Perhaps reading Kurumi’s mind from her expression, the floor manager, Kinue Usui, shrugged and gave her a pained smile. She was a tall woman in her midtwenties or so, and she wore the same outfit as Kurumi as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Yeah, this uniform, huh? I know it’s kind of a shock,” she said. “Don’t worry, though. This isn’t that kind of place. To start with, our clientele is women only. It’s, like, a total design thing. We’re selling the extraordinary. You gotta do more than serve delicious food if you wanna call yourself a top-tier restaurant.” “Hmm,” Kurumi replied noncommittally. “Is that right?” “Also, when you’re serving customers, you’ll wear this, too.” Kinue handed her something. “And what is this?” “A mask.” Kurumi grimaced when she saw the showy face covering. “You’re sure this restaurant is aboveboard?” Kinue and the rest of the staff laughed. While the uniforms were quite suspect, the workplace itself seemed to be all right. Then, in an instant, the laughter was cut off, and the other servers stood up straighter, their faces growing tense. “…!” “Huh…?” Kurumi was shocked, then quickly realized the reason for the sudden change in mood. The door to the back room opened, and a small girl in a chef jacket came in. An actual girl. From the look of her, she was at most high school age. At the very least, Kurumi had to assume she was younger than the serving staff. The exaggerated chef jacket did not fit her at all. She almost looked as though she was cosplaying or was a student there for an internship. “All right, everyone,” she said absently as she waved a hand. “Let’s see some good hustle out there again tonight, okay?” “Of course.” Kinue nodded firmly. “Oh, Boss! This is Tokisaki. She was here for an interview the other day, remember? She’s the newest member of our floor staff.” “…! Boss…?” Kurumi furrowed her brow ever so slightly. And of course she did. The girl before her was a little too young for the title of “boss.” “…” But a second later, she was nodding in understanding. It made sense when she thought about it. If a chef had managed to perfect a rejuvenation menu using the power of an Artifact, then the first person to eat it would definitely not be a customer but the chef herself. “Good evening. My name is Kurumi Tokisaki. I’m thrilled to be a part of the team.” “You betcha. I’m the owner and chef, Hatoko Mikuriya. Glad to have you on board. I’m basically locked up in the kitchen, so check in with Kinue if you have trouble,” she said and flashed a sideways peace sign like an old-school idol. She might have looked young, but her mannerisms gave away her age. “Mmkay, customers should be showing up now-ish. You know what to do.” “Yes. Leave everything to us,” Kinue replied, still standing up tall as Hatoko ambled away. As she disappeared, Kurumi let out the breath she’d been holding. “So that’s the owner? She seems a bit eccentric.” “Ha-ha-ha!” Kinue laughed. “I guess so. She is kind of a weirdo. She stays in the kitchen as a general rule. We see her maybe two or three times a day. She’s like this genius who pours everything she’s got into her cooking, y’know?” “Her youth shocked me,” Kurumi noted. “Right? I was stunned the first time I saw her, too. She really is the owner, though, so I don’t think she could actually be underage,” Kinue said. “But you know what the big deal here is, right?” “The rejuvenation menu,” Kurumi said, and Kinue nodded. “I don’t know if it actually works, but the owner looking so young is pretty persuasive, y’know? And the place is popular. We get serious celebrities sneaking in here.” “…I see.” Kurumi stroked her chin to indicate her understanding, then narrowed her eyes. “Have you ever had some of the owner’s cooking?” “I have not.” Kinue gave an over-the-top shrug. “The pay’s good here, but it’s not that good. And unfortunately, staff meals aren’t part of the package. Well, I guess you can’t really expect a freebie when the food costs that much. Oh! Tokisaki, were you maybe hoping?” “…Yes, to be honest. I did think I might be able to get a taste of the famed menu,” Kurumi replied frankly after a moment’s hesitation. It was possible that Kinue knew about the Artifact and was sniffing around for Kurumi’s ulterior motives, but she got the feeling that feigning ignorance would seem suspicious. “Ha-ha-ha! Of course. Too bad, huh? You’ll just have to work hard and earn a ton of money here