Chapter 31: I'm Eating Wagyu
"This is way too high-class!" Emi Sai stood at the entrance of the Wagyu restaurant, her eyes literally turning into sparkling stars.
She walked solemnly over to Hikaru Hoshino's side and bowed a full ninety degrees. "Thank you very very much for your invitation today."
This Wagyu establishment was situated in a prime location within Ginza. Although its storefront wasn't particularly massive, it radiated a sense of understated luxury. Warm yellow lights filtered out from inside the restaurant, illuminating meticulously trimmed miniature potted plants flanking the entrance. Pedestrians passing by cast occasional envious glances; after all, being able to dine here was a luxury few could afford. A display case showcasing the day's recommended dishes stood by the door, the exquisite food models looking incredibly enticing under the lighting.
Takuya Taira murmured under his breath, "If someone weren't treating us, I probably wouldn't step foot in a place like this for the rest of my life."
"Beef. Delicious," Koromo Shiranui nodded, holding up a single thumb.
Even though she frequented places like this on her own time, having someone else foot the bill today somehow made it taste exceptionally better.
Following the wrap of the shooting, Takuya Taira had enthusiastically suggested hitting a barbecue joint to celebrate. Hikaru and Ai had initially wanted to politely decline, but the sheer enthusiasm of the rest of the cast was impossible to push back against. Emi Sai had joked that since Hikaru was a major star, he ought to treat everyone. Acting as a newly minted Tokyo big shot, Hikaru gave a grand wave of his hand—a mere barbecue session was nothing, he'd gladly treat them.
In fact, Hikaru felt that a standard barbecue place lacked a certain flair, which was why he proposed hitting a high-end Wagyu restaurant instead.
—Truth be told, he simply wanted to find an opportunity to try it for himself. In his past life, Hikaru had heard that if one travels to Japan, a Wagyu restaurant is an absolute bucket-list destination.
Upon hearing Hikaru's proposal at the time, Jin Fuyuno's eyes had popped wide open as he gasped, "A Wagyu restaurant?! Do you have any idea how astronomical the prices are over there?!"
Emi Sai had nodded frantically in agreement. "Exactly, exactly! The average cost per person starts at ten thousand yen minimum!"
"Do you guys know the ultimate secret to inviting a girl on a date with a guaranteed one hundred percent success rate?" she had asked mysteriously.
"What is it?" Taira had asked blankly.
Emi had explained excitedly, "It's inviting her out to eat Wagyu! Absolutely no girl can refuse that."
"I never thought the day would come where I'd actually step inside a Wagyu restaurant."
Upon hearing his proposal, Koromo Shiranui had immediately pulled out her phone to recommend a spot she frequently visited. "This place. Delicious."
Back in the present, Hikaru pulled up the still-bowing Emi and led the group of six inside. The moment they stepped through the door, five or six servers clad in identical uniforms bowed in perfect synchronization to a ninety-degree angle, chanting in unison, "Welcome!"
Following the lead server across a plush carpet and through a long, narrow corridor, they were ultimately shown into an elegantly decorated private dining room.
The interior of the Wagyu restaurant featured soft, subdued lighting, and the dark wood paneling generated a serene atmosphere. The private rooms were separated by traditional hanging curtains to ensure absolute privacy. There weren't many patrons inside, and the servers moved with a quiet, graceful precision. The overall environment exuded a subtle opulence. A faint aroma of spices drifted through the air, accompanied by the occasional light sizzle of a teppan grill, making everyone subconsciously anticipate the upcoming culinary feast.
"Valued guests, here is the menu. Please take your time to select," a server dressed in a kimono bowed slightly, handing the premium, hardbound menus to the group.
Hikaru accepted a menu and placed it flat on the table, stating generously, "Don't hold back, everyone. Order whatever your heart desires."
Koromo Shiranui was the first to snag a menu. Without scanning it particularly closely, she began ticking off items right on the first page.
"This one, this one, and this one..." she marked them rapidly.
"...Not these." Koromo nodded to herself. "As for everything else on this page, bring one portion of each."
Jin Fuyuno was startled. "Can we even finish all that?"
Koromo-chan set the menu back on the table and tilted her head in thought. "I only ordered a few classic cuts, and the portion size for each plate is actually quite small. The rest of you should definitely order some more items."
Hearing her words, the others picked up the menus one after another, each ordering a few of their preferred dishes. Before long, the server began delivering the dishes in succession.
Arranged on exquisite black slate platters, the bright red slices of Wagyu beef were as thin as a cicada's wing, featuring a symmetrical distribution of marbling that resembled pristine marble, shimmering beautifully under the light. The side dishes were arrayed in stunning presentation: crisp green asparagus, golden corn kernels, and a few radishes carved into the intricate shapes of flowers. Under the manipulation of the server, the iron griddle emitted a soft, snapping sizzle. The moment the sliced beef made contact with the scorching surface, its color began to turn, instantly releasing a rich aroma that enveloped the entire space.
"It smells incredible!" Emi couldn't help but draw in a deep breath.
Everyone's appetite was instantly whetted, and they commenced eating. The first bite of Wagyu literally melted in their mouths, its flavorful, rich juices exploding across their taste buds, forcing them to subconsciously close their eyes to savor every nuance.
