"Ah, look, Rei-kun. Let's stop by that shop over there for a bit."
As an apology for the commotion outside the shop, Rei and Kenny had made some light purchases at the Small Goods Shop. After that, the two of them strolled through the city.
Seeing Kenny walking along with a cheerful laugh, anyone would have thought it was a date.
It was the time of day when many people were heading home from work, and among them, more than a few cast jealous glances at Rei for being on a date with a beauty like Kenny.
We're exhausted from work, and here they are on a date... — that was the kind of look they shot his way.
But Kenny paid no mind to any of it, dragging Rei from shop to shop and buying things along the way.
Rei the adventurer, and Kenny the Guild receptionist.
They had plenty of reasons to cross paths, but one thing or another always kept Rei busy, so Kenny rarely had the chance to go on a date with him.
More often, Rei would be free, only for Kenny to be swamped with receptionist work.
In that sense, their free time happening to align today by pure chance was likely a happy miscalculation on Kenny's part.
Perhaps because of that, she seemed even more giddy than usual.
"Is the restaurant okay? You said it was a hidden gem, but if it fills up..."
"Hmm, you're right... I actually wanted to look around a bit more with you, Rei-kun. But I suppose we should head over soon."
Kenny thought it over for just a moment at Rei's words, but perhaps growing slightly worried about the heavy foot traffic, she agreed.
And so, Rei walked through the city with Kenny leading the way.
Kenny turned off the main street and into a narrow alley.
I've been through here a few times, but was there ever a restaurant around here? Well, I suppose being hard to find is exactly what makes it a hidden gem.
Rei had been taking in his surroundings, and Kenny flashed an amused smile at his reaction.
"You didn't think a place like that would be around here, did you? ...Look, over there."
A few minutes down the narrow alley, Kenny pointed to a building.
There was no sign indicating it was a restaurant; it looked just like an ordinary house.
But following Kenny's gaze, there was no doubt this building was their destination.
She said it was a hidden gem, but with no sign out front, first-timers wouldn't have a clue. Do you need an introduction to get in? Or can anyone walk in as long as they know it's a restaurant?
Back in Japan, Rei had seen restaurants in manga and anime that you couldn't enter without an introduction.
Judging that this was probably the same kind of establishment, he followed Kenny inside.
"Welcome."
The greeting came the moment they stepped through the door.
It came from a calm-looking woman seated at the counter.
She had features just as refined as Kenny's.
However, the woman who had spoken had a quiet air about her, and if asked whether they preferred her or the more outgoing Kenny, it would simply come down to personal taste.
"Good evening. Do you have any rooms available?"
"Yes. Will it be just the two of you today?"
"Yes."
"Very well."
Kenny and the woman exchanged only a few brief words, but to Rei, their communication seemed perfectly sufficient.
No — given that neither of them asked any follow-up questions, they were clearly understanding each other without issue.
The woman rang a bell at hand, and a maid in uniform appeared from the back of the building.
"Welcome, Kenny-sama, Lord Rei."
The maid addressed Rei by name without him having introduced himself, and without the slightest hesitation.
Of course, Rei was a well-known figure in Gilm, and with the Dragon Robe's hood down, his face was fully visible.
That was surely why she recognized him on sight.
...Or perhaps, even if she didn't know his face, she had guessed simply because he was Kenny's companion.
"I'll show you to your room."
"Thanks. Let's go, Rei-kun."
Led along by the maid and Kenny, Rei moved deeper into the building.
From the outside, it hadn't seemed particularly large, but walking through it, he could tell it had a fair amount of space — at least relative to its exterior.
The rooms were also spaced well apart, and the soundproofing was so thorough that even passing by a door, Rei could only barely catch fragments of voices.
A hidden gem, huh.
Rei could easily see how this was the sort of place where people of some renown would come to enjoy a quiet meal or a drink — or hold meetings they'd rather not have seen.
Rei didn't particularly mind attention from others, but there were certainly those who found it bothersome.
For people like that, it wouldn't be strange to treasure an establishment like this.
Well, if someone truly had power and status, they'd probably have a more proper venue than this.
The hallway and wall colors were painted to put visitors at ease, but ultimately, this was still a location set slightly back from the main street.
"This way, please."
The maid stopped in front of one of the rooms and opened the door.
There was nothing particularly special about the room itself.
It had tasteful furniture, and spring flowers were arranged on the table, but that was about it.
Even so, the inexplicable sense of calm was likely the result of careful attention to details Rei couldn't perceive.
"What would you like for your meal?"
"Hmm, let's see. Something light is fine for you, right, Rei-kun?"
"Yeah. I've got dinner waiting for me later."
At Rei's words, the maid's expression flickered with brief puzzlement.
This establishment was classified as a restaurant, yet he was going to eat again afterward? That was what she must have thought.
However, among those who used this restaurant, there were certainly no small number of people with their own circumstances.
Given that, the maid said nothing further to Rei.
"Then we'll have a selection of light dishes, please."
"What would you like to drink?"
"Let's see... If you have any good alcohol, I'll take that. What about you, Rei-kun?"
