"You're telling me the place with delicious matcha is a Japanese restaurant?"
On the basement floor, Jiang Jingya looked at the shop named "Heguya" with little interest.
After all, Japanese restaurants mainly serve seafood and fried dishes; when it comes to desserts, they definitely can't compare to specialized dessert shops.
"Since we're already here, let's go in and try it. What if you like it?"
Yao An didn't explain, striding in with her long legs.
Jiang Jingya could only follow.
It was close to 3 PM, so there was no queue, and only one table of diners remained.
When the waiter saw the two beautiful women enter, he quickly wiped their table clean again.
Yao An brushed her stray hair behind her ear, flipped directly to the last page of the menu, and began ordering with practiced ease.
"One bamboo parfait, one tiramisu, and one matcha latte. For me, I'll have… a crème brûlée."
"Would you like a main course? Our unagi don and ramen are very authentic."
Suzhou's local palate tends to be sweet, while the shop's food is primarily savory. This meant that even during the summer tourist season, the shop's business wasn't particularly good.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been relegated to the basement floor by the mall.
But the waiter truly loved the atmosphere of the shop. He genuinely promoted the popular dishes, not wanting the place to close down due to a lack of customers.
"No, thank you."
After the waiter left, Yao An pulled out a tissue to wipe away the damp marks on the table, then said,
"The owner of this shop is a genuine Kyoto native from Japan. Kyoto has three major characteristics you've probably heard of: Kiyomizu-dera, matcha, and…"
She left it hanging.
Jiang Jingya became interested.
"What's the other one? Kyoto Imperial Palace?"
Yao An shook her head.
"It's Kyoto-accented aunties."
Jiang Jingya looked utterly bewildered; she clearly hadn't seen the Incapable series, the Superior series, or the Classmate series.
"But how do you know the owner of this shop is from Japan? Are you, you little fox, secretly eating delicious food behind my back often?"
Yao An didn't explain, merely propped her chin on her hand and looked at her.
Actually, Jiang Jingya had discovered this shop first.
Later, she brought her childhood friend here so he could try authentic Kyoto matcha.
It was just a pity that Yao An wasn't fond of matcha; she only accompanied her each time she came.
After coming many times, she naturally learned the history of this shop.
This timeline was different from her own trajectory, possibly because of this, Jiang Jingya had not yet discovered this treasure of a shop.
But it didn't matter.
Last time you brought me, this time it's my turn to bring you.
Over ten minutes later, the desserts were all served.
The various matcha desserts were vibrant in color and rich in aroma. Jiang Jingya, who had initially been unenthusiastic, was drawn in by the shades of green, and her appetite was instantly piqued.
She eagerly tried a bite. The matcha flavor melted on her tongue, filling her mouth and nose with fragrance, and her beautiful peach blossom eyes were filled with pure happiness.
"It's so delicious! Compared to the matcha cake here, what I ate before was basically pre-made food."
Yao An had a faint smile on her face, seemingly melting away her cool demeanor. She spooned some pudding into her mouth; it was very sweet, but as always, not good.
It seemed the owner only knew how to make matcha; everything else she made was a mess.
She wondered why the stubborn Japan owner didn't just open a matcha dessert shop. Perhaps she had her own principles.
"An'an, you absolutely must try this. Ah~ open your mouth."
"Is it good?"
"Mm, it's delicious."
The waiter watched the two beauties, with their distinctly opposite temperaments, being conquered by her boss's skill, and couldn't help but feel a sense of shared pride.
It was like a laborer in the old city, earning minimum wage, who would unconsciously puff out her chest when thinking of the British Empire's industry.
"Oh no, I was so busy eating I forgot to take photos! Hello, another matcha cake please!"
After dining at the Japanese restaurant for nearly an hour, Jiang Jingya emerged radiating contentment, then immediately began to repent her sins.
"It's over, it's over, I'm going to gain at least three pounds today. You said you'd supervise my weight loss, but instead, you seduced both me and my stomach."
She clearly wanted to pin the blame on Yao An, unwilling to admit she ate three cakes because she was greedy.
