MTLNOVEL Volume 1 Chapter 49 - Three people who don't look good at a ramen restaurant
Harry was trying to cut the line at the ramen shop with his so-called “secret weapon.”
“Harry, don’t do that. It’s annoying,” Claire scolded Harry.
“What’s the big deal, huh?” Harry asked the young man he was still arm-in-arm with.
“Oh, it’s fine. I’m not in a rush, and it’s an honor,” the young man responded.
…So they’re really famous, huh.
“See, Elenora? This is normal. Normally people know us,” Harry said, still harboring a grudge.
“I’m sorry, I’m not well-versed in foreign matters,” I responded to the self-conscious man.
“…Harry, stop it, you’re making it hard for me, too… And I’m sorry,” Claire stopped Harry and apologized to the young man who let us through.
“Oh, you’re Claire, right? Could I get a handshake?” The young man asked Claire, who gladly complied.
“Thank you very much…” The young man thanked Claire and then looked at me.
“…What?”
“Ah, no, sorry.”
The young man who had been staring at me averted his eyes while apologizing.
“See? He was willing to let us through,” Harry said.
“I don’t even want to go to this ramen shop that badly, and I don’t need to cut the line,” I replied. If it comes to that, I’d rather wait.
“Elenora, now that we’ve come this far, we can’t back out,” Claire said, already resigned to the situation. Perhaps it’s better to listen to someone who is used to such things.
“Fine, I’ll shake hands. I don’t get what’s so great about shaking hands,” I said, in a somewhat tsundere manner, as I shook hands with the young man. We continued this with several others before entering the shop.
Once inside, the three of us sat side-by-side at the counter.
I could feel it. We were clearly out of place.
“I should’ve come in my tracksuit,” I muttered. Obviously, I had no plans to come to a place like this. While I was the one who invited them to dinner, I had envisioned a more casual setting.
“Even in a tracksuit, you’d stand out,” Harry said.
“That’s true,” I agreed. A black robe would be even more conspicuous!
We each ordered ramen, and it was served promptly. I tried to pick up the noodles with chopsticks, but my long hair got in the way. I hadn’t anticipated this; it was my first time eating noodles as Elenora.
“Why not tie it up?” Claire, who was sitting next to me, suggested.
“I don’t have a hair tie or a rubber band.”
“Here, take this.”
Claire pulled a rubber band out of her pocket and placed it on the counter.
“Tie it up for me,” I requested. I can’t tie it myself.
“What? Me?”
“Please.”
“Are you a princess or something?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.”
“Sure, sure.”
Though clearly not believing me, Claire stood up, walked behind where I was sitting, and tied my hair back for me.
“Thank you for your efforts.”
Hey, it was no trouble. I should practice tying my hair when I get home. It was a hindrance when swinging my sword, and such situations might come up again in the future.
“Is that something a king would say?” Claire asked, returning to her seat and skillfully picking up her chopsticks to start eating her ramen.
“Don’t worry about it. You both use chopsticks quite naturally,” I noted.
Both Claire and Harry were using chopsticks without any issues. In fact, Claire was even making mini-ramen bowls with her spoon.
“Well, we’ve had various experiences. Our language skills are pretty good too, right?”
Come to think of it, they’re really good at Japanese. Did they used to live in Japan?
“You’re very skilled. I won’t ask too much about it,” Claire replied.
“Good. So Elenora, where do you usually operate in Frontier?”
“The Kuna Ruins, I guess. I haven’t been there recently, though,” I replied. Let’s keep it at that.
“Hmm, the Kuna Ruins… What’s it like there?”
“Why? Planning to go?”
“We are in Japan, and we did get permission from the guild.”
“So foreigners can go there, huh?” I didn’t know that.
“Normally, it’s not possible. However, Japan and America have an agreement. Even so, permission isn’t easily granted. This time it’s special.”
“Special for me?”
“Well, for you. Basically, they want us to verify if item bags really drop there.”
“Too bad. They don’t.”
“Good luck, then. There are slimes, after all.”
“Slimes don’t appear in the Kuna Ruins.”
“Right, I forgot. It’s skeletons there.”
“They might drop it too.”
“You’re really guessing here. Anyway, consider it a sightseeing trip,” I said.
“What do you think, Elenora? Can I order a refill?” Harry asked.
I looked at Harry’s bowl and saw that even the soup was gone.
“You finished quickly. No wonder you’ve been so quiet. Go ahead and order,” I said, but cautioned him not to consume too much salt.
“I find it tasty, but I’m amazed you can go for a second bowl,” Claire said, equally astonished.
“Hey, Claire, any news on the people following me?”
“I can’t say anything inappropriate here, can I?”
“Is it just the two of you?” I asked. Are there so few American agents?
“There are other investigators here, but we’re the only ones operating openly.”
“I see. Either way, I’d like you to keep a low profile until the auction is over.”
“Agreed,” Claire said.
We continued eating our ramen. After we finished, not wanting to overstay our welcome, we left the shop and parted ways with the two of them. The shop owner had asked us for autographs and photos, so we reluctantly signed and took a group photo including the owner.
Looking at Harry and Claire’s cool signatures, I decided that I should practice my own signature.