Chapter 69: The Meal 2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 69: The Meal 2
I approached Sepia, who was standing by the door.
"What brings you here, Sepia?"
As far as I remembered, this place wasn't supposed to get its first customers until much later. I had chosen it specifically for Johanna, who hated crowded places, so I hadn't expected to run into anyone I knew.
"This is a restaurant?"
Sepia looked around the interior in surprise. Had she really walked in without even knowing what it was?
"I didn't come in because I knew it was a restaurant. My little sister just said she wanted to check it out. I never expected to find you here, though."
Sepia’s sister?
Looking down, I saw a little girl whose head barely reached Sepia’s waist. She was hiding behind Sepia, clutching her skirt tightly.
"But are you here alone...? Oh, you're with Lady Freya."
The smile on Sepia’s face vanished the moment she spotted Johanna.
Do they have a bad relationship? I couldn't recall them ever interacting in Croaka, so I wasn't sure.
Peek.
Sepia’s sister poked her head out from behind her back, eyeing me warily. I smiled behind my mask and waved at the child. Startled, she immediately ducked back, hiding her entire face behind Sepia.
"Lania, this is a friend of mine. You should say hello."
Sepia spoke in an affectionate voice as she stroked Lania’s hair. So her name was Lania.
"Hmph!"
Encouraged by Sepia’s words, Lania let out a cute little grunt of determination and stepped out from behind her sister. However, she kept one hand firmly gripped on Sepia’s skirt. Lania had bright sky-blue hair tied up in a cute style, and she was wearing a dress of the same color.
"I-I am...!"
Squeak! Her voice cracked.
Flush!
Lania’s face turned beet red from embarrassment. Her eyes welled up with tears as if she were about to cry at any moment.
"I'm... Lania Rivayden," she whispered in a tiny, trailing voice, fighting back the tears.
‘So cute!’
If it weren't for my Poker Face, I would have lost it right then and there. Sepia seemed to find her adorable too; she turned her head away, her shoulders trembling as she desperately tried to stifle her laughter.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Loki."
I knew she couldn't see my eyes because of the mask, but I knelt on one knee to meet her at eye level and offered my hand. Lania’s eyes darted around as if she were debating whether or not to take it.
"Is the mask too scary?" Sepia asked playfully, stroking Lania’s blue hair.
"Then, if I take off the mask, will the little lady accept my greeting?"
Just as I was responding in the same playful tone...
"Let's go."
Johanna suddenly appeared at my side and grabbed my hand.
"Wait, haven't we paid yet?"
"I already did."
When? Was she paying while Sepia was looking around the restaurant? Did she go straight to the counter the moment Sepia walked in?
Johanna tugged at my hand, looking like she wanted to leave the restaurant this very second. But as she pulled me toward the exit, Sepia grabbed my other hand.
"Pushover, do you have a moment to talk?"
"He's busy."
Before I could even open my mouth, Johanna answered in a chilling voice, her eyes fixed on Sepia’s hand holding mine.
"I wasn't talking to you, Lady Freya."
"....................."
The two glared at each other in silence. I was flustered, but Lania looked even more distressed; tears were practically ready to spill over.
Clap!
I clapped my hands together to draw their attention and spoke up.
"The little lady still seems a bit uncomfortable with me, so let's save the conversation for later."
I approached Lania again and knelt down to meet her gaze.
"Now, look over here."
"Ta-da!" I added my own sound effect as a flower suddenly appeared in my hand. Lania’s eyes widened at the sight of the flower manifesting out of thin air.
"A small gift for the little lady."
I handed the flower to Lania, and she took it with trembling hands. This wasn't an illusion; it was a real flower I had pulled from my Pocket Dimension. It was something I’d tucked away back when I was experimenting with the Pocket Dimension's functions.
"Th-thank you."
Lania clutched the flower tightly in her hand.
"I'll see you next time."
* * *
Once they were outside the restaurant, Loki suddenly let out an "Oh, right" and turned to Johanna.
"Senior, could you wait here for just a moment? I forgot to tell the owner something."
Johanna furrowed her elegant brows in disapproval.
