Inside Hikigaya Diner, an invisible standoff still burned strong.
Faced with Hachiman's crab roe fried rice, Miura's body seemed to move on its own, step by step, drawn closer to the dish by instinct.
"I'm telling you... I will deny your cooking, no matter what!"
A strong will surged inside her. To drive Hikigaya Diner out, and to vent her friend Yui's anger, she had to—absolutely had to—reject the man standing before her.
The spoon gently touched the fried rice. It was as if even the lightest touch would bounce off its unique smoothness. Miura pressed down harder, and each grain of rice spread apart like marbles, clear and distinct. At the same time, the deep-sea broth hidden inside bloomed, releasing an irresistible fragrance.
Until the spoonful of fried rice finally crossed the long gap and reached Miura's mouth, the craving from deep inside her body completely broke through her defenses. Just a light swallow, just a gentle bite…
"Ah… mmm~"
Miura had planned to swallow it whole without chewing, but her desire wouldn't allow that. Could she really forgive herself if she let such a beautiful dish slip past her tongue?
Every bite was packed with rich broth essence, the deep-sea freshness bursting on her taste buds again and again. Just one bite, and her body felt like it was melting, completely out of control. She could only support herself with her hands, barely keeping steady.
Dressed in a black suit, Miura's body trembled uncontrollably. Even the two proud curves on her chest swayed as if they were about to collapse at any moment.
"Is it good?"
Hachiman's question made her cheeks burn red, and she couldn't speak at all.
But… her body couldn't lie.
Driven by pure desire, she reached out with her spoon again—only to find Hachiman had already picked up the plate, leaving her with nothing.
"How… how could you…"
"I've eaten so many amazing dishes, but… none of them have ever made me feel this way…"
"This thing… it shouldn't even count as real cooking…"
"It's just fried rice, the simplest thing ever. Damn it, Hikki-kun, you bastard!"
Eating was one thing, but why did she sound so upset about it?
Watching Miura twisting awkwardly in front of him, Hachiman didn't rush. Getting someone so stubborn to give in wasn't easy, so maybe just a little push…
He took the plate and started walking back to the kitchen, saying calmly:
"Some dishes lose their taste if you don't eat them right away. Take this crab roe fried rice—it's the kind of flavor you might never taste again in your life."
"If you want more, just make a simple promise. I won't make things hard for you—we're old classmates after all. Just promise you won't cause us trouble anymore, and I'll treat you like a real guest…"
This side of Hikigaya was nothing like the one she knew from school. Miura's heart was in chaos, her body still tense, and her hand gripping the spoon tightly.
"W-who would make that kind of promise…"
Hachiman sighed and walked toward the kitchen as if making up his mind. "If that's how it is, then I'll just throw it away. After all, it's completely terrible, right?"
As his figure moved farther away, Miura could no longer fight the desire inside her. "W-wait! I'll… I'll promise!"
"Yui… I'm so sorry…"
"I want it~ I really want that dish~ more… I need it~"
"Please give it to me~"
Finally getting the answer he wanted, Hachiman let out a small breath of relief. Then, under everyone's eyes, he walked back to Miura and gently placed the dish in front of her—the first dish marking the start of his life as a chef.
In an instant, the rich seafood aroma filled the air again, breaking Miura and her assistant's last bit of resistance. Each spoonful of fried rice brought an explosion of savory broth, flooding their mouths before sliding smoothly down their throats.
Miura: "I can't believe… I actually gave in to fried rice."
"However… this fried rice completely pulled me in. Every single grain of rice, dry and firm, filled my whole body. No matter where, it felt like it was giving off this one-of-a-kind taste."
"It was like a man burning with passion, touching every part of my body, finally pulling out that feeling that only a woman has..."
"I want it… I still want it… I want more..."
"Delicious… so delicious! Too delicious!"
Even Miura, who always tried to keep up her lady-like image, let go of that restraint unique to women and started eating mouthful after mouthful.
It was as if she had broken free from every chain on her body, and even her clothes seemed like they might burst apart in this heat, shaking the taste buds of everyone eating this dish.
In the end… everyone who had lost their last bit of strength could only collapse weakly to the ground.
Hachiman: "If she got to try Dad's and Komachi's fried rice, she'd probably be even more shocked."
Now that the Hikigaya family's diner was safe, Hachiman finally felt relieved. His cooking skills, though, were probably only going to be shown in moments like this.
In his heart, he never thought his cooking could beat Komachi's or his dad's. So when he looked at the crab roe fried rice in front of him, old memories of his dad's "dark cooking" suddenly popped into his head.
He shook his head and in the end refused to try his own fried rice.
Troubles like that were better left to Komachi and Dad. As for him… a steel scrubber was his true partner.
In Hachiman's mind, if nothing went wrong, their lives would keep going like this—busy and tiring every day, but happy too. Maybe plain, but he had no complaints.
Still, this kind of thought was only a nice dream. Even though they had saved the [Hikigaya Diner], it didn't mean the future would turn out the way he wanted.