Chapter 287 - A Seat Beside Me
"—Thank you for waiting. Here is the swimming crab in tomato sauce."
"…"
"And over here, the Pacific saury and rapeseed blossom aglio e olio."
"Thank you."
When five university students get together and make a racket, time flies. The afternoon had turned to evening, and about an hour ago, I had turned down my friends' dinner invitation, saying, 'Unfortunately, I have a prior engagement.' In that short time, my 'ordinary' life had transformed into the 'extraordinary.'
The location was the mansion that had become my new home, inside its private, built-in restaurant. Though small, its elegant and calm atmosphere sufficiently created the feeling of being 'cut off from the world.'
Well, I'm over the extraordinary part. I've resigned myself to the fact that 'ordinary' has become a rarity in my life. I'll even gracefully accept the fact that the world's most famous person is sitting next to me as if it's the most natural thing in the world.
However—
"…What are you doing here?"
What in the world was this man, Chitose Kazuharu, doing here, playing the part of waiter and chef with such a matter-of-fact expression on his face?
I sat down, rang the bell, and he was just summoned from somewhere.
"What do you mean? It's just as you see. We have the facilities, but we can't very well hire outside staff for this building."
"Then you shouldn't have built a restaurant in the first place…"
"It wasn't originally a restaurant, just a large kitchen. We renovated it to provide meal services when the 'tenants' moved in."
Needless to say, he was referring to us. I'll say it as many times as I have to: this VIP treatment is so over-the-top it's scary.
"Come now, you can chat while you eat, can't you?"
He had a point—it's best when it's freshly made.
"Alright then… let's eat."
"Let's eat."
Together, we put our hands together before the pasta and picked up our forks.
It wasn't that he specialized in Italian food; we had simply chosen from the 'specials of the day' he listed off.
"W-wait a minute. Who the hell are you, really…?"
"Oh? And in which sense do you mean that?"
In the positive sense, you bastard… What is this? It's insanely delicious. To the point where I'd suspect this was his real job.
"It's delicious."
"I am honored, Princess."
While I was left dumbfounded after a single bite, this princess of mine was completely in her own world.
Iris, who had taken the seat next to me despite it not being a counter, was silently shoveling pasta into her mouth, a pleasant blank expression on her face.
Her beautiful black hair was tied up in a magnificent ponytail, perhaps her style for meals, and the nape of her white neck was positively radiant—but let's set that aside for now.
I'd never heard of spring saury before. I wonder how it differs from the autumn variety.
"…No, yeah. I'll be honest, this is delicious."
"Thank you. To let you in on the secret, my previous job was as a chef. I've just continued to hone my skills as a hobby since Yotsuya picked me up."
Ah, I see. So he's a former professional. Even so, for someone his age, he's incredibly skilled…
"Now then… it's only been a day, so I'm sure you still have much to discuss. Feel free to call me if you'd like to order anything else. I'll take my leave—"
"No, stay here."
As Chitose-san placed our drinks on the table and tried to leave, Iris stopped him.
I was only invited last night to 'talk about what comes next,' so I don't know the details. Is he involved too?
…On a side note, you eat a lot, Princess.
Isn't that a large portion? No, a massive one? The size of your plate is different from mine.
"…?"
She must have noticed my sidelong glance. Our eyes met for a moment, and she tilted her head slightly.
"—Want a taste?"
"H-hey, wait…?!"
She offered me a fork with pasta neatly twirled around it, a calm look on her face.
Seriously, I'm so sorry, please just spare me.
I appreciate the consideration—how she used a spare piece of silverware from the cutlery set, how she skillfully wrapped it to include all the ingredients. I truly appreciate it, but—
"Here."
"Don't 'here' me, come on…!"
This earnest 'say ahh' attack, a deadly move straight out of fiction, completely negates all her thoughtfulness…!
"Haha, what's the problem? I'm not looking."
"Could you say that after you either close your eyes or turn around?!"
And on top of that, the Princess is too strong.
She doesn't pull any of those stereotypical maidenly moves like looking dejected when I don't respond. It's like she's never even heard of them.
Her expression radiates a will of steel that practically screams, I will stay like this until you eat. She isn't budging an inch, and I don't feel like I'll be allowed to 'escape.'
"Don't worry so much. It's not like you have another girlfriend, so I doubt you'll get stabbed. The fake engagement doesn't count, of course."
What do you mean, another? You say it so casually. The fact is, I've never once retracted my 'no thank you to romance' stance…
"Fine, fine… I get it, I get it! Hey, you, the adult over there. I demand you show some consideration for your juniors, effective immediately."
I finally broke under Iris's unyielding pressure and shot a glare at Chitose-san, who was one hundred percent enjoying this, trying to at least set the stage.
While he turned away with a chuckling "Yes, yes," I, who had been pushed into this with zero preparation, faced the offered fork.
You know how in fiction, people say they're so embarrassed or happy that they can't taste the food?
Well, I've discovered a certain truth about that—no matter how mortifyingly embarrassing it is, truly delicious food is still delicious.
I'd never had spring saury or saury pasta before, but this was exquisite.
"I'll have another plate of this, please."
"…You have some nerve, you know that?"
"Because it's delicious."
Of course, there's another truth I learned that I won't say out loud—that your average 'delicious' wouldn't stand a chance against this level of intense embarrassment.
"Haru."
"Yes."
"Your face is red."
"Thanks to you…!"
That inscrutable deadpan face of yours… you're not as innocent as you look, are you…!