Invited by Kazaguruma, Tsugumi took a cab and after an hour in the car, he arrived at a single ran shop in an intricate alleyway.
–He liked ran. However, ordering a large quantity of ran would cause trouble for the restaurant, so he rarely went there as Hagakure Sakura. Even if he went there, he usually stopped after about five bowls.
On the signboard of the store, the na of the store was written as [Tasty Ran Shop] and gave an indescribable impression. The lights were still on, but there was a “closed for business” sign posted outside.
“Um, there’s a sign saying this place is closed for business, is that okay?”
“It’s okay. I made a reservation in advance.”
…As he thought that ran shops apparently could be rented out, Kazaguruma pushed Tsugumi’s back and opened her mouth, looking slightly embarrassed
“Co in quickly.”
“Ah yes. I understand.”
Puzzled by Kazaguruma’s atmosphere, he passed through the curtain, which looked a little deserted, and saw a small, but more beautiful restaurant than he had expected. The owner, a young man with a mild air about him, invited Tsugumi to co in.
Kazaguruma slightly raised her hand and said, “I recomnd two”. She sat down at a table in the back with a satisfied look. Perhaps the owner was used to it, he shrugged and turned away and walked to the kitchen in the back.
–The owner didn’t make a fuss when he saw Magical Girls. It was just a normal reaction. He wondered if this was a famous place that he didn’t know about.
With these thoughts in mind, Tsugumi took a seat in front of Kazaguruma and discreetly asked as he poured two cups of cold water into the cups on the table.
“Are you a regular here, Kazaguruma-san?”
“Mmm, I’m not a regular; that was my brother just now. It’s a small restaurant, but the taste is good. –Besides, you don’t have to worry about our conversation leaking out.”
Kazaguruma began to speak haltingly, then said in a hushed voice.
“Sorry to say it’s just my family’s restaurant, but I hope you’ll bear with . ….If you go to a high-class restaurant on the day soone dies, people will make a fuss. Better to stay out of trouble.”
“I see. That may indeed be true.”
Indeed, on the day a colleague, a Magical Girl, died in front of her eyes, it would sound strange if they acted like usual.
In Tsugumi’s case, he separated work and private life, so it didn’t bother him that much when people complained about him, but considering the future, he wanted to avoid lowering Hagakure Sakura’s image as much as possible. He didn’t know what the upper managent – Toono – was up to, but it would be better not to make a bad mistake.
Thinking about this, Tsugumi nodded solemnly. Then, looking around the warmth of the restaurant, he let out a small sigh.
Perhaps it was because he had been in a fierce battle just an hour before, but sohow he felt very calm. Then, rembering the battle just now–the end of Shiraki, he opened his mouth, feeling a bit sad.
“I’m sorry about Shiraki-san.”
“It happens all the ti. There’s no point in worrying about it.”
When Tsugumi muttered this, Kazaguruma said in a crisp voice and shook her head slightly.
“I know it’s a little late for this, but how’s your appetite? If you don’t have much appetite, I’ll tell them to cut back a bit.”
“I’m fine. I can eat normally.”
Witnessing soone’s death made him sowhat discouraged, but it didn’t affect his spirit that much. It was Shiraki herself who decided to fight an A-class. Regardless of the outco, it seed rather rude for a complete stranger to worry about it.
In fact, he was hungrier than usual because of the fight with the Demonic Beast. When Tsugumi told her this, Kazaguruma smiled slightly with an air of exasperation.
“Hagakure Sakura is really bold. No, everyone at Jukka is like that. In other words, I am the only normal person. Good grief, this is a lot to bear.”
‘Well, there are a lot of unique people in Jukka.”
As for Tsugumi, he thought “Hagakure Sakura” was a rather normal person among those mbers with strong personalities, but it would be better not to say that. He didn’t want to poke snakes out of the bushes.
“No, no, no, I can’t compete with soone who has beco the cafeteria specialty. –By the way, this is a small restaurant as you can see, so don’t expect such a large quantity. We won’t be able to open tomorrow.”
“I-I can at least control how much I eat! Please don’t tease anymore.”
In the anti, the dishes were brought to the table. The nu included ran, fried rice, dumplings, fried tofu, and other items that were typical of ran shops. The amount of food was sowhat inadequate for Tsugumi, but it wasn’t a problem, since not eating a lot of food wouldn’t make him collapse.
–This hunger was surely different from the body’s fuel consumption. He was little concerned about it, but Magical Girls tended to be easily influenced by their contact Gods. There was no real damage so far, except for the cost of food, and Bell hadn’t said anything in particular, so there should be no problem with just watching the situation for the ti being.
He held the bowl of ran and picked up his chopsticks before the noodles got stretched. He blew the ran to cool it down then took a small sip of the noodle. He took two bites, then three, and then Tsugumi stared at it in surprise.
“–It’s very delicious. Eh, this is really ran, isn’t it?”
A light seafood soup with a llow dashi aroma. The perfect balance between the char siu that lted in his mouth and the crispy noodles. It felt like sipping a high-class soup rather than ran.