so you can come as a customer someday.” Kinue laughed brightly and patted Kurumi on the back before turning toward the rest of the staff. “Okay, gang. Let’s get started on opening prep.” “Yes, ma’am!” the servers responded. “Tokisaki.” Kinue turned her eyes on Kurumi once more. “You go ahead like I showed you before. Feel free to come to me if you have any questions.” “Thank you,” Kurumi said, focusing on her surroundings. “I actually do have one question?” “Hmm?” Kinue arched an eyebrow. “What is it?” “Where is the restroom?” Kurumi asked jokingly. Kinue shook with mirth as she chuckled. “End of the hall there, to the right. We’re opening soon, so no dawdling.” “Yes. I’ll hurry back.” Kinue waved a dismissive hand, and Kurumi bowed before leaving the room. Her destination was, of course, not the bathroom. She checked that there was no one else around as she kept walking down the hallway until she arrived at the far end of the restaurant, where Hatoko had disappeared—the kitchen. “This is it…” As quietly as she possibly could, she peered inside. “…” Hatoko was racing around the large, well-maintained space doing prep work. Her movements were fluid, the way she handled her knife effortless. She worked like an experienced veteran, her familiarity with her tools completely at odds with her youthful appearance. A restaurant of this size would normally have had several cooks, but Hatoko was alone in the kitchen. Apparently, she did all the cooking herself. Was she just a control freak? Or did her methods involve something she didn’t want anyone else to see? Kurumi narrowed her eyes and scanned the kitchen carefully. She didn’t spot anything that seemed suspicious at a glance. But it wasn’t as though she knew what the magic drug Nectar looked like. It would have been one thing if it were contained inside a flashy vessel or were a luminescent liquid. But if its appearance were perfectly ordinary, it would be nearly impossible to pick it out from the many other ordinary objects in the space. She would have to create an opportunity to taste Hatoko’s cooking in order to confirm the presence of the Artifact— “What are youuu doing here?” The sudden voice caused Kurumi to gasp. “…!” She looked up to find Hatoko standing before her, knife in hand. Apparently, she had noticed Kurumi taking stock of the kitchen. The knife was certainly being used to cook, but Kurumi felt a hidden hostility, perhaps because she had something to feel guilty about. She couldn’t allow Hatoko to see how unsettled she was, though. She managed to get her pounding heart under control slightly and fixed her posture as she plastered on a smile. “Oh, please excuse me,” she said brightly. “I was trying to get to the restroom, but I got lost.” “…” Hatoko narrowed her eyes slightly. The blade of the knife in her hand glinted alluringly. Eventually, she sighed. “It’s over there at the other end. No more getting lost now, mmkay?” “…Yes. Thank you very much.” Kurumi bowed neatly and walked down the hallway, Hatoko’s eyes boring holes into her back. She may have put the chef on guard, so while she did want to keep looking for more clues, it would be best to lie low and do her job for now. She did, however, stop in the bathroom to bolster her excuse before returning to the main hall of the restaurant and the other waitstaff. “I’m sorry to have taken so long,” she said with a quick bow. “Ah, there you are! C’mon, Tokisaki,” Kinue said, urging her into place. “The customers are already arriving. Come welcome them.” Kurumi obliged and put on her mask, stood up straight, and joined the waitstaff line. Before too long, the doors opened, and that evening’s customers entered. They were all clad in magnificent gowns with the upper half of their faces hidden behind splendid masks, as though they were arriving at a masquerade. Kurumi was surprised by their strange appearances for a moment before realizing this was another aspect of the extraordinary performed at this restaurant—and another means of hiding the customers’ true identities. “Welcome!” the hall staff chorused and bowed dramatically to welcome the customers into the hall. Kurumi followed their lead and greeted the customers. “Ah, what a beautiful space! I cannot wait to dine here!” “…” When Kurumi heard this customer’s voice, her cheeks spasmed, and she raised her head. It wasn’t only the customer’s voice. Kurumi had seen the design of her gorgeous dress