135 Vol. 3 pt. 5 Patch 1.0: The Latest Addition (1/2)

Ryouta never wanted to have to ever get rough with any of his girlfriends for any reason. However, when it comes to this one important matter, not even Serra's cuteness is able to stop him from stealing the mouse from her, dragging the folder that shall never be opened into the trash, and then emptying it.

Serra looks up at him with a frustrated pout and flicks him on the forehead. He knows that he deserves this, but he also knows that the contents of the folder are better off forever lost than ever being seen by mortal eyes again.

Wanting to keep them around for sentimental value is not anywhere near as important as them being seen by others' eyes.

”What was it? I didn't get to see,” Cassandra asks.

”Hmm. It looked like it might have been my husband's—” Aiko's voice gets cut off when Ryouta places his hand over it, muffling her words.

Aiko starts squirming around in his grasp and even licks his hand which causes him to quickly take it away from her.

”Unfortunately, I did not get to see it either,” Alice says.

”Don't worry about it. It was just something stupid that I forgot to delete,” Ryouta explains. He's technically not lying. He also needs to change the subject before either Aiko or Serra tell them what the folder was. ”I'm hungry. Want to go out and grab some food?” he asks the group and then signs the question to Serra.

Bringing up food starts a chain reaction of the girls' stomachs embarrassingly growling.

”Dinner it is,” Ryouta confirms. ”Alice, anywhere you want to go? You've never been here before, so it's your choice.”

”My hero, I appreciate the consideration, but I know nothing about this city nor what food it may have to offer. Do you have any recommendations?” Alice asks.

”Right. Uhh, there's a really good ramen place that I go to with Spencer whenever he visits, but I think our group is a bit large for there. The staff always look kind of annoyed when more than three people go there in a group. There's the place that Cass Cass works a—”

”No,” Cassandra interrupts.

”So yeah, not there either. Whole bunch of fast food places, but I don't want to take a princess out for fast food.”

”Princess? Can I be your princess, too, Ry-ou-ta?” Aiko asks.

”Oh, I mean, she's like a literal princess. Royal blood and all that,” Ryouta explains.

Aiko looks at Alice and blinks. ”Woah. Seriously? Shouldn't you be like, super rich then?”

”I am! Well, my family is,” Alice answers.

”Then why're you in a wheelchair? Why not just get one of those fancy rich people surgeries?”

”A-ah, well—”

”You're being rude, Aiko. Sorry, Alice,” Ryouta says, but Alice shakes her head and has everybody's eyes on her already.

”It is most alright. I have simply accepted my condition and fear that this body would no longer feel like my own if I went through with such an operation. Whether it is using technology to force control over my legs or replacing them with prosthetics, neither of those sound appealing to me. Plus, I do love my tragedy, and being in a wheelchair is very tragic!” Alice explains, smiling and clapping her hands together.

”Sorry, Ryouta was right, I was rude,” Aiko whimpers. ”But thanks for answering me anyways.”

”It is most alright, Aiko. It is not the first time I have been asked that and I am sure that it will not be the last. Now then! Let us return to our venue discussion. While I may love tragedy, being a starving heroine is not a theme that I particularly enjoy.”

”Alright! Then, uhh, let's see…” Ryouta resumes thinking about where to eat, and Serra has got his back by opening up a search engine in his browser and pulling up all nearby restaurants. ”That… probably would have been a smart thing to think of myself. I don't exactly get out much, so I don't even know what's around here.”

”Worry not, my hero! I can be very needy at times, so I am sure that I will have you taking me out almost daily! We shall explore this city of yours together.”

”And my wallet will cry the entire time,” Ryouta thinks to himself.

Serra opens up a page for a food joint named ”Roaring Marco's New Charleston's Favorite Burgers.” She then turns around, points at the screen with one hand, and looks at the group with a bit of drool coming from her mouth.

”Shall we head there? It seems as if Serra would very much enjoy it, and I am sure that I will as well!” Alice says, trying to ignore the picture of the very obese man shouting while holding burgers in his hands.

Ryouta figures the man in that picture must be Roaring Marco.

”I've been there. Their burgers really are probably the best in the city,” Cassandra says.

”Yeah, they're great!” Aiko backs them up. ”Serra always wants to go there for our lunch dates. N-not that they're serious dates, Ryouta! You know what I mean, like, when two girls just go out and—”

”It's alright, I know what you mean. Besides, even if they were real dates, who could say no to Serra?” Ryouta says, pinching one of Serra's cheek before signing that they'll go there.