Office Romance with a Werewolf - Chapter 136

Nida’s divine powers weren’t unlimited. She cannot use it conveniently because it’s either straining her body or making her feel exhausted. And the loud growling of her stomach was something she had never experienced, not until she became a priestess.

Growl!

However, today, it growled louder than any day. The reason is that she skipped her lunch and at the same time used her power.

Her stomach is screaming for food, but their office doesn’t allow snacking inside the workplace.

She kept drinking water, but it was not enough.

Worst Elise heard the rumbling of her stomach. She is more embarrassed to tell her that she’s hungry because of how she lied just a while ago that she had a nice lunch.

Her misery continued when Sir Robert, the external secretary, appeared on their counter.

“Sir Robert, this is Nida. She’s your counterpart.” Elise gladly introduced the future tandem.

Robert smiled and held out his hand for a handshake, but Nida’s stomach was quick to respond.

Growl

“Thank you for the unique greeting.” Robert grins, then pulls away his hand, then looks at Elise and says, “You’re starving the new employee?” How long is she going to last here?” His tone was still respectful, but it was intimidating.

Elise just gently smiled, as if she’s used to Robert’s sharp remarks, and looked at Nida.

“That’s where the sound was coming from. You should have told me you’re not feeling well.” Elise said with concern. “I thought you had eaten lunch?”

Nida’s face turned red, and she hid her stomach with a folder because it continued to growl. She was too flustered to make a good excuse, so she simply stated, “I… I am sorry ma’am. Something came up with my housemate and I missed lunch.”

“Go and eat. Come back after you fill your stomach. Skipping meals is bad!” Elise pushed her to leave the office.

“But I can’t leave my work.”

“It’s okay, I am still here. But tomorrow, make sure to do your job well, since you are doing it all alone.” Elise tapped her back and gave Nida’s back so she could leave and eat.

“Thank you, ma’am.”

Nida cluthed her bag and thanked Elise before she walked toward the elevator.

“Where are you going?” Robert asked after blocking the elevator door from closing.

Nida looked up at Robert and was amazed at how tall he was. He was almost at the same height as the elevator door.

“Excuse me?” Robert waved his hand because Nida was just staring at Robert with an open mouth.

“Oh! Sorry. What was that again? Are you going down as well?” Nida closed her mouth and was embarrassed by her actions. “Which floor are you?” Nida thought Robert was taking the elevator to go down as well.

“Where are you going?” Robert asked again, then he entered the elevator but didn’t mention which floor he was going to.

“I am going to eat it, sir.” Nida responded like a robot. She realized that she had only asked Elise’s permission and had ignored Robert’s. “Am I not allowed to do so, sir?”

“No. It’s okay. I am asking because I haven’t eaten yet either.” Robert gestured his hand to the buttons, telling Nida to press the floor she desired.

Nida felt strange about Roberts’ actions and just pressed the ground floor.

She saw the price in the company cafeteria, and it was too expensive, so she planned to go outside. She actually lacks funds because of how much she spent on paying for the ID’s of Ranz. Forging identity is expensive, and although she received a discount, it’s still pricey for her since she was unemployed not long ago.

Growl

Nida can’t even think without her stomach disturbing her.

Nida hugged her bag more tightly because the growling in her stomach was louder now that they were in an enclosed space.

“Is he saying we should eat together? But I can’t eat well if I eat in front of strangers.” Nida wondered and wished that her thoughts were wrong, but Robert was really going to ask her to eat together.

“Can I eat with you?” Robert asked without expressing any emotion on his face.

Nida looked up to Robert and badly wanted to reject her senior, but that’s a bad thing to do.

She pursed her lips and tried her best not to curse because hunger was making her mood bad.

“I was planning to eat at Karinderya, sir. I cannot afford expensive food yet.” Nida tried her best to discourage Robert from coming with her.

