I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

Akagi Minami was a descendant of a ninja clan.
She belonged to the Akagi family, a branch of the prestigious Saionji family, and from the time she first met Saionji Kumiko at the age of five, she had lived her life as Kumiko’s shadow.

Her primary duties were to protect her master, Saionji Kumiko, and to handle various miscellaneous errands in her place.
So much so that her daily routine was entirely adjusted to match Kumiko’s lifestyle patterns.
Naturally, Minami had no days off.

At best, her only small indulgence was after the young lady retired to her chambers for the night, lying in bed and briefly scrolling through her smartphone before sleeping.
She received her salary every month without fail, but since she had no time to spend it, the money simply piled up in her bank account.
The only time Minami could truly rest was during the roughly fifteen days of paid vacation she received each year.

And even then, she often left a few days unused—she was that much of a workaholic.
The fact that Minami had come to Shibuya to shop for autumn clothes was purely by chance.
But thanks to that chance, she met the now-younger Kim Yu-seong, so in a way, you could even call it fate.
Once again: Akagi Minami was a descendant of a ninja clan and Saionji Kumiko’s loyal shadow.

It was important, so it was said twice.
***
Minami disliked boys her own age.

They were noisy, irrational, sweaty, selfish, and nothing but walking embodiments of lust.
Since she was strict with herself, her standards for evaluating others were equally strict, which meant that hardly any man ever met her expectations.
In that sense, Kim Yu-seong was someone who more or less matched Minami’s high standards.

But he was already someone her young lady liked, and there was one fatal flaw.
That was his overwhelmingly bulky, battle-ready muscles.
As someone who preferred delicate, slender boys, the kind who looked like they’d come straight out of a shoujo manga, the macho, combat-ready physique of Kim Yu-seong—like something from a manly action manga—was frankly overwhelming for her.

To put it bluntly, his appearance was not Minami’s type.
But when she responded to his sudden message and arrived at the meeting place, what she found sitting there was a delicate, refined boy who perfectly hit her strike zone—she did have a slight shotacon tendency.
Perhaps it was because he hadn’t been out in the sun much, but his skin was as pale as snow. His eyes had a slightly gloomy look, his long black hair framed his face, and his slender arms and legs gave off the impression of a fragile boy who had stepped right out of a manga.

Honestly, she had been completely off guard, so the mental impact felt even stronger.
Anyway, after getting over the initial shock, they had dinner at an all-you-can-eat barbecue place, and afterward, at Kim Yu-seong’s suggestion, they went to a nearby arcade for a kind of pseudo-date.
He himself didn’t seem to think anything of it, which irritated her slightly, but his younger appearance was so perfectly her type that Minami chose to keep her mouth shut.

If her young lady back home found out, she’d probably shout, “You thieving cat!” But in this world, as long as you don’t get caught, it’s fine.
And so two happy hours passed, and to preserve the memory, they took sticker photos at the end.
It seemed to be his first time doing something like that, as Kim Yu-seong smiled awkwardly with a stiff expression.

Normally, just seeing that face would have been enough for Minami, but thinking that it might be the first and last time, she couldn’t resist insisting.
“Come a little closer. Otherwise, we won’t both fit in the frame.”
“Huh? Uh, okay.”
With a slightly dazed look, Kim Yu-seong pressed against her side.

A rare expression for him.
Delighted, Minami burned the sight of the younger Kim Yu-seong into her heart’s photo album.
[Cheese!]

Click!
The sticker photo she got as a trophy today was something she fully intended to keep secret from her young lady.
***

The eel rice bowls we ordered arrived about twenty minutes later.
The server placed a rectangular lacquered box that looked like a bento container, a serving paddle, small individual bowls, and a teapot in front of us.
When I opened the lid with an expectant look, inside was glossy, shimmering eel drizzled with rich tare sauce, with white rice neatly packed underneath.

“Shall I explain how to eat it?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ve been here before.”
When Minami flatly refused, the server simply told us to call if we needed anything and closed the door behind him.

