This is not the date I wanted.

Before everyone disappears from this world.

——Seven sins.

】

10 Food Tasting

==============================

"What does it mean?"

Shidou felt uneasy when he saw the message on the postcard.

"If we understand it according to the written meaning, then the Seven Sins has disguised themselves as one of the thirteen people. And we have to guess who the Seven Sins is, right?"

Qin Li held the best lollipop in her mouth and frowned seriously.

The fact that Nanashi can disguise himself as someone else was confirmed in the riot at school a few days ago. It is not impossible that Nanashi has really replaced one of them, especially...

"Before everyone disappears..."

This last sentence made it impossible for Shidou and Kotori to just laugh it off as a simple prank.

"Does disappearing mean disappearing directly from the real world?"

"Isn't this a matter of course, stupid Shidou?"

Kotori said with a helpless sigh.

Everyone in the photo will "disappear" in front of him one by one, and Shidao feels uneasy. After thinking for a moment, Shidao picked up the phone and called Mengyue.

"Wait a moment!"

Kotori suddenly stepped forward, snatched Shidou's phone, and hung up.

"What...what happened, Kotori?"

Shidou asked in confusion.

"What's wrong? Shidao, were you going to call Mengyue for help?"

Kotori said unhappily.

"Ah."

Shidou nodded. After all, Mengyue had excellent observation skills and extraordinary ability in reasoning and analysis. With Mengyue's help, this problem would be more likely to be solved.

"Has your IQ degenerated to that of an ape? Sister Mengyue is also among these thirteen people. If the person that Qi Shini is pretending to be is Sister Mengyue, then you are being led by the nose. It's game over before it even starts!"

Kotori shook her head speechlessly and lectured Shidou. After all, the thirteen people in the photo could be said to be the hostages of the Seven Sins, and at the same time, they were also the biggest suspects. If you listen to their advice before confirming their authenticity, you may be misled and get a result that is completely different from the truth.

However, according to this statement...

"Well... if that's the case, maybe I'm Nanashi, and I deliberately prevented Shidou from going to find Mengyue-nee."

As if realizing that there was no difference between her and Mengyue's positions, Qinli shrugged with a wry smile and called Lingyin. She told her about Nanashi and then discussed countermeasures.

The Seven Sins, have they come to me now?

"Shido? Shido——!"

"--ah?!"

Shidou suddenly came back to his senses after hearing Mengyue's loud shouting in his ear.

"Really? What are you doing? Are you daydreaming?"

Meng Yue waved her hands in front of Shidao and looked at him helplessly.

"Um... well, I was distracted for a while."

Mengyue shook her head and sighed.

"Really? I know you've been concerned about Nanashi for so many days, so I understand if you relax your tense heart. But you have to know your limits."

Shidou scratched his head awkwardly and smiled bitterly.

"Ahahaha... I'm sorry."

It is now October 22nd, around 8pm. Shidou is staying in Mengyue's room in the Elf Apartment.

Mengyue is practicing pumpkin dishes for the Halloween party these days, so she asked Shidou to come and taste them. Since everyone's room in the Elf Apartment is a large 3LDK, Mengyue prepares the dishes in her own room.

As for whether a man and a woman alone in the same room would spark any intense sparks, Meng Yue said calmly that if Shidao really had that kind of courage, Tohka and the others would have already become Shidao's harem in the sense of R18.

"Well...it's about time."

Mengyue looked at the clock on the wall and waited quietly in front of the oven.

The brown long hair was tied into a soft low ponytail by a four-leaf clover headband, and the simple home clothes matched with a light blue apron made Meng Yue, who usually gave people a very straightforward impression, add a bit of the virtuous charm unique to family women.

"It's so beautiful."

Shidou couldn't help but express his feelings.

Meng Yue's face flushed slightly and she turned her head away and said.

"…Let me make it clear first, even if you praise me, I will not show mercy."

"Wait, what did you put in the dish that required the word 'show mercy'?"

Shidao suddenly felt a little confused.

"Hey boy, you have to know that if you want to make a dish taste delicious, you have to go through a variety of trials and tests."

A suggestive smile appeared on Mengyue's lips.

"You just wanted to talk about experiments!"

After the electronic sound of "Ding Dong" rang out, Meng Yue put on heat-insulating gloves and took out a plate of hot pumpkin pie from the oven with a smirk that made Shidao feel a little uneasy. The pie was of moderate size, and the crispy dough shone with a golden luster. Judging from the appearance, it was comparable to the ones sold in the market.

Well, Meng Yue is not someone who can't cook. Unless it's intentional, it's impossible for her to make some terrible dark dishes. Shidao comforted himself in his heart.

Mengyue picked up a small piece with chopsticks and handed it to Shidao.

"Come~ Shidou——ah."

"Meng Yue...what are you doing?"