…He finally understood why so people often said that ran was a beverage. With trepidation, he picked up so other snacks, but they all tasted more complex than they looked, and he never got tired of them.
Kazaguruma smiled with satisfaction at Tsugumi, who was surprised but didn’t stop eating.
“That’s good to hear. …I was wondering what would happen when my foolish brother quit his job as a hotel chef and suddenly started a ran shop, but if that Hagakure Sakura says so, he may be able to make it work. I feel a little relieved.”
“I see. I think this will definitely beco popular.”
“But the price tag is unreasonably aggressive. The price is about five tis higher than in a normal restaurant.”
Saying that, Kazaguruma shrugged and let out a sigh. According to her, the cost of ingredients had increased because of the taste, and it wouldn’t be profitable unless the price was around that level. Even if it wasn’t the case, it seed that the funds were always tight for buying ingredients to research tastes. …He probably really wasn’t suited for managent.
“A bowl of ran and a side dish alone would cost more than 10,000 yen. Well, you could lower the unit price or sothing like that…”
As Tsugumi said that, he glanced at the owner, who crossed his head and shook his head quietly. It seed that he never intended to give it up. … He didn’t know what kind of target he was aiming for, but he couldn’t see any prospects for it to go well.
–I like the taste, so I’ll co here once in a while to make sure it doesn’t go out of business. Thinking of this, he continued to eat with his chopsticks. After finishing the dishes at the table while chatting, Kazaguruma opened her mouth to mutter a few words as she ate the gelato served for dessert.
“Hagakure Sakura is a nice person, so I’ll give a warning.”
“Eh?”
“Be careful with Agatsuma Suo. –That thing has really disgusting eyes. Her eyes seem to simr with stagnant malice. It’s best not to get involved.”
“What does that an?”
He didn’t understand why, and when Tsugumi raised his voice in bewildernt, Kazaguruma stared into Tsugumi’s eyes and said.
“Hagakure Sakura is dull. –She’s been looking at you that way for a long ti. Did you really not notice?”
“…No, not at all. But, I see. Agatsuma-san was looking at like that.”
Saying so quietly, Tsugumi tightly grasped his chest with both hands.
–Agatsuma Suo was a victim of that great fire. She, too, was searching for the truth about the great fire, just like Tsugumi. Perhaps she might have found the truth, or a piece of it, through a different route. Just thinking about it gave him chills that made every hair on his body stand on end.
–Hagakure Sakura’s face bore a striking resemblance to the main culprit in the case, Shikabane Sakura. He didn’t know how much of the truth Agatsuma knew, but that was a good enough reason to be hostile.
“Thank you for your concern. …I think I will try to have a proper talk with Agatsuma-san soday. Whatever the outco, I’m sure it will be better that way.”
–He didn’t have the courage to speak just yet. Besides, many mysteries remained about the great fire. As long as those aspects weren’t clarified, nothing he said would solve anything. He knew this was just procrastination, but Tsugumi couldn’t afford it right now.
Feel guilty for being a relative of the perpetrator, and feel victimized for being raised as a sacrifice. Even Tsugumi himself hadn’t fully grasped the contradiction that slowly chipping away at his heart. Talking to the victim in such a situation was suicidal.
–He still had a lot of things to do. The truth of the case. About Chidori. Toono’s plan. He couldn’t face Agatsuma until all of these things were settled, at the very least. But maybe soday they would have to talk. He would have to make up his mind by then.
Tsugumi smiled wryly and scratched his head. Kazaguruma, who had been watching Tsugumi silently, let out a loud sigh and scooped up a spoonful of gelato, and popped it into Tsugumi’s mouth. A sweet aroma filled his mouth.
“Mmmm!?”
“Haha, what a stupid face. –I don’t know what happened between you and Agatsuma Suo. Just move on and be satisfied with yourself. Hagakure Sakura is doing well enough.”
Kazaguruma said this with a rare smile. Tsugumi swallowed the contents of his mouth, blinking his eyes as he stared at Kazaguruma. He could feel his cheeks slowly turning red from the straightforward comfort and praise.
Feeling sowhat embarrassed, he looked away to hide his embarrassnt and said in a sulky tone.
“What are you doing, treating people like children?”
“As long as I am tall, you are a child. You can take advantage of your Oneechan as much as you want. Here.”
Kazaguruma spreads her hands mockingly, and Tsugumi said with a pouting face.
“Who is an oneechan? I’m older than you.”
“Hagakure Sakura is, by all accounts, the youngest child. Besides, two years or so is like a margin of error. It doesn’t make much difference.”
Then, Tsugumi and Kazaguruma looked at each other and chuckled. The easy-going, mindless exchange was terribly comfortable.
After that, they chatted about other things while eating their extra desserts, and then disbanded when the night was late.
After thanking Kazaguruma and the owner, he left the restaurant and walked alone along the empty night street after transforming himself. He didn’t eat enough to fill his stomach, but for so reason his stomach was full.
“…Co to think of it, I called Chidori to let her know that I’m staying over today. Then I guess I can’t go ho today.”
Muttering this, Tsugumi took out his cell phone. He then selected one of his contacts.
“Hello, Yukitaka? I have a favor to ask-“
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