Well, right off the bat, he had two wrong answers. Amado awkwardly scratched his head. He hadn't expected Anka to be standing right in front of those two restaurants, yet have no intention of going in.
"Are you still eating ramen tonight?"
"Yes, that's right. It's just… if I'm by myself, I really don't feel like eating grilled meat or hot pot." Anka's tone was slightly apologetic, with a hint of helplessness.
For so many years, her life's focus had always been on her work. She truly had no friends to share a meal with.
She had actually tried eating both hot pot and grilled meat before, but all the other tables were packed, and only she was sitting by herself, lonely.
After that, Anka never went back.
"How about I go with you?"
"Huh?" Anka didn't react for a moment.
Amado repeated, "How about I go with you? We can have hot pot, grilled meat, or anything else, whatever you'd like."
A smile immediately appeared on Anka's face, but before she could speak, the smile faded. "No, I shouldn't. Nawaki-sama is returning tonight, and Mito-sama will definitely invite you all to dinner."
"It's better not to let my matters affect Mito-sama's mood."
Amado didn't feel particularly comfortable hearing Anka say that. Anka was far too considerate of others.
He patted his chest and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I often don't go. Big Brother always makes excuses for me. Hashirama and Mito-sama certainly won't mind. After all, Nawaki coming home isn't a big deal. By seniority, that kid even has to call me 'Uncle'."
"Are you sure?" Although Anka's words were a question, they also held a hint of expectation.
Amado, of course, picked up on it. "Of course. Just pick whatever you like. It's been a long time since I've eaten out myself."
Hearing Amado's affirmative reply, Anka smiled brightly. She was genuinely happy.
"Then let's have hot pot. I tried grilled meat once myself, but I've never had hot pot."
"Alright, hot pot it is."
Amado smiled and took Anka's hand. Anka's face immediately flushed red, but she didn't pull away.
After the two of them walked into the hot pot restaurant together, Amado released Anka's hand.
After all, they were currently not just friends. A brief handhold could be interpreted as guidance. Continuously holding it, however, would be harassment and would make people think he had no sense of propriety.
Seeing Amado arrive, the waiter immediately came forward to greet him.
"Oh, Amado-sama, what brings you here?" the waiter said with a wide grin.
Amado's attitude was also very pleasant. "Please clean a private room. I'm having dinner with a friend today."
"Right away, please wait a moment, you two!"
Anka stood by the entrance, her gaze sweeping across the interior of the restaurant. The entire hot pot restaurant was practically packed.
Everyone had smiles on their faces. Even when their faces were flushed red from the spice, they still kept smiling.
'Indeed, this kind of food is best enjoyed with friends.'
Given Anka's wealth, let alone eating hot pot, she could even buy out a storefront and open her own restaurant.
The reason she hadn't eaten hot pot for so many years was, ultimately, because she had no friends.
The people she got along with day-to-day were all acquaintances from work. Once work was over and they returned to their daily lives, they had almost no interaction.
However, Anka hadn't felt anything wrong with this for all these years.
She had placed all her focus on her work, so she didn't need to particularly care about other things.
It was only recently that she had taken a vacation, and these past few days she had left work early, allowing most of her time to return to her daily life.
It was then that she began to feel a bit lonely and bored.
"Amado-sama, the room is ready. Please head up, you two." The waiter cheerfully guided the two upstairs.
When it was time to order, Amado originally wanted Anka to order whatever she liked, but after asking, Anka said she didn't know what was good.
In the end, Amado took care of the ordering himself.
After the order was placed, the waiter turned and left, leaving just the two of them in the room.
Although there weren't many people, it was much more comfortable than eating alone.
Anka was very relaxed at this moment as well. In all the times she had spent with Amado, she had felt incredibly relaxed each time.
There was no sense of distance, none of that feeling one gets when facing strangers.
Perhaps it was because Amado was rather easygoing? Anka wasn't sure.
"Is this room reserved specifically for the Hokage-sama?"
Anka, seeing that the room's decor was completely different from the outside, came to this conclusion.
"Yes, that's right. The grilled meat restaurant also has private rooms like this. It's just that we haven't been here in a while, so I just asked the waiter to tidy it up."
Anka nodded after hearing this. "Indeed, I guessed correctly. By the way, shouldn't you be with the Hokage-sama at the Senju Clan compound? Why are you alone on the main street?"
"Oh, you see, I just felt like there would be too many people eating tonight, and it'd be too noisy, annoying me. So I found an excuse to slip away. I didn't expect to run into you."
These two were truly something else. One thought a crowd was too noisy, while the other felt lonely with too few people.
Two people with completely opposite personalities were now gathered at the same table, eating.
After Anka heard Amado's reason, she also let out a chuckle.
From then on, the two gradually began to chat. From work-related matters to the trivialities of daily life, they both found plenty to talk about.
Amado appeared to be a clueless individual, unable to handle anything in his daily life, but in reality, he simply chose not to bother. After all, he was a great inventor. How could he be completely ignorant of everyday matters?
He also had a lot to talk about with Anka. Once they met, it was as if a floodgate had opened, and they talked endlessly.
This made Anka laugh frequently.
Soon, the copper hot pot was brought out. The broth inside the pot bubbled and gurgled, and its aroma quickly filled the room.
"It looks exactly like the picture on the sign. I wonder how it tastes." Anka could barely contain herself. Eating hot pot for the first time made her feel incredibly novel.
"Don't rush. The ingredients haven't even arrived yet. You can't eat anything right now."
Anka pouted. "Alright, I'll wait patiently then."
Amado smiled at her reaction. He then stepped out to urge the waiter, asking him to bring the dishes quickly.
As it turned out, Amado's urging was quite effective.
Within two minutes, a pile of ingredients was brought up by the server. They filled half the table. Considering this was a large private room that could seat over a dozen people, half a table's worth of ingredients for just two people was already a lot.
"Alright, all the dishes are here. See what you want to eat, and help yourself."