As Kamishiro Rize ate the steak,
She clearly knew that this piece of meat was more fragrant than any "meat" she had ever eaten before!
The texture, the fullness, the flavor.
It was truly intoxicating!
In an instant, Kamishiro Rize's cheeks turned crimson, and her legs unconsciously pressed together, rubbing gently!
Slurp~!
One piece of meat was eaten, immediately followed by a second piece!
If she weren't in a restaurant,
Kamishiro Rize felt she would take the whole steak with both hands and bite, gnaw, and swallow it right away!
However, her remaining sanity told her,
This is outside; she couldn't do that.
One piece, two pieces, three pieces, four pieces!
Kamishiro Rize devoured several pieces in succession, looking very pleased!
This was a thick cut of steak; even though it was cooked, its thickness was equivalent to a one-yen coin standing on its edge!
Kasumigaoka Utaha, from a distance, was slightly stunned by this.
This was too... undignified.
Her own expression at that moment couldn't possibly be like this, right?
No, not this!
A moment later.
Kamishiro Rize finished the steak in front of her.
As she finished eating, she came back to her senses, looked at the empty plate, and was somewhat surprised.
Did I eat human food?
Or rather: "Pieces of humans?"
At first, Kamishiro Rize thought she had eaten human fragments.
However, she quickly dismissed that idea.
The reason was: "The difference in texture is too far apart."
Beef is beef. The quality of the meat greatly affects its texture.
Just like chicken, duck, beef, or lamb, someone with a slightly better sense of taste could distinguish them with their eyes closed.
So Kamishiro Rize was sure this was beef.
She had eaten beef before, but she always vomited it, yet she still remembered the texture, even though it tasted very unpleasant!
But what was happening now?
Kamishiro Rize was slightly stunned.
She looked at Yuzuki, who was not far from her.
Yuzuki had prepared three glasses of lemon tea, one for himself and one for each of the two women.
He first handed it to Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Kasumigaoka Utaha looked up and smiled: "I didn't order this, Yuzuki."
"The manager is in a good mood today; it's all his fault."
Yuzuki finished speaking and turned to give a cup to Kamishiro Rize as well.
The soft clinking sound.
Kamishiro Rize stared at the lemon tea in front of her and turned to look at Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was sipping her tea.
Then she took the lemon tea and sipped it.
With a small gulp, the lemonade entered her mouth, and its sourness made her blink.
"So sour~"
This was the first time Kamishiro Rize experienced sourness.
"It's so amazing... but it tastes good too."
Yuzuki leaned against the bar, looking at the steak that had been eaten, then turned to Rize and asked,
"How does it taste, customer?"
"It's very delicious; thank you for the treat." Kamishiro Rize placed her lemon tea down and said with a very gentle and intellectual demeanor: "My name is Kamishiro Rize; this is the tastiest meat I have ever eaten."
"My name is Yuzuki; thank you for the compliment." Yuzuki smiled and took the plate.
That was still the most annoying part, washing the dishes.
Yuzuki thought for a moment, then set it aside to wash later tonight.
At the same time, he wondered if he should hire someone to help with cleaning and other tasks.
However, he would think about it later; it wasn't easy to find someone for his canteen. Someone too ordinary wouldn't work; they might just disappear.
At this moment, Kamishiro Rize, who had finished half of her lemon tea, suddenly spoke again.
"Eh, Yuzuki-san, may I have dessert again?"
"What do you want?"
"Anything; I like whatever the manager makes."
"Uh... okay."
Yuzuki ignored Kasumigaoka Utaha, who suddenly looked up, and turned to go to the kitchen to make it.
And after Kasumigaoka Utaha saw Yuzuki enter the kitchen, she silently glared at Kamishiro Rize.
What does she mean by "I like whatever the manager makes"?
She didn't even say something like that!
This shameless woman!
She looked gentle and intellectual on the outside, but in reality, she was the opposite!
However, Kamishiro Rize had a very strong sense. Even though she wasn't currently staring at Kasumigaoka Utaha, she knew that the girl had just silently vented her hostility towards her.
Kamishiro Rize couldn't help but smile.
Young love, yes.
For her, it was quite rare.
Compared to love, Rize preferred eating.
Of course, it was more of a revenge and catharsis for her painful childhood.
In the kitchen.
Yuzuki took out the sakura mochi he had not finished making, continued preparing some, and then brought it out.
Under Kamishiro Rize's hopeful gaze,
He placed the plate down and let her taste it.
Rize bit into it, showing an expression of 'as expected,' and then sank into the deliciousness of the food.
Surely, Rize had concluded.
The problem with food was not in the food itself.
It was him who made this food.
What was that thing made of?
Mixed with the manager's fresh blood?
Or mixed with other bodily fluids of the manager?
Whatever it was, it tasted truly delicious.
Kamishiro Rize carefully enjoyed each piece of cake, bite by bite.
At that moment, it was already late at night.
Kasumigaoka Utaha reacted, checked the time, and stood up to pack her things.
"I'm going home now, Yuzuki. See you tomorrow after school."
After saying that, she placed a stack of money on the bar.
Yes, a stack.
Yuzuki glanced at it; there were at least tens of thousands of Japanese Yen.
He sighed, "I told you this isn't a scam; you don't need to give that much."
Most importantly, he felt like he was being held hostage.
Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled, "Then the excess can be saved as credit, and I won't give it next time."
That's what she said.
But when she didn't give money, it was usually because she didn't bring any.
"Alright." Yuzuki accepted the money; there was no reason not to accept it.
He just considered it a gift from a satisfied customer; he certainly deserved to receive it.
There was no one else in the store, so Yuzuki personally escorted Kasumigaoka Utaha to the door.
Staring at the cold streetlights outside and the rare figures.
Even though it was Anteiku, Yuzuki was still a bit worried, so he patted Kasumigaoka Utaha's shoulder, leaving a little energy to find her.
Then he said, "Have a safe trip."
"Okay." Kasumigaoka Utaha waved and left.
Back inside the store.
Kamishiro Rize stood and said at the same time, "Thank you for the meal, shop owner; please check."
"?" Yuzuki took the money, slightly surprised.
She wouldn't be interested in Kasumigaoka Utaha, would she?
Rize didn't seem to eat women.
It turned out Rize also gave a lot of extras.
Yuzuki stared at her, and Kamishiro Rize smiled and explained, "The extra money can be saved as credit; I will come back again next time."
"..." Yuzuki shook his head and returned the extra money.
He explained, "Keeping track of it is too troublesome. Let's talk about it after you come a few more times."
After that, Rize left.
As Yuzuki closed the door, his eyes were filled with longing.
"You're really hard to choose from, Shop Owner-kun."