Even now, Kamisaka Yuto felt absolutely no sleepiness.
Counting from yesterday, he had been awake for more than ten hours.
He was truly grateful for the little gift Kazami Yuuka had given him, he was now certain it was completely harmless.
If anything, it had basically turned him into a 'non-human' existence.
Putting aside the increased strength and speed, what he found most useful was this boundless energy.
Not needing to sleep gave him a lot of extra time, and he wanted to use it to make something new.
Since everything in the restaurant was currently made to order, he felt the menu needed more snack-like items with a longer shelf life.
He walked down the stairs from his second-floor living quarters, which led directly into the backyard.
When he inherited this shop, it came with a surprisingly spacious yard—an extreme rarity in Tokyo, where every inch of land was precious.
The yard was about eighty square meters, large enough to comfortably hold ten people and comparable to the combined area of two or three shops on Shinjuku's central commercial street.
Meanwhile, his living quarters upstairs were over a hundred and ten square meters, while the restaurant itself was only between fifty and sixty.
Ironically, the most crucial part of the property had the least amount of space.
'Such a big yard. Maybe I could get a pet?' he thought.
For two months, the only things out here had been empty beer bottles and his bicycle.
It felt a bit too empty.
Since he lived alone during the day, it would be nice to have some company. If he got a dog, he preferred large breeds.
It wasn't just women who liked big, fluffy creatures; even tough guys had a soft spot for them!
Like giant pandas—who didn't love pandas?
As for large dogs, maybe a husky, a malamute, or a samoyed.
'Would a husky be too loud? Maybe I could get a cat, too.' He continued to brainstorm.
'With a yard this big, I could invite people over for a party. Barbecue and beer would be a great combination!'
As his fantasies grew more and more vivid, he suddenly remembered he was supposed to be making snacks!
He quickly snapped back to reality and went inside, though the ideas hadn't completely faded.
He had already made up his mind: pets and parties definitely had to happen.
He entered the back kitchen through the door that connected to the yard. Click! Yuto pulled the light cord.
Because the restaurant's front entrance was still blocked by the rolling shutter, the entire place was pitch black.
He opened the freezer, which was fully stocked with basic meats, vegetables, and the medicinal herbs he usually used for simmering soups.
Looking at the herbs sparked a new idea.
In his past life, he had been quite fond of braised dishes. You could toss almost anything into a spiced braising liquid—duck necks, chicken feet, duck intestines, lotus root slices—and they would come out as mouthwatering delicacies.
Plus, braised foods had a relatively long shelf life. He hadn't really seen this style of cooking in this country, so it was worth a try.
If the customers didn't like it, he could always switch to something else.
With his mind made up, he tied on his apron. A good braising liquid required a specific blend of herbs to build a deep, complex aroma.
He pulled the herbs from the freezer, along with some frozen duck meat and chicken feet.
He had bought them a while ago, but since no one had ordered them, they had just been sitting at the bottom of the freezer.
This was the perfect time to use them, so he set them aside to thaw.
He quickly selected his seasonings: cinnamon, fennel, star anise, tsaoko, dried ginger slices, black cardamom, gardenia, sand ginger, amomum, bay leaves, dried tangerine peel, and white cardamom.
He also grabbed a tiny amount of dried chili peppers. From his observations, his customers didn't seem to handle spicy food very well, but a braising liquid without chili would lack a crucial depth of flavor.
He compromised by adding just a pinch.
He ground the spices and wrapped them up in a cheesecloth, creating a pungent, highly fragrant spice packet.
Now, all he had to do was wait for the meat to thaw.
...
By the time it was past six in the evening, the various storefronts on Ichinosuke Street were opening their doors.
They were cleaned inside and out, ready to welcome customers.
Yuto had also rolled up his shutter, though the sign out front still read 'Closed'.
There was still some time before official business hours.
