Chapter 29: Dinner Party
Today was a dinner party at Jin's expense. The four of them met up at the Adventurers' Guild and headed for the restaurant, guided by Jin. The restaurant was not far from the guild headquarters, in a prime location on a main street.
The restaurant they arrived at was different from the entrance. In front of the massive door stood a receptionist in formal attire. Seeing this, Kazuki clearly looked frightened.
"Hey, are we really okay with this outfit?"
"Even if it's a uniform, it is formal attire. It's fine."
"Somehow, I feel so out of place."
It's not just about the school uniform, but it is strange for a thirteen-year-old child to be in a high-class restaurant.
"I've checked with master, so it's fine."
"I see."
"Okay, then, let's go."
Even Jin, who says so, seemed to need some enthusiasm to proceed to the entrance. Still, he took the lead and proceeded to the door.
“You must be Jin Takamiya-sama.”
"Ah, that's right."
The clerk standing in front of the door called out to him.
"We have been waiting for you. Please come in."
After confirming Jin's name, she urged him to open the door and go inside.
"Thank you" "Thank you very much"
Although slightly timid, Jin and Kazuki went inside after thanking the store clerk. When they went inside, there was another clerk standing there with his head bowed deeply.
“You are Jin Takamiya-sama, right?
"Yeah."
"Then, I will show you to your room."
"Wait a minute."
Ren was the one who stopped the clerk who turned around and go to the back.
"What is it, sir?"
"Is this the only entrance to the building?"
"No, there is also a back entrance."
"Is it possible for customers to enter and exit it?"
"No, it's a service entrance for the employees."
“Are those really the only two entrances?”
"......I see. Let me explain. We do not disclose entrances and exits other than the main entrance. We would like you to trust us."
The clerk seems to understand why Ren asked this.
"I understand."
"Of course, not only that, but I can't talk about it specifically, but we've made some preparations."
This means it's something a first-time customer like Ren doesn't need to know.
"...I understand. It's enough."
"Then, I will show you to your room."
The four of them followed the clerk to the room. They were taken to a private room in a rather secluded part of the building. The room was quite large, even for a private room. There were several rooms, and it looked like a hotel suite.
"It's not a hotel, is it?"
"It's a place to eat."
"You brought me to a great store. This is that, right?"
Growing up in this world, Mike knew what it was like.
"What is that?"
“It’s a place to hang out with women. It's very upscale."
""Eh?""
"We can call them, right?"
"...Jin?"
Hearing Mike's story, Kazuki looks at Jin accusingly.
"No, but I'm with master and his wife."
Seeing that gaze, Jin tries to make excuses.
"What are you worried about?"
Mike asked Jin with a curious look on his face.
"I didn't know it was a place to play with women."
"So what? It's not just playing with women. It's private, and it's soundproof, so it seems that it's also used for meetings."
"...Can I assume it's a restaurant?"
"Restaurant... I don't know about that. Anyway, it's not a strange restaurant. Let's sit down first, don't just stand there forever."
"Yes, that's right. Anyway, let's sit down."
"Yes."
After listening to Mike, they finally sat down at a table in a room near the entrance. All except one. Ren was the only one wandering around the room.
"Ren, sit down."
"Wait a minute... Is it here?"
"What is?"
Without answering the question, Ren began tapping on the wall in the next room. When he was done, he ran his hand along the wall, this time as if stroking.
"There it is."
At the same time as Ren's voice, the wall slowly turned.
"Wait, Ren! What are you doing!?"
"Okay, checking is complete."
Ignoring Kazuki's impatience, he returned the wall to its original position, and Ren finally took a seat at the table where the three of them sat.
"What were you doing?"
"Checking for an escape route."
"……Why?"
Kazuki's expression clouded over. She doesn't think there is any sane reason why they need to be prepared to escape.
"Just in case. There have been a lot of strange happenings lately."
"Strange happenings?"
"The request was wrong, or there was a magical beast in the forest that wasn't supposed to be there."
"Were you in danger?"
"I'm fine. Otherwise I wouldn't be here."
"...The matter of the forest."
"Is that one too?"
In fact, Ren doesn't care about the forest incident that Kazuki describes. That one has a clear mastermind and purpose.
"What else?"
"Well."
"Could it be that Ren's life is being targeted?"
"Me? I don't remember being targeted."
"But you were injured in the woods."
Kazuki thought it might not be the case, though she thought it was Ren's own performance.
"The [Forest of No Entry] wasn't about me personally, it was about all of us......."
Ren noticed that his mouth slipped. Jin and Kazuki stared at Ren with their eyes wide open in surprise.
"The thought of eating delicious food makes you feel good, doesn't it? Can't wait for it to come."
“Don’t mislead me!?”
"No good. I must have let my guard down."
