Their eyes met, confirming it — this was the exact same body double.
Watching the sheer delight brimming in Yae Miko's eyes as she looked at her, Fang Qiu felt certain: this Editor-in-Chief Yae was definitely the type who loved watching people squirm.
And more than that, the feeling she got was exactly like some older sister from her past life, the one who loved dragging her into heart-wrenching games, showing her gut-wrenching stories, and taking her to watch horror movies...
Hmm...
She couldn't call it merely similar. It was identical.
That thick, unmistakable air of a schemer luring prey into a trap — there was no hiding it.
She had zero doubt that Yae Miko was exactly the type who'd trick someone into cross-dressing and then take photos without a shred of mercy.
She needed to stay on guard.
Just then, a plate of Fried Tofu was set down on the table.
"Here, give it a try. It's Inazuma's most iconic dish," Yae Miko said, introducing it.
"Mm."
Fang Qiu nodded, picked up a piece with her chopsticks, and tasted it.
"So? Isn't it so good your buttons practically pop?" Yae Miko asked with a smile.
"It's really good," Fang Qiu said, nodding.
The flavor really was excellent.
"Nobody's buttons pop from eating food! No matter how good it is, that's just not possible!" Paimon grumbled between bites.
"Why not? I've actually been planning a book lately where the male lead cooks and it makes people's clothes burst open. The very first dish is Fried Tofu," Yae Miko said. "Fang Qiu, what do you think? Is there a market for that?"
"There should be quite a market for it," Fang Qiu said, nodding.
After all, in her past life, food-themed novels and food anime were everywhere, a dime a dozen.
Wasn't a food-induced climax basically standard fare?
Take, for instance, a certain past-life show called Food Wars! (Shokugeki no Soma).
Once, back in her past life, she'd been watching that show — right at the moment the female lead ate a dish the male lead had cooked, her face flushed red on the spot and she started moaning — when her older sister walked in through the door.
Seeing the female lead's reaction on the computer screen, looking exactly like she was at her peak, her sister had slammed the door shut instantly.
No matter how she tried to explain, her sister wouldn't listen, just kept muttering to herself that she wasn't a little kid anymore, that it was perfectly normal to have needs like that.
So she'd had no choice but to retreat back to her room, feeling helpless, and kept watching — only for her sister to forget the whole incident had happened.
Seeing the screen showing something perfectly normal again, she hurried to call her sister over to watch.
But the moment her sister walked in, just as she was about to explain that she was watching a food anime, the female lead happened to start eating again — and then came another scene that really called for headphones...
The whole thing had been excruciatingly awkward.
As for its market prospects, there was no need to even ask.
After all, back then, Food Wars! (Shokugeki no Soma) had racked up a staggering one point eight billion views on a certain video site.
Truly terrifying numbers.
She figured that in Inazuma, sales wouldn't fall short by much either.
But that particular genre — she felt too embarrassed to mention it to Yae Miko.
"Well, since you put it that way, let's have a good, thorough exchange later," Yae Miko leaned in close to Fang Qiu's ear and murmured.
A faint, warm, fragrant breath brushed against Fang Qiu's earlobe, making her body flinch slightly.
And that phrase — "thorough exchange"...
Why did it have to be that particular phrase again...
It made her recall the misunderstanding back at the inn, where she'd mistaken Miko for one of Inazuma's lesbians...
She'd genuinely thought she was about to be...
"Exchange what?" Paimon asked, equally confused.
"Some rather private topics, of course," Yae Miko said with a light laugh.
"Private topics? What private topics?" Paimon tilted her head slightly.
At Yae Miko's words, Lumine looked a little embarrassed, while a faint blush crept over Fang Qiu's pretty face.
"Story settings, of course. Things like plot settings aren't exactly meant for public discussion," Yae Miko said with a light laugh. "Alright, enough of that — let's eat."
Seeing that Yae Miko wouldn't elaborate, Paimon let it drop, since what she really cared about right now was when the next dish was coming.
Soon enough, one Inazuman specialty after another was brought to the table.
The mood grew livelier, and the conversation flowed pleasantly.
Just then, a plate of sashimi arrived.
Whether in her past life or this one, she'd often heard people rave about how delicious sashimi was, but when it actually came to eating it, she found herself hesitant.
After all, this would be her first time eating raw meat.
In the end, Fang Qiu's chopsticks lingered over the sashimi for a moment before she settled instead for one of the grilled beef rolls resting on the salt plate beside it.
But the moment the beef roll hit her mouth, nothing seemed off at first — it was only after a few chews that her brow suddenly furrowed. Something wasn't right.
This beef roll... had chili peppers wrapped inside it!
Damn it — she'd been so preoccupied with her reluctance over raw meat that she hadn't noticed a thing about this beef roll.
She'd been fooled by its innocent-looking exterior!
But with so many people around, and Yae Miko sitting right beside her, she really couldn't bring herself to spit it out.
At that moment, Fang Qiu remembered a saying from her past life.
No guts, no glory.
So, gritting her teeth against the burning sting, she chewed quickly a couple more times and swallowed the beef roll whole.
Except not spitting it out came with a price.
Fang Qiu suddenly felt a searing heat rise up through her mouth, throat, and stomach all at once — especially in her mouth, where the burning was fiercest.
"So spicy — water, is there any water?" Fang Qiu gasped, her face flushed red from the heat.
"Here," Yae Miko said, handing her a large bowl of water. Without thinking, Fang Qiu took the bowl and gulped it down in one go.
Once the spiciness in her mouth had faded a little, Fang Qiu finally noticed that the lingering taste of the water in her mouth wasn't quite right.
"Lady Yae, just now... what you gave me to drink was..." Fang Qiu asked, still feeling her cheeks burning, looking at Yae Miko with a dazed expression and a slight stammer.
"That was the finest sake this place offers. It works wonders for cutting the spice. How do you feel? Has the heat died down a bit?" Yae Miko said.
"Sa...ke?"
The moment those words left her mouth, Fang Qiu toppled forward, face-first, straight into Yae Miko's embrace.
Since they were sitting on tatami mats, it looked exactly like she'd flopped face-down into a lap pillow on Yae Miko.
"What's this?" Even Yae Miko hadn't seen that coming.
"Uh... Fang Qiu's alcohol tolerance is terrible — the kind where one cup knocks her flat," Lumine said, pressing a hand to her forehead. In the rush of the moment, she'd completely forgotten to mention it earlier.
"I see. So she's drunk," Yae Miko said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked down at Fang Qiu lying sprawled across her legs.
"Traveler, what do we do now?" Paimon asked, still stuffing food into her mouth at top speed.
"Let's just keep eating for now, and let Fang Qiu sleep it off. This place is nice and warm — a little nap shouldn't be a problem," Yae Miko said with a smile.
"But what about Fang Qiu? She barely ate anything," Paimon said.
"We'll bring some food back for her later," Lumine said.
Yae Miko then gently turned Fang Qiu over, so she lay face-up, resting on her lap.
Looking down at the tempting flush rising on Fang Qiu's pretty face, at her soft, uneven breathing, Yae Miko's lips curved into a faint smile.
How interesting.
...
...
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