PHASE 36 - I CAN’T CURE MY GIRLFRIEND’S FASTFOODHOLISM!

Everybody had mixed emotions when I came back to the Earth Realm. Of course, all of them are surprised and grateful that Tiara is back, and I managed to pull out a brand-new Jeannette from the prison of hell. But they are also sorrowful about the news on Key, who sacrificed herself just to bring me back to my time.

However, there is still a light of hope for those people who have fallen. Tiara is planning to sing the to bring everyone back, including Heushac, Eliseo, Emily, Diadem, and Key. We have retrieved her and the twelve God Cores she used, so there’s no problem at all.

For now, we have to let Tiara rest. The Kozukata Shrine found out that Tiara has exhausted her prana, and she will need about two weeks of rest in order to cast the . The Twelve God Cores needed to rest too as most of them almost depleted its divine energy. Tiara is also temporarily forbidden to use any of her Gate Guardian powers, including opening a Gate.

<>

The next day after Tiara’s revival, I immediately held out a grandiose date. I have saved up hundreds of fast food coupons, saved a lot from my allowance, and even downloaded lots of phone apps that offer cash vouchers. My wallet is ready for a fancy lunch party…

...and so Tiara picked a fast food restaurant which involves a clown that serves greasy snacks. I'm actually loving it, even though it's not a sponsor.

“A-Are you sure I can order anything I want here?” Tiara asked for the hundredth time as we went in front of the counter.

“Of course!” I happily said. “It’s been a while since we last have lunch together, so have a blast.”

“...Okay then…”

Tiara nervously turned to the counter and said her order that seemed to be the whole restaurant.

“U-Um… I would like ten triple-pounder beef with lettuce and cheese, five potato fries, five boxes of spicy chicken nuggets, eight apple pies, three flurry chocolate ice cream, three plates of spaghetti, two family-sized bacon pizza, one bucket of fried chicken, a jumbo lasagna…”

I am so grateful that I have made my preparations. I have saved quite a lot of money ever since she was sealed as the Frozen Soul. I thought I could end up saving enough money to buy the latest gaming PC with ultimate video cards, but I think this is where all my money goes.

Tiara looked at me with a sense of guilt on her face. She saw me still smiling at her, albeit a little bit forced, so she decided to modify her last set of orders.

“...A-And a diet coke, please…”

<>

When Tiara finally finished her list of orders that seemed to be the entire menu itself, we finally settled down in a table for two. There are quite a few people eating here in this restaurant maybe because of the suburban place, but it works to our favor since we both don’t want crowded places to have as a lunch date.

“U-Uh, Rikkun…” Tiara scratched her head with a blush. She’s also projecting a forced guilty smile as she tried to justify herself. “I-I’m sorry if I ordered quite a lot. Y-You see, singing the for months exhausted me! That depleted my prana which caused me to become so hungry! I need to eat a lot so that I can recover my strength faster!”

This pup can’t fool me! She’s been a glutton even back before the Frozen Soul incident!

“Yeah, yeah.” I just chuckled. “Go eat what you want. I don’t care.”

“R-Really!?” Tiara cried, still blushing. “Y-You will not care even if I get fat!? W-Well, I will try to go back to my diet regimen after this, but you wouldn’t mind if I get fat, right!?”

“Don’t be so sorry. Eat all you want.” I said,

“R-Rikkun…” Tiara literally cried as she held her chest. Her puppy blue eyes twinkled as it locked on me. “I-I’m so happy that you are my boyfriend. I really really really love-”

“Here’s your order.” The fast-food waiter said as he laid down the first batch of Tiara’s greasy but cheesy burger meal. Then the waiter screwed off.

“-burgers!” Tiara shrieked as a form of celebration. “I love burgers!”

Then Tiara started to chow down the food like a hungry wolf. I kind of feel disappointed that she loves burgers more than me, but that’s Tiara for you.

