3rd person POV
It was now 8:00 in the evening but Kiyone still invited Kiyotaka for a dinner as thanks for trying to protect her peaceful and normal student life. A dinner date perhaps? Who knows.
As Kiyone was cooking chicken curry for their dinner as per Kiyotaka's request, Kiyotaka meanwhile was thinking, or more like he can't remove from his mind the owner of the menacing aura he and his female self felt coming from next door upon entering Kiyone's room
"Dinner is ready, Shiba-kun!" Kiyone's smooth voice called out to him from the kitchen.
"Alright, I'm coming," Kiyotaka replied and then entered the kitchen.
After putting the foods on the table, Kiyone sat on one of the two chairs, Kiyotaka then followed.
""Itadakimasu!"" both of them said in unison.
Before Kiyotaka could shove the food into his mouth, Kiyotaka asked, "You're not going to do what Horikita did to me, are you?"
The poor boy was traumatized because of the troublesome task given by Horikita.
Kiyone sighed. "I won't. You don't believe yourself?"
"Well, I sometimes lie to my self. I'm sorry for doubting you."
Kiyotaka answered honestly.
Kiyone smiled internally upon seeing his male self getting traumatized after just a food blackmail. But she did also know that she'll end up the same if it weren't for Kiyotaka so she thanked him inside her mind.
Kiyotaka then shove the food into his mouth. His eyes widened upon tasting Kiyone's cooking. The ingredients of the curry bursted into Kiyotaka's mouth making him crave more of Kiyone's cooking but he is not shameless to demand Kiyone to cook for him more.
"Delicious..." Kiyotaka muttered. "Your cooking is very delicious, Ayanokouji-san!" Kiyotaka unintentionally exclaimed.
"Thanks for the compliment, Shiba-kun."
Kiyotaka dug a spoonful of chiken curry and shoved it into his mouth again and savored the delicious chicken curry Kiyone had cooked.
Seeing this, Kiyone's frozen heart warmed up a little upon seeing how her male self with emotions act.
'He's just like Aomine-kun...he's full of smile.' she thought.
As she stared at Kiyotaka savoring her cooking to the last drop, she was reminded of her late friend. No matter the hardship and pain this Aomine experienced inside the White Room, his smile doesn't fade.
"Say, Ayanokouji-san, how did you know how to cook? I'm pretty sure the White Room in my universe doesn't teach us how to cook."
"Well, it was Aunty Matsuo who taught me. She told me that a girl that's as beautiful as me should know how to cook specially one day when I'm getting married." Kiyone paused a little and asked the question that's been on her mind to fluster her male self.
"On a related topic, don't you think that's the case now? I mean if you look at us in an outsider's perspective, don't we look like a newlywed couple?"
Kiyotaka almost choked upon hearing Kiyone's question, but it wasn't noticeable. He grabbed a glass of water and answered.
"Well, in an 'outsider's perspective,' then yes," Kiyotaka replied.
"But we are the same person in a different body, genes and gender. But even so, do you want to go out with me, your male self, Kiyone-san?"
Kiyotaka did what he did to Matsushita except he called her by her first name. Truth to be told, he was expecting it to fail but Kiyone just stayed silent, probably thinking a reply and make the smoothest come back.
RING!!!
Kiyone's phone rang.
Kiyone checked on her phone and immediately put it back on the table calmly as if she was reading some annoying people's message.
Kiyotaka saw Kiyone covered her ears with her hair. But before it was fully covered, he noticed that it was slightly colored red and yet her face said nothing.
Kiyotaka then came to realization that Kiyone took advantage of the situation so that she could see her reflection with a camera.
'Don't tell me you really feel that way...' Kiyotaka inwardly sighed.
"Is that your indirect way of asking me, your female self, to go out with you?"
"Well, if put it that way, perhaps. But I was the one asking you, if you want to go out with me."
Kiyone was on the loosing ground in this psychological fight and regretted to the attemp of flustering her male self.
'There's no doubt that he has more experienced in this than me. I wonder how girls Shiba-kun managed to smooth talk?' She thought before speaking.
