Yuu hadn't expected that these three weren't actually here for him, but for his talents.
One wanted a fried rice recipe, one wanted the sheet music for Harusame, and another wanted to know how to become stronger...
"Hah? Wait a second, why do you want to defeat President Himura?" Setting aside other doubts for now, Yuu looked at the dark-skinned girl with curiosity.
After hesitating, the dark-skinned girl spoke with a slightly flushed face, "The president once said... only someone who can defeat her has the right to confess to her."
"..."
Yuu fell completely silent.
The honorable kendo club president had set a condition for marriage proposals... Honestly, wasn't that usually something cute girls from sports clubs did? Dating whoever could beat them.
Maybe she'd given up on the endless stream of suitors? If Masuzu had thought of this, she wouldn't have needed to go through the trouble of finding a fake boyfriend to scare off admirers.
As soon as this thought arose, his phone vibrated in his pocket again.
Masuzu: {Even though I'm beautiful and smart, I'm not perfect. Aside from JOJO jokes, I don't have any other strengths far surpassing others, so this method isn't suitable for me.}
Yuu: {You can be narcissistic all you want, but don't consider JOJO jokes a strength.}
Masuzu: {Above the sky, there's still sky; above humans, there are still greater humans. Even that monster-level kendo club president was eventually defeated by you. I don't want to risk there being another pervert like you.}
Yuu: {Well, fair point... And, I'm not a pervert.}
Masuzu: {It doesn't matter. Thinking about it, if you'd confessed to her on the day of the fair, if she refused you, she'd lose credibility. If she accepted, it'd be ASS♂WE♂CAN... Wait, isn't that storyline not bad either?}
Unwilling to look at that disgusting message, Yuu immediately closed the chat window and refocused on the dark-skinned girl in front of him.
"I understand your request. But sorry, there are many factors that allowed me to defeat President Himura—superior physical strength, special sword techniques easy to use, natural observational skills, adaptability, and a bit of luck... Some aspects are innate, some require years of training, and others depend on being in the right place at the right time. You can't win just by doing what I say."
"So, I can't tell you how to defeat President Himura. I can only share ways to become stronger."
Yuu interlaced his fingers, resting his elbows on the table.
His flat tone and serious demeanor while explaining made others unconsciously focus and listen intently to every word he said.
Though he was only bluffing, his calm voice filled the café's air, making the girls—including Iroha—grow serious. They instinctively straightened their backs and nodded meaningfully.
The dark-skinned girl blinked in confusion, stared at him for a moment, then suddenly opened her mouth, showing her bright little fangs.
"I get it!"
"Ehem, good that you understand." Yuu cleared his throat, suppressing the urge to joke. He didn't ask what the other party had understood.
Because the girl quickly explained excitedly on her own: "So, if I become strong enough, even without asking the teacher how to defeat President Himura, I'll become invincible without even realizing it, right!?"
Yuu replied casually, "Yeah, that's it. Your understanding is excellent—your future is bright... And, I don't want to be your teacher."
"Then, Teacher, do you have a way to make me super strong before the president graduates?" The dark-skinned girl slapped the table, her large eyes shining with excitement as she stared at him.
Yuu grabbed Iroha's arm and pushed the girl's head with his hand.
"I already said don't call me teacher... If the time is too short, there's no way. If you're willing to fight long-term, try finding out the bald guy's training method."
Two voices rang out at once.
"Yes, Teacher, tell me!"
"Senpai, why use my arm for that?!"
Iroha pulled her arm away in disgust, rubbing the spot Yuu had touched. Her blushing cheeks puffed slightly as she glared at him.
At the same time, his phone started vibrating intensely. A massive aura of hatred rose from the seat in the corner. Yuu faintly formed a ghostly face.
Ignoring it all, Yuu calmly told the dark-skinned girl the method guaranteed to make her strong: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run every day for three years. He repeatedly reminded her that this was just the foundation, and she'd have to find ways to train other aspects like kendo and her own mental strength. Only then did the girl feel satisfied and start eating her freshly arrived cake.
Maintaining an odd distance, Iroha tugged his sleeve, lowered her head, and whispered:
"Senpai, kendo club members are very pure, honest, and naive... Isn't it bad to deceive her like that?"
