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"Lately, Maria-san has been asking me to race with her at the arcade a lot."
"While she did ask me a couple of times after when we went to the onsen a while back, ever since the last mission, there's been a huge increase of how many times she's wanted to race!!!"
"I don't mind the time I spend with her, but this is getting ridiculous.."
Irene left out a heavy sigh and went to the cafeteria for breakfast.
31-X are having their communal breakfast together. That day, Carole had made the typical American breakfast, containing pancakes with butter and honey drizzled on, hash browns, crispy bacon and then eggs.
Carole was puffing out her chest, hands to her hip, and was proud to share the meal.
"Dig in gals! This is the real, authentic, American breakfast right here!"
"And you have the gall to say that Chinese has more calories than this?!"
Definitely not the most nutritious meal, but it's safe to say it'd keep them energized in case of a sudden mission, at least.
"Regardless… of calories… it is delicious."
Just as Charlotta said that, Yingxia then quickly took a bite of whatever her fork landed on. It was the pancakes.
"W-why yes! It's quite tasty! These pancakes remind me of a similar dish in my homeland.
(referring to Cong You Bing, 葱油饼, Chinese scallion pancakes) Although these are sweet instead of savory."
"..."
"Hm? Vritika-san, off to your sea of numbers ?"
"Nahin… I have noticed something about Yingxia-san…"
"And what could that possibly be?"
"Her mood seems to flip when it comes to Charl-san."
Just as Vritika said this, Yingxia nearly spat out her food.
"My my Yingxia-san, could you be courting Charl-san now, are you?"
"Nuwohhhh!!! I am not!!! A-and where even is this coming from?!"
"Yingxia.. aRE yOu tRyinG to sTeAl mE aWAy fRom RuKA?"
"Uwahhhh!! Don't just believe them!!! I wouldn't dare to!!!'
Yingxia protests against the allegations, to which she keeps failing miserably.
"Quiet. Useless sexual woman, you're too loud."
"Why are you bringing that up again?! Will you guys ever stop that?!"
After their hearty meal, each of them disbanded. Suddenly, a voice calls out to Irene.
"Irene."
With a tone ever so blunt, Irene immediately knew who it was that called out to her.
"Yes? Maria-san, what is it?" Caught off guard, Irene was wondering why Maria called for her. Well, more like she was wishing it wasn't for the reason for why she called her.
"Let us play that racing game."
"Again?! But this early?!" Irene was surprised at Maria's sudden request… No, more like an obligation for them to race again.
She knew better than anyone that she'd follow along Maria's order, but she still refuted against her regardless.
"Shut up. I will kill you." Maria suddenly grabs Irene by the back of her coat and drags her to the arcade down at Flavor Street. Caring very little regard as to the stares she got while doing so.
Irene gave up protesting in the end.
"Haha.. It's not like I'll be getting out of her grasp anyways…"
Now finally at the arcade, Maria heads towards the racing stations and finally plops Irene down.
"3… 2… 1… GO!"
The race starts, Maria has gotten better at racing ever since her display at the hot springs. However, it's still not enough to beat Irene.
With Maria in the lead, she notices a freebie right ahead of her. Now knowing they give an item to help her win, she swerves to it… Only for her to go too far and end up swerving at the rail instead.
"Eeek!! I don't want to crash into it!!!" Irene intentionally avoids the freebie, and the item flashed past her.
Despite Chiroru saying being competitive was a show of respect, Maria went against her principles and wanted to kill Irene regardless. Thus Irene was still fearing for her own life whenever she got ahead.
Trailing behind Irene, Maria is now hot on her tail. Just when she's about to take over, her kart accidentally bumps into Irene in the process, destroying her chance at winning.
She crashes and Irene is declared as the victor.
Irene starts apologizing frantically, but Maria declares to keep going. This cycle continues for a long while.
"I probably should just start losing on purpose.. No wait, would Maria think of that as me pitying her? I've been avoiding the power-ups left and right and I still win in the end! Either way, it'd result in death threats!!" Irene thought to herself, there really was no way out of this conundrum.
"We race once more."
"No! We've been at it for way too long!! At this point we won't be able to eat lunch!"
"Tch… Fine."
Looking at Maria's face, she has an annoyed expression. But as Irene looked more closely, she also noticed that she looked dejected. Perhaps it was just because of her continuous loss streak?
Thinking of what she could do to cheer her up, she brainstorms of what she can do for her.
"Ah–um, Maria-san, would you like to partake in afternoon tea with me after lunch?"
"Oi, where is this coming from?"
