...Is that really human food?

Inhaling the rich, intoxicating aroma, Furukawa Kota stared in confusion at the glowing food on the cart, which shone with the soft, golden light of dawn.

It was a well-known fact—Ghouls couldn't eat human food. It only made them sick, nauseous, and deeply uncomfortable. They could only sustain themselves by consuming human flesh. By all rights, he shouldn't be having any reaction to human food at all.

So why… why do I feel such an intense, overwhelming desire to eat? It was the same feeling as when he hadn't fed in a long time and suddenly came across a piece of fresh, high-quality flesh…

Kota didn't understand. This went against everything he knew as a Ghoul.

"Gulp—!"

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the stall. He began to walk toward it as if in a trance. One step, two steps…

"Alright everyone, we have about a dozen sets left! For those of you further back, I'm sorry, but you'll have to try again tomorrow!"

As he started selling the last of his stock, Ryohei called out to the long line of waiting customers.

"What? That's all?"

"Are you kidding? It's only a little after seven! You're closing up already, Chef?"

"What kind of food stall closes this early!"

"Dame, dame yo!"

"NOOO—! I waited in line forever yesterday and you sold out right when it was my turn! I waited forever today, too! I came straight here from work!!" a salaryman near the back of the line cried out in despair. The other customers turned to look at him with surprise.

Yikes, you've got it worse than us! a few of the others who also missed out thought, and suddenly felt a little better about their own situation. It was a strange feeling.

The person who was twelfth in line anxiously counted the people ahead of him, silently praying they would each only buy one portion. The few customers in front of him were doing the same.

"Chef, do you have more ingredients at home? Can you send your two little helpers to go get them? I can wait!" a desperate customer pleaded, trying to negotiate. "If you're out, you can go buy more! I can even go shopping for you!"

"We brought everything with us, there's nothing left at home," Ryohei said, handing a set to a customer while flashing a polite smile at the man. "That's it for today, but please come back tomorrow. I'll be sure to prepare more."

"O-Okay, then!" What else could they do? The customers reluctantly accepted their fate and resolved to come earlier the next day.

The world is not short of wealthy people, and some are willing to spend a little extra to satisfy their cravings. At that moment, a man with a Rolex on his wrist gave a meaningful look to the young man in front of him. "Young man," he hinted, "dinner's on me tonight."

The young man was sharp and understood immediately. He first nodded to show he got the message, then replied gratefully, "Well then, thank you, sir!"

Ryohei looked up and saw the shady deal going down between the two fat sheep. His smile vanished. He cleared his throat. "From this point on, there is a purchase limit of one set per person."

The smiles on the faces of the young man and the Rolex-wearer froze. Hey, who is that aimed at?

Someone else in line, caught in the crossfire, cried out, "What? But I wanted to bring two sets home for my wife and kids!"

"I wanted to get an extra for breakfast tomorrow!"

Only the last few people in line were ecstatic. They were going to get to eat after all! Lucky!

Ryohei glanced at the unhappy Rolex man and the other complaining customers and shrugged. "I just think it's unfair to the people who've been waiting for a long time to miss out because of a few special circumstances."

"For today, that's the rule. And moving forward, I'll be implementing a purchase limit of two of each item per person." The thought had crossed his mind earlier. He figured it wouldn't be long before scalpers started showing up. He was a chef, not a merchant. As long as his food was selling, he wanted as many different people as possible to be able to enjoy it. He didn't want scalpers to turn his temporary stall into a chaotic mess.

"Alright!"

"That's a great decision, Chef!"

"I support the purchase limit!"

The customers in line were largely supportive. With limited funds, they couldn't afford to buy many sets anyway. Preventing others from buying in bulk actually increased their own chances. Naturally, a few wealthy customers were unhappy, grumbling that a limit of two was too little.

To them, Ryohei just kept bagging orders with a professional smile. "I want as many people as possible to be able to taste my cooking. A limit of two of each item is more than enough for one person to enjoy."

Faced with his firm stance, the unhappy customers had no choice but to accept it.

"And here's the last set. I've given you the little bit that was left over," Ryohei said, handing a noticeably fuller box to a young man at the very end of the line.

The young man was overjoyed, not expecting such a bonus. His face lit up with a huge smile as he took the box with both hands. "Arigatou gozaimasu!"

But at that exact moment, a man in a black leather jacket and jeans, his long hair flying, shot out from the side. He snatched the bag containing the food box from the young man's hands and took off, sprinting into the crowd.

"..." The young man stared, his eyes wide with disbelief. He instinctively took a step to give chase, but the thief had already vanished into the sea of people.

"Baka—!" The young man's composure completely shattered. He began cursing, stomping his feet in rage. "What kind of person does that?! Stealing this, of all things! Haven't you eaten in days?! You animal! Bastard…!"

"These days… people are even stealing food!" The other customers who hadn't left yet were dumbfounded. They instinctively clutched their own hard-won meals, looked around warily, and then hurried away, afraid they might be the next victims.

Ryohei was also stunned by the robbery. He looked in the direction the thief had disappeared, thought for a moment, then took 2,000 yen from the cash box and walked over to the young man.

"This one's on me."

"No, you don't have to," the young man said, turning and waving his hand, still fuming. The food had been stolen from his hands; he couldn't possibly accept the money.

Seeing his refusal, Ryohei put the money back. "Alright. Come find me tomorrow," he said instead. "I'll treat you to a meal."

"Really? That'd be great!" The young man's mood instantly lifted. He could live with that.

"The Chef is a true gentleman!" The remaining onlookers gave Ryohei a big thumbs-up, their opinion of him rising even higher.

Ryohei just smiled, then called out to Yurine and Jashin-chan to head home.