Chapter 335: Indecisive
"Godfather, do you have anything to quench my thirst?"
"Will 'plain water' do?"
"Fine."
Kenji poured Hoshi a glass of very clear "plain water." Hoshi sniffed it. No weird smell.
"Gulp... gulp..."
Hoshi took two sips, then froze. She stared silently at the "plain water" in the glass.
"Teacher Shizuka, you smoke, right?"
"I do. What's wrong? You want one? No can do, you're not an adult yet," Shizuka Hiratsuka said, shaking her head teasingly.
(She still couldn't quite accept the fact that this 'adult-looking' person was only a few years old.)
"Let me borrow your lighter," Hoshi held out her hand.
Shizuka was confused, but handed her a lighter.
Click!
FWOOSH!
The moment the flame touched it, the top of the glass burst into flames. Everyone fell silent.
Didn't Kenji say this was "plain water"?
Then... why is it flammable?
CRACK!
Hoshi crushed the glass, her expression ferocious. "This is just alcohol! And it's high-proof!"
Weird... I couldn't even smell it.
Kenji said slowly and unhurriedly, "But it's the same color as plain water. And it doesn't smell like alcohol."
Black lines appeared on Hoshi's forehead. Who the hell identifies liquids by their color?
"My mistake. Here, have a glass of oolong tea to rinse your mouth," Kenji offered another glass.
Click!
FWOOSH!
Hoshi was smarter this time. She didn't drink it, but tested it with the lighter.
Unsurprisingly, it was still alcohol.
And it was flammable, so the proof was high.
"Forget it. I'm not that thirsty anymore." Hoshi was tired. She was afraid Kenji would just pull out another flammable beverage.
"Kenji, can I have a glass of plain water?" Shizuka Hiratsuka asked.
Kenji poured a glass. Shizuka drank it down.
...Although it was "air water" with a great texture, Shizuka fell silent. "Why... is this actually water?"
She wanted the alcohol, not the water!
"It's a random blind box," Kenji said.
Shizuka: "..."
Hoshi: "..."
They both felt like they'd been pranked, but they couldn't retaliate. So annoying!
...
The Ice Cream Mountains.
Cynthia looked at the mountains and plains of ice cream and sighed deeply. It was another day of "indecision."
She'd had the same experience the last time she was here. She had no idea where to even start.
"Chili-flavored ice cream. Want to try it?" Kenji pointed to a bright red, spherical ice cream.
"I... think I'll pass."
Cynthia's mouth twitched. Chili-flavored ice cream? That's just... bizarre.
Just looking at that "lethal" color, she knew her 'chrysanthemum' (backside) would be on fire after.
"Kizaru, this 'Salted Fish' flavor is perfect for you," Gudako said.
"I may 'slack off' a bit, but I'm not a 'salted fish' (freeloader), okay? And... are those salted fish... looking up at the sky?"
Kizaru looked at the 'dead-but-not-resting' salted fish heads sticking out of the ice cream and lost all appetite.
"Trash cans... hehehe... my beloved trash cans..."
Hoshi, as if possessed, ran with her arms open, leaping and bounding like a "free origami bird."
"What's she doing? Being 'abstract' again?" Madara Uchiha couldn't understand this "bizarre human behavior."
Why was she so obsessed with trash cans?
"Not exactly. This ice cream has a hallucinogenic effect," Atashino said, pulling out a scanner.
Hoshi really knows how to pick 'em. The rainbow colors looked dangerous, but she'd just dived in without thinking.
"Hic! Kenji~... want some of this ice cream? It's... really good~"
Erii slurred, her cheeks flushed. She hugged Kenji's arm, pointing at a white ice cream.
"Hm? Alcohol-infused ice cream."
FWOOSH!
Kenji didn't even need to taste it. He threw a flame, and the ice cream instantly lit up.
The alcohol content is pretty high, huh?
"Erii, are you... sober right now?" Kenji asked.
"Sober? I'm... so-clean~" Erii's eyes were hazy. She then... tried to lift her skirt.
Yup. She's wasted.
Kenji grabbed Erii's hands.
Don't do that. People will take it as a 'reward'.
...
Two hours later.
Cynthia was still standing there, rubbing her chin, looking left and right, completely undecided.
"Cynthia, you still haven't picked one?" Jade-kun said, exasperated.
"Are you planning to stand here until the seas run dry? Or until the end of time?"
"I just... don't know which flavor to get," Cynthia said, agonizing.
"Then just take a bite of each one," Hexi said, slowly savoring her own.
The food here was more delicious than anything she'd ever had. It was a good thing she'd joined this chat group... though it didn't matter if she "ate" or not.
"That would take too much time," Cynthia said.
Everyone: "..."
Hearing her reply, they were all speechless. And standing here for two hours... doesn't take time?!
"Just mix them. The layering will be nice," Alice said, handing Cynthia a bowl of ice cream.
Two different colors, two different flavors, mixed in a special ratio.
"Oh... right. Thanks, Alice." Cynthia nodded.
It was delicious, but...
"Why is it... hot and sour?"
Cynthia fell silent. The spiciness was mild, but... on ice cream? It was... abrupt.
"Is it not good?" Alice smiled like a little demon. She actually ate it!
She'd even had another idea: Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Spicy, and Salty. A five-flavor ice cream. The "layering" would be even better.
"It's... fine. Just not used to it."
Cynthia sighed. Ice cream should at least be... sweet, right? The one she was eating was just sour and spicy. No sweetness at all.
If possible, she'd rather have normal ice cream, not this.
"I'm not your trash can! Get off me!"
Gudako wasn't paying attention, and Hoshi had latched onto her leg. That was fine, but Hoshi kept yelling "Trash can!" and Gudako couldn't take it. Am I equal to a trash can?!
Dammit! Stop rubbing your face on my leg!
"Tsk tsk... seriously. Does she... normally hug trash cans like this?"
Everyone was silent. Even though Hoshi was hallucinating, her actions didn't lie.
The thought of Hoshi hugging an actual trash can... filled with trash... made everyone's expression turn strange.
This... was a fetish they couldn't understand.
(Though, if it was a golden trash can... that's understandable. Anyone would want to hug that.)
"In a way... this is also a form of 'Trailblazing'," Kenji said.
Ruan Mei tilted her head. Trailblazing... into a trash can?
That's 'Trailblazing'?
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