"To that woman?"
The way she referred to Sepia was a bit odd, but Loki didn't pay it much mind.
"No, I have something to say to the restaurant owner, not Sepia."
"Really?"
"Really."
"How long will you be?"
"It won't take long. Three minutes at most?"
Johanna was about to ask, 'Is it something I shouldn't hear?' but then she remembered what her mother had told her before she left the mansion.
‘If you’re too obsessive, the other person might run away.’
She didn't think Loki would ever run away, and even if he tried, she had no intention of letting him. However, she decided that as long as he wasn't talking to another woman, a brief conversation was fine.
"......You have to be back in three minutes."
"Of course. I'll be as quick as possible."
As Loki headed back inside, Johanna focused her mana to enhance her hearing, intent on catching every sound from within the restaurant.
Exactly 189 seconds later, Loki emerged.
She wasn't pleased that he had exceeded the three-minute mark, but since it didn't seem like he had been talking to a woman, she decided to let it slide.
"Just this once."
"Pardon? Just this once? What do you mean?"
"It's nothing."
Loki chatted with Johanna as they walked back toward the Academy. Johanna claimed she knew a faster route, so he followed her. Aside from the fact that it took twice as long as the usual path, nothing else happened.
* * *
"Uuuuugh."
I threw myself onto my bed and stretched. I had gone through grueling training at the Adelian estate before enrolling, but since coming to the Academy, things had only become more exhausting.
"School really is the root of all evil."
I briefly reminisced about my school days in my original world.
‘Hmm...’
At least here, I could wear a mask. In my old world, I couldn't exactly walk around with my face covered. After everything I went through during six years of elementary school, I had wanted to go to an all-boys middle school. But there weren't any near my house, so I ended up at a co-ed school. Within three days of starting, I regretted it.
The other boys said they were jealous, but getting confessed to by girls I had zero interest in wasn't pleasant at all. In my first year, a third-year boy even picked a fight with me, claiming I had seduced the girl he liked. For the record, I didn't even know her name or what she looked like.
There was even a girl who came to my house and swung a knife around because I rejected her. Just thinking about it gives me the creeps.
‘Of course, things are different now.’
Back then, I was afraid to show my face because I thought some crazy bitch might actually stab me. Now, being stabbed wouldn't kill me. Well, it might be different if Johanna was the one swinging the blade.
"Hahaha."
The thought was so absurd I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh. Why would Johanna ever swing a sword at me?
As I was lost in thought...
Ring, ring. Ring, ring.
The communication device chimed, as it did every night. Talking to Yerika every night had become a permanent fixture in my life. Talking to her made me feel at ease, and I didn't have nightmares afterward.
"Wait."
I finally realized what that sense of dissonance I felt when I woke up in the carriage was. Why didn't I have a nightmare then? I hadn't passed out; I had just fallen asleep because I was tired. I obviously hadn't taken any medicine, and I hadn't talked to Yerika right before sleeping.
Ring, ring! Ring, ring!
I decided to answer first and think later. If I took too long, she might hang up.
— [Mr. Clown, why did you take so long to answer!]
Yerika spoke loudly as if she were angry, but her voice was full of mirth.
"I was organizing some things and answered late by mistake. Did anything happen to you today, Yerika?"
— [Me? I spent the day wondering if Mr. Clown was thinking about me.]
"I was doing the same, constantly wondering what Yerika might be up to."
— [Hehe!]
"Pfft!"
We both laughed at the same time. We didn't talk about anything particularly special after that, but the more we spoke, the more at peace I felt.
"Did that really happen at the Imperial Palace today?"
— [Huh? So suddenly?]
"I just thought I'd ask."
— [Honestly! You're hopeless.]
As I was passing the time talking to Yerika, I heard a familiar sound from somewhere.
Ring, ring. Ring, ring.
It was definitely the sound of a communication device. To be precise, it wasn't the one I was using to talk to Yerika. It was the one I had received from Johanna.
Ring, ring! Ring, ring! Ring, ring! Ring, ring!
The device continued to ring incessantly, completely oblivious to the situation.