After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back

The so-called "Shuyuan," refers to a high-end barbecue chain from the Island Nation that is beloved for its great taste and has been frequently visited by various artists and Vtubers for their video explorations.

With the crafting of memes in the online pop culture sphere, the name Shuyuan has become a synonymous term for extravagant dining among modern people from the Island Nation.

And tonight, Kagura Hikaru and Suse were in the Shuyuan store in Tokyo Ginza, eating high-quality beef they grilled themselves.

The beef slices, filled with green onion paste and rolled into small cylinders, sizzled on the wire grill.

The fragrance quickly wafted out, tantalizingly clinging to the nostrils.

"Mmm... delicious!" Suse covered her chewing mouth, squinting happily with a slightly muffled voice, "Worthy of Mister Hikaru."

"It's just that the ingredients are good, anyone who makes it will find it delicious," said Kagura Hikaru, eyes on the beef, flipping it with tongs, without lifting his head.

"There you go again, so modest."

Suse blinked adorably.

She wasn't joking. Kagura Hikaru's culinary skills were such that chefs from her Capital City family home couldn't beat him, maybe he was even a bit better than a Michelin three-star chef?

Suse had eaten plenty of that level of cooking, but nothing gave her the sensation of the meat seemingly glowing like it did at that moment.

Glowing cooking truly exists, Brave Chef Boy was not lying to me, devout.jpg.

Filled with a sense of happiness, Suse accepted another round of feeding from her boyfriend, like a pig waiting to be filled, concerned only with opening her mouth and then beginning to chew.

Being spoiled is addicting, with no exceptions.

So when Suse realized that she had finished several plates of meat while her boyfriend seemed to have had none, she was already halfway full.

She showed a troubled expression, "Sorry, Mister Hikaru, I ate too much without thinking, you must be hungry too."

"I'm okay."

"I'll order two more plates for you."

Suse gestured for the waiter to come over, planning to order some more meat dishes.

But the waitress who came over gave them both a big surprise.

"Ai Cheng? What are you doing here?" Kagura Hikaru could not help but ask out loud.

The person who appeared before them was none other than Ai Cheng Karen, who for some reason was dressed in a Shuyuan waitress uniform, looking like an actual waitress.

But in theory, that was impossible, because after her band had become popular, she surely wouldn't be short of money and need to work elsewhere.

"Eh? Kagura, Kohinata student..." Ai Cheng Karen was also very surprised, her hand clutching the order pad tightened.

Suse's eyes moved a bit, glancing behind Ai Cheng Karen.

If you looked closely, there seemed to be a filming crew there, with those long boom mics extending above their heads.

"Ai Cheng, are you filming a show?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes, sorry," Ai Cheng Karen said with reddened cheeks and in a low voice, "We're filming a variety show, kind of like where the waitstaff suddenly turn into celebrities to surprise the customers."

"Is it just you?"

"Ah, no, the other members of the Red Pepper Band are here too, they're all hiding in the kitchen. The show's setup is if they're recognized, the band will come out from the back and perform a song, that kind of thing."

It seems the show's gimmick was a one-time surprise; they probably had to film several scenes.

"Is that so, good luck," Suse cheered her on with a gesture.

"So, our segment will probably be scrapped, since the reaction was quite mild," Kagura Hikaru said.

"Probably, depends on what the director says..." Ai Cheng Karen lifted her order pad to her lower face, "So, what would you like to order?"

"Eh? We can still order?"

"Of course."

"Then..."

Suse verbally ordered a few items, and Ai Cheng Karen took note of each one. After giving them a last look, she hesitated but didn't ask further, clutching the notebook as she ran back to the kitchen.

In a short while, the meat dishes arrived, delivered by a server they didn't recognize.

Kagura Hikaru expertly began to grill the meat, not yet flipped, when he heard a familiar guitar solo intro come from the other side.

That was his song.

A group of colorful-dressed girls suddenly rushed out from the kitchen, holding guitars, basses, and portable keyboards, without any warning, they started performing for a table of customers, the sound of their instruments transmitted through wireless connectors to the speakers in the restaurant.

Then, classmate Ai Cheng Karen also began to sing; even without a microphone, her clear voice was enough for all the customers in the store to hear.

Distracted, Kagura Hikaru delayed flipping the meat by three seconds.

That piece of meat was not cooked perfectly.

Sigh.

Holding the tongs, he sighed, surrounded by the song he wrote, his toes unconsciously curling.

For some reason, hearing his own song on a player and live was completely different, especially in front of someone he knew.

It always felt... a bit suffocating.

Suse, on the other hand, seemed quite happy, turning her head to watch Ai Cheng and their filming, clapping her hands lightly to the beat.

Kagura Hikaru realized that she still had a childish side and, moreover, her liking for the Red Pepper Band seemed genuine.

