Witch Special

Black Cat was faster than Lin Zhenxi. As soon as the plate of saury was brought to the table, its figure stood up and appeared next to the plate.

Lin Zhenxi stretched out his finger and touched the black cat's round head that was about to dive down. With his other hand, he stroked his cheek and looked at his familiar partner with squinted eyes.

"You can't eat it yet. Can't you see the oil hasn't cooled down yet? Don't you want your tongue anymore?"

"Mmmmm..." The black cat licked its lips with its pink little tongue, then unwillingly lay down beside the plate, looking at the saury that was still sizzling with oil in the plate with longing eyes.

Black cats are so autonomous that you can't even tell that the core of their movements is actually magic. They're exactly like real cats. Of course, Yanyan is much smarter than normal cats, perhaps even smarter than some stupid human cubs.

Seeing the black cat with shiny black fur lying on the table and curled up into a ball, Lin Zhenxi couldn't help but reach out and stroke it twice. The black cat shrank its neck and made a purring sound.

After petting the cat, Lin Zhenxi began to enjoy her evening meal. She tore the two halves of the saury in half, divided them onto a plate, and placed the half that belonged to the black cat in front of it. She then took the accompanying lemon and squeezed the juice over her half of the saury. The acidity of the lemon effectively neutralized the fishy and greasy smell of the saury, intensifying the aroma of the ingredient. Lin Zhenxi's chopsticks slid across the fish, cracking the delicate texture.

Before enjoying the main course, you should first have a small dessert to whet your appetite and give the fish time to absorb the lime juice. Lin Zhenxi put down his chopsticks, picked up the small spoon next to him, dipped it into the potato salad, stirred it, and then licked the spoon.

The addition of onion whiskers is the specialty of this Japanese restaurant's potato salad. This unique ingredient is subtly mixed with the flavor of the potatoes themselves, adding a lot of color to this dessert.

It's probably the level of improvement from a good product to a high-quality product.

By the time Lin Zhenxi finished eating the potato salad, the other half of the saury was almost cold. Lin Zhenxi pulled the saury in front of her, broke the fish meat with chopsticks, picked up a piece, and put it into her mouth.

A wonderful salty and fragrant taste exploded in Lin Zhenxi's mouth, making her eyes light up.

The saury at this restaurant is truly delicious, but Hayashi Maki's habit is to order a different dish for every meal, allowing her to enjoy a different delicacy every day. If she only eats one delicious dish, wouldn't she be complacent and forgo other wonderful encounters?

But occasionally being a returning customer didn't seem out of place. Chewing on this delicious dish that still made her feel amazing even after eating it for the second time, Lin Zhenxi had this thought in her mind.

Seeing Lin Zhenxi pick up the chopsticks, Black Cat buried his head in the plate and began to eat the half of the saury in front of him.

Black cats are very meticulous in their eating habits, first using their sharp claws to shred the fish, then using their tongues to roll the pieces into their mouths. Unlike ordinary cats, black cats eat very quietly, without any splattering. In short, they are very clean and worry-free.

After all, it was a familiar countless times smarter than a cat, so it was only natural for it to do this. Lin Zhenxi had no mood to deal with the black cat's hygiene. If the black cat got itself dirty and greasy every day, she would definitely forbid it from eating at the table, and it wouldn't be surprising if she even threw it out of the house and left it to fend for itself.

During the break in the meal, Lin Zhenxi picked up the small porcelain bottle, which was about 300ml, with a troubled look on his face, and sniffed it. There was only a faint smell of alcohol.

She prefers wheat beer or fruit beer, which have a light taste but a strong aftertaste, but are not in her strike zone.

This is also the reason why she was reluctant to order the saury set meal. The fish was delicious, but the wine was not.

But since I ordered it, I can’t waste it. I might as well drink it as water. The taste is pretty light anyway.

After drinking the small bottle of sake in one gulp with an attitude that was definitely a waste of good things, Lin Zhenxi turned around and continued to deal with other food.

Lin Zhenxi didn't notice that the shopkeeper who was wiping the glass in his hand behind the bar saw Lin Zhenxi frowning and drinking, and shook his head secretly.

Just as Lin Zhenxi finished the saury and was about to move on to the vegetable salad next to it, the robot responsible for serving food came over with a narrow-necked bottle of wine and placed the bottle on her table.

"Huh? I didn't order this." Lin Zhenxi raised her head and said to the robot.

"Little girl, this bottle is on me. Sake isn't the way you drink it," the shopkeeper's voice rang out through the robot's speaker. Lin Zhenxi leaned over the bar. Under a circle of white lights, the handsome middle-aged shopkeeper raised his perfectly cleaned wine glass to Lin Zhenxi.

