Inside the TPC’s dedicated vehicle on their way back.
Watching as Jounouchi Hidari calmly drove, never uttering a word.
Jiang He touched his nose, realizing the atmosphere had become subtly different.
However, unlike the awkward subtle situation before, now it was a comfortable quietness, the kind that comes with familiarity.
"Should we go to the old-fashioned bar for some food? I remember you really liked their food." Jiang He suggested.
He recalled that during the Seiryu incident yesterday, even though Jounouchi Hidari had ordered two Dorayakis for herself and Lina, she hadn't eaten much.
She ultimately left reluctantly to return to base and deal with matters.
Jounouchi Hidari smiled, her mood seemingly lifted because someone had noticed her previous preferences.
However, what she said was something different: "Even though we have a lot of compensation, and don't have to worry about finances, we still can't spend too freely."
"Then maybe we can go buy some things, and you can cook at home?" Jiang He nodded in agreement with Jounouchi Hidari's frugal nature, changing his suggestion.
He was truly curious about what kind of dishes his domineering wife could cook.
"Cook at home? How about this time...let's just go to the old-fashioned bar again." Jounouchi Hidari paused before quickly changing her mind, her voice laced with embarrassment.
Although she had received a traditional upbringing, she hadn't cooked in a long time because of her busy schedule, and felt a bit ashamed to admit it.
Cooking at home could wait until she was back in the groove.
"By the way, when we left base, Dr. Sakimori suddenly asked me in private about what 'being entrusted with an orphan' meant?" Jounouchi Hidari asked, her face slightly puzzled.
"Being entrusted with an orphan?" Jiang He coughed, utterly surprised by Jounouchi Hidari's sudden question.
He had to admit, Dr. Sakimori's gossipy spirit was truly strong.
"Maybe Dr. Sakimori has been reading a lot of ancient texts lately." Jiang He confidently made up an explanation.
"Is that so?" Jounouchi Hidari looked at him suspiciously through the rearview mirror but didn't pay much attention to the matter.
Moments later, they arrived at the old-fashioned nostalgic bar.
"Welcome, please take a seat. We have new family dishes, would you like to try them?"
This time, before Jiang He could even speak, the owner warmly greeted them, placing the newly prepared menu on the bar counter, gesturing towards him.
They were now considered regulars at this place.
Especially Jounouchi Hidari, she had come here several times in the past, though overall, it wasn't that much more than Jiang He.
"I can't believe they're introducing new dishes. Didn't they say this old-fashioned bar has been serving Dorayakis for twenty-plus years without any changes?" Jounouchi Hidari was surprised. She recalled hearing such a rumor during her first visit.
"Haha, people need to be bold and try new things, if they're too stubborn, they'll be slow on the path of progress. But rest assured, we'll still keep the Dorayakis that our regulars love." The owner laughed and explained.
"Be bold and try new things..." Jounouchi Hidari muttered.
Jiang He glanced at the owner with a subtle expression, couldn't help but inwardly mutter.
This old-fashioned bar owner must have studied philosophy in the past. His business isn't doing well, so he's serving food as well, and for twenty-plus years, he's been afraid to try new dishes because he's worried about ruining his reputation, yet when he explains, it sounds like a coherent theory.
"Would you two like to try these new family dishes?" The owner had run an old-fashioned bar for decades, seen countless patrons come and go, and considered himself quite discerning.
He could almost certainly say that the young man and the Victory Team captain in front of him were a couple.
"Let's try them, but also order a plate of Dorayakis." Jiang He didn't mind, he'd eaten Dorayakis several times before, trying something new wouldn't hurt.
Especially, the name of this family set sounded quite good, he almost suspected that the struggling business owner was trying to make a quick buck off of him.
But, considering Jounouchi Hidari, he decided to order both.
"Understood." The owner nodded readily, then went to the back to prepare the dishes.
"It's a good thing the owner knows how to do business, but his management isn't great. If he doesn't know how to do business, then his ideas are actually pretty good..." Jiang He's complaints stopped abruptly.
He suddenly noticed that Jounouchi Hidari had placed her hand near his...
"It's true...a little strange." Jounouchi Hidari laughed, trying to ease her own embarrassment.
But under Jiang He's gaze, she quickly looked away, hiding half of her face behind her hair.
"Uh-huh..." Jiang He responded, momentarily unsure what to say.
But this feeling was quite good.
Unlike the awkward situation in the old-fashioned bar before, where the owner conveniently brought the Dorayakis to save the day, this time he wished the owner would delay bringing the dishes.
It was clearly impossible, as soon as the family dishes were placed on the table, Jounouchi Hidari couldn't resist taking her hand away.
"Tsk, what a pity..." Jiang He sighed in regret, but this was still a good development.
After they finished their meal and left the old-fashioned bar, Jounouchi Hidari found that she didn't need to tidy up after arriving at the villa, and was about to return to base to handle matters.
Jiang He coughed, "If you have free time in the next few days, why don't I take you to the park for a stroll?"
"Okay." After a brief pause, Jounouchi Hidari seemed in good spirits as she smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Beep beep beep."
Before Jounouchi Hidari could leave, the communicator on her body suddenly rang.