The shopkeeper was leaning into the bit. His smile was nihilistic, and his voice held a practiced, theatrical weight.
I decided to keep the momentum going, flashing a faint, defiant grin of my own.
"Your order?" he prompted.
"Half and half."
"Hoh... so you know about the secret menu. Not bad, kid."
This was the solution to Aria-san’s dilemma. It wasn't on the official menu board, but if you asked, the shop offered split portions with two different flavors.
There was a catch, though—likely due to the extra labor involved. While a single stick was normally 3R, a half-and-half combo cost 4R. The shopkeeper had called it a "secret menu," but I had a feeling he would have offered it anyway if we hadn't started this little performance. I only knew about it thanks to Kuro’s street food guide.
"Half and half," the man mused. "Two flavors at once, same total volume as a full stick. Sounds like a dream, doesn't it? But there's no such thing as a free lunch. A standard Stick Snack is 3R, but this'll cost you 4R. Risk and reward go hand-in-hand. So... what'll it be?"
"Two half-and-half orders," I replied without missing a beat. "One chocolate and caramel, the other plain and strawberry."
"No hesitation. I like your grit. Tell you what—just for that, I'll make you an offer."
"An offer?"
He was taking this even further than I expected. I was getting swept up in the mood, feeling like we were brokering a major deal even though we were just buying street food.
"Normally, two sets would be 8R. But... if you're man enough to cover the lady's share, I'll knock it down to 7R as a favor. What do you say, big spender?"
"Heh. I planned to do that from the start."
"K-Kaito-sama..."
The roleplay was reaching absurd heights. Even Aria-san had joined in, her voice sounding breathless and moved. Again—this was just a snack stall.
Suppressed embarrassment aside, I finished the transaction. As we walked away, the shopkeeper gave us a firm thumbs-up.
"Well... that turned into quite the performance," I said.
"Fufu. It was rather fun, though. And I learned something valuable—I never knew there was a way to taste two flavors at once. Oh, Kaito-sama, please let me reimburse you for my portion."
"No, don't worry about it. Like I said, I wanted to treat you this time. You already shared your fries and everything else with me earlier."
"I see. Then it would be rude of me to refuse your generosity. Thank you; I shall accept."
Aria-san smiled as she thanked me. The way she could gracefully accept a favor without an exhausting back-and-forth was one of the things that made her so easy to talk to.
She clearly possessed high Communication Power. She knew when to be polite and when to naturally lean on someone else's kindness depending on the situation, making her very approachable.
"Mmm, this is marvelous. I really do have a weakness for these simple, classic flavors."
"They're basic, but really good. It's the kind of snack you never get tired of."
"Exactly. And being able to enjoy multiple varieties is delightful. Speaking of which, Kaito-sama... truth be told, I am quite curious about the plain and strawberry ones as well. Would you be willing to trade a bite? That way, we could both experience all four flavors."
"Eh? Oh, sure, I don't mind. Are you... okay with that, Aria-san?"
"Hmm? Yes, of course. No problem at all."
She didn't seem the type to worry about things like an Indirect Kiss. Since she was fine with it and I certainly didn't object, we made the trade.
We swapped our respective wrappers, took a bite of the other's snack, and handed them back. The chocolate and caramel were just as sweet and delicious as I'd hoped.
"The plain and strawberry are great, too," I remarked. "It's interesting how different they feel even though they're the same snack. It makes the whole thing feel like an event."
"Indeed. The chocolate and caramel were lovely as well. Thank you."
"No, thank you for letting me try yours. I know it was a bit of a selfish—"
"Aria-san?"
She had just taken the wrapper back, but then she froze. Her head shifted as if she were glancing back and forth between the snack and me. Since her hair hid her eyes, I couldn't be sure, but that was the vibe I got.
"Kaito-sama... please don't be angry, but..."
"Yes? What is it?"
"Ah, well... I was so preoccupied with the flavors that the concept of an Indirect Kiss didn't even cross my mind until just now. If... if you found that unpleasant, I am terribly sorry."
"Oh, that? Don't worry, I didn't mind at all. If anything, I'm the one who should ask—did it bother you?"
"It would depend on the person, but with you, I don't mind it. I apologize for being so thoughtless."
"Seriously, it's fine. Don't let it get to you."
So it wasn't that she didn't care; she had just been so distracted by the food that she hadn't connected the dots. Her guard felt a little low, but I was just glad things didn't get awkward.
Serious-senpai: "Securing an Indirect Kiss on the very first day they meet... Such Speed... A terrifying new character has appeared."