"Wow~ Josuke~ And Okuyasu, welcome~"
The moment they pushed open the door to the restaurant called Trattoria Trussardi, they were greeted by Japanese spoken in a thick Italian accent.
A man in a chef's hat emerged to welcome them warmly. It was still afternoon, well before the dinner rush, so the place was nearly empty. This was the owner himself—Tonio Trussardi, a chef from Italy and a rather unusual Stand user.
"And you've brought two beautiful ladies! And a little princess!"
The courteous chef studied Inori and Yasuho with open curiosity, his gaze falling to little Jolyne between them.
"Hey~ Tonio. These two are our friends, and the little one's a relative's kid! I've been telling them about your place, so you'd better bring your A-game. Don't let me down!"
Josuke greeted him like an old friend.
"And this gentleman is...?"
Yasuho tilted her head curiously at Josuke and the others. She hadn't known there was such a stylish Western restaurant in Morioh.
"My name is Tonio Trussardi, from Italy~ I'm currently traveling around the world, and right now I'm here in Morioh studying Japanese cuisine. I use the freshest local ingredients to prepare meals my guests will enjoy~"
He introduced himself in that uniquely accented Japanese of his.
"Please, come sit over here... I'll prepare your food."
...
...
"I can already tell this is going to be amazing... Hehe, Inori-chan, since you're paying, I won't hold back~"
Yasuho settled into her seat and surveyed the neatly arranged cutlery and the white porcelain plates polished clean enough to see her reflection. She rubbed her hands together and whispered to Inori beside her. What girl her age didn't enjoy a taste of something exotic?
"Excuse me, Tonio-san—could we see the menu?"
Yasuho raised her hand to catch the chef's attention.
"This restaurant doesn't offer a menu, Ojou-san."
Tonio smiled.
"Huh?"
"Nee-san, that's just how this place works. Tonio-san decides what to serve based on each customer's condition." Koichi, on her right, quickly explained before she got the wrong idea.
"No menu at all? What a strange place. Is this how Italian restaurants all work?" Yasuho frowned, a little baffled. She glanced to her left at Inori, who seemed entirely unfazed—chatting and laughing with Jolyne about something, perfectly at ease.
—She mentioned having a younger sister in Italy, so maybe her father's Italian? That would explain why she's so comfortable with this kind of bespoke dining.
"If you could, please make some hot dog sandwiches and a few desserts for our little lady here." Inori addressed Tonio, and the kindly chef agreed without hesitation.
"No problem~"
"I want pasta! The same one as last time!" Okuyasu piped up with enthusiasm. Though there was no menu, Tonio did his best to honor specific requests.
Josuke and Koichi had no particular preferences. At last, Tonio's attention settled on Yasuho.
"Ojou-san, may I see your hands?"
"Wh-why?" Yasuho blinked. "What does that have to do with eating?"
"Yasuho-san, it's fine," Josuke whispered to her. "Tonio's cooking isn't just delicious—he can actually treat illnesses and conditions people have been carrying around!"
"Really?"
"For real." Okuyasu backed him up. "My insomnia, my shoulder pain—he even cured my athlete's foot!"
"Ugh, Okuyasu-kun, don't bring up something like that at the dinner table!" Koichi shot him a look.
"Hehe, just explaining."
The "genius" scratched his head with his trademark dopey grin.
"Inori-chan! Inori-chan!" Far from reassured, Yasuho leaned in close to Inori's ear and whispered frantically. "Something about this guy seems off. Don't tell me he's a Stand user?"
"Relax, Tonio's one of the good ones. Yasuho, didn't you tell me the other day you haven't been feeling well? Let him take a look—maybe his food will fix you right up."
Inori answered with a laugh, then scratched her ear lightly where Yasuho's breath had tickled it.
Tonio was indeed a Stand user. His Stand, Pearl Jam, took the form of a handful of tiny tomatoes that could be mixed into food. Once consumed, they healed the body through a process of breaking down and regenerating damaged tissue. For more unusual conditions, though, the break-down-and-expel process could get rather grotesque.
Despite the Stand being rather dangerous, Tonio himself was a thoroughly good man. Pearl Jam didn't enhance the food's flavor, either—every dish here was the product of his own extraordinary skill.
That said, he didn't lace every dish with his Stand. Only for certain customers who needed it—like, say, a girl whose cheerful exterior masked deep-seated anxiety. Yasuho Hirose.
"Well then, please go ahead, Tonio-san~"
Since Inori had vouched for him, Yasuho relented. She held out her palm. Tonio stepped forward without touching it, studying it from close range for a long moment... then his brow creased.
"...Ojou-san. Hirose-san, you..."
The easy expression vanished. His heavy brows knotted tight.
It was only a little past four in the afternoon. The reservation crowd hadn't arrived, so they were the only table. The pleasant atmosphere froze.
"Hirose-san... you haven't been sleeping well lately, have you?"
"What is this, fortune-telling? Traditional Chinese medicine?"
Yasuho was unnerved by the sudden intensity. A big foreign man going deadly serious on her was, frankly, kind of terrifying.
—Though he's not wrong.
"Hmm... Let me start by making you a dessert, Hirose-san."
It was a strange contradiction.
Her liver showed signs of weakness—chronic sleep deprivation and poor mental health, most likely. But the cause of her poor mental health was bizarre. Tonio could see it, but dared not say it aloud. Something about this girl was off, from head to toe. Not a dangerous illness—more like how no matter how precise your knife work, you could never slice beef into perfectly identical pieces. There was an unknown element within her that simply refused to align.
"Jolyne wants some too!"
At the mention of dessert, the little girl couldn't sit still. She waved her hands excitedly.
"No problem~"
Tonio flashed her a smile and an OK sign.
Inori leaned back in her chair, thinking. She'd caught Tonio's unease just now. The man had noticed something. Could Yasuho be hiding some illness? Or was there another reason?
After a brief wait, Tonio emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of what looked like sesame-covered dumplings.
"These are Sesame Honey Dumplings~ I learned to make them from locals while traveling in China, though I've added my own twist. Please enjoy!"
Eight or nine white spheres coated in sesame seeds sat in neat arrangement on the plate, immediately appetizing. Up close, a sweet, delicate fragrance wafted from them.
"Sesame Honey... Dumplings."
Yasuho murmured the name—and was suddenly seized by an inexplicable wave of irritation. This was exactly her current affliction. Certain objects, certain people, triggered this involuntary emotional reaction. The very first time it happened was upon hearing "JOSUKE"—Josuke's name.
"Go on, eat up! Once you do, whatever's ailing you will clear right up!"
"Mm."
At Inori's urging, Yasuho picked up her fork, speared one of the dumplings, and put it in her mouth.