Roa was already somewhat accustomed to such gazes. These looks might carry a bit of envy or admiration, mostly coming from adult men and women.
Roa was wearing a loose kimono, his slender and graceful figure and handsome face fully on display. His slightly raised eyebrows and high nose bridge were all so attractive, especially his eyes, which were like gold, full of vitality. It was these eyes that greatly enhanced the young man's charm.
The loose kimono concealed Roa's not particularly muscular frame. Roa was the type of young man with an excellent temperament. Although he was usually a bit of a troublemaker, as long as he didn't speak, he appeared to be a gentle and refined young man from a wealthy family.
Now, he gave off a feeling of warmth and comfort.
Roa could understand why passersby liked to stare at his face for a while.
Just like in his previous life, when he walked down the street and saw a very beautiful woman, he would instinctively take a few more glances.
This had nothing to do with gender; it was just that people naturally stopped to look at something attractive.
As the saying goes, everyone has a bit of a pervert in them.
Roa said that if people just looked, he wouldn't charge them.
Of course, if they reached out to touch, that would be a different story.
Ignoring the strange looks, Roa passed by a restaurant.
He instinctively stopped.
The smell of food wafted from the shop, and Roa's throat moved as he walked in.
Roa felt his wallet and thought that eating a meal here wouldn't bankrupt him.
It had been a long time since he had experienced the feeling of being full.
Since his attributes were weakened and his bloodline was suppressed, it was a rare opportunity to experience this cheap feeling of satiety.
This was a small shop that sold sweets and pastries. The owner was a middle-aged man wearing a white apron and a towel around his neck. He always spoke with a squint, giving off a simple and honest vibe.
Seeing Roa, the middle-aged man smiled and asked, "Good morning, handsome young man. What would you like to order?"
Then, as if remembering something, he squinted at Roa and said, "There's a menu over there. You can take a look and see what you'd like."
Roa picked up the menu and glanced through it. It was mostly sweets and pastries, with a few main dishes, but they were in the minority.
Roa felt that eating a few small pastries wouldn't fill him up, so he casually glanced at the menu and said to the owner, "Please bring me 10 bowls of ramen."
The middle-aged man instinctively looked at Roa and asked in disbelief, "Are you sure you want 10 bowls of ramen?"
Roa hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Make it 15 bowls."
The middle-aged man, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, felt his heart tighten again. He looked at Roa with a strange expression.
Roa thought for a moment and added, "Of course, don't bring them all at once. Bring them slowly, or they'll get cold and won't taste good."
The middle-aged man was momentarily speechless. He opened his mouth to say something, but then his eyes lit up.
He remembered a request someone had made to him.
It was a young girl.
The girl had been begging him to help her find a partner.
The girl had grown up in front of his eyes and was a regular at his shop. The owner had a deep affection for her, treating her like his own niece.
Every time she came to eat, he would try to give her a discount.
Now, she was seventeen years old, but she still hadn't found a suitable partner and was constantly troubled by this.
According to her, her large appetite and strength far surpassing that of adult men were the reasons for her troubles.
After all, in this era, no one wanted to marry a very strong girl.
Because of this, she had even been rejected and humiliated by someone.
Reluctantly, he had agreed to her request.
This young man in front of him seemed quite good. In terms of appearance, he was definitely first-rate. The owner had never seen such a handsome young man.
Moreover, the young man seemed to have come from out of town, and judging by his attire, he was from a wealthy family.
Why not give it a try?
After all, the young man didn't know about her situation.
As long as he could lure the young man over and have Mitsuri tone it down a bit, once they were married, it would be too late for him to back out.
This seemed like a pretty good idea.
The middle-aged man secretly gave himself a thumbs up.
At this time, Mitsuri should be arriving soon. When she did, he would quietly pull her aside and explain his plan to her.
Great, the advantage was on his side.
The middle-aged man couldn't help but feel pleased with himself.
Noticing the man's strange change in demeanor, Roa asked curiously, "What's wrong? You look a bit… perverted?"
The middle-aged man coughed a few times, suppressing his excitement, and said expressionlessly, "Alright, I'll bring you five bowls of ramen first. We don't allow food waste here, so you'll have to finish them before you can order more."
Roa nodded, somewhat surprised, and praised, "The owner is quite principled."
Giving the owner a thumbs up, the owner called out, and a young man in his early twenties walked out from the back. He had a gentle appearance and gave off a soft vibe.
The middle-aged man said to him, "Come on, let's prepare a big order."
Roa raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Are you two…?"
The middle-aged man smiled and said, "This is my son-in-law." He patted the young man's shoulder and added, "Don't underestimate him. He's inherited my skills, and his cooking is top-notch."
Roa nodded, found a seat, and sat down to wait for the food.
The small restaurant wasn't very big, but sitting there to eat gave off a unique feeling.
Roa sat quietly, tapping his fingers on the table, idly looking around.
There were wooden tables and long benches, enough to seat about eight people. If there were more, they'd have to squeeze in.
Perhaps because it had just opened, the restaurant was still quite empty. Roa sipped the tea in his bowl and waited for a while. Soon, the gentle-looking young man brought out two bowls of ramen. Roa rubbed his hands together, looked at the scallions and oil floating on the noodles, swallowed his saliva, and started shoving the noodles into his mouth. The noodles were chewy and had a great texture. He took a sip of the broth, then ate a piece of the braised meat on top. A smoky flavor emanated from the meat, but surprisingly, it was delicious.
