The Gourmet Street
The white steamed bun over there—what the hell is that?
Elly glared at me, not even trying to hide how pissed off she was.
Yuna, catching Elly’s sharp gaze, shrank back and quickly hid behind me.
“Oh. Is this the colleague you’re taking the request with?”
“Colleague? Hearing that word come out of your mouth is hilarious. If she’s your colleague, then what am I?”
“You? Hmm… a friend, I guess?”
“……”
Did calling her a friend strike a nerve?
The moment I answered, Elly’s glare grew even more intense, practically stabbing into me.
“I’m not your colleague—I’m your friend?”
“Well… yeah? I’m not part of the Special Task Force, after all.”
“I said friend, you idiot.”
Even though Elly was still spitting out harsh words, she seemed to be in a slightly better mood than when we first met.
“…Fine. Whatever. I knew this would happen. I’m the idiot for getting my hopes up.”
Elly let out a long, heavy sigh and slowly looked me up and down.
“The restaurant. Where is it?”
“What do you mean, getting your hopes up? What are you talking about?”
Instead of answering, Elly snorted and turned her head away.
“Forget it. Why would I expect anything from you? Weren’t we going to eat? Lead the way.”
I scratched the back of my head with a confused expression and pointed forward with my finger.
“It’s right up ahead. What was it called again? Estella? Something like that.”
“Wait. Estella? Did you just say you made a reservation at Estella?”
“Yeah, why? You don’t like it? Should I change it?”
Since Elly liked Estelle so much, I’d specifically chosen a place with “Estella” in the name. Had I messed up somehow?
At my explanation, Elly’s eyes widened as she stepped closer.
“It’s not that I don’t like it. How on earth did you manage to get a reservation there? At that Estella?”
“Hmm… I had a connection who helped me out?”
Once I showed them the recommendation letter from the Blue Magic Tower’s master, they accepted the reservation right away.
When I looked at Elly while thinking that, she let out a sigh as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Judging by that face, you really have no idea what kind of place Estella is, do you?”
“Why? Is it some kind of five-star gourmet restaurant or something?”
“Close enough. The owner is a famous chef even on Gourmet Street, so the food is guaranteed to be excellent.”
“Then that’s a good thing, right? Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”
“You… don’t know what Gourmet Street really is, do you? Ah, of course you wouldn’t.”
“…Isn’t it just a street full of good restaurants?”
I figured it was probably like Sleeping Street—just a district packed with eateries. When I said as much, Elly gave a bitter smile and shook her head.
“You can’t think of it like that. That place is a true dog-eat-dog world that’s far more dangerous than even the Murim Alliance.”
“…Gourmet Street?”
“Reservations, menu orders, shop locations, advertising, ingredients—everything is decided by the law of the strong. If you’re weak, you can make a reservation and still have your table stolen by someone else. It’s a rather violent atmosphere.”
“What the…”
What kind of Gourmet Street was that? At that point, shouldn’t they just drop the “gourmet” part entirely?
“And Estella is famous for strictly following the traditions of Gourmet Street.”
“Which means…”
“Combat inside the restaurant is forbidden, but the moment you get close to the building, the hyenas who want your reservation will come running.”
“Ugh…”
“That’s why reservations aren’t easy to get. They only approve them for customers they judge can handle those hyenas.”
After finishing her explanation, Elly glanced at me and jerked her chin, signaling me to move.
“Got it? Then let’s go.”
“Right now? Shouldn’t we prepare or something?”
She looked completely defenseless, unlike her usual self. Was it really okay to go like this?
When I looked at her with concern, Elly scoffed.
“Prepare? Hmph. No need for that. If anything, the real problem is your catastrophic dress code.”
“Is it that bad?”
“You look like you just crawled out of a gate. It stinks. And honestly, it feels like you wear the same thing every time I see you. Don’t you have any other clothes?”
“I don’t.”
“Haa…”
Elly let out a deep sigh at my answer, shot me a sharp glare, and turned around.
“This won’t do. We still have some time before the reservation, right? Follow me. We need to at least fix your basic dress code.”
“Hey, wait. Don’t I get any say in what clothes I buy?”
“Nope. Just wear what I give you.”
Completely ignoring my protest, Elly strode into a nearby high-end clothing store without hesitation.