Inside the brightly lit kitchen, Yuto was stirring a large pot. A rich, savory aroma seeped into every nook and cranny of the diner.
The dark red braising liquid bubbled continuously over a low flame, the steam rising faintly into the air before dissipating like a gentle breeze.
Standing by the stove with a large ladle in hand, he stirred the broth occasionally, a look of pure focus on his face.
Under the warm yellow light, the young chef exuded a peaceful tranquility.
The shop was exceptionally quiet, filled only by the rhythmic bubbling of the pot.
It felt a bit like sitting by a river on a summer night, where the only lights were the clear moon and the faint glow of fireflies, and the only sound was the water gently lapping against the pebbles.
Knock, knock, knock!
A sudden knocking at the door broke the silence.
Yuto peered through the curtain toward the entrance, but the silhouette was too blurry to make out clearly.
He could only tell it was a girl.
He let out a slightly helpless sigh.
There was only one person who would show up before he was even open for business.
He put down his ladle, walked out to the front, and approached the locked door.
"Kamisaka-kun, open up~"
Hearing the girl's slightly coquettish voice, he flipped the simple latch.
The moment he pulled the door open, he nearly bumped heads with the girl waiting outside.
"Kasumigaoka-san, please be a little more patient," Yuto said, his voice a mix of gentle scolding and helplessness.
Today, Kasumigaoka Utaha was still wearing her signature white headband and dark stockings, but she had swapped her usual outerwear for a light yellow dress.
It was definitely a perk of being beautiful, she looked good in absolutely anything!
Her ruby eyes sparkled playfully as she looked up at him.
"Honestly, Kamisaka-kun, you have the personality of a mother hen."
The corners of her lips curled into a smile that carried a mix of playful annoyance and genuine joy.
Even her complaints sounded gentle.
Now that she was completely sober, she had formally switched to calling him Kamisaka-kun again.
"And whose fault is that? You're always making me worry," Yuto replied, turning around to walk back toward the kitchen.
His casual yet caring words caused a slight blush to dust Utaha's cheeks, though luckily, his back was already turned so he didn't see it.
"It smells so good!" Utaha didn't even have time to offer a witty comeback.
The moment she stepped inside, the rich, savory aroma completely enveloped her.
"It's a new snack I'm making today. Want to try it?" Yuto was already back at his station by the stove.
This was the final batch, and it was nearly ready.
"Yes, please!" Utaha nodded eagerly, looking like a little girl who had just spotted a new toy.
"Do you like spicy food?" he asked.
"No."
Utaha had already taken a seat at the far edge of the counter.
She preferred sitting in the corner, where she could quietly enjoy the atmosphere of the diner.
To better accommodate his customers' milder palates, Yuto had intentionally made a separate, non-spicy batch of the braised food.
Although it tasted quite good, he personally preferred the kick of the chilies. He picked out some tender meat, added a few slices of kelp and lotus root, and set a small bowl in front of her.
"You're my first taste-tester today, so this bowl is on the house," he offered.
"Only the first bowl?"
"What more do you want?"
"Isn't there a discount for a beautiful girl?"
"Have you no shame?"
Yuto gave her a look of utter disdain, but she was completely unfazed.
She picked up a slice of braised kelp and placed it in her mouth. In an instant, her eyes widened in surprise.
"Delicious!"
Yuto smiled faintly.
It seemed his new recipe was a success!
In just a few moments, Utaha had polished off the entire bowl. Since they were just snacks, the portion wasn't very large, and it certainly wasn't enough to fill her up.
"Please give me another serving!" she requested brightly.
"Alright! That'll be 1,500 yen per serving," Yuto replied without missing a beat.
Utaha's expression immediately froze.
"Kamisaka-kun, you'll never be popular with girls if you're this greedy."
"Hmm, you make a fair point."
"So, about that price..." she prompted hopefully.
"Although you make a fair point, I don't plan on listening to it. 1,500 yen, please."
The girl fumed in playful annoyance..