Chapter 5. So Delicious It Made Them Cry! Kamishiro Rize Is in Trouble!

To their complete disbelief...

Yoshimura ate the sakura mochi.

He chewed slowly, thoughtfully. And then… the corners of his eyes began to moisten.

Up until that point, everyone had thought he was just being polite, tasting a gift to not offend the sender.

But when they saw the expression on his face—they realized this was no act.

"Wait… this food… ghouls can eat it?!" Irimi exclaimed.

"Don't tell me the ingredients are…" Koma Enji looked disturbed, as if he suspected it was made with human remains.

"We can eat this?!" Touka stared intensely at the box of sweets.

Yoshimura wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes, brushing away long-faded memories of his youth. He looked at how many pieces were left, then picked up another.

"Two pieces each. Everyone try some."

Then he took his and headed upstairs.

The remaining three stood in silent shock.

Touka was the first to move.

Her eyes wide, she staggered a bit as she approached the box. With trembling hands, she picked up a piece and placed it in her mouth.

"Mm~~!!"

Her eyes closed. Her whole body shivered. Tears instantly rolled down her cheeks.

No one could understand the whirlwind of emotion she felt.

Or rather—no ghoul could.

Touka had human friends. And every time they shared food with her, every bite was a torment.

Her mind wanted to enjoy it, but her body rejected it completely.

She wasn't yet skilled enough to fake it like an experienced ghoul could.

But the worst part wasn't even the physical nausea.

It was the emotional pain. That sense of separation, of not being able to enjoy something as simple as a meal with friends.

But today, that changed.

Human food was delicious.

The flavor.

The texture.

The joy that gripped her very soul.

"It's too good!" Touka sobbed out those words through tears.

Koma Enji and Irimi exchanged a look—then each picked up a piece and took a bite.

The shock they felt was no less intense than Touka's.

She cried.

They, at least, teared up and kept wiping their eyes.

When they finished, the three quietly divided up the remaining pieces.

Touka carefully wrapped hers in oiled paper like it was a priceless treasure.

And then came the inevitable question:

"What exactly IS this sakura mochi?"

Just then, Yoshimura returned, having changed clothes.

You'd never guess that, moments ago, he'd been upstairs staring at an old photo of a young woman, wiping away silent tears.

Hearing their discussion, he nodded firmly.

"It's human food, no doubt about it. Normal food."

"But…" Irimi couldn't understand. "We're ghouls."

Koma Enji nodded solemnly.

Touka, ever the realist (with a dash of Russian humor), simply took some food her friend had given her out of her bag and, in front of everyone, took a big bite.

Then...

"Urgh!"

They all watched as she dry-heaved over the trash can.

Now they were sure.

It wasn't them—it really was this food that was special.

Koma looked again at his piece, still baffled.

"But why?"

Wiping her mouth, Touka gave her theory.

"We're still the same as before… could that store manager have somehow accidentally cultivated ingredients that ghouls can eat?"

Irimi immediately disagreed.

"Totsuki Academy—arguably the highest authority in the culinary world—has been working on that for years. They've never succeeded in making any food ghouls can eat."

"People say coffee was their creation, but even they never confirmed it."

So far, the only thing ghouls could consume from the human world was coffee.

If Totsuki ever succeeded in creating food that let ghouls coexist peacefully with humans, their position wouldn't just be at the top of Japan's culinary world—it would be global.

But so far, all efforts had failed.

"So it's probably not the ingredients," Irimi said, turning to Yoshimura. "It must be the young store owner himself."

Yoshimura thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"That's the most likely explanation."

Touka immediately stood up, unable to contain herself.

"Rize is with him right now—we need to go find him!"

Koma and Irimi both agreed.

This was different from earlier.

Before, they didn't care much—just worried Rize might kill him and bring the CCG sniffing around.

But now, if Hayashi got eaten, this culinary miracle would disappear forever.

They wouldn't just cry—they'd break their legs in regret.

But just as they prepared to act...

Yoshimura checked the date and time.

"It's already late. Going now would be rude. Wait for a proper day off, bring a gift, and go then."

"We are Antique Coffee Shop—don't go exposing yourselves as ghouls right away.

On the surface, they were just a regular coffee shop called Antique.

Even when faced with such temptation, the mature and composed Yoshimura remained calm, still urging everyone to stay cautious.

The three thought it over and nodded in agreement.

———

Meanwhile

A large flame finished heating the cast-iron skillet.

As Hayashi scooped sizzling melted butter and spooned it over the thick-cut sirloin again and again with a satisfying sizzle, the "special" steak was complete.

He carefully plated it and let it rest.

Once the steak had properly rested, Hayashi prepared the seasonings and utensils, then brought the dish over and gently placed it in front of Kamishiro Rize.

"Bon appétit."

Rize stared at Hayashi with a hungry, teasing gaze.

That "bon appétit" — she believed it was directed at her, not the steak.

Not far away, Kasumigaoka Utaha lightly bit her lip, even her toes twitching in visible irritation.

Hayashi turned and walked away, planning to make himself a drink.

Meanwhile, Rize came back to her senses, picked up her knife and fork, and as the aroma of the meat rose to her nose—

She froze.

This smell... why does it smell so good? Why?!

Human food... isn't it supposed to smell rotten?

She looked down at the steak—its color was perfection. That beautiful Maillard reaction between the meat and pan had produced a seared brown crust that looked absolutely mouthwatering.

To a human, it would be a god-tier dish.

Silently, Rize cut off a piece. She had only planned to let it touch her tongue and act through the disgust. But on a whim, she lightly licked the piece with her soft tongue.

In that instant—her whole body trembled. Her cheeks flushed a deep red.

From across the room, Kasumigaoka Utaha looked like she wanted to laugh but held back.

No words needed—she'd reacted the same way when she first tasted it.

Like... self-pleasure levels of delicious.