Sixth Meal - Fugu (1)

"Ah! You're finally here!" A young man shouted when he saw that young elf girl running over to his table.

The young elf girl quickly ran into his embrace and said, "I'm sorry I'm late. I couldn't get away from my father, he just wouldn't let me go."

The young man shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter! As long as I can see you, I will wait until the end of time!"

The young elf girl looked up at the young man and said in an emotional voice, "Ah San…"

The young man looked into her eyes and said in a loving voice, "Flora…"

All around them in the restaurant, the other customers looked at them with varied expressions.

The couples looked at them with smiles on their faces as they felt warm seeing these two like this. The single dogs all cursed them under their breath for being fed dog food like this. Then there were the rest that were indifferent to this and looked at them with indifferent gazes.

These two really didn't understand that concept of PDA and when not to display it.

But of course, they didn't get to remain like this for long since there was someone who maintained the rules in the restaurant and she was heading right for them.

The chill that ran down their spines quickly pulled them out of their own world. They looked at Yami with awkward smiles before quickly sitting down and stopped disturbing the other customers.

Yami narrowed her eyes to look at them before she placed a menu on their table.

Of course, the two of them didn't even bother looking at the menu since it wasn't their first time here. So both of them said at the same time, "The fugu sashimi dish!"

Yami gave a nod and took the menu before heading back.

Once they were alone, the two of them fell into their own world again.

Flora asked, "Ah San, how have you been all alone during this time?"

Ah San revealed a bitter smile before saying, "I've been trying to cope by sinking myself into my work, but it really is hard without you."

Flora looked up at Ah San with a loving look and said, "Ah San, it really has been hard on you."

Ah San looked back down with a smile and said, "As long as I get to see you again, it's all worth it."

There were groans that came from around them as many people put on sunglasses. They really couldn't take the dazzling light that this couple was letting off, it really made them go blind.

As for how this couple came to be, if it wasn't for the Between World Restaurant, naturally it would have been impossible.

Ah San had been just a normal young man on Earth, but when he saw that story on his Twitter about the restaurant with elves, his life had completely changed. The moment that he met Flora, it was like his world had been suddenly filled with colours.

He had actually been lost since he had just graduated from university and didn't know what he had wanted to do with his life.

But the moment that he saw Flora, he knew where his life was leading.

So he took that chance and said to her, "Please marry me."

After he had said this, he realized his mistake…He had completely put his foot in his mouth.

His plan at first was to use a pick up line, but in his nervousness, he had said the only thing that had come to mind. In his nervous state, he had proposed without a single thought.

Flora had only been to the restaurant a few times at that time and was shocked when she heard this proposal. However, when she saw the person that had spoken to her, she couldn't help revealing a smile.

As for the reason she found it funny…it was plain and simple, he was too nervous!

He looked like he was about to throw up or faint just from talking to her, but she wasn't insulted at all. She found it quite novel since there had never been anyone that had acted this way around her.

There was no lack of men around her when she had been in her own world because her father kept introducing men to her.

Flora was currently a hundred and twenty five years old, which when converted to human lifespan meant that she was in her mid twenties. She was considered quite old among elves that hadn't married yet, so her father kept introducing people to her since he was worried that she would never marry.

But those elven men that her father found for her were all the type that she didn't like. Every single one of them was self conceited and prideful, so whenever they talked to her, they always talked in almost an arrogant tone.

Not to mention that all they did was talk about themselves, which she clearly wasn't interested about. And whenever she tried changing the topic, they wouldn't listen and keep going on about themselves.

She really couldn't stand people like that…

So when she met Ah San, it was like a breath of fresh air.

Still, she couldn't just marry someone that she had just met, so Flora said, "I'm sorry, I can't marry you."

When Ah San heard this, there was a crushed look that appeared on his face which made a tinge of regret and pain fill Flora's heart. She quickly said, "While I can't marry you, how about we be friends first?"

Ah San's face immediately lit up and he nodded like a bobble head. After hesitating a bit, he pointed at the chair beside her and asked, "Can I treat you to a meal?"

Flora was surprised to hear this since this was her first time meeting a man like this.

It was also from that moment that her life had completely changed.

She spent more and more time coming to the restaurant and soon she would spend almost the entire day here without caring what her father said. Most of the time, she even ran away from home just so she could spend time here.