"It wasn't an accident, was it?"
“That's right. It was deliberately designed to attract magical beasts. The purpose, of course, was to attack the candidates."
"How could they do that?"
"That's as far as I got."
The words that follow this are not ignorant, but unspeakable. Ren's peculiar way of speaking, in which he decides not to lie as much as possible, is incomprehensible to those who don't know it.
"But you know it's been manipulated."
"Yes. I looked into it."
"You did?"
"It's a guild job. I was told that I was also a classmate. Well, I thought it was suspicious before I looked into it."
It's not a lie. He just didn't say when he looked into it. Kazuki and the others accept that the investigation is over after the matter is over.
"Why?"
"If you leave the corpse of a magical beast unattended, the smell of its blood will attract other magical beasts. This is common knowledge among adventurers."
"That's?"
"One of the adventurers acting as our guard was one of the culprits."
"Really!? That adventurer!?"
"I think it's better not to know."
“…………”
Kazuki accurately understood the meaning of Ren's words.
"You are right not to speak up. All I can say is that the guild will not forgive traitors."
"Did we get our revenge?"
"I don't know about that."
"I see."
Kazuki also properly sensed Ren's expression that he had no intention of saying anything more.
“The mood has become heavy. Even though it was a delicious meal. Shall we change the subject?"
Since there was nothing left to talk about, Ren decided to change the topic.
"...Because it isn't."
"What?"
“It’s about Ren. It's not just the forest, is it?"
Kazuki was not deceived.
"...Well. But only twice."
"But you're on alert."
"This cautiousness is my personality."
"Don't mislead me"
"I'm not misleading you. There's almost no chance that I'll be attacked personally. Even if I die, it won't have any effect. I haven't interacted with people enough to earn a grudge. Nothing will be taken away."
"But……"
"Not me personally, but as a potential hero, maybe."
"Eh?" "Wha?"
In conversational exchanges, Ren is much better than Kazuki. Surprised by Ren's words, Kazuki's attention was diverted from Ren personally. As if to add insult to injury, Ren changed the subject.
"Huh? Perhaps you thought we were welcome to all?"
"I did not think about it."
"Yeah. But I can't think of any reason why they would want to kill us."
"I see. What about that part?"
"...Eh, me?"
Mike was late in noticing that Ren's eyes were on him. It seems that he never thought he would be the one to talk about it.
"You know more about this world, right? In the first place, what does a hero mean to the people of this world?"
"...I hate to say this, but the general public has no interest."
"What?" "I bet."
Jin was surprised, and Ren was convinced.
"The reactions are different. What about Kazuki?"
"I'm surprised."
"I see. Then why aren't you surprised, Ren?"
"Even if you say you're a hero, I think most people don't know what it is."
"As expected. Correct answer."
"Is that so!?"
Jin is even more surprised to learn that very few people know about the hero.
“The last time people were summoned was 1000 years ago. Of course, no one is alive who knows about that time. Moreover, the only information about the war that is available to the common people is whether it was won or lost."
"...I see. But that doesn't give them any reason to want to kill us."
"Why is that?"
Mike questioned Jin's words.
"Is something wrong?"
"You're buying me dinner, so this is my way of saying thank you. Rumor has it that there is a group of people who think that heroes are unnecessary in this world. The exact opposite of the church."
"Why?"
"When there are heroes, there will be battles. When battles happen, people die. When there are battles, the common people suffer. That's the logic."
"That's absurd."
Mike's words sound like quibbles to Jin. He does not understand that this is due to his ignorance.
"I don't know the hero, so if a hero is said to be such an existence, I believe it. That's how the theory that a hero is unnecessary seems to be secretly spreading."
"...Wait, is it such a big organization?"
Mike's words that were secretly spreading made Jin feel that it was different from the usual small talk.
"I don't even know the actual situation. I don't know if it really exists. After all, the hero actually appeared two years ago."
"What do you mean?"
"If they exist, I think it's about time they started working, right?"
"Working?"
"What do you do with things you don't need?"
"...No way? If that's true, we have to do something."
Mike's description of the organization's purpose was beyond Jin's imagination. If that were the case, they would be putting themselves in danger.
"What?"
"To protect ourselves, tell us that information."
"It's the kind of information I don't know. I think the church guys know."
It is not only the Church that knows. The upper echelons of each country also know about the existence of the organization. They are the only ones who don't know.
"...You know, but you haven't told us?"
"I don't know why, but I guess that's how it is."
"……Why is it so?"
"We'll talk about that later."
Ren suddenly interrupted the conversation.
"Eh?"
"First of all, let's have a meal."
A knock on the door can be heard almost at the same time as Ren's words. Shortly after that, they heard a woman's voice outside.
"I have brought the food. May I?"
"……Yes. Please."
