Chapter 529 Tayokama Hiroshi and Red
"Wah~! I'm stuffed!" Midori announced as the two of them finally finished the entire menu, taking in a couple of bites of every parfait they ordered. Quite frankly, it was a struggle to get rid of everything but thanks to Midori's voracious appetite, they were able to see the other side without that much judgment from the other couples.
Even Saki was surprised upon seeing Midori's performance. However, it wasn't as foreign as expected since she knew how formidable Midori's appetite was. In fact, she even chuckled when the two of them finished the entire menu with Midori doing her utmost to finish everything.
Initially, Midori thought of getting some of the parfaits as takeout. But after realizing the limits of his appetite, his mind grew tired of the parfaits and he took french fries from another stall as takeout instead. He bought the largest size since he knew that his siblings would enjoy the meal from him.
Nevertheless, it was an unforgettable experience for Saki, and she enjoyed every minute of it. Midori felt the same thing, and by the time they were done with the parfait stall, the two of them were already full.
"Do you want to go someplace else? Ah, would you like to visit home like you used to? I'm sure my parents would be glad to see you." Midori suggested. It didn't even occur to him that he just straightforwardly invited him to his place. It was a pretty open invitation, and Saki couldn't help but blush.
Despite the embarrassment, Saki responded with a 'sure' as redness filled her entire face. While she felt a bit self-conscious about the invitation, it didn't stop her from accepting it since she wanted to meet Midori's parents as well after so long.
She was also sure that Midori felt the same thing, and she made a mental note of inviting him to meet her parents if they had the leisure to do so.
Upon hearing Saki's response to his invitation, Midori was over the moon and he clenched his fist as he looked forward to going back to their place and introducing Saki to his parents. It didn't even occur in his mind that doing so would imply that Saki was his woman and that he was indirectly asking his parents to support his relationship with her.
Of course, that wasn't his intention at all, but judging from his future actions, it could more or less mean the same thing. The misunderstanding was in plain sight, and Midori was too out of it to even realize that he just made up an inexcusable situation.
"Before that, could we go somewhere? I'd like to visit a place." Saki asked, to which Midori agreed without second thoughts.
To be fair, it had been a long time since Saki had been to Tokyo. Surely, she'd have a couple of places on her lists that she'd likely opt to visit. Midori was sensible enough to realize that so he immediately agreed to her suggestion. To her surprise, Saki flashed a smile in front of him while holding onto his hand.
It was Midori's turn to feel a bit nervous as he felt Saki's assertiveness. The moment Saki grabbed his hand, he almost lost all his reason. To be fair, he was the one who initiated hand-holding first. But now that Saki returned the sentiment, he felt like he was about to burst.nove/lb.In
As the redness on his face continued to overwhelm him, Saki led the way from the parfait stall to a familiar place. It was none other than the local park which they frequented back when they were kids. During tha time, Midori was doing all he could to earn money even at such a young age, and this park was a core memory of that past.
Most of the time, his business ventures would be held here, and Saki would support him every step of the way. Midori even recognized some of the corners where he set up his stall to sell some things, and all the while, Saki was right beside him, giving him the extra push he needed to get out of his comfort zone and coerce the park-goers to buy his product.
The park was just as scenic as it was in the past, and Midori was even surprised by its atmosphere since he rarely visited the place. An exhale left his mouth as they entered the park and he remembered the childhood days he spent in the walls of it.
"That's where you used to sell juices. And that's where you used to sell rocks." A light laugh came out of Saki's mouth as she pointed one spot after the other. It was a trip down memory lane with every step they took inside the park.
"I'm surprised you still remember that. How're your parents? And how's school?" Midori asked. He missed the right time to let go of her hand, and now he was trapped in the moment of holding onto it without the initiative to let go.
"They're doing great. They wanted to send their regards and visit as well, but they were currently busy with the family business. That's why I was the first one here, but they were bound to visit here sooner than later." Saki explained. In a way, he told her about the possibility of their parents catching up with each other, but Midori couldn't read between the lines so he didn't realize what Saki implied.
"I'm studying at the local superhero school. It couldn't be compared to the United Superheroes Academy, but I've been learning a lot. I'm hoping to apply for a superhero license this year in Tokyo, I hope you could join me when the time comes."
"Sure, I wouldn't miss such an important day," Midori responded, to which Saki reacted with a smile.
In a way, she expected Midori to say something like that, but when he really said it, she felt her heart skip a beat and her face turned red as a beet.
...
Meanwhile,
Tayokama Hiroshi (earth and fire manipulation superpower) had just trained his Red Salamander in one of the facilities which allowed the training of tamed beasts. In his mind, he had a clear picture of the Alpha Red Salamander and he assumed that training his Red Salamander to the limits would make it evolve into an Alpha version of it.
In a way, he wasn't wrong, but it would take a ridiculously long time before it could even happen. He didn't know anything about it though so he blindly kept on training the Red Salamander and getting into beast battles with other beast tamers.
Clearly, he wasn't the best beast tamer out there, but his Red Salamander was one of the strongest there was. It may not be a match against Satoshi's Alpha Red Salamander, but against other Red Salamanders, it was at the top of the food chain.
"Great work out there, Red. I knew it, you're strong. We just need to keep on winning and get you to your Alpha form as soon as possible. You also want a rematch against that Alpha Red Salamander, right?" Hiroshi asked, referring to Satoshi's Alpha Red Salamander.
lightsnοvεl With a light squeal, the Red Salamander pranced beside Hiroshi. Seeing the Alpha Red Salamander made it assume its full potential even though there was a huge chance that it may not get to its Alpha form. Still, that didn't stop Hiroshi from training his tamed beast. There may be a small chance that it would get a massive power-up, but that didn't discourage him from pushing his tamed beast beyond its limits.
As usual, Hiroshi visited a nearby park and fought against a couple of beast tamers out there. And as expected, he wasn't able to win a single match. Of course, how could one of the weakest tamed beasts out there win against other tamed beasts?
"You did great again today, Red. It won't be long now, I'm sure you'll turn into a fine Red Alpha Salamander someday!" Hiroshi said, pumping a fist in the air as his Red Salamander walked alongside him. This was just one of the many days of training they'd undergo in the coming weeks so there was no point in getting discouraged. "Just you wait, Satoshi, we're going to have a rematch and this time, we're going to win." He said to himself.
For a moment, Hiroshi remembered that Satoshi was currently training somewhere and he was excused from school. While he had no idea where Satoshi was and what he was doing, he knew that he was bound to get even stronger the next time they meet. 'I can't just sit still. I have to push myself even more.' He said to himself, clenching his fists.
In the middle of his thoughts, he heard a familiar chuckle, and his head immediately darted towards the general direction where it came from. Of course, there was no way he could mistake that noise when he hears it every single day at school.
The moment he noticed Midori, his eyes went wide with shock.
"..."
"..."
Chotto matte~!
"Isn't that... Midori?! ON A DATE?!" He exclaimed, covering his mouth so he won't scream in utter disbelief.