Chapter 72: The Gourmet is Here. Should We Take Him Out?
"?"
The stare was so intense, so naked, that the young man eating the Omurice naturally noticed it. He glanced over at Tsukiyama Shuu but paid him no mind, assuming the man was either envious of his food or just shocked that it was glowing. He continued on his way without breaking his stride.
Instinctively, Tsukiyama began to follow. His pursuit of fine cuisine had reached the point of fanaticism. If he let such a high-quality "ingredient" slip away, he would wake up from his dreams screaming with regret. The "Cooking Immortal" could wait; his stall wasn't going anywhere. But the man in front of him…
But as he followed, Tsukiyama noticed something strange. The aroma… it was fading.
"Hello~, handsome. Want to go for a drink with us?"
Two young, stylishly dressed women with flawless makeup linked their arms and approached him, their eyes subtly sizing him up. A custom-tailored suit from Azabu Tailor, a Louis Vuitton tie, a Cartier watch, Makers leather shoes, and that air of refined elegance… This was a rich boy. A very handsome rich boy.
Having his pursuit interrupted annoyed Tsukiyama, but he didn't let it show. He just gave them a polite smile. "I'm so sorry, but I'm a bit busy at the moment."
"Then could we at least get your contact information? We could have a drink some other time," one of the girls said, waggling her phone.
Get lost, he thought. I have no interest in you over-seasoned inférieur.
"My apologies," he said, and then simply walked around them and continued his pursuit. He followed the fading scent until he saw the young man toss his empty food container into a trash can outside a convenience store.
Click—!
At that moment, Tsukiyama's eyes widened. He could clearly hear the sound of his entire worldview shattering.
And then, he turned and sprinted back in the direction he had come from, startling a passerby who was just coming out of the store.
What's going on? Was there something wrong with that takeout box? the passerby wondered. He had just seen a very well-dressed man, who looked like the young master of a wealthy family, pull a food container out of the trash with a look of utter disbelief. He had sniffed it, and then his expression had changed from bewilderment to shock, and finally to a look of ecstatic, hopeful realization before he had taken off running.
"Rich people are so weird," the passerby muttered, and went on his way.
Tsukiyama ran through the streets, ignoring the stares of the people around him. He wasn't using his full Ghoul speed, of course; that would certainly attract the attention of the CCG Doves. Along the way, he saw several other people walking and eating the glowing food. He became more and more certain of his theory.
Suppressing the intense urge to snatch the food from their hands, he continued running toward the source of the aroma.
"Sugoi! Sugoi!"
"How can something so incroyable exist?!"
"The aroma is so fragrant, so tempting…"
"What must it taste like?"
His mouth was watering uncontrollably. Tsukiyama was filled with an unbearable anticipation.
Finally, a long queue of people came into view, and the aroma in the air became incredibly rich.
I've found it! Tsukiyama thought, ecstatic.
But just then, a figure in sunglasses stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
"Seriously? Why did a troublesome guy like you have to show up?" Mizutani Hayato said, frowning. He wondered who had leaked the information and led this troublemaker here.
"You're… from the 20th Ward?" Tsukiyama asked, forced to a halt, his eyebrow raised. He didn't know the man's name, but he looked familiar, like one of the lackeys who followed that "monkey" from Anteiku.
"Tsk—! Let me make things clear from the start," Mizutani said with a click of his tongue. "There's no trouble-making here. If you want to buy the Glowing Cuisine, you get in line like everyone else. Or you can pay a high price to buy it from someone else. But you will absolutely not lay a hand on anyone here, especially not Chef Ryohei. Otherwise, you can see if you can escape the wrath of all of Anteiku."
"...Are you people bored?" Tsukiyama asked, looking at Mizutani with a completely deadpan expression. Playing house with humans is one thing, but now you're acting as their bodyguards? He found it laughable. The hunter, acting as a bodyguard for the prey.
"Pfft—!"
"Scusami tanto," Tsukiyama said, covering his mouth as if trying to stifle a laugh. "Under normal circumstances, I would never laugh so suddenly. Unless, of course, I can't help it."
Of course, he would still heed some of Mizutani's warning. The man had only said he couldn't cause trouble here. That meant once he left here, it was fair game. He was a flexible thinker.
"This is why I hate you," Mizutani's face went completely cold, his eyes turning crimson behind his sunglasses.
"And I'm not fond of you, either," Tsukiyama said with a shrug. "In any case, as long as I don't cause trouble, it's fine, right? Understood." He was about to walk around him.
"One more thing," Mizutani added. "If you don't have sunglasses, you don't eat here."
"Hmm… how troublesome," Tsukiyama sighed, pausing. "But it makes sense, to avoid revealing one's identity." He turned back and held out his hand. "Could I borrow your sunglasses, then?"
"30,000 yen. For you," Mizutani said, pulling a new eyeglass case from his bag. Since he disliked the man, he decided on a temporary price hike. It wasn't like this guy was short on cash.
"..." Tsukiyama looked at him, realizing he had come prepared. You've even started a business out of this? But he didn't say anything, simply pulling three 10,000 yen notes from his wallet and handing them over.
"Tsk—!" He took the case, opened it, and saw that the sunglasses were clearly cheap knock-offs, probably not even worth 3,000 yen.
You bastard! You dare to treat me like a fool?! he thought. I'll remember you.
Tsukiyama put on the sunglasses, a flash of crimson in his eyes, and then turned and walked toward the front of the line.
Mizutani watched him go, then silently took out his phone and sent a message to his boss.
[Boss, the Gourmet is here. Should we take him out?]