Chapter 286: Ninia's Devotion
Aria and Victoria looked at Zach with a judging look on their faces but didn't say anything.
After noticing they were staring at him, Zach asked, "What?"
"You do know that there are over 180 items served in this restaurant, right?" Victoria asked with a knowing look on her face.
"I do."
"And are you certain that you can eat all of them by yourself?" Aria asked with a judging look on her face.
"Who said I am eating alone? You girls are eating with me, right?"
"No, we already ate a while ago," Victoria responded.
"…!"
"Stop teasing him like that!" Ninia hissed and glared at Aria and Victoria. She turned to Zach and said, "Don't worry, my Lord. They are lying. "
"Thank you, Ninia. You are the best," Zah said with a smile on her face.
Ninia's face flushed after hearing that, and she averted her gaze
"…." Aria shook her head in belief and thought, ‘I have no idea whether he is doing this on purpose, or he is simply trying to be kind to her.'
After 10 minutes, once by one, the dishes started to arrive.
Zach suggested the girls to eat a tiny portion of all the dishes so they could taste everything and still fill their stomachs. But after around 30 dishes, Ninia was full. After 50 dishes, Victoria was full. And after 69 dishes, Aria was full.
Zach spent nearly 5 hours eating 180 dishes, and he ordered some of them twice. Not only that, he ordered drinks and asked them to create a dish that wasn't on the menu.
The chefs and the owner were troubled as they had no idea what dish Zach was referring to. But they couldn't dare to tell that to Zach as that would be similar to going against their God's wishes.
They didn't want to disappoint their God, but they had a way to please him, either.
Victoria noticed that and said, "They might not know how to make it. So I will go help them, can I?"
"Don't you want to eat more…?"
"I am already full," she responded.
"Then… sure, I guess?"
Victoria smiled at Zach and said, "I will cook the best dish you have ever had."
'I don't think you can compare it with Aurora's cooking,' Zach uttered inwardly.
Victoria squinted her eyes and asked, "I bet you just compared me with Aurora, didn't you?"
"Out of habit… but don't worry, I might compare, but I will never judge."
Victoria left with the owner, who showed her the way to the kitchen.
'Victoria just stole a spotlight for tonight…' Aria looked conflicted. She also wanted Zach's praise.
After pondering for a few seconds, Aria got up from her seat and said, "I will go help her as well."
"…"
After saying that, she left.
Zach had eaten Aria's cooking many times, and he knew that she was good at cooking. Deep down, he wanted to eat Aurora, Aria, and Victoria's cuisine every day instead of coming to the restaurant.
But he didn't want the girls to feel like he was using them as chefs. He often tried to help them with cooking, but they didn't allow him to enter the kitchen.
'Once Aurora is fully healed, and we all start living together, I will bake a nice cake and get them all to love me ever more!' Zach decided.
Now, Ninia, who was left alone with Zach, began feeling anxious for the same reason as Aria.
'They both have gone to make a dish for him. And as the saying goes, ‘The best way to please a man and win his heart is by food'. I have to cook meals for myself every day, so I should be able to help them at least. Even if not, I can contribute and please him.'
Ninia wanted to leave in a way that Zach couldn't feel suspicious of her. She didn't want Zach to doubt her loyalty and mistake her affection even though she hadn't realized that her feelings for Zach had far surpassed any devotion and loyalty.
She wanted to win Zach's heart and get his love and attention, but she thought she wanted it because she yearned to feel special as his first follower. But that wasn't the case as she had constantly been fighting Aria and Victoria for the last three days.
"I will… go check one of them…" she said and left.
"…."
Zach looked at the empty dishes on the table and thought, ‘It kind of feels lonely even though they are just in the room next to mine.'
He smiled and muttered, "I have grown so attached to them that I don't think I can survive a day without them now."
A few seconds later, Ninia returned and sat next to Zach while previously she was sitting in front of him.
"What's wrong?" Zach asked curiously.
"It's nothing."
Ninia was on her way to the kitchen, but she turned back. She realized that she was missing a golden opportunity to spend some alone time with him.
Zach glanced at Ninia from the corner of his eyes and couldn't help but move his gaze to her cleavage.
'I should really stop perving after her. It's so wrong and immoral! What's wrong with me?!' he asked himself.
"Say, my Lord…"
"Hmm?"
"Did you…. Umm…" After a brief pause, she looked into Zach's eyes with a flushed face and asked, "Do you like my body?"
"….!"
'What does she mean by that? Did she realize I have been staring at her boobs all this time, even when I was eating?!' Zach panicked.
While Ninia hadn't realized that, Aria had caught Zach a long time ago, and so did Victoria,
"Why… are you asking that…?" he asked nervously.
"I… I personally think my body looks better than Aria and Victoria…"
"Huh?"
"I am talking about my… beauty…."
"Oh! But why are you comparing yourself with them?" Zach asked curiously.
"…"
"Listen, I don't know about girls, and maybe it's common for girls to compare themselves with other girls. But you shouldn't do that. Every girl has their own beauty and specialty, and I respect that deeply. If I ever start comparing them and judging them, I would never be able to look at them with the same thoughts again."
"But…" Ninia turned to Zach and asked with teary eyes: "What else can I do to get your attention?"
Zach was confused at first as he couldn't understand why Ninia was saying all that. But then he realized that Ninia was always alone in the church with only injured players to visit her.
'I guess she is sensitive about that….' Zach smiled at Ninia and patted her head.
'Although I won't be able to meet her for some time once I ascend…'
Ninia took that opportunity to make a move on Zach and hugged him tightly.
"…..!"
Zach assumed his kind words made her emotional, but that wasn't the only case.
All this time, Ninia has been comparing herself to Aria and Victoria and trying to be better than them, but now Zach's words made her realize that there was no need to do that.
She used to think she would never be able to win against them, but now she learned that there was no competition between them in the first place.
***
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