"Boss, two bowls of pork hock rice!" Hintleyya greeted very familiarly, then conveniently helped Noah clear the original table and chairs so Noah could park her wheelchair in a suitable position.
This kind of small, bustling eatery was quite new to Noah, as she had grown up in quite a privileged environment.
At this moment, she felt a sense of curiosity, and from the smell her nose picked up, it was indeed fragrant.
Soon, the boss brought up two servings of pork hock rice in large bowls.
The rice wasn't anything fancy, and on top, besides the thickly sliced pork hocks, there were also green vegetables, cauliflower, chili, and soybeans—hmm, these were all detected by smell.
Noah was very confident in her sense of smell, but at this moment, this pork hock rice made her hesitate—
Could her body handle such a greasy dinner?
Her hesitation was interpreted differently by Hintleyya.
She thought this young lady didn't know how to eat pork hock rice at all, although in essence, it was just a rice bowl dish.
However, for a working person like Hintleyya, such pork hock rice was a delicacy that could directly revive her from boring work.
So she said, "Just take a bite, just one bite, and if you don't like it, you can give it to me, okay?"
"…No, I don't think this will be bad." Noah quickly explained, "Rather, I know it smells delicious, it's just…"
"Noah's health isn't very good," Kuro interjected from the side.
"She's not sure if she can eat such greasy food, so she's just hesitating."
"…I see." Hintleyya was quite surprised, not expecting such a powerful CEO to be so weak that she couldn't even eat greasy food casually.
"Then there's nothing for it, my mistake, I shouldn't have brought you to a place like this."
"No, I… I'll try a bite, okay?" Hearing the disappointment in the other person's tone, Noah's heart tightened.
For some reason, a hint of guilt arose within her, then she shook her head and picked up her chopsticks.
Kuro didn't stop Noah, just watched her tentatively pick up a piece of fatty meat with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth.
The moment it entered her mouth, Noah felt an unprecedented burst of fat and meat aroma.
Having eaten all sorts of delicacies, she had never experienced the generous portions and simple, straightforward flavors unique to common food, especially eating large bites of fatty meat, which was completely new to her.
Noah's usually somewhat pale complexion even became rosy due to this wonderful experience.
She covered her mouth, chewed slowly, then swallowed gradually, and after savoring it for a long time, she laboriously gave a thumbs-up.
"Delicious."
Actually, at this point, Kuro should have stopped her.
She had personally witnessed Noah's transformation from a healthy person to someone who could only rely on medication to maintain her body.
However, she also understood very well that for Noah, if her future life had to be bound by rules and regulations, that would be the real torment.
Just like how she could show such a happy smile and expression the first time she ate pork hock rice, Kuro wanted to see her truly smile more often.
"I told you, the pork hock rice here is absolutely amazing." Hintleyya looked at Noah's genuine smile and suddenly felt a little dazed.
She had originally thought the other person was a high-and-mighty spokesperson, and that her suggestion to change restaurants was merely a nervous utterance.
Yet, not only did the other person come, but she also genuinely praised her choice.
"Yes, it's certainly… " Noah paused, searching for an adjective, "more substantial and also delicious than the dishes at that restaurant."
If the dishes at the previous restaurant could be described as exquisite, complex in flavor, and made with top-notch ingredients, then this pork hock rice was a typical example of simple, straightforward, and delicious food.
What Noah usually ate was either bland, or the kind of exotic delicacies she had with others.
This simple and direct deliciousness of pork hock rice was indeed a first for her.
"That's right, when I'm tired from work, I usually come to this place for a bowl of pork hock rice.
Rain or shine."
"…But, Miss Hintleyya, won't you get fat like this?"
"…" Hintleyya's hand, which was holding her chopsticks, froze.
After a long pause, she finally said, "No, I get enough exercise."
"I see." Noah smiled and nodded, "That's true, Miss Hintleyya's work must be very hard, right?"
"Not really." Hintleyya shook her head.
"It's just for a living.
I never thought I'd be doing this job back then."
"So, Miss Hintleyya is very dissatisfied with her current job?" Noah blinked, "Then…"
"I didn't say that! Don't spread rumors!" Noah's words startled Hintleyya.
She couldn't afford to say such things carelessly.
"At least I'm very satisfied with the salary."
"Hmm…" Noah wisely stopped talking, picked up another piece of meat, and fed it into her mouth with rice, chewing and enjoying the simple indulgence.
She had originally only intended to tease the Shieldless League assassin in front of her, but instead, she ended up eating something good.
Perhaps this could also be considered a kind of fate.
It would be great if she could bring Margaret and the others here to eat in the future.
Compared to the meticulously served high-end restaurants, Noah still preferred the bustling atmosphere here.
What she heard was enthusiastic greetings, not the meticulously crafted service rhetoric of waiters, and although long-term consumption might lead to excessive fat and salt, it was pork hock rice that would always make her feel good just by eating it.
For someone like Noah, who didn't know how long she had left to live, such an experience was even more joyful than eating rare delicacies.
"Thank you for the treat." After finishing the pork hock rice, Noah felt like she hadn't eaten so much in a long time, even feeling a bit stuffed.
This must be what they mean by generous and filling… Noah couldn't help but think.
"I said I'd treat you to a meal earlier, but you ended up treating me instead.
So next time, I'll invite Miss Hintleyya, okay?"
"It's fine, it's not expensive food anyway." Hintleyya was quite happy during the meal, and the other person wasn't putting any pressure on her, but after the meal, she immediately planned to leave.
"Then I… I'll go first?"
"Wait a moment." Noah said, "Actually… Miss Hintleyya, next time, could you introduce me to another restaurant like this?"