Although he didn't have particularly pleasant memories of aojiru, seeing Kitasan Black thank the clerk enthusiastically and accept two cups of green drink, Anjing Zhen still made up his mind.
It was just a drink. How bad could it possibly taste?
Besides, Kitasan Black had clearly put a great deal of effort into planning today's date. If things ended on a sour note at the very first stop, that would be far too disappointing.
So he quickly adjusted his mindset, accepted the aojiru she handed him as if nothing were amiss, and, under Kitasan Black's expectant gaze, cautiously took a sip.
To his surprise, this cup of aojiru smelled just like he remembered, carrying a faint scent of fresh grass.
Yet when he drank it, it lacked the bitterness and unpleasant taste he had expected.
Instead, it tasted rather like a uniquely flavored matcha drink, with a hint of tartness mingled with a light sweetness.
Compared with other drinks, the flavor was certainly unusual, but it was by no means bad. It was actually quite good.
".-Is this really green juice?" Taken aback, Anjing Zhen raised the drink in his hand and examined it carefully.
"Hehe, of course it is!"
With a grin, Kitasan Black tipped back her own cup and took a huge gulp of aojiru. She let out a satisfied sigh before explaining, "This shop has lots of unique aojiru recipes. Some of them taste really good even to people who don't like this kind of drink.
"Diamond-chan and I come here all the time, so we've long memorized which flavors they have at what times.
"So we're really lucky—today just happens to be one of the especially tasty recipes!"
Anjing Zhen immediately understood, and he couldn't help being surprised by Kitasan Black's thoughtfulness.
He hadn't expected her