Villain's POV: A Monster's Odyssey-Chapter 19: The Feast, the Fracture, and the Funny Business (2)

He gave her a simple smile. However, even this smile was enough to cause Ekidna's heart to flutter and she looked away in embarrassment.

Grabbing it off the the table, Yuuta slowly wrapped the white bandage around Ekidnas hand gently and firmly made sure that the bandages would not fall off, before he caressed her hand slowly.

"There, I finished treating you" He let go of her hand before he sat back in his chair, grabbed his spoon and was about to start eating his stew, but as if he suddenly remembered something, he looked towards Ekidna once more and blinked.

Ekidna flustered of the sudden attention calmed herself down as she adopted her haughty attitude again with a sly smile.

"Lil brother, I did go to the effort of putting that delicious ham on your plate. A cute girl like me doesn't do that for just anyone, you know." She smirked as if a sudden plan came along in her mind.

Yuuta who saw this returned her smile and looked at her while leaning his chin on his palm.

"I'm sure" he remarked confidently.

"And I don't believe in forced charity... Big sister"

The silence continue to prevail. Mr. Garcia was beyond confused at what was happening and how everything was progressing too fast, Dietrich was busy sipping his wine while reading a small book although part of his brain was with the situation, and the rest were amused, eyes darting between Yuuta and Ekidna, waiting for the next move.

It was more than they could ask for tonight, truly like a show. The best thing about it was a free show.

Dietrich, ever the opportunist, took a slow sip of his wine, as if watching a rare bird bicker over its food. Mikhail's gaze was fixed on Yuuta, as if assessing his every word like a pawn in a chess match.

Santiago, on the other hand, smirked and leaned back in his chair, his hand lazily twirling his wine glass.

"Ah, the young have no appreciation for fine food"

He lightly chuckled, drawing a glare from Ekidna.

But it was Mr. Gracias who seemed most perturbed by the exchange. His grip on his wine glass tightened, the expression on his face twitching between irritation and bewilderment.

"Enough, enough!" he barked, his voice cutting through the tension like a hot knife through butter.

"This is a meeting of business, not of... philosophical and dietary quirks. A business meeting, gentlemen !"

Yuuta glanced at him, raising an eyebrow and clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Oh? You mean we're not here to decide if I eat pork?" he asked with a deadpan expression.

Ekidna, still pretending to seeth in feigned anger on the outside, put down her fork and leaned back in her chair with a dramatic sigh.

"Fine" she muttered.

"Be that way. It's not like I wanted to share my gourmet ham with you anyway."

Yuuta raised an eyebrow. "What was that? Was that jealousy I heard?"

Ekidna's face went redder than the wine in Santiago's glass.

"Jealous? Of you?!" she snapped, leaning forward aggressively. "You wish!"

The room, once again, stilled. Even the walls seemed to hold their breath.

Mr. Gracias, sensing the brewing storm, quickly cut in before Ekidna could escalate things further.

"Let's return to the matter at hand"

He said, his voice much softer now.

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"The distribution plan. We need to finalize—"

"Wait, wait!"

Ekidna interrupted, holding up a hand.

"Before we continue, Mr. Gracias, I think we've all been ignoring the real issue here!" Her eyes fixed on Yuuta, her lips curling into a mischievous grin.

"Someone needs to explain why the kid doesn't eat pork. He can't actually believe that philosophical stuff? What's the deal, little bro? Allergic to greatness? Huh?"

The table was now fully invested in this new direction. Even Dietrich paused in his usual calculated silence, watching with mild amusement. Mikhail raised a curious eyebrow, while Santiago's lips twitched in barely-contained laughter.

Yuuta, for the first time tonight, grinned. A rare, full grin that was somehow both infuriating and charming.

"Oh, no, no allergies," he said, leaning back, eyes glinting mischievously.

"It's just personal preference, you see"

"Personal preference?!" Ekidna laughed, her voice a high-pitched giggle that didn't match her usual ominous tone.

"Is that it? What, are you one of those super sensitive types who can't handle a little... bacon? Oh, the how sad!" she mock-complained as she started laughing hysterically.

Yuuta raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't say I couldn't handle bacon, just... prefer not to."

"Right, right" Ekidna continued, now leaning in like a cat playing with its prey. "What's next? Are you a vegan too? Or maybe you're just into fish now? Oh wait, I bet you drink almond milk, don't you?" She added that last part with a mocking, exaggerated voice.

Yuuta, unamused, gave a quick, dry laugh. "If you really want to know, I prefer children meat... and wine."

"...." Silence enveloped everything in the room.

'Yup, I definitely did not hear that' Is what everyone in the room thought.

"Oh, I mispoke, it seems. I meant I prefer alligator meat... and wine. For sweets, hmm..."

Yuuta rubbed his chin in thoughtfulness as he gazed at the ceiling.

"I like cheesecakes, macrons, and sweet adzuki beans" He decided.

Ekidna's eyes narrowed. "Ah, a classic meat guy, huh? You even have a sweet tooth. Call me impressed. Well, too bad. Looks like you're missing out on the finest thing in the room."

She leaned back dramatically, a playful yet challenging glint in her eyes.

Yuuta's grin widened ever so slightly. "I'll live"

For the first time, the tension in the room eased, replaced with a certain sense of camaraderie laced with a bit of amusement.

Mr. Gracias, still somewhat baffled, rubbed his temples as a headache trampled all over his brain.

"I... I think we've gotten off track." He paused, clearly at a loss for words.

"Yeah, no kidding" Ekidna shot back, taking a long, deliberate sip from her wine glass, still smiling at the absurdity of it all.

Yuuta, finally satisfied with the chaos he'd caused, leaned back in his chair.

"Well, gentlemen and Miss lady, let's focus. I'll make sure to send you all the updated risk allocation tomorrow."

"Yes, yes, very good" Dietrich said, wiping his mouth with a napkin as if to reset his focus. "Let's not ruin our fine evening with too many details."

Yuuta nodded with a smirk, the atmosphere now oddly lighthearted.

"Don't worry, Dietrich" he said.

"After all, you can't have everything. But I suppose the steak and the cigars make up for it... just about."

The room filled with a shared laugh, everyone now more at ease, until the next twist in the negotiation came, of course.

Ekidna, still chewing on her food, muttered to herself with a smile.

"Next time, I'm picking the menu."

'Yeah, not happening' Is what everyone probably in the room thought.