Food, spiritual power

‘Princess is with Shido? That makes things tricky. And…’

As Yisha pondered this, she extended a hand. A moment later, a flurry of light particles drifted in through the window.

‘Purple, red. Just as I thought.’

With a dismissive wave, Yisha dispersed the particles. Just then, the oven timer chimed.

‘Time to offer our esteemed guests some hospitality.’

With that thought, Yisha unhurriedly made her way back to the counter.

What the young woman witnessed next was a sight she would never forget.

Time Rewind

Yina placed the dishes before Shido and Tohka, adding the main course with a flourish.

Bowing respectfully, Yina was about to withdraw when her eyes widened slightly, caught by Tohka’s actions.

“Mmm~ What is this? It’s delicious!”

After a tentative bite, Tohka’s eyes lit up with a familiar sparkle—a look Yina had seen before, when she first cooked for Yisha.

‘Princess and Big Sister feel so similar.’

Tohka then plunged her fork into the center of the stir-fried noodles, twirled it around, lifted it, and devoured the entire portion in one gulp.

Yes, that’s right—she finished it in a single mouthful.

‘What just happened? I know I reduced the portion, but she shouldn’t have finished it in one bite!’

Before Yina could recover from her shock, Tohka had already cleared half the Kung Pao Chicken, along with Yina’s own bowl of rice.

The girl ate as if she had never tasted food before (which, in fact, she hadn’t). A chicken leg in her left hand, a piece of Mapo Tofu in her right, she chased each bite with a gulp of water to cut through the richness.

Kung Pao Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork, Mapo Tofu, Braised Chicken Drumsticks, Garlic Eggplant, Boiled Fish—these dishes, along with three bowls of rice, had a combined survival time of merely five minutes.

“Um… Miss, may I ask…”

“Just call me Tohka. ‘Miss’ sounds strange.”

Tohka was in the process of devouring the emergency ice cream Yina had brought out, to which Yina could only respond, “You’re the customer, you call the shots.”

“Alright, Tohka. Have you had enough to eat?”

‘If you’re not full soon, I won’t have enough ingredients left—those are for Big Sister!’

As Yisha’s wishes were at stake, Yina felt she couldn’t let Tohka continue eating unchecked. She posed the question tentatively, though the answer was already predetermined.

“Mmm… only about half full. Do you have more?”

A sudden, sharp sound seemed to echo.

Yina was utterly petrified, her entire being a strange shade of gray-white. Her expression hovered between a smile and the verge of tears, making it impossible to discern her true feelings.

“Huh? What’s going on here?”

When Yisha emerged, she was greeted by the sight of a petrified Yina, a stack of sparkling clean, mirror-like dishes on the table, and a towering fruit ice cream sundae that practically monopolized the entire surface.

If Yisha remembered correctly, that sundae was something Yina had asked her to make out of boredom a few days prior. It had just been finished, then flash-frozen with Angelic power, originally intended for a lazy day at home.

Now, the fruit ice cream sundae, which had cost Yisha nearly a thousand, was almost completely gone. The purple-haired beauty was still diligently scraping away, clearing every last trace.

“Big Sister, we… we don’t have enough food for her.”

Yina stiffly turned her head, briefly explaining the situation to Yisha.

Upon hearing this, Yisha’s response was… “Perfect.”

Handing the bread she held to Tohka, Yisha pulled Yina back into the kitchen.

“Isn’t this a good thing? We can make money! With that appetite and our prices, hahahaha…”

“Big Sister, I offered them breakfast, and I said it would be free.”

“Haha— hic—”

Yisha’s laughter abruptly ceased. She pressed a hand to her forehead, utterly bewildered that Yina would make such a move.

“Well, I saw her… you know, and just said it.”

Yina clasped her hands nervously in front of her, tears welling in her eyes. Her head bowed, cheeks flushed, she looked utterly resigned.

Seeing her resemble a timid young bride, Yisha’s heart gave a slight flutter. After a moment, she spoke.

“Ah~ This is truly something. As for the losses, Yina, it looks like half of your personal savings will be gone.”

