Chapter 58: Set

“Oh? Elvis, what did the werewolf say?”

Ayaka asked.

“He said Riku had been looking out at the ocean and visiting the nearby castle. He’ll tell us the details when we meet him in Hagi tomorrow. We’re supposed to meet at that beach sometime after noon.”

“Oh?”

“That’s good. Linda, take us there tomorrow.”

“Of course. We may be able to gather other information as well. Let’s spend tomorrow investigating Hagi.”

Everyone nodded at Linda’s words.

“All right, now that tomorrow’s plans are settled, let’s eat. I’m seriously hungry.”

They had worked hard for our sake, after all.

“Then let’s go to the restaurant. Dinner is a kaiseki meal.”

That sounded good after having curry for lunch.

“Food, then the hot springs.”

“That’s the plan.”

Takamiya and Kitaura stood up, so Ayaka and I did the same.

We left the room, took the elevator, and went down to the second floor.

Unlike in the afternoon, the place was now quite lively.

“It’s definitely different at night.”

“Yeah.”

When we entered the restaurant, Linda walked over to a table bearing a “Reserved” sign and sat down.

The food had already been arranged on the table—the sort of meal often served at a traditional Japanese inn.

“Here?”

“Yes. I made sure everything was arranged properly.”

Linda nodded, so we took our seats.

As usual, Elvis, Ayaka, and I sat on one side, with Linda, Takamiya, and Kitaura opposite us.

As we waited, a woman with the lower body of a snake approached.

“Welcome! You’re the guests with the reservation, right? What would you like to drink?”

Drinks, huh…

“I’ll have a beer.”

“Then I’ll have the same.”

So these two really did drink.

“I’ll have oolong tea.”

“Me too.”

“Then I’ll have that as well.”

“Four oolong teas, then.”

The rest of us were still high school students at heart, so we stuck with tea.

“Certainly. I’ll light the burners for you.”

The lamia raised a finger and produced a small flame, using it to light the fuel beneath each individual hot pot.

Then she headed back toward the kitchen.

“How does she move around?”

She seemed to glide across the floor.

“She’s a snake, so perhaps she slithers?”

I guess that made sense.

“That’s a lamia.”

“Oh… I’ve heard of those.”

“The chef here had a lot of arms. What was he? His mana was incredibly powerful.”

“Oh, that’s the owner of this place. He’s a Hecatoncheir. Apparently, cooking is his hobby.”

“Hecaton…?”

“I’ve never heard of that.”

“He’s a giant with many arms.”

“No, he was normal-sized.”

He was over two meters tall, though.

“Maybe he makes himself smaller. He wouldn’t fit inside the inn otherwise.”

“Is he really that huge?”

“He’s strong, right?”

“Absolutely. Most demon towns have a boss-like figure. There’s a King of Zombies in Kokura, too.”

What the hell is a King of Zombies?

Tyran〇?

“Beppu has a High Goblin. He isn’t particularly strong, but he’s good at bringing people together. If you want someone powerful, there’s the Medusa you know.”

The innkeeper Medusa.

So she really was a boss character.

“Come to think of it, I heard there’s a Demon in Hiroshima.”

The imp had mentioned that.

“A Demon? Now that’s powerful—a true demon.”

“They’re an aggressive species. I don’t like them.”

“Hmm…”

“The character of each town probably depends heavily on its boss’s policies.”

“That’s true. I wouldn’t want to live in a town ruled by a Demon. An old man who enjoys horse racing is much easier to deal with.”

So the King of Zombies was apparently an old man.

“Elvis is the same, right?”

“Yeah. A High Goblin and an ordinary Goblin aren’t all that different.”

“I see.”

It seemed that you could form a rough idea of a demon town merely by knowing what kind of demon stood at the top.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Here are your beer and oolong tea.”

The lamia brought over bottled beer and tea.

“Thanks.”

“Just let me know if you’d like another drink. If you want anything to drink in your room, give us a call. Please enjoy your meal.”

Elvis and Linda poured beer for each other, raised their glasses in a toast, and began eating.

“This is good.”

“Yes. It has a very refined taste.”

“Hmm? Did you call me?”

Ignore her. Ignore her. Please completely ignore her.

“What’s this?”

I pointed at the food in the individual hot pot.

“Hmm… Oh, that’s shinjo.”

Ayaka leaned over, peeked inside, and explained it to me. She really knew her food.

“Oh…”

What was shinjo, anyway?

“You’re adorable, Yuu.”

Linda looked at me with a warm, affectionate smile.

“I simply don’t know much about food. I was a high school student, so you can’t blame me. Ayaka, what exactly is shinjo?”

I decided to just ask honestly.

“It’s basically ground fish paste mixed with various other ingredients.”

“Yuu really doesn’t know anything, huh?”

Kitaura laughed.

“I bet you don’t know either, Kitaura.”

“Nope. Mayumi, do you know?”

“No.”

“I don’t either.”

“I don’t know either.”

Even Linda didn’t know!

“Hey, that’s normal. I only know because I enjoy cooking.”

Ayaka really was good at homemaking.

While we talked, the fire beneath the hot pot went out, so I tried the shinjo.

It had a simple flavor and a fluffy texture, and it was delicious.

“I wonder if that Hecatoncheir chef made this too?”

“Probably. Demons sure are versatile.”

They really were.

“Can Elvis do anything like that?”

Takamiya asked.

“I’m a farmer. As a hobby, I’m also pretty good with electronic devices.”

Come to think of it, he did own many smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets.

“Oh… That’s impressive.”

“What about Linda…? Ah, never mind. You don’t have to tell us.”

Kitaura stopped herself halfway through the question.

Linda’s eyes had begun to glow ominously, so I thought she had made the right decision.