After watching Damian return to the dorm, Rindō looked at the moon and said,
"So Damian has worked so hard all this time… He's very strict with himself..."
Momo hugged Bucchi and said in a low voice,
"When I saw Damian, even while sweating, still training without saying anything, without even changing his position or speed, it really shocked me... His willpower and endurance are amazing."
"Yeah... No wonder he's already so good at cooking in his first year..."
"Compared to him... we're really lazy..." Rindō said with a sigh.
"Well... Damian must be exhausted. I'm sure he won't be able to sleep much tonight. And knowing his personality, he won't rest properly—he'll prioritize making our breakfast..."
Rindō suddenly felt a wave of complex emotions.
She could be sure that someone like Damian—who gritted his teeth and trained repeatedly, with such intensity and discipline, his eyes unwavering—couldn't possibly be someone bad like Yoshikage Kira.
She knew she would never forget what she saw today.
His determination and perseverance were undeniable.
Even when he was leaving, no matter how tired he was, even without proper rest, she knew he'd still put others before himself.
Every moment, every expression, every action, under the moonlight, left a vivid impression in Rindō's mind.
"I might end up single because of you... idiot..."
"Eh? Rindō, what did you say?"
"It's nothing, let's go back. Let's use the back door."
"Erm... Rindō..."
"Mm?"
"Damian must become an Elite Ten!"
"Hmm..."
Rindō's mind was in chaos. She didn't know why, but those images seemed burned into her memory, and they wouldn't fade.
At the same time, the suspicion she felt when she first saw him begin to silently fade—without her even realizing.
Meanwhile, not far away…
"This boy is something else..."
Both Roland and Yamada nodded.
"If he's been training like this for over 10 years, it's no surprise he's so skilled."
"How much sweat and blood has this young man shed over the years...?" Yamada mused.
"Looks like a true genius has arrived at Tōtsuki..."
"It seems I'll have to take some time to show Erina what it means to have talent and dedication..." Senzaemon said, smiling.
"You want to…"
"Although the strength of the 89th generation is impressive, their overall performance is still just satisfactory. The 90th generation shines brighter, but they're still immature."
"I doubt the 91st generation will be much different from the 90th..."
"But Damian... He has great willpower, competitive instinct, the skills of a genius, and good judgment..."
Senzaemon muttered to himself, while a string of future plans ran through his mind.
Sneeze!
Damian, who had finally arrived back at the dorm, suddenly sneezed.
"Who's talking about me?"
As he entered, he vaguely recognized the scent of two people who had been spying on him.
"Those smells belonged to Rindō and Momo, right? Hmm..."
Those two should be fast asleep by now.
"Who was spying on me...?"
A few hours later...
Damian was feeling a little off. Rindō and Momo had woken up abnormally early today, but that wasn't the real issue. The problem was that they kept glancing at him in a strange way during breakfast.
"What's wrong with you two?"
Damian asked, and Momo opened her mouth—but said nothing.
"Damian... you told me you've been training for over ten years. To be that skilled, your training must've been really intense," Rindō suddenly said.
"It all depends on how much effort you're willing to put in to improve. Otherwise, what's the point of training?" Damian responded with a smile on his face.
His mind unconsciously wandered back to when his grandfather adopted and trained him.
Those were hard times—but meaningful ones.
If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have developed his passion for cooking, wouldn't have grown so close to his grandfather, and maybe wouldn't have become so close to his friends.
"That was pretty deep… Where did you steal that line from?" Rindō asked.
"Nowhere, I'm just a genius. I don't need to work hard," Damian laughed as he continued eating.
"Eh?" ×2
"Besides, I'm not an ordinary person..."
"Damia-chan, do you have some kind of secret? Something that makes you different from others?" Momo asked, swallowing nervously.
"Yes. I have something that sets me apart," Damian answered with a serious face.
"What is it?" ×2
"Rindō, Momo, I trust you both, so you have to keep this a secret."
"Mmmmmmm!" ×2
(Don't tell me he's going to tell us about his Stand?) Rindō thought.
Looking at the two, who were anxiously waiting, Damian hesitated for a moment before saying softly,
"I have..."
"Mmmmmmm!" ×2
"The truth is... I am a thousand times more beautiful than the average person."
