Chapter 242: Hairu Iheiri!
(*´･д･)?
Honestly, when the viewers in the live stream first saw that brilliant starry sky, they were baffled. If they hadn't been watching the stream the whole time, they would have thought the streamer had walked into a 7D cinema or some kind of immersive experience room.
They found it strange. Why would the second floor of a dessert shop be decorated like this? What was the Culinary Sage thinking?
Before they could ponder it further, Airi's cute, low exclamation came through the stream:
"Eh...? Ehh? Ehhh!"
The camera shook along with her.
'What's wrong? What did she find?' The viewers were intensely curious.
...
Being there in person, Airi's field of vision was much wider than that of the viewers. After two seconds of shock, she snapped back to reality and immediately understood the true nature of this starry sky.
Her heart pounded!
Filled with an overwhelming sense of shock, she moved her slender, white-stocking-clad legs and walked up to the dessert counter.
The camera panned past the sign on the counter that read "Blue Starry Sky" and "Limit One Per Person," and settled on the exquisite, small rectangular cakes.
Airi's eyes sparkled with delight, her voice trembling slightly from excitement. "Minna-san, Airi has found a treasure dessert! This is literally a treasure dessert! It's too incredible! I've never seen anything like this in my entire life!"
"Sugoi! Sugoi! Sugoi!"
Airi said it all in one breath, repeating "Amazing!" three times so fast that she had to take a huge gasp of air, almost making herself hypoxic. But she was just that excited.
The Culinary Sage was still the Culinary Sage. Just when she wasn't expecting it, he had given her such a huge surprise.
Although she hadn't tasted it yet, just looking at its appearance, at these "special effects"—she was already deeply stunned.
She felt that her long wait, standing under the hot sun since early morning, had not been in vain.
At the same time, the live stream chat exploded.
"Σ(°Д°; !"
"Hold on a sec! That starry sky... is it...?"
"Forget the streamer, I've never seen a dessert like that either!"
"I want to eat it! (¯﹃¯)!"
"Just looking at a dessert like that is so satisfying!"
"His food glows, causes illusions, is unbelievably delicious, and he can make desserts like this... I want to be the Culinary Sage's girlfriend!"
"Sugoi! Sugoi! Sugoi!"
"Airi-chan, can you spoil your fans? I'm in Chiba, let's eat it together!"
"The Culinary Sage's Third Wonder—Blue Starry Sky!"
...
Airi watched the messages fly by, enthusiastically interacting with her viewers. She got a little carried away chatting.
It was only when she noticed that the crowd on the second floor had changed over several times, and that the twin sisters (Jiang Jiang and Lan Lan) had even come to restock, that Airi realized it was rude to hog one of the 20 spots just to chat.
She quickly grabbed one of the "Blue Starry Sky" cakes, placed it in her basket, and began to browse the rest of the second floor, deciding what else to get.
...
At the shop entrance.
Touka Kirishima saw two people of "her kind" exiting the shop with looks of pure bliss. Her eyes lit up, and she excitedly pushed open the glass door.
Her whole life, Touka had wanted to know what cake really tasted like, but due to her Rc cells, eating it only made her feel nauseatingly ill.
But today, her wish could finally come true!
A rich, sweet fragrance, wrapped in the shop's cool air, washed over her—a gentle assault on multiple senses that instantly awakened a feeling of happiness.
"It smells so good—!"
Touka breathed in the aroma, instinctively tilting her chin up and closing her eyes, a look of intoxication on her face. "Just smelling this makes me feel so happy!"
Ken Kaneki, who entered behind her, was so moved he was on the verge of tears. He never thought that after becoming a "monster," he would have the chance to taste sweets again. It felt like a dream.
"Kaneki-kun, any recommendations?" Touka asked, grabbing a basket and turning happily to the former human.
She had originally wanted to bring her brother, but he was in the 24th Ward and couldn't come. Her best friend Yoriko was on vacation. The other veterans from the shop were coming, but they all had their own plans. In the end, she had decided to come with Kaneki. It was a good chance to get some advice from a former human on what was worth buying.
(Although, she had already spent the previous night browsing all kinds of desserts online; her theoretical knowledge was terrifyingly extensive!)
"As for me, I'd recommend getting two loaves of toast. They last a long time... if this shop sells them," replied the honest-looking Kaneki, who wore a medical eyepatch over his left eye.
"..." Touka froze for a moment, then quickly recovered. "Oh, I see... In that case, I'll get two as well!"
Last night, she had been dazzled by all the fancy, exquisite desserts. The plain-looking toast hadn't even crossed her mind—especially since life had been pretty good for her recently. She felt a twinge of shame, and then she and Kaneki began to browse the shop with excitement.
...
Soon, Hairu Iheiri, the girl with the pink hair, also entered the shop.
As a frequent patron of bakeries and dessert shops, Hairu had seen and eaten countless sweets. Her culinary adventures had taken her all over Tokyo, giving her a wealth of experience.
And yet, upon entering this shop—
Looking at the dazzling array of desserts, each one glowing like a work of art, Hairu instinctively held her breath.
Her eyes scanned the display cases curiously. She picked up a basket and began to weave between the counters with unconcealed glee.
After finishing the first floor, she headed to the second.
Just like the other customers, Hairu was frozen in place for two seconds by the brilliant starry sky, her heart pounding with shock.
When she recovered, she walked over, took a "Blue Starry Sky" cake, and then continued to browse.
...
After selecting her six desserts and paying at the counter, Hairu walked out of the shop and immediately turned into the hotel next door.
To make it easier to wait in line and cut down on travel time, she had stayed in the adjacent hotel last night; she hadn't even checked out yet.
Hairu went straight back to her room. She placed the dessert bag on the coffee table, took out the most eye-catching one—the "Blue Starry Sky"—and flicked open the transparent lid.
She picked up a small plastic spoon, said "I'll dig in!" with great anticipation, and scooped a spoonful of the cake into her mouth.
She chewed gently. Her taste buds instantly exploded—!
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