Traveling With a Beautiful Girl

The clientele inside the restaurant ranged from families to solo diners, and the atmosphere embodied a well-loved neighborhood establishment. We were led to a table and opened the menu. On the first page, the signature Genkotsu Hamburg was prominently featured.

The image looked incredibly delicious. Oh, but the steak also looked good. I might be in the mood for steak, actually…

“You’re not going to order steak after coming here, right?”

“Do you have the eyes of an assassin?”

Even though we were about to enjoy a piping hot hamburger steak, a chill ran down my spine. I had a feeling that if I ordered steak, I might be swiftly attacked with a knife to my carotid artery, so I obediently ordered the Hamburg Lunch.

Shortly after ordering, a soup with an abundance of vegetables and mushrooms arrived. As we were warming up with the soup, a sizzling hot iron plate was served.

Ah, this is it. The extremely delicious one.

“Wait, Takahashi-kun.”

As I reached for the fork and knife, Nanase stopped me.

“Is this some kind of new torture, not letting me eat when the food is right in front of me?”

“That’s not it. You don’t understand. The staff will cut the hamburg steak for us and cook the raw part on the iron plate. So, first, you need to tell them how you want it cooked.”

“You know more about this than I do, lol.”

As the staff watched our exchange with amusement, Nanase confidently ordered her hamburg steak medium-rare.

I was about to order mine rare in an attempt to seem sophisticated, but the idea of undercooked meat scared me, so I timidly ordered the same thing.

I want to die.

After that, just as Nanase had said, the staff cut our hamburger steak and cooked the red part on the iron plate.

The aroma of the onion sauce and the sizzling sound stimulated our appetite, making our stomachs tighten.

“Please take your time and enjoy.”

With a smile that seemed to say they had witnessed something good, the staff bowed and left us to finally taste the hamburger steak.

…It’s delicious.

When something is incredibly delicious, it can make you at a loss for words—a phenomenon that’s quite relatable. I devoured the steak. The texture was unique and meaty, and the more I chewed, the more the rich flavor of the meat spread throughout my mouth. The onion sauce had a perfect balance of acidity and sweetness, creating a miraculous match with the lightly cooked red meat.

At the very least, this was on a completely different level from the hamburg steaks at the family restaurants I knew. It was well worth the line.

On the other hand, Nanase appeared stoic at first glance, but upon closer inspection, her blissful emotions were seeping through.

“Hm… mmm…”

Well, it’s obvious even without looking closely.

Her loosened cheeks and the way she rolled the hamburg steak in her mouth were endearing. Nanase had always had a strong, dry, and ruthless image, but my perception of her was changing in these past few days.

She’d be more approachable if she showed her emotions like this more often.

As I thought this, my smartphone began to vibrate.

Looking at the display, I saw the word “Mother.” I turned off the phone.

“Who was it?”

“The origin of my genes.”

“You mean your parents. Is it okay not to answer?”

“It’s fine.”

I’ll make sure to send a survival report on LIME later. As I thought this, I noticed Nanase staring at me intently.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.”

There was an odd pause, but Nanase went back to silently eating her hamburg steak.

“Thank you very much!”