"Sho, ish ish sho good! Mmm, mmm…" Shuying stuffed her face, feasting on the sizzling barbecue.
Like a wolf that had been starved for days, Shuying's mouth was completely full. She mumbled incoherently at Sakura, gesturing for her to eat quickly as well.
Sakura propped her left cheek on her palm, her elbow resting on the table. With her right hand, she listlessly stirred the fruit juice in front of her, sighing as she watched Shuying devour the food, her face shiny with grease.
She had wanted to talk to Shuying about her situation, but Shuying hadn't stopped eating since they sat down. Stacks upon stacks of empty plates were already piled on the table.
"Are you full yet?" Sakura finally asked.
"Mmm… mmmph…" Shuying swallowed the food in her mouth with great effort, then grabbed her juice and gulped it down.
"Hey! Another large barbecue platter over here!" Shuying shouted to a nearby waitress.
"Hey, hey, hey! Are you still eating?" Sakura hissed at Shuying, her voice low.
"I'm not full yet," Shuying said, turning to Sakura with a playful wink.
"How much do you have to eat to be full?" Sakura asked, several dark lines appearing on her forehead as another extra-large platter was brought to the table. If she didn't consider the other factors, Shuying's appearance right now was actually a little… strangely cute.
"It's been so long since I've eaten this well. I'll tell you whatever you want to know later," Shuying said to Sakura as she added more meat to the grill.
"You'd better. If you dare to lie to me…" Sakura's sinister threat was cut off.
"Don't try to scare me with that tone. It's just the two of us here; you can't frighten me," Shuying scoffed, then asked seriously, "Are you really not going to eat? Aren't you hungry?"
"Ugh…" Sakura was rendered speechless by her impish personality. Looking at the smooth, tender, and fragrant barbecue, her own stomach began to rumble. "Fine, I'll have a little."
"That's more like it!" With Sakura joining in, Shuying grilled the meat even more cheerfully. It seemed her joy wasn't in eating, but in the act of grilling itself.
After the meal, Shuying rubbed her slightly bulging stomach and leaned back lazily in the booth, letting out a satisfied burp. With a toothpick dangling from her mouth, she waved a hand at Sakura. "Go pay the bill. Let's find another place."
"Huh?" Sakura was stunned. "Aren't you paying?"
"Huh!?"
"Huh!?"
The atmosphere suddenly became frighteningly quiet. They stared at each other, tens of thousands of imaginary ice needles hovering behind them, ready to strike at any moment.
"Um…" Shuying looked incredulous. "You're the one asking me questions today. Shouldn't you be the one treating me to a meal?"
"H-how could you…" Sakura wore the same expression. "When did you get the delusion that I would treat you to a meal? Besides, you ate everything!"
"What do you mean, I ate everything? Didn't you eat too?" Shuying's eyes went wide, as if to say, How can you say something so shameless?
"Ugh…" Sakura was at a loss for words. The two bites she had taken weren't even one percent of what Shuying had eaten. But then she saw the faint smile playing on Shuying's lips beneath her shocked expression and instantly understood. She was setting me up. Sakura's mood soured completely.
"I don't have any money anyway," Sakura said, turning her head away with the stubborn air of someone who had nothing to lose.
"Hmph, I don't have any money either. You figure it out," Shuying said, also turning her head away with the exact same attitude.
Sakura gritted her teeth in frustration. This was no longer about the money. Ever since she had met Shuying, she felt like she had been plagued by bad luck. Her anger toward her had long since reached a boiling point. If Shuying hadn't appeared yesterday and saved Jiraiya from her, Sakura would never have had the patience to sit and eat with her.
Deep down, she didn't want to kill Jiraiya. Although she no longer cared about the village or anyone in it, if she were to personally kill someone she knew so well, her heart would still be burdened.
It was impossible to be truly ruthless. That was why, during her fight with Jiraiya, she had kept questioning him, all to reaffirm her own resolve.
She was in a state of extreme turmoil. Her current course of action was completely contrary to her true nature, but she had to do it. She understood that what she was about to do would make her an enemy of the entire shinobi world. Without a ruthless determination, she would never succeed. Mercy was a fatal poison.
The real world wasn't a fairy tale. To gain something, you had to sacrifice something else. This was an immutable truth.
At the very last moment, she had been ready to step into that abyss, but Shuying had blocked her path. In her heart, she had secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Jiraiya had truly died by her hand, there would have been no turning back, and she would have been saddled with a heavy psychological burden.
Although she would have to face him again sooner or later, she wanted to do it when she was on the verge of success. That way, the burden on her heart would be much lighter.
"Excuse me, which of you will be paying? We're about to close."
Just then, the waitress in the kimono stood before their table, a smile on her face but a questioning look in her eyes.
The tens of thousands of ice needles hovering behind them plunged down viciously. Both girls shivered, and the needles melted, sending icy water streaming down their backs.
"Um… th-that is… how much is the total?" Shuying asked, her neck stiff as she looked at the waitress, who was smiling but whose eyes were scrutinizing her. Her tone was a little tense.
"Ma'am, your total comes to 8,652 ryo," the waitress said, holding out a small notepad.
"Uh… is it that much?" Shuying asked, scratching her head awkwardly.
"You ordered thirteen large barbecue platters. One platter is 600 ryo. Plus the juice and side dishes, that's the correct amount. Here is the bill, please have a look." The waitress handed over the notepad, still smiling, though it looked like it was about to turn into a sneer at any moment.
"Here, for you!" Shuying took the bill without even looking at it and thrust it in front of Sakura.
"What are you giving it to me for? I'm not paying!" Sakura had no intention of taking it.
"B-Big… Sis…" In an instant, Shuying's eyes filled with tears, her face a mask of grievance.
"Sis???" Sakura was stunned, not understanding what she was trying to say.
"Waaah… B-Big Sister, how could you do this? You… you promised to treat me to a meal, and now… now… Big Sister, you're the worst… waaaah…" With that, Shuying collapsed onto the table and began to sob, her shoulders shaking. She looked truly heartbroken.
Pfft… Sakura felt like she was about to cough up blood. This is just… unbelievable. To sell her soul like this for a meal, even calling her "Big Sister." An involuntary shiver ran down Sakura's spine.
"Well then, Big Sister… if you could please settle the bill. We're about to close…" the waitress said, looking pointedly at Sakura, her smile stiff as she reminded them again that they were closing.