HPDBC Chapter 50
Chapter 50
“Ahh, that was delicious. As expected, the first meal upon arrival in Okinawa is Soki soba. Adding Rafute as an extra dish was also the right choice.”
“I was surprised that the soup for the Goya champuru set was Soki soba.”
“The deep-fried tofu with simmered Jimami tofu was also delicious, Onii-chan.”
“The pork and egg set meal was delicious too, Chuusuke.”
With satisfied expressions, Meena, the Suou siblings, and Kotomi left the dining hall through the exit.
“The total is ¥14,500 for you.”
“They’re relentless...”
I grumbled as I checked out early in the trip, already feeling the volume loss from my wallet.
“Um, Yuu-sama... I’ll at least pay for my share...”
From behind, Hayami-san hesitated apologetically, opening her wallet.
“It’s fine, really. It’s customary in our industry for someone else to cover the bill.”
I waved my hand, stopping Hayami-san from taking out money and reassuring her not to worry.
For Hayami-san’s share, it wasn’t a significant amount compared to the total bill.
“Well... from an outsider’s perspective, I’ve become a sketchy thirty-something woman getting treated by a high school boy...”
Well, it certainly is an unusual sight.
Looking around the register area, the other waiting customers are whispering about something.
“A traveler’s shame is easily forgotten, Hayami-san.”
“It’s still shameful, isn’t it!”
“Since Hayami-san just threw a large sum of money away, let’s be careful with our finances.”
“Ugh... Please don’t remind me, Yuu-sama...”
With Hayami-san, who just reopened a fresh wound from this morning, I exited the dining hall.
“””Thank you for the meal!”””
“Yes. Everyone ate well.”
As we exited the dining hall, everyone bowed and thanked the staff.
Well, the first lunch was kind of an apology to everyone anxious about missing the plane due to being late.
“The next plan is a cafe about a 30-minute drive away.”
“It’s a cafe with tropical vibes, perfect for social media, with colorful fruits from the tropics, and they also serve shaved ice, right?”
“There are traditional items like sweet red bean soup too, Onii-chan!”
“Oh, this place is famous. It uses Himuro’s ice for their fluffy shaved ice.”
The meal isn’t over yet...
“...It feels like we’re moving away from the sea, and into deeper greenery...”
Following Minna’s directions, we had unconsciously moved away from the seaside and into the inland.
“Ah, here it is. This cafe in the forest is where we’ll have sweets.”
In front of us was a cafe renovated from an old Japanese house, standing alone amidst the fresh greenery of the forest.
“Wow, amazing. It’s like a hidden gem of a place. I can smell the leaves; it’s wonderful.”
“Senior Kohou, you found a wonderful place. Right, Onii-chan?”
“That’s right. The sunlight filtering through the leaves creates such an atmosphere.”
“Hehe, stop praising me so much, everyone~”
Hearing everyone praise her choice of cafe, Minna smiles bashfully.
However...
“”............””
Around two of us, including me, wore somewhat complicated expressions.
“What’s wrong, Yuu? Hayami-sensei?”
“Oh... um, it’s nothing.”
“Well, you see... It’s just that. It reminded me of work...”
Kotomi asked in a small voice, and Hayami-san and I gave awkward replies.
Having drinks and sweets on the wooden deck of the cafe amidst the chirping of birds in the greenery might be a rare moment for people who usually live in urban areas.
However, Hayami-san and I, who have been running around the jungle for the past few days on a mission, have grown tired of greenery.
Also, having been in hot sandy areas, beaches remind us of work.
“Since Kohou-senpai’s mood has finally improved, don’t tell her about it. It was tough for her, you know, cheering up Senior Suou, who was down during the flight.”
“Sorry... Kotomi. It was tough, wasn’t it?”
I express my gratitude to Kotomi, who discreetly advised me.
I genuinely felt sorry for causing everyone so much trouble.
I made sure to emphasize this point during my lecture to Hayami-san as well.
“Although usually perceptive Marin-chan strangely said, ‘You don’t need to worry about Senior Tora,’ and just flirted with Suo-senpai during the flight.”
Marin-chan said that on the flight because she knew Hayami-san and I would make it in time with the transference spell.
“Ah, there’s a cat! Meow~”
Mina finds a cat near the entrance of the old house cafe and quickly approaches, pulling out a cat toy from her pocket.
Isn’t a cat toy something you usually carry around conveniently?
The cafe’s resident cat, accustomed to tourists, looked annoyed by Mina’s attempts to play with it using the cat toy.