NOVEL NEXT 3-12: Hidden Circumstances < Food < ??? (1/2)
A person and a fox were waiting side-by-side before the stadium.
Teacher Frire’s attack had delayed him quite a bit.
“Kyui!”
When the fox sensed Shinichi’s presence, she jumped onto his head and sat herself in that ever-familiar position that belonged only to her. For some reason, however, her fur was ruffled, making her look somewhat tired.
“What happened to you?”
“Kyuu, kyuu…”
Please don’t ask, the fox seemed to say as she gave that thousand-mile look from the top of his head, while the person with her, a fox girl, mischievously laughed.
“She got jostled about after being brought into the locker room. Girls will be girls, you know. They’ve never seen an amaryllis, so it’s about what you’d expect,” the fox girl said.
That cute appearance of hers coupled with her rarity drew the curious gaze of the girls, garnering her their unadulterated attention. At first, only the courageous ones tried to touch her, but the moment they found out she didn’t mind – or rather because she forgot to mind – the other girls flocked around her, and before she knew it, they were cuddling her. She wanted to defend herself, but after considering Shinichi’s position, she could only endure.
“Oh, so that’s why. Sorry about that. I wasn’t thinking,” Shinichi apologized.
“Kyui! Kyui!”
Please don’t mind it! The fox seemed to say as she quickly shook her head, causing Shinichi to smile.
“Sorry for making you wait, Hina,” Shinichi said.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I know I have to show you around today, so I don’t have anything planned this afternoon.
Besides, because you came late, it’s not as crowded anymore,” Myuhi said as she led the way.
The first and second sports ground were built connected to the outside.
First, they went back into the school building from the second sports ground, then in the first floor, at the center, was the cafeteria.
“How does the cafeteria here work?
I’m a returnee, so I get a lot of my school expenses exempted, but what about my food expense?” Shinichi asked.
“You’ll know once we get there. Look, it’s over there. Let’s go,” Myuhi said as she pushed Shinichi into the cafeteria without answering his question.
A vast room with enough seats to fit about 500 to 600 people greeted Shinichi. The room was so big that despite roughly 70% of the seats being taken, it did not feel crowded at all.
The most striking feature of the room were the students lined up, carrying trays with food on top. Beyond the line of students was the kitchen, wherein middle-aged women swung their kitchen knives to prepare the familiar food ingredients before them. The simplicity of the whole thing touched Shinichi.
“It’s a… cafeteria! A normal cafeteria!” Shinichi cried out in joy.
“I don’t really get it, but before you get moved and all, can you look at your foster?” Myuhi said.
“H-Huh!? The image changed by itself?”
Carrying the foster around was a hassle; having to put it back in the pocket was also a hassle, so Shinichi decided to just leave it attached on his arm.
On his foster’s display could be seen a list of food and set meals with their respective price.
On the upper part of the display were his name and something labeled ‘Remaining Free Funds’.
“So you’re saying………… That I can eat as much as I want as long as I don’t go over this!?” Shinichi asked as he grabbed Myuhi by the shoulders and shook her.
“Uwaah. Y-Yeah… That’s right.
Those funds are for each month, so you have to use them wisely.”
“What!? So basically you’re saying I can eat as much as I want today!?”
Funds were provided each month, and today was almost the last day of the month.
If he used them sparingly, the leftover funds would essentially be thrown away, since the label that says ‘Remaining Free Funds’ would just be reset at the end of the month.
From that perspective, it was clearly more efficient to use up all the points today.
When Shinichi realized that, a passionate fire burned within his eyes.
“Y-Yeah…”
“Tell me! How do I order!? For how long will the cafeteria remain open!?”
“U-Uwaah! D-Don’t shake me!
I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you! So stop!”
Even Myuhi couldn’t help but tap out at being repeatedly shaken like that. Shinichi stopped shaking her, but his hands remained firmly on her shoulders as his bloodshot eyes implored her to speak. Shinichi’s zeal was so intense Myuhi felt her life would be in danger if she didn’t answer immediately.
“You order everything you want to eat through the menu in your Foster.
Once you’ve made your selection, a sound will notify when your order is ready, at which point, you go over there and pick it up.
This place is open until two on the weekdays, while on the weekends it’s open until three.
It’s a school cafeteria, first and foremost, so its main purpose is to provide lunch to the students.
As for breakfast and supper, the students can get that from their dorms.
The fees are shared, so you might want to consider that when ordering.
If you go over the funds provided, you’ll have to pay out of your own pocket.”
Myuhi explained everything in one breath.
