staff at the base, she'd probably cry.'
Blissfully unaware of Luo Shu's thoughts, Hisako cheerfully followed the pair, her steps noticeably lighter.
Like a lamb happily trotting to its own slaughter.