Annie had to admit that the chubby auntie really was a great cook!
And those fresh mushrooms in the restaurant's signature dish, "Freshness Upon Freshness"—the wild mushrooms supposedly gathered in the mountains that wouldn't leave you lying flat in a coffin—were excellent too. Their flavor was truly one of a kind!
Whether it was "Lonely Mushrooms" or "Mushrooms Bitter and Alone," both were delicious. The skewers were great, too. Anyway, she'd eaten until her little belly was round, stopping only when dinnertime rolled around and more customers started to fill the restaurant. She'd had a wonderfully relaxing time.
However!
Though she'd enjoyed herself immensely, not everyone was so happy!
For example...
The owner and proprietress of the "Food Is Steel" restaurant—otherwise known as the chubby auntie, as Annie called her?
"..."
At that moment, for some reason, the chubby auntie stood in front of Annie's table, holding a cooking ladle in one hand and a cleaver in the other. She glared viciously at Annie, who stared right back with an utterly unconcerned look on her face.
Seeing this, plenty of customers who'd come to "Food Is Steel" for dinner decided to linger after finishing their meals. With a juicy spectacle to watch, they sat at their tables, quietly discussing the situation and waiting for things to get interesting.
"Hey!"
"What's going on?"
"I just got here!"
"I know! I know!"
"I heard she ate here and didn't pay..."
"Huh? Didn't pay? Who?"
"Her..."
"That little girl? Whose kid is she? I don't think I've seen her before."
"Right?"
"I haven't seen her either..."
"What a gutsy little girl, sneaking off to eat at a restaurant all by herself without telling her family! How come I never thought of doing that when I was a kid?"
"Uh..."
"Enough of that. Tell