Chapter 18: And Yet Her Daily Life Goes On

After a brief silence in the classroom, more students trickled in, spreading word of the fountain incident.
Contrary to Doroshi’s expectations, the room didn’t grow noisier.
Instead, everyone cast uneasy glances at her and Ren, whispering among themselves.

A girl seated in front of Ren turned around hesitantly, eyeing Ren’s expressionless face.
“Um, Kimihiro-san… is what everyone’s saying true?”

Though Ren preferred to avoid pointless chatter with irrelevant people, she considered that she and Doroshi would remain at school for a while.
So, she donned her usual “courteous expression” for the girl.
“What are people saying?”
Ren’s lips curved slightly, answering a question with a question.

Her smile was identical to yesterday’s, yet the girl sensed something off.
“Well… uh…”
Careful not to upset Ren, the girl chose her words delicately.
“They’re saying you and Jinzenji-san were talking at the fountain or something.”

“Indeed,” Ren nodded calmly, confirming the statement.
“Is there a problem?”

Ren’s nonchalance was so natural that the girl, dazed, convinced herself, ‘Yeah, maybe it’s not a big deal.’
She turned back around, flustered.

Thanks to Doroshi and Ren acting as if nothing happened, the class fell silent.
In this oddly tense atmosphere, two periods passed.
During a break, Doroshi noticed the homeroom teacher rush by in the hallway, looking grim, catching her attention briefly.

While slumped over her desk, she overheard classmates mention that someone was absent today, having called in sick.
Half-listening, Doroshi recalled a trendy girl from their class who hadn’t shown up this morning.
But it was just a sick day—nothing to do with her.

The morning passed uneventfully, and Doroshi, in high spirits, actually paid attention to lessons she’d normally tune out, enjoying the classes.

After the morning session ended, Doroshi, unlike yesterday, approached Ren’s desk with a grin.
“Hey, Little Ren, let’s hit the rooftop for lunch.”

Ren, about to nod, froze at the nickname “Little Ren.”

Doroshi scratched her cheek, a bit shy.
“It sounds more like we’re friends, right? Or do you not like it?”

Ren shook her head vigorously, fists waving excitedly, eyes sparkling.
“No, please call me that from now on, Lady Doroshi!”

‘And you’re still calling me Lady Doroshi?’
Doroshi sighed.
Whatever—she was getting used to it.
Since Ren liked it, and practically the whole school knew by now, she’d let it slide.

Embracing her “whatever” attitude, things she used to care about felt trivial now.
Like close friends, the two chatted and laughed as they left for the rooftop.

The girl in front of Ren, overhearing their exchange, felt blinded by their harmonious vibe.
She curled up in her chair, trembling, hugging her knees.

On the rooftop, Doroshi’s eagerness was palpable.
Having tasted Ren’s cooking three times yesterday, her stomach was fully under the demon god’s spell.
Seeing Doroshi’s anticipation, Ren smiled, reached under her uniform skirt, and… pulled out a massive bento box, much like yesterday’s.

“Huh?”
Doroshi stared, baffled, at Ren’s skirt.
How did she pull that off? What was the trick?

Even more bizarrely, Ren produced a camping blanket and two soft cushions from under her skirt, spreading them on the rooftop floor.
She set the bento box on the blanket, creating a full-on ritual vibe, minus a dining table and chairs.

Opening the bento, Ren revealed three tiers of food, a rich aroma wafting out.
As she reached for utensils, she noticed Doroshi’s eyes glued to her skirt.

“Lady Doroshi?” Ren tilted her head.

“Oh, sorry!”
Snapping out of it, Doroshi averted her gaze.

“Are you curious?”

“Super curious.”
Doroshi unceremoniously grabbed a soft-looking dessert from the bento with her fingers, popping it into her mouth.
Delicious, as expected.
(She’d washed her hands, so it was fine.)

“It’s not as magical as you think, Lady Doroshi. I’m not conjuring things out of thin air.”
Ren pointed to her skirt with both index fingers.
“Like a magician performing for an audience, I must already possess the item to ‘produce’ it.”

She pulled out an elegant set of utensils for two, placing them lightly on the blanket.
“The bento, blanket, cushions, and utensils were all prepared in advance.”
“I store them in the same dimensional space as my true body. When I need them, I retrieve them across space.”

Doroshi’s eyes lit up.
“Oh! Like a personal inventory from games or manga!”
‘Totally a classic storage-space trope.’

“But why’s the food still warm when you take it out?”

“Because the bento box has excellent insulation.”

“Huh?”
Doroshi, expecting some time-freezing dimensional magic, was dumbfounded.
Just a good thermos?

‘Wait, Little Ren’s with me at school all day. When does she cook? Or buy fresh ingredients?’
The maid was a true time-management master.
Too confusing—she gave up thinking about it.

Their special, cozy lunch naturally became a picnic on the blanket—what Doroshi dubbed the “Rooftop Camping Club.”

But a serious issue hit her.
It was autumn now, but winter was two months away.
Eating on the rooftop then would be freezing.
Last winter, where’d she spend lunch breaks? The bathroom?

Doroshi chuckled awkwardly, shoving aside bitter memories.
No need to ruin Ren’s carefully prepared meal with sad thoughts.

Shino University Affiliated High School’s lunch break was decently long.
Wanting to bond with Ren and grow closer, Doroshi deliberately ate slowly.
Noticing this, Ren quietly matched her pace, and the human-demon god duo began chatting.