Yuna, who followed us in, let out a small “Eek!” at the sparkling lights and the rows of zeros on the price tags before shrinking into a corner.
“Here. This, this, and this. The size should be about right.”
Without even glancing at the clerk, Elly swept through the display and dumped a pile of clothes into my arms.
Black dress pants, a crisp shirt, and a deep navy vest.
It was unmistakably a “I put effort into my look today” date outfit.
“Isn’t this… a bit too serious?”
“What’s too serious is that green raincoat of yours.”
“It’s not a raincoat, it’s protective gear! Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get—”
“I don’t care. Hurry up and change.”
Under Elly’s fierce glare, I had no choice but to shuffle into the fitting room.
Taking off my combat suit and putting on the stiff shirt and pants felt incredibly awkward. The clothes restricted my movement, and worst of all, the necktie was choking me.
There was no way something like this would suit me.
All this suffering just to eat one meal.
Grumbling to myself, I pulled back the curtain and stepped out.
“I’m done. How does it look? Kinda weird, right?”
I loosened the necktie a bit as I looked at Elly.
She had been standing with her arms crossed and one leg slightly forward in a crooked pose. When she turned her head toward me—
“……”
The moment Elly saw me, her expression froze solid.
Her round eyes scanned me from head to toe. For a moment she seemed at a loss for words, her lips parting and closing silently.
“Why? It really looks bad? I’ll go change—”
“Ah, no! Wait!”
As I tried to go back in, Elly hurriedly shouted and grabbed my collar.
“W-who said it looks bad? It’s just… better than before. Yeah, way better. You finally look like a proper person.”
Elly cleared her throat loudly and whipped her face away.
But I could see the tips of her ears turning slightly red.
Was I really okay like this?
“Wow… You look really cool…!”
Yuna, still in the corner, sparkled with admiration.
The moment Elly heard that, her eyes sharpened again.
“Cool? He barely looks presentable.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah. And you… it looks like you can’t take that outfit off.”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. No need to apologize. The one who should be sorry is that guy over there. Haa…”
“Um… I’m sorry.”
I stepped in front of the bowing Yuna, blocking Elly.
“Hey. Stop bullying Yuna. Come to think of it, you two haven’t even introduced yourselves properly yet. This is—”
“The dancer from the Blue Magic Tower. I’ve already heard the rumors.”
“Oh, really?”
“Unlike a certain country bumpkin who just arrived in the city.”
“Country bumpkin…”
I sighed at Elly’s rude remark. Apparently satisfied, she walked out of the store.
“Ah, the bill—”
I tried to pay quickly and follow, but a store employee stopped me.
“Oh, sir. The bill was already taken care of by the female customer a moment ago.”
“Elly paid?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
What? Why was she spending money on me?
Confused, I left the store and caught up to Elly. She spoke first, as if she already knew what I was going to ask.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. If you walk around looking like a beggar, it reflects badly on me. Consider it a dignity maintenance fee.”
“Dignity maintenance fee… Isn’t that a bit expensive?”
“Shut up. And can’t friends do this much for each other? Don’t you even know how to say thank you when a friend gives you a gift?”
Even as she snapped at me, Elly reached out roughly to straighten my crooked necktie.
Up close, a faint, pleasant scent drifted from her.
“There. Now you’re somewhat presentable. Let’s go.”
Looking satisfied, Elly gave my chest a light pat and took the lead again.
I followed her in a daze while Yuna stayed glued to my back, nervously glancing around.
When we finally arrived near Estella—
“This is…”
“The beggars are already swarming.”
Slimy, sinister gazes began to creep over us.
I was wondering if I should do something when Elly snapped her fingers first.
Srrrk.
Mist began to crawl up from the street floor, spreading outward and blocking the gazes fixed on us.
“Mmph…?!”
It wasn’t just blocking their sight—there must have been physical restraint too, because I could hear muffled groans.
“Alright. Let’s go.”
Having instantly driven off all the uninvited guests, Elly led us into Estella. The manager greeted me with perfect composure.
“Welcome. Your reservation has been confirmed.”
Even though people outside were choking and gasping in the mist, the manager didn’t bat an eye as he held the door open.
His polite, elegant demeanor suggested this sort of thing was completely normal.
When we were shown to our seats, Elly grabbed Yuna and sat her down right beside her.
What? I thought she didn’t like Yuna very much. Did she actually take a liking to her?
