Actually, the Hungry Gyaru Who Eats a Lot Was Being Cheated On, so I Decided to Win Her Heart (And Stomach) From Her Jerk Boyfriend - 62

Chapter 62: All-You-Can-Eat with the Hungry Gyaru

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

After leaving the entertainment facility, we visited a nearby buffet-style restaurant. The reason Miura and the others chose a buffet for dinner was purely out of curiosity. They wanted to see just how much food Shizuku and I would eat if we let ourselves go all out. Even if I got serious, I doubted I could meet the amount they were expecting, but I was grateful not to have to worry about the price.

We had already spent a fair amount at the pool, stuffing ourselves with churros. There was no harm in keeping any additional expenses down. When we entered the restaurant, it was a bit crowded since it was dinner time. However, thanks to Miura making a reservation, we were able to be seated smoothly.

For some reason, only Shizuku and I were isolated at a separate table. As for why it ended up like this, according to Miura…

“You two would probably take over the whole table with just your plates, so I separated you.”

That was apparently her reasoning. When I first heard it, I thought she was exaggerating, but…

“—It was the right call to give us a separate table.”

“…Yeah, I guess so.”

Looking over the massive number of plates covering every corner of the table, I keenly felt that Miura’s judgment had been correct. For the record, neither Shizuku nor I had intended to line up plates until the table was full. This was simply the result of grabbing as much of whatever we wanted to eat as we pleased.

Sasamoto, confronted with the sheer amount of food, sent us a slightly strained smile from the neighboring table.

“Um… Shizuku, Suou, can you even eat all that? You guys already stuffed yourselves with churros at the pool, right?”

“Mmm… I mean, this much is easy! Besides, dessert and regular food go into separate stomachs.”

“That’s something you’re supposed to say after you’ve eaten your meal. And even then, there are limits.”

“I don’t see a problem either.”

Sometimes I came to buffets with my family (mainly because of how much I ate), and it always ended up looking about like this. When I answered while recalling those times…

“Oh… I see. Well, if you say so.”

Sasamoto wore an oddly enlightened expression and brought her pasta to her mouth. On her sectioned plate, neatly arranged dishes that radiated “girl power” were presented in an Instagram-worthy way. And even though it was all-you-can-eat, she was probably mindful of calorie intake.

There were plenty of salads and vegetable-based dishes, clearly considering nutritional balance. I glanced at Miura’s and Suzuki’s plates as well. Though the exact selections differed slightly, they were similarly arranged with that same feminine touch.

…Yeah, that’s probably what ‘normal’ looks like.

In contrast, Shizuku’s and my plates were divided loosely by cuisine—Japanese, Western, and Chinese—but because there were simply too many dishes, it looked chaotic. On top of that, both of us had heaping plates of curry rice sitting squarely in front of us, which only amplified the chaos.

That aside…

“Even though we can eat curry anytime, why do we always end up grabbing some? I mean, we ate a ridiculous amount not that long ago.”

“Seriously, right!? But once you see curry, you just crave it!”

At this point, there wasn’t anything remotely feminine or masculine about it. As a result, a few dubious glances from passing customers were directed our way. But Shizuku paid them not the slightest attention, her face lighting up with cheerful excitement.

“Suou-kun, let’s start eating already.”

“Yeah, good idea.”

That said, this had been the norm for us since forever, so it wasn’t something to worry about now. Shizuku and I put our hands together and said “Itadakimasu” in unison before reaching for the dishes we liked. The first thing I chose was the reliable soup, miso soup with tofu and fried tofu. When I took a sip, the umami and aroma of dried sardine broth spread gently through my mouth.

“…Oh.”

It tasted better than I had imagined, and a voice slipped out of me. Perhaps because it had been properly prepared, there was no unwanted bitterness or fishy smell. I had assumed that restaurants like this prioritized quantity over quality, so even if the flavors were a bit rough or sloppy, it would have been understandable. But this pleasantly defied my expectations.

This is amazing.

I usually avoided making dishes with dried sardine broth because dealing with the heads and guts was troublesome, but maybe I would try making something with it next time. Thinking that, and feeling grateful to Miura and the others for choosing this place, I next reached for a plate centered around Japanese dishes.

After briefly debating which of the neatly separated items to eat, I decided to try the tamagoyaki. It had cooled slightly since some time had passed after it was made, but the moment I took a bite, a small smile naturally formed. Though it was dashimaki tamago, it leaned heavily into sweetness, exactly to my taste. Some people might find it overly sweet, but for me, this level of sweetness was just right. If I had to be picky, I would prefer a simple tamagoyaki made with extra sugar rather than dashimaki… but considering this was all-you-can-eat, it was more than good enough.

With that conclusion, I shoveled a mouthful of the multigrain rice I had piled high in my bowl. At the same time, Shizuku seemed to have taken a bite of the tamagoyaki as well, becoming visibly delighted as she said this to me. 

“Suou-kun, this tamagoyaki is sweet! It’s super close to my taste! I love it!”

“Figured you’d like it too, Kushina.”

“‘Too’ means… Suou-kun likes it as well! I had a feeling you would.”

You did say you like sweet tamagoyaki, Suou-kun. Continuing, Shizuku popped another piece of tamagoyaki into her mouth and narrowed her eyes affectionately.

“Mmm~ so good!”

For a moment, I felt the urge to simply sit there and watch Shizuku eat. However, three teasing gazes pierced into me from the neighboring table, so I quietly resumed my meal instead.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー