Before they knew it, the two had arrived at the entrance of a family restaurant.
Well, it wasn't exactly "before they knew it"; actually, Natsuhi had found it by checking the navigation on her phone...
Pushing open the shop door, a crisp chime of wind bells rang out. Warm air, mixed with the aroma of food and soft music, rushed to meet them, shutting out the cold wind from outside.
The interior decor featured classic wood tones, the booths were comfortable, and quite a few students and office workers were dining, creating a relaxed and cozy atmosphere.
A waitress wearing an apron walked up with a smile: "Welcome! For two? Please, this way."
After being led to a booth by the window, Natsuhi pushed the menu with its colorful pictures in front of Yui.
"Order whatever you like. It's my treat today, so don't stand on ceremony with me."
Looking at Yui with a smile, Natsuhi felt in a very good mood, having a strong sense of deja vu like she was raising a daughter.
Yui took the menu, her fingertips gently gliding over the dazzling array of pictures. The golden crispness of the pork cutlet, the steaming hot hamburger steak, the rich sauce of the spaghetti... Every dish radiated an alluring sheen.
Her stomach grumbled uncooperatively again, but it was covered up by the chatter around them.
Her finger finally stopped at the picture of the most modest omurice. After hesitating for a moment, she looked up and said softly to the waiting waitress: "One omurice, please."
"Alright~~ One omurice, right?"
"Yes. Also, may I ask, could I have extra ketchup?"
"No problem. There are condiments at the front desk; you can use as much as you like."
"Thank you..."
Hearing their conversation, Natsuhi raised an eyebrow slightly. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, her tone gentle but carrying an undeniable sense of refusal: "Didn't we agree you'd order whatever you wanted? You don't need to save money for me."
"Look at this fried shrimp tempura set, or the steak. Don't you want to try them?"
Yui avoided her overly direct gaze, looking down at the cheap price tag next to the omurice on the menu. Her fingers subconsciously tightened around the edge of the menu, her voice sounding a bit muffled: "...No, thank you. Omurice is fine."
She paused, as if to defend herself, her volume dropping a few notches: "Besides, I don't want to... owe you too much. I will pay you back later."
[Tsk, this kid...]
She clicked her tongue inwardly, yet her gaze softened unconsciously.
[This stubborn, prideful behavior... it's exactly like me back then.]
Fragments of her past life flashed through her mind. The figure of that boy who also refused to accept charity and gritted his teeth, trading sweat for everything in the boxing gym, subtly overlapped with the stubborn girl before her.
[It wouldn't hurt to just be honest and say 'I want to eat this'. Why go through all this trouble for yourself?]
It was precisely this overly intense self-esteem that proved Yui's internal purity and pride, untainted by the malice of this world.
"Miss, what would you like to order?"
"Um... two hamburger steaks, the fried tempura set, grilled green onion rolls, grilled salmon, authentic Sichuan mapo tofu, a bowl of white rice, and warm water... two cups."
[Looking at where her finger was pointing earlier, this should be correct.]
"Alright~~ And for the spice level of the mapo tofu..."
"Normal is fine."
"Understood. Please wait a moment, the dishes will be ready soon."
Watching the waiter return to the kitchen with the notepad, Yui, somewhat dumbfounded, spoke to Natsuhi who was setting the menu aside: "You... ordered so much. Can you finish it?"
"That's why you're here!"
She said it as a matter of course, her fingers spinning her chopsticks easily.
"Me, me?"
Yui pointed at herself, somewhat incredulously.
"That's right. The biggest benefit of eating together is—you can order many different dishes and get to taste a bit of everything!"
"See, if I were alone, I definitely couldn't finish all this."
"But now that you're here, we can order everything on the menu we want to eat. This isn't called wasting; it's called... a wise tasting strategy!"
Yui looked at the various dishes arriving on the table one after another, their aromas constantly drilling into her nostrils. She muttered softly: "Even for a tasting, isn't this a bit too much..."
"What does it matter~"
Natsuhi had already picked up her chopsticks and mixed the hamburger steak into the mapo tofu, deliberately sweeping a look of regret over the plate of golden, crispy tempura.
"I've already ordered it anyway. If you don't help me eat it, it'll just have to be thrown away in the end. What a pity."
Yui looked at the sumptuous dishes before her, then at Natsuhi's serious expression of 'if you don't eat it, it's a waste of food', and finally gave in to the combination of delicious food and her moral code of 'not wasting'.
"...I get it."
She said softly, her hand honestly picking up the chopsticks, "But... next time you really don't need to order so much..."
"Yes, yes~"
Natsuhi responded with a smile, though she was thinking to herself—'If she's still too shy next time, I'll just have to use the same trick again.'
"Pfft—hiss—..."
Natsuhi stared, dumbfounded, at the plate of omurice the waiter had just served. At this moment, under Yui's 'devastation', it had become completely red, and one couldn't find any trace of the original omurice.
"Is this even omurice anymore?"
Her inherent cognition simply couldn't accept that the red lump on the table was omurice; it would be more accurate to call it rice covered in egg and ketchup.
Even for a ketchup lover, that was a lethal dose.
Yui looked at her 'masterpiece' and finally revealed a satisfied, almost 'radiant' smile.
She picked up her spoon, scooped up a large chunk of egg skin and rice thoroughly soaked in ketchup, and happily put it into her mouth under Natsuhi's shocked gaze.
Natsuhi: [Is that even edible?]
The moment that spoonful of rice, completely drenched in ketchup, entered her mouth, Yui's movements paused.
The rich, sweet and sour flavor exploded on her taste buds, enveloping the tender, smooth egg skin and fragrant fried rice. The warm food slid down her esophagus, filling the emptiness in her stomach, and seemed to instantly shatter the defenses she had built up for so long.
[How long... how long has it been since I sat in a warm shop like this, peacefully and properly, and had a decent meal?]
The days spent drifting between expired convenience store food and the suspicious "kindness" of strangers after running away from home, those nights of fear and anxiety—all the pent-up grievances, loneliness, and unease were completely detonated in this moment by this simple yet incredibly warm bite of omurice.
A hot tear fell without warning, landing on the bright red ketchup and spreading into a small, dark mark.
She hurriedly lowered her head, wanting to hide it, but more tears gushed out uncontrollably, and her vision quickly blurred into a haze.
She didn't want to make a sound because it was too embarrassing, but her thin shoulders couldn't help but start to tremble slightly.
Finally, she slumped helplessly onto the table, burying her face deep in her arms, leaving only stifled, intermittent sobs leaking out from the gaps.
Natsuhi's expression froze. Looking at the girl who had to suppress even her crying, her heart felt like it was being tightly gripped by an invisible hand.
She didn't speak, didn't joke as usual, and didn't rush to make physical contact.
The girl needed a little time to process her emotions. She simply, silently, pushed the tissues and that cup of warm water from in front of her to Yui's side.
On the walls of the transparent glass, condensed water droplets slowly slid down, like someone's unspeakable tears at this moment.
Yui raised her tear-streaked face, her voice choked with wet sobs, "Why, why are you being so good to someone you met for the first time?"
"I told you, didn't I? I can't just leave you be. It's that simple."
"Thank you, Natsuhi..."