A ride-share car came to a smooth stop in front of a restaurant building bathed in the warm, orange glow of the setting sun.
Clunk.
The car doors swung open.
One young man and two young women stepped out onto the pavement.
Among them, the raven-haired girl with straight, waterfall-like locks and a pristine white hairband tilted her head back, her eyes scanning the illuminated sign above the entrance. "Ryuuki Restaurant…" she read softly, then her gaze caught the smaller characters in the bottom right corner. "...Chinese?"
She noticed the two kanji for 'Chinese cuisine' and turned to the young man beside her with a flicker of surprise. Raising a slender finger to point at the restaurant, she asked, "Nii-san, is Sensei treating us to Chinese food?"
"Mhm. Let's head in first," Kasumigaoka Touji replied, equally taken aback when he'd received the message. He hadn't expected the teacher to choose a Chinese restaurant. It was a pleasant surprise.
"I wonder if Sensei has arrived yet," Kani Nayuta mused aloud, already stepping forward with a light, eager pace and pushing open the heavy glass door.
"She's already here…"
...
Kasumigaoka Touji informed the hostess at the entrance of the reservation details Kojima Kana had provided. They were promptly led to a table by the window.
There, Kojima Kana was already seated waiting. Her hair was styled in its signature elegant, feather-like updo, her makeup was exquisitely applied, and she wore a pure white sweatshirt paired with a chic, form-fitting chino skirt—a look that was both casual and subtly alluring, radiating a charm distinct from her usual classroom demeanor.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Sensei," Kasumigaoka Touji said, stepping forward to greet her.
"It's quite alright. I only just arrived myself," Kojima Kana replied, standing up with a graceful wave of her hand, her smile warm and welcoming.
Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kani Nayuta, following behind, also offered polite greetings to their teacher.
Kojima Kana nodded in acknowledgment, then gestured for the two girls to take their seats.
Since they both naturally settled into the chairs across from the teacher, Kasumigaoka Touji had little choice but to take the vacant seat beside her.
As he sat down, a faint, wonderfully pleasant fragrance—clean, floral, and uniquely hers—wafted gently to his senses. It was incredibly soothing, putting him completely at ease.
Honestly, Sensei is really amazing! In every sense of the word!
A faint, involuntary flutter stirred in Kasumigaoka Touji's chest…
...
This seating arrangement… feels a bit off!Your girlfriend is sitting right across from you, and you choose to sit next to me?
Feeling the subtle shift in weight as Kasumigaoka Touji settled into the chair beside her, Kojima Kana's movements paused for a fraction of a second. A slight, complex ripple disturbed the calm of her heart.
Even though the incident from a few days ago was over, and this dinner was meant to be a neat conclusion to it… she still felt a twinge of self-consciousness.
Afraid that Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kani Nayuta might notice anything unusual, Kojima Kana swiftly regained her composure. She picked up the menu from the table and opened it, launching into an introduction with practiced ease.
"This restaurant primarily serves Sichuan and Cantonese cuisine. Can everyone handle spicy food? If so, we can order some Sichuan dishes. If not, we'll stick to Cantonese."
As she spoke, she turned the open menu to face Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kani Nayuta.
"I can handle spicy food," Kasumigaoka Utaha was the first to respond, her eyes already scanning the menu with interest. Since Kasumigaoka Touji occasionally prepared Sichuan dishes at home, she had built up a tolerance. A little heat was no problem.
"I can too," Kani Nayuta chimed in, nodding.
"Then, please take a look and see if there's anything you'd like to try," Kojima Kana said, using her delicate, pale fingers to gesture at the menu's offerings.
Kasumigaoka Touji, sitting off to the side, blinked slowly. He looked at her with a hint of playful accusation in his eyes.
Sensei, aren't you going to ask for my opinion?
Not that it mattered—he could handle spice just fine…
...
Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kani Nayuta, noticing nothing amiss, leaned their heads together over the menu, perusing the options.
"Mapo Tofu!"
Kani Nayuta was the first to point at a tempting, close-up photograph of the iconic dish.
The waiter standing ready to take their order promptly noted it down, then asked, "Mild, medium, or spicy?"
"Mild is fine. Even the 'mild' here has quite a kick," Kojima Kana advised from the side.
Kani Nayuta nodded gently—she had some idea of what "mild" meant in the context of Sichuan cuisine. She hadn't eaten much of it, but she'd seen enough to know; she had no objections.
Kasumigaoka Utaha followed up, her finger landing on another picture. "One Sweet and Sour Pork, please."
After a moment's thought, she added, "...and one Shuizhu Pork Slices."
Having added the classic boiled pork in chili sauce, she then slid the menu across the table toward the other two.
It was at this moment Kojima Kana seemed to finally remember Kasumigaoka Touji. She nudged the menu toward him. "Kasumigaoka-san, would you like to order anything else…?"
Kasumigaoka Touji didn't stand on ceremony either. He took the menu and gave it a quick scan. Soon, he pointed to an image and addressed the attentive waiter. "And one order of Salt and Pepper Mantis Shrimp, please."
With four dishes already ordered, he decided that was enough and pushed the menu back toward the teacher.
Kojima Kana accepted it, flipped through a few more pages, and then added a Tianfu-style Boiled Fish and a large bowl of rice for the table. She also ordered drinks for everyone, concluding the ordering process.
The waiter bowed respectfully. "Please enjoy your conversation. Your dishes will arrive shortly," he said before departing.
A brief, tangible silence descended upon the table.
"Does Sensei enjoy Chinese food?" Kasumigaoka Touji quickly spoke up, deftly preventing the atmosphere from turning awkward.
"Mhm… It's quite good. I've grown rather fond of it."
"Lately, I've become particularly obsessed with Shuizhu Pork Slices," Kojima Kana continued, holding up a slender, snow-white finger for emphasis. "I can easily finish a whole large bowl of rice with just that one dish!"
Kasumigaoka Touji nodded in enthusiastic agreement. "Shuizhu Pork Slices is truly excellent. It has meat, vegetables, and that wonderfully appetizing sauce that goes perfectly with rice."
"Exactly! But whenever I try to recreate it at home, it always turns out a little… lackluster. I can't quite figure out what I'm doing wrong."
At this, a genuinely troubled expression clouded Kojima Kana's lovely features.
Seeing her dilemma, Kasumigaoka Touji offered a suggestion. "In that case, Sensei, why not check out my video tutorial? I have a very detailed one on how to make Shuizhu Pork Slices. If you follow it, you should be able to make a pretty authentic version."
"Really?" Kojima Kana looked at him with surprised, wide eyes, blinking slowly. "Then I'll definitely give it a try later. Consider it me putting your skills as a culinary YouTuber to the test!"
"Please, be my guest! I welcome the challenge."
...
Across the table—
Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kani Nayuta exchanged a glance, watching the easy back-and-forth between the other two with mild surprise.
They couldn't help but feel that their relationship seemed… unusually friendly and relaxed.
Come to think of it, is Kojima-sensei actually a very warm and approachable person in private?
The thought left them both feeling rather astonished.