Chapter 82: Festival: I Became the Sashimi ■■ (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 82: Festival: I Became the Sashimi ■■ (2)
Ultimately, the main focus of this festival was our club booth.
It wasn't for some grandiose reason like spreading Korean food globally; I just wanted to make memories to share with my fellow club members. But as always, unexpected ill-fated encounters and farces unfolded.
That was yesterday afternoon. But perhaps my worries were unfounded.
I thought a horde of reporters would swarm in right after that incident and shove cameras in my face, but yesterday passed by more quietly than expected.
After breathing a sigh of relief inwardly, I wanted to purely enjoy my own festival today, on the second day...
"Customer number 238! Please step inside!"
Weapon quickly scanned the order slips. In front of him, customers were lined up like a train.
Despite the sweltering heat that made everyone drip with sweat, the end of the line was nowhere in sight.
Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop—!
Chloe prepped the ingredients with nimble hand movements.
Her hands moved so fast they left afterimages, making it look like she had multiple arms.
Despite her frantic movements, the prepped ingredients vanished from the cutting board in the blink of an eye.
"This is interference with our business. I must ask you to leave."
At the entrance of the booth, Ryozo stood with her arms crossed, blocking a crowd of reporters.
Beside her, Senior Hana chimed in, her glasses glinting. They flatly rejected the reporters, no matter how much they begged.
"I'm Reporter Han Sang-hoon from CBS! Could we please see Mr. Kang Geomma for just thirty seconds—no, fifteen seconds?!"
"Don't you know that interviews without prior agreement are forbidden?"
"Ah, come on, I'm just asking to take a single photo of his face!"
"He said he doesn't want to, so why do you keep persisting?! If you don't want your entire broadcasting station hacked, you'd better beat it! We're busy enough as it is!"
"W-What?! Are you threatening a reporter right now?!"
"Ha, where else would you find such a gentle threat? You people are hilarious. This cramped space is bursting at the seams because of you. Go ahead, push your luck and see what happens!"
After arguing for a while, the grown men trudged away. They smacked their lips, their expressions saying they would be back for another chance.
Buzz, buzz.
The booth, which lacked air conditioning, was packed shoulder-to-shoulder. Even as sweat dripped from their chins, the customers didn't care and slurped down the red broth. Female customers stopped eating midway to shove their smartphones toward the food.
"Hey, hey, how did you tag your feed?"
"I used hashtags like Sashimi Sword Saint, Kimchi Jjigae, and Korean Food!"
"Oh, wow, I should do the same."
"Right? It's Kimchi Jjigae made by the Sashimi Sword Saint, so the views are going to explode!"
I stood there blankly, staring at the customers.
Sashimi Sword Saint.
The cause of this disaster. Last night, articles had flooded the portal sites as if they had been waiting for this exact moment.
It was only natural, of course. The Star of the Continent, Mao Rang, had been defeated by a mere cadet.
I had anticipated that much and had warned the club members about it beforehand.
But it seemed one article out of the many had caught everyone's eye.
[The Monster Rookie Who Subdued the Star of the Continent, the 'Sashimi Sword Saint']
Perhaps due to the distinctiveness of its clickbait title, that article attracted countless comments and immense attention.
And just like that, I had literally become an overnight celebrity.
...Sword Saint.
A title that had been locked by the system in 'Miracle Blessing M'.
According to the official history, the future Sword Emperor would inherit it.
But since he had recently announced his retirement, it was a title destined to be lost to history.
But of all things, why this?
That crown had suddenly been thrust upon my head. Of course, the title itself was highly tongue-in-cheek.
It's so fucking embarrassing.
That was my honest reaction yesterday when Ryozo, chuckling to herself while cleaning up, showed me the article.
They had simply slapped 'Sashimi' in front of the prestigious title of 'Sword Saint,' yet its weight had become infinitely light.
Anyway, our once-modest booth was now being called 'Sashimi Sword Saint's Kimchi Jjigae,' drawing in pesky customers from all over.
"Chief! Is the stew ready yet? We need to seat the customers for ticket number 250."
Weapon said, poking only his head into the booth. I snapped out of my daze and was about to move my hands when I suddenly asked,
"Weapon, how many waiting numbers do we have left?"
"Hmm—for now, we've printed up to number 674. There are more, but we ran out of receipt paper, so I have to go buy some later. If we count the ones we couldn't print, it's probably over a thousand."
"..."
Even in my past life as the nation's best swordsman, business had never been this booming. Of course, there is no badge of honor more prestigious than people enjoying your food, but...
This is way too much.
Our once-abundant ingredients were being sucked into the earthenware pots in the blink of an eye. I looked at Chloe's profile.
I felt sorry for her as she chopped away, dripping with sweat. I could already see her fingers trembling from sheer exhaustion.
We're severely shorthanded.
Yet, turning away people who had come all this way would be a disgrace to a cook. As I mechanically moved my hands while searching for a solution...
"Oh, Master. In all my life, I've never seen a restaurant with business this booming. Right, Nox?"
"...Yes."
Mansur, the owner of Korean Sushi, and Nox showed their faces. Chloe, who was chopping in a trance-like state, didn't notice Nox.
Their sudden visit was welcome, but it also added to the chaos. I took a deep breath and said,
"Um, Boss. I'll visit you personally next time, so today..."
As my voice trailed off, Mansur tilted his head. Then, he burst into a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha! We didn't come here as customers, Master."
"Then?"
"I happened to see the articles yesterday and figured this place would be bursting at the seams today. So I came with Nox to lend a hand!"
