Chapter 17

The interior of Oeno Pavilion was not very large. There was a circle of seats around the counter where the food was prepared, and two tables with seats placed beside them, which made up all the seating.

However, at this moment, none of the customers in Oeno Pavilion were sitting at the tables; they were all scattered around the counter.

The counter, which could seat no more than ten people, was now occupied by three: a middle-aged uncle who was drinking silently, a young man who was also drinking silently, and a young white-collar woman who was quietly eating.

"Customer, what would you like to eat?" The shop owner smiled and asked Aoba, who had also taken a seat at the counter.

Aoba looked around and noticed that the wall on one side was covered with strips of paper, densely written with various dishes.

"You have so many types of dishes here!" Aoba said curiously, looking at the wall covered with paper strips.

"Because customers often want to try different things, I make whatever I can. Over time, it became like this," the owner replied with a smile.

"Little brother, the owner here is really skilled," the middle-aged uncle, who had been drinking silently, suddenly looked up and said to Aoba.

"Uncle, do you have any recommendations?" Aoba asked with a smile, not at all like someone who had just killed someone, but rather a harmless young man.

"The owner's pork cutlet is excellent; I recommend you try it," the middle-aged uncle said, picking up a piece of pork cutlet from his plate and taking a bite, looking very satisfied.

"Pork cutlet? But isn't pork cutlet usually served on a bowl of rice as a pork cutlet bowl?" Aoba asked, puzzled.

"We can serve pork cutlet on its own here," the owner replied.

"Then I'll have a pork cutlet, and I'd like some alcohol too." Aoba then looked at the uncle and asked with a smile, "Uncle, what kind of alcohol do you recommend?"

"Plum wine, I recommend it," the middle-aged uncle and the young man on the other side, who was also drinking silently, said together. They then smiled at each other, as if they had found a kindred spirit, raised their glasses in a toast, and drank the wine in their cups.

"The plum wine here is homemade by the owner, it's absolutely top-notch!" the middle-aged uncle said, nodding his head.

"That's right, I always drink the owner's plum wine whenever I come here," the young man agreed.

"Young man, you have good taste. Unlike today's young people, who drink beer and foreign liquor!" the middle-aged uncle said, taking another drink and lamenting the decline of morals.

"Maybe it's because I like some nostalgic things," the young man said with a smile.

Then, using this as a starting point, the two began to chat.

"Plum wine? Owner, I'll have plum wine too," Aoba said to the owner.

"Sure thing, plum wine!" The owner then squatted down to get the wine from under the counter.

Clearly, without wearing a school uniform, no one suspected Aoba was a high school student; they just thought he had a baby face or was a college student.

After all, except for those little hooligans, no high school student would be out so late.

And Aoba's appearance was far from that of a hooligan.

So soon, a bottle of plum wine was placed in front of Aoba, and the owner began to prepare the pork cutlet for him.

As the pork cutlet was put into the oil, a pleasant aroma wafted through the air.

The young white-collar woman, who had been eating, suddenly joined the conversation between the uncle and the young man.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" the white-collar woman asked.

"What is it?" the uncle asked the white-collar woman first.

"Why are men so lustful?" the white-collar woman asked seriously.

The men present, including the owner, looked at each other, and Aoba was the first to speak, "It's normal for men to be lustful! As a man, liking women is only natural!"

"Hmph, men are truly animals driven by their lower halves," the white-collar woman said coldly, then turned to the owner and said, "Owner, I want to drink too."

"What kind of alcohol would you like?" the owner asked.

"I don't want the plum wine they're drinking; I want beer," the white-collar woman said, looking at the middle-aged uncle as if to challenge him.

"Here's your pork cutlet," the owner said, placing Aoba's pork cutlet in front of him and then turning to get the beer.

Aoba picked up a piece of pork cutlet and took a bite, nodding in satisfaction and saying, "It's good."

This drew a proud smile from the middle-aged uncle who had recommended the pork cutlet, "The pork cutlet is a must-order whenever I come here!"

On the other side, the young man, seeing the white-collar woman drinking gloomily, asked her, "What's wrong? Are you heartbroken?"

The white-collar woman didn't speak until the owner brought a bottle of beer and she poured herself a glass and drank it in one go. Then she sighed and said, "Today, the president told me he hopes I can be his mistress! That old man is almost old enough to be my grandfather, and he still wants me to be his mistress."

After speaking, the white-collar woman drank another glass of beer in one go.

"You don't like him? Then you can refuse him!" the young man said, looking at the white-collar woman, who was indeed a beauty, and smiled.

"But if I go with him, I can live a leisurely and wealthy life, without having to work so hard every day. I can live in a mansion, drive a nice car, and wear expensive jewelry, moving in high society," the white-collar woman said, looking conflicted.

The men present looked at each other, speechless.

Aoba was the first to speak the truth, "So you're tempted, which is why you're so conflicted, right?"

"That's right, I am tempted. Who makes men so lustful?" the white-collar woman continued, still angry.

"Please, men are lustful, but if men weren't lustful, how would you have the opportunity to live the life you just described?" the young man also found the white-collar woman's attitude, which wanted to be both a prostitute and a lady, ridiculous, and shook his head with a smile.

"Women, your name is vanity," the middle-aged uncle added, shaking his head.

The white-collar woman huffed and ignored everyone, continuing to drink her beer.

"Come, let's drink to that," the young man, who clearly agreed with the uncle, immediately proposed.

"Come, let's drink!" The two raised their glasses to toast.

"Wait, include me too. I'll drink to the uncle's words," Aoba also raised his glass of plum wine.

So the three men drank the wine in their glasses in one go.

Aoba smacked his lips and nodded, "It's indeed good wine."

"Right?" the middle-aged uncle and the young man said in unison, and the middle-aged uncle added, "Plum wine is the specialty of this place!"

Thus, the three men continued to drink plum wine and chat, with the white-collar woman occasionally joining in. Time passed in this way.