It’s free, is there such a good thing?

When Lin Zhenxi turned around again, she saw that the robot had skillfully opened the cork on the wine bottle, turned the white porcelain cup that was originally upside down on the plate over, and slowly poured the clear wine in the bottle into the porcelain cup at a slight angle.

A seemingly faint, but very clear and recognizable fragrance comes to your face.

"What kind of wine is this?" Lin Zhenxi sniffed and asked curiously.

"It's just been stored for a few extra years. It's just ordinary sake, don't worry about it." The robot spoke in a shopkeeper's tone and pushed the wine glass in front of Lin Zhenxi. "When drinking sake, don't rush. Take a small sip first, let the wine soak into the tip of your tongue, wait for ten seconds, wait for the wine to be warmed by the temperature in your mouth, and then swallow it in one gulp. I believe you will have a completely different experience."

Lin Zhenxi did as he was told, raised the small porcelain cup, lowered his eyes to glance at the clear liquid rippling in the glass, and then took a small sip, just enough to cover the tip of his tongue.

The increasingly rich aroma conquered Lin Zhenxi's taste buds, bringing her an unprecedented experience.

The aroma of sake and the low-alcohol beer favored by Hayashi Maki are two completely different types. But if you had to pinpoint the difference, it's probably that one is instantly refreshing, while the other is indifferent at first but becomes increasingly refreshing later. And if the flavor of sake can be quickly unleashed, it truly gives Hayashi Maki a superior experience to those of beer.

Of course, this might also have something to do with the quality of the beer. Lin Zhenxi had never tasted a beer of this quality before, and the beer she'd been drinking was probably just street-quality beer, far superior to the sake the shopkeeper had sent her. If Lin Zhenxi had the chance to try a truly high-quality beer, perhaps she would have a different experience.

Lin Zhenxi was actually a bit of an alcoholic, after all, she loved to enjoy a bottle whenever she felt like it. Studying magic was inherently tedious and could easily consume a great deal of energy with little to no results. Over time, it could easily lead to depression. Drinking a little alcohol to help one sleep and rest the mind was beneficial. So now that she had discovered the taste of sake, Lin Zhenxi began pouring one glass after another, seemingly unable to stop.

To go with the wine, Lin Zhenxi even ordered some side dishes for herself. Taking advantage of the extra dishes, Black Cat also started eating meat, consuming a lot more than usual. By the time Lin Zhenxi paid the bill, the guy was already sprawled out on the table, patting his round belly and groaning with his eyes narrowed.

Lin Zhenxi settled the bill with the robot and blinked at the double the usual amount. While the owner hadn't charged her for the likely exorbitantly expensive bottle of sake, her meal still cost twice as much. Fortunately, her wallet was still quite full, so the meal didn't strain her finances.

But alcohol is really a disaster. It can make people spend money without realizing it...

After picking up the black cat that was lying on the bed and unable to move and placing it on her shoulder (the black cat groaned in pain because its stomach was hit), Lin Zhenxi went to the bar before leaving, intending to thank the owner for teaching her how to taste sake.

However, unlike when Lin Zhenxi first arrived, the shop gradually began to attract more customers as workers left their jobs. The high stools surrounding the bar were already filled, and Lin Zhenxi could clearly see that the stools closest to the owner were filled with urban beauties, so glamorous that even from a distance, they could smell the scent of multiple cosmetics. These young women, each in their prime, launched a fierce emotional offensive against the shopkeeper, the glamorous older man. Of course, because there were so many others with similar ideas, these women, while trying to seduce the shopkeeper, were also trying to trip each other up. Their words were full of venom, each one a joke, each a joke, each a joke laced with murderous intent.

The overpowering atmosphere of harem competition for favor caused Lin Zhenxi to pause silently. She hadn't expected this shopkeeper to be such a seasoned sea king, managing such a large flock all by himself. She knew if she approached now, she'd likely be targeted by that large group of women.

Forget it, she would come again in the future anyway, and she would get off work earlier than those women, so she would have time to thank them later. With the idea of ​​following her heart, Lin Zhenxi simply turned around, lifted the door curtain and walked out.

Behind her, the shopkeeper, surrounded by a group of beautiful women, finally withdrew his gaze from Lin Zhenxi's back. He glanced discreetly at the women around him, all envious of his talent (and body), and frowned inwardly. But considering the money they had contributed to his drinks, he still put on a businesslike smile and continued to play nice, maintaining a balance between not neglecting anyone, chatting with them about everything from ancient times to the present.

Alas, being handsome is also a sin. Really, it makes me tired.