The Price of a Cutlet
The faint sensation lingering on my lips refused to fade. Shine let out a soft chuckle as she watched me fluster. I couldn't bring myself to say a single word to her. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst.
"Here, Jeff." Shine thrust her fork right in front of my mouth. She had skewered a massive meatball on the prongs and waved it, urging me to eat.
"Aren't you going to eat?"
"Ah... no, I'll eat it." I carefully took a bite, wrapping my lips around the meatball. The fork slipped cleanly out of my mouth.
Having retrieved her fork, Shine gently licked the leftover sauce off the metal. Her tiny pink tongue peeked out, slowly tracing the prongs. Watching her lick the fork while keeping her eyes locked on me gave me the bizarre, dizzying illusion that her tongue was tracing my own body. I shuddered, my face twisting into a look of sheer dismay, which only made Shine burst out laughing.
"Ahaha!" Her bright, ringing laughter made it clear she was in an exceptionally good mood. I chewed on the meatball, the rich, savory flavor spreading through my mouth and instantly soothing my nerves, though the phantom sensation on my lips still refused to go away.
"Want another bite?" Shine asked, pointing to her own cheek. Pressing her small finger into her soft flesh looked incredibly cute, but I shook my head firmly in refusal.
"No way. I'm not eating anymore."
"Why not?"
"I... I was trying to kiss your cheek. But you suddenly turned your head."
"Does Jeff hate kissing on the lips?"
"That's... that's not..."
"Do you hate doing it with me?"
"It's not that, but..."
Shine watched my flustered reaction with amusement as she twirled her spaghetti. A massive mound of pasta wrapped around a plump meatball looked incredibly appetizing. As I stared at it, swallowing my saliva, a plate piled high with pork cutlet suddenly descended from above.
"Ah!" I quickly reached out and caught the plate. Victor, who had gone to order my pork cutlet, had returned without me even noticing his approach.
"Thank you so much!" I said, bowing my head in gratitude.
Victor averted his gaze slightly and walked over to his seat. Rain, trailing right behind him, was also carrying her own food. What did she order? Clutching my fork and knife in each hand, I stared intently at Rain's plate. Resting on it was a thick, juicy hamburger steak. An excellent choice. I licked my lips in anticipation.
The savory, rich aroma of fried batter drifted up to my nose. I licked my lips and brandished my knife. A silver arc ruthlessly sliced through the massive, golden body pinned down by my fork. The blade parted the crispy breading, gliding effortlessly through the tender meat. *Slice, slice—*
I was so lost in my own dramatic fantasy of dismembering the pork cutlet that I didn't notice the eyes on me at first. When I finally looked up, I realized Shine, Rain, and even Victor were staring at me. Feeling a flush of embarrassment, I slowly lowered my arms, which had been moving in grand, sweeping motions.
"Do you always cut your pork cutlet like you're performing surgery?" Victor asked.
Nobody answered him. I stabbed a piece with my fork. The sharp prongs pierced the crispy batter, digging into the tender meat. Next, I dunked the sliced piece deep into the cutlet sauce. Inhaling the tangy, savory aroma of the sauce, I opened my mouth wide. A blissful smile spread across my face at the impending happiness. My mouth was already fully prepared to welcome the cutlet, saliva pooling in anticipation. And then, the cutlet landed. The crispy texture remained perfectly intact despite being drenched in sauce, bursting with a satisfying crunch. The familiar, comforting flavor flooded my senses.
"Jeff really seems to love pork cutlet," Rain observed.
"It's my absolute favorite," I replied, my hands never pausing. The moment my mouth cleared, another piece went in. I repeated the cycle, steadily emptying the plate.
"Jeff. Give me some too." Shine spoke up, interrupting my blissful moment. Her hand reached out, gently grasping my arm. When I turned to look at her, her eyes were sparkling with desire for my pork cutlet. I hesitated. Shine had demanded a price when she shared her meatball. In that case, shouldn't I demand a price too? Yes, that only seems fair. The fork in my hand moved, stabbing a fairly large piece of pork cutlet. Not the absolute biggest one, of course—the slightly smaller one next to it. The biggest one was mine. "Here." I held the cutlet out to Shine. Her eyes sparkling, she naturally parted her lips and leaned in toward the fork. For some reason, she reminded me of an eager puppy, and a chuckle escaped my lips.
"Shine. Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Forgetting something?" Shine, who had been leaning in with her mouth open, tilted her head in confusion. Her snow-white hair cascaded over her shoulder with the movement.
"Yeah." I pointed a finger at my cheek, mimicking her earlier gesture. Shine's eyes widened at my demand. The reflection in her pure white eyes showed a small girl wearing a mischievous smile. You did it to me, so now it's my turn. That was the message I was sending. Though briefly taken aback, Shine's expression melted into a joyful grin as she nodded. "Okay!"
Immediately, Shine's arm shot out. She grabbed my shoulder, her arm naturally wrapping around to secure my neck. Her hand firmly cupped the back of my head, ensuring I couldn't pull away. Startled by her sudden movement, I had no time to react before Shine's lips pressed firmly against my cheek and pulled away. *Smooch—* A loud, cheerful pop echoed through the quiet dining area. Rain, who had been busy cutting her hamburger steak, and Victor, who had been shoveling down his omurice, both froze, staring at us with their mouths agape.
