Chapter 374: A Chance Encounter with Yakushi Kiriko!
"I'm truly very sorry for hiding this from all of you!"
Todo Touka, who had been arrested and brought to justice, bowed deeply to Luke and the others.
Only then did she somewhat embarrassedly explain,
"B-But I didn't lie to you. Ichiban Boshi, the restaurant Moroboshi-kun's family runs, really is the best-tasting okonomiyaki restaurant in all of Osaka."
"Not only that, in terms of flavor alone, Ichiban Boshi also ranks among the top restaurants in all of Osaka."
"From the perspective of enjoying delicious food, this restaurant can be called a must-visit place. When I participated in the Seven Star Sword Art Festival last year, I was also invited here to eat once, so…"
"So because you were the only one who got tricked once and felt very unbalanced, you teamed up with Moroboshi-senpai to trick your juniors too."
Luke raised an eyebrow and spoke with a teasing tone.
"I never expected you to be this kind of senpai!"
"I-I'm not!!!"
In her panic, Touka even exposed the verbal tic she had always hidden so well.
"I'm not that kind of mean-spirited senpai!"
"This matter was because Moroboshi-kun came to me and asked me to help!"
"I thought that if you came here to eat once, you definitely wouldn't be disappointed, so I agreed!"
"Hmph, in other words, Touka-senpai, you didn't receive any benefits?"
"Shock!"
Hearing Luke's soul-interrogating question, cold sweat immediately soaked Touka's back.
Just as Touka had nowhere left to run, Moroboshi, who was standing to the side, spoke.
"This matter was my responsibility to begin with. Don't blame Todo."
"I used a private match as the condition to make her agree to help me."
In truth, there was nothing much to hide about this matter.
Touka had only been temporarily overwhelmed by Luke's momentum because she felt guilty for hiding it from her juniors.
And Luke was not truly angry either.
After Moroboshi spoke, he let Touka go.
"Well, you should all know that last year, Raikiri lost to Star of Naniwa and missed the throne of Seven Star Sword King."
"Todo definitely wasn't convinced by the result of that match. To be honest, I'm not very satisfied with that victory I obtained through a trick either."
"So I took this chance to set up a private match with Todo… After all, this year's Seven Star Sword Art Festival is too deep. Even as last year's champion, I don't dare say I have absolute certainty."
This was not because Moroboshi lacked confidence.
On the contrary, he was seriously planning to take another championship and achieve a two-time consecutive victory.
However, confidence and arrogance were different.
This year's Sword Art Festival had strong competitors everywhere.
No one dared say they would definitely win.
(Luke: ???)
Of course, explanations aside, there was one thing Moroboshi had to say.
This was also the most fundamental reason he believed Luke and the others would not get angry.
"My family's okonomiyaki is absolutely the best in all of Osaka… no, absolutely the best in all of Japan!"
If he had not firmly believed this, he would not have brought Luke and the others here.
If this had truly been a scam, leaving aside Moroboshi, Touka would never have agreed to help in the first place.
…
After some playful commotion, Luke and the others ultimately entered the restaurant under Moroboshi's lead.
The instant they stepped inside, the rich aroma of sauce rushed toward them.
At that moment, just by smelling the fragrance, they knew that what Touka and Moroboshi had said earlier was not false at all.
With this fragrant, appetite-stirring smell alone, the food at this restaurant could not possibly taste bad.
The one who received them was Moroboshi's younger sister.
She was a girl wearing a kimono and apron, and from the looks of it, she should have been a middle school student.
"Koume is different from me. She isn't a Blazer."
During Moroboshi's simple introduction, Koume also showed Luke and the others a sweet smile.
At the same time, she took a notebook from the wide sleeve of her kimono, then opened it and showed it to Luke and the others.
"Welcome~"
The handwriting in the notebook was round and cute.
It was not hard to guess that Koume had written it herself.
However, her action left Luke and the others somewhat puzzled.
There was no helping it.
This was their first time seeing a staff member greet customers through writing.
Moroboshi had clearly expected their reaction and explained briefly from the side.
"Koume can't speak. Don't mind it too much."
The atmosphere became a little heavy in an instant.
Even Luke did not know what he should say.
This was already Touka's second time here, and she understood Koume's situation somewhat, so she softly explained.
"Koume's problem isn't physical. It seems to be a mental obstacle."
Compared to everyone else, whose faces carried concern, Koume herself did not seem to mind this matter very much.
She even wrote a playful line in her notebook.
"I don't speak because I'm more ladylike."
Then Moroboshi lightly knocked her on the head.
After sticking out her tongue, she began taking orders for Luke and the others.
Since they had come to eat okonomiyaki, there naturally was no need to hesitate too much over the menu.
Moroboshi seemed to have already informed his family in advance.
They had long since prepared for Luke's enormous appetite.
Even Moroboshi himself joined in making the food.
Judging from that momentum, he clearly intended to present them with a perfect meal.
Of course, even if they had prepared in advance, the food could not be served immediately.
So while waiting for the meal, Luke looked around at the restaurant's layout and customers.
Then he saw a certain figure he had only met yesterday.
And at the same time she sensed his gaze, Yakushi Kiriko also turned her head and looked toward Luke.
"Hm?"
"You are… What a coincidence."
"I didn't expect to meet you here either, Yakushi-senpai."
Kiriko was still wearing that white coat.
No one knew whether it was a habit caused by her profession as a doctor.
After greeting each other, Kiriko looked at Luke's lively group, then looked at herself sitting alone.
After thinking briefly, she directly stood up and sat down beside Luke.
As for this, Luke, Ikki, and the others had no objections.
After all, they were also rather curious as to why this senpai had appeared here.
If one wanted to taste delicious food, Osaka had countless choices.
Even if Ichiban Boshi was a decent option among them, it definitely would not be the first choice.
Moreover, the food in the cafeteria opened to the competitors at the inn was also prepared by specially hired chefs.
It was absolutely no worse than those high-class restaurants.
So if one wanted to run into other competitors outside, the probability was still extremely low.
'Could it be that Yakushi-senpai was also tricked here by Moroboshi-senpai?'
It was not only Luke who thought this.
Ikki and the others could not help having similar thoughts as well.
Although Kiriko was a third-year, she was, after all, also participating in the Seven Star Sword Art Festival for the first time.
There was no guarantee she had not been fooled too.
The moment Kiriko sat down, she saw the strange expressions on everyone's faces, a mixture of schadenfreude, sympathy, and pity.
She immediately knew what these people were thinking.
She rolled her eyes at everyone, then told Luke and the others why she had come here.
"I came to see a patient."
…
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