Kotomi: Don't Think You Can Jump Straight to the Finish!

Just as Kotomi had filled her plate with a heaping pile and was about to seek out her next target, Megumi reached over, swapped her plate of spicy octopus noodles for a much milder fish ball and vegetable stir-fry.

Kotomi liked fish balls just fine, but right now she really wanted something bolder and spicier!

"My spicy octopus noodles, my precious noodles…" Kotomi's gaze was filled with longing, and the sight of her looking so meek and disappointed could melt anyone's heart.

Megumi was well aware of that; in fact, the moment she felt Kotomi's pleading gaze on her, she immediately averted her eyes, afraid she'd soften and give back the plate of spicy octopus noodles.

On any other day, Megumi wouldn't have cared at all about Kotomi's spice cravings. She was curious herself to see how spicy Kotomi could handle. But these past few days were different—Kotomi's "monthly visitor" had arrived, and eating spicy food while on her period? No way.

"Don't look at me like that, or I'll cave," Megumi muttered, glancing away quickly.

"But Megumi, I just want a little bit of spicy octopus noodles," Kotomi begged, a playful whine in her voice.

Funny enough, she wasn't usually so interested in spicy foods, but now that she couldn't have them, she wanted them even more.

It was just how things were—on a normal day, she'd be happy with either spicy octopus noodles or the fish ball stir-fry, but today? It was spicy octopus all the way.

Megumi took one look at Kotomi's "little bit"—a plate piled high—and couldn't help but sigh. "That's what you call 'just a little bit'?"

"What? It's only one plate," Kotomi said innocently.

Considering Kotomi's usual appetite, it was true—this really was "just a little bit."

"Fine, but I still won't let you have it. You do realize this is your cycle, right? First you wanted something cold, now something spicy. What will you do if you make yourself sick?" Megumi's tone was more serious than usual, her concern evident.

Hearing Megumi's concern, Kotomi's cravings for the spicy noodles faded a little. "Okay, I understand. I won't eat the spicy food, so please don't be upset…"

"Silly, I only worry because I care about you, my precious silly wife~"

Megumi's words were drawn out in a teasing tone, making Kotomi's cheeks redden instantly as she sputtered, "W-Wife? And why did you add 'silly' to that? I'm not silly! I'm super smart! Besides, all I agreed to was being your girlfriend—just accepting your confession isn't the same as accepting a proposal. Don't think you can just skip steps here!"

Megumi laughed. "Alright, alright, I get it. I guess that means I can't relax just yet; I'll have to try extra hard to make sure no one else swoops in and makes you their wife first," she said, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.

"Well, that all depends on your skills~" Kotomi smirked, feeling a little smug herself.

"Oh, you want to see my skills? Well then—"

Before Megumi could finish her sentence, Kotomi's free hand darted up to cover her mouth, worried Megumi would take things in a, let's say, "unfiltered" direction.

It wasn't unusual for Megumi to drop the occasional risqué comment, but today, ever since Kotomi accepted her confession, it was like Megumi had fully awakened—she'd been flirting nonstop, and in more ways than one, including sneaking in kisses every chance she got.

"Hey, this is a restaurant with people around, so don't you dare say anything too… 'fast-paced!'" Kotomi whispered, hand still covering Megumi's mouth.

Seeing Megumi nod, she finally let her hand drop.

"Fair point; I'll keep it in check… for now. But, Kotomi, have you ever heard of a little saying?" Megumi asked.

"What saying?"

Megumi flashed her a knowing smile. "They say, 'it's better to channel than to block.'"

With that, she turned away to scoop some garlic prawns.

"Better to channel than to block…?" Kotomi blinked, frozen in place, unable to quite wrap her head around what Megumi might mean by that.

Eventually, Kotomi moved on, though she still eyed the spicy octopus noodles longingly. In the end, she decided to pass, reaching instead for a generous serving of crab hot pot.

But no matter how much she tried, she just couldn't shake her craving for octopus…

So—

"Excuse me, how much is this octopus?" Kotomi asked a chef by the tanks, pointing to one of the live octopuses.

This seafood buffet was more like a marketplace in style, with stalls where customers could select fresh ingredients and request custom dishes.

Steaming, grilling, stir-frying—it was all available, and as long as you could name it, they'd cook it up.

"The price for most octopuses is around 3,000 yen, but this one here…" The vendor paused, taking a closer look at the hefty creature Kotomi had pointed to. "It's at least ten pounds—so we're talking about 10,154 yen."

