“Thank you so much this time. If it weren’t for you, I definitely wouldn’t have ordered the grilled fish by myself.”
If she ordered alone, with Olesia’s appetite, she absolutely couldn’t finish it.
And for the sake of secrecy, she couldn’t choose to take it away or call someone else to eat with her.
Yuriko also wiped her mouth, planning to ask the kitchen for two takeout boxes later.
“What’s there to thank? We’re classmates, aren’t we? And our tastes are actually quite similar. Have you had hot pot? If not, I’ll take you to eat it next time.”
“Hot pot?”
“Wyndham, you don’t know? The hot pot restaurant is the most popular shop among all my family’s restaurants.”
Among all the restaurants Yuriko owned, the hot pot restaurant was the most popular and had the most branches.
There were many chain stores just in the North District.
“I’ve heard of it, but I’m not very familiar with the dining rules. It seems you have to choose ingredients and cook them yourself. It’s really not easy for me to go in alone.”
Even if Olesia had money and could book a large private room to eat by herself, if no one took her for her first hot pot experience, she would be at a loss with these unique dining rules.
Olesia had crammed relevant knowledge, like popular ingredients and how long each ingredient should be boiled, but with only theoretical knowledge, she didn’t dare set foot in one yet.
Yuriko’s mind conjured an image of Olesia sitting alone in a large private room meant for ten, lonely, boiling her hot pot.
Actually, if Yuriko hadn’t been here today, Olesia would most likely have been eating here alone anyway.
Eating alone in a restaurant meant for gatherings was really…
“Hey, Wyndham.”
“Yes?”
“Would you like to be my meal buddy?”
Yuriko made the request.
Olesia hadn’t expected Yuriko to suddenly propose such a thing.
She didn’t answer immediately, first confirming:
“You mean, you want to eat with me?”
“Exactly. Eating alone is so boring. You can still enjoy the delicious food, but you can only bury your feelings deep in your heart, unable to share them with anyone. That feeling must be hard to bear, right?”
Anyway, Yuriko never kept things bottled up.
When something happy happened, she shared it; when something sad happened, she talked about it.
If she kept everything inside, it would really make her sick.
Olesia placed a hand over her chest, recalling her past experiences coming here.
She always came secretly by herself.
Her mood would become joyful while enjoying the food.
Tasting those spicy dishes that made her whole body sweat gave her a kind of unprecedented thrill.
But other than that?
She couldn’t discuss her thoughts with anyone, couldn’t share her experience.
Suddenly looking up, she could only stare blankly at the empty room alone.
At times like that, she must have felt lonely too, right?
Today, with Yuriko by her side, she didn’t feel the same emptiness as before after the meal ended.
So, should she agree?
Olesia’s gaze fell on Yuriko’s charming face.
Those beautiful pink eyes were sparkling with anticipation, making people unable to resist wanting to get close.
If it’s Yuriko… it seems like it wouldn’t be bad.
“Before accepting, may I propose a condition?”
“Please go ahead.”
“Our matters must not be known by a third person. When eating with me, you cannot bring a third party.”
“Does my cat count?”
“No.”
“Absolutely no problem!”
Yuriko extended her hand and shook Olesia’s.
“Then it’s settled! Next time I’ll take you to eat hot pot. I guarantee you’ll like it!”
Usually, she ate with Phantom.
She hadn’t expected to now have Olesia too.
This could be considered an unexpected delight~
As for not being able to bring anyone when eating with Olesia, what about Phantom?
It’s fine.
Phantom doesn’t have to be a person.
She can just turn into a cat and eat.
A faint smile finally appeared on Olesia’s face.
This was her first smile today, making Yuriko momentarily dazed.
She really is so beautiful…
“Since we’ve become meal buddies, to make it easier to contact each other, let’s add each other as friends.”
Olesia took out her phone, and she and Yuriko added each other as friends.
“Wyndham, your profile picture is a golden chrysanthemum. It feels very fitting for your temperament.”
Although Yuriko felt most young people wouldn’t use a flower as a profile picture, Olesia acted too properly, making her taste not surprising at all.
“Call me Olesia. Using my surname all the time feels too distant… This is a Golden Chrysanthemum. It’s a plant from my hometown, symbolizing vitality, hope, and resilience. It’s also believed to bring good luck.”
“Then… Olesia?”
“Mhm.”
Yuriko looked at the blooming golden flower on the phone, dazzling under the sunlight, then raised her head to look at Olesia.
“I don’t know much about flower language, but I think this flower is as dazzling as you are.”
“Thank you.”
Olesia didn’t react much to the compliment.
She had heard similar words countless times before, so she didn’t feel much.
However, hearing it from Yuriko’s mouth still made her mood slightly more pleasant.
“Since we’ve become meal buddies, Olesia, just call me Yuriko directly too.”
“Mhm,” Olesia nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Please take care of me, Yuriko.”
—
When they left the restaurant, it was almost six o’clock.
Olesia, wearing sunglasses and a mask, hailed a taxi and left.
Yuriko, carrying two food containers, walked in the direction of home.
She hadn’t expected to get closer to Olesia.
Although they were still competitors, who said competitors had to be at each other’s throats?
Lucky~
Humming an unknown little tune, Yuriko’s steps became light and lively.
If there weren’t people on the street, she would definitely have skipped home.
The way home passed by the night market.
Yuriko, worried that the packed grilled fish and boiled beef wouldn’t be enough to feed the cat at home, planned to buy some snacks here before going back.
What to buy~
Yuriko wandered in front of various stalls, somewhat unable to decide, so she simply sent a message to her tablet:
“Brought you left over grilled fish and boiled beef. I’m at the night market now. What else do you want to eat?”
The “typing…” prompt lit up on her phone.
Yuriko was waiting for the reply when she was suddenly drawn by a quarrel not far away.
Something had happened ahead, gathering quite a few people.
From the very center, the voices of two people arguing could be heard.
One sounded like an ordinary uncle, the other sounded very young, like a child.
Yuriko squeezed through the crowd, planning to get the firsthand scoop.
In the center of the crowd, a stall owner was arguing with an elementary school girl.
Listening to their argument, it seemed the little girl had eaten without paying.
Wait… does that little girl have a pair of dragon horns on her head?
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