Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 37 Shiina Maki tries to change herself
"Yeah……"

After listening quietly, Akizuki Makoto revealed a thoughtful expression.

Shiina Maki didn't speak again; she kept her head down like a withdrawn quail.

Originally, she didn't intend to say these things to Akizuki Makoto, as if she were deliberately showing off and trying to get praise.

...In fact, that was indeed the case; she did want to receive praise from Akizuki Makoto.

It was Akizuki Makoto who gave her the courage to rebel against her mother, because she remembered that Akizuki Makoto had praised her for her good figure and beautiful appearance.

If I wait until the bruises fade, change into my normal summer school uniform, cut my hair short, and dress myself up nicely, I'll definitely be very popular.

She didn't want to be popular; if possible, she only wanted to be seen by Akizuki Makoto.

But that won't do; she needs to stand up for herself so that she can be worthy of Akizuki Makoto.

Because she likes Makoto Akizuki, she wants to try to change herself.

"...Yes, that's great."

Suddenly, Shiina Maki felt a weight on her head.

At the same time, a gentle and clear voice softly rang in my ears.

She couldn't help but widen her eyes slightly, turn her face, and stare blankly at Akizuki Makoto who was stroking her head.

"Making changes is a good thing and deserves praise."

"……Um!"

Shiina Maki nodded emphatically, her body trembling slightly, almost bursting into tears of joy.

At this moment, she kept murmuring to herself, "It's so wonderful that I've fallen in love with Akizuki Makoto."

"come on."

Akizuki Makoto smiled and patted Shiina Maki's head one last time, his heart filled with satisfaction.

He is truly a promising young man.

If things continue like this, it won't be long before he can correct Shiina Maki's personality and even use her to deal with other abnormal women.

Shiina Maki's ability is also quite abnormal. After all, some people can conquer the world by simply stopping time for five seconds, so she can stop time for at least half an hour at a time.

"Hey, ramen for you two."

Just then, the shop owner brought over two bowls of ramen and handed them to them.

Shiina Maki's bowl was so red it looked like it could drip blood; the broth was a vibrant red, and it had a pungent, eye-watering spiciness.

"Can you really eat this?"

Seeing this, Akizuki couldn't help but feel a little worried. In any case, for him, this was a lethal dose of spiciness. He wouldn't have to wait until the next day after eating it; he could be rushed to the gastroenterology department in the middle of the night.

The only thing I absolutely cannot tolerate is spiciness, because it not only makes my taste buds feel uncomfortable, but also causes physical pain.

“N-Never mind!”

Shiina Maki clenched her fists to encourage herself, then took out a hair tie from her bag and tied up her loose black hair, revealing her fair, slightly sweaty neck.

The thick bangs that cover the eyes were also carefully styled to ensure that they wouldn't stick to the face or get splattered with soup when sweating.

Finally, she picked up her chopsticks, bowed her head, and clasped her hands together in a gesture of respect before the meal.

After doing all this, she picked up the noodles and put them in her mouth with the fiery red broth.

The intense spiciness burst on her taste buds. She frowned slightly, feeling that it was bearable and not to the point of being unable to eat.

Makoto Akizuki, who witnessed the whole process, looked at Shiina Maki, who had revealed her true form, and thought to himself that it was a real pity that she had wasted her beautiful face and amazing figure.

To describe it as a complete waste would not be an exaggeration. "Huff... huff..."

After a few bites, Shiina Maki seemed to feel the spiciness too. Her fair, snow-white cheeks began to turn red at a visible speed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her skin.

She inhaled slightly, her pink tongue darting out a small portion from her soft lips, seemingly trying to alleviate the spiciness.

But obviously, this was in vain, because the devilishly spicy flavor of this restaurant is a lethal dose for humans!
However, Makoto Akizuki found the scene of Maki Shiina sticking out her tongue to cool off quite amusing, like a little puppy.

And... it also feels strangely erotic.

"Eat slowly, no rush."

After saying something to Shiina Maki with a smile, Akizuki raised his hand and waved to the barista behind the counter, calling out, "Hello, please give us two glasses of plum juice!"

"okay!"

The ramen chef responded with a strong voice and immediately brought over two pitchers of plum juice filled with ice. The glasses were the kind with handles that are common in izakayas, and each glass had a capacity of 1 liter.

"Thank you."

Shiina Maki put down her chopsticks, thanked them softly, and grabbed the glass handle with both hands, gulping it down.

"Ha~~~"

After taking a big, satisfying gulp, she let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if she had been elevated.

The feeling of being unbearably spicy and burning up one second, and then being refreshed by the icy coolness of plum juice the next, opened up a whole new world for her.

Shiina Maki exclaimed excitedly, "Akizuki-kun, this ramen is amazing!"

Qiu Yuecheng glanced at the fiery red broth that looked like it was made with chili oil, and said respectfully from a distance, "You're quite impressive, being able to eat so much spice. I'm afraid I couldn't stand the spiciness after just a couple of bites."

"Hehe, it's quite spicy, but the taste is really good. Especially when you can't stand the spiciness, taking a big gulp of plum juice feels so refreshing!"

While listening to Shiina Maki's innocent words, Akizuki Makoto was thinking about something else.

To be able to eat such spicy food and drink such cold drinks, Maki Shiina must be in great shape. She must never have menstrual cramps.

Afterwards, the two chatted as they slowly finished their ramen.

While eating, Shiina Maki kept wiping her sweat with tissues. It was then that she understood why girls shouldn't eat ramen.

Although ramen shops are equipped with strong air conditioning, the scalding hot broth and intense spiciness will still cause you to sweat uncontrollably, even with the air conditioning blowing directly on you.

Because Akizuki Makoto was still by her side, she was very conscious of her image, lest she lose her composure in front of him because she was sweating too much and be disliked by him.

"……call."

After finishing the last bite of noodles and drinking all the soup, Shiina Maki let out a long sigh of relief. Her flushed cheeks and sweat-drenched forehead made her look like she had just gone through an extremely difficult battle.

Akizuki Makoto had already finished eating; he had ordered mild spicy and ate quickly.

Moreover, he sweats relatively little, so he doesn't have to stop frequently to wipe his sweat just to maintain his image.

This is something that Shiina Maki can't help but regret.

Don't forget, she's a complete pervert. The tissue that Akizuki Makoto used to wipe his sweat is a priceless treasure to her.

Unfortunately, in the end, Akizuki Makoto only used a tissue to wipe his mouth, and she couldn't possibly steal the tissue in front of everyone unless she activated her time-stopping ability.

But I already used time stop once today and entered the CD.

The time-stop device is not unlimited; it can only be used once a day, and for a maximum of half an hour. Exceeding this limit will put a great strain on the body and cause a series of side effects.

Of course, using it too frequently can also have side effects, just like excessive indulgence.

(End of this chapter)