Walking around in the aquarium made them lose their sense of ti. When they realized it, lunchti had already passed. It was thanks to Max's grumbling stomach that they realized it.
So, they decided to go to a nearby café to eat and rest. Max took off his mask, which made him feel stuffed, and let out a long sigh.
"Ugh… That's embarrassing. I bet people near us heard my stomach rumbling too…"
"Hahaha. Don't worry, it's not that loud. I only heard the sound because I was close to you."
"Still, it was embarrassing. It has never happened before, even when I am really hungry."
"Maybe you're too tired? Who knows? You didn't eat that much this morning, either. Maybe that's the reason."
"I will definitely have a fulfilling breakfast in the future." He grumbled and looked at Nina, who sat across from him. "Ah, don't misunderstand. I only ate a little this morning because I wanted to enjoy it again tonight."
"I know." Nina giggled cutely.
At that mont, the café waitress arrived with an automatic tray that brought their orders.
"Thank you for waiting. Here is your pancake, spaghetti, and two iced teas. Please enjoy your ti."
"Thank you." Max smiled at the waitress, causing her to be slightly flustered.
However, as a professional, she imdiately masked her expression with a smile and walked away. Noticing what happened was Nina, and she poked his hand.
"What a lady killer you have beco. Just by putting on a bit of weight and muscles, now many girls are flustered because of your smile alone."
"Don't tease , Nina." Max narrowed his eyes in displeasure, "I didn't an to make them flustered."
"That's what you said." She grinned, "Oh, Mr. Rank 2 in the most handso strear list. By the way, first place is StoneSword. And this is a secret list, so don't tell anybody else." She put her index finger on her lips.
Hearing what Nina said, the edge of his lips twitched slightly.
'There is a list of sothing like that?'
The Internet was vast. Once again, he was forced to realize it. Who knows? Maybe there was also a private community that paired one strear with another.
'I don't want to know that.'
Feeling the dread of being paired with soone else, Max shuddered and took the fork on the plate.
"Let's forget about that and eat." He urged Nina, "And after this, there is sowhere that I want to visit with you. You still have ti to spare, right?"
"Hmm?" Nina raised her head, her hand already holding the fork and knife to cut the pancake, "Of course. I can stay as long as you'd like to." She flashed a sly grin.
Once again, she tried to tease him. But that didn't work. Max grinned back and rested his elbow on the table.
"Perfect, then. I will reserve your ti the whole day and keep you with then."
"Hya?!"
'Keeping the whole day?!' She scread in her mind.
It successfully turned Nina's face red.
***
After finishing eating, Max dragged Nina, whose eyes were closed due to his request. She looked nervous and looking forward to whatever it was.
He entered the store on the second floor, which he visited this morning, and was greeted by the employee. After showing him his information and explaining why he was there, the waitress nodded and went inside.
At that ti, Nina was already impatient.
"Max, can I open my eyes now?"
"Wait a little more." He said, "You will definitely like it. It's just a small gift from to once again celebrate your acceptance in cooking school."
"A gift?" She raised her voice slightly, "You don't need to! I have had enough fun already, and you also paid for the aquarium ticket. That was expensive, right? It's like $50 for one. Not to ntion, you also paid for the al earlier."
She was honestly worried about it. Max had problems with money in the past. Even though she knew he made enough, she was still worried about his condition.
Besides… accepting the gift right now would pose another problem for her.
"Don't worry about it. It's just sothing cheap." Max said to reassure her.
The employee from before appeared once again while holding a rectangular wooden box. It looked amazing, with the words 'Slice and Dice' written in black ink.
Nodding his head, Max patted Nina's shoulder.
"You can open your eyes now."
"A-Alright."
Filled with nervousness, her heart beat faster. Nina slowly opened her eyes and looked at the 'gift' Max gave her. When her eyes landed on the box, her jaw dropped in disbelief. She pointed at it with a trembling finger and looked at him.
"It's your gift." He said with a sly smile. "Once again, congratulations. I hope it will help you in school."
She was speechless. She turned back and forth between the wooden box and Max, only stopping when the employee opened it and showed a beautiful kitchen knife inside. It had an intricate Damascus steel design on the blade, and the handle was made from a beautiful wood.
"Tell you're lying." She said, still in disbelief. "You said it's cheap. You're lying!"
"This is cheap, though." Max chuckled, "Among the others of its type, this is the cheapest. Right, Miss employee?"
"Yes." The employee nodded with a smile, "This one only cost $3,500 and is the most basic design from 'Slice and Dice.'"
"Five thousand…" Nina muttered. Her soul seed to escape her body as she stared blankly at the air.
It took a few seconds to take in what happened. Tears were ford on the edge of her eyes.
"How do I say it…" She sobbed, having difficulty forming her words. Even when she was sobbing, she still smiled brightly when she jumped and hugged him. "Thank you, Max."
"You're welco." He smiled back at her.
Supporting her was the only thing he could do right now. He had been indebted a lot to her, so he at least wanted to support her dream. Knife would be essential for her future career and training.
This knife also ca with lifeti free maintenance in every branch store connected to this one, so it was convenient.
While it might look cheap and seem like he put a monetary and mory burden on Nina, Max genuinely wanted to help her reach her dream faster.
'I hope you will be able to reach your dream. Because I will also do my best to reach mine.' He thought as he tried to calm her down.
The employee only smiled the whole ti while watching them.
'Youth.' She thought.
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