第１６０４堀：お昼前の飲食店はギリギリ開いている (Part1)
Chapter 1604: Eateries Before Noon Are Just Barely Open
Side: Shera
At Yuki’s invitation, we have come to a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant.
Though I thought there wouldn’t be many customers from the outside, it was surprisingly packed. The table seats intended for families and friends were already down to their last few spots.
Conversely, the counter seats were completely empty.
“I suppose people eating alone tend to come after noon?”
“I imagine so. Those who are off-duty seem to prefer the table seats.”
I think Yuki and Labyris’s predictions are spot on.
After all, I’ve heard from Qual-san herself that she often eats alone during lunch.
Of course, there are those who eat with their colleagues, but there are also those who prefer to enjoy their favorite meals by themselves.
Since there are more people working than those on break, it’s only natural that the place would overflow once the lunch hour hits.
As I was thinking about this, Aslin and Firia, who were sitting on the lane side, grabbed tea, chopsticks, and plates, passing them down to us.
“Thank you. Now, what shall we eat first?”
“Let’s see. First, let’s order some things that aren’t on the lane.”
“Oh, in that case, I want steamed egg custard.”
“Firia wants that too.”
“I’ll have some as well.”
“A classic choice. Me too.”
“I’m in, so that’s everyone. And then, some soup…”
After placing our orders via the touch panel like that, we checked the items moving along the belt and secured what we wanted.
Anything not available, we ordered.
“It’s gotta be egg and inari, after all.”
For some reason, whenever Yuki comes to a sushi place, he always eats these two.
They are items geared toward children, but—ah, no, regarding the inari, Kaya-san and Kaya-san eat plenty of them too.
“Come to think of it, Yuki, you always order those first. Is there some meaning behind it?”
“Ah, didn’t I mention it? Well, since this is conveyor-belt sushi, it’s mass-produced, so it doesn’t hold much weight, but egg and inari are the items that truly show the shop’s—or rather, the chef’s—skill. Though, there are various theories. Some say it’s best to start with white-fleshed fish.”
“Can you really tell their skill from a rolled omelet?”
As Labyris tilted her head, we followed suit.
We can make rolled omelets ourselves, and I don’t think there’s that much of a difference in taste, is there?
“Well, how should I put it? Even if you call it a rolled omelet, it’s specifically *atsuyaki-tamago* (thick-grilled egg). You’d put green onions or chives in a regular omelet, or season it with sugar or salt, right? *Atsuyaki-tamago* has a lot of arrangements like that. Especially the ones made with dashi.”
“When you say dashi…?”
“The dashi depends on the shop. Bonito dashi, kelp dashi, flying fish dashi, or a blend of them—it really varies. That’s exactly why it’s a benchmark.”
“I’m starting to understand what you mean. So the flavors are vastly different, and it becomes a topic of conversation because it shows whether your tastes align, right?”
“Well, that’s about the size of it.”
““Ohhh.””
I find it fascinating how deep a single rolled omelet can be.
But now that he mentions it, as Yuki says, there are many types of omelets, and even with rice balls, the way the rice is cooked or the choice of filling changes everything.
As we were talking about this, the staff member brought over what we had ordered.
“Thank you for waiting. Your order of…”
He began lining up the steamed egg custard and miso soup on the table, but—
“Excuse me, staff member. Could I have a word? Or should I get permission from the manager?”
“Yes? Er, a word, you say? If it’s going to take time, I’m currently on the clock…”
Yuki called out to the male staff member in the middle of this.
He’s already starting his information gathering, isn’t he?
“Well, I suppose so. Alright, could you call the manager? I’m an acquaintance of theirs.”
“Ah, an acquaintance of the manager. Please wait a moment.”
With that, the staff member stepped away.
“Honestly, that boy. Does he not recognize Yuki or our faces?”
“Indeed. Setting aside myself and Riel, Yuki-sama, and even Labyris-sama, have been involved in the creation of Weed, and our photos are even in the pamphlets.”
Labyris and Prof were saying this with a hint of exasperation.
I agree that it shouldn’t be possible for someone not to know the lord of the place they live in.
Well, but having started living in Weed, I’ve realized something.
“Ahaha. Prof-san, I can actually understand how the staff member feels. They don’t expect the real people to come here, nor do they think they have any connection to them, so it doesn’t cross their minds.”
Yes, just as Riel-san says, ordinary people don’t expect to encounter the high and mighty.
Moreover…
“Recently, neither Brother nor I have been coming around here, have we?”
“That’s true. Lately, we’ve been eating at school a lot.”
“That’s right. When Weed was first built, I came here often, but lately, I don’t really visit the main street of the commercial district. We usually go to shops exclusive to the higher-ups.”
“Well, that can’t be helped. If we walk around the main street, it causes a commotion just by itself. Even this time, Yuki had perception-blocking magic active, didn’t he?”
“That’s true. I don’t want to disturb everyone’s meals or business.”
As everyone says, Yuki has been maintaining perception-blocking magic since we entered the commercial district.
Without that, it wouldn’t be common for people to overlook us like that staff member did.
We also wear hats or use perception-blocking magic when we come with everyone from school.
Once we forgot, and it was quite a hassle having to go here and there.
As we were talking about such things and eating our steamed egg custard, someone arrived at our table.
“Thank you for waiting. You had business with me? Oh—Yuki-sama and everyone, it’s you.”
A woman stood there.
This person is the manager of the conveyor-belt sushi restaurant, hired at Yuki’s request, and she is an acquaintance of ours.
She has been here since Weed was founded.
In other words, she is a veteran, even if only slightly more so than me.
“Sorry to bother you during a busy time. I have a few things I’d like to ask.”
“Things you’d like to ask? Shall I submit a report?”
“Ah, I’d appreciate that too. But for now, I want to hear it directly. Please, sit. Sorry to make you sit while we’re eating.”
“No, that’s no problem at all. I’ve trained the staff well, so things run fine even without me.”
Saying that, the manager took a seat.
“Are you going to eat?”
“No, I haven’t yet. Could you order me a seafood bowl?”
“Leave it to me.”
Firia said that and immediately placed the order.
“So, what is it you wanted to talk about?”