A Spicy Promise

"Uwaa! So hot, so spicy!"

Once the food arrived, Haruno tried a spoonful of mapo tofu and immediately stuck out her tongue, panting, her fair cheeks flushing red from the heat.

She gulped down several sips of tea, then, taking advantage of Yuu's distraction, swapped her mapo tofu with the pineapple shrimp he'd just taken a bite of.

"Our portions are the same, perfect for swapping! Please, Yuu-chan~"

"Perfect how?" His own little sister often pulled stunts like this, so Yuu only froze for a moment before deftly swapping the plates back. "You ordered spicy food, your own fault."

"I just didn't know it'd be this spicy—it's not like I can't handle spice." Seeing the mapo tofu back in front of her, Haruno shrugged, pushed it aside, and reached for her stir-fried vegetables.

Her slightly pursed, glossy lips looked as sweet and soft as a high-end dessert.

"…Eating at a restaurant I've never been to, there's always something I pick wrong. I won't force myself to eat what I can't handle," she said after swallowing, then added.

"Besides, regular mapo tofu isn't this spicy."

To prove she wasn't exaggerating, Haruno even stuck out half her tongue, letting Yuu see its soft pink hue, flushed and slightly swollen.

Noticing Yuu only glanced briefly before quickly looking away, Haruno couldn't help but giggle mischievously, like a little girl who'd successfully pranked someone.

"Mapo tofu is supposed to be spicy. You're probably used to the sweet Japanese-style mapo tofu, so you can't handle it."

Ignoring her, Yuu eyed the mapo tofu with considerable interest. After finishing the mapo eggplant on his chopsticks, he took a spoonful.

A jolt of electricity shot from the tip of his tongue to his head the moment the spoon entered his mouth.

"Mmm~"

Yuu couldn't help but shudder, the top of his neck almost instantly turning red, his breathing unconsciously growing heavy.

This… a legendary special-grade dish?!

Numb, spicy, hot, fresh, fragrant, tender. Of the eight traditional flavors of mapo tofu, this restaurant nailed six, with even "crisp" and "lively" faintly emerging!

A culinary world unfolded in his mind. Each swallow of the fiery sauce was like sinking into blazing red lava, surviving only thanks to the soft, hot tofu on his tongue, granting a sliver of breathing room.

What a pity—if all eight flavors could be fully realized, it might've reached an even higher level.

"So authentic… This kind of flavor should only come from a genuine Chinese chef."

Slowly exhaling the spicy heat, Yuu couldn't help but sigh: "Who'd have thought this unassuming Chinese restaurant could hire a chef at the 'quasi-Qilin' level? Truly unexpected."

"Qilin level?" Hearing this, Haruno, mid-bite, tilted her head in confusion. "Are chefs ranked like that?"

Yuu shook his head: "No, just a joke."

"Hmph~ A joke…"

Haruno looked at him suspiciously, seemingly unconvinced, but wisely didn't press further.

After all, this world had no Dark Culinary World, no Tootsuki Academy, and no related novels or manga.

Other works, however, were often duplicated. The two worlds were like archives not fully copied—some things were the same, others different.

For example, the "Goldberg Variations" he'd played, or works like Oreimo, Food Wars!, and Chuka Ichiban never existed in this world.

Yet JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, One-Punch Man, Pokémon, and others progressed exactly as in his previous life, leaving him clueless about why such differences existed.

Perhaps the result of a worldline shift? Yuu was too lazy to dwell on things humans couldn't change.

(If one day I get a perfect-level cooking skill, maybe I could make glowing dishes and see how Sora reacts when she eats them…)

With that thought, Yuu pulled the plate of mapo tofu in front of him, paired it with rice, and began devouring it.

Watching him eat so eagerly, a faint smile crept onto the corner of Haruno's lips.

"You really love spicy food?"

"I can just handle it," Yuu replied vaguely.

"There's a Sichuan restaurant in Shinjuku that's supposed to be super authentic. I can take you there next time."

"Really? Then I'll respectfully accept." Yuu agreed without hesitation, then continued, "If you don't mind, I can also take you to some local food stalls near my place. They're cheap, but the taste might not lose to fancy places."

"Of course, my treat."

Though the wealthy woman didn't mind, as a man, Yuu couldn't keep letting her pay for meals.

To avoid becoming a "kept man," he made this suggestion. Treating her in return while introducing his favorite food spots.

Whether expensive or cheap, it was about the gesture, so neither the treater nor the treated would feel psychological pressure.

And by doing this, he'd also get a chance to meet her again.

Got that, single friends?

Of course, the target should be someone of the opposite sex willing to treat you—same-sex friends usually don't care about such small details, so it's easier.

"Alright!" Haruno nodded, suddenly remembering something, her eyes showing a thoughtful expression. "Then, spicy hot pot, hell ramen—it'd be a shame not to try them all…"

She muttered, then suddenly looked up, her dark eyes sparkling, and said playfully to Yuu:

"How about this!"

"Yuu-chan, let's find a time for a 'spicy food tour.' We'll try all the famous spicy dishes around here, how about it?"

Before Yuu could stop eating to respond, as if fearing rejection, Haruno added:

"My friends probably wouldn't be into this kind of thing, so… I can only count on you!"

She didn't beg, just winked at him with an [You know what I mean] expression, smiling charmingly.

Her idea wasn't far from his own, so Yuu didn't think twice and agreed.

"Sure, but Haruno-san, you don't seem to handle spice well…"

He scooped up a spoonful of fiery red mapo tofu, bringing it close, the sharp spicy aroma relentlessly teasing Haruno's nose.

Haruno hurriedly raised her teacup, hiding her instinctive retreat.

"Ugh, I'll try my hardest~" With a carefree smile, Haruno said casually: "If it's too spicy for me to eat, I'll just leave it to you, Yuu-chan."

"No way, you think I'm a food garbage bin?"

"It's a boyfriend privilege. If you don't want it, plenty of others would." Haruno sounded like she was scolding him for not appreciating it.

Yuu immediately rolled his eyes.

"Oh, really? Then call those guys to line up outside the restaurant. Whatever you can't finish, just pour it into their mouths. If it's still not gone, keep pouring until they finish it!"

"…What?"

"Uh… Cough cough, never mind. Just keep eating."

"Weirdo… The more I get to know you, the more I feel like every part of you, from head to toe, is incomprehensible."

"Mutual."