While the six of us watched the exchange with the waitress with visible tension, Yuji handled everything efficiently, showing no sign of nerves whatsoever.
As the conversation proceeded at a steady pace, we remained frozen, unable to do anything but dart our eyes back and forth as we followed the... dialogue?
Hey, Onii-chan, is this okay? This is fine, right?! We’re way too out of place here!
I-It’s fine... probably. We’re customers who made a proper reservation, after all...
That’s not it! We are definitely not the kind of people who fit the status of this shop!
That might be true, but it’s too late to turn back now...
Mika and I kept our expressions neutral, but internally we were panicking over how much we stood out.
And the other four weren't doing much better.
We’ve come to quite the incredible place...
Uwaa, uwaa...
Awa, awa...
Ah... uh...
Hiiragi-san had a distant, enlightened gaze, while Saori-chan, Tatebayashi-san, and Hino-san were too overwhelmed to even form words.
Well, yeah. If you’re suddenly brought to a place that exceeds your wildest imagination, that’s bound to happen.
"Now then, everyone, please come this way. We will store your footwear in the lockers for you, so please just step right up."
"Alright."
Yuji gave a light nod and stepped onto the raised floor after removing his shoes. Seeing the rest of us huddled in a frozen clump, he called out.
"Hey, she’s going to lead us to the room. Take off your shoes and get up here, quick."
"Oh, right."
"Yes."
" " " "Y-Yes!" " " "
Prompted by Yuji, the stiffness in our bodies finally began to thaw.
I don’t know why, but I felt incredibly exhausted just from entering the shop.
"Then, I shall guide you to your room. Please, this way."
After confirming that we had all stepped up, the waitress began to lead us through the building.
The corridor was a traditional masterpiece of polished wooden floorboards. Hanging scrolls and flower arrangements were placed subtly in various nooks, creating a profound atmosphere of wabi-sabi.
"It's a lovely garden. It seems to be meticulously maintained."
"Thank you very much. This garden is one of our pride and joys."
"I can see why. It’s clear that the gardeners have put a lot of care into it to maintain this view."
"Thank you. I’m sure the gardeners would be delighted to hear a guest say so."
Yuji casually shared his impressions with the waitress as he looked at the garden through the glass doors of the corridor.
Looking at it again after he mentioned it, I saw a magnificent garden spread out there without a single fallen leaf in sight. Since it was winter, it couldn't exactly be called colorful, but it was by no means a shabby view. The contrast between the ground covered in white pebbles, the evergreen hedges, and the leafless trees was superb; it wasn't flashy, but it possessed a quiet dignity that calmed the heart.
"This garden is also lit up at night, which creates a completely different atmosphere."
"I see, I'd like to see that. It must be a wonderful sight."
"Yes, I would certainly like you to see it at least once. It is truly worth seeing."
The six of us listened to their conversation and thought: We don't have a shred of mental leeway to be judging the quality of a garden. We were doing our best just to keep from shaking or collapsing from the sheer pressure of the environment. We certainly didn't have the poise to care about the finer points of landscaping like Yuji did.
Yeah, I don't think I'll ever be able to observe a garden with that kind of composure.
"Thank you for waiting. This is the room we have prepared for you. Please, come inside."
"Thank you."
Guided by the waitress, we were shown into a room located toward the back of the establishment.
Along the way, I had sensed the presence of guests in several rooms we passed, but the area around this particular room was silent. Since we had mentioned this was a year-end party during the reservation, perhaps they had taken that into consideration.
"Oh."
"Heeh..."
" " " "Wow." " " "
Exclamations of admiration escaped our lips, despite our nerves.
The sliding doors opened to reveal a Japanese-style room with tatami mats and a tokonoma alcove. A table with a recessed kotatsu sat in the center, and the entire space was bathed in the gentle, warm glow of subtle lighting. It was a simple design, yet every detail felt crafted for the guest's comfort.
"Please, have a seat and make yourselves at home."
"Thank you."
At the waitress's prompting, we approached the table. In a shop like this, there’s probably a correct seating order, but I had never even considered such things. Was it okay to just sit anywhere?
As we stood there worrying, Yuji sensed our dilemma and efficiently took charge.
"For now, I think this seating arrangement will work."
"Ah, thanks, Yuji."
Yuji took the seat directly in front of the tokonoma, with three people on each side. On Yuji's right were myself, Mika, and Tatebayashi-san; on his left were Hiiragi-san, Saori-chan, and Hino-san.
If I recalled correctly, the seat in front of the tokonoma was the seat of honor, right? Not that the seating order mattered much to us, but it was probably better to maintain a form that was easy for the staff to recognize, so I had no objections. Besides, since Yuji was the only one who could interact with the waitress properly, I was more than happy for him to sit there and handle everything as the high-level explorer—or rather, the one in charge.
"Thank you for choosing our establishment today. To confirm, the meal will be the house special omakase course requested during your reservation. Is that correct?"
"Yes, that’s fine."
The waitress bowed lightly while greeting us and confirmed the order.
"Thank you very much. Then, we shall begin preparing the food. Just to be certain, are there any allergies or specific foods that you cannot eat?"
"No, nothing in particular. Everyone else is fine too, right?"