<>

While chomping down on her third batch of fries, Tiara started to talk.

“Sow, how whave you bween on the pwast mwonths, Wikkun?”

“For god’s sake, Tiara… chew your meal down first before speaking.” I said as I sipped on my soda float drink.

Gulp. Tiara swallowed all the food on her mouth in just one go. Then she repeated her question. “How have you been in the past months, Rikkun?”

“W-Well…” I stared at the fourth bacon burger that just landed on our table. “I’m now back to my old routine. I no longer stay at Helena’s house since Lironeo moved there. Every day, I go back home in Mirose Grande."

“Why?” Tiara said as she started to lick her flurry ice cream. “You’ll end up going to class late again! That’s bad, Rikkun!”

“I don’t want to become the third wheel, that’s why!” I exclaimed. “You never knew what mental torture I had during my stay with them!”

I don’t have to tell Tiara the details. Every freaking time I was there at the lodging house, Helena and Lironeo would often flirt with each other. Every freaking time I come back to their house, I would see those two bastards french kissing each other. In meals, they would have this lovey-dovey-feed-me bullshit that makes me question my existence in that house.

Remember, all of those things happened when Tiara was the Frozen Soul, so I’m mentally, emotionally, and romantically broken at that time. I know it’s not their intention to make me look like a fool, but it feels like they are rubbing their successful relationship to me who is suffering from crippling depression.

“A-Ahahaha… I feel quite sorry for you, Rikkun…” Tiara forced a laugh.

“You should,” I said as I turned away.

The scene became an awkward silence as Tiara continued to chomp down on her food. While she’s busy, I had the pleasure of watching her adorable face gobble down all the snacks she ordered. I also ate some of her snacks because I think it would be overwhelming for her.

After five minutes, Tiara stopped eating.

“What is it, Tiara?” I tilted my head. “You’re stuffed already?”

“N-No…” Tiara turned away with another tomato-colored cheek. “Uh… I have a suggestion…”

“What is it?”

“W-Why wouldn’t you move to my place?”

“Pfffft!” She caught me off guard, so I had myself spitting out the soda float to my mouth and nose. My whole face became red when I was brain processed Tiara’s words. “W-What!?”

“D-Don’t think of a wrong idea, Rikkun!” Tiara cried as she waved her hand and tried to justify her suggestion. “W-Well, if you always go back and forth from Mirose Grande to Dradecim, you would always end up late. It would be bad if you always get scolded by Macho Steel- I mean, Mister Kent again and again, so I think having a nearby home would be better for you. B-Besides, I feel kind of lonely that Key is no longer here. I-I just realized last night that I should get a companion, so… I kind of… wanted you to stay in my place…”

Tiara is shyly bumping the tip of her index finger over and over. I can see that she’s fighting her embarrassment just for the sake of this proposal.

“A-Are you sure about that?” I talked like a robot. I couldn’t believe that Tiara would be the one offering me such a thing.

“O-Of course!” Tiara punched her chest. “My father is always away, so you don’t have to worry!”

“T-That sounds so wrong…”

“D-D-Don’t think of any weird ideas!” Tiara cried. “I-I just want you to have a convenient place for your studies!”

I am an idiot if I say that I don’t want to live with her on the same roof. In fact, I wanted to. Living with the girl you love and worked hard to rescue for is one of the wishes I wanted to be granted. But a teenage boy and a girl living on the same roof… is kind of immoral. I don’t want to end up like that fuckboy Kristoff who has issues for early child support.

Well, we’re already graduating students. We’re both eighteen now, so we’re both legal. Nothing should go wrong… right?

“F-Fine then…” I muttered. “I’ll move to your place.”

“R-Really!?” Tiara wagged her tail like an excited puppy.

“Of course.” I scratched my blushing cheek. “But first, we have to do something.”

“What is it?” Tiara adorably tilted her head.

“I’ll introduce you to my parents.”