Finally, the music stopped and Kagura Hikaru took a deep breath of relief.

In just four minutes, he experienced more emotional ups and downs than Zhuo Ai ever did, damn it.

"Um, uh, long time no see, Mr. Kagura!"

Suddenly, a frail voice came from behind.

Turning around, he saw that it was Ruzaki Mami, shyly coming over to make conversation.

"I just saw you a few days ago, so it's hardly been a long time," Suse said with a smile.

"Good evening," Kagura Hikaru nodded, "It seems I didn't see you when the band was on stage earlier?"

"Yeah, because the drum set was so big... I was placed a bit further back, so you probably couldn't see me from here."

"No wonder."

Suse gestured for her to come over and sit down, "If you don't mind, come over and have some food."

"Eh? Can I?"

"Sit down quickly, Mister Hikaru's grilled meat is super delicious. You'll miss out if you don't try it~"

"Oh!"

Ruzaki Mami seemed interested, and while saying she felt embarrassed, she sat down next to Suse. Kagura Hikaru placed a nicely grilled piece into an empty plate and passed it over.

"Mmm mmm..." The grilled meat, dipped in sauce, smoothly entered her mouth. A second later, Ruzaki Mami's eyes lit up, "Delicious!"

"Right? Right?~" Suse clasped her hands together in joy.

"I never knew Mr. Kagura was hiding such a skill. It's top-notch!"

"Mister Hikaru does have a bit of mystery to him, you never know when he learned all these skills."

"Mr. Kagura really is reliable as expected!"

"Speaking of which, why does classmate Ruzaki, who is clearly a senior in the third year, call Hikaru 'Mr. Kagura'?"

"Uh, that, Mr. Kagura helped me out a lot in the past, and he also helped us write songs, so that's why..."

"Ho~"

Suse's gaze was filled with deep meaning.

Ruzaki Mami felt uneasy and shifted around in her seat, her back drenched in sweat. She quickly raised her index finger to change the subject: "Speaking of which! Did you know, Karen-chan hasn't been feeling well lately?"

Kagura Hikaru stopped what he was doing and looked up, "What exactly do you mean?"

"When she goes out, she's always absentminded, especially when she's alone. Her mood seems really down."

Although she brought it up as a diversion, Ruzaki Mami's expression grew darker as she spoke.

"It's really strange. Ai Cheng has been avoiding me at school lately."

As Kagura Hikaru handed over some grilled meat to Ruzaki Mami and Suse, he said, "Could she be troubled by something?"

Hearing him say this, Ruzaki Mami's expression suddenly became extremely strange.

Her eyes looked at him, then at Kohinata Suse, and back at him again.

Are they really clueless?... Seriously?

Ever since Ruzaki Mami had accidentally caught a glimpse of them together, she had made a point of finding out and already knew that Kagura Hikaru and Kohinata Suse were dating.

No wonder Karen-chan had become like that.

But even after working so hard to hint at it, Mr. Kagura, this blockhead, still hasn't caught on!

On the girlfriend's side, however, her gaze had become sharp and piercing...

Suddenly, Ruzaki Mami realized she was in a very dangerous situation, trying to win sympathy for her best friend in front of her friend's boyfriend. How was that any different from hitting on someone right in front of their partner?

"Stare~~~~"

Suse's beautiful eyes narrowed.

Whoosh, a chill of murderous intent filled the air!

Ruzaki Mami was sweating bullets.

Sorry, Karen-chan, this is as far as I can go.

"Mami, what are you doing here? It's time to go!"

The lead guitarist of Red Pepper Band, Hoshimi Nana, came running over. Seeing Kagura Hikaru, she was somewhat surprised, "Eh? Teacher Kagura, are you also here for the show? You're not mentioned in the script."

"It's just a coincidence," Kagura Hikaru replied indifferently.

"Oh! That's right, this is a barbecue restaurant after all."

Hoshimi Nana glanced at Kohinata Suse, seeming to understand something, and quickly hoisted Ruzaki Mami by her armpit to pull her up, "The director is calling for us, and we have to go to the next location. There's no time to eat and drink!"

"Don't, don't pull on me!"

"Hurry up!"

The two girls scuffled away to meet up with the director's team.

"They seem to have a really good relationship. It looks lively," Suse turned to say with a smile.

"Mmm...."

Kagura Hikaru replied absentmindedly.

He stared at the exit where Ai Cheng Karen, now out of her uniform, glanced in their direction from afar, then hung her head and turned to leave without even a word of greeting.

Indeed, it was different from usual.

Kagura Hikaru watched the doorway, Suse watched the daydreaming Kagura Hikaru, and glanced at the grill starting to smoke with overcooked meat, the smile on her face subtly changing.