Ippon Wagyu Yakiniku, Chiba Branch
After thinking it over carefully, Nanase Ren decided to bring him here. This restaurant had been on her wishlist for ages.
This place isn't cheap. For someone who checks her bank account before buying cup noodles, this qualified as luxury dining.
But tonight she's celebrating. Celebrating being alive. And thanking the person who made that possible.
The charcoal beneath the grill glowed deep red, heat radiating up in waves. The beef sizzled and popped, fat rendering and dripping down. That rich, smoky aroma filled the air and made her stomach growl embarrassingly loud.
Her mouth was literally watering.
Finally. It's ready.
Without thinking, she picked it up with her chopsticks and placed it directly in Hayato's bowl. "Here, try it?"
Hayato picked it up, dragged it through the sauce, and put it in his mouth.
The beef practically melted. Juice and sauce exploded across his tongue, hitting every taste bud at once.
"It's good. Really good, actually."
Would've been even better if that burning-corpse supernatural-being hadn't still lurking in the back of his mind.
"Oh, thank goodness." She visibly relaxed. "I was worried you wouldn't like it."
"At these prices? If I'd said it was bad, you'd probably start crying right here."
"Then next time I'll take you somewhere even more expensive!"
"Deal. I'm holding you to that. Already looking forward to round two."
"...Fine." Nanase Ren said it through gritted teeth. "One more wagyu meal. Just one."
Her savings can survive one more hit. Probably. She'll just have to eat instant ramen for the next two weeks.
"How about we also..."
"Absolutely not!" Head shaking violently. "My wallet is crying enough already."
The sizzling continued, that smoky barbecue aroma filling the space.
Nanase Ren started eating properly now.
"Mm... So good."
Having quality food after nearly dying feels incredible. It tastes even better than usual somehow.
"Here." Hayato held a piece of grilled meat in front of her, steam rising from it.
Her face flushed again. "Just... just this once."
"Sure."
She parted her lips slightly and took the bite.
Delicious. But so embarrassing! At least nobody she knows is here to witness this.
She glanced around instinctively just to confirm and...
There's a woman with purple bobbed hair and a white hair accessory at a diagonal table. Looking right at her with this curious expression. Then she smiled and gave a small wave.
Nanase Ren's brain slowly formed a giant question mark.
Wait. Why is Ryou here? Of all the restaurants in Chiba, at this specific time?
Fujibayashi Ryou. Her classmate from nursing school. They'd graduated and gone to different hospitals. Ryou was supposed to be back in her hometown of Hikarizaka, working at a hospital there.
Her gaze shifted. The woman sitting across from Fujibayashi Ryou. That long purple hair made it obvious who it was. Her big sisters. Both of them are here.
Ryou came to Chiba and didn't even contact me? Are they on vacation?
Meanwhile, Hayato had witnessed her entire emotional journey from across the table. Embarrassment to shock to what looked like genuine hurt.
Hayato sighed quietly and turned to look where she'd been staring. A pretty girl with purple shoulder-length hair came into view.
"Hah? That purple hair... Why do I feel familiar?"
Twin sisters. One with short hair, one with long. That's literally the only obvious difference.
"An acquaintance?" The long-haired girl asked quietly.
"N-no, not him. The girl sitting across from him. She's my friend."
"Oh! That close friend from nursing school you mentioned? Should we go over now?"
Ryou shook her head quickly. "Ren's on a date with her boyfriend. We shouldn't interrupt. Let's wait until we're finished eating."
Her sister nodded, though she did sneak one more glance at Hayato's back before returning to the barbecue.
Back at their table, Hayato continued eating while watching Nanase Ren remain stuck in whatever was troubling her.
"If something's bothering you, you can talk about it." Hayato flipped some beef on the grill. "I don't mind listening."
"It's nothing."
"Then eat your food properly. You keep spacing out, and I'm going to finish all of this."
That snapped her back. She looked down and realized half the meat on the grill was already gone.
"Hey!"
"Better hurry up, then." Hayato used the tongs to pile more meat onto her plate. "Eat."
She hummed acknowledgment and started eating with her head down, but he could tell something was still bothering her.
A few minutes passed before she spoke up quietly. "Hayato-kun... that girl over there is actually my friend. From nursing school."
"Is that right?"
She tilted her head, looking confused by his lack of reaction.
"Let me guess." He leaned back slightly. "You two had some complicated love triangle situation at nursing school. The guy you liked ended up choosing her. Now seeing her has brought back all those painful memories of romantic failure." He sighed and put another piece of meat in his mouth.
This really does taste incredible. Expensive for a reason.
"That's not it at all!" She looked genuinely flustered. "I never liked anyone back then! And neither did she! Well... I don't know about now, but..."
"If that's not it, then what's there to be upset about? Unless you two actually can't stand each other."
"No, we get along great!"
"Then you should be happy to run into a friend randomly, shouldn't you? What's with that sad expression?"
After a moment's hesitation, she explained. "They'd promised to contact each other if she came to Chiba, but she's here now and didn't reach out. Does she not care about their friendship anymore?"
Hayato just stared. That's what this whole thing is about?
Women really do think differently. She's massively overthinking this.
"Maybe she just didn't want to impose on you."
"Between friends, there's no such thing as imposing! Would you worry about friends imposing on you, Hayato-kun?"
"Then maybe she wanted to surprise you."
"Oh."
That... actually makes sense.
Her lips pressed together thoughtfully.
"Stop overthinking it. Just go ask her yourself." Hayato started to stand. "If you're too embarrassed, I'll go do it for you."
"Wait, wait!" She grabbed his arm. "Let's... let's go after we finish eating, okay?"
Hayato considered it and sat back down. "Fair enough."
The meal wrapped up faster than expected, but there would be a next time. He was keeping track.
Nanase Ren took a deep breath and stood up, steeling herself to walk over to Ryou's table. But the Fujibayashi sisters were already standing up as well.
Their eyes met, and they both seemed to realize what the other was thinking. Small smiles were exchanged.
Most of that heavy feeling in Ren's chest evaporated. Yeah, she'd definitely been overthinking things.
"Ren!"
"Ryou! Welcome to Chiba."
"Thanks! I wanted to surprise you, but I didn't expect we'd actually run into each other like this." Ryou glanced between her and Hayato with knowing eyes. "Is this your boyfriend? Nice to meet you!"
Her voice still had that soft, gentle quality, but you could tell she'd gotten a bit braver since their school days.
"No, no, Hayato's not my boyfriend!" Nanase Ren waved her hands frantically. "He's... he's just a friend!"
But Ryou's eyes kept moving between the two of them. She'd seen Hayato feeding Ren earlier. "Uh-huh. I totally believe you."
Just as they were about to do proper introductions, a server approached to remind them about something.
So all four of them headed to the register first.
Hayato remained completely neutral about Nanase Ren paying the bill. Didn't even react.
Though the total really was brutal. 29,000 yen. She'd actually gone all out. A serious dent in her wallet.
"We look forward to serving you again."