At Yuji's question, we all gave small nods of agreement.
We had already mentioned it during the reservation, but it would be bad if there were a communication error. Better safe than sorry.
"Thank you. Then, what would you like for drinks?"
"Since we can't drink alcohol, we'll start with some kind of citrus juice for everyone."
"Understood. I shall prepare those immediately. Please excuse me for a moment."
After bowing, the waitress left the room.
Finally, we were alone.
A few seconds after the sliding door clicked shut, the six of us—excluding Yuji—slumped over the table with a collective, heavy sigh. I was exhausted. Just plain exhausted. That was the only thought in my head.
Looking at our drained states, Yuji spoke with a wry smile.
"Good work... though the party hasn't actually started yet, you know?"
"I feel so tired that I'm ready to call it a day right here," I replied in a weak voice while still facedown. I could feel the others nodding in silent agreement against the table.
"I mean, Yuji, how can you be so unfazed?"
"Hm? Well, I'm used to dinner parties at places like this. It's just practice, really."
"Practice, huh..."
Can someone really handle things that efficiently just by being "used to it"? To talk about the quality of a garden as naturally as Yuji did required both education and aesthetic sense. It wasn't something you could pick up overnight.
"Everyone, let's fix our posture. I have a feeling the waitress is coming back."
"...You're right. Come on, everyone, up, up."
"Yes, it's a shame, but we can't stay slumped over forever."
" " " "..." " " "
Sensing the waitress's presence approaching, we pulled our heavy bodies up, adjusted our clothes, and sat properly.
However, composure wasn't so easily regained. Everyone except Yuji still looked rather weary. Even though this was a private room, the sheer "out-of-place" feeling made it hard to relax.
"Look, the menu is already decided, and there’s no one else here to watch us, so don't worry about etiquette too much."
"That may be true, but it's not that easy to just relax. We need time to adjust to the atmosphere."
"Nah, once you're eating good food, you'll naturally stop caring about that stuff. Just focus on how delicious it is."
"I hope so..."
Since this was a private gathering, he was probably right, but I wondered when I'd have the mental capacity to actually taste the food. I just hoped the flavor wouldn't be lost to my nerves.
Then, the waitress's presence arrived at the door, and her voice drifted through the paper.
"Excuse me, I have brought your drinks."
"Yes, please."
When Yuji replied, the door opened, and the waitress entered with a tray of glasses filled with orange liquid.
"Thank you for waiting. This is mandarin juice made from pressed Ehime mandarins."
"Thank you very much."
After a brief explanation, she served the glasses in front of each of us.
This is mandarin juice? It was much darker and had a far more potent aroma than any juice I knew. This was definitely the expensive kind.
"We will bring the food shortly, so please enjoy your time."
"Yes."
With a final bow, the waitress left the room, leaving us to our own devices once more.
"Well then, everyone, shall we start with a toast?"
"Yeah. My throat's dry from the constant tension."
"Right. Maybe drinking something will help us calm down."
" " " "Yes!" " " "
Holding our glasses of mandarin juice, we all looked at Yuji expectantly.
"Wait, am I the one doing the toast?"
"Just give us a simple one. It doesn't have to be anything fancy."
"Even if you tell me that so suddenly..."
Yuji looked slightly troubled, then closed his eyes for a few seconds to think. You don't have to worry that much; just go with something standard.
Finally, Yuji raised his glass and began.
"Well then... first of all, good work everyone. A lot happened this year, but I'm glad we could reach this day safely without any major injuries. I hope we can keep this up next year too."
"A lot really did happen."
"Yes, quite a lot."
" " " "Yeah..." " " "
This past year, from the major incidents to the minor ones, had been packed. Considering everything involving the dungeon, it was probably sheer luck that we’d made it through without anyone getting seriously hurt, even with all our preparation.
Looking at the other student explorers at our school, setting aside major injuries, minor ones were treated as a given. It was better than it used to be, but there were still plenty of students who came to school with bandages because they had skimped on recovery potion costs.
"Anyway, I hope we can all gather and have fun like this next year too. I won't drag this out, so let's end it here."
Yuji thrust his glass forward, looking around at everyone to time it. It was a solid, straightforward toast.
"Alright then, everyone—cheers!"
" " " " " "Cheers!" " " " " "
Matching Yuji's call, we all raised our glasses.
After lightly clinking them with those nearby, I took a sip. The next instant, our eyes widened in shock.
"What is this?! It’s delicious! Is this really mandarin juice? It's so rich, yet it has such a clean finish... Incredible."
"It really is amazing. I've never had juice like this. The rich sweetness, the faint acidity, the vivid aroma... It's worlds apart from any mandarin juice I've ever had."
" " " "What is this? It's so good!" " " "
You could tell from just one sip—the quality was on a completely different level. If this was true mandarin juice, then everything we'd been drinking before was just orange-colored water.
While the six of us were busy being moved by the flavor, Yuji, who had been drinking quietly, let a comment slip.
"Well, it's a premium product that costs about 2,000 yen a glass, so of course it's delicious."
" " " " " "...Huh?!" " " " " "
Wait a minute, Yuji. What did you just say?
Two thousand yen for a single glass of juice? You’ve got to be kidding me!