"I-I mean, you don't have to! I just thought that, um.. some sweets and tea would perk you up!"
She was mostly expecting a rejection of her invitation, but to her surprise…
"Hmph. Very well then."
"E-ehh?! Really?!"
"You were the one who invited me, why are you surprised? Die."
"Frightfully sorry! Since you're just usually stubborn until I bring up manners.."
"What was that?"
"I-It's nothing!! Let's just get a light lunch and meet up at 3pm at the cafeteria!"
With Maria looking satisfied and Irene feeling relieved, they then went to get lunch.
Later at 3pm, Irene had prepared the tea set ready. There at the table sat atop a cake stand filled with various pastries. From savory sandwiches from the bottom, scones from the middle, and lastly sweets at the top. The afternoon light makes the porcelain tea set shine ever so brightly.
"This reminds me of when I invited Kayamori-san for afternoon tea as well." She thought.
"I'm glad I can continue to share my culture with more people now. Ever since Charl-san brought up the cultural exchange, 31-X has been closer than ever."
Hearing footsteps closing by, Irene turns around and sees a familiar figure. With her tall stature cloaked in red, how could she not recognize her?
Irene prompts Maria to sit down and thus begins the way of proper afternoon tea etiquette. Maria, wanting to learn more about other cultures, listened attentively to Irene. A display of her upholding good manners she preaches, compared to her usual rogue tone.
"We'll start first by pouring the tea. This right here is Earl Grey tea, it's black tea mixed with bergamot oil."
"Oil?"
"It's specifically an essential oil, pressed from the peels of the bergamot orange. It's a great tea for beginners since the citrus flavor masks the bitterness of black tea. Since I recommend adding no sugar or milk for your first experience."
Just as Maria lifts the tea cup, Irene quickly says "W-wait! By the way, don't drink it quickly! Freshly brewed tea is quite hot!"
"Why would I do that? I want to savor the taste of this."
"P-phew… Sorry, it was that sometime I had afternoon tea with Kayamori-san, and she ended up burning her tongue from the heat."
"Hah? Are you comparing me to that Giapponese? I will kill you."
"I-I was just making sure you didn't end up the same as her!!!"
Maria took little sips and seemingly enjoyed it. Irene was glad it was a hit, after a while of discussing the taste, Irene now moves onto the cake stand.
"Now, we'll move onto the savory course, which is the bottom tier. Traditional afternoon tea works by eating tier by tier. Naturally progressing from sweet to savory, It's both practical and elegant."
"I see." Maria then takes one of the finger sandwiches, the one she picked had smoked salmon.
"What you're eating is a finger sandwich, they can contain cucumber, chicken salad, egg salad, and then smoked salmon, the one you're eating right now."
"..."
"It is delicious." Irene was glad Maria was enjoying herself, so she made her try finger sandwiches with the other fillings Irene had mentioned earlier. After going through them, Maria then moved onto another savory item.
"What are these things?"
"These are small quiches. More specifically a classic Quiche Lorraine. They're egg tarts with a creamy custard egg filling with smoked bacon."
"..Delicious"
Once again, it was a hit. While Maria didn't say much, just by her expression it was evident that she was enjoying herself.
Irene really couldn't be any happier with Maria's reactions.
Moving onwards from the bottom tier, it was now time for the scones.
"Wait Maria-san! You're supposed to break them apart!"
"Really? Is this not like bread? Then what do I do with the knife?"
"You use it to spread clotted cream and jam to the piece you broke off. Keep in mind that you should only break it apart in bite-sized pieces, like this."
"There's a bit of a debate on how to actually spread on scones."
Irene then spread cream on her scone, then smeared it with jam afterwards.
"What is there to debate about scones?"
"This, actually. The order of adding on the cream and jam. Namely, they go by the Devon Method and the Cornwall Method. What I just did was the Devon Method—there isn't a "right" method, it just depends on the region."
"The Devon Method origins… while it is uncertain, it's believed it was set to originate in the early 11th Century at Tavistock Abbey. It was a time when jam was expensive back then, hence why you only put a bit like this on top."
As Irene continued to yap, Maria nodded to Irene's demonstration. She picked up her scone and followed along.
"Now, the Cornwall Method, which is just the vice versa of the Devon Method."
"This came much later than the Devon Method, roughly around the 18th Century. It was a time when jam was mass-produced because Cornwall had a huge jam-making industry. In contrast to the Devon method, when jam wasn't common."
"The people of Devon say the cream is like butter, so you spread it first. While the people of Cornwall say that it's easier to spread the jam, so you spread it first."
