LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 69: Who is this girl with you?
Ryan tried to play it cool, pretending not to see the girl calling him. However, his initial reaction gave him away effortlessly.
The girl stomped her foot, clearly irritated. "You're a terrible actor, you know!?" Her voice was loud, after all, they were a considerable distance apart. Despite this, no one seemed to notice or react.
Sighing deeply, Ryan spoke to the girls accompanying him: "I'll be back, girls..."
Rika tilted her head, curious, in a cute tone: "Are you going to get more food?"
He smiled smugly. "Something like that..."
He walked calmly towards the girl, hands in his pockets, while saying provocatively: "Come here, girl, who are you again?"
She crossed her arms, puffing out her cheeks slightly. "You remember me, it's written in your face."
Ryan shrugged, with a touch of sarcasm. "Forget what you saw today. Besides, this has nothing to do with me... under any circumstances." He finished with a cynical grin that stretched from ear to ear.
She sighed, exhausted, as she stared at him. "Oh, so you have a great memory, huh?"
He tilted his head, keeping the provocative tone. "Certainly, but curiously, my brain doesn't hold your name."
"Mai Sakurajima." She replied indifferently, closing her eyes.
Ryan looked up at the ceiling, pretending to think deeply. After a few seconds, he murmured: "Hmm... yeah, I don't know."
Mai took a deep breath and pointed to a Castella in the display case, frustrated. "Buy it for me."
He glanced briefly at the pastry, then at her, and replied automatically: "Just because you're hot, you think I'm going to pay for you just like that?"
Mai blinked, incredulous, and then took a deep breath. She walked over to the attendant, completely ignoring Ryan's comment.
"I WANT SOME CASTELLAAAAAAAAA!" She shouted, her voice echoing in the cafeteria, but the attendant didn't even look up at her.
Ryan frowned, confused. He looked around, expecting some reaction, but no one seemed to notice the girl. "Now I'm screwed. I've completely lost my mind..."
Mai, however, remained calm. "They can't see me." She held up the money towards him, with a serious look. "Please, buy the Castella for me?"
He looked at the money in her hand, rolled his eyes, and walked to the counter without taking any. "Four Castella, please." He pointed at the pastries indifferently.
The attendant replied with a kind smile, taking the pastries and placing them on a tray.
While Ryan paid with his own money, Mai commented lightly, but laden with irony: "Going to pay for me just like that?"
Ryan handed the tray to her, looking directly into her eyes. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood today. Otherwise, I would eat these pastries in front of you, and you couldn't do anything about it."
Mai hugged the pastries as if protecting them, responding with a subtle smile. "Thank you for your kindness, then."
"Sir, who are you talking to?" The attendant's embarrassed voice caught him by surprise.
Ryan looked around, noticing that some people in line were staring at him with curious expressions.
"Aren't you going to order anything else?" The attendant insisted, tilting her head slightly.
He frowned. "I just ordered..."
The attendant shook her head, confused. "I don't remember anything, sir. Could you repeat?"
Ryan looked at Mai, who already had a Castella in her mouth, chewing calmly. Then, it all made sense. As soon as he handed the pastries to her, it seemed that the whole situation was erased from the attendant's and others' memory.
"Ah... actually, never mind. I won't order anything else." He gave a social smile, disguising his confusion, and walked away towards Mai.
Without warning, he grabbed her arm and dragged her to a discreet corner of the cafeteria. "Now, you're going to explain this to me properly..."
The girl calmly swallowed the pastry before answering, her voice unhurried, as if nothing could shake her:
"My presence is gradually being erased from people's minds... Everything was normal until just a while ago. But, out of nowhere, I couldn't buy my sweets in the cafeteria anymore."
Ryan put his hand on his hip, tilting his head slightly to the side, laden with sarcasm.
"Oh, what a tragedy... can you imagine the horror of not being able to eat sweets?"
She ignored the provocation, eating another piece of Castella as if he wasn't even there.
Ryan crossed his arms, a mischievous smile on his face. "Okay, and what was with the bunny outfit that day? Some fetish or a genius plan?"
Mai looked away, answering automatically, in a disinterested tone.
"Forget what you saw."
He pointed to the Castella she was eating.
"You owe me an explanation."
Mai swallowed the pastry and sighed, finally understanding why he paid for it. Ryan wanted something in return.
"The outfit... it's an easy way to know if people can still see me." She said, in a neutral tone. "After all, anyone would notice something so flashy."
Ryan smiled faintly, approving. "Ah, great strategy. Almost brilliant."
Mai closed her eyes for a moment, as if ending the subject.
"Well, thank you. Now I'm going."
When she started to leave, Ryan grabbed her hand, stopping her.
"Hold on, lady. This 'condition' of yours is quite interesting..."
He stared directly into her eyes, which made her look away, uncomfortable. She tried to pull away, but he continued:
"I already paid the debt by answering your question about the Bunny Girl outfit."
With a sarcastic smile, he added:
"But now I want you to be more indebted to me."
Mai frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"
Ryan let out a low laugh and replied confidently:
"Don't you want to understand what's happening to you?"
She hesitated, looking at the floor before questioning. "And what could you possibly know about this?"
He pointed to the table where the girls were.
"How about you come with me and find out? Besides, it would complete the cycle of beauties."
Mai followed his finger, looking at the table where Rika, Yuno, and now also Alya and Yuki were arriving. She raised an eyebrow.
"You really are popular..." She said in a drawn-out voice.
Ryan ignored the comment, pulling her by the hand without warning.
"Hey! Wait a minute!" She protested, trying to resist. "I didn't even say I would go!"
He continued walking as if she hadn't said anything. When he reached the table, he gave a casual smile to the girls.
"I'm back."
Alya, the first to react, made a serious expression and asked with a slightly annoyed voice:
"And who is this girl with you?"
Ryan looked at Mai, then at her hand that he was still holding, and smiled sarcastically.
"An old friend that I had to bring by force. Very shy, you know?"
Mai quickly analyzed the situation and, realizing that the girls could see her, gave a polite bow.
"Hello everyone. I'm Mai Sakurajima. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Yuki, always lively, took the initiative with a warm smile:
"Nice to meet you, Mai! I'm Yuki Suou." She pointed to an empty chair next to her, adding:
"Go ahead and sit down!"
Mai tried to refuse, her voice a little timid:
"Thank you very much, but—"
Before she could finish, Ryan gave her a light push on the back, interrupting her.
"It will be great to have you with us, Mai."
Resigned, she sat down while Ryan took his place between Rika and Yuno. Rika, with her usual theatrical enthusiasm, spoke animatedly:
"You arrived just in time, before an adventure!"
Mai raised an eyebrow, clearly curious.
"Adventure?"
Rika smiled, closing her eyes as if savoring the moment.
"Yes! We're going after the ghost of the second-floor bathroom! Mi~"
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