After several minutes, all the food on the table had been eaten.
Although Riko's dishes could best be described as "avant-garde art", Ryōsuke ate everything since she had put her heart into making them.
At least the ingredients were safe.
Fortunately, Kagetora had made the remaining dishes, and they tasted excellent — helping to settle the discomfort from eating an entire piece of the secret recipe beef.
As evening turned to night and the cleanup was done, Ryōsuke prepared to head home.
"I'll be going now! Thank you for the meal, Uncle and Riko!"
"Mm." Riko nodded beside him, her mouth slightly open as if wanting to say something. After a moment's hesitation, she pursed her lips and said, "Um, I was thinking of taking a walk. Want to join me?"
"Sure."
Ryōsuke responded with a smile and walked out with her.
They strolled together along the nighttime street. Though neither spoke at first, they both unconsciously slowed their pace.
"Um..." Riko hummed thoughtfully.
"What is it?"
"Ryōsuke, you're leaving tomorrow morning, right?"
"Yeah, I can only stay out for twenty-four hours — have to be back by tomorrow noon."
"Is that so... such a short time..." Riko said, pursing her lips.
Half a month wasn't really that long, but somehow it felt lengthy to her. Thinking about how long it would be before his return, she wanted to talk with him more.
"So, you can only come back after scoring ten more goals, right?" She looked up at Ryōsuke.
"That's how it works in theory, but now that we've secured our spot, our schedule will probably change after the next round of matches. The timing isn't certain anymore." He replied.
In the original story, after the first round of matches ended, there were just some scattered evaluations.
The second round's rules were completely different — no longer 11-player team matches, but rather matches with fewer selected players.
"Oh..." Riko responded softly.
"But I'll definitely score those ten goals and come back as quickly as possible. Don't worry — I'll be back before you know it. Aren't you guys having matches soon too? Make sure to get me a ticket!" Ryōsuke said with a smile.
"Really? You'll come?" Hearing his words, Riko's eyes widened, her gaze filled with eagerness.
"Riko, you look really happy." He teased.
"Ah!" Realizing she might have appeared too excited, her face instantly turned red, and she reached out to lightly punch his chest, "What's wrong with being happy about you coming? We'll see if you actually show up!"
Riko smiled and pouted, showing an unusually cute expression.
As she lowered her hand, it briefly brushed against Ryōsuke's hand, seemingly by accident.
"Oh right, Ryōsuke, um, Ryōsuke." She hesitated, as if wanting to say something more, "Um... am I causing you any trouble?"
"Trouble? What kind of trouble?" Ryōsuke asked.
"Well... about others misunderstanding... misunderstanding that we're a couple..." Riko's face reddened slightly as she lowered her head shyly.
"Not at all! How could that be trouble? I'm not dating anyone anyway."
"That's good!" Hearing his words, she felt happy inside.
At the same time, a thought was brewing in her heart — certain words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't quite get them out.
"What's wrong, Riko?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing!"
"This is my house, thanks for walking me back."
"No need to thank me, I just wanted to take a walk anyway."
She quickly said, looking at the Kira residence nearby. She knew if she didn't speak now, she might never get the chance to say it again.
'Really now, Riko! When did you become such a coward!'
She criticized herself internally, and while clenching her right fist behind her back, she gathered her courage.
"Um... Ryōsuke, what kind of girl would you like to date?"
"Me..."
"Would someone like me be okay?" Not waiting for him to finish speaking, Riko blurted out what she had been planning to say later.
Her usually meticulous mind had gone blank from nervousness.
The weight of her words hit her immediately after speaking them, intensifying her embarrassment.
She lowered her head, unable to meet Ryōsuke's eyes as she trembled with nervousness. A wave of regret washed over her for blurting out such an impulsive confession.
Their time together had kindled genuine feelings within her — explaining why his presence affected her emotions so strongly throughout the day.
Riko was certain Ryōsuke would reject her. After all, he was a rising athletic star who had already gained countless fans during his first visit to Seirin — he was practically perfect.
Meanwhile, she saw herself as ordinary — unlike the cute or mature girls he could choose from, her life revolved entirely around sports.
'He'll reject me, eight or nine chances out of ten.' Riko thought, already worrying about how awkward their future interactions would be.
"Sure."
"I'm very sorry for troubling you, Ryōsuke, I..." She began to apologize before his response registered, "Huh? What did you just say?"
"I said... sure!"
Ryōsuke smiled at her, charmed by this rarely seen side of Riko — vulnerable and endearingly awkward.
❖❖❖
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