before, too, and the customer’s physique was also familiar. Although her face was hidden by a mask, her magnificent ringlets were visible for all to see. “…Matsurika?” Kurumi asked, her voice low. “Goodness!” the masked customer, Matsurika, cried out brightly, as though she had just noticed Kurumi. An entirely genuine and malice-free smile spread across her face. “Kurumi! That uniform suits you quite well!” “…What on earth are you doing here?” Kurumi hissed. “Isn’t this restaurant members-only?” “Yes,” Matsurika agreed readily. “So I sought out a member and had them cede their membership to me. Oh! I did indeed make reservations for two, though.” “…This is the first I’ve heard of any of this?” “Well.” “Well?” “I wanted to surprise you. ” “…” Before Kurumi was fully aware of what she was doing, her hand was tightening around Matsurika’s head. “Aaah!” Matsurika cried. “That hurts! That is quite painful!” “Hey…!” Kinue raced over to the pair, baffled. “T-Tokisaki! What are you doing?!” “Oh, excuse me.” Kurumi smiled brightly with an extraordinarily composed air. “There was a fly on this customer’s head.” “Even if there was, you can’t kill it with an iron claw!” Kinue, her face drained of color, hurriedly pried Kurumi’s hand from Matsurika’s head and bowed to Matsurika. “I—I am terribly sorry, Miss. Are you hurt?” “Y-yes. I have pain on the sides of my head.” Matsurika gave a strained smile as she pressed a hand to her head. “R-right…” Kinue looked perplexed when the customer showed neither anger nor fear in response to this unprovoked attack. “T-Tokisaki. Head to the back. I’ll tell you what to do later.” “Usui?” Kurumi said, addressing her by her last name as Kinue did. “Wh-what is it?” she turned to look at her. “Thank you so much for everything. I am now tendering my resignation, effective immediately.” “…What?” Kinue’s eyes grew wide with surprise. Heedless, Kurumi grabbed Matsurika’s neck and dragged Matsurika out of the restaurant, leaving the astounded Kinue and the other waitstaff in their wake. “…Honestly. You should have told me sooner.” Twenty minutes later, Kurumi returned to the restaurant, not as an employee, but as a customer wearing a gown and a mask. She had worked hard to win that position on staff, but the reason she had gone undercover at the restaurant in the first place was to learn the secret of the rejuvenation menu. Given the decision between her job and the chance to try the food herself, the choice was obvious. “Hmph, please. I was just being a little bit playful is all.” Matsurika pouted, but when Kurumi smiled at her while opening and closing her hand into a fist, she hurriedly sat up straighter. Kurumi’s dress and mask had been waiting for her in the Sukarabe vehicle parked outside the restaurant. She couldn’t decide if Matsurika was messing around or was simply thoroughly prepared. “I really can’t seem to grow accustomed to this outfit,” she said. “Not the dress or the mask.” “You can’t? I think they rather suit you, though,” Matsurika told her. “I shall take that as a compliment.” “You have the air of someone watching in an ivory tower as the poor fight amongst themselves—as though you are drinking in, like a fine wine, the spectacle of human beings breaking down under extreme circumstances.” “Actually, I will not be taking that as a compliment.” Kurumi scowled, sweat trickling down her cheek. She had just described an excessively detailed portrait of an evil billionaire. At any rate, they were ready for what lay ahead now. As Kurumi waited for her meal to arrive, she let her gaze roam from beneath her mask and peered at their surroundings. “Mm-hmm…” The restaurant was relatively large with a number of tables and customers seated at all of them. If every one of them ordered the course meal at a price of five million each, the restaurant would make a small fortune in a single evening. Their faces were all hidden by masks, but Kurumi could tell their ages roughly from their exposed mouths, necks, and hands. Women in their forties or fifties seemed to be the majority, but there were some who were younger, and she could even spot a customer or two in her twenties. But young people would have a hard time patronizing such a restaurant, and once Kurumi hit upon this thought, she saw these younger patrons in a new light. If the rejuvenation menu was real, then the women who looked to be the youngest were no doubt the restaurant’s regulars. “…!” Kurumi’s