As their stomachs were gradually filled, the atmosphere in the room quickly turned lighthearted. Amidst the clinking of glasses, the group began chatting about topics they would never discuss in front of a rolling camera.
"Hikaru-kun really gave everyone a massive shock this afternoon, suddenly shifting gears to aggressively pursue Ai-chan like that," Emi teased while savoring her beef.
Recalling the scene from earlier, a vivid blush crept onto Ai's cheeks.
At that exact moment, Ai had genuinely assumed Hikaru was confessing to her, which had frightened her out of her wits. It wasn't until Hikaru immediately clarified that it was strictly for the sake of the show's engagement metrics–stating he merely hoped they could generate some romantic chemistry on screen–that she realized what was happening.
Feeling thoroughly played, a subtle wave of annoyance had welled up from the bottom of Ai's heart.
*Using that specific phrasing... Hikaru-kun definitely did that on purpose, didn't he?*
She had felt a sudden urge to reject that joke-like confession on the spot, paying him back with a prank of her own.
Yet, in the grand end, she had still agreed to Hikaru's proposal to create on-screen romantic chemistry.
In the subsequent footage, the two of them conversed intimately like trusted confidants, their distance rapidly closing as they set a promise to go watch a movie together at the cinema next week.
Jin Fuyuno rapidly snatched up a slice of Wagyu. "Ai is a top-tier idol who has performed at the Tokyo Dome after all; I already felt an immense amount of pressure when I invited her on a date before. I didn't expect Hikaru to take the initiative to close the distance. Stirring up romantic rumors with Ai... aren't you worried about a massive public backlash?"
"Eh?! Is that what you were thinking, Fuyuno? My confession back then was completely genuine," Taira looked at him in sheer surprise.
Staring blankly at Hikaru, Koromo added with an expressionless face, "Mhm. My confession was also completely genuine."
*As if anyone would believe that!* Hikaru complained internally, taking a sip of his lemon soda. "Well, I simply didn't want us to be marginalized by the production crew. If we don't do something, we'll just be stuck watching Taira and Sai feed everyone dog food for the next few episodes. You guys won't blame me for stealing your screen time, right?"
The chopsticks in Taira's hand froze mid-air. "What exactly do you mean by 'dog food'?"
Emi shook her head. "The show's public engagement was driven by Ai to begin with. If she remained entirely passive, it would actually be worse; it might even trigger online rumors that the rest of us are bullying her. So this truly helps a ton."
Hearing this, a dramatic wave of aggrieved tears instantly welled up in Ai's eyes. "So I'm actually that unwelcome around here?"
The group scrambled to apologize, shaking their heads in frantic denial, causing Ai to instantly break into a mischievous grin. "Just kidding!"
Koromo was busy stuffing beef into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out fully as she mumbled indistinctly, "Idols truly are complicated. There's a complete lack of freedom."
Hikaru gave her a dead-eyed stare. He felt that compared to Ai, Koromo was already living an incredibly liberated life.
Jin Fuyuno suddenly inquired, "By the way, how do you all actually view this reality show? Do you legitimately want to find romance, or are you just going through the motions?"
Taira let out a heavy sigh. "I originally had high hopes, but that spark has officially been snuffed out by now."
Emi Sai looked at Taira as if he were a complete idiot. Realizing he was entirely oblivious to her gaze, she helplessly directed her eyes elsewhere. "For me, I still want to try my best to experience romance. Well, romance *within* the show, that is. Whether we can continue after the program wraps up depends entirely on fate."
Koromo shook her head. "Romance born inside a dating reality show isn't true romance."
*And yet you literally just claimed your confession was completely genuine a moment ago,* Hikaru snarked in his mind.
The gaze of the group shifted collectively toward Hikaru and Ai.
Realizing that everyone was staring at her, Ai panicked for a brief moment before clarifying, "The producer is a close acquaintance of mine, and I only agreed to participate because he personally called to invite me. I don't actually have any intentions of pursuing a romance."
The table let out a collective sigh. "As expected..."
Hikaru set down his utensils and offered casually, "The show and reality are obviously two completely different matters. I keep a crystal-clear boundary between what's on-script and what's off-script, so I'm not taking it overly seriously either."
Taira offered a wry smile. "So I'm literally the only one here who actually wanted to date?"
Emi asked curiously, "What exactly *is* the relationship between Hikaru-kun and Ai-chan anyway? Although you two act like you aren't very close, that's just a front, isn't it? After all, you guys have already collaborated multiple times, and aren't all of Ai's recent hit tracks written by Hikaru-kun?"
The atmosphere inside the private room instantly turned subtle. The Wagyu on the iron plate was still emitting a soft, crackling sizzle, but everyone's focus completely converged onto Hikaru and Ai.
Hikaru froze up for a split second. Pausing briefly, he forced his signature smile back onto his face. "We're just professional collaborators, mhm."
Ai also donned her absolutely flawless, signature idol smile. "Hikaru is an incredibly talented creator, after all."
Two brilliant star icons gleamed beautifully within her eyes.
The two stared at each other like that with their perfectly artificial smiles, before suddenly losing their composure entirely and bursting into laughter at the exact same time.
"Collaborating with you is highly pleasant," Ai voiced from the bottom of her heart.
"We will continue to collaborate for a very long time," Hikaru matched her sentiment.
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