"Excuse me"
A woman in an apron enters the private room pushing a large wagon. The dishes on the wagon are placed on the table with great dexterity. The smell of the food whetted their appetite.
"It looks delicious."
“Yes. I thought the only cuisine in this world was Western, but it's a little different."
"It has a touch of Japanese food."
The food on the table looks similar to the food in their original world.
"You understand very well."
"Eh? Do you understand Japanese?"
“The dishes we serve in our restaurant were learned by the first generation of our restaurant from the dishes passed down by the heroes from the other world. It is called "Japanese-Western blended cuisine" and it refers to the country where the hero was born."
It was a dish that they actually knew.
"...Yes. I'm looking forward to it."
Ren is a little surprised by this fact.
“I am sure you will be satisfied. If you run out of drink, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll get you a refill."
"I understand."
The waitress, having finished serving the dishes, bowed deeply before the door and left the private room.
"Okay, let's eat."
"Yes"
"...You guys"
Jin spoke to Ren and Kazuki as they were about to start eating.
"What?"
"Don't you care about what we talked about earlier?"
"Earlier?"
"There is an organization that views us as the enemy, and we didn't hear about it. Isn't that strange?"
"It doesn't bother me."
"What?"
Ren couldn't care less. That's what Jin doesn't understand.
"That's the thing. I don't trust people, so if they're hiding things, if they're deceiving me, I think that's normal."
"Maybe you are. But what about Kazuki?"
"......The world is full of malice."
“Kazuki?”
Kazuki's answer wasn't what Jin had expected.
“Although not as much as Ren, I also believe that people betray.”
"Why?"
"But I also want to trust people. That is the difference between me and Ren."
The words that came out of Kazuki's mouth were different from the answer to Jin's question.
"I just hate it"
Kazuki was talking to Ren. Knowing this, Ren answered.
"Are you afraid of getting hurt?"
"That's not true. I just can't live with myself if I hate the world any more. I just have trouble with that."
"That's right."
Kazuki looks satisfied with Ren's answer.
"You two are crazy. How can you be so pessimistic at your age?"
Jin couldn't understand the thoughts of these two. He doesn't know what led them to those thoughts.
"That's because Jin is blessed."
"I'm blessed?"
“You have many things that people envy. You may be envied for it, but you have never been hurt."
"...Am I a fool who knows no hard work?"
"That's not what I mean. I envy Jin. I also like Jin's strength of mind, not being arrogant even in a blessed environment."
"Eh……"
Jin reacts to Kazuki's words that she likes him.
"Rather than straightforward, he's just being naive."
Without hesitation, Ren makes fun of him.
""Ren!""
After that, Kazuki tried to liven up the place by talking about other trivial matters. Jin, who had wanted to talk seriously at first, switched to enjoying the occasion and joined in with Kazuki's story. Mike, who was in good form, naturally joined in.
The dinner party turned out to be an unexpectedly pleasant time.
And the fun time was over, and the four of them left the restaurant to go home. The sun has set and the main street is completely dark.
"I'll take you home"
Jin called out to Kazuki.
"No problem. Jin's mansion is just around the corner, right?
"Yes, but"
"I'll have Ren take me home today."
"Don't decide on your own."
Ren complains about Kazuki's words.
"Are you going to let a girl go home alone?"
"Jin says he will take you home."
"Yeah, I don't mind"
Jin agreed with Ren's words. Unlike Ren, Jin wanted to take Kazuki home.
“The road to the house is quite complicated. So I'll ask Jin to take me home when it's bright."
"So why me?"
“For some reason, it seems like Ren won’t get lost even in the dark.”
"......What kind of intuition is that?"
Kazuki's intuition was correct. Even if it was pitch black, Ren wouldn't get lost right now. Luna, the spirit of the moon who lights up the darkness of the night, is by his side.
"That's right. Thank you, Jin. It was a lot of fun."
"...Yeah, me too."
If Kazuki says this, Jin can not force himself to go.
"Again... if you feel like it, be arrogant."
"With pleasure."
"...See you."
"……Yeah"
Jin is clearly in a difficult mood to part with them.
"No matter how you look at it, I'm a nuisance, right?"
"I think so too"
Mike agrees with Ren's words.
"What about Mike?"
"I'm on the other side. See you at the academy."
"Yeah" "Good night" "See you later"
Mike is the first to leave. The next two were Kazuki and Ren. Jin did not show any sign of leaving. After saying goodbye to Jin, Ren and Kazuki continued on their way home.
"Why me?"
"Because it's already dark"
"...A transparent lie"
The reason she asked Ren to do it was to turn down Jin. Everyone who was there knew that.
"Do you think it would have been better if Jin had taken me home?"
"It's a perfect opportunity to shorten the distance between the two of you at once."
