Redo of a Romanceless Author’s Life Devoid of Love; Another Chance at Youth

Chapter 420.

Chapter 420. Heading to a Bustling City: The Serene-Eyed Girl with Soul-Damage. (3/4)

I moved over to the side out of the line while Dawn cluelessly remained in front of the register.

“Dawn.” She turned and looked at me when I called her name.

I motioned with my hand for her to come over to my side.

She walked over, tilted her head, and asked, “What is it?”

“When you finish ordering at most fast-food restaurants you should move to the side so the next customers can place their order. You don’t wait in front of the register and keep the line backed up.”

“Oh. Right, they do that in the manga I read too. So that’s why.”

“Yeah.” It’s considered common sense in the city. She really was clueless. I guess for small restaurants in towns, as there were typically so few customers, concerns about backed-up lines weren’t as much of a problem the way they were in big cities.

Honestly, the store was pretty packed. There were a lot of customers seated and chatting while they were either waiting for their orders or eating.

Dawn was a bit fidgety. She couldn’t keep her eyes in one place. Her eyes were wandering from person to person.

“I’ve never been in such a crowded store before. It’s so busy.”

“Yeah, it is pretty busy.”

“It looks… like a lot of fun… being around so many people. Out in the country, there’s barely anyone. The majority of your time is spent alone or with the few people who are part of your circle. Yuh rarely get to see new faces on a daily basis. But in the city, yuh can see someone new who yuh don’t know just by turning a corner.”

“Maybe, but when you actually live in the city everyone begins to just look the same. After a while, you grow numb to it. It only remains fresh and exciting when you’re just starting to experience it. Once you stay for too long, you join the ranks of grumpy cynical old farts like me.”

“You’re younger than me. If you’re an old fart then what am I?”

I instinctively blurted out the first response that came to mind, “An old hag?”

She elbowed me and clarified, “I’m a what now?”

I immediately corrected myself, “A young lady in her spring of youth.”

“That’s right.”

“Order 1256.” The employee who called out the order number scanned the room, but no one approached the counter.

“Dawn, what’s the number on the receipt you were given?”

“Order 1256.”

“Huh? The number?”

“Yeah.”

“Uh… let’s see… 1256? Ah, that’s me.”

“Go get it.”

“R-Right.”

Dawn scurried over to the front counter and received a bag with a box inside from the employee. When she returned to my side she opened the bag and sniffed inside.

“It smells really good.”

“Of course it does. Would there be so many people around eating it if it wasn’t good?”

“Right. Uh, are we leaving now?”

“No, we can eat here.”

“But yuh got it to go.”

“So? That’s just in case you can’t finish it. Just because you ordered it to go at a fast-food restaurant doesn’t mean you can’t eat it inside. It’s not the same as a normal restaurant.”

“I see. The manga I’ve read never got it to go but still ate inside.”

“Because manga typically portrays what is the ideal scenario. It’s not a realistic representation of daily life. You should stop using manga as a reference for what’s considered common sense for people living in a city. If you did, you’d start wondering where all the tentacles are.”

“Huh? Tentacles?”

“Uh… never mind.” It seems she hadn’t read the weirder ones. She hadn’t been fully corrupted.

We found an open table with two seats and sat down facing each other.

She was quick to open the box and admire the sight of the fried chicken and fries before her. She didn’t forget to take a picture of it. Seriously, what’s with girls and taking pictures of food?

I put my right elbow down on the table and propped my right cheek up in the palm of my hand as I stared at her and said, “It’s just fried chicken and fries.” 

“It’s my first time eating it, I need a picture so I’ll never forget it. I can show it to my dad later. I can also boast about it in the future to other people I know who’ve never tried it before.”

“What if you’re the only one among the people you know who’s never tried it before?”

“Ugh… I didn’t consider that. But I’m sure some of the younger kids haven’t.”

“You’d boast about it to little children who’re younger than you?”

“... when yuh say it like that…”

“Do it. It’s fun teasing and making little kids envious. They’d also have something to look forward to trying in the future when they eventually visit the city.”

“Right?”

Dawn carefully picked up a chicken leg. She raised it up and opened her mouth but stopped right before she bit into it.

“Is something wrong?”

“Uh, here, yuh should have half.” She stuck out the chicken leg in her hand to me and continued, “You’ve helped me out a lot today and even brought me to the city. Yuh didn’t even ask for anything in return.”

“It’s fine. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“But yuh haven’t eaten anything either. Aren’t yuh hungry by now?”

“I rarely get hungry. I usually eat once a day and I’m full with that. I already ate a lot this morning when I woke up so I’m honestly not hungry right now.” Well, rather than eating, it was more appropriate to describe it as Rosa feeding me my food.

“At least take this one leg or I’m not going to be able to enjoy the food as much.”

“Huh? Why?”

“It tastes better when you’re eating together with someone else. That’s what my dad says. We always eat together.”

“Haha… I see. Your dad sounds like a pretty good dad.”

“He isn’t just a pretty good dad. He’s the best dad in the world.” She nodded to herself and reaffirmed seriously without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

“Don’t hold back, take a bite already.” She pressed the chicken leg against my lips.

I opened my mouth and bit into it. The savory juices exploded inside my mouth. Their fried chicken really was as good as I remembered. It’d been a while since I had it, but it definitely lived up to my memories for sure. Honestly, it might even be a bit better than I remember.

When she pulled the leg away she asked, “How is it?”

“What are you asking me that for when you’re the one who’s never tried it before? I’m the one who’s supposed to be asking you how it tastes, not the other way around.”

“Does it taste better than when yuh eat it alone though?”

“Hmm… it did taste a bit better than I remember, I’ll give you that much.” Now that I thought about it, I’d never had this together with Rosa before.

I raised my left hand and received the chicken leg from her.

She immediately picked up the second chicken leg and eagerly bit into it without hesitation. When she pulled the meat off the bone, her eyes closed shut as she was brought to heaven.

The chicken leg lowered a bit until I could see her glistening lips from the oil of the chicken. For the first time, her lips had arched up naturally on their own. It was a smile. A mesmerizing one you could no doubt lose yourself in if you weren’t careful.

An oh so rare smile that could bring about a calamity to men, I couldn’t help but think such a description was fitting when I saw it. It might have been fortunate she found it difficult to smile in front of others.

“It tastes sho good.” When her serene eyes opened and combined with that smile, my heart momentarily stopped. If her smile alone brought calamity, when combined with her eyes, it brought about heaven’s wrath.

“What are yuh doing? Aren’t yuh going to finish your leg?” Dawn asked when she noticed my hand frozen in the air.

The fleeting smile on her face faded as I snapped back to reality. I broke out into sweat. That was… dangerous. This girl from the countryside, her allure was not to be underestimated. How she didn’t already have a boyfriend was baffling. I guess if no one ever saw her smile, they wouldn’t be the wiser to how captivating it really was.

Was this what they meant by stumbling upon a diamond in the rough? 

“Yuh shouldn’t waste food.”

“Sorry, don’t mind me, I’m eating it.”

“Good.”