"I'm not deceiving her. Doing that really will make her stronger." Yuu replied in a low voice too, his expression unchanged, not a trace of guilt. "That's why I added that last sentence—so she'd find ways to train the other aspects herself... I can't help with that, and I don't want to waste too much energy on someone I don't know."
"So most of what you just said was actually just to pacify the kendo club member? Senpai, I never thought you were this cruel." Iroha whispered fearfully. "Putting aside external advantages, you're kind on the outside but cold inside, and you're also good with words... Waaah, Senpai's strength is terrifying! No wonder Natsukawa-Senpai fell into your grasp."
Yuu raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the praise. "Indeed, I think so too."
Iroha rolled her eyes and pulled away, too tired to talk to him.
Then, somehow, the aura of hatred from the corner faded again. The suspicious figure in sunglasses was casually sipping black tea, and the phone vibrations stopped.
Yuu felt a slight chill.
(Even the girls across from me couldn't hear what we whispered, so there's no way Masuzu, so far away, could've heard it, right?)
The scariest part was, he couldn't draw a conclusion.
After all, this woman's senses about certain things were so sharp Yuu wondered if Masuzu had supernatural abilities...
"Then, next."
Shaking off the girlfriend spying from the side, Yuu turned to the braided girl.
"Do you also want to defeat President Soma?"
"Hah?" The girl was startled, then frantically waved her hands, her plain but cute face suddenly turning red. "N-no, no! How could I have such a thought? That'd be too rude... And the president is very kind to me. There's no reason to defeat her."
After teasing her, Yuu said indifferently, "I see. Then why do you want the fried rice recipe?"
"Hu~ It's because..."
The braided girl held her chest, took a deep breath to calm herself, then looked into his eyes seriously.
"I tasted my mother's flavor in your cooking... I know it sounds strange, but it's my most sincere feeling!"
After pausing, Yuu listened as she continued.
Bowing her head, the shy girl whispered, "Even though I only ate one bite, it reminded me of the warm fried rice my mom made for me when I was little... After I went home and tried to recreate it step by step, I couldn't get the same taste."
"If possible, I want my dad and younger brother to taste it again!"
She lifted her gaze. The eyes that had been shy were now filled with a firm, sincere light as she stared straight at Yuu.
(She's someone with a story.)
After pondering for a few seconds, Yuu didn't ask further. He just sighed and said:
"Do you have paper and a pen?"
"Ah, yes!"
Her eyes widened in surprise. She quickly pulled out paper and pen from her bag, handed them to Yuu, and, restraining her excitement and hope, watched him write line by line.
Shortly after, Yuu returned the paper and pen. After the girl carefully read it, she couldn't help but look at him in confusion.
"These ingredients..."
"Right, same as regular fried rice... You've helped prepare ingredients before, so you must know." Yuu said calmly. "I've written down the most important fire control and seasoning formula there. As long as you master it perfectly, you'll be able to make fried rice exactly the same."
"I understand. Thank you, Tenkuji-Senpai!" The braided girl didn't hesitate at all. She nodded gratefully, then carefully stored the paper. "Though I'm not sure I can do it perfectly, I'll do my best to learn! To recreate that warm mother's fried rice from the past..."
Before she could finish, Yuu shook his head. "That might not happen."
"Hah?" Her movement froze. She stared at him in shock as he took back his words. "Why..."
"The reason is very simple." Resting his chin on his palm, Yuu showed a meaningful smile. "Though the cooking process is the same, if the medicine used is different, of course you can't make fried rice with the same taste."
"Medicine?!" The girl was startled, leaning back into the sofa. "S-Senpai, did you use a technique from the Dark Culinary World back then...?"
"...No, I was just joking to lighten the mood."
Yuu's smile froze. He rubbed his temple. "I didn't expect you to take it seriously... By the way, does the Dark Culinary World really exist in this world?"
The braided girl sighed in relief, patting her chest. "Yes, my mother is one of the Four Great Kings of the Dark Culinary World."
"..."
Yuu decided not to dig deeper into this weird world setting, to prevent his normal slice-of-life novel from changing genres.
Yuu spoke at length about cooking techniques—intent as seasoning, emotion as medicine, giving soul to food—to the braided girl. She pulled out her notebook and seriously wrote down each point, promising to study hard and definitely recreate her mother's warm fried rice that would let her family feel the warmth of the past.