But Kotomi, her mind entirely on the octopus and not the price, nodded decisively, eager to make her craving a reality. "Great! This octopus looks so lively; I can tell it's just begging to be eaten by me!"

The vendor gaped in disbelief. A single, ten-pound octopus was no joke. Even two people would have a tough time finishing it. Yet here was this petite girl, not only asking for it without a second thought, but also taking out her phone, ready to scan and pay.

"Miss, you can buy it, of course, but let's not waste food, alright? You're sure you can eat it all?"

"Of course, I can! If there were an even bigger one in this tank, I'd have gone for that instead!" Kotomi nodded confidently, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Well, alright then…" After a brief hesitation, the vendor agreed. A sale was a sale, after all. He lifted the large octopus from the tank, bagged it, and took it to the kitchen for preparation.

"How would you like it cooked?" he asked.

"Half of it in an extra-large octopus rice bowl, and please stir-fry the other half with this plate of noodles." Kotomi handed over the fish ball and vegetable stir-fried noodles she'd gotten. She hadn't been able to have the spicy octopus noodles she'd wanted, but with a little improvisation, she could at least have fish ball and octopus veggie noodles!

"Um… sure. Please hold on."

A little unusual, sure, but the customer had paid, and it was their job to meet her request. The vendor hoisted up the octopus in one hand and balanced the large plate of noodles in the other as he headed into the kitchen.

"Honey, we've got an order—half the octopus for an extra-large octopus rice bowl, and stir-fry the rest with these noodles."

His wife took the octopus from him, startled by its weight. "Whoa! This one's gotta be over ten pounds! Leave it in the tank a bit longer, and it could reach twenty. Whoever ordered this must be here for a big party, right?"

"Oh no, you've got it all wrong. This is for a young girl—looks like she plans to eat it all by herself."

"What the…!" The vendor's wife found herself out of words, regretting she didn't have more vocabulary than "What the …!" to fully express her shock.

Soon, with incredulous looks, the vendor and his wife presented the prepared dishes: an extra-large octopus rice bowl and a heaping plate of fish ball and octopus stir-fried noodles. And in a state of shock, they watched her leave with both dishes.

At the table, Megumi, who had already chosen her food and was waiting patiently, was stunned to see Kotomi walking over with her massive rice bowl.

"Kotomi, we've still got a whole crab hot pot on the table. Can you really eat all of that? That octopus rice bowl alone is enormous! It's bigger than two heads put together!"

"No problem!" Kotomi replied without hesitation.

"But… weren't we planning to hit Togoshi Ginza for snacks this afternoon, and Burger King tonight? Can you really eat that much in one day?"

"What? This is a lot?" Kotomi asked, looking genuinely confused.

"This isn't a lot?" Megumi stared, unable to believe Kotomi wasn't putting on an act. She made a mental note to talk to Kotomi about over-ordering food once she'd reached her limit.

...

"All done."

Kotomi wiped her mouth with a napkin, pushing her empty dishes aside. Her massive rice bowl and plate of noodles were scraped clean, as was the crab hot pot in the middle of the table. Not even a single crab leg was left.

Today, Kotomi's appetite had given Megumi a new understanding of "exceeding expectations."

After finishing, Kotomi and Megumi left the restaurant, leaving the vendor and his wife to clear the table.

They assumed there would be a lot of leftovers, but when they saw only empty bowls and plates, they were struck speechless.

"Did we clear the wrong table?" the vendor's wife asked.

"That's impossible," her husband replied, pointing to their store's logo on the bowls.

"So… that girl actually ate everything?!"

"Yeah… looks like it. Dear, pinch me. Are we seeing things?"

"Ugh, this is creeping me out. She looked so sweet and innocent, but is she secretly some kind of glutton spirit?"

The vendor's wife stood there, still staring at the cleared table, her mind a whirl of disbelief.

"Dear, she really ate it all?" she muttered, still in shock.

"Yes, and to the last bite, too! I think maybe we ought to… you know, sprinkle a little salt by the door. Just in case?"

"Yes, I'll grab the big bag from the kitchen," she agreed, nodding with a haunted look, glancing nervously toward the door as if expecting the girl to reappear any moment.

The vendor's husband nodded gravely.

"Right. No harm in being cautious."

And with that, the two set about preparing for the next customer, all while keeping a wary eye on the door and furtively scattering salt in the entryway to make sure their shop would stay safe from the "hungry ghost" they now imagined Kotomi to be.

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