Kyousuke swallowed the piece of at in his mouth and confidently spoke.
"I can tell from the taste, this sauce is far superior to any I've ever tasted," he said with a smile.
Earlier, he'd ntioned how his senses had sharpened as his abilities grew, to the point where he could even "sll" each person's unique scent.
He had initially been worried about distinguishing Okudera's sauce, but once he tasted it, he instantly recognized it.
"How did you know?" Okudera's small mouth parted slightly, and her olive-colored eyes were wide with surprise.
"Well, because this sauce is far better than any I've ever had," Kyousuke replied, cutting another piece of beef and popping it into his mouth.
"That's not it! Tell , how did you know?" Okudera leaned forward, grabbing Kyousuke's arm, her voice trembling with excitent.
Could he really have tasted the special touch in her sauce?
"Okudera-senpai, you added sothing special, right? I can taste a refreshing hint in the sauce," Kyousuke observed.
"It's green pepper!" Okudera exclaid.
'He had really figured it out!'
The excitent that surged within her was almost overwhelming.
While the black pepper sauce was a classic, she had substituted it with green pepper.
Despite the change in the main ingredient, both sauces were based on a similar base—demi-glace made from vegetables, red wine, and other ingredients.
Most people would find it difficult to distinguish between black, white, or green pepper in the mix.
"That's why the beef tastes so much more vibrant now! But why does just switching to green pepper make such a big difference?" Kyousuke asked, his curiosity piqued.
He knew that Okudera's aunt ran a large Italian restaurant, and it seed like this sauce was a perfect fit for their nu.
"Ordinary green pepper doesn't have this effect. I used fresh green pepper from Chiba Prefecture," Okudera replied quickly, her eyes shining with excitent.
"When I started working here, I wondered how to make Western cuisine more suited to Japanese tastes."
"You know, Japanese food focuses on preserving the original flavors of ingredients."
"But sauces are the soul of Western cuisine, so I thought, 'Is it possible to find a sauce that enhances the flavor of ingredients while still highlighting their natural taste?'"
Okudera spoke rapidly, her plump lips moving in rhythm with her words.
Kyousuke, anwhile, kept eating, his attention divided between her words and the food.
He wasn't sure whether he was tasting the steak or Okudera's enticing lips.
"...And then, one day, I tried so green pepper my classmate's family had sent from their hotown, and I knew I'd found it!" Okudera clenched her fist, as if reliving the mont she created the recipe.
"You're amazing, Okudera-senpai," Kyousuke said, dramatically shielding his eyes with his hand. "You're radiating the light of a true drear."
"Huh?" Okudera blinked, confused by his sudden comnt.
"You're shining with the idealism of soone striving for their dream," Kyousuke elaborated, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
"Oh, stop it." Hearing the sincerity in his voice, Okudera brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"From now on, I'll make sure this restaurant uses Okudera-senpai's sauce! I'm confirming it tonight," Kyousuke declared.
"Really? My sauce?" Okudera's voice trembled with disbelief and joy.
"Of course!"
"But I heard from the manager that the restaurant owner is your relative. Won't that cause you trouble? If it's too complicated, we don't have to do it," Okudera hesitated.
"Not at all! You're doing the restaurant a huge favor!" Kyousuke replied.
He then explained the situation about his aunt, who ran a large farm and had opened the restaurant to showcase their beef.
"I see," Okudera said, her eyes sparkling with realization.
She hadn't expected her sauce to be such a perfect match for the restaurant's concept.
Not all restaurants prefer a sauce that highlights the ingredients.
In so places, the sauce itself is the star, and the main dish becos secondary.
But here, her sauce worked seamlessly to enhance the beef.
"Alright, I'll let you know the result tomorrow, Okudera-senpai. But now, let's eat. I see the restaurant is getting busier," Kyousuke gestured around the restaurant.
Hearing that, Okudera quickly looked up.
Sure enough, the servers were beginning to bustle with activity.
She quickly grabbed two pieces of cake and stuffed them into her mouth, washing them down with the soda water.
"I need to get back to work. As for tonight..." Okudera hesitated, blushing slightly.
She had been about to suggest they go ho together after work but suddenly felt unsure.
What were they to each other, after all?
"I still have a few things to discuss with the manager, Okudera-senpai. Don't worry about ," Kyousuke noticed her embarrassnt and reassured her, standing up and heading toward the manager's office.
Watching his retreating figure, Okudera smiled to herself, her heart light and happy.
In the manager's office, Kyousuke called his mother to briefly explain what had happened.
Hojou Mikiko: "I'll ask your father to pass the ssage to your aunt. It's not guaranteed to succeed. However, your aunt's daughter, Miyagi Toyoko, ntioned recently that she was going to Tokyo for business."
"How about I send you her contact info? You can talk to her directly."
Kyousuke recalled what Miyagi Toyoko looked like, she had two pigtails and was three years older than him but still shorter and much slimr.
"Okay," he replied, curious how she might look now.
She had to be a beautiful girl, considering the Hojou family's good genes.
After that, Kyousuke also reported a few updates on his situation.
"Now that you two aren't in the sa school anymore, I'm worried Shouko might be bullied,"his mother expressed concern.
"Don't worry, mom. Naoka will take care of her, and I talk to her every day," Kyousuke reassured her.
"But if sothing happens, she'll probably just deal with it alone."
"Don't worry, mom. I've made plans with her to hang out this Saturday. I'll keep an eye on her," he added, amused at how his mother seed to consider his schoolmates as future daughters-in-law.
After hanging up, his mother sent him Toyoko's contact info.
"I'm Kyousuke," he typed, and quickly added her as a contact.
The request was accepted almost imdiately.
"Hello, I'm Miyagi Toyoko, your cousin," ca the reply.
Looking at her profile picture, Kyousuke was surprised—she wasn't using a picture of herself.
The avatar featured a very chubby person, which seed odd.
In Japan, most people use real photos for ssaging apps, so he assud this couldn't be Toyoko.
Trying to recall her from his childhood, Kyousuke thought that the little girl couldn't possibly have grown into that person.
"Hello, cousin. Here's the situation..." He then explained everything about the sauce to Toyoko.
"If what you say is true, I can represent the family to acquire this recipe," Toyoko replied.
"The recipe isn't for sale. It's available for licensing," Kyousuke clarified, knowing the sauce was sothing Okudera had created for her future restaurant.
"I'll visit the restaurant on Sunday. Let's et then," Toyoko replied.
"Alright," Kyousuke responded.
"Mm."
Her tone was strong and authoritative, almost like a business eting rather than a conversation with a relative.
Kyousuke reflected on it, thinking that she definitely didn't sound like soone he could casually chat with.
She was more like a CEO talking to an employee.
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