Continues on from Life.6
Continues on to Life.7

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Restaurant

When the final stage of the Rating Game World Tournament was just about to commence—. On that day, I, Hyoudou Issei and Rias brought Ingvild, who had just become a member of my peerage, along to the restaurant where Ikuse Tobio-san was the chef. Since Akeno-san and Koneko-chan’s schedules also seemed to line up, they came along as well.

“Welcome. What would you like to order?”

Ikuse-san asked us just as we all sat down at the counter. He was in the midst of preparing something in a frying pan.

“I wonder what I should pick for Ingvild that would suit her tastes…”

Just as I stared at the menu and hesitated over what to order — I suddenly heard someone call out to me.

“The pasta dishes aren’t too bad.”

“The western-style dishes are pretty good.”

Moreover, such suggestions were tossed at me from various different directions! Glancing around, I saw Vali at a nearby table…with a beautiful girl dressed in yellow (around sixteen to seventeen years old) whom I had seen before, though I didn’t know her name! At another table further inside sat Cao Cao! Why were they all here!? Vali conversed with Ikuse-san, while Cao Cao also chimed into the conversation from time to time. In any case, it seemed like quite an incredible group of people had gathered here. W-Well, the first thing to do was to make an order. We ended up ordering the recommended hamburger set, Hayashi rice, pasta dishes and the like.

“If I recall, you are—”

Rias greeted the girl who sat at the same table as Vali. In response, the girl stood up and politely bowed.

“Apologies for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Doumon Genbu.”

Doumon—. It was one of the Five Principal Clans. Moreover, it was also the name of the Sacred Beast [Genbu]. Upon closer inspection, there was a tortoise that was around fifteen centimetres on the table…though its tail seemed to resemble a snake…making it a rather unusual tortoise. …So that was the Sacred Beast [Genbu]? Speaking of which, I had seen that girl before during the Grim Reaper attack.

“Ara, Rias. Is this your first time talking to her directly?”

Akeno-san asked. It seemed that Akeno-san had previously met Doumon Genbu-san. As soon as our eyes met, we greeted each other politely with phrases like,

“Thanks for your help that time.”

“Not at all, anytime.”

It seemed that the Five Principal Clans were quite closely connected with each other. I asked Vali,

“What’s up? On a date?”

When I said that, Vali remained stoic, but Doumon Genbu-san’s face turned bright red.

“I-I-I-I-I-I-I-It’s not a date…! Vali-kun and I just happened to coincidentally meet in this store…”

Ah, so that’s what happened huh. I wasn’t sure who had arrived first, but it seemed that they were seated at the same table anyway. Surely, Ikuse-san must’ve had good intentions in doing so. Though the relationship between the two of them was somewhat interesting…there was no reason to pursue it now. I then asked Cao Cao who was sitting further inside,

“Do you come here often?”

Cao Cao — eating a combo of omurice and a cheeseburger, replied,

“It’s because this shop can tailor its dishes to my preference.”

I guess it was a convenience born from being a regular customer. Ikuse-san was probably capable of accommodating. While we conversed with our acquaintances, our food was served. For Ingvild — her entrée was a sea bream carpaccio. It was also super authentic! Ikuse-san continued to cook as he explained,

“I heard that she once lived near the sea, so perhaps she’d enjoy some seafood dishes. I’m making grilled marlin and seafood pasta right now, so it’ll be ready soon.”

As I watched Ikuse-san skilfully cook in the kitchen, I couldn’t help but feel the power of a male chef! All of us had been served the dishes we ordered, so we began to dig in and enjoy them.

Wow, delicious! This hamburger! The thickness of the meat, the juiciness…its taste was enthralling! I felt as though the sauce was used to draw out and highlight the flavour of the meat!

“…Would you be able to teach me this pasta recipe later?”

Even Rias who was a great cook had nothing but praise for the food!

“Ufufu, I’d love to come here on a date with Ise-kun too.”

Akeno-san said. Yeah, the dishes at this store were delectable, and it could also be a date venue.

“…I’m also grateful for the large serving sizes.”

Koneko-chan scrumptiously feasted on a large size…or rather a special sized hamburger (with ten layers). And then, Ingvild remarked—

“—Delicious.”

She really seemed to like it. She savoured the grilled marlin and seafood pasta that was served afterwards. While continuing to cook, Ikuse-san said,

“If there’s anything that you like or want to try, feel free to ask. I’m good at cooking while memorising what all of my comrades’ tastes are after all.”

Ah — so that was why Vali and Cao Cao came here. It was delicious to begin with, but there was also the flexibility for food to be adapted to one’s preferences. I wanted to bring along Asia and the others next time since they couldn’t make it today. And just like that, this was how we spent a very ordinary weekend—.

(All 1 of 1 parts) (31/7/20)