I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

When Hayasaka heard Masahiko praising Amane's gentleness, a sentence caught in his throat. After hesitating for a moment, Hayasaka, adhering to the principle of "better to avoid trouble," swallowed his retort.

Hayasaka was one of the witnesses to the chaotic scene at the sports festival, and to be honest, she couldn't connect the word "gentle" with Amane, who was like a berserker at the sports festival.

'The Miyako family is indeed difficult to please.'

……

8:50 p.m.

Sakayanagi stared at the table full of delicious food that had gone cold and fell into deep thought.

She was already considering whether to slice or dice Tianyin. They had clearly agreed during their pleasurable play at noon that she would cook her a big meal that night, and Tianyin had readily agreed and even shouted "Yay!" But she had completely forgotten about her that evening.

Hmph, a heartless woman can choke even when drinking cold water!

Because she hadn't eaten while waiting for Amane, Sakayanagi had an empty stomach and wanted to eat something to fill her stomach. However, when she saw the sumptuous meal she had prepared, she felt as if she could see Amane's silly grin on the dishes, which made her so angry that she lost her appetite and decided to skip a meal that night.

Just as Sakayanagi was about to put away the dishes, he heard someone knocking at the door.

Sakayanagi knew without even thinking who the person who came to her was, but just in case, she put on a coat and came to the door with a cane.

Looking through the peephole, it was indeed Amane. To avoid Amane misunderstanding, she had deliberately stood with her hands behind her back where the peephole could see her. After all, it was late at night, and since Amane was already having difficulty moving around, she probably wouldn't open the door for her if Amane played another prank.

Only after seeing that it was Amane did Sakayanagi open the door.

Good evening, Arisu~

"..."

Sakayanagi looked at Amane with suspicion. Amane was coming to her late at night to fawn over her, and Sakayanagi felt that Amane had some ulterior motive.

However, after scrutinizing that grinning face for a moment, Sakayanagi responded to Amane without changing his expression.

"Good evening, Tianyin. What brings you here so late?"

"I came here because you promised to treat me to a big meal during the day, Arisu~"

Just as Tenon was about to enter the house, Sakayanagi quickly blocked her way.

"Hmm? I didn't expect you to still remember this, Tianyin. I thought you had completely forgotten about it."

Although Sakayanagi blocked Amane's way into the house, he did not obstruct her view. When Amane saw the sumptuous food laid out on the table inside Sakayanagi's house, which looked so appetizing, cold sweat began to pour down Amane's forehead.

It seems that it will be difficult to appease Sakayanagi today.

Although Amane is usually too lazy to help Horikita with cooking, her culinary skills are almost the best among them. As a top-notch cook, Amane knows how much effort it takes to make a delicious and visually appealing meal. Imagine yourself in that situation: you happily prepare a table full of food for your loved one, waiting for her to come home and enjoy it with you, only to be stood up.

If it were just being stood up, that would be one thing, but what's worse is that she actually had dinner at someone else's place and then shamelessly came to see you again. Just imagining this scene, Amane can understand how Sakayanagi feels right now.

So when Sakayanagi teased her, Amane could only awkwardly smile and apologize.

"How could that be? I just had some urgent business to attend to, which is why I was a little late."

Amane carefully observed Sakayanagi's expression, then tried to find a way to relieve or vent Sakayanagi's anger. Well, it would be best not to take it out on her, as Sakayanagi's methods of bullying were quite terrifying.

As for why she didn't tell Sakayana the truth—that she forgot she had made a dinner appointment with her—…

Tenon only glanced at Sakayanagi's incredibly gloomy face before deciding to lie rather than confess, otherwise she would have a hard time that night.

Tenon subconsciously touched her waist. Some things can't be eaten as food. If it happened three times a day, Tenon felt that even with her constitution, she would eventually die. So, for the sake of her life, she couldn't admit that she had accidentally forgotten about Sakayanagi after taking advantage of him.