“Eh?”

The young woman was somewhat surprised. Based on the cost of the items, Yina had calculated her personal savings would just barely cover the losses.

“After all, you had good intentions. Let’s split the cost. Now, we need to figure out what to do next.”

Yisha gently patted Yina’s head, chuckling softly.

Feeling the warmth of her Big Sister’s hand on her head, Yina’s heart began to race, and her cheeks grew warm.

Yisha returned to the doorway to observe Shido and Princess. She had baked about 30 fresh loaves of bread earlier. While it was a substantial amount of work, she had made plenty, also considering Yu, Liliya, and others. She just hadn’t anticipated such a voracious appetite from that person.

‘Those loaves will last maybe two minutes. How am I going to handle this?’

Yisha considered letting the two go, but she needed more observation and perception. There was no better opportunity than this. She had protected the shop using her own methods, and if Princess remained for just a little longer, Yisha could deal with her effortlessly.

Just as the young woman was feeling a headache coming on from the situation, a sound emanated from her pocket.

“Are you going to Scarborough Fair…”

Her phone was ringing.

Perspective Shift

“This texture, this flavor… if this were outside, it would surely cause a global scramble. This sweetness, is this what a date is, Shido?”

“No, that’s just regular bread.”

Shido explained, waving his hand, feeling a pang of guilt.

‘Maybe I should pay them for the meal later. Otherwise, at Tohka’s current pace, they might not be able to bear the losses.’

“This isn’t a date yet? It seems dating is quite complex, then what exactly is it…?”

Tohka grabbed another piece of bread, holding it in her hand, chewing thoughtfully as she pondered.

“Uh… well…”

“Shido, the food situation has been resolved. Once you and Tohka finish eating, you can continue your date.”

The young man nodded. Just then, the proprietress emerged from the kitchen, carrying steaming hot dishes.

“Miss, have you had enough to eat? There’s still more here~”

With the standard cheerful smile and tone of a shop assistant, Shido was about to reply when Tohka seemed to snap back to awareness.

“Thank you for your trouble. Please set them here.”

Yisha approached the table, carefully setting down each dish from her tray. Strangely, Tohka didn’t immediately sweep the table clean as before. Instead, she fixated on Yisha, as if something peculiar clung to her.

“If it’s not enough, we can always add more. Please, both of you, enjoy your meal.”

Yisha bowed slightly, about to depart, but Tohka suddenly seized her hand, preventing her from leaving.

“Guest, is there something you need?”

“Hey, Tohka…”

The dark-haired girl extended a hand, cutting off Shido’s question, then fiercely lunged with a punch towards Yisha.

“Oh my?”

With a peculiar gasp of surprise, Yisha bent at the waist, dodging the blow. Her wrist gave a slight shake, allowing her to slip free the instant Tohka’s grip loosened.

She dropped to avoid Tohka’s kick, then rolled to evade a stomp. Rising to her feet, the smile vanished completely from Yisha’s face.

“Who are you? Are you with the robot army?”

“Miss, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I will be demanding compensation for the floor you just damaged.”

Tohka’s eyes were fixed intently on her opponent. Previously, her attention had been solely on the food, causing her to overlook something critically important: her Spirit energy.

It wasn’t until moments ago, when her instincts screamed danger, that the girl broke free from the allure of the delicious meal. Then, to her astonishment, she discovered that nearly thirty percent of her Spirit energy had vanished.

Her intuition told her that the person before her was the culprit.

“Stop pretending!”

Tohka charged forward, intent on teaching her a lesson, but in Yisha’s eyes, she was merely courting death.

With light, lotus-like steps, Yisha sidestepped the direct collision. Her arm gave a quick tug to prevent Tohka from stopping, and a swift, decisive kick to the leg shattered Tohka’s balance.

Thud!

Just like that, Tohka was effortlessly sent sprawling onto her back by Yisha.

“Violence isn’t very ladylike, though I’m hardly one myself.”

Yisha tossed the tray to Yina, then crouched down, meeting Tohka’s gaze with a mocking smile.