Chapter Ninety-Five: Are You a Duo?

Thanks for the likes, brothers. If any of you have a monthly vote to spare this month, could you leave one for Half-Immortal? I would be deeply grateful.

Talking about women with a fifteen-year-old boy ought to have felt a little odd, but now the two of them actually seemed to share some strange kind of rapport. Still, it was understandable: one was only fifteen and did not yet understand what women were about, while the other, though older, had never once fallen in love with a woman. Aside from the purely physical side of things, his experience with women was basically zero when it came to emotion.

If Davis had seen this scene, he would have laughed himself to death.

Dinner was barbecue, along with Qiu Fengyu’s original bone-in meat skewers and the rainbow trout he had caught, strung one by one and roasted over the grill, filling the air with a mouthwatering fragrance. On the lawn behind the noodle shop, Qiu Fengyu, Davis, and Tim sat around the table while Ryoko Mikura carried plates over to serve them the grilled fish.

It was a harmonious scene, and everyone had beer, Tim included.

“Tim, you’re a minor.” After placing two skewers of grilled fish on his plate, Ryoko Mikura tilted her head at him. “You’re only fifteen.”

“Come on, who says a fifteen-year-old can’t drink beer?” Tim shot her a glance and shook his head. “Christianity even says you can’t sleep with anyone until you’re fifteen, but look at how many girls have already lost their virginity by then. God may set rules for people, but that doesn’t mean we have to obey Him like slaves. Come on, beauty, you need a little rebellious spirit, just like you did with those cobras... Take a gun and go bang bang bang, blow them away!”

“Haha, I like you, Tim. I’m starting to like you!” Davis laughed loudly at him. “When I was fifteen, I never stood up to my mother with such thoughtful resistance...”

“Hey, Davis, I swear Miss Mikura is not my mother...”

With a slap, the plate of fish was turned upside down onto Tim’s head. Ryoko Mikura, unruffled, walked back to the grill and carried the remaining grilled fish over to Qiu Fengyu.

“Oh, I’m still underage, just like you said. I’m only fifteen. You can’t do this to me!” Tim shouted at Ryoko Mikura with his hands spread wide, then shook his head and sent the food sliding off of him.

“As you said yourself, God set the rules, but not everyone has to obey them, right?” Ryoko Mikura said with a smile. “So... I’ve developed a rebellious streak, just as you wished.”

“Haha... Tim, you brought this on yourself. You’re making yourself miserable!” Davis laughed so hard he nearly folded over, pointing at Tim.

Ryoko Mikura watched calmly. Suddenly Davis cried out and could no longer close his mouth.

“Oh, Davis, you’re so pathetic...” Tim laughed beside him.

“What? Man, what did you do?” Qiu Fengyu asked, looking over in confusion.

Davis pointed painfully at his own throat.

That bastard had a bone stuck in his throat.

“Oh, that’s terrible. Tim, get the flashlight.” Qiu Fengyu told him.

Tim realized the situation was serious and hurried off for the flashlight. When it arrived, Qiu Fengyu shone it in and saw that a thick bone was indeed lodged in Davis’s throat.

“All right, get me a pair of tweezers.”

After Tim brought the tweezers, Qiu Fengyu reached in, waited for the right moment, and pulled the bone out. Then he shook his head. “That was unpleasant, wasn’t it, Davis?”

“Yes, yes, exactly. I swear... this is the first time I’ve ever had a fish bone stuck in my throat.”

“No, that wasn’t a fish bone. It was a meat bone.” Qiu Fengyu held up the object with the tweezers for Davis to see. “Look at that. It’s as disgusting as can be.”

“My God, I’ve lost my appetite!” Tim said, shaking his head. He took a swig of beer, pulled a disgusted face, and then burst out laughing at Davis again.

“It wasn’t a fish bone?” Davis looked a little embarrassed.

“You’ve seen rainbow trout with bones like that?” Ryoko Mikura said, looking at him with some disdain.

Well, Davis was wrong again. He was about to reach for the beer, but Qiu Fengyu pressed his hand down and wagged a finger at him.

“No, no, no, Davis. Under the circumstances, you can’t drink alcohol. If you want something, go pour yourself a glass of water. And... you can’t eat anything here for now, either.”