But what good excuse is there?

Tianyin's eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had thought of a very good excuse.

"I'm so sorry, Yan-kun. I'll treat you to crepes next time. Please, just this once, do me the favor!!!"

"What's so important that you can't even have dinner with me? I remember the special exam should have been mostly resolved by now... If it's inconvenient to talk about, just pretend I didn't ask."

Because Amane looked somewhat troubled when Sakayanagi asked her about something, Sakayanagi, who had only intended to make things difficult for Amane, did not continue to press the matter. Instead, she adopted a strategy of retreating to advance.

I've been so considerate in not prying into your privacy, but if you can't give me a good reason, or if Tianyin, your matter isn't that important and you've just simply forgotten, then you'd better confess quickly.

Amane naturally understood Sakayanagi's implication, but she didn't want to talk to him in this kind of place.

"It's a bit chilly tonight."

Tenon casually mentioned the weather, and Sakayanagi knew exactly what Tenon wanted to do. In any case, Sakayanagi was going to let her in anyway, so after hearing Tenon's words, he readily made way for her to enter the house.

Amane chuckled and quickly slipped into Sakayanagi's room, not forgetting to lightly touch Sakayanagi's face as she passed by.

"Hey, can't you be serious for once?"

After pouring a cup of hot tea for Amane, Sakayanagi sat down with a rather helpless expression. Every time Amane made her angry, she would try to coax her to be happy in this way. Perhaps the reason why she fell into depravity was because Amane was too frivolous!

That's right! It must be because of Tianyin!!

At this moment, Amane was completely unaware that Sakayanagi had already passed the buck to her. After pretending to take a sip of hot tea to warm herself up, Amane slowly began to speak.

"I remember someone was there at noon... um?"

Amane raised an eyebrow at Sakayanagi, who immediately recalled what she and Amane had done in the vice president's office at noon, and her face turned bright red.

Sakayanagi originally wanted to retort a few words, after all, she didn't want to be outdone by Amane in this kind of thing. However, every time she tried to speak, she would recall the unpleasant words Amane had uttered when venting her stress at noon, which made her even more ashamed to talk about what happened at noon.

For a moment, Amane had the upper hand. However, when Amane saw that Sakayanagi's already red face had become rounder due to dissatisfaction, she stopped provoking Sakayanagi. If Sakayanagi suddenly bit her like last time, it would be a real loss for Amane.

"Oh, by the way, Arisu, didn't you want to know what kept me from having dinner with you tonight?"

"I don't want to hear it anymore, hmph."

Seeing that Sakayanagi was still sulking, Amane took the initiative to move closer and even sat down next to him.

Holding Sakayanagi's soft little hand, Amane had some impure thoughts, but after seeing Sakayanagi's warning look, Amane didn't dare to touch it any further.

"Actually, I was prepared to come here a long time ago, but unfortunately I ran into Masahiko! He's also studying at this school... Eh? Arisu, you don't seem surprised at all."

Amane originally planned to sacrifice Masahiko, using him as a topic to distract Sakayanagi while shifting the blame for her lateness onto Masahiko. However, Amane discovered something strange: Sakayanagi's expression after hearing that Masahiko had also enrolled at the school was as if she already knew about it.

"What's so surprising? Tianyin, didn't you see the OAA? The OAA system has the names, information, and even photos of all the first-year students. I thought you two had already met."

Sakayanagi broke free from Amane's clutches, picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and then looked Amane up and down with a mischievous gaze, who had a stomachache on her face.

"You're not trying to say you were late because you were catching up with Jiang Yan, are you?"

Sakayanagi noticed that Amane was deliberately steer the conversation toward Masahiko, and roughly guessed that Amane wanted Masahiko to take the blame.

What a joke! If Sakayanagi Arisu has known Amane for almost ten years and can't even see through her little schemes, what right does she have to claim in front of Horikita that she is the one who understands Amane the most?