"Tea... actually, if you have fruit water, I'll go with that."
It was spring, and the temperature was gradually climbing.
By midday it could get warm enough to work up a light sweat, and fruit water and similar drinks had recently started appearing for sale.
...Of course, chilling fruit water required either a Magic Item or magic, so what was usually sold was lukewarm at best.
Magic Items were generally expensive, and those used for cooling were no exception.
Even so, street vendors selling fruit water existed at prices that required... well, a fair bit of budget-stretching to afford. Given that, Rei figured a restaurant like this was bound to have it, which was why he asked.
"Certainly. Please wait a moment."
The maid bowed and left the room.
Now that the two of them were alone, Kenny spoke up proudly.
"Well? It's quite a nice place, isn't it?"
"Yeah. I can't tell exactly what sets this room apart from an ordinary one, but there's something about it that puts you at ease."
As if Rei's answer caught her off guard, Kenny looked mildly surprised.
"Huh? You can't tell what's different? They put a lot of care into the room's interior, you know? Look at the wallpaper over there, for instance."
She told him to look at the wall, and the wallpaper there was indeed something he hadn't seen often. But for Rei, he couldn't say precisely how it differed from ordinary wallpaper.
"I can tell it's different from normal wallpaper, but... is it really that high-end?"
"Honestly... You're flawless when it comes to appraising Magic Items and weapons, so why are you so clueless about ordinary goods? ...Listen — that wallpaper, this table and these chairs, and the sofa over there. None of those are things an ordinary person could just go out and buy."
"...I see."
Told that, Rei looked around the room once more.
That said, even as he replied to Kenny, he couldn't honestly feel that the furniture here was all that special.
Part of it was his lack of knowledge in that area, but an even bigger reason was that his usual lodging was the Wheat Inn at Dusk — classified as a high-end inn — and his dinners were eaten at Marina's mansion in the Noble District.
In other words, on a daily basis, Rei was surrounded by plenty of what would be called high-end furniture without even realizing it.
"Excuse us. We've brought your meal."
A knock came, and after Kenny called out permission, the maid from before returned.
No — it wasn't just the maid from before; several maids carrying dishes filed in after her.
From every plate they carried, an appetizing aroma drifted through the room.
And the beautifully plated dishes were more than enough to feast one's eyes on as well.
Perhaps because Kenny had said "something light," rather than dishes meant to fill you up, there were many small-portion items meant for sampling flavors a little at a time.
Of course, even with small portions per dish, the sheer number of items meant that finishing everything would normally be enough to leave anyone stuffed.
Whether the kitchen had adjusted the portions knowing Rei was a big eater, or whether this was simply the standard, he couldn't say.
Either way, having multiple plates of food spread out before him was, without question, a welcome sight.
"Come on, let's eat. It'd be a shame to let it get cold."
After making sure the maids had left, Rei and Kenny began their meal.
...But not before Rei raised his glass of chilled fruit water and Kenny her glass of wine, making sure to toast.
"Cheers."
The glasses were apparently of fine quality as well; when they clinked them lightly together, a pleasant tone rang through the room.
Savoring the lingering note still in his ears, Rei moistened his throat with the fruit water.
Just as he'd expected, it was properly chilled.
Whether they used a Magic Item or employed a mage, Rei couldn't tell, but it was cold enough to be thoroughly refreshing.
A faint sweetness and a fairly strong acidity.
With ordinary fruit water, sweetness would take priority over acidity.
But Rei's taste ran toward this kind, with a sharper tang.
Is the fruit water here naturally like this, or did they know my preference and adjust it? ...Which is it?
Harboring that question, Rei turned his attention to the food.
The first thing he tried was a dish of steamed Orc meat flavored with a sauce made from a tart fruit.
Rei had eaten similar dishes plenty of times before.
But served in a single bite, this version carried a faint spiciness beneath the acidity that served as a subtle accent, leaving him wanting just a little more.
Still, with only a bite-sized portion on the plate, he had no choice but to move on to the next dish with a faint sense of wanting.
"The cook at this restaurant apparently used to work at a duke's household."
"...I see. That's why the food is this good. But isn't it unusual for a cook from a place like that to end up running a restaurant in the middle of the city?"
A duke held the highest rank among the nobility, second only to the royal family.
Naturally, those in their employ included many who took great pride in their position, and Rei couldn't imagine them readily agreeing to work as a cook at some city restaurant.
"Hmm, normally that'd be true, but apparently this cook was quite an eccentric. According to rumor, they made a dish a noble's child asked for, but the child left it unfinished."
"So the cook quit over that? But a noble leaving food unfinished isn't exactly rare, is it?"
"No. The cook forced the child to eat it, and that angered the duke enough to fire them."
"That's..."
Faced with those unexpected words from Kenny, Rei could only manage that one phrase in response.
Whether he should be glad the cook got off with only being fired after forcing a noble's child to eat, or whether he should be astonished that someone would give up a position at a duke's household so readily — Rei wasn't sure.
In any case, Rei and Kenny enjoyed the rest of their meal while swapping stories about that very cook.