After absorbing Yuuka's youki essence, Yuto noticed a distinct difference in his movements.
His hands were faster, his knife work more precise, and the transition between each cooking step felt incredibly seamless.
Take Yuuka's sunflower cake, for example.
Holding the delicate pastry base in his left hand, he scooped a dollop of sweet red bean paste with his right. His movements were as smooth as flowing water. Not too much, not too little. Just the perfect amount.
He quickly placed it into the steamer and dropped a fresh potato into a nearby pot of boiling water for Yukari's croquette.
Next up was Ran's fried tofu. Yuto carefully lifted a block of firm tofu from its water bath—if tofu isn't stored in water, it spoils fast.
With a steady, rhythmic motion, his knife glided through the block, yielding nine perfectly sized rectangular pieces.
He slid them into the hot oil. The moisture in the tofu hissed and popped, fighting the heat like sworn enemies. After a few moments, the bubbling subsided. Yuto gently nudged the golden pieces with his long cooking chopsticks.
The high heat caused the surface of the tofu to puff up, forming delicate, crispy blisters.
He fished them out, letting the oil drain, and arranged them neatly on a plate.
Taking a small skewer, he poked tiny holes into the crispy blisters.
Pop.
A faint whisper of trapped steam escaped.
He then ladled a spoonful of his special homemade savory sauce over the top, allowing the rich liquid to pool inside those little pockets.
A sprinkle of fresh green onions finished it off.
In just a few minutes, Ran's meal was ready.
He stepped out of the kitchen and placed the steaming plate in front of the fox-woman.
The savory aroma alone made Ran's ears perk up. Behind her, nine thick, golden tails began to sway happily in the air.
Sitting a few seats away, Utaha and Shouko watched with envy.
Such soft, fluffy tails were something any girl would find hard to resist!
"Here you go. Fried tofu," Yuto said with a warm smile before slipping back to the stove.
Ran picked up her chopsticks, her eyes shining with anticipation.
But before she could even secure a piece, a pale hand reached over and snatched a golden square right off her plate.
Ran's happy expression crumbled into a pitiful pout.
She glanced mournfully at Yukari, who was already chewing the stolen tofu, but the loyal shikigami didn't dare complain.
"Mmm..." Yukari hummed, her eyes slipping shut in pure enjoyment. "No matter how many times I eat the Boss cooking, I always feel a deep sense of satisfaction. It truly is a wonderful thing."
"Maybe you're just hungry, Yukari-san," Yuto teased from the kitchen.
"Not at all! It is simply because your skills are that amazing," she praised sincerely.
Yuto laughed softly, thanked her, and went back to prepping the other orders.
"Hey, hey, Ran, can I try some?" Marisa leaned over, staring intently at the plate.
Ran's tails drooped, her fox ears twitching defensively.
"Alright... just one piece," she sighed, reluctant but unable to refuse the energetic witch.
Hearing the opening, Reimu's eyebrows jumped. "Ahem. I guess I'll take a piece to try too."
Ran's nine tails hit the floor. "Okay..."
Before she had even taken a single bite, a third of her dinner was gone!
She felt incredibly wronged!
Marisa and Reimu popped the tofu into their mouths.
Both of their faces lit up with pleasant surprise.
"Delicious!" they exclaimed in unison.
They sounded so in sync they could have been twin sisters.
A second later, they glared at each other, their eyes asking, 'Why are you copying me?'
A subtle, knowing smile touched Yukari's lips as she noticed Utaha and Shouko staring.
This was her second time seeing the novelist.
During Utaha's first visit, the human girl had been curious but guarded, opting to remain silent rather than initiate awkward small talk.
Now that Utaha was casting such obvious longing glances at her shikigami's tails, Yukari decided to break the ice.
"Do you like Ran's tails?" Yukari asked, resting her chin on her hand, her purple eyes crinkling with amusement.
Utaha nodded, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
Beside her, Shouko tilted her head, looking a bit confused by the sudden attention.
Yukari immediately picked up on the little girl's unusual silence.
Her eyes flickered with understanding, her sharp intellect quickly piecing together Shouko's situation.
She opened her mouth to speak, but the restaurant door slid open.
A bright blue blob of jelly bounced over the threshold.
"Boss! I'll have the pork cutlet bowl today!" Rimuru cheered, hopping up onto an empty stool.
Having missed out on the lively atmosphere yesterday, the slime had made sure to arrive early tonight.
Even as a monster, Rimuru's squishy form was incredibly endearing.
His bouncy entrance instantly captivated Shouko.
Children naturally have very little resistance to cute, round things.
Compared to fluffy fox tails, the little girl seemed to prefer this bouncy, squishy blue jelly just a bit more.
Stare...
From the moment Rimuru bounced into the restaurant, Shouko's eyes had locked onto him.
Rimuru didn't know what to do for a moment.
He wobbled awkwardly on his stool under the intense, unblinking scrutiny of the little girl.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.
"Hey, little girl over there. Why are you staring at me like that?" Rimuru asked.
Because Rimuru was a slime, his voice didn't come from a mouth.
The sound simply resonated outward from his gelatinous body through magic. Because there were no visual cues of speaking—no moving lips or shifting expressions—Shouko had no way of knowing he was talking to her.
And because she was deaf, she simply couldn't hear him.
She showed no reaction to his question.
She just kept staring at the bouncy blue blob.
"I'm sorry. Shouko-chan can't hear you," Utaha said softly.
Her words left Rimuru stunned.
Utaha didn't know the slime, but she apologized respectfully, hoping the monster wouldn't blame the little girl for being rude.
She then gently nudged Shouko's shoulder.
Shouko looked up at Utaha with a puzzled expression.
The novelist quickly scribbled a note in the notebook and slid it over. After reading it, the little girl's face instantly turned as red as a ripened apple.
She grabbed her pen, frantically wrote a sentence and held the notebook high in the air for Rimuru to see.
[I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare. Please forgive my rudeness.]
Shouko's small hands trembled slightly as she held the paper up.
She was incredibly nervous and shy, deeply regretting her behavior.
She had mentally braced herself to be scolded.
Reading the frantic apology, Rimuru let out a very expressive, wobbly sigh.
"It's alright! I don't mind at all," he said warmly.
Utaha quickly relayed Rimuru's response in the notebook.
Seeing the words, the tight anxiety in Shouko's chest finally loosened.
She wrote one last line—[Thank you]—before putting the notebook down and lowering her head in embarrassment.