eyebrows sprang up when the customers around her started to chatter excitedly. Several servers pushing carts had appeared from the kitchen area. It seemed that it was at last time for them to come face-to-face with the fabled dishes. She waited for the arrival of her plate somewhat nervously. “Good eveni—Huh?” When the server arrived at Kurumi and Matsurika’s table, she tilted her head curiously. Kurumi realized it was the floor manager she had so recently parted ways with, Kinue Usui. “Please excuse me, Miss. But have we met before?” “Why, I’m certain I don’t know.” Kurumi feigned ignorance, and Kinue cleared her throat as if to regain her composure, although she still regarded Kurumi with suspicion. Perhaps she realized it was Kurumi. Given the restaurant’s extreme commitment to anonymity—considering the mandatory masks for the clientele—she couldn’t exactly pry into a customer’s identity in front of everyone. “Good evening, ladies,” she said, ignoring the last ten seconds. “I have your appetizers here. Please enjoy this dazzling world of mystery.” Kinue lifted the silver cloche to cries of admiration from the tables around them. “And here we have poached lobster and asparagus. Please top with the paprika sauce and enjoy.” “Goodness…!” Matsurika listened to the explanation of the course, her eyes glistening. It was a beautiful dish. The red of the lobster and the green of the asparagus contrasted wonderfully in the shallow white bowl. It was obvious at a glance that no expense had been spared for the ingredients and that the chef’s work was beyond reproach. “Hmm.” Kurumi frowned at the plate. “From the look of it, it’s an ordinary dish.” “Ordinary?” Matsurika stared at her in disbelief. “It looks exceptionally delicious!” “…No, I didn’t mean it like that,” Kurumi said, rolling her eyes, and Matsurika tilted her head. Kurumi picked up her fork and knife. “Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. There’s nothing we can do about how it looks. Shall we give it a taste?” “Let’s!” Matsurika picked up her own cutlery. With a practiced hand, she cut off a bite of lobster and slowly brought it to her mouth. “…!” Her eyes went wide. The meat melted into her mouth, flavor exploding across her tongue. The perfectly prepared lobster made her taste buds sing and sent her into ecstasy. But that wasn’t all. “Ah… Aaah…!” The moment she swallowed the bite, she felt a powerful sensation welling up from the depths of her being. It looked like a fire had roared to life inside her. Her heart pounded, and she was embraced by an intense heat. She had eaten gourmet food before, but this was on an entirely different level. In a different dimension, even. It inspired a voracious craving. Her hand reached automatically for the second bite, like her thirsty body instinctively reaching for water. “Mmph! Th-this is no ordinary meal! It’s almost too delicious! Our personal chef is no match!” A blissful look on her face, Matsurika brought another bite from her plate up to her mouth. She dabbed the paprika sauce onto the asparagus, which was just as delicious. A pleasant tingling shot through her. Wanting to share everything she was feeling, she turned to Kurumi as she chewed. “Say, Kurumi, this is quite amazing, isn’t it?!” However… In contrast to Matsurika, Kurumi scowled fiercely. “…This tastes abhorrent.” “What?” Matsurika’s eyes grew round in surprise. Ignoring her, Kurumi lifted her plate slowly, then she slammed it against the floor. Crash! Shards of glass flew off in all directions. “Eeek?!” Matsurika shrieked. She wasn’t alone, of course. Every customer and server in the restaurant stared at Kurumi, mouths agape in shock. With everyone’s attention firmly focused on her, Kurumi broke the silence with a cry that carried to every corner of the hall. “How dare this restaurant serve such slop to its customers!” The stunned customers began to murmur and whisper, glancing back and forth between Kurumi and their own plates. “K-Kurumi…? What are you…?” Matsurika said, confused. Kurumi didn’t deign to give her a response as she continued to shout. “This is quite simply not fit for consumption! To think that this is the poor treatment we receive when you demand such a high price… What is it if not an insult and a humiliation?!” “M-Miss…!” A member of the waitstaff raced over, looking utterly baffled. “Is there something wrong? Was the meal not—?”
Chapter 7
16 min read