"...I never thought I'd hear such words from Ren's mouth"
Kazuki turned to Ren with a surprised expression.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't seem interested in romance."
"I'm not."
The condition of love with a living person, a human partner, is attached, but he did not speak of it.
"I knew it."
"Don't mind me. I don't think Jin is that bad among the people alive, though?"
"Why do you use that expression?"
Kazuki looks dumbfounded at Ren who dares to put the word alive.
"It's just a fact."
“…Because Jin is serious.”
"That's a good thing."
"If he knew me, he would hate me."
Kazuki's expression darkens.
"……What do you mean?"
Ren doesn't know why.
"If it's Ren, you would know about me, right? Rumors about me at school."
"In the original world?"
"Yes"
"I don't know"
"Lies"
Kazuki thinks that Ren is lying. She thinks that Ren, who knows a lot of information that they don't know, can't possibly know it.
"It's true. In our original world, I have no interest in other people's affairs. Right now, I'm collecting information because I need it to live."
"I see……"
"What kind of rumors?"
"I don't want to talk about it myself."
"Then don't worry about the content. Is it true or false?"
"……True"
With some hesitation, Kazuki admitted that the rumors were true.
“I see. Jin would hate it if he knew about it. Then, you can just hide it."
"Impossible. There are many people who know about it."
"You can shut them up."
"How?"
"You too will take advantage of their weakness, and if you can't, you can use violence to shut them up."
"Look."
Ren's proposal is insane for Kazuki.
"If you want to protect it, you should do that much."
"I can't do it. It's wrong to hurt people to protect yourself."
“Kazuki is a serious person too.”
Half of this is sarcasm. Ren does not believe Kazuki's words that it is okay to hurt herself because she does not want to hurt others.
"I'm not"
“I think Jin would be fine with the facts. He seems to be sincere about such things. He's serious."
"That bothers me."
"If it's something that Kazuki hates, maybe Jin will solve it, because he's serious."
"Are you making fun of Jin?"
Ren repeats the word serious. It sounds to Kazuki as if he is making fun of him.
"No, in a way I'm impressed, because it's the exact opposite of me."
"Maybe so"
“Anyway, I wish you would stop using me just because you don't want Jin to hate you.”
No matter what the reason, getting involved in other people's affairs, especially human relationships, is nothing but a nuisance for Ren.
"It's okay to be hated."
"Hmm?"
"I think I'm a little too selfish, but I don't want to be hated after being liked."
"……I see"
It is hard to be betrayed by someone you trusted. Ren understands this feeling.
"It's egotistical, isn't it?"
"No, I think you're right. He doesn't seem to realize it at the moment, but if you continue to date, I think he will eventually realize how you feel."
Ren tries to explain Jin's feelings. This is a surprise to Kazuki.
"...You're not interested in romance, right?"
"I'm not interested in romance, but I'm rather sensitive to other people's feelings."
"You don't seem to care about that, though."
Ren isn't afraid to be hated by people. Kazuki thinks so.
"It's necessary if I'm to identify my enemies."
"Hey, why aren't you afraid of making enemies, Ren?"
"You don't make enemies, you can make them."
Ren also has no intention of making enemies.
"It sounds like a quote. Can an enemy be made... or an ally?"
"I don't know?"
"Come on"
"There are only enemies and others"
"Why do you hate people so much?"
"People are dirty"
"...That's, me too."
Kazuki looks terribly depressed at Ren's words.
"I don't know anything about Kazuki."
"I'm... dirty."
"Do you want to die?"
"Eh?"
"No, you seem to be having a hard time staying alive for some reason."
Even if it's not Ren, one would think this when one sees Kazuki now. That's how dark and somber she looks.
"I think so. Is it painful?"
"Then, die. That will make it easier."
“…Do you think so too, Ren?”
"If I could die, that would be fine. But I would never do something like dying by myself. It would be frustrating to feel as if the world had driven me away."
"But you told me to die......"
"If you don't mind dying. If you think so, you can do almost anything. If there are people who are inconvenient for you, you can kill them. If you fail, you'll just die."
“…………”
After all, what Ren said is insane. Kazuki can't think of the idea that it's okay to kill people to survive.
"Can't you think so? That's right. That's a normal person, and that's right. Kazuki is different from me. So, can you never get involved with me again?"
“…………”
What he just said was Ren's earnest and complete rejection. Kazuki, who knew that, couldn't say anything back.
"I thought it would be a good opportunity to tell you. Where is your house?"
"Ah, almost there."
"Then here"
"……Good night"
"Good bye"
"Good night... Ren! Good night! Good night!"
Kazuki's good-night call was thrown over and over again at Ren's back as he turned around and headed back the way he had come. However, Ren did not respond to it.
thanks for the chapter
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