Page 208 of The Dragon 2
He gave me a half bow. “How was dinner?”
“You know how it was because you feasted on it before me.”
“I would not say feast. I would say sampled.”
“Twice.”
“A Roar must be thorough.”
I pointed at him. “You are not to eat anymore of her food.”
“Is this a rule?”
“Yes.”
He tilted his head. “That creates agreatinconvenience.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What inconvenience?”
“Your Tiger hasalreadyprovided all of us with bento boxes filled with her food. She made quite a lot of it and—”
“Us? Who is us?”
“Your Fangs. Your Eyes. And me.”
Tora. . .
From the corner, my Eyes stirred. It was barely a shift of muscle but it was enough to tell me that my Eyes, Arata and Itsuki had been excited about trying her food.
Reo continued. “I thought it would be disrespectful to decline. Plus, throwing it away would’ve been wasteful. She clearly made the effort to feed us and it is quite strategic. She should be rewarded with our compliance.”
I frowned. “Strategic?”
“She’s incorporating herself into your life by feeding your people. That’s more than manners. That’s love language territory. A high-level romantic gesture.”
That hit deeper than I expected. Still, I gave him a skeptical look. “Feeding you all her delicious food is loving me?”
Reo nodded. “She knows our roles. Our loyalty. She labeled the boxes by unit. The Dragon’s Roar. The Dragon’s Fangs. Minutes ago, she provided your Eyes with their boxes. Your Tiger wants to feed your inner circle. Who am I to get in her way? It is so clever. So, nurturing.”
I growled low in my throat.
“She wants us well-fed so that we can protect you,” then, Reo frowned. “But of course, if you would rather we spit on her feelings, throw her loving gesture into the trash, and go hungry—just say the word.”
“Do you know what I hate more than being verbally outmaneuvered?”
“No, Kenji. I do not.”
“People enjoying my Tiger’s food.”
“And this is a rule?”
I sneered.
“Can this rule begin tomorrow which would give us the ability to eat the bento boxes?”
“My Tiger’s macaroni and cheese is so good that you would risk my punching you in the face right now?”
“I can take a punch but I cannot get another portion ofthatrichmacaroni and cheese anywhere in Japan.”