"Nobody knows who started what first. In the end, it's essentially just a battle of regional pride."
"If you ask me, as I hail from the London branch, I follow the Devon method. Culturally, it was because cream tea blew up in the…" She trailed off. Irene realized that she hadn't given any time for Maria to speak at all."
Maria had finished her earlier piece, now taking another piece and smearing it with cream then jam, taking a bite before noticing Irene's sudden silence.
"What is it?"
Still eating, she was staring at Irene, waiting for her to continue.
"Sorry!! I ended up getting way ahead of myself!!"
"Hmph, what are you talking about? I do not mind."
Irene immediately perked up, explaining how in the 18th century, railways were built and then trips to Devon were cheap. So London adapted that way first, as Cornwall was much more isolated and more of a regional thing during that time.
Irene continued her history lesson, and before they knew it, it was now time for the final tier. Which were the sweets, ranging from macarons, miniature pastries, and petit fours.
Maria helped herself to the desserts, while Irene was explaining the different types of petit fours, something clicked in her head.
"Huh..?"
"Wait, isn't this a good opportunity to ask her why she's been so adamant with the racing thing? Or am I just overthinking..?"
"..."
"This might be sudden but.. It shouldn't hurt to try."
After pondering for a while, her hand on her chin, her attention now to Maria.
"Maria-san. May I ask a question?"
"What is it?"
"Why do you keep wanting to race with me? Is it just to beat me? I wasn't even in first place, so by that logic you should be racing with Miya-san instead. Or was it just for revenge since I was the one who mostly kept getting your kart out of commission?"
Irene didn't intend for her question to be that assumptive, but her reasoning as a detective couldn't help it.
Maria paused, she was staring at Irene. Irene was wondering if she really was just overthinking. After a long pause, Maria finally responds.
"I just want to beat you. That's all there is to it."
"So it's just a personal vendetta against me!!!"
She got an answer, but why was Irene not satisfied with it?
"Maybe I was just reading too into it? Am I just overthinking this? Despite her saying she just wants to beat me… my Master Detective sense tells me there's something more going on!" Irene was set on her intuitions.
"Maria-san, I'm sorry but I don't believe that."
"..Hah?" Just as she lifted her teacup, she paused at Irene's words. Time seemed to have stopped, she was baffled at her resolution.
"Why do you say that? I just said I wanted to beat you. Die."
"Eek!"
"Please! Listen to me Maria-san!"
"These past few days.. you've been wanting to race all day! I've found it a bit weird that despite how many times we do, you never seem to win."
"I realized this now too, it's not just that, you've been asking me to train alongside you when we go to the arena and dungeons!"
"Even when it comes to eating, you always come with me!"
"Though I didn't think it was weird at first since we were finally bonding as squadmates, combining all of those in… There has to be something else at play! You've never been like this! QED, eheh!"
"Wait, huh..?"
Despite feeling accomplished at her reasoning, after saying all of that.. Irene stops and thinks for a minute. Irene's eyes widened at the sudden realization.
"..."
After pondering for a while, she comes to a conclusion. Albeit, it seemed so obvious in hindsight. Irene couldn't believe how long it took for her to get it. For how much of a Master Detective she is, she seems to forget that the simplest answers can also be right ones.
For what seemed like an eternity, Irene spoke up.
"Maria-san, did you just want to hang out with me?"
Her grip on the tea cup she was holding tightened.
Irene was anticipating her reply. And what she got was..
"...Tch" Irene was sure of it now.
"Huh?! Is that why you've been wanting to race more often?!"
"What nonsense are you talking about? I will kill you."
"I'm sorry, I'm terribly sorry!! But that's what I could infer from how much time we've spent together lately!!"
Maria stays silent as she stares through Irene. Both eye to eye, the pair remained silent. Irene didn't back down on her stance despite Maria glaring at her.
Instead of reverting back to her usual frightened self when confronted by Maria, this time was different.
Because, Maria's expression was more than enough to confirm Irene's thought. Nobody understood her on the base as much as she did. She saw through her.
Just like the master detective she is, Irene solved the case.
"But, there's one thing I don't really get."
"Maria-san, why couldn't you just ask me to hang out?"
Maria looked toward the side, facing the afternoon light shining upon them, unable to answer Irene.
"There's no way.. It's just you're too shy to directly ask it?!"
"Hah?" Maria quickly turned her head to face Irene again. Spooking her in the process and almost letting her tea spill.