"Do you really like incest or selfcest that much?"
Kiyone asked trying to change the subject.
Kiyotaka on the other hand realizing that Kiyone gave up, went along with it.
"Not really."
"I see...so you were also teasing me," Kiyone replied.
After finishing the second that Kiyotaka requested, soon, the two finished their food and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes since neither of them wants to back out on who's washing the dishes.
That's just them being them.
"Say, Shiba-kun, why do you put you and your family's life at stake just for me?" Kiyone asked. "I can hold my ground against that woman just fine..."
Kiyone was interrupted.
"Two heads are better than one, Ayanokouji-san. And besides, my mother and father aren't just your typical parents."
This confident answer that came from Kiyotaka somehow put Kiyone's heart at ease. But her mind was curious on why Kiyotaka phrased 'typical parents'.
'Are Shiba-kun's parents extraordinary to make him answer like that? I already confirmed that Shiba-kun's father is a fighter but I don't know the extent of his skills are. But if I were to use Shiba-kun's expression to answer the question without asking him, he is confident that his father is more than capable to deal against that woman and her lackeys.'
Kiyone made a full analysis on what Kiyotaka said in a mere second.
"Also...I couldn't achieve the peaceful and normal student life I dreamed in the past, so I want you to at least have that." Kiyotaka smiled at Kiyone.
Kiyotaka's choice of words surprised Kiyone again.
"Hold on, Shiba-kun, what do you mean by 'in the past'?"
"Oh, I did not tell you, did I?" Kiyotaka pondered. "in the alternate universe or dimension I was in, I was already at the secondary year before I was transported here. So basically, I am mentally older than you, Ayanokouji-san. And that also means I have more experience than you when it comes to fighting and mind games, so you can also say that I am in an advantage if we ever play chess or fight."
Kiyone couldn't believe what Kiyotaka was saying. For the first time in years, her heart was rapidly beating, her blood rushed to her body with adrenaline as if her body was instinctively ready to fight.
"So...that means you were holding back when we fought?"
"My bad, Ayanokouji-san, but I did hold back. Just a little though."
"No wonder the sound of your punches weren't balanced with a slight delay. I figured it was weird when you can react to my punches despite not releasing the same combat speed as I was," Kiyone said while wiping her hand with a towel. "hey, Shiba-kun, you said that you're more experienced than me when it comes to mind games, right? How about we play a single round of chess after you return to your dorm room via internet. I'll just send you my username after I take a bath."
Kiyotaka looked at his wrist watch and saw that the time is still 8:28 in the evening, so he figured why not?
"Sure, that doesn't sound bad at all, Ayanokouji-san."
Kiyone meanwhile was anticipating her first ever defeat. In her eyes, Kiyotaka, her male self, is the only one she could see who has a high if not a full 100% chance of defeating her.
But this also raised the question: "Has Shiba-kun also experienced his defeat? His first ever defeat?"Kiyone doesn't want to ask him about something like that, but her curiosity got the best of her, so she did ask.
"Shiba-kun, it's fine if you don't answer this, but, were you defeated? You did say that you're more experienced than me, and I also connected your choice of words earlier: 'my mother and father aren't just your typical parents,' so I was wondering if they defeated you."
"I was..." Kiyotaka answered. "...and that person is no other than my father." Kiyotaka looked back at Kiyone who was sitting on the chair behind him and smiled. "He's special, an unpredictable one; a very cunning man. But after years of hard work, discipline, and focus I managed to win against him."
[Just like Mahou Gakuin, Celis was the strongest Voldigoad before Anos was born, so I made it like this. I hope all of you understand.]
"I see. I'm looking forward for our real match in the future, Shiba-kun. Make sure to give me the heaviest defeat I will ever experience."
"Sure."
Kiyotaka and Kiyone shared a smile and shook their hands.
Fuck schoolworks! It took me long enough to write a chapter because of it. Anyway, I hope Y'all enjoy this chapter. I might've gotten more rusty since I haven't wrote in the span of a week or less.