Chapter 528 Parfait
Despite living in the heart of civilization in Japan, Midori didn't exactly enjoy their stay due to their poor living conditions. Of course, they were comfortable enough to live by the paycheck, but they could barely make ends meet since his parents weren't earning enough.
That's why it was Midori's dream to make it big in the superhero scene. With his pure talent in his berserker superpower, he knew he could make it big as one of the offensive types. He was a berserker. At the very least, he'd be able to successfully join an agency even if he achieved a passable grade.
But a couple of months ago, he had awakened another superpower that put him on an even higher pedestal compared to his peers. While he already felt lucky enough to have a decent superpower, he was blessed with a second one. Moreover, it was the complete opposite of his offensive type superpower, which made them even more synergic to each other.
Ironically enough, his second superpower was what got them out of their tight situation. Now that he was currently under the mentorship of the Nurse, he was finally earning a comfortable amount and he didn't have to rely solely on his parents anymore. His younger sister, Miya, was also cured of her sickness, so they didn't have to worry about spending more money on her illness.
It was only recently that he got to have such a comfortable lifestyle. More than anything, he was glad that Saki approached him when he was already doing well. If she had reached out to him earlier, when his family was still severely financially unstable, then he would have flat-out rejected her before anything else.
However, now he could be proud of himself, and that gave him the confidence boost he needed when Saki offered a meet-up.
"Wahhh~! It's parfait! It's been so long since I ate one!" Saki drooled as they stopped in front of a stall that sold parfait.
The stall had a nice light pink and blue hue as its theme, and it was set by the edge of a nearby park. Even the chairs and table had the same color. A lot of couples were there, sharing each other's parfait with satisfied expressions on their faces.
At first, Midori felt like he didn't belong there since most of the customers brought their partners. It's as if it was a hot spot for couples, and Midori felt out of place. Then again, he was with Saki so he perfectly blended in. Adding to that, Saki also didn't seem to mind that they were surrounded by couples.
Midori let out a long sigh and relaxed his shoulders, finally regaining his composure. Since Saki was having the time of her life, Midori decided to play along with her.
"So, what do you want? It's my treat." Midori said without hesitation. Even Midori felt weirded out when he said that. After all, he knew that in the past, there was no way he could say that.
"Really?! REALLY?!" Saki asked but before she could ask anything, her expression changed for a moment. There was a troubled expression on his face for a couple of seconds. And then she shook her head when her calmness returned. "Nah, I'll treat you to something! Don't worry, my mom gave me some allowance."
Even though she said that... it was clear that she was actually lying. Her money was enough for a meal and a return trip to the countryside. Still, she wanted to enjoy this time with Midori so she was willing to sacrifice the money she set aside for a train ticket.
This was one of those rare moments where she could spend time with her childhood friend. And adding to that, she was the one who initiated the date. She was the one who invited her. If any, she should be the one spending money.
Back then, Saki was already aware of Midori's financial situation. And she was aware of how diligent Midori was even when they were still children. He would sell things in class, answer his classmate's homework just to earn money, and he would even study years in advance just so he could tutor other students who were ahead of him.
He was doing everything he could to support his family and yet he didn't seem exhausted at all. This was what attracted Saki to him, and before she knew it, they became close to each other. She would assist him whenever he had a new 'business venture', and every day was interesting since Midori always had a good idea.
That is why she was not taken aback when Midori got accepted into one of the top superhero schools in Japan.
They were still in elementary grade when Saki's family moved out of the city. She didn't have any contact with Midori, and it was only during the Inter-High Tournament that she finally got some sort of update regarding her childhood friend.
When she confirmed that it was actually her childhood friend who was on youtube, she told her parents about it, and her parents went to great lengths to once again contact Midori's parents. It took a couple of weeks, but she finally got Midori's contact details.
Of course, Midori's parents didn't tell him anything. They kept it a secret from him so he'd be surprised when she finally visits him. And now that day had come, and Midori had no idea that this was actually pre-planned by their wingman parents.
Since Saki recognized Midori immediately, she concluded that they were still struggling financially. And even if they weren't as poor as before, Saki had already decided to treat him just because.
If Midori had known that she was actually spending more money than she should, he'd have given her a good earful.
"Are you sure? But I want to try all of them." Midori asked. It felt like he didn't phrase his comment properly since he only meant that all the parfait looked so good he wanted to try them all.
"Eh?" Saki blinked twice, but she recovered quickly. "I-I-I can only treat you to one large parfait! That's it." She voiced out.
"Don't worry about it. I have enough money. I just got my salary early and besides, you're the one visiting from far away. Let me spoil you a little." This time, it was Midori who gave her a noggin, before he pulled back embarrassed.
"T-then..." Saki trailed off as Midori's words sank into her mind. "Wait, you have a job? Don't tell me, you're selling mixed drinks again. Or are you tutoring someone? You're in high school now, right? How can you even keep up with studies and tutor someone?" Saki bombarded him with questions.
"Eh?! N-n-no no no, I was way past that. Right now, I'm working under the Nurse, you know, the top healer superhero." Midori said. "I assist her from time to time since my healing abilities were slightly better than hers... that's what she says though, but maybe she's just telling me that so I'll feel better," Midori said.
"Wait, t-t-the Nurse?! EH?! You're working under the Nurse? Whoa, I knew about your healing abilities, but who would've thought?!" Saki happily said, grabbing Midori's hands as she jumped up and down.
"That's why it's my treat. We can order the entire menu if you want, don't hold back." Midori said. This was a reunion of a lifetime so there was no point in holding back with the celebration.
"T-THEN! In return, I'll tour you around the countryside one of these days! It will be my treat!" Saki returned.
"I'll be looking forward to it!"
Midori flashed a smile at Saki, which made her heart flutter a little. Her face reddened, and then she turned away as she was embarrassed. She got too into the present that she didn't even realize that the two of them were holding hands, grabbing each other's shoulders, and prancing around as if nobody was watching.
When they realized the commotion that they were doing, the two of them sheepishly hung their heads as they walked towards the shop. They weren't expecting the customers to be looking at them... but what they didn't know was that some of them envied their relationship since they were too open and expressive with each other.
Then again, they were just friends as of yet so that much was normal— the couples who were customers of the parfait shop didn't know this though and they already assumed that the two of them were going out.
"Umm... yeah, all of them looked good," Midori commented, and Saki nodded her head in agreement. "Should we get all of them?"
Without waiting for Saki's reply, Midori ordered the entire menu, deciding to take home what was left if they couldn't finish everything. For his first date, Midori was nailing his role. It further solidified just how forged their bonds of friendship were, even overcoming the years when they were separated.
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