Senzaemon bit into a piece of tempura.
His old face instantly bloomed into an incomparably broad smile, radiating joy and satisfaction.
That sort of smile would have been perfectly fitting on a pretty girl or a fresh-faced young man, but appearing on Senzaemon's old face, it seemed a little unfitting.
At least, Yuto had no desire to appreciate it.
Bang!
The same scene played out once more.
"Nakiri-san, your clothes," Yuto said helplessly.
"Hahaha, my apologies, my apologies. Being able to eat Kamisaka-kun's cooking again has simply made this old man too excited." Senzaemon somehow produced a fresh kimono from who knew where and put it back on again.
Every time Yuto watched him get dressed, he could not help marveling.
Just how practiced did someone have to be to finish changing clothes in a single second? And while sitting down, too!
Yuto seriously suspected that the old man in front of him possessed some kind of special ability, like rapid costume change!
"That's really amazing," Reiko exclaimed in admiration.
Yuto felt powerless to comment on that.
'Reiko, this really isn't the sort of thing you should be calling amazing. It's not appropriate! Really not appropriate.'
Meanwhile, beside Senzaemon, Erina was eating her tamagoyaki with a flushed face and utter enjoyment.
Only when facing Yuto's cooking did the God Tongue produce such an intense reaction.
Although it was an extremely embarrassing experience, what came afterward was an ultimate sense of satisfaction and comfort in her heart.
This kind of shock could only be experienced at a moment like this.
"Phew—so good~"
Ochazuke had always been a stomach-warming and healthy sort of dish.
When the steaming hot tea was poured over the rice, the dried seafood ingredients gradually loosened and unfolded beneath the scorching steam, offering a very soothing visual experience.
At night, after a long and busy day, tasting a bowl of ochazuke could fill a person with an intensely warm sense of satisfaction, just as it did for Hisako now.
As a secretary, the things she had been handling over the past few days were the most troublesome and the most numerous.
After being busy all this time, one bite of ochazuke made her feel much of the exhaustion in her body fade away.
Yuto could tell that all three of them were tired to varying degrees.
He could more or less guess why.
If they were cooperating with a giant like the Shinomiya Group, it would have been stranger if they were not mentally exhausted.
"I heard from Arato-san that lately you've been cooperating with the Shinomiya family?"
This kind of matter was not a secret.
The cooperation between the Nakiri family and the Shinomiya family was an open, aboveboard partnership that anyone who paid a little attention could find out about.
That was why, back in the café, Hisako had told Yuto about it so readily.
Senzaemon nodded.
"Arato-san? When did you meet Hisako?" Erina turned to Yuto in confusion.
Her eyes first went to Yuto, then to her secretary, her pretty face showing suspicion and scrutiny.
Under the gaze of her young lady, Hisako's face flushed red.
Yuto was a little surprised, having thought that Hisako had already told Erina about running into him at the café.
But from the looks of it, it was obvious she had kept it hidden.
He did not understand why she had concealed it, but since he had already brought it up, there was no way to keep it hidden any longer.
"Yes, I did meet Arato-san before," Yuto said calmly.
This made Erina's expression turn strange and surprised.
She looked at Hisako. "Hisako, why didn't you tell me about this before?"
As a secretary, Hisako was suddenly caught in an awkward bind, feeling both embarrassed and helpless.
Back then, when she ran into Yuto in Akihabara, he had discovered her secret regarding shoujo manga!
She had gone to buy that manga for her young lady, originally wanting to keep it hidden, but Yuto had still found out the truth.
She had thought at the time that if she told her young lady about it, Erina would surely be mortified, so she chose to keep it hidden.
Everything had been concealed perfectly well all along, but who could have known that Yuto would suddenly bring it up today?
Hisako raised her head and shot Yuto a look tinged with complaint and annoyance.
Yuto felt a jolt in his heart.
'Oh. I said the wrong thing again.'
"Erina-sama, I'll explain this to you after we get home, all right?" Hisako asked with a forced smile.
Erina looked at Hisako suspiciously, then at Yuto, and finally nodded.
She had realized that something was slightly off, and her quick-witted mind immediately began analyzing the matter.
Hisako would never harm her, so if she had concealed it, she must have had her reasons.
"All right," Erina agreed.
Hisako let out a breath of relief, casting another glance at Yuto that made his emotions ripple ever so slightly.
Although Reiko could not quite understand what was going on, that did not stop her from wanting to laugh a little.
"Kamisaka-kun, bring me another serving of tempura," Senzaemon asked.
Yuto glanced worriedly at the man's clothes and the old man understood immediately.
"Don't worry. This time I'll control myself!" Senzaemon declared with extreme confidence, giving a grand wave of his hand.
Since he had said that, Yuto chose to believe him and returned to the kitchen to make another serving of tempura.
After Senzaemon happily ate the tempura this time, he really did not burst out of his clothes.
Yuto was shocked all over again.
'That was something he could control?!'
Senzaemon's old face broke into a smile.
Whether he had "burst" or not, he knew that very well himself. Outwardly, nothing had happened, but underneath....
"Hah—just as I thought, after a budy day, peacefully enjoying good food really is the best way to rest!" Senzaemon let out a long breath, looking far more refreshed than before.
People were different from one another.
Some people, after working hard, had to sleep and rest.
But Senzaemon, after working hard, had to taste good food.
As long as he ate a dish he truly liked, it was like a shot of stimulant, allowing him to keep right on working.
"Is working with the Shinomiya family that tiring?" Yuto asked with an easy smile.
The relationship between him and Senzaemon was actually a bit like friends across generations.
The man came here to eat all the time, and the two of them had long since grown familiar.
Senzaemon let out a deeply emotional sigh. "That's right."
His expression was extremely complicated, as if he had been through quite a lot.
"If it's that tiring, then eat a little more."
Although Yuto was curious about what exactly the man had gone through these past few days, it would not be good to keep asking.
Fortunately, he was not someone whose curiosity was hard to restrain.
He said it in a bright open tone, immediately winning Senzaemon's wholehearted approval.
After picking up another piece of tempura, Senzaemon put it in his mouth.
With a crunch came a bang as the upper half of his clothes exploded apart.
Yuto scolded him, and the man instantly changed into a new set of clothes again.
Yuto could only sigh helplessly while the old man remained completely unconcerned and burst into hearty laughter.
Yuto deeply acknowledged the thickness of the man's skin—it was truly thick to the extreme!