After hearing her explanation, Shinichi excitedly read through the menu, then quickly picked out various foods.
“Wow, who would’ve thought there’d be Japanese, Western, and even Chinese cuisine here!
This might be the first time I’m actually happy to be here.”
“And I never expected that the place you’d end up liking most would be the cafeteria, of all places…”
Seeing him beaming with that pure smile, genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart, made Myuhi smile wryly. She didn’t think he’d have this side to him.
Moreover, while the number and scope of the dishes he ordered was ridiculous, for once he was actually excited. He barely reacted when he saw Garesto’s technology, and yet here he was, so excited over something so simple.
“Anyway, let’s go find a table,” Myuhi said as she picked an empty table.
Shinichi and Myuhi sat facing each other.
Myuhi frowned a little but it only lasted for a moment before she was all smiles again.
“I didn’t think you’d have such a Japanese-like or earth-like system here.
I thought for sure you’d have some mysterious technology here popping out mysterious food made out of mysterious ingredients,” Shinichi said.
“Ha Ha, Garesto is still some ways off before getting there.
Earth is more developed when it comes to food, so it’s better to use earth tech here.”
38 years ago, Garesto sent many diplomats to Earth. When they came back, they found Garesto cuisine so unappetizing that a majority of them spat the food they ate and said, “This is trash.” No one knew whether that actually happened, but Earth’s cuisine had such a culture shock on Garesto that people actually took that story as truth.
“…Thank goodness the food is still the same.
If even the food had changed, I think I might have broken down crying,” Shinichi chuckled before shortly sniffing.
Shinichi seemed truly on the verge of tears as he said that. His reaction was so intense that it made one wonder why he was so passionate over food.
As Myuhi wondered to herself, Shinichi’s foster rang. His meal was ready.
Shinichi stood up to get his order, and then in the blink of an eye, he came back, a huge serving of yakisoba on one hand, while on his left were 10 hamburgers.
“Itadakimasu!” Shinichi said.
His orders hadn’t all been completed yet, but Shinichi couldn’t wait to dig in.
He immediately placed the dishes over the table and gorged himself. Like magic, the yakisoba meant for two people was slurped clean, making it almost seem as if the yakisoba was not a dish to be eaten but a beverage to be drunk. In the same vein, the mountain of hamburgers was stuffed into his cheeks one after another like candies, and in less than 10 seconds, Mt. Burger was gone.
“…………Magic?” Myuhi found herself asking in stupefaction.
“D-Delicious!
Right! This is it! The fragrance of the sauce, the taste… This is yakisoba!
And the fast food… It’s been so long! Proper cooking is good and all, but this is good too!”
Although Shinichi didn’t take more than a dozen seconds or so to finish everything, he was greatly touched by the food. He held his hands tight and looked up the ceiling during this touching moment, then his foster rang again, prompting Shinichi to bolt off.
“Come to think of it, it is said that returnees are happiest when eating the food here,” Myuhi muttered to herself.
The relatively unpalatable Garesto cuisine and the nostalgic taste of one’s hometown.
To the returnees who came back to a completely different earth, those two points were more than enough to make them yearn for the food here.
That was true even for Shinichi who came from Falandia.
“Ahh, this smell! This taste!
To think the day would come when I would be able to once again eat food that could whet my appetite so!”
This time the excessively passionate Shinichi placed a large plate of Sichuan-style Bean Curd (Mabo Tofu) over the table.
Beside that large plate was a porcelain bowl filled with — Rice!
“Kuuuu!! This whiteness, this brilliance! This is none other than the glorious white rice of my dreams!
Paired with Mabo Tofu, the invincible combination! I… I can gorge myself, right!?”
Exactly who was Shinichi asking that to?
Burning with zeal, Shinichi took the Chinese spoon, and with frightening speed devoured the Sichuan-style Bean Curd (Mabo Tofu), then while the heat and taste was still lingering in his mouth, he took a mouthful of white rice.
In no time at all, the pair of Mabo Tofu and white rice, also known as Mabo Donburi, was eliminated.
“As expected of my soul food! We can truly meet each other anywhere!
Next, I’ll gorge myself to some ramen rice!!”
Shinichi was so touched his eyes went teary, then his foster rang, and he bolted off again.
“Uwaah… Where does he put all that?”
Although Myuhi understood Shinichi’s circumstances, she could no longer keep up with his tension.
Shinichi was by no means big; he had a perfectly normal sized body. So, exactly where was he putting all that food?
Myuhi wryly smiled as she made that half-fed-up half-curious expression.
Meanwhile, “she” had to wipe her tears.