I couldn’t quite read what she was thinking.
As I pondered that, Elly narrowed her eyes and spoke.
“So. You’re going after the grimoire, right? Both of you?”
“…How did you know?”
“The Ash Grimoire is something I’ve been tracking personally as well.”
“That means… even if I hadn’t contacted you, we might have run into each other anyway?”
“Well, maybe. Or maybe not.”
So even if I hadn’t said anything, Elly would have jumped into this争夺 anyway?
In that case, did that mean in the original story, Elly was supposed to be the winner of this fight?
“Which brings me to this.”
Elly rested her chin on her hand and stared straight at me.
“I can help you. Honestly, just having that steamed bun next to you makes me nervous. The Ash Grimoire isn’t exactly ordinary.”
“…It would definitely be reassuring to have you with us.”
“Right? You know my skills better than anyone.”
Elly lifted her nose proudly and snorted.
“But there’s one condition.”
“Condition?”
“The grimoire. When you retrieve it, hand it over to me.”
Her demand was so bold that I was momentarily speechless.
Even Yuna, who had been quietly munching on the salad that had just been served, stopped moving her fork and watched us nervously.
“Hmm. That might be a bit difficult.”
“What?”
“The request was specifically for the recovery of the grimoire. If I hand it over to you on my own, that would be a breach of contract.”
“Is that so? Well, if that’s how you see it, I guess I have no choice. I’ll just have to do things my way. I’ll subdue you two right here and go take the grimoire myself.”
Elly spoke as if she had nothing to lose, but I quietly revealed a fact she didn’t know.
“Um. That’s going to be pretty hard.”
“Why? You think it’s impossible?”
“Yeah. That grimoire isn’t alone.”
“…Not alone?”
“That’s right. One of the Catastrophe Devices seems to be sharing a host with the grimoire. That’s why the Reverse Factory has stepped in.”
“……”
At my explanation, Elly’s brows furrowed deeply.
The relaxed confidence she’d shown just moments ago vanished completely, replaced by a sharp, murderous aura.
The Ash Grimoire has fused with a Catastrophe Device.
Reverse Factory is now involved.
“A Catastrophe Device… This has gotten a lot dirtier than I expected.”
“Yeah. This isn’t something that can be handled alone.”
“……”
Elly bit her lip, seemingly running calculations in her head.
The Reverse Factory was a troublesome opponent. And if the Catastrophe Device and the grimoire had fused, it would be nearly impossible for Elly to secure the item intact while fighting them by herself.
After a brief silence, Elly let out a long sigh.
“Haa… Fine. I admit it. You’re right.”
She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.
“I can’t just let those tin-can bastards have their way. Alright. I’ll yield this time.”
“Oh, so we have a deal?”
“However! The condition remains. I’m just changing the details a little.”
Elly leaned forward across the table, staring at me intensely.
“I’ll give up ownership of the grimoire. Whether you hand it over to the Blue Magic Tower or boil it into soup is up to you. Instead—”
“Instead?”
“Right after retrieval, let me be the first to perform the Succession Ritual.”
“Succession Ritual?”
“It’s the ceremony where you transplant the grimoire’s magic into yourself.”
When the unfamiliar term appeared, Yuna quickly added an explanation for me.
At the same time, a vision of the future surfaced to provide additional context.
— So the standard that divides old-generation and new-generation mages is—
— ㅇㅇ Those who became mages through magic implantation surgery are the new generation.
— Those who received magic directly from a grimoire through the Succession Ritual are the old generation?
[Comments]
— ㅇㅇ More precisely, they inherit the magic of a senior mage who has become a grimoire.
If it was something like this, it seemed like a perfectly acceptable condition for a deal.
“Hmm… This seems like something the Magic Tower would accept.”
“Yes, I think so too… After all, she is a Witch. She has more than enough qualifications.”
“Good. Then it’s a deal.”
Only after hearing my confirmation did Elly finally show a satisfied smile.
Just then, the main courses began to be served as if on cue. I was about to happily start eating when—
Crash!
A deafening shattering sound rang out as the large glass window near our table exploded into pieces.
And through the broken window, riders on familiar-looking motorcycles stormed in.
The riders who had broken into the restaurant looked around before their eyes landed on me.
“Found you, Helper!”
They shouted my name.