[A Karinderya is a food stall with a small seating area, typically in a market or at the roadside. The food is cheap and not recommended for people with weak stomachs or clean freaks.]

“Oh, really? I like the food at Karinderya. Let’s go together.” Robert said, while adjusting his eyeglasses with his middle finger.

Nida is starting to dislike Robert as a senior for not sensing that she actually doesn’t want to eat with him.

She thought everyone knew that no freshman would ever want to eat with their seniors on their first day because it would only give them indigestion.

From Nida’s point of view, Robert appeared to look like a four-eyed nerdy basketball player who doesn’t have social skills.

She badly wanted to run once the elevator door opened, but it was not a great idea either as she would still end up seeing him again because they were close workmates with related work.

“Join me if you really want. Sir.” Nida gives up and just thinks of her empty stomach, hoping to fill it up soon so that it will stop making that embarrassing sound.

“Thank you,” Robert said with a smile.

“You look great when you smile, sir.” Nida unintentionally blurted out her thoughts. For a moment, Robert really did look like a geek, but his dimples that make his face attractive when he smiles made Nida’s heart skip a bit for a moment.

“ha – ha – ha. Thank you for the compliment.” Robert responded like a robot again.

“Oh, he is a socially awkward geek that doesn’t know how to take compliments.” Nida concluded by just observing Robert’s reaction. Nida thought maybe Robert was a nice person.

“Let’s go, sir.” Nida led the way on the way out to the Karinderya.

“Ma’am, sir. You came late! We only have a few things on the menu. The old lady at the food stall loudly says while she’s busy swatting some flies.

The food was displayed at the food stall without covering, and probably the flies and the roadside dust had added flavors to the food, but that didn’t matter to Nida because cheap food is still filling and delicious.

Nida checked on the remaining food and started ordering. “I’ll have one order of Bopis (spicy pork lungs), one Menudo (tripe stew), then three pieces of Lumpia Shanghai (fried pork spring rolls) and three rice please.” Even though she is with Robert, Nida orders a lot. She needs to eat a lot to replenish her powers and ignore the fact that she might have indigestion.

“How about you, sir?” Nida asked Robert because he was not ordering and was just staring at the dead flies gathered near the food warmer.

“Is that all for you?” Robert returned his gaze to Nida and was astounded by the amount of food she had ordered as he was by Karendirya’s sanitation.

“Yes sir, I am really famished.”

Robert swallowed his own saliva first before saying his order. “Oh, okay. Then I’ll just have one adobo (marinated pork) and one rice. ”

They sat in the small seating area and helped the lady with arranging their food. Robert has a little bit of trouble sitting on the small chair because of his long legs.

Nida was trying her best not to laugh at him and just focus on the food that was served to them. Their table was filled with Nida’s orders, and she started eating without saying anything.

Robert watched Nida gobble up the food while he ate the food slowly.

“Ha! Thank you for the meal! ” Nida said this happily after finishing all the dishes. She rubbed her tummy, which is a lot bigger now.

“You eat well.” Robert commented, seeing all the plates cleaned.

“Hehe! I was really hungry.” Nida’s energy is back, and she’s genuinely smiling again. They actually didn’t talk to each other the whole time and focused on eating.

Robert looked awkward and gloomy, trying to start a conversation, but Nida ignored him and just gobbled up the food.

“I pay,” Robert said while giving his black card to the lady.

Both the karinderya lady and Nida’s jaw dropped from how Robert paid for the food.

“Sir, is this your first time eating at Kalinderya?” Nida asks while looking up, trying to catch Robert’s gaze, but Robert intentionally avoids her gaze.

“No. I said I like Karinderya as well.”

“But sir, you can only pay cash here.” Nida badly wanted to tease her senior more, but she held herself back because Robert might get revenge with work load.

“I’ll pay for you, sir.”

“No!” Robert shouted, which made the other people on the sidewalk look at them. His face instantly turned red.

“I’ll pay,” she repeated with a gentle smile.