The two of them had been shopping at the mall all day and it was now time for dinner.
"I'm so hungry, Kyousuke!" Sakura fluttered her big eyes at him and held her stomach, making a cute, pitiful face.
"I told you to eat earlier, but you got so caught up in the cosmetics section that we couldn't leave." Hojou Kyousuke pulled Sakura's hand, trying to speed her up.
"But they were having a special on cosmetics!"
"If I bought them, today's expenses would be totally worth it!" Sakura responded enthusiastically, raising a small shopping bag with a satisfied grin.
Kyousuke was too tired to complain about her cosmetic obsession, and instead just quickened his pace, pulling her toward the famous sushi restaurant in Ikebukuro that he had heard about from one of his subordinates.
"Hey, long time no see, little bro!" A strange-sounding voice greeted them in broken Japanese.
Kyousuke looked up and saw a towering black man, at least two meters tall, wearing a chef's uniform, handing him a flyer.
"Hey, Kyousuke, do you know this person?" Sakura asked curiously, noticing the strange sight as well.
The chef smiled and repeated the same greeting to her. "Long time no see, miss."
Sakura burst into laughter, clearly amused by the situation.
She grabbed the flyer and saw it was for a sushi restaurant called "Lucia Sushi."
"Are there any discounts?" Sakura asked casually.
"No, no, if there were any discounts, I'd be dead from a Russian shipwreck!" the man replied in his odd accent.
"Wait, do shipwrecks happen on land too?" Sakura asked, baffled.
"Sakura, let's just go in," Kyousuke said, grabbing her hand and leading her into the restaurant, eager to get away from the peculiar encounter.
As Kyousuke's power grew, he had started to pick up on the "aura" or "vibes" of people—almost like sensing a smell.
For Sakura, it was a fresh, vibrant energy, like the morning dew, filling him with a sense of calm and ease whenever they were together.
But for the black man, there was something much darker—a scent of gunpowder, a reminder of a more violent, bloody world.
When they entered the sushi restaurant, Kyousuke's mood immediately soured.
The chef was a towering black man, and the person working in the kitchen had the face of a zombie.
Not exactly what he expected from a sushi restaurant.
"Sakura, let's just find another place," Kyousuke suggested, ready to leave.
"But we're already here! It's kind of funny, don't you think?" Sakura was looking around the restaurant, amused by its quirky decor.
They were led to a small private room by the waitress, where they sat down to review the menu.
Tempura sushi, cheese sushi, mapo tofu sushi, borscht sushi, sour cream sushi...
"Do they think everything can just be turned into sushi by putting it on vinegared rice?" Sakura guessed, looking at the bizarre menu.
Both of them exchanged a look.
"They all look so good!" After a brief pause, Sakura exclaimed happily.
"These are clearly some dark culinary creations. There's no way they can taste good," Kyousuke muttered under his breath.
But Sakura was so excited that he decided to let it go and stay.
"To experience so many foods in one lifetime that others might never even see—this is lucky!" Sakura said, handing the menu to the waitress with a smile.
"Please bring us this set!"
Kyousuke sighed helplessly, but the white zombie-faced chef brought their strange sushi creations to the table.
Kyousuke quickly looked away, unable to stomach the sight.
Everything could be tempura, and everything could be sushi with vinegared rice.
The chef had somehow managed to combine them all, and Kyousuke wasn't sure whether to be amazed by creativity or horrified by what seemed like an ill-advised fusion.
'Is this really sushi from a master?' he thought to himself.
Sakura, however, picked up a piece of "sour cream sushi" without hesitation and stuffed it into her mouth.
Watching her chew, Kyousuke couldn't help but feel a little hungry himself.
Watching Sakura eat, even bad food seemed tasty, and the good food became divine.
Kyousuke nervously picked up what looked like the most normal sushi—an ice cream hand roll—and took a bite.
Surprisingly, it wasn't bad, so he decided it would be his last visit to this bizarre place.
Sakura, on the other hand, devoured most of the sushi, enjoying herself without a care in the world.
"Sakura, are you sure you're okay?" Kyousuke asked, genuinely concerned. The most update n0vels are published on N0velFire.ɴet
"Can regular people eat this stuff? I hope this isn't going to cause any health issues for you."
"Should we go to the hospital right away?" he added, his voice full of worry.
Sakura laughed. "Kyousuke, you're overreacting! These sushi are just a little weird-looking. They taste fine, don't worry."
Seeing his worried expression, she giggled and patted his shoulder before reaching for the last item on the table: a fortune cookie.
People sure loved the idea of receiving a good fortune, as it could brighten their day.
"Kyousuke! Look at mine!" Sakura said excitedly, showing off her little fortune. "It says 'Good health!'"
At that moment, Kyousuke smiled, understanding why people loved these fortunes.
Seeing Sakura so happy made him happy too.
She would be healthy forever, until the day she lived to a ripe old age.
"Quick, look at yours!" Sakura urged.
Kyousuke broke open his cookie, and inside was a message that read: "Family harmony."
He smiled, thinking about the peaceful night at Nezu Shrine and sincerely wishing that this fortune would come true for him, just like Sakura's.
"Family harmony? Of course, we'll always have harmony, right, Kyousuke?" Sakura wrapped her arm around his and asked.
"Yeah, we'll always be fine," Kyousuke replied, nodding seriously.
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