Rindō and Momo froze.
The next moment, Rindō couldn't hold back her laughter.
She was a little disappointed he didn't tell the truth, but she could understand why he didn't.
Who would believe something like that, anyway?
"Pffffff! Hahahahaha! I didn't expect that!" Rindō laughed uncontrollably.
"Damian, you're wrong!" Momo pouted with puffed cheeks.
"Eh? But I am really beautiful."
"Okay, okay, you're the most beautiful in the world, ugh... Seriously... I don't even want to imagine what your fans would do if they heard that."
"Becky would probably put a paper bag on her head and chase them down the street with a chainsaw... then get arrested."
"That's terrifying! Don't make up such scary scenarios!" Rindō shivered at the thought.
(Why can I totally see Becky doing that... That's terrifying.)
Damian just smiled and shook his head, continuing his breakfast calmly.
"Damian, there's something I'm really curious about," Rindō suddenly said.
"What is it?"
"You're beautiful, tall, not a bad guy, outgoing, and a great cook. You must have tons of girls chasing you."
"So?"
"So why are you single?"
Momo also looked at Damian.
"Well, it's not a big reason. I just never felt like the girls chasing me were sincere. Besides, no girl has ever made my heart race," Damian replied.
"So... that means you've just never met someone you liked?"
"Yeah. Also, because of my work in Italy, the women who approached me weren't trustworthy. Most were really sketchy," Damian said with a smirk.
"Work? What kind of work?" Rindō asked, intrigued.
"Well... you could say it was something like security," Damian answered, trying to change the subject.
"I see... Tell me, Damian, what's your type?"
Damian put down his chopsticks and thought for a moment.
"I like girls who are thoughtful and independent, not irrational. Someone who shares hobbies with me, has a good personality, can take care of a family, and doesn't care about money."
Rindō was about to respond when Damian added warmly,
"And of course... she has to be beautiful."
"Pfft..." ×2
Both of them laughed. Damian thought for a second and added,
"Oh! And she has to have a beautiful smile or bright, cute eyes."
The two glanced at each other, turned away, and blushed slightly. But Damian turned to Momo and asked,
"And you, Momo? Why are you single?"
Momo blushed and whispered,
"Boys aren't cute... and they're shallow..."
"That fits your style. And you, Rindō?"
"You have a great figure and you're beautiful."
"You're also tall by Japanese standards, have a good personality, you're sensitive to people's emotions, and you're an amazing cook. Why are you single?"
Rindō was stunned for a second, then said,
"And who could possibly be worthy of me? Come on—of course I'm single!"
"I thought it was because you already liked someone, Rindō."
Rindō froze.
"Now I'm curious too. You seem really close to Eishi-senpai, isn't that—"
"Ah, you're talking about Eishi Tsukasa, right? I saw you two leaving the teaching building after class."
Rindō didn't respond. Damian and Momo continued chatting, with Momo giggling occasionally.
"Eishi and I are just friends and rivals! In the last Autumn Selection, we came in first and second, that's all!"
Damian looked surprised.
"Really? Healthy competition is great."
Rindō glanced at Damian, who remained perfectly calm.
"What are you thinking...?" she asked.
"Nothing. By the way, since you say you don't like anyone, what kind of face is your type?"
Rindō froze. She hadn't really thought about it.
"Well... hmm..." she laughed, thinking.
"First, he has to be good-looking, preferably taller than me. He needs to cook better than me, be responsible, have a plan for the future, be confident, have a good personality, be optimistic..."
"He has to be passionate and have independent ideas. He can't let his girlfriend make all the decisions. He has to be kind, and sometimes strong."
"It doesn't matter if he's rich."
"We can work together for that."
"He has to be determined and dependable..."
"And super handsome! He needs to be bold and give me a sense of security..."
"Not just emotional security, but everyday security too. And most importantly... he has to make me happy."
Damian nodded and said seriously,
"That sounds complicated, but it's not that complicated. It sounds simple, but it's actually very complicated. Rindō, be careful not to become a forever-single aunt with that many conditions."
"Pfft..." Momo burst out laughing.
"Damian!" Rindō slapped the table.
(End of Chapter)
Give me some power stones there you go~😉