KyokaSuigetsu
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067. Utaha and Tohru Feed Together – Preparing for the Book Launch
🕑 Added 2025-05-13 02:37:29 +0000 UTCTakatsuki Izumi was about to leave just as Kasumigaoka Utaha arrived.
Utaha spotted her and, seeing that she was about to go, asked curiously,
“Leaving already?”
“Mhm,” Takatsuki gave a friendly smile. “Something urgent came up. But I’ll definitely be back next time.”
“?” Utaha paused, then nodded. “Alright then, see you. Hopefully we’ll get to talk more next time.”
“Sure.” Takatsuki nodded again and left just like that.
After watching her go, Kasumigaoka Utaha arrived at the door of the Midnight Diner.
Pochita picked up on the scent of a new person.
He looked up curiously.
“?” Utaha was drawn to the odd-looking little dog. “Did Hayashi-kun adopt a new pup?”
She hadn’t been by in a while—and now there was a dog?
It looked kind of adorable.
Pochita heard the familiar tone in her voice and realized she must be a regular.
So he gave her a small nod and laid back down to nap.
“!” Utaha was surprised by how human-like the little dog was.
“So smart!”
Then she pushed open the door and entered the shop.
Ding-a-ling~
As the bell rang, Hayashi, who had just finished chatting with Kamishiro Rize, turned his head. When he saw who it was, he clapped his hands.
“Ooh~ look who’s here—the future bestselling author. Long time no see.”
Utaha rolled her eyes.
“I haven’t even launched the new series yet. What if it flops and you’ve already labeled me a literary star?”
“Then just write another one,” Hayashi shrugged. “You’re still young, haven’t even dated before. Writing romance novels should be a breeze.”
“Shut it!” Utaha almost flipped him the finger.
But the playful banter instantly eased her nerves.
Just stepping into the diner washed away a lot of her pressure.
“I’ll have a lemon tea first,” Utaha said, taking her usual seat.
Meanwhile, Rize had stepped out again.
She still hadn’t found a place to live and waved on her way out. “I’ll go walk around nearby.”
“No problem.”
A while later—
Hayashi brewed a large pot of lemon tea, poured Utaha a cup, and left the rest for everyone else.
Then he came over to sit and chat.
“When’s the new book hitting shelves at the nearby store? I’ll grab a copy.”
Utaha shook her head, reached into her bag, and pulled out a copy, handing it to Hayashi.
“I already got you one. This is an advance copy from my editor. It’s signed. You’ll accept it gratefully, right, Hayashi-kun?”
“Of course.”
Hayashi accepted the book with both hands, respectfully.
He examined it carefully.
The book’s quality was excellent, and the cover illustration was beautiful.
It was signed with Utaha’s pen name: Kasushiko.
And not only that—
There was a handwritten message inside:
“To the shopkeeper who’s supported me the most—thankful to have you.”
That made this copy a one-of-a-kind.
It was genuinely precious.
Hayashi ran his fingers across the cover and joked,
“What a pity. Once you become a big-name author, this thing won’t be worth selling anymore.”
“?!” Utaha looked shocked, nearly on the verge of tears.
Hayashi quickly added,
“I mean, I’ll have to keep it forever as a collector’s item.”
“......”
Utaha nearly broke down.
Frustrated, she got up and gave Hayashi a good punch.
“Jerk! Bastard!”
Hayashi quickly raised his hands to block, laughing heartily.
“Okay, okay—my bad. That joke was a little too much.”
Utaha gave him a few more light punches—
Before collapsing into her seat and taking a big gulp of lemon tea, breathless.
“Cough cough~”
She ended up choking again.
Hayashi handed her a tissue. Kasumigaoka Utaha wiped her mouth, took a breath, and smacked the table.
“I want compensation!”
“Sure, sure,” Hayashi nodded readily. “What do you want to eat? I’ll make something just for you. Just don’t ask me to go learn how to make cola.”
But Utaha shook her head.
Then gave a smug little smile.
“?” Uh-oh. Hayashi had a bad feeling—was she laying a trap for him?
Utaha tapped on the book with her finger, then smiled.
“Actually, the editor and publisher are both really optimistic about this book’s performance.”
“So the school is planning to hold the launch event on campus.”
“It’s a great opportunity, and I’d like to invite you to come with me, Hayashi-kun.”
Hayashi was confused:
“Me? To school? What would I even do at a book release?”
“Not for the official launch,” Utaha explained. “Think of it as visiting campus.”
“I just want you to see how far this book will go, since the inspiration came from here. Even the protagonist is based on you.”
So that’s it.
The launch event would be held on school grounds.
School...
Hayashi thought for a moment—he was actually a little tempted.
He hated school when he was young, but now he kind of wanted to go back and visit one.
Even if it wasn’t his old school, he was curious what it would be like.
