Chapter 5. So Delicious It’ll Make You Cry! Kamishiro Rize Is on the Move!

Amid everyone’s stunned gazes—

Yoshimura, the manager, actually picked up a piece of sakura mochi and put it in his mouth!

Everyone thought he was just being polite until they saw him chewing, savoring it slowly, swallowing, and then—his eyes began to glisten.

Only then did they realize he wasn’t pretending.

“Ghouls can eat this!?” Kaya Irimi cried out in disbelief.

“Wait—don’t tell me the ingredients are…” Koma Enji immediately assumed it was made from human remains.

“Ghouls can really eat this!?” Touka Kirishima stared intensely at the box of sakura mochi.

After finishing, Yoshimura quietly wiped away the moisture from the corner of his eyes, brushing off the flood of memories in his mind. Then he counted the remaining pieces in the box and picked up another to hold in his palm.

“There’s enough left—two pieces each. Everyone should try some.”

With that, the manager took his piece and headed upstairs.

The three left behind stood frozen in shock.

Touka was the first to move. She walked over with wide eyes, stumbling slightly, and looked at the sakura mochi in the box. Her hand trembled as she picked up a piece and gently put it in her mouth.

“Mmm~~!!”

She closed her eyes, her entire body shuddered, and tears instantly spilled from the corners of her eyes.

No one could understand the complex emotions she was feeling in that moment.

Or perhaps—no ghoul could truly comprehend what it meant.

Touka had human friends, and in all her normal interactions, every time they offered her food, it was torture.

Mentally, she wanted to eat it—but her body would always reject it.

She was still too young, too inexperienced to fake it like the seasoned ghouls could.

And more than the physical nausea—

It was the mental agony that tormented her the most.

But today… that changed!

So this is what human food tastes like!?

The flavor!

The texture!!

The joy that pierced the soul!!!

“It’s so good…” Touka sobbed as she said the words.

Koma and Irimi exchanged a look, then quickly picked up a piece for themselves.

One bite—

Their reactions weren’t any less intense than Touka’s.

Touka cried.

They didn’t quite cry—but they were wiping their eyes over and over.

After finishing one piece each, the three of them silently divided the last three.

Touka carefully wrapped hers in wax paper, treating it like a rare treasure.

And now the question returned.

“What exactly is this sakura mochi?”

Just then, Yoshimura returned, having changed his clothes.

You couldn’t tell at all that just moments ago, he had been upstairs, holding a photo of a young woman and secretly wiping his eyes.

When he heard the employees discussing the food—

Yoshimura gave a firm answer: “It’s human food. Ordinary food.”

“But,” Irimi still couldn’t understand, “we’re ghouls.”

Koma nodded to confirm.

Touka, however, took a more practical approach—

And added a touch of Russian-style humor.

She directly took out some food her friend had given her, bit down hard in front of everyone—

Then…

“Urgh~!”

Everyone watched as she gagged into the trash can.

Now it was certain.

They were still normal.

It really was this food that had a special effect!

Koma stared at the remaining piece in his hand, full of doubt.

“But why?”

Touka returned from gagging, wiped her mouth, and offered her theory.

“We’re still the same as before. Could it be that the young store owner somehow cultivated an ingredient that ghouls can safely eat?”

Her idea was immediately shot down by Irimi.

“The highest authority in the culinary world, Totsuki Culinary Academy, announced their intention to research food ghouls can eat years ago. Even now, they’ve made no progress.”

“They claimed to have invented coffee for ghouls, but they never officially confirmed it.”

To this day, the only human food ghouls can consume is coffee.

Totsuki’s stance is simple—if they truly manage to develop food that lets ghouls eat like humans, enabling coexistence...

Then their position wouldn’t just be the top of the culinary world or Japan.

They’d be unrivaled across the entire globe.

But reality is harsh. There’s still no hope in sight.

“So it probably isn’t the ingredients,” Irimi looked toward the manager. “It must be the young store owner.”

Yoshimura paused to think, then nodded in agreement.

“Yes, the most likely explanation… is that young man.”

As soon as Touka heard this, she couldn’t sit still anymore.

“Kamishiro Rize is approaching him as we speak. We have to find him now!”

With that, Koma and Irimi both nodded in agreement. They were ready to go right away.

This time, it was different.

Before, they didn’t care much—only worried that Hayashi might get eaten by Rize and drag CCG attention their way.

But now?

If Hayashi got eaten, they might never figure out what made this food edible.

They’d be crying in regret, kicking themselves for the rest of their lives.

But before the three could act—

Yoshimura glanced at the clock.

“It’s already late. If you go now, it’ll be rude. Wait for a day off, bring a gift, and then go.”

“We’re a coffee shop called Anteiku. Don’t go exposing yourselves as ghouls right away.”

On the surface, they were just a normal café.

The mature and experienced Yoshimura stayed level-headed even in the face of such temptation, reminding everyone to stay cautious.

The three thought it over and nodded in agreement.

...

Meanwhile—

The cast iron skillet had been preheated over high heat.

With a sizzling sound, Hayashi used a spoon to baste a thick-cut sirloin steak over and over again with melted butter.

This "special" thick-cut sirloin steak was now complete.

He plated it and let it rest.

Once it was properly rested, Hayashi arranged the condiments and utensils, then carried the dish over and placed it in front of Kamishiro Rize.

“Please enjoy.”

Kamishiro Rize looked at Hayashi with a rather greedy gaze.

She thought that “please enjoy” wasn’t directed at the steak—it was directed at her.

Not far away, Utaha Kasumigaoka bit her lower lip, even twitching her toes in annoyance.

Hayashi turned and walked away, planning to make himself a drink.

By the time Rize snapped out of it and started cutting into the steak with knife and fork, the aroma of the meat rushed into her nose—

Rize froze.

This smell… Why was it so delicious? Why?

Wasn’t human food supposed to stink?

She looked down at the steak. The color was perfect—the brown seared surface gave off an incredibly enticing aroma, the result of the Maillard reaction between the beef and the pan.

To a human, this would be absolute heaven.

Rize silently sliced off a piece. Originally, she thought she’d just force herself to endure the taste, letting it pass over her tongue and out—but in a rare moment, she gently licked the piece with the tip of her tongue.

In an instant, Kamishiro Rize trembled, her cheeks flushed bright red!

From a distance, Kasumigaoka looked like she wanted to laugh but didn’t dare. She got it—she’d had the same reaction. Like she’d just… reached heaven on her own.