"Nom." Having left a sweet kiss on my cheek, Shine leaned in and took the large piece of pork cutlet right off my fork. As she closed her mouth around the metal prongs, a strange, tingling sensation traveled down the handle to my hand. *Tickle, tickle—* something soft inside her mouth was gently brushing against the fork. When I tried to pull it back, she clamped her lips shut and sucked on the metal. With a soft *slurp*, the fork finally slipped free from Shine's mouth. It was so clean that not a single speck of cutlet sauce remained.
"Why are you staring like that?" I asked Victor, who was still gaping blankly.
"Huh? Oh. No, nothing. Carry on." He shook his head quickly and focused back on his plate. Is it really that weird? I turned my gaze to Rain. She was looking at us with immense anticipation. Seeing the little chick hoodie's hem wiggling as she fidgeted in her seat, she clearly wanted in on the action.
"Me too! Me too!" The chick—no, Rain—shouted, raising her hand high. "Here! Right here!" Rain raised both hands, pointing frantically at her cheeks. I knew exactly what she wanted, but... I turned my head to gauge Shine's reaction. She was glaring at Rain with a terrifying, icy gaze.
"Do it to me too! Shine! Jeff!" Rain sliced off a chunk of her large hamburger steak and tossed the pieces onto our plates. Before I could even stammer out a response, Rain leaped up from her seat and dashed over to Shine. Even Shine looked taken aback by her sudden charge. "Kiss me too!" Leaping into the air, Rain threw her arms around Shine. Shine seemed to hesitate for a brief second, but after glancing at the juicy hamburger steak on her plate, she gave a slow nod. *Smooch—* At the sound of the tiny kiss, Rain's face flushed a brilliant crimson. She pressed her lips together, trembling as she tried to suppress her giggles. "Hehe... mmmph..." A muffled laugh escaped her. Covering her mouth, Rain carefully climbed down from Shine's chair.
Next was my turn. Turning around, Rain slowly shuffled over to me and offered her cheek. Do we really have to go this far? I mean, I did want to eat the hamburger steak, but... After a brief hesitation, I figured there was no harm in it and pressed my lips to Rain's soft cheek. Rain didn't play around this time. She just stood perfectly still, waiting until my lips pulled away. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and her lips quivered. Her eyes, brimming with excitement, wandered aimlessly through the air. "Rain?" "Yeah. Mmh. Thanks. Enjoy your food." Backing away two steps, Rain slowly retreated to her seat.
I glanced around to check our surroundings. Fortunately, nobody seemed to be looking at us weirdly. Just then, I spotted someone entering through the cafeteria doors. A familiar, striking figure. It was Amy, walking in with an effortless, commanding grace, her long pink hair flowing behind her. Her gaze swept across the room in an instant. Locking eyes with me from across the distance, her face lit up with a warm smile, and she waved.
"Amy!" Delighted, I jumped up from my seat and waved both hands. The oversized dinosaur-paw sleeves of my hoodie slipped down, exposing my pale, slender arms.
"You're a bit late," Victor noted.
"Had some business to take care of," Amy replied smoothly. She walked over to our table. "Have you two been good today?"
"Yes!" I chirped.
"Yeah," Shine murmured. Amy smiled warmly, reaching out both arms to gently pat our heads.
"Pork cutlet again, Jeff?"
"Yes!" At my enthusiastic response, Amy's expression turned playful. Looking down at me, she let out a soft chuckle and reached her hand over my plate. I froze, too startled by her sudden movement to say a word. Her long, elegant fingers pinched a large, perfectly cut piece of pork cutlet.
"Wait, that's..."
"Nom." Amy popped the pork cutlet into her mouth in one smooth motion. I stared blankly, the tragic image of my beautiful, crispy cutlet disappearing into her mouth burned into my mind.
"Sigh." I let out a dramatic little sigh, puffed out my cheek, and pointed at it with my finger. "Since you ate my pork cutlet, you have to give me a kiss."
"Huh?" At my bold, shameless demand, Amy's face flushed with surprise. Her gaze slowly drifted to Victor, Rain, and Shine, before returning to lock onto me.
"Hurry up," I insisted, thrusting my cheek even closer.
"Alright, alright," Amy replied, her lips twitching as she tried to suppress a laugh. Her hands reached down and scooped me up. I was lifted right out of my chair and pulled into her warm, fragrant embrace. *Smooch—* First, a soft press on my forehead. *Smooch—* Second, a warm kiss on my cheek.
"Since I kissed you twice, I can have another piece, right?"
"No way!"
*Smooch—* This time, she planted one on my other cheek. Amy's kisses began to rain down ruthlessly all over my face.
"What about three times?"
"Still no! The pork cutlet is mine!"
"Hmph!" I turned my head away, pouting. At my stubborn reaction, Amy squeezed me in a bone-crushing hug. I couldn't breathe. Seriously, I was going to suffocate.