Hmm, the taste was excellent.
Roa gave the young man a thumbs up and praised, "It's really good."
The young man smiled at the compliment and replied, "Of course."
Roa chewed the meat, drank the broth, and slurped up the noodles, finishing the entire bowl in just two breaths.
In just a short time, a large bowl of ramen had been completely devoured.
The young man raised an eyebrow. He had never seen someone eat like this before. It could only be described as bold.
But with Roa eating like this, the pressure was now on him.
Roa slammed the bowl on the table. Both bowls of noodles had been completely finished. Roa showed a satisfied smile and said, "It's been a long time since I've felt this full. I'll probably be satisfied after eating fifteen more bowls like this."
The young man fell into deep thought and walked back into the kitchen.
Upon entering the kitchen, the young man said to the middle-aged man, "Dad, slow down. I'm afraid this guy might run off after he finishes eating."
The middle-aged man paused his noodle-making for a moment, raising his eyes in confusion as he looked at his son. "What's going on?"
The young man hesitated for a moment before replying, "I've never seen anyone who can drink noodles like water."
The middle-aged man peeked outside and saw Roa sitting idly, sipping tea from his cup. Noticing the middle-aged man's gaze, Roa flashed him a smile.
The middle-aged man was slightly taken aback, marveling at the young man's quick reaction. He smiled back and then returned to the kitchen to continue cooking.
By the time Kanroji Mitsuri arrived, Roa had already eaten nearly ten bowls of noodles. The table was now piled high with empty noodle bowls.
Kanroji Mitsuri entered the shop with a look of distress. Just then, the middle-aged man, wiping the sweat from his forehead, stepped out from the back room and saw her.
The first thing she did was complain to the middle-aged man, "Waaah, I got rejected again! How annoying! They said such mean things! Really, is it such a big deal that I eat a lot? What? You want me to leave? Why? Even you—"
Roa finished the bowl of noodles in front of him. Hearing the voice behind him, it felt somewhat familiar, but he was too focused on eating to turn around.
The middle-aged man quickly pulled Kanroji Mitsuri outside, comforting her as they walked, "Mitsuri, I'm not rejecting you. Sure, you do eat a lot, but think about it—this is a restaurant. How could I reject a customer? The reason I'm telling you to hold back is because I've found a good young man for you."
"???" Kanroji Mitsuri tilted her head, her small face filled with confusion.
The middle-aged man pointed to the young man sitting and eating, saying to Kanroji Mitsuri, "See that young man over there? Isn't he handsome?"
Kanroji Mitsuri followed the shop owner's gaze and saw Roa, who was sitting upright, wearing a loose kimono. He had beautiful golden hair that cascaded down his back, and even from behind, he exuded an inexplicable charm.
In an instant, Kanroji Mitsuri's face turned red.
"This, this, this… Is he… handsome? I mean, what does he look like?" Kanroji Mitsuri stammered, her forehead beginning to sweat, her eyes sparkling.
The middle-aged man sighed and said to Kanroji Mitsuri, "He's an extremely handsome young man. So, do you want to go take a look?"
Kanroji Mitsuri nodded but then seemed to remember something and deflated. "Forget it. Why would such a handsome young man like someone like me, who eats dozens of bowls a day and has the strength of a wild boar? Just like that guy said."
The middle-aged man was momentarily speechless. He glared at Kanroji Mitsuri and patted her shoulder. "Who dares to talk to my little Mitsuri like that? Tell me, and I'll beat him up."
Then, in a softer tone, he comforted her, "Mitsuri, don't be discouraged. Look at that young man—he eats a lot too. See the bowls on his table? There are almost a dozen already. Besides, there aren't many good men in this town. Look at that incredibly handsome young man. Come on, I'll take you to see him. You can decide after you've seen him."
With that, he started pulling Kanroji Mitsuri toward Roa.
Kanroji Mitsuri's face turned red with embarrassment. Despite her incredible strength, she only muttered "No" while her body obediently followed.
The middle-aged man dragged Kanroji Mitsuri in front of Roa and said, "This is my niece, Kanroji Mitsuri. Isn't she beautiful?"
Roa looked up, slightly surprised. "You are…?"
Kanroji Mitsuri stammered, "H-Hello, I'm Kanroji Mitsuri."
The moment she saw Roa's face, she felt like she had fallen in love.
Such a handsome and radiant young man struck right at her heart.
Roa paused his eating and looked at the girl again.
She had large, light green eyes, often with flushed cheeks, and a mole under each eye. Her long, pink braids ended in a grass-green color, and her most striking feature was the two mountains on her chest.
Roa looked at her with a strange expression and muttered, "No wonder she sounded familiar. It's Hanazawa Kana."
Kanroji Mitsuri looked puzzled. "Is there something on me? Also, did you just say something?"
Roa coughed a few times, waved his hand, and made a gesture to indicate it was nothing. Then he said to Kanroji Mitsuri, "Hello, Miss Kanroji Mitsuri. You can just call me Roa. No need for formalities."
"Oh, is that so?" Kanroji Mitsuri's forehead began to sweat again, and her cheeks flushed.
She was an extremely shy girl, and whenever she got shy, she would start sweating.
Kanroji Mitsuri said to Roa, "Um, do you mind if I sit next to you?"
Roa sighed and said to Kanroji Mitsuri, "Just call me Roa. Go ahead and sit."
He pointed to the bench across from him.