"I wonder who was looking utterly soulless just now. You're acting like a scoundrel who pulls up her pants and denies everything."
"You little fox, you're telling dirty jokes! Stop reading those romance novels that rot your brain. Your top priority right now is to uninstall Xihongshi Novels."
"Your top priority is to find a way to lose weight."
"Hm? I think you, you little sharp-tongue, are asking for a scratch."
Jiang Jingya's mischievous hand was already reaching for Yao An's waist, who immediately let out a soft cry of surprise.
"Don't… there are so many people here."
"Mmm…"
After some playful teasing, the two women started shopping. Yao An bought two sets of underwear, while Jiang Jingya bought sun-protective clothing and skincare products.
Both families were not extremely wealthy, but comfortably well-off, and both sets of parents maintained a philosophy of raising their daughters richly, never shortchanging the two girls on living expenses.
Take Yao An, for instance: when she was in high school and lived at home, her monthly allowance was two thousand yuan.
She would occasionally buy snacks, eat out, and sometimes purchase clothes and cosmetics. Over three years, she had saved over 8,000 yuan just in her WeChat account.
Jiang Jingya's family situation was even better, but she was more prone to overeating, so her personal savings were roughly estimated to be a bit less than Yao An's.
Therefore, when they went shopping, they didn't pay too much attention to product prices, which might also be the difference between boys and girls.
Little princesses held in the palm of one's hand are always fearless.
"Xiaoya, what… what do you think are things only girls do?"
On a bench in the mall's lounge area (rest area), the two took a break, each with a fruit tea.
Because her skirt was too short, Yao An could only keep her legs tightly together, pulling down the hem to prevent accidental exposure.
For boys who like to spread their legs and sit relaxed, this posture was undoubtedly very uncomfortable, making her current state appear somewhat constrained.
In contrast, Jiang Jingya, who was already used to the surrounding gazes, had no such concerns.
She sat on only half the bench, leaning slightly back, using her arm for support. Her unadorned, fair legs were stretched out, and her sandal-clad feet restlessly tapped against each other.
Upon hearing the question, she counted on her fingers:
"Wearing pretty clothes, styling nice hair, buying cute dolls, eating delicious snacks, and…"
Yao An helplessly raised a hand to stop her.
"You're talking about yourself, aren't you? Pay attention to the question: 'only girls do.' Many boys do the things you just mentioned."
"Why are you asking this question? Is there any meaning to it?"
"No, it just suddenly came to mind. I was a bit curious."
Yao An couldn't exactly say it was her master's task.
"Hmm…"
Anyway, they were just resting now, and there was nothing important to do, so Jiang Jingya began to think seriously.
"Going to the women's restroom? No, some perverts go to the women's restroom too. Then, going to a club for body care? No, some boys live more exquisitely than girls…"
"Oh, what are we agonizing over? We can just ask Xiaolanjing."
That's right, with AI so advanced now, there's no need to ponder problems oneself.
Yao An took out her phone, opened Xiaolanjing, and typed:
"What are things only girls do?"
Jiang Jingya curiously leaned her head closer.
The two were quite close, and Yao An could even feel the warm breath of the other person on her earlobe.
It was ticklish.
She instinctively moved sideways, not expecting Jiang Jingya to catch this lapse.
She had an expression like she'd discovered a big secret.
"Oh~ so your ears are very sensitive too."
"Everyone's ears are sensitive, alright."
"I feel like yours are especially sensitive."
As she spoke, she mischievously blew air onto the little fox's earlobe.
Yao An immediately got goosebumps from her exposed collarbone to the base of her ear, and a blush crept across her cheeks.
"It really is! I've discovered another one of your weaknesses."
"Stop… stop messing around. The answer to that question is out."
Seeing the other person about to blow air again, Yao An pushed her away somewhat flustered.
Jiang Jingya grumbled twice, deciding to let her off for now, and turned to look at the phone screen.
Yao An was a bit helpless; the female body was still too sensitive. Before the transmigration, who knew who would be in control of whom now.
"Dancing ballet, wearing a wedding dress, nursing a baby…"
Jiang Jingya murmured the results given by the AI.
"And… being a maid."