Waitress Tohka
It was nighttime at Kurumi's apartment.
Moonlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, casting a silvery-white band of light on the floor.
Higashino Makoto was lying on the bed, Kurumi was lying next to him.
Her hair was loose, her long black hair spread out on the pillow, her right eye looking at him, a half-smile playing on her lips.
"Higashino- kun."
"Um."
"You know what? In that timeline, when I handed over all my ownership to you, I thought about something."
What's the problem?
What if you fail?
She reached out and gently traced her fingers across his cheek.
"I've thought about this for a long time, and my conclusion is that even if you fail, I won't regret it. Because at least someone tried, at least someone was willing to try, instead of just hiding in a safe zone and praying, doing nothing and watching the world end."
Her hand rested on his cheek.
So, thank you. Thank you for trying, thank you for succeeding, thank you for making me feel that I made the right choice.
Higashino Makoto reached out and took her hand.
"You're welcome. I made a fortune on this deal."
"Higashino- kun, you shouldn't say things like that when you're with a lady."
She chuckled softly.
"I know, but I still want you to know what kind of person I really am."
Kurumi looked at him, a complex light flickering in her right eye.
"I see, you're someone who can't speak properly."
"Yes, people often say that."
"But I like it."
She kissed him.
That night, Kurumi didn't say those cringeworthy lines or use that exaggerated tone.
She just leaned against him, calling his name over and over again.
After a long while, she buried her face in his chest and closed her eyes.
"Welcome home, Savior."
"I'm back."
Moonlight streamed in through the window, bathing the room in a silvery-white glow.
When Higashino Makoto came out of Kurumi's apartment, the sunlight was so bright that he squinted.
He stood at the door for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and let the fresh air fill his lungs.
These past few days with Kurumi, he almost thought he was going to die.
It's not an exaggeration.
After her spiritual power was unlocked, Kurumi became an army all by herself.
He used the sharing function to summon more than a dozen Kurumi at once, thinking he could outnumber them, but they coordinated so well that they seemed like one person.
Yes, it's the same person.
He was surrounded, attacked from both sides, and repeatedly worn down, finally managing to win by using Kurumi others' feelings.
Especially those Kurumi Heavenly Kings, where did they learn so many tricks of the trade?
Your true nature is that of a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) rich girl, not a yandere (obsessive and possessive) juice-making girl!
Seriously...
That said, did Kurumi have the "juice-extracting princess" attribute in the original work?
How come I didn't know?
Higashino Makoto rubbed his lower back and walked towards the shopping street.
He urgently needs to replenish his energy, preferably with high-calorie, high-protein foods that can help him regain his vitality.
He entered a small restaurant with a noren (traditional Japanese curtain) hanging at the entrance and a wooden sign that read "Spring Pavilion".
He pushed open the door, and a delicious aroma of food wafted out.
Welcome!
The voice was clear and crisp, carrying a silly, energetic quality.
Higashino Makoto looked up and saw a purple-haired girl standing behind the counter.
She has amethyst-like eyes, long hair tied up with a white ribbon, and wears a white maid outfit with the shop's logo printed on her apron.
Tohka Yatogami.
The moment she saw Higashino Makoto, her eyes lit up, like two light bulbs that had been turned on.
"Higashino!"
She flipped right out from behind the counter, her movements as swift as if she were leaping over a ditch.
The apron straps fluttered behind her as she ran up to him, placed her hands on her knees, bent over, and looked up at him.
"What brings you here? Are you here for dinner? Are you hungry? What would you like to eat?"
Higashino Makoto was a little dizzy from her barrage of questions.
"Eat, I'm hungry, anything will do."
Tohka Yatogami nodded vigorously, turned around and ran back behind the counter, pulled out a menu from the drawer, filled it with her thoughts, and ran back to hand it to him.
Higashino Makoto took the menu and unfolded it.
Both sides of the two sheets of paper were filled with writing.
The text was very small, the line spacing was very narrow, and it listed no less than a hundred dishes.
Is this enough for one person to finish?
He looked at it for a few seconds, then looked up at Tohka Yatogami's expectant eyes.
"You're the only waiter in this restaurant?"
"Yes, I'm the store manager."
Where's the chef?
"We've used a new type of AI robot; it's fully automated now! Although I don't quite understand what AI is."
Higashino Makoto remained silent for a moment.
Where's the boss?
"The boss rarely comes. She said she's leaving the shop to me, and I can run it however I want."
Higashino Makoto glanced down again at the menu that filled two pages.
When Tohka Yatogami the manager, the menu was full of dishes she wanted to eat.
He had a pretty good idea who the shop owner was.
Mio Takamiya, she's probably the only one who would spoil Tohka Yatogami like this.
After all, Tohka Yatogami is practically her daughter.
Is the boss's surname Chonggong?
Tohka Yatogami tilted her head.
How did you know?
Higashino Makoto did not answer.
He flipped the menu over and over, crossed out most of it, and then selected a few dishes that looked relatively normal.
Tohka Yatogami ran into the kitchen with the order form, and soon came out carrying a huge tray.
It's not an exaggeration; it's truly enormous.
The tray was a size larger than the kind of hotel food trays he had seen in his previous life, and it was covered with plates.
Each dish was more than twice the size of what you'd get in a normal restaurant, piled up like a small mountain.
He added up the dishes on the menu, which totaled about seven or eight, but the number served was at least double.
Tohka Yatogami placed the plates on the table one by one, saying "This is a free gift" with each plate.
Higashino Makoto looked at the free gifts and remained silent for a moment.
"You increased the dosage."
This is an affirmative sentence, not an interrogative sentence.
"Yes! You've been working so hard, you should eat more!"
Higashino Makoto picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of braised pork, and put it in his mouth.
It tastes good, rich but not greasy, with a perfect balance of sweet and salty.
He picked up another piece and chewed it.
"Is it tasty?"
Tohka Yatogami's eyes lit up. She placed her hands on the table, leaned forward, and stared straight at him with her purple eyes.
"Tasty."
"Then eat more! And this, it's delicious too! This is something I just developed, you should try it!"
She pointed to the dishes on the table and introduced them one by one, her tone full of pride.
Higashino Makoto calculated that he would be full after eating about one-fifth of the food.
It's not that he has a small appetite, it's that Tohka Yatogami gave him too much.
Of course, it's not impossible to fit it in.
But doing that would feel like it would violate his usual virtue of not wasting food.