“Haha, I like this outcome!” Tim chuckled happily.

“All right, didn’t I say it? God sets the rules, and we’re the ones who break them...” Davis smiled sheepishly at Qiu Fengyu. “So... I figure beer shouldn’t make things that much worse...”

“All right, pretend I said nothing.” Qiu Fengyu waved a hand. “If you still want to talk with us properly later, then go ahead and do that. Who cares?”

Davis hesitated and looked at Tim.

Tim only shrugged and spread his hands, as if to say it had nothing to do with him.

Davis then looked at Ryoko Mikura, who was sitting nearby with a solemn expression and wrestling with a rainbow trout. He realized she had not so much as looked at him properly, and after thinking it over, he ruefully withdrew his hand.

“Can I have a little cake from the fridge?”

“Of course, but not too much.” Qiu Fengyu said. “Your throat is bleeding. You should go to the hospital afterward and get something to stop the bleeding and reduce the inflammation.”

“All right, all right, I will!” Davis said gloomily as he went off in search of cake. He felt he really ought to go to the hospital, because his throat had started hurting whenever he spoke.

The others ate a while longer, and then the table was stripped clean, leaving only scraps behind.

“All right, gentlemen, dinner is over. Division of labor: I prepared the food, Ryoko Mikura grilled it and brought it to the table. What remains is for the two of you to handle. As for who washes the dishes and who tidies up, figure it out yourselves!”

Qiu Fengyu clapped his hands and spoke to Davis and Tim.

“I’ll wash the dishes!” Tim volunteered first.

“No, no, Tim, I’m injured. You can’t expect a disabled man to work, can you?” Davis said to Tim. “I should be taken care of!”

“Tell the boss that yourself.” Tim winked at him, grinning, and carried the plates into the kitchen.

Davis turned his gaze to Qiu Fengyu.

Qiu Fengyu flexed a fist at him and said, “I usually use this to explain things.”

So Davis hurried off to clean up. He took down the tablecloth and replaced it with a neat, clean one. His mournful expression even drew a smile from Ryoko Mikura.

“I thought you usually wouldn’t smile over something like this,” Qiu Fengyu said, looking at her. “Do you find it strange that the three of us can be together like this?”

“Not strange.” Ryoko Mikura drew in a breath and said, “Actually... I quite like this feeling. At home, and in the place I used to live before, I never felt anything like this... never.”

“You like this feeling?” Qiu Fengyu said with exaggerated sorrow. “I’m about ready to be driven mad by these two.”

“Hey, boss, I heard you talking behind my back!” Davis complained as he came over.

“See? That’s how they talk to you!”

“I like it very much.” Ryoko Mikura smiled again.

“I think you smile more here than you have in all the time I’ve known you put together. All right, if you ever want to eat fish, I’ll call you!” Qiu Fengyu said.

“Thank you very much, but... will you remember to call me?” Ryoko Mikura said with a smile. “And how would you know when I feel like eating fish?” She latched onto the flaw in his words and refused to let go.

“Oh, damn it, can’t you just ignore that sentence?” Qiu Fengyu slapped his forehead.

“No, I can’t!” Ryoko Mikura burst out laughing.

Honestly, though, the girl really was beautiful when she laughed.

“Aha, I saw everything, boss!” At that moment Tim came out of the kitchen too, pointed at Qiu Fengyu, and laughed. “Someone’s always going to catch your mistakes, boss!”

Qiu Fengyu shrugged. “Fine. You’re always welcome to try.”

Ryoko Mikura laughed again, a little smugly, then stood up and said to Qiu Fengyu, “Thank you. That was an unforgettable dinner. The most pleasant one I’ve ever had. Oh, by the way, if the three of you are a team, why not give yourselves a name? Something like Cobra.”

“No, no. I’m their boss and guardian. I call the shots here, and besides... we’re not a criminal gang. We don’t need a name.” Qiu Fengyu shook his head at once.

“I think that’s exactly what you are.” Ryoko Mikura winked and left.

Watching her go, Davis looked at Qiu Fengyu. “You like her?”

“No. You know I only like women I don’t have to invest feelings in. One night is enough, and then the next day we part ways and go our separate directions. I’ve gotten used to living that way, which is why I’ve been able to live this long.” Qiu Fengyu glanced at him.