The restaurant where Lilia-san and the others were waiting was apparently quite popular. By the time Luna-san and I arrived, a long queue stretched out from the entrance, with Lilia-san and the rest of the group visible near the middle of it.
"Ah, Kaito-senpai! Luna-san! Over here!"
Hina-chan spotted us and waved vigorously, so we made our way over to join them.
"My apologies for the wait, Milady... though it seems we’ll be waiting quite a bit longer."
"Yes, we really should have left sooner. I underestimated just how popular this place was."
While Luna-san and Lilia-san chatted, I took my spot in line next to Hina-chan and Aoi-chan.
"This is an incredible crowd... What kind of place is this, anyway?"
"The Phantasm King-sama's guidebook said they serve extremely rare cuisine. It didn't specify exactly what, though; you can't really tell just from the names of the dishes."
"Uuugh, I’m so hungry..."
Aoi-chan answered my question while Hina-chan voiced her stomach's complaints.
I see. A line this long certainly raised expectations, but it looked like we’d be standing here for ages...
"Kaito-senpai! Can't you do something with that Special Invitation of yours?"
"I—I don't know. I heard it makes everything free, but does it let us skip the line?"
"I understand how you feel, Hina-chan, but even Lilia-san’s Platinum Rank didn't do us any good. I doubt Kaito-san’s will be any different."
It wasn't just those two; Lilia-san and the others seemed just as fed up with the wait. However, having made it this far, it was a bit late to try finding another restaurant.
If even high-rank invitations didn't grant priority access, I guess we just had to be patient.
Just as I was resigning myself to the wait, a person who looked like a staff member walked toward us from the front of the line. They stopped right in front of me, gave a polite bow, and spoke.
"...Am I correct in addressing you as Miyama Kaito-sama?"
"Eh? Yes, that’s me."
"Thank you so much for joining us today. We have a VIP seat prepared for you and your companions, so please, follow me."
"...Huh?"
We all tilted our heads in unison at the mention of a prepared table. I hadn't told the restaurant I was coming, much less made a reservation. How on earth was a VIP seat ready for us as if it were the most natural thing in the world?
Sensing our confusion, the staff member offered a gentle smile.
"By order of the Six Kings, every restaurant in this festival city has a VIP seat permanently reserved for Miyama-sama and his guests. Naturally, our establishment has a private room with a panoramic view ready for you."
"...What?"
"...A face pass. Kaito-senpai, you're literally being waved in on sight."
"...Should I call it 'as expected' or 'here we go again'? You're nothing if not consistent, Kaito-san."
I really wanted to sit down with my two juniors and have a long talk about their opinions of me. Lilia-san, who was currently clutching her head and staring off into the distance, was much easier to read.
Still stunned, but grateful that we didn't have to wait to eat, we followed the staff member inside.
True to their word, the private room offered a magnificent view. Since they didn't have one table large enough for the entire group, we split up. I ended up sitting with Aoi-chan and Hina-chan—the "Otherworlder" group.
"...Miyama-sama, our head chef mentioned that he would like to personally offer his greetings after the meal. Would that be acceptable?"
"Eh? Oh, yes. That’s fine."
"Thank you. Then, allow us to prepare our signature dishes."
"P-Please do."
Staff-san, please stop looking at me... I'm not used to this sort of thing at all. Go talk to Lilia-san instead.
"This is our beverage menu."
"..."
I scanned the list of drinks I was handed... and couldn't make heads or tails of it.
"...L-Lilia-san... I have no idea what any of this is."
"Shall I choose for you, then?"
"Please."
I turned to Lilia-san at the next table for help and handed her the menu. She proceeded to order with practiced grace, seemingly having memorized everyone's alcohol tolerances and preferences. I was really glad she was here.
"...Kaito-senpai, what kind of food do you think they’ll serve?"
"Hmm. Looking at the decor, it feels kind of like a French restaurant. What do you think, Aoi-chan?"
"It’s definitely a high-end establishment... but the table settings feel slightly different from traditional French service."
I’d suspected it for a while, but was Aoi-chan actually a high-class lady? The fact that she could judge a place by its table settings was impressive.
As my anticipation for the mysterious gourmet food grew, the appetizers were brought out along with our drinks.
"Your hors d'oeuvre: Braised Pale Pig."
"...Aoi-chan, what's braising?"
"It’s a method of slow-cooking in liquid. It’s a staple for things like cheek meat, but it’s a bit unusual to see it served as an appetizer."
"...Wait, is this..."
"Y-Yes... I’m quite surprised as well."
When I whispered the question to Aoi-chan, she answered with a look of sheer bewilderment. I understood exactly why she was confused. In fact, I was certain the three of us were all thinking the exact same thing.
"...Aoi-chan."
"...Yes."
"...Hina-chan."
"...Yeah, I know what this is too."
"...Then, all together now."
"""Pork feet..."""
Indeed, the dish placed before us was... unmistakably pork feet.
Dear Mother, Father—I ended up having dinner with Lilia-san and the others at a very fancy restaurant. The VIP treatment was a shock, but the biggest surprise of all was that I recognized the food they served.
The juniors take their turn.
Q: What kind of shop is this? A: An Otherworld-style high-end Chinese restaurant.