Since the restaurant was the unanimous gathering area for the class, the meeting was held there a few hours later. To be honest, I expected Chiaki to be at least a few minutes late due to her nap, but the girl was right on time. The late one was Nekomaru, surprisingly. Apparently, he was caught up in the bathroom... Well, he actually went into much more detail about the go than just that, but I don't really want to elaborate on it.
Once everyone was accounted for, Byakuya took it upon himself to begin, "Now. I'm sure we all know why we've agreed to meet up like this. We need to go over the facts about just what's going on."
He then looked towards me, giving me a cold stare as he pointed towards me. "So far, we know that Nagito's talent has remained with the body. We also know that the current occupant doesn't know a single word of Japanese, yet somehow is able to speak and understand it fluently. Before I make my deduction, are there any other notable pieces of information that should be shared?"
As the entire room turned their attention to me, I hummed as I thought through the previous day. "If I had to say, recently I've noticed that louder sounds are suddenly more excruciating than before. I never did like loud noises back when I was myself, but lately it's been more unbearable," I explained, which caused Byakuya to cross his arms in silent thought.
"If I remember correctly, Nagito listed one of his least favorite things as 'loud noises'. So, this could point in the direction that most of his preferences have remained as well."
"Whaddya mean by that?" Akane asked, the puzzled expression on her face growing. Fortunately, Byakuya wasn't too irritated by this and simply sighed.
"What I mean is that his body might have grown accustomed to certain things, such as the sudden irritation towards anything remotely loud. If this is the case, it's very possible that Ginevra might also prefer different foods as well thanks to her new body having preferences for different things. It doesn't necessarily mean that she herself likes them, but rather Nagito," Byakuya explained, however he appeared to be annoyed that he had to go into more detail than he wanted.
Wait a minute.
If this also affected my taste in foods, then would I be able to... Raising my hand slightly, I cleared my throat, "Um... I think I know how to decide if that's true."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. It's really stupid, but I normally can't stomach fish without getting sick. If the same isn't the case for Nagito, I'll be able to eat it without having to throw up."
This was met with more than a couple of confused looks. "Is there any reason why? Like, an allergy or something?" Mahiru asked, which caused me to laugh nervously.
"Deep rooted childhood trauma. I'll elaborate later if you guys want to know," I replied, then glanced over to Byakuya to see what his opinion was regarding my suggestion. With a huff, he simply rolled his eyes and waved his hand in a manner in a way of silently saying, 'do what you think will work'.
Teruteru caught on as to what we were discussing, then grew visibly excited as the both of us turned our attention to him. "Well, seeing as you folks need me to, I suppose that I'll put my skills to good use. Just say the word and I'll get cookin'!" he chirped, eagerly awaiting my say-so... If he weren't such a pervert, then I'd think that he looked a little cute with his anticipation.
"You can get started on it now. I don't think it really matters what kind of fish, so you can choose whatever one you want. So long as it's fishy tasting, it'll work," I responded with a shrug.
Wow.
I'm in front on a culinary prodigy willing to make me whatever I want and I just requested something that usually makes me run straight to a toilet to puke out. I'm not sure if I should be disappointed or proud of the fact that I didn't ask for something else.
My request resulted in Teruteru nodding happily. "Very well. I know the perfect dish for this occasion! The English call it 'fish supper', though given the time of day right now, I guess it shouldn't really be called 'supper'..." he trailed off, then made his way towards the back of the restaurant and disappeared into a door (probably the door to the kitchen area).
Akane, realizing that he had just left to cook, quickly darted to the back as well. "Hey! Be sure to make some for me, too!" she called, then sauntered back over to the group, a smile spread out on her face. I'll be honest, I was kind of expecting her to do something like that after seeing how much she could eat. The girl was a bottomless pit.
"Say, Jen. If you don't like the meal, you'll give the rest to me, right?" Akane asked, though she already seemed to be giving off a vibe that she'd take it anyway. Seeing how eager she was to claim it, I just gave her a nod. This made her rub her hands together in anticipation for the possible extra plate, her already big smile growing.
"Good! The old man over there is gonna be wanting me at my peak later on, so I gotta be as ready as ever!"
... 'Old man'?
It didn't take long for me to figure out that it was Nekomaru who was the one that was addressed, because his boisterous voice filled the restaurant right afterwards. "That's right! I don't expect you to disappoint! After all, you haven't so far!" he laughed, then gave Akane a firm pat on the back (that would most definitely have knocked me over if I was the one receiving it).
