Zenkichi savored the last chew of the yellowtail like it was fine wine, swallowing it down with a satisfied, exaggerated "ahhh."

Still watching her.

The stink-eye Ichinose threw over her shoulder was... new.
Not the stiff little poker face he'd gotten used to back in their wrecked world—no, this one had real bite.

Real heat.

Interesting.

He narrowed his eyes behind his visor, grinning like a wolf. So that's how it is now, huh?
For someone who’d once been little more than a walking mannequin full of tech jargon, this was... almost refreshing. Almost.

He followed her down the table, deliberately slow, finishing the last bits of yellowtail with lazy, theatrical licks of his fingers. Just to be extra. Just to make sure she noticed.

And when she reached for the next platter-
-some neat little display of glossy, glistening eel sushi-
-Zenkichi casually, with one hand, with absolute ease, snatched the entire plate off the table and balanced it on his palm.

Didn’t even break stride.

Held it up like a waiter in some fancy restaurant, smirking down at her from his damn six-foot frame.
The white of his yukata rippled as he shifted weight onto one foot, plate steady, like this was normal behavior for him.

"Whoops," Zenkichi said, deadpan. "Guess this one’s under new management."

He popped another piece into his mouth, chewing with deliberate, obnoxious slowness as he watched how she reacted.
Eyes half-lidded. Casual. Daring her.