Chapter 135: A Song: "White Porcelain Love"!
After seeing Irimi Kaya and Kaneki Ken off, it wasn't long before Yurine returned from school. She only had one class this afternoon, and it was the first period. When she arrived at the restaurant, it was 3:35 PM.
On the way back, she had listened to the recording of "Unravel" that Ryohei had sent her several times over. She loved it, and it was totally her style. Now, she wanted to hear a live version—which was bound to be different from an audio file.
It was still early, and Ryohei wasn't needed for prep work, so he picked up his guitar and performed it for her live.
...
"Sugoi!"
The song ended, but the final chord still hung in the air. Yurine gently pressed her hands together, her slender, pale fingers lacing elegantly. She looked at Ryohei with a gaze full of admiration, her reddish-brown eyes sparkling with a special light under the restaurant's warm lamps.
"That was amazing!"
Her voice was bright with excitement, and her lips curved into a smile. "Tanaka-kun, you could honestly debut on the spot!"
Perhaps it was her "boyfriend filter" activating, but she felt Ryohei sang better than most professional singers. The song itself was also perfectly suited to her tastes. That feeling of teetering on the edge of extreme pain and madness... it made her instinctively hold her breath, her fingertips trembling slightly.
It was just too good.
"Heh, just keeping a low profile," Ryohei said, though the corners of his mouth were turned up in a wide grin. He made a show of patting the air down, then said, "Want to hear something else? This time, I'll sing you a traditional song from my world."
"Yes!" Yurine's eyes lit up, her face full of interest. "Go for it."
"Hmm..." Ryohei held his guitar, thinking. He knew Yurine usually listened to death metal...
'Should I cater to her tastes?'
He was a bit conflicted. He didn't listen to that genre himself, so even if he wanted to, he couldn't.
'I'll just sing a love song...'
When a couple sings for each other, a love song is always a good choice. Ryohei wanted to sing something with a deep, poetic meaning, and a certain song came to mind.
He strummed the guitar strings and said to Yurine, "This is a song called 'White Porcelain Love.' It's for you."
"White Porcelain Love...?" Yurine tilted her head, confused. Was he really going to sing a song about pottery?
But before she could think any more about it, she was drawn in by a simple, elegant, and timeless melody. There was no screaming and no heavy drums, but the flow of the melody was like a gentle stream, seeping slowly into her heart. The intro was incredibly catchy, filled with a unique,婉转 Eastern charm. Even for someone like her, who loved death metal, it felt incredibly good. It was a completely refreshing feeling.
As the song entered the main verse, Ryohei's voice blended with the guitar, and Yurine's eyes widened slightly.
She couldn't understand the lyrics, but she could feel the reserved, poetic emotion unique to Eastern music. She was instantly immersed.
Lucoa, who did understand the language, was even more moved. It was as if a painting of profound, classical Eastern beauty was slowly unfolding before her.
'This song...'
'It's beautiful!'
"..." Minos didn't understand the words either, but that didn't stop her from thinking it was a wonderful song. She stood with her hands on her slender waist, her eyes gently closed, her hair swaying slightly as she nodded along to the rhythm. Her silver-white cow tail swished gently behind her, as if it, too, was following the music.
Jingle—!
Suddenly, the bell on the door rang, but no one paid it any mind.
Yusa and Koji-kun came in from outside, holding one large and one small transparent umbrella. Their eyes were immediately drawn to Ryohei, who was lost in his performance, and matching expressions of surprise appeared on their delicate and uniquely cute faces. They placed their umbrellas in the stand and stood quietly, just listening.
Although they also couldn't understand the lyrics, they, too, felt that the song he was singing was beautiful...
...
Zheng—!
The final note vibrated in the air, like a crystal drop of water falling into a still lake, sending out ripples before fading into silence.
Ryohei let out a soft breath, his fingertips still tingling from the strings. He looked up at Yurine, his eyes smiling. "So? Was it good?"
"Mhm, it was amazing," Yurine said, giving him a thumbs-up without hesitation. She paused, tilting her head. "I didn't understand the words, but I feel like the song has a lot of... charm."
"What is it about? It's not just about porcelain, is it?"
As she said this, Yurine was already making a mental decision: she had to get started on learning the language from his world as soon as possible. When he and Lucoa had returned the other day and talked about taking a trip there together, she had already thought about it. It would be inconvenient to travel there and not understand anything. Now, she was more convinced than ever.
"This song..." Ryohei looked at Yurine, tapping his knuckles lightly on the body of the guitar. "It's actually a love song. It uses blue and white porcelain as a vessel to describe the beauty of a misty rain... and of love."
"..." An expression of understanding dawned on Yurine's face, followed by a radiant smile.
"What a beautiful song!" Lucoa said, crossing her arms under her chest and sighing in admiration. "The melody is so moving, and the lyrics are so poetic, full of imagery..."
"What is it called?" Yusa asked, having walked over.
Lucoa looked at her and answered for Ryohei, "It's called 'White Porcelain Love'."
...
In a flash, it was almost six o'clock.
The customers who had successfully made reservations for the 6 PM slot began to arrive, and the restaurant staff started to get busy.
In the second week of operation, Ryohei's digital menu had a new specialty dish: Six-in-One: Magical Mapo Tofu!
This was a huge, pleasant surprise for some of the regular customers. They had already tried almost everything on the menu, and now there was a new dish—and one that was categorized with the "Miracle Comet Fried Rice," no less! How could they not be excited?
First-time customers who saw the two "Specialty" dishes also ordered them both without hesitation, even with the "Relatively Spicy" warning note next to the Mapo Tofu.
Soon, the entire restaurant was filled with the rich, numbing, and spicy aroma...
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