74 Tasting My Sauce Here?

Hojou Kyousuke glanced at the time—it was almost five o'clock.

Makki Hojou had invited him out for yakiniku, claiming it was a hundred times better than the Korean BBQ place they visited yesterday.

Now, Kyousuke finally understood why he had woken up smelling like grilled meat.

He wasn't sure if the scent had lingered on his bedsheets, but he hoped it would fade by nighttime.

He turned down the invitation without hesitation.

If he was going to get a free meal, why would he choose to eat with a bunch of muscular guys instead of a stunning senior?

After taking a shower and changing clothes, he grabbed a coat out of habit.

With his current physique, he didn't actually need one even at night, but he still wore it every time.

The reason? Okudera Miki might have a clue.

Riding his bike at full speed, Kyousuke made his way to Garden of Words.

By now, he knew the route by heart.

Although it was a straight shot down the main avenue from his school, he used to rely on navigation at intersections.

Now, he no longer needed to check.

As he stepped into the restaurant, his eyes immediately landed on Okudera Miki, who was taking an order at a nearby table.

She wore her usual gentle smile, her full lips moving gracefully as she spoke, reflecting a soft sheen under the restaurant's lights.

She heard the usual "Welcome!" from the host but noticed there was no follow-up.

Typically, the greeter would hand customers off to another server for seating and orders.

Given the current situation, there was only one possible explanation—Hojou Kyousuke had arrived.

Just as she had been hoping, she turned her head and spotted him.

She momentarily hesitated before making a recommendation to the customers, but the warm, reserved smile on her face instantly transformed into a radiant grin, revealing her perfect white teeth.

Kyousuke, seeing that she had noticed him, pointed to a table near the edge of the restaurant, signaling that he would wait for her there.

Miki nodded enthusiastically before returning to her polite, professional smile as she continued taking the order.

"You're here."

After handing off her order slip to another staff member, Miki wasted no time in coming over to Kyousuke.

She had so many things she wanted to say—she wanted to ask if something had happened last night since he didn't come to dinner.

She wanted to bring out the sauce she had prepared for him to taste. She wanted...

But when she stood in front of him, all that came out was a simple three-word greeting.

Maybe that was the difference between a mature woman and a young girl.

"Yeah, I couldn't wait to taste Senpai's sauce," Kyousuke replied.

Since he usually had steak and pasta for dinner, her sauce would be a perfect addition.

"Here? You want to try it right here?" Miki hesitated.

It was a bit nerve-wracking to have a novice like her present her homemade sauce in an Italian restaurant, pairing it with dishes prepared by a professional chef.

The thought was oddly thrilling.

"Of course. I trust that your sauce won't lose to a professional chef's. And if it's really as good as I expect, I'll recommend it to the manager."

"Maybe the restaurant will start sourcing from you. That way, you can earn a little money while refining your recipe," Kyousuke suggested.

"No way, I can't compete with professional chefs! The head chef here, Mr. Yamanaka, trained at a Michelin three-star restaurant in Italy."

Miki waved her hands frantically. After all, sauces were the heart of Western cuisine.

Not to mention, healthy food often had an unfortunate downside—it either lacked flavor or had an odd taste.

That's why sauce was crucial to making dishes delicious.

She had been researching sauces ever since she decided she wanted to open her own restaurant.

But no matter how confident she was in her own creation, she wasn't arrogant enough to think it could compare to a recipe crafted by a chef trained at a world-class restaurant.

"Relax, Senpai. Just get the food out already—I'm starving." Kyousuke ended the conversation there.

"I already had Tanaka put in the order. But… are you really going to try my sauce now?"

"Of course. You brought a steak sauce, right?"

"Yes, it's made specifically for steak, but it can work with pasta too."

"Then tell the chef to skip the sauce on my steak," Kyousuke instructed, leaving no room for Miki to refuse.

"Alright, I'll go arrange it."

Seeing how firm he was about it, Miki set aside her nerves and felt a surge of excitement.

Sooner or later, he was going to taste it anyway—why not here?

The food arrived quickly.

The steak and pasta were plated beautifully, with the sauces served separately in small bowls.

"Senpai, why are there two bowls of sauce?" Kyousuke asked, noticing the slight difference in color between the two.

"One is mine, and the other is the restaurant's. You get to decide which one is better."

Miki grinned mischievously, her tone lighthearted, as if she had just set up a little prank.

"…." Kyousuke was speechless.

Damn, this was a trap.

He quickly tried to recall the flavor of the sauce he had eaten here before.

He had said all those encouraging words—what if he ended up picking the restaurant's sauce instead?

That would be a disaster.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized his memory was blank.

All he could recall was the mass-produced black pepper sauce he had at home this morning from the convenience store.

Honestly, weren't most steak sauces pretty similar anyway?

"What's wrong, Kyousuke?"

Miki leaned on the table, her fingers interlocked, resting her sharp chin on top.

She smiled at him playfully.

"Nothing, I was just deciding which sauce to try first. I don't want the second one's flavor to be overpowered by the first." Kyousuke replied casually.

"I got you a glass of soda water—it should help reset your palate."

Miki pushed a glass of fizzy water toward him, bubbles still rising to the surface.

"Alright, then… Itadakimasu."

With no way out, Kyousuke grabbed the left-side bowl and poured the sauce over his steak.

This time, he didn't invite Miki to eat with him—he couldn't.

She no longer looked like someone nervously waiting for feedback; she looked like a judge on a cooking show.

He cut a piece of steak, making sure to coat it evenly with the sauce before taking a bite.

…Huh?

The moment his tongue touched the sauce, he immediately noticed something different.

Even though he couldn't recall exactly how the restaurant's usual sauce tasted, he was sure it wasn't like this.

Unlike the thick, peppery sauces he was used to, this one had a rich depth from the red wine and a subtle sweetness from the vegetables.

But what stood out was a fresh, almost airy flavor that somehow enhanced the taste of the beef itself.

Still… it wasn't as good as the homemade sauce his mom had sent him. Not even close.

"This one's yours, right, Senpai?"

———————————————————————

Daily Uploads!

Unlock bonus chapters by reaching specific milestones with [Power Stone] votes!

Please support me at p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL to access more than 50 advanced chapters. Q-Q