"Yes, that's it... I just meant to have a casual chat, but it ended up..."

"Didn't you ever think of inviting Jiang Yan to have dinner with me? Or have you already filled your stomach with other women, so there's no need to invite Jiang Yan?"

hiss.

Amane underestimated Sakayanagi's insight. When they were together, Amane would subconsciously overlook the fact that Sakayanagi was also a genius.

Although Amane always wins against Sakayanagi, she has never achieved a near-overwhelming victory. There is no doubt that Sakayanagi is a more difficult opponent to deceive than Horikita and Ichinose.

"How could that be... I came to Arisu's place on an empty stomach intending to have dinner."

Sakayanagi noticed Amane's embarrassment, but she didn't expose Amane. Since Amane was already there, it was too late to investigate why she had forgotten her. It was better to leave things like that, which would only cause trouble for both of them, to Horikita.

"I see. So, did you come here so late to 'have dinner' or just to have dinner?"

"What's the difference?"

Amane tilted her head in confusion, because she couldn't perceive any other meaning in Sakayanagi's words based on their pronunciation.

"Idiot, of course there's a difference. If you want 'dinner,' I'll heat up the food for you. But if you want to eat 'dinner,' you need my permission. Do you understand, Tianyin?"

Chapter Twenty-One: I Said I Wanted Them All

Tianyin pondered the difference between 'eating dinner' and 'dinner' for a long time but still couldn't figure it out, but that didn't stop her from making a choice.

"Only children make choices; I want to eat them all!!"

Amane puffed out her chest triumphantly, and even the short ahoge that usually hid in her hair popped out and swayed on her head, but the next second, Sakayanagi accurately caught the ahoge.

"If you eat it all, I'm afraid you don't have that big an appetite, Tianyin."

"Hmph, Arisu, you underestimate me too much. What I say is absolutely correct!"

Seeing how confident Amane was, Sakayanagi guessed that Amane hadn't understood the meaning behind her words, but what did it matter?

If she can't eat her second meal later, Sakayanagi promises to make sure Amane gets what's coming to her.

"Then I'll heat up your dinner first. I put a lot of thought into preparing this for you, Tianyin. I'm sure you'll finish it, right?"

Sakayanagi pinched Amane's soft cheek and gently asked in her ear.

Amane glanced at the seven or eight dishes laid out on the table and felt a little uneasy. Even though she had a decent appetite, she had already eaten at least 60% full at Horikita's place. If Sakayanagi had only prepared enough food for two people, Amane felt that she could finish it off with a little effort.

However, Sakayanagi had a perfect grasp of Amane's appetite. The dishes on the table were exactly what Amane could eat on an empty stomach, and even the amount of rice was just right.

Amane, did she eat before coming to Sakayanagi? Her true colors will be revealed as soon as she sits on the table.

On the surface, Tenon appeared calm and collected, but in her heart, she was already thinking about how to clean up the mess. If she had been honest from the beginning, she would have only been bullied by Sakayanagi at most.

Yes, in bed.

However, Tianyin, feeling somewhat guilty, told a half-truth. Anyone who has lied knows that if a lie is exposed, that's fine, but if the lie isn't exposed or the other party believes it, that's when the trouble begins.

The liar will try every means to perfect the lie. As the lies accumulate, the loopholes will naturally increase. The thought that so many lies may be exposed at any time will inevitably put the liar under great pressure and even cause them to toss and turn all night, fearing the moment when the lie will be exposed.

Tianyin has now entered a stage where it must tell more lies in order to cover up the previous one.

but……

It's hard to say whether Tianyin can hold out until she has to lie. Before she can find an excuse to lie, she needs to get through the current difficulties first.

Before long, all the delicious food was heated up. After packing a large bowl of rice that Amane had filled up, Sakayanagi also filled a bowl for herself.

With Amane providing her with amusement, Sakayanagi did develop a bit of an appetite.

