Does This Love Suit Your Taste? - Volume 1 Chapter 6.1

Duel 1

 

“Hey, look. Isn’t that the blonde Shirahime Rira?”

“Isn’t she rumored to be hanging out with Kiminami Toui? I heard she’s turned into a delinquent.”

“Seems like it. Maybe Shirahime-san likes the bad boys… If only I’d become a bad boy too…”

“Like, 『Hehehe, I’m gonna mess you up!』, 『Kyaa!』 kind of thing? Yeah, I should become a delinquent too.”

“I wish I could spend a night with Shirahime-san—” (TN: Chapter 3 Part 2)

“S-Hime is pretty close with Kiminami Toui, right? So that’s her type… I thought she’d be all stuck-up because she’s a model, but that’s surprising.”

“Right, don’t they make a good match? They both feel out of place.”

“By the way, I’ve never thought that she was cute. Even if she’s a model, her popularity isn’t really that great, right?”

“True, there are tons of girls like her abroad. And those guys making a fuss about ‘S-Hime—S-Hime’, they should just leave Japan if they like foreigners so much.”

“Ahaha, that’s funny!”

 

——Such was the conversation overheard by Shirahime Rira, who was walking a little ahead.

With her distinctive blonde hair and the public exposure of being a model, Rira constantly attracted admiring and envious gazes at school.

But that’s not all. Rumors started spreading around the school that ‘Rira has become a delinquent’ a few days after her date.

 

Especially since becoming a model and becoming more well-known, there are more cases where complete strangers act as if they know her. It’s creepy to be s*xually objectified by unknown people and terrifying to be hated and have stones thrown at her by such baseless individuals.

(TN: ‘Stones thrown’ here is a metaphor for criticism, condemnation, or hostility directed towards her.)

At that moment, she recalled the gentle words of the guy who was rumored to be a delinquent.

 

『It’s impossible to be liked by everyone in this world. If you became someone who is liked by the person harassing you, then surely you’d be hated by someone else.』

『I know you’re not the ‘nice girl’ you pretend to be, so even if it’s impossible with everyone else, at least be true to your feelings with me. Isn’t that what a servant is for? This is nothing compared to the unreasonable demands of my old man, and I don’t mind sticking with you if you want to.』

 

Remembering those words brought her solace.

Her true feelings expressed on their date were everything. By his side, she felt that any version of herself was acceptable. Right now, that thought made her happy and excited.

Now, what kind of orders should I give him today? What kind of whims should I express?

Thinking about him, her feelings became a little more serene.

Eager to see his face and feel reassured, Rira hurried on her way to school.

 

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Several days after their date, a female customer had been holding her head in her hands for about fifteen minutes during the business hours of Maison.

It seemed like she was struggling to choose from the menu.

 

“Toui, maybe it’s about time we should check on the customer at table three…?”

 

Ichigo also seemed a bit anxious as she spoke to me. Ichigo is my junior at this shop.

She’s more sociable than I am, but I’m more experienced when it comes to handling situations like this.

 

“I’m going. Ichigo, please take care of table five. They ordered Course C, and they’re up to the soup.”

“…Okay!”

 

Ichigo’s face bloomed into a smile like a child who just got a new toy, and she went to pick up the dishes at the counter.

Meanwhile, as I approached the woman, I could hear a humming sound, “Hmm… Hmm…”

 

“Onee-san, you seem to be hesitating.”

 

I knelt beside the table to ask.

 

“Ah? Oh my, I’m sorry! Yes, that’s right~. Everything looks so delicious, it’s hard to choose… but you’re right, the store has its hours, so I should decide quickly! Let’s see… then I’ll go with…”

 

The woman places her hand on her cheek and tilts her head, pondering her order.

 

“Maybe I’ll go with… the waiter’s recommendation?”

“As for taste, I guarantee all our courses. But if it’s your first time here, I recommend the B course. The main dish in the B course is our spécialité hamburger.”

“Spécialité…” (supesharite)

“It’s French for something like ‘Chef’s signature dish (Specialty)’. “

“Oh… Thank you very much for your explanation…”

“You see, we have Courses A, B, and C, arranged in descending order of price, so if you choose the middle option, you can keep the cost somewhat down while still getting a pretty solid course content… Well, it’s just——”

“Just?”

 

Somehow, at this point, various incidents with Shirahime flashed back in my mind.

 

“…My recommendation is just my preference. I would rather you prioritize your own preferences over mine… I’m sorry if I spoke out of turn.”

 

When I bowed my head, she said, ‘Please raise your head! I’m sorry!’ and she apologized to me instead.

But it seems my words reached her, as she nodded and said, ‘That’s true.’

 

“Actually, I’m really curious about the main dish of Course A, the ‘Kobe Beef Poêlé’, but I also like everything else in B. Every time I think to choose B, I end up thinking about the Kobe beef…”

 

Hearing this, I made a suggestion.

 

“How about this, just for today, we keep the price the same but change the main dish of Course B to the Poêlé? I think I can arrange it if I ask.”

“I-is that okay!?”

“Yes. I want you to like this bistro.”

“T-then, please, I’d like to go with that!”

“Understood. Please wait a moment.”

 

After seeing the woman’s relieved smile as if a weight had been lifted off her, I went back to the kitchen.

Mabuchi-san, hearing this, beamed with a full smile and said, ‘Don’t ever do that again, it makes me panic.’ His eyes weren’t smiling.

I really am grateful he’s in charge of the kitchen.

 

“Did it go well?”

 

When I returned to the floor, Ichigo looked worried and spoke to me.

 

“Yeah, it’s all good now.”

“Is that so?”

 

Then Ichigo, with her hands clasped behind her, asked me about something different from the earlier customer’s matter.

 

“…Toui, are you really going to marry S-Hime?”

“Huh? …What’s with that all of a sudden?”

“No, it’s just, you look really happy when you’re working, Toui.”

“…Is that so?”

“It’s not bad to listen to what the adults and S-Hime say, but if your feelings haven’t changed, it’s better to cherish them, right?”

“…I know that without you telling me.”

“If you say so, that’s fine.”

 

That’s something I’m well aware of. It’s like my motto.

 

—It’s not the chef who decides the course for the customers to eat, but the customers themselves. 

—It’s the person who eats that should be respected.

 

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