So he turned and asked from afar,
“Tohru, Kanna—do you two want to see a school? Let’s call it a day off.”
“School?”
“What’s a school?” Kanna asked.
“It’s a place where a bunch of kids your age go to study. A mini-prison,” Hayashi explained.
Tohru didn’t even need to ask.
“If Hayashi-san’s going, I’m going!”
Kanna nodded in agreement: “Kanna’s going too.”
Great. Everyone’s in.
Hayashi nodded, turned back to the now-pouting Kasumigaoka Utaha, and agreed.
“No problem. We’ll go. Worst case, I’ll just close up shop for the day. When is it again—uh, hey, what’s with the pout?”
Before he could finish, he noticed Utaha’s pout was dramatic enough to hang a bottle from.
“Hmph~ It’s nothing,” Utaha huffed. “It’s the day after tomorrow, Friday, after school during club activity time.”
Hmm, school lets out pretty early on Fridays.
They could attend and still reopen the diner afterward.
After their chat, it was almost opening time, and Hayashi’s stomach growled.
Kanna also ran over and tugged at the hem of his shirt with her small hand.
“Hayashi, I’m hungry. Can we eat the shrimp you made?”
“Alright, I’ll start cooking.”
Hayashi turned to head back into the kitchen, then looked at Utaha.
“Come eat with us, Utaha. Consider it a little thank-you for the book.”
Utaha sipped her lemon tea and nodded.
In the kitchen—
Hayashi began cooking the seafood feast.
Stir-fried crayfish! Scallions with clams! Spicy stir-fried crab! Stir-fried razor clams! Seafood stew!
The flavors were bold today, so the moment Hayashi started frying—
The fragrance drifted into the dining area.
“!” “!”
Tohru and Kanna both smelled it at the exact same time.
The two dragons' eyes lit up instantly—
Like they’d spotted gold.
Only this was scarier than gold!
It would reshape your soul—and your stomach—until you could no longer accept anything else.
They were talking about: taste and appetite.
“It really is more delicious!” Kanna’s eyes sparkled, drool nearly falling. “Hayashi didn’t lie to Kanna!”
Even Utaha was so entranced by the aroma that she forgot about her phone—
She pressed her thighs together slightly, swallowed, and didn’t even reply to her editor’s texts.
A moment later—
Under three pairs of eagerly awaiting eyes—
Hayashi called out from the kitchen.
“Tohru, come help serve.”
“Yes~!” Tohru had been waiting for that.
She basically teleported into the kitchen.
“Uh...” Hayashi blinked at her sudden arrival.
He pointed with the wok spatula at three finished dishes.
“Take all these out. The seafood soup needs a bit more time—I’ll bring it in five minutes.”
“Yes, sir~!” Without another word, Tohru brought them out.
In the dining area—
Her entrance instantly grabbed Kanna and Utaha’s attention.
Under their stares, she set the dishes down with a thud.
As the food was laid out—
Kanna dashed over on her little legs.
But Tohru pressed a hand to her forehead and stopped her.
“Kanna, no one eats the first bite before Hayashi-san does. Got it?”
She even used a bit of dragon aura as she said it—dead serious.
Kanna shivered under the pressure—
But thought it over and agreed.
“Right. Hayashi eats first.”
In dragon society, the strongest gets the first bite. The most honorable contributor gets the first bite.
Everyone else? They eat the leftovers.
And Hayashi was clearly the greatest among them.
Five minutes later—
When the soup was ready—
Hayashi brought it out and found everyone staring at him.
Not a single dish had been touched.
“Why haven’t you eaten?” he asked, setting down the pot.
Tohru held out a crayfish and crab leg to him. “You eat first, Hayashi-san.”
“Alright.” Hayashi nodded.
Tohru fed him, and he opened his mouth.
Only then did everyone else start to eat.
Tohru knew Hayashi was easygoing and respectful.
He wouldn’t care about silly rules like “first bite.”
As long as you didn’t finish all the food before he came out—
And as long as you helped with dishes—he’d be fine.
So, to avoid any awkward discussions, Tohru turned it into an unspoken rule.
As long as everyone followed it except Hayashi,
it would be universally accepted.
“Let’s eat, let’s eat!” Hayashi said, shrimp in one hand, crab in the other, peeling as he munched.
But just a few bites in—
“Here, Hayashi-san,” Tohru said, holding a peeled crayfish up to his mouth.
“...You peeled it, you eat it,” Hayashi said helplessly. But it was already in front of him, so he opened his mouth.
“I already ate.” Tohru gestured at the seafood shells on her plate. “Just helping you peel a few.”
Beside them, Utaha saw this—
She glanced at the crayfish she had painstakingly peeled herself.
Then handed it to Hayashi as well.
“Here, Hayashi-kun. Ah~”
“?” Hayashi looked at her.
You too?!