Lastly, the straight-haired black-haired girl. Her reason for wanting the piano sheet music for Harusame had already been clearly explained earlier—to embody the perseverance of a musician and an artist.
"No matter the price. If you don't like money, I can also exchange it for sheet music of equal value."
The girl seemed wealthy. Though she didn't have Yukino's elegant, pure aura, she was graceful, confident, and generous—showing a good family background.
Unfortunately, Yuu wasn't interested in any of that. He simply stood up and walked to the counter, saying to the shop owner watching from behind:
"Can I play the piano in the shop?"
Angel Café did have a piano. It was said the owner had once hired pianists to create a luxurious restaurant atmosphere, but since the results were unsatisfactory and applicants kept demanding higher pay, he eventually just used speakers to play music.
"Ah, sure..." The shop owner's usually half-closed eyes opened slightly. He smiled. "But it hasn't been used in a long time. It'll need tuning, right?... Honestly, I'm quite confident in piano tuning."
"No need to bother. I can do it myself." After that, Yuu pulled the piano stool, sat down, opened the cover, wiped off the dust, and tuned the piano with skilled, swift movements.
The shop owner stood behind the counter, wiping a cup with a disappointed expression.
At that moment, only they were in the shop. Iroha and the three other girls stood around him, watching as he rolled up his sleeves and stretched his fingers.
The suspicious figure also lowered her sunglasses, staring at him without blinking as he took position before the piano.
"I'll play the sheet music version for you first." Turning to the girl, Yuu looked at the black-and-white keys. His fingers smoothly played the melody.
The braided girl immediately sank into the beautiful melody, smiling and gently swaying her body.
The dark-skinned girl tilted her head in confusion. She didn't seem to understand what was so beautiful, but still obediently stood in place.
The straight-haired girl closed her eyes and listened intently. She nodded occasionally, but her brows furrowed deeper, as if facing an unsolvable problem.
As for Iroha...
She didn't care whether the melody was good or not. Her eyes were fixed on his ten slender, clean fingers with clearly defined knuckles. Taking advantage of no one else paying attention, her gaze showed admiration and attraction she didn't hide.
She didn't just want to see them—she wanted to touch them, lick them from fingertip to base, suck each knuckle—hands so beautiful.
But for some reason, when she looked at Yuu, Iroha felt a chill down her spine, as if a murderous aura surrounded her.
She quietly turned around. Aside from a suspicious customer sipping black tea and playing on his phone, she found no one else looking at her.
Was it just her imagination?
Before she could find the answer, the melody ended. Yuu played the final note, pulled back his hands, and looked behind.
"How was it? Is it the same as what you played?"
The straight-haired girl, who had just opened her mouth to speak, asked with slight confusion: "How... did you know?"
"You must've transcribed all the notes by listening, right? Even so, you couldn't get the feeling, so you wondered if something was missing, or if there was a technique you couldn't hear—then decided to come and ask me."
"...Yes."
The girl nodded slowly. In her clear eyes, there was a hint of genuine admiration and respect.
(With just that information, he could deduce her situation so accurately—amazing! He truly deserves to be Tenkuji-Senpai, the champion of two competitions!)
Though she looked graceful and calm on the outside, the girl cheered inside like a fan.
(I really want him to be my piano teacher, so I can hehehehe (drooling) every day...)
"Unfortunately, it's impossible for you to regain that feeling just from sheet music." Yuu said again.
"Why?"
Snapped from her bad fantasy, the girl stared at his back in surprise.
"I'll play it for you once more. This time, it's the live version."
Not answering directly, Yuu placed his hands back on the piano keys and spoke before beginning:
"You must've heard what I told the braided friend, right? Cooking is actually the same as playing piano. Whether you put in emotion, whether you convey your feelings—it greatly affects the person eating and the person listening..."
"If this song is played for someone, then it becomes truly beautiful."
As those words ended, a clear melody rang out, like spring rain falling.
In a small café, Yuu closed his eyes, gently and feelingly touching the piano keys, recalling the past.
For whom was this song played?
Yuuki Asuna, and... Yukinoshita Haruno.
Yes, this was a melodious tune filled with memories.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
The sun set. Yuu left Angel Café.
At a street corner not far away, a girl with silver hair tinted golden waited for him.