"What's wrong?"

Meng Yue didn't seem to think there was anything wrong and asked with her head tilted.

"nothing……"

Seeing Meng Yue's expression, Shidao scratched his cheek and took back what he was about to say.

"Ham~"

"what about the taste?"

Meng Yue asked expectantly.

"It tastes pretty good. But the sweetness is a little bland. Also, it's a little overcooked."

Shidou swallowed the pumpkin pie in a few bites and commented while savoring it.

"I see. The amount of sugar is not enough, and the steaming and baking time is a bit long." Meng Yue nodded thoughtfully, took notes, picked up another pumpkin pie and said, "Then try this. I tried to use soy sauce and salt to make it a Japanese flavor. Ah——"

"Meng Yue...I can actually eat by myself."

Seeing the girl handing the food to his mouth again, Shidou said a little embarrassedly.

"Say, of course I know. It's just that I like it this way."

Meng Yue's face was full of anticipation, and she obviously had no intention of putting down her chopsticks. Shidao had no choice but to eat it obediently.

"how?"

"Well...it has a very unique taste, but it's surprisingly delicious."

Mengyue smiled brightly upon hearing Shidao's praise.

"Great. Let's add it to the menu as a surprise for the party. Now, try this. Ah——"

“…Ah~”

After a moment of silence, Shidou still obediently accepted Mengyue's third feeding play. To be honest, if this continued, Shidou felt that he would lose the mind to evaluate the quality of the food.

Just as Shidou was thinking this...

“It’s so sour aa ...

The sudden strong sour smell made Shidao's expression become very funny.

"Pfft - Hahahaha! Shidou, this expression of yours can definitely be on a comedy show!"

Looking at Shidou who looked foolishly like he had fallen into a trap, Mengyue laughed while holding her stomach.

"Wow—what kind of filling is this?"

After taking a sip of water to dilute the sour taste in his mouth, Shidao finally recovered and asked with some fear.

"Well, there are jams made from sour plums and other fruits. Wouldn't it be perfect as a surprise for a Halloween party?"

"This isn't a surprise, okay? Don't make a normal party look like a Russian roulette."

Shidou complained with a helpless look.

"Well, now I'm just trying it out. Shidou, I've made a lot of different flavors. You know how to eat it, right~"

"Spare me."

Shidou begged for mercy and Mengyue smiled happily.

Could it be possible that this kind of Mengyue was imitated by Nanashi? Looking at Mengyue who was completely enjoying it, Shidao couldn't help but think in his heart.

……

"…A date?"

After finishing the food tasting, Mengyue cleaned up the kitchen and looked a little surprised after hearing what Shidao said.

Shidou nodded. In the morning, Kotori called Reine and the three of them discussed the next plan together. Since it was not certain whether Kotori was disguised as Nana Sin, Kotori was temporarily banned from entering the airship until Nana Sin was discovered.

Then, since one person was replaced by the Seven Sins, in other words, one person became the Seven Sins' hostage. The Fraxinus crew was responsible for finding the kidnapped person. And Lingyin was responsible for observing the spiritual power values ​​of these thirteen people through the spiritual power observation device. If the spiritual power of the Seven Sins was detected, it would be the best evidence.

As for Shidou himself, he needs to date these thirteen people to see if he can judge through their words and actions whether they are disguised as the Seven Sins.

Although one of them is a man... Shidou thinks it's better not to pay too much attention to these details.

"Well, it doesn't matter to me. But why is it so sudden?"

Meng Yue tilted her head in confusion. She asked doubtfully,

"Is everything alright with the Seven Sins?"

Shidao was slightly sweaty when Mengyue asked him the key question. Although Shidao did not think Mengyue did anything wrong, there was no conclusive evidence to prove that Mengyue was not a fake Nanashi, so Shidao had to keep the fact that Nanashi sent him a letter a secret. He said perfunctorily.

"Not yet! It's just that it's not good to be so tense all the time. I just want to go out and have fun together to relax--or something like that."

...something must have happened.

Meng Yue looked at Shidao's poor acting speechlessly. She let out a sigh, shrugged, and nodded to show that she understood.

"Let's just take it as it is. Shidou, please tell me when you feel you can."

"Well, I'm sorry Mengyue."

Seeing Mengyue's attitude, Shidao knew that Mengyue had seen something from his expression, and also understood his difficulties to a certain extent. Shidao felt sorry for not being able to tell Mengyue the whole story.

"So, would it be convenient for you to spare some time tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow... I have something to do. Can I wait for two days?"

Meng Yue scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

"I have no problem. But, Mengyue, do you have anything to say?"

Although he knew it was inappropriate to ask such a question, Shidou couldn't help but ask out of curiosity. Meng Yue shrugged and answered without any concern.

"Going on a date—"

"What!?"

"——Of course I was joking."