Of course, she made sure that her family never found out about the door to this restaurant, or she would never hear the end of it…

However, there was still another problem that stood between them.

They were from completely different worlds…

Ah San was from Earth and Flora was from Elvenar, it was impossible for them to be together forever unless they stayed in the restaurant forever.

In a way, it was like Romeo and Juliet, but instead of feuding families, it was their different worlds that kept them apart.

This was what led to them sharing the same love for fugu sashimi.

One day when they were together, Ah San was telling Flora some stories from earth and he stumbled upon the story of Romeo and Juliet.

Seeing how their story was similar to that story, Flora was inspired to drink some poison herself.

Of course, Ah San couldn't just let her drink poison, which put him in an awkward situation.

Yami, who had been passing by at the time, had recommended to them the new fugu sashimi dish that they had just added to the menu.

While Flora didn't know what fugu was, Ah San knew since it was a famous dish on Earth. Just a single bite of this dish was enough to poison a person to death if it wasn't properly prepared.

It definitely fits the description of a poison dish, but…

He wasn't willing to risk his life over something so trivial as a story!

However, he also wasn't willing to let Flora down…so with no other choice, he asked to see the certification of the store to serve fugu.

On Earth, any store that wanted to serve fugu had to have a license showing that they had a chef that could prepare it without a problem. So if they had this license, it would at least put his mind at ease about eating the fugu that they made.

Yami had no problem with showing them the license since she already expected this.

After seeing that it was indeed a real license and double checking on the internet, he finally decided to try the fugu dish.

Once they tried that dish, they weren't able to turn back. Even for Ah San who had been from Earth, he had never tasted anything like this.

As they were chatting, their fugu sashimi plate finally arrived and they turned their attention to it. No matter how many times they ate this, they could never get enough of it.

Of course, neither of them were willing to take the first bite.

It wasn't that they were afraid of the poison, but rather because they both wanted the other person to have the first bite. They both loved seeing each other's happy faces when they ate this fugu, so they couldn't bear taking the first bite and wanted to share the happiness first.

But this created a situation where both of them had a piece of fugu in their chopsticks that they were trying to force into each other's mouth.

Once again, it created a large dazzling glow that forced the other patrons in the restaurant to put on sunglasses.

Still, they wouldn't be able to eat their food like this, so they eventually compromised by allowing themselves to both feed each other at the same time. That way, they would both have the first bite of the fugu and be able to enjoy the happiness together.

The moment that they bite into the fugu, there was a very faint seafood taste that filled their mouth that had a hint of sweetness to it.

While the fugu didn't have a strong taste by itself, it had a nice chewiness to it that gave them just the right amount of resistance in their mouth. They could chew on it for a long time without getting tired of having that feeling in their mouth.

But after a while, they had no choice but to swallow since there was nothing left for them to chew.

As for the second bite, they both dipped the fugu slice into the ponzu sauce that came with the sashimi.

This bite was different from the first bite as this time it had the taste of ponzu mixed in with the taste of fugu. The ponzu gave them a nice tart taste that went well with the faint taste of the fugu, bringing out the full power of the umami contained in the fugu.

Unlike the first bite, this second bite was like a punch in their mouth with its nice tart taste and umami kick.

This contrast between the first and second bite was exactly why they couldn't get enough of this. It was like the two sides of a mirror that almost represented them.

But the main thing that they couldn't get enough of was the slight stinging feeling on their tongue after eating the fugu. They didn't know where it came from, but whenever they ate this fugu, it always left this slight tingle to their tongue as an aftertaste.

While the two of them were enjoying their dish, the door to the restaurant suddenly opened and there was a stern looking male elf that walked in. Even though he had a stern look on his face, he was still very handsome.

With his age, it made him look like a gentleman instead of making him look strict.

This middle aged elf looked around the store before his eyes fell onto Flora and Ah San sitting there enjoying their fugu.

As he walked over, his brows couldn't help narrowing as that stern look became more and more prominent on his face.

Anyone that looked at him could tell that trouble was about to come, but for some reason, Yami didn't stop him at all.

The middle aged elf came up behind Flora and while she was distracted by the food, he grabbed her by the shoulder and said, "There you are! I finally found you!"