The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving novel Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Unexpected Guest at the Restaurant

The dessert shop near West Plaza was smaller than Aisha expected, tucked between two other shops with a glass storefront that glowed with luminescent stones, giving it a soft pink and gold light. A long line had already formed outside with students in uniform from different schools, and ordinary people chatted while waiting for their turn.

"Told you it’d be packed," Vesper said proudly, as though he owned the shop. "I really have good taste."

"You just have a big mouth," Sabel muttered, but didn’t refuse to stand in line with them. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

While they waited, Aisha studied the display case near the entrance. Rows of pastries sat behind the glass, but none of them looked like anything she’d see in her previous world. Some were shaped like a jellyfish with a metallic-looking powder.

Is that even edible? she thought.

Others resembled coiled shells of unknown origin, rippling faintly like they were still breathing. One tray even held small cubes that shifted colors—blue then violet, then a sickly green—an eye even popped out of it and met her eyes.

They looked less like a dessert and more like something that an archaeologist would find interesting.

"Are you sure these are edible?" Aisha couldn’t help herself from asking them.

"Have you not tried them? I would’ve thought you already did." Kane had thought that since she came from a wealthy family, it wouldn’t be the first time she tried one of these.

But to his surprise, Aisha nodded. "I followed a strict diet since I was very young."

She thought about how the previous owner of this body had tried everything to keep an image of a noble young lady. Lining up in front of a dessert shop with many others was one of the things she looked down on.

Kane didn’t understand why she had to make her suffer like that. Pointing at one of the sweets, he explained what sort and type they were. "These confectioners are usually imported from another planet. Heard of Yato? Their specialty is their sweet-tasting food."

"These sweets are also famous for having no miasma in them. So, it’s perfectly safe and edible for us to eat," Sabel added after Kane.

Aisha wasn’t fully convinced. But she didn’t say anything else until it was their time to order.

Vesper rushed to the counter and selected ten sweets that he thought were good. Kane bought only 3. While Sabel ordered 7, saying she needed to eat to strengthen her body.

Watching them one by one, Aisha eyed the tray once again.

Seeing her still hesitating, Vesper pushed one dessert from his snack box. "Here, taste it. You’ll be surprised."

Finally, under the gazes of the trio, she took a small, careful bite.

The texture surprised her first. What looked like a small cube stone was surprisingly soft and slightly chewy. Then came the taste of a rich sweetness that melted the moment it entered her mouth. There was also a faint citrusy scent bursting from it.

Why wasn’t this served at home? Aisha wondered, taken by the sweetness overload that overwhelmed her senses.

For someone who loved sweets, this definitely made her happy.

Without meaning to, Aisha took another bite. Then another.

Her usually stoic and unreadable expression crumbled entirely. Genuine delight spread across her face as she reached for a second piece—

"Ey! Ey! Buy your own!" Vesper quickly hid his snack box behind him.

But when he looked up at her, he saw another piece was already in her hand.

Kane nearly choked on his own dessert. Even Sabel was surprised by how fast Aisha had moved to steal that snack from Vesper. They blinked their eyes as though they couldn’t trust what they were seeing.

"Is she—" Sabel began. "Is she actually smiling?"

"She is," Kane nodded.

None of them expected this. The same girl who had walked into their classroom with an expressionless face and whom they assumed to be difficult to befriend.

"This is good," Aisha finally said as a verdict. She stared at Vesper, who awkwardly guarded his snack.

"I—yeah. Yeah, it is," Vesper said weakly, blushing a bit when he saw that mesmerizing smile on her face.

Sable let out a laugh, shaking her head with a small, helpless smile. "Guess we know how to win her heart."

***

After finishing buying snacks from the dessert shop, they wandered further into the plaza. Eventually, they landed themselves in a restaurant Vesper insisted was ’the best on this side of the district’. Unlike the dessert shop, this place had a more refined, quiet atmosphere.

Even the menu here was different. Instead of the nutrient-based meals Aisha had in the morning and at school, this restaurant specialized in serving imported ingredients. Of course, it was also expensive enough that only certain people could regularly afford it.

Having promised to treat them tonight, Aisha didn’t stop them from ordering anything they wanted. Since she also ate three pieces of sweets from what Vesper bought from the dessert shop, she became even more lenient in treating him, allowing him to pick how many he wanted. Since it was her first time there, she placed her trust in them to pick her own food.

Anyway, she had the money to spend.

Thinking about the 25 million that was still untouched in her account, Aisha wondered if she needed to list down what she had to buy later.

Soon, their food arrived.

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