Chapter 38: Yakisoba Bread is Safe
After that, we continued horse racing while talking, and when noon came, we ate lunch at the cafeteria. Then, in the afternoon, we decided to go shopping, so we got into Linda onee-san’s car.
“It’s spacious.”
“Yeah.”
Linda onee-san was in the driver’s seat, with Elvis in the passenger seat. Behind them were me and Ayaka, and in the very back were Takamiya-san and Kitaura-san.
“Well then, we’re heading to the shopping mall.”
Once the car started moving, we left the parking lot and made our way through the town of Kokura. When we arrived at the shopping mall, we began shopping. However, Ayaka, Elvis, and I had already finished our shopping, so we were accompanying Takamiya-san and Kitaura-san.
“They’re having a blast.”
Elvis muttered, looking bored. We were sitting on a bench, watching the three of them having fun.
“I’m glad you’re here. It’s nice not feeling left out.”
If it were just me, I think I would have definitely become the odd one out.
“In that sense too, I hope we can reunite with the other two guys soon. By the way, where’s Linda?”
“Linda onee-san is shopping for ingredients. She said she’d treat us to dinner.”
She said that earlier and headed to the ingredients section on the first floor.
“I see. Things have gotten lively. Are you feeling a little lonely?”
Hmm?
“What do you mean?”
“Until yesterday, it was just you and Ayaka, just the two of you.”
Ah, that’s what you mean.
“Not really. It’s just back to how it was before. Minato and Riku aren’t here, but for five years, it’s always been like this.”
We were companions, but our actions were often divided by gender. Everyone often came to my shop, but when going out, I mostly went with Minato and Riku.
“Hmm… is that so.”
“Well, Ayaka often came alone too.”
I think Takamiya-san was probably encouraging her.
After that, we continued watching them shop, and in the evening we left the shopping mall and went to Linda onee-san’s house. Well, calling it a house, it was a studio apartment.
“Here? You could have any house you want.”
Getting out of the car, Elvis tilted his head looking up at the apartment.
“I don’t like spacious places. It’s a humble place, but please come in.”
Prompted by Linda onee-san, we entered the room. The room was about 8 tatami mats, a studio apartment with a cute interior befitting a woman’s room. It was my first time casually entering a woman’s room, and for some reason my heart began pounding.
“You keep it quite clean.”
“I’m a clean freak. Well then, please rest a bit. I’ll prepare dinner.”
Linda onee-san went to the kitchen and put on an apron. She looked cute in the apron too, and my heart began pounding again.
“Linda onee-san, stop with the Charm.”
Really, stop it.
Don’t break through my barrier.
“For a succubus, it’s like breathing.”
“Hold your breath.”
“Scary, scary.”
Linda onee-san made a cute “tehepero” gesture.
“Tough, isn’t it.”
“As expected, no wonder you can run a Succubus Church.”
“Isn’t she using Charm on social media too? Seems like she can do it even over the phone.”
The three girls, who couldn’t understand my struggle, sat at the low table with exasperated expressions.
“By the way, where are we staying tonight?”
Elvis asked.
“Wouldn’t the hotel where we’re staying be fine?”
“It’s close from here.”
A hotel, huh.
“Smoking?”
“There were smoking rooms, right?”
“Alright, seems like I can smoke.”
Kumamoto was non-smoking, after all.
“My place is non-smoking. And the car too.”
Linda onee-san warned him.
“I know.”
Just as Elvis reluctantly nodded and took out his smartphone, he began checking social media while waiting for the food.
“It happened again in Hiroshima.”
I found it too and was checking the contents. This time too, it seems several dozen demons were killed.
“Isn’t Hiroshima becoming a serious situation?”
“Yes. Avoiding it was the right call. But still, they really do it…”
Seriously.
“We’re assuming the culprit is a classmate, but don’t they understand the boundary between otherworld monsters and demons?”
“I think most people would hesitate just from talking to them.”
Takamiya-san and Kitaura-san looked at each other.
“Maybe that line is ambiguous?”
“Could be.”
Maybe they think monsters are just monsters.
Or maybe, like Yamane, they only see them as experience points.
“No, you guys think that way because you have acquaintances like me and Linda, but from a human perspective, demons are invaders and enemies. I don’t know what kind of person this culprit is, but they might think they’re doing the right thing.”
Ah… that’s possible.
“From the human side’s perspective of justice, we’re the ones in the right…”
But still…
“How about it?”
“Whether they’re demons or humans, I can’t cut down people who are simply living their lives.”
“Yeah, impossible…”
Right.
“You all are kind. I think that’s wonderful. But well, that’s precisely why you’re dropouts, isn’t it?”
Linda onee-san turned around and said with a smile.
“Well, that’s true.”
Just one of our companions dying made us unable to move.
I supposed that was precisely why we were unfit to be heroes.
But I don’t want to become a hero if it means becoming someone who doesn’t care about that.
“Yeah… but well, that’s who we are.”
“That’s right.”
Ayaka and Takamiya-san nodded in agreement.
“When trouble smells this bad, the best thing to do is ignore it. We should walk our own path. That doesn’t change whether we’re in another world or back here, and it shouldn’t change.”
Kitaura-san said something good.
“I think so too. Same with the company.”
“Boss, please pay us well.”
If we make a profit.
“Yes, yes~ It’s done~”
Linda onee-san brought over the food.
It was a large serving of yakisoba.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen this…”
“Yeah… it’s been 10 years.”
“I didn’t eat it much back then, but now I find myself wanting to eat the sauce-flavored kind…”
“We were poor so it came out often. Ah, I’m going to cry.”
Kitaura-san took a tissue and pressed it to the corner of her eye.
“If you’re going to cry, please eat first.”
“I’ll do that…”
We ate the yakisoba.
Just as Takamiya-san said, the sauce flavor was unusually delicious and appetizing.
Kitaura-san was really crying, but I was on the verge of tears too.
“So the food in this world really was delicious after all.”
“The food in the other world wasn’t bad either, but this was food from home.”
“There really weren’t any junk food-like things or sweets.”
“I miss being an elementary school student eating rice with yakisoba…”
Kitaura-san… I’m not sure about that one?