“What’s the matter, Amaryllis-chan?”
“Kyui, Kyuiii…”
For some reason, Myuhi had expected this.
When “she” saw the way Shinichi was now, she was so happy she became teary-eyed.
She had a wealth of facial expressions despite being an animal, making her easy to read like a human.
Right now, she seemed to be saying, “One of your dreams has finally come true. That’s great… That’s great!”
“…………Exactly just what kind of food have you guys been eating?” Myuhi found herself asking.
“Isn’t that obvious? It’s the worst kind, the worst. That stuff Garesto calls food can’t be eaten at all,” someone replied.
Diagonally toward the back from where Myuhi and she sat, was a black-haired Japanese, who was also one of the Top 5 of the academy.
“Oh my, Guu-Chan. It sure is rare to see you eating at the cafeteria.”
Shinguuji Ryou.
He normally ate outside the academy in one of of the high-class restaurants, so it was rare to see him at the cafeteria.
Seeing as he had nothing on his table yet, it seems he had just ordered.
Also, the reason Shinguuji didn’t react to the weird nickname Myuhi called him with, was because he had long given up trying to get her to stop.
“I really can’t stand it… you being with that D-Rank bastard.
And I’m here because I suddenly felt like going to a more normal place. It’s been a while, so…” Shinguuji said with a nostalgic expression as he eyed the surrounding students eating.
4 years ago he found himself lost in Garesto; two years later, he returned.
He had already been accustomed to the workings of the otherworld, so there was no confusion when he came back. He was also accommodated by the government.
“Hmm… There are other people who stayed for two years, but in your case, what you yearned for wasn’t food but human warmth, right, Guu-chan?”
For some reason, Shinguuji had intentionally stayed in the otherworld for two years.
Myuhi neither knew nor had any interest what his reasons were, but when she saw him alone, she couldn’t help but tease.
“Hah, and I was wondering what you were going to say.
If I actually set my mind to it, I could get any woman I want.
In fact, there’s so many of them flocking, it’s actually a pain having to refuse them all.”
“And that’s why you’re alone, right?” Myuhi grinned as she pointed to the empty chairs around him.
For some reason, despite being a student of the special class, Shinguuji Ryouma never used the special seats allotted to his class and instead used the normal tables in the cafeteria… alone.
“T-T-That’s just a coincidence! No, you’re wrong!
I just felt like being alone today, that’s why!
Besides, super elites are always detached and alone!” Shinguuji said with a smile as he sought to hide his blunder. It was a truly comical performance.
Myuhi found that amusing, so she just continued to stare at him with a huge grin plastered on her face, causing Shinguuji to gaze away when he couldn’t bear it anymore.
“Fu, fufu, Ramen, Rice, Gyoza… What a spectacular combination!” Shinichi exclaimed.
“…………Icchi, your character is falling apart,” Myuhi pointed out.
“…………I take back my previous statement. Don’t put me with the likes of him,” Shinguuji remarked.
Before they knew it, Shinichi had returned with a ramen set on his tray. The way he grinned as he carried his food made him appear crazy.
“*Slurp! *Gulp. Ahh! This… This is it!
The elasticity of the noodles, the sensation of it going down the throat, the taste of the soy sauce! The nostalgic smell and taste of Gyoza! I’m so happy I could die. Ahh, and then the rice!!”
A large serving of ramen, a serving of gyoza fit for two, and a bowl of white rice.
It was a sumptuous meal that would surely fill anyone’s belly full, but before anyone knew it, it vanished.
Every drop, every wrapping, every grain of rice was sucked cleanly into Shinichi’s stomach.
Yet despite that, Shinichi wasn’t satisfied. His foster rang time and time again, imploring the glutton (Shinichi) to bolt off and retrieve another meal.
“Just how hungry is that guy? Does he even realize I’m here?” Shinguuji said.
“He’s so completely lost in his food he can’t even see you anymore, Guu-chan,” Myuhi said.
“That bastard… Tch, I’ll remember this.”
“Same.”
Though “she” was clearly unhappy, Shinichi had to go because his foster had rung.
When he came back, a small plate was slid before her.
“Kyui?”
“Sorry, I was so excited I forgot to get yours.
Here, try it. It’s from my hometownCountry, so I like it a lot.”
On the small plate was dazzling fried tofu stuffed with sushi rice. It was inari sushi.
She felt he had some odd intentions in specifically picking out this dish for her, but she happily took a bite anyway. [1]
“Kyu, Kyuu!? Kyu, Kyu.”
