Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

Looking at the time on his wristwatch, it was already past eight o'clock in the evening. The store didn't look dirty or messy, so Bai Yuan spoke to Shinomoto Hisako.

"Okay, wait a moment."

The normal closing time is 7 p.m., but nowadays it's considered overtime. After Bai Yuan, their only customer, left, they naturally went home.

However, before leaving, Hisako Shinto went to the lounge to pick up her bag.

"Wait, are you all going home together?"

Seeing Hisako Shinto, who had changed out of her work clothes and was naturally following beside Shirayuki, Nao Satsuka's mouth was slightly open, her expression filled with disbelief.

"Yeah, what's the problem?"

Upon hearing Nao Satsuka's voice, Hisako Shinto turned around, her eyes filled with a hint of confusion.

What's this guy surprised about?

Isn't it normal for her to go home with her boyfriend?

"How can you all go home together?"

Nao Sadazuka scratched her hair hard and said through gritted teeth.

I initially thought they were just a student couple, but now it seems they've both entered adulthood...

"We're boyfriend and girlfriend, so it's normal for us to go home together."

Seeing Nao Satsuka's expression, Hisako Shinto looked puzzled. As she spoke, she took Shirabuchi's hand and intertwined their fingers.

"It's normal...it's just..."

Nao Satsuka hesitated.

She knew, of course, that it was normal for a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship to develop to this point, but she liked Hisako Akito, so she was very unwilling to face this situation.

"Stop just saying, see you tomorrow."

Seeing Nao Satsuka's expression, Hisako Shinto seemed to realize something, her face visibly turning red. She then shook the hand she was holding onto Shirayuki and pulled him away from the shop quickly.

"Hisako-neechan!"

Watching Shirayuki and Hisako Shinto leave, Nao Satsuka collapsed to the ground, pointing in the direction they had gone, her face contorted with hurt, like an abandoned puppy.

"Now that everyone's gone, don't make a big deal out of it."

After tidying up the kitchen, Cao Sandao was about to leave when he saw Nao Sadazuka sitting in front of the dining room, seemingly in unbearable pain.

Looking up, the figures of Shirai and Hisako Shinto had dwindled to tiny dots, about to disappear completely, while Nao Satsuka was still in pain...

"They've already left? They didn't even stop to look at me! How infuriating!"

Upon hearing Cao Sandao's words, Nao Satsuka also raised her head, and then discovered that Shirabuchi and Hisako Shinto had disappeared without a trace. She immediately puffed up her cheeks in anger.

"Alright, I'm closing up now. You should head home early too, and be careful on the road."

As he spoke, the old man lit a cigarette and began puffing away at the shop entrance.

"Okay, goodbye, store manager."

Upon seeing this, Nao Satsuka immediately held her breath to avoid inhaling too much secondhand smoke, grabbed her small bag, and ran away from the restaurant.

"The rented apartment is a bit small, please forgive me."

Taking out a key from her skirt pocket, Hisako Shindo opened the somewhat old-looking wooden door in front of her and said to Shirabuchi while taking off her shoes.

Because the restaurant where she conducted her field study was located in a remote area, she could only rent this kind of old apartment.

The entire apartment is about twelve square meters, divided into a bedroom, kitchen, and toilet, making the most of the space.

"Small has its advantages; it's just right as a temporary residence."

However, because the space is small, there is no decent table in the room.

So Baiyuan sat down on Shirato Hisako's bed, took the barley tea she offered, and looked around as he spoke.

"Indeed, it's just right as a person's dwelling."

Hisako Shinto nodded in agreement, then sat down next to Shirayuki, poured herself a glass of chilled barley tea, and gulped it down in one go.

"There's no need to be so nervous, I'm not going to eat you."

Noticing that Hisako Shinodo's leg muscles were a little tense, and thinking of the purpose of his visit, Shiroyuki couldn't help but smile and speak.

"Huh? I'm not nervous, I'm fine."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Hisako Shinto reacted as if she had been startled, waving her hands wildly in the air and her eyes darting around the room.

"Really? That's good. Didn't you hurt yourself this morning? Let me massage it for you."

Seeing Hisako Shinto pretending to be calm despite being clearly shy, Shirayuki's lips curled up slightly. As he spoke, he bent down and reached out to grab her little feet.

"Wait, I feel like I'm not in so much pain anymore!"

However, before Bai Yuan could even reach out to Shinoto Hisako's feet, the girl shyly dodged away, speaking rapidly as she did so.

"How could that be? I saw you clutching your foot and crying in pain this morning. If we don't get it checked out, what if it leaves some hidden injury!"

Bai Yuan wouldn't give up because of such a small setback. He straightened his expression, stared intently at the girl's jade feet, and said in a serious tone.

"How could it be that serious..."