Mansur said, slapping Nox on the back. Nox stood there awkwardly, his head lowered.
I looked back and forth between the two.
We had only met once briefly, so I felt nothing but gratitude that they had come.
But my appreciation was fleeting. The customers' mouths wouldn't wait.
"Then, I won't stand on ceremony."
I nodded. Mansur bared his teeth in a grin and rolled up his sleeves.
"As your disciple, it's only natural! If anything, I should be the one thanking you, Master. Or should I call you the Sashimi Sword Saint now?"
"...If you're just going to tease me, please leave."
"Hahaha, I'm joking, I'm joking! Come on, Nox, you get ready too. Oh, right. Master, for the record, this fellow was the one who told me about yesterday's article. Nox was actually more worried than I was."
"B-Boss!"
Nox's face turned beet red. I stared at him intently before letting out a low chuckle.
That guy's worry for his sister is really something else...
After standing awkwardly for a moment, Nox grabbed an apron. He then helped Weapon attend to the customers. His customer-service smile, which had grown more practiced than before, stood out.
Mansur also stood side-by-side with Chloe and gripped his knife. His sashimi knife, slicing green onions, was like a swift sword.
"..."
Only two extra hands had joined us. Yet, the reassurance we felt was more than doubled.
I closed and opened my eyes. Sweat kept pouring, the spiciness stung my eyes, and the boisterous noise battered my ears.
And yet.
"Haha—"
For some reason, I couldn't stop smiling.
* * *
"Phew—"
A long sigh escaped my lips. Outside the booth, I massaged my aching knuckles. Blisters had already formed.
"...I can't do this a second time."
It was late afternoon, and the sweltering heat was sinking below the horizon. The booth, once packed to the brim, was now completely empty. Staring at it blankly, this sudden peace felt awkward.
"Still, it was fun."
I muttered, crunching on my ice cream. Thanks to Nox and Mansur, we had easily cleared the seemingly endless stream of orders.
Moreover, although we hadn't set up the booth for profit, the revenue was staggering. Even after splitting it, everyone would walk away with a hefty sum.
Though I'm probably the only one who's actually strapped for cash.
Regardless, a proud smile played on my lips.
Step, step.
At the sound of quiet footsteps, I turned my head.
"Oh, Nox. How's the cleanup?"
"...Well, it's mostly wrapped up. We seem a bit short on ingredients for tomorrow, but the boss said he'd bring some from his restaurant."
"Oh—I'm really grateful."
"Thank the boss, not me."
"Look at you, getting all shy."
When I smirked, Nox wore a strange expression.
"Anyway, thanks to you, I can breathe a sigh of relief."
Just as I was about to stretch and stand up,
"Kang Geomma, do you happen to have some time later?"
"I have time, but why?"
I asked, tilting my head. His expression was quite serious.
"It's just that..."
Nox parted his lips, then lowered his gaze before speaking.
"The Head of the Family wishes to see you, Kang Geomma."
"..."
Nox's voice rang out quietly. He himself seemed to have complicated feelings about it.
Well, it was an entirely unexpected variable.
The Head of the Auditore Family.
The Old Man of the Mountain, Al'tair Auditore.
The head of the shadow family, and the man hailed as the greatest assassin of all time.
He was a figure who operated in the shadows, sustaining the order of hero society.
Because he never showed himself on the front lines, rumors circulated that even his very existence was uncertain.
For someone like him to want to see me...
I could vaguely guess his intentions.
It must be related to the Academy's Council of Elders, who had ordered my assassination.
Though of course, that wouldn't be the only reason.
He, too, must have watched my spar with Mao Rang. He would have seen me wielding the Mindscape Domain. They say those who can manipulate domains can recognize each other from afar. Since I was almost a target until recently, he must have many questions.
"Hmm."
As I fell into thought, Nox stared at me intently.
"This is the first time, at least to my knowledge, that the Head of the Family has taken an interest in an outsider. Furthermore, it is practically unheard of for him to show his face in person. Even if Seven-Star heroes asked to see him, he probably wouldn't appear."
Nox shrugged and added,
"Actually, asking you was just a formality. Naturally, you'd want to meet him too. You must have plenty of questions yourself."
I stared at Nox as he spoke. His red eyes were quite calm.
I owed him for today. Since we had gotten through the day smoothly thanks to Mansur and Nox, I intended to repay the favor later.
But right on cue, he was making a request that wasn't quite a request.
And it wasn't even hard to grant. It would probably just be a brief exchange of words.
Thinking so, I made up my mind to some extent.
I shoved the dripping ice cream down my throat. Then, brushing off my pants, I stood up. Nox kept his eyes fixed on me as he poured out his words.
"The cleanup is probably mostly finished. Change your clothes and follow me immediately. I'll guide you to where the Head of the Family is."
Silence fell after those words. When I didn't show much of a reaction, Nox spoke up again.
"...Why aren't you saying anything?"
I replied with a faint smile.
"I'm not going."
"...Huh?"
Nox's eyes widened. His face showed he hadn't expected this at all. He stammered,
"W-Why on earth?"
If I followed Nox, I could probably hear about the internal investigation I was caught up in. It would be a meeting with more to gain than to lose.
That was true, but...
Dumbfounded, Nox stared at me.
I scratched the back of my neck and briefly explained my reason.
"It's too much trouble."
"..."
"And I'm tired."
The orange sunset was gradually beginning to fade from the landscape.
"Thanks for your help today."
I turned around and waved my hand in farewell. Behind Nox, who stood there dazed, a long shadow stretched out.