The room grew quiet again.
Sitting across from me, Minami looked at me and spoke.
“You’re supposed to divide the eel rice bowl into three portions first.”

Following her instructions, I used the paddle to divide the contents into three parts.
“Then you take one-third and eat it as is.”
I did as she said, scooping one portion into my bowl and taking a bite.
“…!”

Delicious.
It felt as if every eel rice bowl I had ever eaten before this had been fake.
The moment it entered my mouth, the eel’s tender flesh, soaked with sauce, melted away like snow.

You’re supposed to savor fine cuisine like this, but before I knew it, I was holding the bowl close to my mouth and shoveling it in greedily.
After finishing the first portion in what felt like /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ seconds, I looked at Minami.
She hadn’t even eaten half of hers yet, but perhaps noticing my stare, she lifted the teapot with her usual stoic expression.

“Next, you take another third, scoop it into your bowl, and pour tea over it to make ochazuke.”
Saying that, Minami herself poured the tea into my bowl.
The distinctive fragrant aroma of green tea rose from the rice.

This time, determined to savor it properly, I carefully lifted a spoonful to my mouth.
“Mmm!”
Though I had more mental composure than when I first tasted it, it was still amazing.

The eel’s rich, fatty flavor, the tare sauce’s salty-sweet taste, and the tea’s subtle bitterness combined beautifully into a truly complex harmony.
As someone who normally didn’t care much for ochazuke, it was a shocking experience.
Up until now, the only kind of ochazuke I had ever approved of was barley tea, but now I had found a second.

Even though I tried to eat slowly by my standards, the bowl wasn’t that large, so the ochazuke was soon gone.
Watching me finish, Minami explained the final step.
“Now, you eat the last third however you liked it better.”

In other words, the choice was mine.
I fell into a blissful dilemma.
Both were so delicious it was hard to give up either.

The safe, familiar taste of the original? Or the eel ochazuke that had given me a whole new experience?
Eventually, I made my decision and reached out without hesitation.
Clack!

My right hand grasped the teapot, still half full.
The original was good, but this eel ochazuke felt like something I might never get to eat again. It was a bold choice.
And when I tasted the eel rice soaked in tea again, I knew I had made the right decision.

‘This is healing…’
So this is why people go hunting for famous restaurants.
***

After finishing a dinner that burned through nearly a month’s worth of my allowance, we walked for a bit in a nearby park.
Since we’d been eating almost nonstop since lunch, some light aerobic exercise seemed like a good idea for digestion.
Carrying her shopping bag, Minami, walking beside me, spoke first.

“Today was fun.”
Hearing that, I felt quietly relieved.
“That’s good to hear. I was worried it might have just been fun for me.”

At that, Minami suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“Kim Yu-seong, can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”

“What do you think of the young lady?”
A heavy, straightforward question came out of nowhere.
I hesitated for a moment before answering.

“I think she’s a good person. Honestly, someone way out of my league.”
I still didn’t understand why someone like her would show me any kindness, but there was no doubt she was someone I liked.
Minami, as the young lady’s close aide, probably knew everything that had happened between us.

That must have been why she suddenly asked me this.
Eventually, Minami said:
“That’s a relief. I’m glad the young lady likes a man like you.”

Then, with a slightly bitter smile, she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
“If only we had met a little earlier.”
Met who? The young lady?

I couldn’t understand what she meant by that.
“Anyway, that’s it for today. It’s late, so let’s head home.”
Saying that, Minami turned to leave.

It was in the opposite direction of the subway station.
I quickly asked:
“How are you getting home?”

“My brother was worried about me being out late, so he sent a taxi. I’ll see you next week.”
Bye-bye.
Waving coolly, Minami left.

Still a bit dazed, I watched her go, then checked my phone when I received a message from my mother asking when I’d be home, and finally started heading back.
Having eaten so much beef and eel—both good for restoring energy—I hoped the effects would show soon.