Chapter 125
Hearing Mineo's words, Erina shook her head gently.
"These ingredients, even though... even though they've left me completely shocked..."
"Compared to everything else, I might... I might care more about other things."
"I..."
Before Erina could finish her sentence, Mineo interrupted with a smile.
"I can pretty much guess what's on your mind, Erina."
"You're curious about me right now, aren't you?"
"You want to know my true identity, my actual origins!"
"And maybe you also want to know the real reason I'm here."
"I'm not wrong, am I?"
"Yes."
"I did want to ask those questions."
"However, if Mineo-kun feels uncomfortable answering them... then I can just act as if I don't know anything."
"There's nothing uncomfortable about it. We've known each other for a few years now; there's no harm in sharing a few simple things with you!"
Mineo looked around at their surroundings before continuing, "This isn't really the place to talk. Let's head upstairs!"
"The top floor of my restaurant has a roof terrace. The view there is quite nice, and since you haven't been there yet, I'll take this chance to let you experience it properly!"
Watching Mineo walk toward the stairs, Erina bit her thin lip for a moment before following closely behind him.
Before long, the two of them arrived at the open-air garden located on the restaurant's top floor.
Despite having visited Mineo's restaurant several times, Erina had never seen the full layout of the building.
And now, as she stepped onto the final stair, the view of the open garden unfolded clearly before her eyes.
A clear night view under the moonlight, paths lined with rain-washed stones, a swing swaying gently in the garden... everything there was enough to leave someone spellbound.
"I never imagined that there was such a beautiful world on the top floor of Mineo-kun's restaurant."
"This is truly beyond my expectations!"
Erina stood still, reaching up to smooth a stray lock of hair by her ear that had been ruffled by the gentle breeze.
Then, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if savoring the captivating fragrance of flowers drifting through the air.
As for Mineo, hearing Erina's words, he gave a small smile.
"What's so strange about it? I'm a man who likes to enjoy life, too, you know."
"Sometimes when I'm tired of playing around, coming here to clear my head and rest for a bit feels quite pleasant."
"Erina, come over and sit for a while. We can use this opportunity to have a proper heart-to-heart."
Seeing Mineo wave her over, Erina walked straight toward him and sat down by his side.
Smoothing out the edge of her skirt, Erina placed her small, pale hands on her knees.
Nighttime in the mountains was naturally quite silent. Combined with the fact that she and Mineo were sitting so close together, Erina could almost faintly hear the sound of his breathing!
At that moment, for some reason, an inexplicable tension suddenly bubbled up in Erina's heart!
This... this was the first time she had been alone with a man in an environment like this.
Especially when that person... was Mineo!
She clearly had so many questions she wanted to ask him, but now, she suddenly didn't know how to start.
Mineo glanced at Erina and noticed her nervousness. Seeing this, he chuckled.
"I'm not a man-eating tiger, why are you so tense?"
"Didn't we agree to come up here and talk properly?"
"I... I'm not nervous at all! I... I was just thinking about something... Mineo... you... don't you dare look down on me."
"I say, Lady Erina, when have I ever looked down on you? Isn't this just me caring about you?"
Mineo rolled his eyes helplessly at her before speaking.
"What Erina wants to know most right now is my true identity and origins, right?"
"Even though we've known each other for a while, it seems we've never had a formal introduction!"
"My name is Mineo, and I'm originally from China."
"I'm 17 years old this year..."
"Gender: male. Hobbies: liking girls... foods I usually like to eat are..."
Hearing Mineo sit there and give such a serious-sounding self-introduction, Erina was instantly dazed!
I mean, what was with the 'gender: male' and 'hobbies: liking girls' part?
I came up here to keep you company and talk, and you... you actually say things like that to me!?
"Mineo... you... can you be a little more serious?"
"I... I am being very serious about this chat..."
"I just saw that you were a bit nervous, Milady. So I thought I'd break the ice."
"But that's not what I want to know!"
Erina bit her lip hard, her body trembling slightly.
"I just want to know... Mineo, why... why did you come to Japan!"
"Why... why did you move your restaurant to this specific location!"
"The world you've lived in all this time... and the world I live in... they're supposed to be vastly different, aren't they..."
"Am I... in your heart... actually just a very, very ordinary friend to you?"
From childhood until now, Erina had always been a girl filled with immense confidence and pride.
No matter who she faced, Erina was always able to remain as calm as still water.
Yet, when facing Mineo, for the first time in her life, Erina felt a sense of self-doubt.
Originally, Erina thought that Mineo's arrival in Japan was simply because he wanted to be closer to her.
But now, after seeing Mineo's true side, Erina suddenly felt that perhaps in his eyes, she was an entirely insignificant existence...
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