Chapter 103: Miss Reze Truly Is Problematic
Since Reze had practically cleared out all the ingredients in the fridge, Chiya had to head to the market early in the morning to buy groceries. Reze tagged along, naturally, because she had shown up to mooch breakfast again.
He didn't really mind her eating his food—he wasn't short on grocery money, after all. However, he couldn't help but find the situation bizarre. Shouldn't this girl be planning how to crush me? The idea of an assassin trying to take him out while coming over every day to mooch meals was beyond strange...
Just as they stepped out of the dormitory building, they ran into Ian.
"Morning, Otonashi."
As Ian greeted him, his eyes immediately fell on the purple-haired girl standing next to Chiya. Who is this...?
"Morning, Ian. How's the training going lately?" Chiya asked.
"Training's going well. It's not too exhausting, and I've made some improvements," Ian replied with a smile.
"Is this one of Master's good friends?" Reze suddenly interjected.
"Ah, I'm Otonashi's colleague. My name is Ian," Ian introduced himself.
"Hello, hello! I'm Reze, the person who loves Master most in the world!" Reze said with a lively, beaming smile.
"So it's Miss Reze... but what do you mean by 'loves Master most'?" Ian was a bit confused by the phrasing.
"..."
This made Chiya feel quite awkward, and he had no desire to explain.
"It's simple! Master Otonashi is my teacher, and he's my favorite person in the world!" Reze declared without a hint of bashfulness.
"Ohhh!" Ian finally had an epiphany. "So you're Otonashi's girlfriend. Blame me for being slow to catch on."
At the same time, he was quite surprised. This was the first time he had ever heard of Otonashi having a girlfriend, and such a cute, beautiful one at that.
Reze's face lit up instantly. "You certainly know how to talk! I like good kids like you who tell the truth!"
Ian's smile turned slightly awkward. Being naturally introverted, he had no idea how to handle such a bubbly, outgoing girl.
At this point, Chiya couldn't take it anymore and said to Ian, "Don't listen to her nonsense. We aren't in the kind of relationship you're thinking of."
"Huh? You're not?" Ian was startled.
"Master, don't be so shy. You even invited me over to your place the other day~" Reze said, seemingly teasing Chiya on purpose.
For a moment, Ian was utterly bewildered. Was Miss Reze Otonashi's girlfriend or not? He had just seen them walk out of the dormitory together with his own eyes; that level of intimacy wasn't any less than that of a couple, was it?
"Alright, that's enough," Chiya said flatly, having no patience for Reze's antics.
"Hehe~" Reze playfully stuck out her tongue.
Chiya then explained to Ian, "She's the newcomer Minister Levan asked Shingetsu and me to train a few days ago. That's the only reason she calls me Master."
"I see..." Ian, of course, chose to believe Chiya. He had always viewed Chiya as a very upright and reliable person.
However, he couldn't help but feel that the way Miss Reze was acting suggested she clearly liked Otonashi. Such a beautiful, cute, and cheerful girl seemed like a great match for Otonashi, and he felt genuinely happy for his friend.
"Ah, right! I have some urgent business back at the dorm. I won't disturb you two any longer!"
Ian felt it wasn't right for him to keep hanging around Otonashi and Miss Reze, so he made up an excuse and slipped away.
"Go ahead," Otonashi Chiya nodded slightly. He couldn't shake the feeling that Ian had misunderstood something.
In the market:
Most of the ingredients Chiya bought were things Reze liked. Because Reze's appetite was far larger than his, she ate at least double what he did at every meal.
"Master says with his mouth that his heart doesn't flutter at all, yet he spoils me quite a bit in this regard, doesn't he?"
Reze suddenly spoke with deep implication, "How about this: after Master retires from the Leningrad Military Department, come to my house and be my private chef?"
Chiya figured an assassin saying such things to him was just a joke, but being bored, he played along. "That won't do. Won't I be without a source of income once I'm retired?"
"Money is a minor issue. I can support Master forever~" Reze said with a laugh.
"..." Chiya just gave a faint smile and didn't reply.
When they walked back to the Leningrad Military Department, they saw Shingetsu standing right in front of the main gate. When Shingetsu noticed Chiya carrying bags and returning with Reze, her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I was wondering where you went. Turns out you were out on a date with Reze?" Shingetsu said coldly.
"No, I just went to buy groceries. She's the one who insisted on tagging along," Chiya explained.
Shingetsu didn't want to keep nitpicking over this matter because there was serious business to attend to. "Let's talk business. There are more devils to be subjugated, over in the Pushkinsky District..."
She had received the notification from Minister Levan first. When she went to find Chiya and found him not in his dorm, she decided to wait for him at the main gate.
"Then I'll leave these things here for now. Let's head out immediately." Chiya left the groceries at the security office; he could just pick them up when they returned.
"Ooh! Are we going to hunt devils now?" Reze looked quite excited.
"Just stay obediently behind us later. Don't go dragging us down," Shingetsu said, throwing a cold glance at Reze.
"Don't worry, I definitely won't be a drag," Reze said confidently.
Afterward, the three of them took a specialized vehicle to the mission site. Upon arrival, Shingetsu said, "The intel says there are two devils in different locations. I'll go in this direction; Otonashi, you and Reze take that one."
She was used to working alone. She was fine taking care of herself, but she wasn't good at protecting others. So, even though she wasn't very willing, she had to let Reze and Chiya move together.
After splitting up, Chiya and Reze headed toward the direction indicated by the intel. Chiya remained silent, and Reze was uncharacteristically quiet as well, perhaps becoming serious because it was a critical moment during a mission.
"It should be right here." Chiya found the spot, but he didn't see any sign of the so-called devils.
At this moment, when Chiya's attention should have been most concentrated on what was in front of him, and before his words had even fully landed, a sudden gust of wind came from behind his neck.
Reze suddenly struck at Chiya's nape with her hand; with the right position and force, she could knock a person unconscious instantly. As she struck, she whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry, Master. The upcoming body modification might be very painful~"
But in the next instant, Reze realized something was wrong. She felt absolutely no sensation of hitting a neck.
Chiya slowly turned around. Reze's hand was still positioned inside his neck—his body was like a ghost, ignoring physical collision. He looked directly into Reze's eyes and said coldly, without expression:
"Miss Reze, you really are problematic."
AN-
Let's cook
Enjoyyyyy