The Top Idol Next Door Can't Help But Crave My Guilty Pleasure Meals - Volume 2 Chapter 9.5

ROUND 9 – Let’s Eat It Together ♥ 5

“Well, if you insist that much… I suppose I could try it…”
 

Yuzuki replied with her ears turning a faint red.

She clasped her hands together and took hold of the spoon.

“Then… itadakimasu.”

The spoon scooped up a heaping portion of rice adorned with the brown roux.

Yuzuki parted her lips and stealthily slipped the spoon inside. The curry elegantly reclined on the carpet of her tongue.

“Ah… mnh… hhngh!”

“Yuzuki, what’s wrong?”

Emoto-san’s eyes dart back and forth as she watches Yuzuki tremble slightly.

“This isn’t the curry I know… ♥”

Bite after bite, her hand couldn’t stop moving the spoon.

“It’s sweet yet rich, and the aftertaste is incredibly refreshing ♥ It’s easy to eat yet spicy, and the rice just slides down my throat ♥ It doesn’t even allow me to chew properly… ♥”

The smooth movement of the spoon was now as graceful as a traditional dance.

“Most of all, the aroma of the spices… Despite blending so many different spices, they don’t clash at all. Instead, they join hands to form a circle of flavor and aroma ♥ The fat from the pork, the butter, the honey──they all melt together to create a mild flavor that goes perfectly with rice ♥”

After savoring the main dish, she finally lifted a large piece of tonkatsu with her spoon, first trying it without the roux.

“Mmmmm~ ♥♥”

The sounds coming from Yuzuki grew even more intense.

“The sweetness of the juicy pork permeates my mouth ♥ It’s well-seasoned, so it’s delicious even without any condiments──my spoon just couldn’t stop moving ♥ And the batter… it’s so light and the crispy sound is so satisfying ♥ It’s like bouncing on piano keys… ♥”

Yuzuki eloquently spoke as she sank deeper into the swamp of immorality.

“When I have the roux, rice, and katsu all at once, my mouth reaches ecstasy ♥ The combination of crunchy, juicy, and melt-in-your-mouth textures is so addictive… ♥ The batter softened by the roux is also wonderful… ♥”

Generally, a soggy batter on fried food is considered a negative, but it’s a different story in stewed dishes.

Enriched with umami, the batter trades its crispiness for a significant increase in flavor impact.

“Garam masala, turmeric, coriander, cumin… Ahhh, they’re all beckoning me from behind my eyelids… ♥ All holding hands together and dancing a joyful waltz… ♥”

Lured by the ‘hallucinations’ of spices, Yuzuki had one foot in a spiritual world.

She was completely ecstatic not from drugs but from the food.

Emoto-san, who had been quietly listening to Yuzuki’s food report, muttered teasingly.

“Looks like your 【Suzufumi savings】 have increased again, huh Yuzuki?”

I tilted my head in confusion at the sudden mention of this mysterious term.

“Wha, Ruru!”

Yuzuki, who had almost tripped into a trance, quickly regained her senses and covered Emoto-san’s mouth with her hand.

“What’s this ‘Suzufumi savings’?”

“It’s nothing!”

Yuzuki hastily tried to cover it up by resuming her binge eating.

Gobble, munch, crunch.

Chew, slurp, chomp.

Puff, bite, crunch.

Numerous songs, lines, and pieces of music brighten and enliven the dining table.

I am the conductor, Yuzuki is the performer, and Emoto-san is the audience.

The musical of food is, as always, being performed to great acclaim.

I would like to see it through to the end, but this time it’s strictly a cooking showdown.

The goal is to give Emoto-san a lesson and reconcile the two.

Though it seems the sisters’ bond has already been fully restored even before deciding a winner.

Yuzuki is continuing her food report, and Emoto-san is watching over her.

They are both smiling.

Suddenly, Yuzuki turns towards Emoto-san.

Only a little bit of katsu curry remains on the plate.

“…Ruru, don’t just watch, let’s eat it together ♥”

“Huh!?”

Emoto-san lets out a surprised voice and flinches.

“No, uh, I…”

Emoto-san’s gaze wanders here and there, seemingly looking for an escape.

“Ruru, you’ve been holding back on greasy food ever since your debut, haven’t you ♥? Aren’t your cravings for fried food building up? Too much restraint is poison for the body ♥”

Wait, should you really be the one to say that?

“Come on Ruru, open wide ♥”

On the spoon is a heaping serving of curry rice, of course with a cutlet on top.

Tempted by her beloved ‘younger sister’, Emoto-san is already showing signs of weakness.

One more push and she’ll surely fall.

“M-Mamori-san. Help me.”

I just simply sit in front of Emoto-san while grinning slyly.

“You and Yuzuki went to a Japanese restaurant together before your debut, right?”

“Huh? Yes?”

Emoto-san looks puzzled as to why I would ask such a question at this moment.

I can hardly wait for that moment when her composed face distorts.

“At that restaurant, Yuzuki was enjoying her tempura. That’s why you brought large prawns as an apology gift. Isn’t that right?”

Sweat beads on Emoto-san’s forehead. Her eyes are clearly wary of me.

“What’s… wrong with that?”

“I actually heard it from Yuzuki. What Emoto-san ate at that time.”

” ! “

The color drains from her face.

She falters, breaking her formal seated posture.

Surely, she will no longer see me as a rival. She might even curse me as a traitor.

“I mean, wow, I was surprised to hear that the health-conscious Emoto-san ate such a thing.”

“No, that’s not it! That was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, I was just trying to get into the mood back then!”

Emoto-san’s eyes are swirling with turmoil.

Ah, poor thing, she’s so embarrassed.

I have to calm her down quickly.

I point my index finger towards the ceiling, then thrust it towards Emoto-san.

“What you ate was… tonkatsu! You did it with the wish to ‘win in the entertainment world.’ Right!?”

“Uughhhhh!”

Emoto-san puts her hands on the floor and blushes with shame after her secret is revealed.

A secret meeting just between the two of them was hidden from the other members.

Emoto-san, who loves healthy meals, chose the Tonkatsu set meal. It was an unexpectedly classic choice for good luck charm.

“You actually love it, don’t you? Fried food.”

“I do… like it, but as a leader, I have to discipline myself more than anyone else, or I won’t be able to set a good example…”

“Yuzuki, I’m counting on you.”

After a high-five exchange, Yuzuki stepped forward.