"Tianyin, why aren't you eating? Is it not to your liking?"

Sakayanagi deliberately gave Amane a way out that was actually a trap.

If Amane doesn't want to overeat, she has to take the opportunity presented by Sakayanagi and use excuses like the food not being to her liking to explain why her appetite has suddenly halved.

But all the dishes in front of her were Tianyin's favorite foods. If Tianyin used the excuse that the food was not to her liking, it would be almost the same as admitting that she was lying.

Amane realized it was a trap, but she was still tempted. If she went down the path that Sakayanagi offered, she would at most be laughed at by Sakayanagi, which was better than her possibly being stuffed to death here today.

However, Tenon noticed that Sakayanagi, who was looking at her expectantly, seemed to have applied ointment to his fingers. Tenon had only noticed this by chance when Sakayanagi pinched her cheek earlier. At the same time, she also noticed the barely noticeable wound on his fingers.

With just a glance, Tenon could tell that the marks were from a cut, most likely from Sakayanagi accidentally cutting his finger while handling food.

Because Sakayanagi needs a cane to support his body even when standing, it is very difficult for him to maintain his balance or handle food with one hand when processing it.

Considering the extreme danger of using only one hand, Amane could almost imagine how difficult it must have been for Sakayanagi to maintain his balance while carefully handling a large amount of ingredients all by himself, and that Sakayanagi had gone to such great lengths just to cook her a feast.

If she hadn't agreed to stay for dinner at Sakayanagi's place in the first place, perhaps Sakayanagi would have eaten dinner at the school cafeteria or bought some fast food. In that case, Sakayanagi wouldn't have gotten hurt trying to cook her a big meal.

However, not only did Amane accept Sakayanagi's invitation, she also stood him up. If Hiko hadn't mentioned Sakayanagi and reminded her of their promise, everything Sakayanagi had prepared tonight would probably have remained a 'secret' she would never have known.

She might even ask Sakayanagi how she got the injury the next day when she meets him. At that point, Sakayanagi is unlikely to tell her that he accidentally hurt his finger while preparing a big meal for some idiot, right?

"No, these are all my favorite dishes, and since you made them for me, I'm going to finish them no matter what."

Tianyin decisively blocked all her escape routes.

"Take it easy. If you can't finish it, I can make it into a bento box tomorrow. Don't push yourself too hard. The purpose of food is to fill your stomach. Don't let other personal emotions get on it."

Sakayanagi understood Amane's thoughts in just a few breaths. While she was happy that Amane valued her, she did not think that Amane's actions were right.

Her 'feelings' were entirely voluntary; she didn't demand that Tianyin reciprocate. Even if she did, a token response would suffice.

If Tianyin were to suffer from an upset stomach because of a meal, it would be a case of penny-wise and pound-foolish.

"I don't care, I'm going to wipe them out!"

As Tianyin spoke, she picked up a fried shrimp and put it in her mouth to chew.

Even Amane, who doesn't have a very good appetite, couldn't help but have her eyes light up when she ate the fried shrimp made by Sakayanagi.

Sakayanagi's cooking skills are clearly better than Horikita's; he just probably doesn't have the opportunity to showcase them normally.

Indeed, that was the case. Sakayanagi only cooked when Amane asked her to have a meal. Otherwise, Sakayanagi's daily diet was very simple, consisting of ready-made meals from the school cafeteria, as well as convenient foods such as bread and fast food bento boxes.

Sakayanagi grew up like this and never felt there was anything wrong with it.

"This fried shrimp is super delicious! Arisu, you should try it too."

Amane happily picked up a fried shrimp and held it to Sakayanagi's lips. Sakayanagi bit into the fried shrimp without any hesitation.

"The taste is still a bit lacking. Fried shrimp should be eaten immediately after the first frying to taste the best. Although the double-fried shrimp is not bad, it is still much inferior to the original taste."