Utaha pouted, then kicked him lightly under the table with her foot—still wrapped in black stockings.
“One turn each.”
If Tohru got to feed him, she wanted her turn too.
Well, that seemed fair enough.
“Ah~”
Hayashi sighed, then opened his mouth to eat again.
Tohru saw what was happening.
She immediately looked down and began rapidly peeling shrimp again.
Seeing this, Hayashi clapped and shouted:
“Cut! Peel your own and eat it yourself!”
“If you can’t finish, give it to Kanna.”
Kanna looked up upon hearing that.
“Do I need to peel this? Kanna eats it with the shell on.”
Hayashi: ……
Oh, come on.
Hayashi stood up and looked over.
Sure enough—Kanna had eaten a whole pile, and there wasn't a single shell left in front of her.
She swallowed everything—shells and all!
He sat back down and rubbed his forehead in resignation.
Then turned to Tohru and said, “You teach Kanna. You’re her big sister.”
Tohru sighed and had no choice but to go help peel shrimp for Kanna.
As for Kasumigaoka Utaha—
She was struggling just to peel for herself and had barely eaten a few pieces.
The one she fed to Hayashi earlier?
That was one of the very few she'd managed to peel.
And just like that—
Peace returned to the dinner table.
The four of them ate one after another, and before long, all the food was gone.
Even the seafood soup was slurped down to the last drop.
When Tohru began cleaning up—
Kanna lay sprawled out on the sofa like a little balloon, resting like a motionless, delicate doll.
“Fuuuu~”
Meanwhile, Kasumigaoka Utaha also reclined on the couch in the corner, holding her small belly.
She glanced with slight resentment at Hayashi, who was sipping lemon tea.
“I feel like I gained weight again, Hayashi-kun.”
“That shouldn’t happen,” Hayashi shook his head. “It’s mostly seafood—very low in calories. You won’t gain weight just like that.”
Utaha let out a breath of relief. “That’s good to hear.”
After resting a while—
6 PM rolled around.
Time to open the shop!
Kirishima Touka showed up right on time at the door, smiled, and placed her order.
“Hayashi-san, I’ll be in your care again.”
“How can you say it’s a bother to do business?” Hayashi waved his hand and headed into the kitchen. “Still a takeaway today?”
“Yes.” Touka nodded.
Hayashi entered the kitchen—and soon returned with a neatly packed bento box.
He handed the food over to Touka and completed the payment.
Then he sighed with appreciation:
“You guys from Anteiku are really great customers.”
Touka blinked in surprise. “Huh? Why do you say that? Thank you, though!”
“It’s just,” Hayashi scratched his head sheepishly, “you guys always order the same thing for everyone after discussing it in advance. It makes things so much easier.”
That was actually one of the reasons he didn’t mind preparing takeout for them.
Anteiku never gave him five different orders for five different people.
They all ordered the same dish!
That made it incredibly efficient to cook!
Touka scratched her own head in embarrassment and blushed a little as she explained:
“They said that if everyone wanted something different, it would make things hard for you.”
“So each week, everyone writes down what they want to eat, and we take turns. That way, we can share and try different meals together.”
Hayashi beamed with satisfaction upon hearing that.
He even gave her a round of applause.
“So wholesome!”
Hayashi packed up a few more servings of lemon tea and handed them over as well.
“These are on the house. Touka, you’re welcome back anytime.”
“Mm-hmm.” Touka nodded repeatedly.
Then she left with a grateful smile.
Hayashi watched her go and sighed:
“Now that’s a good customer. A great person.”
Night fell.
After digesting her meal, Kasumigaoka Utaha had a short discussion with Hayashi about her plotline, agreed on a time, and then went home.
In the meantime, a few more regular customers showed up.
Once he had served them—
It was already 11 PM.
That’s when Kamishiro Rize returned.
She walked over to Hayashi and asked,
“I’ve received word from Takatsuki Izumi. Tomorrow, Yamori will begin his ‘free action’ in the 20th Ward. Should I eliminate him right away?”
Although the plan was for CCG to handle Yamori, Rize still felt the need to check with Hayashi first and get his opinion.
After all, Yamori was only S-rated and relied on a slow, brute-force kagune.
While Rize was already SS-rated. Taking down Yamori would be child’s play.
But Hayashi shook his head.
“Unless he shows up near the diner, leave him be. Handle everything else according to your own plan.”
Besides, if Yamori did show up near his shop—
Hayashi wouldn't even need Rize to act.
Kanna could fire off one Kamehameha and erase the guy from the carbon-based plane of existence.
Rize nodded. “Then Anteiku and Aogiri Tree will proceed as discussed, Hayashi-kun.”
“Mm. As long as you’re having fun,” Hayashi said casually.
Rize froze for a second.
Having fun…?
Looks like Hayashi-kun really doesn’t care about these messy, worldly disputes.
