Restaurant

Have I truly seen through Ink Lotus? Or, to put it another way, do I understand Ink Lotus?

The Larkspur didn't think so.

While she has honed her ability to judge people through years of work and social interactions, this ability only allows her to see certain traits in others, not to see through them as a whole.

Although she didn't know what Ink Lotus had misunderstood, there was no doubt that she wasn't as remarkable as the other party claimed.

At least, when Ink Lotus was buying everyday items at the magic item shop like a wholesaler, Larkspur was completely baffled.

Because the two met much earlier than expected, they decided to take a stroll along the street. And somehow, they ended up in a magic item shop, thus beginning Ink Lotus's shopping spree.

There were small generators that could convert magic into electricity, building material repair kits for house maintenance, hydraulic resource generators that integrated a domestic water pipe network management system, and a whole bunch of agricultural magical tools that even the Larkspur couldn't name... When Ink Lotus bought these things, she even compared prices from three different vendors and carefully analyzed the cost-effectiveness, so she was clearly not just joking around.

"Why are you buying these?" Although Larkspur herself didn't have anything she wanted to buy, that didn't stop her from asking from the side.

"A friend needs it," Ink Lotus replied.

"Does your friend own a farm?"

"They live in the Wasteland, so they have to farm," Ink Lotus explained as she filled out a delivery form by the counter. "The people there don't have water or electricity, so they need these things."

"Living in the Wasteland?"

This strange answer surprised Larkspur, but considering that Ink Lotus's so-called "friends" were probably magical girls, a group of powerful magical girls protecting each other should be able to survive in a safe spot in the Wasteland. Even so, this behavior still sounded a bit off, "So how do you plan to send these things over?"

"I had the shopkeeper deliver the props to the city in the Material Realm, and then they would move the items into the Wasteland," Ink Lotus without any hesitation.

"... Can this be considered a hobby?" That was the only analysis Larkspur could offer.

"I don't know either." Ink Lotus shook her head.

This fragmented conversation continued in this way, intermittently.

Larkspur quickly noticed that Ink Lotus seemed to be avoiding mentioning her "friends" too much, which seemed a bit strange, but she didn't press the matter. Although she was curious, knowing when to be tactful was a virtue in social interactions.

The two had initially agreed to meet an hour earlier than their mealtime, and with Larkspur arriving an hour early, they needed to kill two hours before eating. Thus, this bizarre shopping trip, which was supposed to be a stroll but was actually just Ink Lotus doing all the shopping, really lasted that long. And neither of them seemed to notice anything amiss; one kept buying while the other kept looking, and by the latter half of the trip, even their conversations had stopped.

They remained seated in the restaurant, facing each other at opposite ends of the table.

Whether by coincidence or not, the sky was exactly the same as when the two met yesterday, nearing dusk. The semi-open restaurant offered no shade from the orange-tinged sky, allowing the sunlight to gild the tables with a golden glow.

A thick, comfortable tablecloth covered the dining table. In the center of the tablecloth sat a basket filled with freshly baked cream bread, steaming in the slightly chilly spring air.

Neither of them made a move; they just stared at each other, each seemingly hoping the other would eat first.

"Then... shall we eat something first?"

Seeing that no one could break the deadlock, the Larkspur had no choice but to speak up, then reached into the bamboo basket, took a piece of bread, and took a bite.

Upon first bite, you'll find a soft and delicate bread crust, and a creamy filling with a rich, milky aroma and a sweet, almost overwhelming flavor.

"It tastes good," she commented.

So Ink Lotus followed suit, taking a piece of bread and eating it in small bites. Her amber eyes lit up after tasting the bread. Then, she started biting the bread much faster.

Undoubtedly, this bread is merely a side dish for customers to fill their stomachs before the main meal, but it is made with high-quality ingredients and excellent baking techniques, to the point that no effort is spared. This pursuit of perfection in every aspect is also the mainstream trend in restaurants like those in the Magic Kingdom —after all, there is no difference in raw materials and basic processes, so they can only compete fiercely in terms of taste and service.

Larkspur made her judgment in her mind, gradually swallowing the bread in her hand completely. Ink Lotus finished her bread at almost the same time as her, and the stiff expression on her face softened a lot under the effect of the dessert. There was no doubt that she also really liked desserts.

So, probably for this reason, Ink Lotus took a second loaf of bread from the basket.

She ate the bread right in front of the Larkspur, just like that.

Immediately afterwards, Ink Lotus took a third loaf of bread.

Larkspur had to start analyzing the possibility that the other person was "really hungry," but still didn't say anything to stop them.

The silence continued until the other person took the fourth loaf of bread, then looked around hesitantly, and began trying to stuff all the remaining bread in the basket into their handbag.

"Stop, stop."

After the other person had already stuffed several pieces of bread into her mouth, Larkspur interrupted, asking somewhat bewilderedly, "What are you trying to do?"

"Uru chu wu bu."

"If you don't understand, swallow the bread in your mouth before you speak."

"... To get my money's worth." Perhaps because Larkspur's attitude was strange, Ink Lotus's answer became less confident.

"Huh?" For a moment, all that could be said was a questioning sound; the Larkspur was speechless.

"I calculated the cost of the meal, and based on the market price of these cream breads, we'd need to eat 37 to break even," Ink Lotus explained softly. "But I don't think I can finish that many, so I can only take a few..."

The Larkspur remained silent for a long time.

She mentally analyzed the relationship between Ink Lotus's behavior and her words, pondering the meaning of "eating the bread before the meal until you get your money's worth." After a long while, she finally spoke:

This is bread served before the meal.

"Before the meal?" Ink Lotus asked, somewhat puzzled, before her eyes widened in surprise.

"That means this isn't a main meal; it's just something to tide you over before your main meal."

Larkspur retrieved a piece of bread that had slipped from Ink Lotus's hand and put it back in the basket. "Let's not even talk about the feasibility of eating your money's worth at a restaurant... at least, even if you wanted to get your money's worth, you certainly wouldn't eat this."

As if to corroborate Larkspur's statement, after she explained this "astonishing fact" to Ink Lotus, several waiters came to their table and began placing napkins, plates, and cutlery in front of them...

One of the waiters' eyes fell on the basket with only a few loaves of bread left, causing him to pause for a moment as he placed the plate in front of the Larkspur. However, he quickly composed himself, smiled politely, and finished his task before taking his leave with the other waiters.

He may not have been the only one to notice the bread basket, but no one said a word during that time, as if the basket had never existed.

Because being tactful is a social virtue.

After the waiters left, only Larkspur and Ink Lotus remained at the table, staring at each other. Larkspur noticed that Ink Lotus's face was a little pale.

"Actually, you don't need to worry about it."

She offered words of comfort, "This restaurant must be quite famous, right? Many of the customers here are probably magical girls, so some people do eat a lot."

"... I don't know, this is a shop recommended by my friend, I've never been here before."

Ink Lotus shook her head. "But, Captain, it's not that I'm still bothered by the bread issue. It's that I suddenly realized I seem to be trying to challenge myself with something beyond my capabilities."

"Transcending abilities?" Larkspur, somewhat puzzled.

"These... props?"

Lowering her head, Ink Lotus pointed to the neatly arranged tableware of more than a dozen different kinds on the table, and looked blankly at Larkspur:

"What are they for?"