When she did, her face dazzled, and in the next moment, she happily dug in, while Shinichi watched her with satisfaction.
“I guess foxes really do like inari.”
Though she looked like a fox, that was only on the outside.
In reality, she was a completely different species.
But despite that, foxes and inari sushi were just so inseparable for a Japanese like Shinichi that he couldn’t help but offer one to her.
“As for me I’ll be having my long awaited pork fried with ginger set meal!”
The savory smell of the sauce and the fried pork permeated in it whet Shinichi’s appetite so much that he gulped even after eating.
Joy filled him each time rice and pork mingled in his mouth.
“Ahh, this is the best! Why do meat and rice go so well together, I wonder.
Ehehe, you can even eat it wrapped with meat… Mmm!”
Rice and meat together was just heavenly, leaving Shinichi in bliss.
Now, Falandia’s food was by no means poor.
In fact, their food was not much different from the western cuisine of Earth.
Only, it was a lot closer to their food in the olden days; hence, it was not enough to satisfy someone like Shinichi, who was born in Japan, which had an abundance of many different kinds of food.
Though of course, that’s only one reason why.
“Found you. You’re the person who shamed Padyuel-san,” a student said.
“I can see you’re eating, but I’m sorry, as you’re still gonna have to go with us,” another student said.
“Ah! This flavor, this fragrance! This is definitely Japan’s miso soup!” Shinichi remarked as he ate.
Shinichi quivered as he diligently tasted the miso soup.
He didn’t even realize the 5 or 6 students that gathered around him.
Even “she”, who was normally supposed to be sensitive, had lost herself in the inari sushi.
“Huh? Hey, can’t you hear me!?”
This group of people was the same as that time after the mock battle during recess.
Though Shinichi couldn’t see them right now, some of these people were with the curled rolls.
But then again, Shinichi never really knew their faces all too well, so he might not recognize them even if he were to see them.
“I’m asking you if you’re the one who shamed Padyuel-san.
You might not know this being a transfer student, but in this academy, tsk! Hey! Are you listening!?”
“Uuu, the cabbage is so sweet. I understand! I’m sorry for having hated you until now!”
The only thing in Shinichi’s mind right now was the cabbage on his plate.
Even though he hated vegetables so much before being swept into the otherworld, right now, he had no discrimination when it came to food.
This was one of the influences of living in a tough world.
“Wh… Hmph, you have guts to be ignoring us!”
“Even though we special class students came here out of the goodness of our heart to teach a dense transfer student like you the rules of this school!”
“Calm down… Even if it’s you, that kind of behavior is…”
“Ahh, the rice is standing up. It’s dazzling. I came back just to meet you!”
“Fuck!”
Shinichi was truly oblivious of the unruly crowd that had surrounded him.
He had finally managed to get his paws on some Japanese or Chinese cuisine, so it was only natural that he would be far too engrossed in them to mind anything else.
His zeal for food right now was such that the voices around him couldn’t even become the BGM for his gluttony.
Right now, the only thing on his mind was the food before him, his third serving of pork fried with ginger.
“How long are you planning to eat, damn it!! Look at me!”
When he realized that Shinichi hadn’t even noticed him, he couldn’t help but curse and kick at the table, causing it to flip over.
“!?”
That pair of chopsticks that should have clamped on a slice of meat suddenly clamped nothing more than themselves, causing Shinichi to pause..
The food and tray over the table had also been flipped over.
Shinichi’s eyes were filled with sorrow as he looked at the spilled food on the ground.
But the crowd around him were unsympathetic despite having made a mess.
“Hey! How long are you planning on looking at trash?
Just turn here already, you piece of trash!”
“This method might be a bit too drastic, but earthlings are just too obsessed with food.
The amount you’ve eaten should be more than enough for your nutrition. Honestly, it’s ridiculous and stupid.
Now listen to what we have to say.”
“Listen up, alright? We’re here to tell a lazy student like you the rules of… !?”
For people like them who have been blessed with food, what they did just now was neither meant as violence nor intended to antagonize him, which is why the male student was caught unprepared when Shinichi suddenly grabbed him by the nape of his neck.
Tl Note: Originally just one chapter, but it was just too long, so I had to cut it into two. I’ll post the next part next week. Next part will be posted as another chapter.
How long is it? Well, even the author agrees it’s long. =_= I wanted to release it as one release, but it just wasn’t feasible with my school schedule and the time it takes to translate this. Sorry about that, next week. Oh, and this is probably the shorter of the two parts. There are more translated, but this seems to be the best place to cut.
[1] https://www.sushi.com/articles/inari-sushi