Seeing an opportunity, Hajime walked to me and gestured towards the two. "Akane's the Ultimate Gymnast while Nekomaru is the Ultimate Team Manager," he explained, pointing to each one respectively. The term 'team manager' was another way of saying 'coach', right? So, Ultimate Coach? No wonder the two get along well together. Their talents and personalities absolutely complimented each other. It was honestly pretty adorable seeing them together.
Seeing that I was looking at him, Nekomaru approached me and began to... Feel my shoulders? "Hm. Your muscles are tense. 'Course, I won't blame you for that. If you want, I could give you a little bit of 'it' to loosen you up. It helps Akane tons when I do 'it' to her," he offered with a nod.
... Wait.
'It'?
Was 'it' what I thought it was?
Was he... I couldn't help but ask, "U-uh. What do you mean by 'it'?"
"Peaked your interest, eh?" he laughed, "I do 'it' to all my teammates! When I do, their performance is guaranteed to be amazing! C'mon, 'it' will definitely make the time fly right by while we wait!"
Okay, now that just sounds even worse than before. I doubt that 'it' was anything bad, but this can be taken in multiple wrong ways. Was it a trade secret between him and his athletes or something? Is that why it's only known as 'it'?
Finally, my curiosity got the best of me. "Okay. I'll let you do 'it' as long as it isn't anything bad. Is there any specific place that we need to go?" I asked Nekomaru, however he only replied with a grin and a motion to follow him... As much as I didn't want to go anywhere with someone who calls something 'it', I just couldn't help myself. I eventually found myself following Nekomaru out of the hotel and to his cottage with Akane following close behind us.
As soon as Nekomaru opened the door, Akane gave me a smug grin. "Once you've had a good dose of what the old man there has to offer, you'll never be the same! I guarantee it!" she laughed, "I'll be right outside waitin' for my own turn, so don't take too long, got it?"
Oh god, what have I just agreed to? Swallowing a dry breath, I slowly walked inside the cottage, causing Nekomaru to close the door behind me as soon as I entered. "Alright, Ginevra. Spread yourself out right there on your stomach," he instructed as he pointed to his bed.
Oh.
... Oh.
I couldn't even find my voice in order to retort. In these kinds of situations, you have to do what a kidnapper says... Right? WOULD this be counted as a kidnapping even? Nervously, I did what was told, trying to comprehend what exactly was going on.
Before my mind could wander through possibilities, I felt a firm finger dig into my back. "Alright! Time to show you what an Ultimate Masseuse can do!"
What followed was a barrage of forceful presses. However, it didn't feel painful like I had anticipated. There was no discomfort that followed at all, actually. Instead, it felt... Heavenly! Absolutely amazing! I couldn't even help myself from loosening up with every press!
"Th-this... This feels so good..." I heard myself sigh as I felt all of the tenseness just melt away. It was as if all the soreness was being purged to make room for maximized pleasure instead. Fortunately, Nekomaru didn't stop at my comment and kept working his magic on me. I swear to god, I had NEVER felt anything so relaxing in months—no, not just months—years! Just what kind of life was I living without something as wonderful as this?!
As I groaned in satisfaction with every perfect acupressure, time seemed to be lost to me. It was only after Nekomaru stopped that I took in the fact that this had been going on for at least fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes of absolute bliss.
Glancing up at him, it only took my dreamy smile for Nekomaru to understand that I absolutely loved every bit of it. With a thumbs up, the buff teen gave me a wink, "Glad you liked it! It's no good to be tense all the time, so if you ever want another little taste of 'it', just say the word and I'll set you up with an appointment!"
Oh yes I would indeed take you up on that offer. In fact, I doubt that I'd ever be the same again after such a magical session. My new standard for massages had officially reached the goddamn stratosphere. As much as I wanted to have another go with 'it', I had to remember that Akane was waiting outside for her own turn. Plus, there's also the 'fish supper' Teruteru was making that I needed to try for more information about my problem.
Returning Nekomaru's thumbs up with one of my own, I exited the cottage, which caused Akane to quickly slip inside and shut the door, the words, "Give it to me, old man!" being exclaimed as she did. All that was left now was to wait for the fish to be cooked and served. And maybe by that time, Akane's session would be done as well. After all, from what I've seen from her so far, it would be weird for her NOT to make it in time to have a nice hot plate all to herself.