Hearing Bai Yuan's words, Shinoto Hisako muttered to herself, but she was also somewhat wavering.

As the saying goes, "If a minor illness is left untreated, a major illness will be difficult to cure."

"It won't hurt for you to take a look at me. I've learned some massage techniques; I can tell if you have any problems by pressing a few acupoints."

Seeing the change in Hisako Shinodo's expression, Shirabuchi pressed his advantage.

He's right. A minor illness left untreated can become a major one, and a leak left uncorrected can lead to a major collapse.

In any case, taking precautions is always a good idea.

Of course, he wasn't saying all this at this moment for any so-called prevention.

As a professional gentleman, Bai Yuan was well aware of the importance of the ladder effect.

If you jump straight to the final step, Hisako Akito will definitely feel resistant, and may even think there's something wrong with you.

However, by using foot massage as a starting point and focusing on care, proceeding gradually and allowing Hisako Shinto's body to react during the process, he can often achieve his desired goal more effectively.

"Alright then, let's take a look..."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Hisako Shinto's already wavering heart was completely captivated at this moment, but she was still somewhat shy, which manifested as hesitation in her actions.

Seeing this, Bai Yuan didn't say anything, but just waited with a smile on his face.

At this point, there's no need for him to take the initiative anymore; otherwise, it's easy for him to develop a sense of resistance.

The best approach is to wait, to wait for Hisako Akito to fully solidify her resolve.

Soon, two small feet wrapped in black silk appeared in Bai Yuan's hands.

Because she had been busy all day, her clothes were still a little damp, a testament to Hisako Shinoto's hard work.

"Wait, let me go wash my feet first."

As Bai Yuan's fingers touched her, Shinoto Hisako belatedly realized that she had forgotten to wash her feet, and her face turned bright red.

Agreeing to let Bai Yuan massage her feet and letting him do it without washing her feet are two completely different things! At least Shinoto Hisako is too shy to accept letting Bai Yuan massage her feet without washing them.

"Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. You are striving to provide me with better food, so I have no reason to complain."

The little feet were already in her arms, so there was no way she could let them go.

As Bai Yuan spoke, he helped Hisako Shinodo pull off her stockings from top to bottom, making an almost inaudible "ripping" sound as they left her skin.

When her feet were completely freed from the stockings, a scent mixed with leather, sweat, and a faint perfume wafted out.

At this moment, the sweat on the stockings was so fine that it could drip down if you wrung them out slightly, making them look very salty and damp.

Hisako Shinto blushed even more at the sight, and covered her face with one hand out of extreme embarrassment. Her heart was pounding, and she dared not look at Shiroyuki's expression.

"Hehe, I'm going to start now."

Seeing Hisako Shinto clutching the bedsheet with one hand and covering her face with the other, Shirayuki swallowed hard, his face filled with excitement.

As he spoke, he lowered his gaze.

His skin was so white it was almost transparent, and the blue veins on the insteps of his feet were faintly visible.

The soles of the feet are slightly rough due to prolonged standing and walking, and there is a slight buildup of calluses on the heels.

What's most striking are her toes, long and elegant, with slightly reddish knuckles, clearly indicating they've endured considerable pressure.

"it's beautiful."

Seeing this scene, Bai Yuan couldn't help but reach out and touch it. The jade-like feet were faintly warm, giving people an extremely strange feeling when they touched them.

"What are you saying? It's so embarrassing!"

Hearing Bai Yuan's praise, Shinoto Hisako was happy inside, but on the surface she still feigned annoyance.

There was no way around it; Bai Yuan's words were simply too blunt, something a naive girl like her couldn't easily accept.

"Just tell the truth."

Bai Yuan shrugged. Hisako Shinto's small feet were indeed exceptionally beautiful, ranking among the top three of all the jade feet he had ever seen.

"You've been wearing it all day, the smell must be a bit strong, right?"

As she said this, Hisako Shinto's voice trembled slightly, as if she would immediately pull her foot back if Shirabuchi dared to say anything harsh.

"It's normal."

Bai Yuan answered professionally, his voice carrying a hint of gentleness.

"The feet have 250000 sweat glands, making them one of the most densely sweating areas on the body."

If there's absolutely no taste, then you should probably get checked out to see if there's anything wrong with your health.

As he spoke, Bai Yuan gently placed Shinoto Hisako's right foot on her knee, which was covered with a white towel, and poured some warm essential oil into his palm.

As I rubbed it to warm it up, I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye that her black stockings on her left foot were still intact.

In comparison, the bare foot appeared whiter and more delicate, with faint blue veins on the instep barely visible.

When Bai Yuan's hand finally enveloped her arch, Hisako Shinodo let out a barely audible "Mmm—", the last syllable rising slightly, like a feather gently brushing against his eardrum.