Chapter Thirteen: The Food-Loving Girl, Tohka

Su Mo stared at Tohka, lines of exasperation creasing his face. He couldn’t decide whether to laugh at her innocence or admire her audacity—it took some nerve for her to toss out the words “get a room” so casually. Did she even know what that phrase meant?

“A girl shouldn’t just throw around the words ‘get a room,’” Su Mo replied, half amused, half resigned. But almost immediately, he added, “Unless it’s with me, of course.”

Alright, Su Mo admitted to himself, that was a bit shameless.

“So what should we do, then?” Tohka looked at Su Mo, her eyes bright with anticipation.

“Let me think…” Su Mo glanced at her. For a foodie airhead like Tohka, things like going to the movies or shopping seemed a bit too sophisticated. Simpler was better. “Let’s just go eat!” he suggested.

“Great! Let’s go on a date, a date, a date!” Tohka repeated herself three times, her enthusiasm for their outing plain as day.

“But before our date, there’s one more thing,” Su Mo said, glancing at Tohka’s outfit. She wore a princess dress in shades of purple, almost armor-like, its surface sheathed in a glowing film. Such an eye-catching getup would draw stares if they went out like this. He was sure they’d instantly become the center of attention. And if something happened, or if the AST Spirit Combat Unit spotted them, it would only bring unnecessary trouble.

“Tohka, could you change your clothes?” Su Mo asked. “It’s way too conspicuous to go out like this.” He was already planning to take her to a clothing store before their date began.

But at his words, Tohka immediately bristled, lips jutting out in protest. “Why do I have to change? This is my Astral Dress—it’s my symbol! I think it’s great. I don’t want to change.”

“If you don’t change, you might be spotted by the Spirit Combat Unit we saw yesterday. Surely you don’t want our date interrupted, right?” Su Mo tried to reason with her patiently. Spirits really were a handful. They lacked common sense, and even the smallest things required endless explanations—what a hassle.

“Oh, I see…” As soon as he mentioned the date, Tohka’s resistance faded. Though her face still showed reluctance, she nodded. “Then what kind of clothes should I wear?”

Just then, students from Raizen High began pouring out of the school gates, passing by in a steady stream. Tohka’s eyes lingered on the girls’ uniforms. In this country, school uniforms were refined and stylish. The boys’ uniforms resembled suits, making them look particularly bright and handsome, while the girls wore white shirts under blazers and ultra-short skirts that revealed their pale legs—sexy yet elegant, brimming with youthful charm.

“Can I wear something like that?” Tohka asked, pointing to a girl’s uniform.

Su Mo nodded. While uniforms were still a bit attention-grabbing, they were nothing compared to Tohka’s original outfit. Upon gaining his approval, Tohka snapped her fingers. A flash of purple light sparkled at her fingertips, and her Astral Dress instantly transformed into Raizen High’s school uniform.

Su Mo was a little surprised by this. He hadn’t expected the Astral Dress to have such special effects, able to transform into all sorts of clothing. It was certainly convenient—and economical.

“Alright, let’s go on our date!” Tohka shouted excitedly to the sky.

At once, the passing crowds shot them knowing glances, and under such circumstances, Su Mo could only grab Tohka’s hand and flee in embarrassment.

As they ran, Su Mo heard Kotori’s voice through his earpiece.

“Su Mo, take Tohka to the main street at two o’clock. I’ve had Ratatoskr personnel secure the area. Stay away from other districts to prevent casualties if a Spirit loses control.” Kotori’s voice was stern.

Though Ratatoskr advocated peaceful dialogue with Spirits, they were well aware of the Spirits’ immense power. There was no way they’d let Su Mo and Tohka wander freely—if anything happened, the consequences would be dire.

Su Mo understood. He led Tohka to the designated location, which was close to where they’d met yesterday. The spatial quake Tohka had caused yesterday had left the roads and apartment blocks in ruins, but by this morning, everything had been restored. Su Mo couldn’t help but marvel at Japan’s Disaster Recovery Force. In just one night, they’d rebuilt the damaged area—a feat that would impress even the infrastructure-obsessed China.

Before them stretched a food street that seemed endless, both sides lined with a dazzling variety of shops, bustling with activity. The air was filled with shouts of vendors, and people and cars moved about constantly. Su Mo immediately recognized that all these “civilians” were actually Ratatoskr’s actors. He even spotted the president, Chihon, moonlighting as a barbecue stall owner.

“That smells amazing. What is it?” Tohka’s nose twitched as she looked enraptured, a few droplets of drool already glistening at the corner of her lips.

Tracing the aroma, Su Mo pointed toward a bakery. “Probably that place.”

“I see!” Tohka said simply, her gaze glued to the bakery as she unconsciously walked toward it.

At the bakery’s entrance stood a glass display case filled with an array of breads. Tohka’s eyes sparkled as she followed the scent and pointed to one of them. “What’s that?”

“Looks like soybean flour bread,” Su Mo guessed. He wasn’t very familiar with Japanese cuisine—he usually ate whatever Shizhi cooked and was never picky. Soon, a middle-aged man in a chef’s uniform came out to answer the question. Su Mo realized with a start that this was the five-times-divorced love guru, Kawagoe.

He hadn’t expected the entire Ratatoskr crew to join their date. In such a short time, they’d evacuated the area and filled it with so many extras. Su Mo realized he’d underestimated Ratatoskr’s reach.

“Would you like some?” Kawagoe asked with a gentle smile—there was no sign of the notorious womanizer about him now.

“Mm-hmm!” Tohka nodded eagerly, still drooling.

Once she received the soybean flour bread, Tohka took a huge bite, her cheeks puffed out, her eyes filled with bliss.

It wasn’t long before she polished off a bread roll the size of a baby’s arm, then turned longing eyes back to the display case.

“Alright, I’ll take all the soybean flour bread you have,” Su Mo sighed, pulling out his wallet with a pained look.

He was flat broke. In the Itsuka household, Shizhi managed their finances, while he and Kotori survived on meager allowances. As Ratatoskr’s commander, Kotori was never short on cash, which left Su Mo the poorest in the family.

The area was already under Ratatoskr’s control, so technically he didn’t need to pay. But for Tohka’s sake, he wanted her to learn that you pay for food and goods—otherwise, she might get into trouble later, thinking things were free.

After buying all the soybean flour bread, Su Mo and the Spirit girl Tohka continued to sweep through the food street. For a foodie like her, this was just the beginning—each delicacy opened a new world and made her realize just how much good food existed. Together, they ate their way from one end of the street to the other, sampling almost every snack along the way.