Chapter 57: A Conversation with Olesia

“What do you want to do?”

Olesia took a step back, one hand covering the collar of her dress, as if worried Yuriko was about to make some outrageous demand.

Seeing her so wary, Yuriko thought her own actions might have seemed too aggressive.

Right now, she should try to soothe the other girl’s feelings.

“Don’t be so guarded. I’m not going to eat you here. Am I really that scary in your eyes?”

Yuriko thought she had always been quite approachable.

She had never lost her temper in front of others, never made things difficult for anyone, and always helped when asked.

Could someone as kind as her really warrant such caution?

“Then why are you stopping me? Isn’t it to take the chance to ask me to do… to do something excessive?”

Hey, hey, what were you thinking with that pause?

Do I look that bad?

“No, I just wanted to say, since you’ve already been exposed, why not finish your meal before leaving?”

A whole table of delicious food just got served, and you’re leaving without taking a single bite?

That’s quite rude to me, the owner!

Olesia looked at the feast on the table.

She really did want to eat it.

But having her secret exposed was embarrassing enough.

Did she really want Yuriko to see her unrefined eating habits too?

“Guh… I’ll pay properly this time. I don’t have much of an appetite today. I’ll come back next time.”

Olesia turned her head away, refusing to look at the dishes, as if that could shield her from their temptation.

“How sad. I’m so disliked that I’ve spoiled your appetite, Miss Wyndham? I’m truly sorry. I’ll leave right away. That should restore your appetite, right?”

Yuriko mimicked Yuri’s tone and moved to pull the door handle, pretending to leave the private room.

“!”

Olesia’s eyes widened.

She hadn’t expected Yuriko to use such manipulative ‘tea talk’ to corner her.

She knew Yuriko was doing it on purpose, but refusing now would be an indirect admission that she disliked Yuriko.

“I’m not leaving. I’ll stay and eat, alright?”

Sure enough, as soon as Olesia said that, Yuriko stopped.

There was no trace of the sadness of being hated on her face; her attempt to leave had been pure theater.

Olesia sighed helplessly and walked back to her seat.

She felt today was truly unlucky.

Getting caught by a classmate eating at this kind of restaurant was one thing, but of all people, it had to be Yuriko.

“Would you like to have some too?”

Olesia asked Yuriko out of politeness.

She only asked out of courtesy.

Given the relationship between them, if Yuriko had any manners, she would know to refuse.

“No, thank you. But you don’t mind if I sit beside you, do you?”

“…I don’t mind.”

Actually, she did mind quite a bit.

Olesia didn’t really want an audience while she ate.

Yuriko sat in a seat near Olesia, not right next to her, maintaining a polite distance.

She took out her mobile phone and dialed You-mi’s number.

“You-mi, it’s me. Have the kitchen stir-fry two more of the signature dishes for Private Room One and send them over. Bring an extra set of utensils too. Put it on my tab.”

After giving instructions to the kitchen via phone, Yuriko put down her mobile phone and looked at Olesia.

This was a rare opportunity.

She wanted to have a good chat with this “perfect” girl.

“Miss Wyndham, you’re worried about losing your composure in front of me, right? Don’t worry. I crawled up from the streets. I don’t really understand you nobles’ etiquette. If you feel it’s unfair, I’ll let you watch me eat too. My table manners are definitely more embarrassing.”

Olesia was indeed worried about that.

In front of others, she couldn’t relax and fully enjoy the food.

She couldn’t just drop her guard because of Yuriko’s words.

Even if Yuriko promised not to tell, she wouldn’t casually be discourteous.

“…”

A while passed, and Olesia still hadn’t picked up her chopsticks.

Honestly, she really wanted to just leave, but now she was stuck here and had to eat.

“I was planning to treat Mira to a meal today. I never expected to run into Miss Wyndham here. What a pleasant surprise. To think I get to share a meal with the Academy’s number one genius beauty. It’s such an honor just thinking about it.”

Olesia stared at the bowl and chopsticks in front of her.

Before starting to eat, she still wanted to get rid of the Yuriko beside her.

“Miss Ruri, if you need something, just say it directly. Within my capabilities, I can satisfy your request.”

What other reason could there be for someone not very familiar to suddenly cling to her, besides having some ulterior motive?

In fact, Yuriko did have designs on Olesia, but not the vulgar or crude kind.

Her idea was to use this chance to learn more about her biggest competitor, perhaps gaining an advantage for future rivalry.

“I don’t really want anything. If I had to say what I want… it’s to understand Miss Wyndham a little better. After all, Nomily is always chattering in my ear about how amazing her Elder Sister is. It’s made me quite curious about you.”

“I apologize. If Nomily has been bothering you, I’ll have a good talk with her when I get back.”

“No, no, I think she’s quite cute. Please don’t blame her.”

“That’s good then.”

Olesia showed no intention of initiating conversation.

If Yuriko didn’t speak, she wouldn’t bother either.

The two of them just sat stiffly in the private room.

No topics…

Yuriko was a bit troubled.

Although she’d decided on the spur of the moment to chat with this young lady, Olesia seemed to maintain her guard, convinced Yuriko had other motives.

“Miss Wyndham, aren’t you going to eat? The food won’t taste as good once it’s cold.”

“It’s fine. I won’t let it go to waste.”

Olesia still showed no sign of picking up her chopsticks.

“Hot dishes should be eaten while they’re hot. Once they cool, not only does the aroma diminish greatly, but you might even get an upset stomach. If Miss Wyndham prefers cold food, I can recommend a few cold dishes here.”

Olesia’s gaze, fixed on the bowl and chopsticks, finally shifted.

She looked at Yuriko and initiated conversation for the first time.

“You seem to know a lot about these dishes?”

Oh?

Is she interested in food?

Being interested is good.

The worst would be not knowing what to talk about and sitting here in awkward silence.

“Of course. Besides here, you won’t find food with this restaurant’s flavor anywhere else. Because all the dishes in this restaurant are my original creations!”

Yuriko puffed out her chest proudly.

Although they weren’t truly her original creations, she had worked hard to recreate the tastes from her memories, so she’d claim a little credit.

Her words ignited Olesia’s interest.

Olesia turned fully to face Yuriko and asked,

“You alone developed the dozens of menu items in this restaurant?”

“That’s right. What’s the matter? Are you getting curious about me? Actually, my personal cooking skills are even better than this restaurant’s.”

Although she felt a bit guilty taking credit for the “original” part, Yuriko had successfully brought Sichuan Cuisine to this other world.

There was no similar cuisine here, which was why the restaurants she opened were so explosively popular.