The Top Idol Next Door Can't Help But Crave My Guilty Pleasure Meals-Chapter 2Volume .6 - Ugh...
ROUND 2 – “Ugh…” 6
“What did you think you were serving…!”
With trembling fists, Emoto-san was furious.
“Mamori-san, it seems that you and I are indeed incompatible…!”
“And what do you mean by that?”
“Using high-calorie beef, and especially fatty kalbi, is out of the question! It should at least be chicken breast or tenderloin if you must use meat!”
“No-no, kalbi is the only choice if you’re going to mix it with yakiniku sauce.”
Yuzuki also nodded in agreement next to her.
“Moreover, aren’t you aware that your choice of kalbi is actually strangling you? Just look at the surface of the meat now that it’s cooled down!”
White spots were floating on the brown carpet of meat.
“The sauce and fat have separated and solidified due to the cold. Do you think Yuzuki would be satisfied with Such a sticky, hard piece of meat with rice?”
Her argument was valid.
Serving yakiniku, which should be enjoyed piping hot, in a completely chilled state would certainly halve its appeal.
Taking Emoto-san’s point into consideration, Yuzuki seemed somewhat disheartened.
But please, rest assured.
Do you think I, who knows Yuzuki’s preferences inside out, would make such a level 1 mistake?
“Look at the side of the box, Yuzuki.”
With worried eyes, Yuzuki lifted the bento box high, and from the side, a string dangled down like the tail of a small animal.
“You can’t be serious!…!”
It seemed Emoto-san had realized.
Yes, she was mistaken from the start.
The prejudice that “you cannot eat warm rice outdoors” is her biggest downfall.
After closing the lid, I urged Yuzuki to pull the string.
Pop
Steam began to waft from the box a few seconds after pulling the string.
Flustered, Yuzuki held the container with both hands. It was as if a rookie squad member had been handed the task of defusing a bomb.
“Could it be, Yuzuki, that this is your first time with this type of bento?”
When I asked, Yuzuki nodded anxiously.
“This is a self-heaitng bento box, often used in station bentos.”
“Is there such a thing?”
“At the bottom of the bento box, there’s a mechanism called a heating unit. It’s equipped with a bag containing granular quicklime and water, and when you pull the string, the two mix together. When quicklime and water combine, they create a chemical reaction, generating heat and steam.”
Yuzuki watched the marvel of modern engineering at work with the earnestness of a scientist conducting an experiment.
And in less than a minute, steam enveloped the box, carrying the violent scent of meat and sauce.
Yuzuki swallowed hard.
“Just to be clear, I’m not saying I’ll definitely eat Suzufumi’s meal, okay?”
“Why not? You didn’t hesitate to dig into Emoto-san’s meal.”
“That’s because Ruru-san’s food doesn’t make me feel guilty. Besides, my hunger has already been satisfied?”
An unexpected betrayal at this stage?
How can it be acceptable for a judge to be so unfair?
Faced with this unforeseen turn of events, even Emoto-san’s expression began to soften.
Then I shall show no mercy.
The waiting time for heating was five minutes.
In other words, the time limit for her to succumb to the meal.
“Are you really not going to eat? Haven’t you been wanting meat all this time?”
“It’s fine. The okara was delicious, so I’m satisfied.”
“Lying is not good, you know. Didn’t you almost give in for a moment when I announced that I had prepared a beef kalbi bento?”
“T-that’s not true! I have salad chicken waiting for me at home, so I can endure it!”
“Endure… huh? So, deep down, you really do want to eat it.”
“That’s…!”
The heating unit intensified its efforts.
As time passed, the amount of steam increased, and the aroma of the beef kalbi grew stronger.
Like a patient resisting the onset of a zombie virus, Yuzuki began to breathe heavily.
She seemed desperate to suppress her instincts, but the fact that she wouldn’t let go of the bento box meant her brain had already admitted defeat.
Thirty seconds left until it’s ready.
Sweat appeared on Yuzuki’s forehead.
Twenty seconds left.
She pressed a hand to her chest, deep wrinkles etched into her blouse.
Ten seconds left.
In an act of revenge for past grievances, I whispered in her ear.
“Feast upon the meat, Yuzuki.”
“…~~っっ♥♥♥”
Zero seconds left.
When I opened the bento box lid, a steaming beef kalbi bento was revealed.
Yuzuki, bombarded with the unleashed magical power, had no means to resist.
“Ah… my hands… they’re moving on their own…!”
The chopsticks, trembling slightly as they embraced the meat and rice, were futilely drawn to Yuzuki’s mouth.
“Wow, the sweet and spicy sauce and meat are rushing down my throat at full speed…♥ The sweetness of the sauce, the sweetness of the fat, the sweetness of the white rice all unite in a relentless assault…♥ My chopsticks move on their own before I even swallow, it’s going to spill out of my mouth at this rate…♥”
Yuzuki, stuffing her face with the bento, was dominated by the instinct of hunger.
Her current action was not “eating” but “merging”. She was frantically trying to incorporate the meat and rice into her body, to literally turn them into her flesh and blood.
When I looked at Emoto-san, she seemed to be in shock. Her mouth was half-open, seemingly completely taken aback by the scene unfolding before her.
“Y-Yuzuki…? What happened to you…?”
“This is Yuzuki’s true nature. You didn’t know?”
“Yuzuki, please snap out of it! I’m begging you!”
Emoto-san’s words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Yuzuki continued to devour the beef kalbi lunch at a rapid pace.
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“It’s such a simple combination, yet I never tire of eating it. Rather, I’m happy to have a direct conversation with the meat and rice…♥ Truly, ‘simple is best’ is the representative of Japan. No count on the satiety center♥”
However, all things must come to an end.
In less than three minutes, the container was empty, and Yuzuki let out a satisfied sigh, “Phewwww!”
Emoto-san remained dumbfounded even as she crunched on the pickled cucumbers prepared as a palate cleanser.
Now, the taste test of the lunches prepared by Emoto-san and me had concluded. It was time for the fateful judgment.
The judgment was based on a one-judge system, heavily influenced by the preferences of the judge.
Emoto-san, who had been full of confidence until moments ago, now had wandering eyes and was trembling slightly.