"It really is just because of that?! I-Is this what Kayamori-san meant by calling you a "Tsundere"?!"
"Hmph, perhaps I really shouldn't have been so stubborn."
"Huh?" While she was expecting a death threat incoming, she surprisingly got none. And instead... Maria was owning up to it.
"It is on me that the Irene I know is worthy of that name."
With that said, Maria smiled— a smile only few have seen, a smile ever so subtle. Irene was mesmerized, the afternoon light bathed them, but what Irene could see… It was a smile more radiant than ever, she was certain that it was a smile more blinding than the Sun's own brilliance.
"..."
Clearly, too much was happening in Irene's head.
"Oi, Irene."
"?!"
Quickly snapping out of her stupor as Maria called her out, Irene is embarrassed at how long she had been staring at Maria's face.
"S-sorry!! Your smile truly is entrancing. I couldn't help it!"
"Irene."
Suddenly, Maria leaned over and lifts up Irene's hat then–
"..Huh? Maria-san?"
Irene, completely frozen, with Maria's very, very close proximity, her breath hitches. She remained still.
She moves Irene's bangs and… Plants a swift kiss on her forehead.
"....."
It was a fleeting moment. Irene could only stare in awe at what had transpired, she was still processing what just happened.
After all, who expects a kiss from someone who threatens to kill you everyday?
"Eh..? Eh? EEEHHHHHHH?!?!" Irene turns beet red and nearly falls out of her chair, Maria barely saving her from falling.
"Why are you being so loud? I will kill you."
Now in Maria's arms, she could only look at Maria's face. To which.. makes her face more red than it already was.
"W-Why did you do that?!"
"I expect a master detective to know the answer."
"Huh?"
Irene was at a loss for words, what could possibly lead to Maria kissing her? The more she thinks on why.. could it be, for what had transpired that day?
It was a ridiculous theory, but it was the only one she could think of.
"Hold on, was it for when I was trying to give you medicine mouth to mouth?!"
Maria nods. "You never followed through with it. So it is only in good manners that I return it to you instead."
"Was that really a case of following good manners?" Irene was very sure she was just deflecting.
"Don't think too much of it."
"You can't just say that after you kissed me out of nowhere!!"
It's hard to tell when both of them fell for one another, with such a "unique" relationship they both had.
In the end, they never confessed to each other. The feeling was mutual, though neither of them wanted to confess first.
Perhaps it was not only Maria that was stubborn. Irene had realized Maria's feelings towards her, but she kept denying it in her head. Though, Maria isn't also helping it either.
But one thing Irene knows is that…
Irene lifts her arm and touches where Maria kissed her, her fingers lingering on her forehead.
"Right, I am no longer lonesome."
Perhaps it was a kiss of remembrance, a reminder of their solidarity with one another.
Maria was the only one who knew her secret identity after all. Maybe all of this was Maria's way of showing Irene isn't alone in her burden, albeit in ways she could've done better.
"Haha, being rash is just part of Maria's charm I suppose."
"I will kill you."
"Egads! I'm sorry!!! I admit that was uncalled for!!!"
They now return back to their usual banter. They realized that they haven't touched any of the pastries for a long while, so they spent the rest of the time finishing it all, without discussing any further on what just happened.
Perhaps they didn't need to.
"Irene."
"Y-Yes? What is it?"
"I shall treat you to pizza next time. Thank you for the food."
They were together for the rest of the day.
By 10pm, it was now night time for the Seraph Squadron members.
Irene and Maria both arrive at their shared dorm together, and what they got was…
"....." The rest of 31-X were staring at them. Quite inquisitively.
"Oi, why are you all staring at us?"
"Oh it's nothing, Maria, it's just you two have been awfully close."
"Very, very close."
"Da.. Similar to me.. and Ruka…"
"Careful now Charl, you're hurting Yingxia's feelings."
"Why are you all pitying me?! And it doesn't hurt at all!"
"I don't have time for nonsense. I am going to bed."
While Maria paid no heed to it, Irene was quaking in her boots. "W-wait.. Oh, blimey.. I think one of them saw Maria-san kiss me."
"..." Fearing the worst, she quickly erased that thought.
"You gals don't needta worry about it. Let's all get some good sleep for tomorrow's mission!"
Turns out, Carole had seen Maria kiss Irene. Like the great squad leader she is, she spilled it to the rest of her squad. They all knew how close the two had quickly gotten, they were already aware of their daily racing "date" and so.. This undoubtedly confirmed their suspicions.
Sharing the same sentiment, they could only say "Congratulations" in their heads. For now.