"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura blinked.
"Rice balls," Sasuke Uchiha repeated.
"Can't you go along with us for once?" Naruto Uzumaki grew impatient.
Sasuke glanced at him, then at Sakura. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, as though he had held something back.
Just as the three reached an impasse, the rich aroma of grilled meat drifted over on the evening breeze.
All three turned their heads at once.
A few steps away, the breeze lifted the entrance curtain of a barbecue restaurant, revealing the steaming scene inside.
Through the glass windows, they could see customers sitting around grills. Slices of meat sizzled on the wire racks, dripping fat onto the charcoal and releasing an enticing aroma.
Naruto's stomach growled again.
"...If it's barbecue," Naruto swallowed, "I guess I could live with that."
Sakura's eyes lit up. "We can have red bean rice cake soup with barbecue! And red bean rice cake soup cuts through the richness..."
"I don't mind," Sasuke added indifferently.
Sakura froze for a moment, then broke into a radiant smile. "Ha, let's go, then."
Naruto rolled his eyes, but his feet were already carrying him toward the barbecue restaurant of their own accord.
Sasuke said nothing more and followed with his hands in his pockets.
Sakura jogged after them, and just like that, the three somehow reached an agreement.
They pushed open the restaurant door, and a wave of heat washed over them, carrying the smoky aroma of sizzling fat.
A server warmly showed them to a table by the window and brought over a charcoal grill and menus.
"Three orders of pork belly! Two of beef tongue! Two of pork neck! And an assorted offal platter!" Naruto rattled off a long list without even looking at the menu.
"Wait, wait, wait..."
Sakura stopped him. "You're ordering all