I had come to Okayama with Kuro. After our day of fun at the Brazilian Park Washuzan Highland, we spent the night at a hotel and set out once more for a day of sightseeing.
Since we had prioritized play yesterday by going to the amusement park, our main focus today was on actual tourism. A quick search online revealed that Okayama had quite a few worthy destinations.
There was Korakuen, counted among the three most beautiful gardens in Japan; the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, which preserved the charm of old-fashioned Japanese streetscapes; Kibitsu Shrine, home to the legend of Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto—said to be the model for Momotaro; and if we were willing to venture a bit further, Yubara Onsen was also a strong contender.
Out of all those options, the destination I eventually settled on for today was the Osafune Japanese Sword Museum.
I chose this somewhat niche location simply because Kuro had requested it. Noin, a member of Kuro's family, had originally been Japanese, and since Kuro was interested in the swords she used as weapons, we decided to go have a look.
I had a vague memory of my mother taking me to the sword museum when I was in the first or second grade of elementary school, but I’d forgotten almost everything about it, so I was actually quite looking forward to the visit.
However, the museum was a bit difficult to get to. If we traveled by train, the closest stop would be Osafune Station on the Ako Line, but the museum was a significant distance from there, and there weren't any buses available.
I could have taken a taxi from the station, but I decided to rent a car instead, just in case Kuro spotted something interesting along the way and wanted to stop.
I had a license, but since I hadn't driven in a long time, I had been a little worried. It turned out that my muscle memory was still intact, and I was handling the wheel without any issues.
"Hey, Kaito-kun. Where are we right now?"
"Let’s see, we’re almost at Saidaiji... Once we pass through here, the sword museum won't be much further."
"I see, I see... You know, these 'automobiles' are really fascinating. I'd love to try reproducing them with magic tools, but... I have that promise with the Earth God, so it might be difficult."
"A promise with Eden-san?"
"Yeah. She asked me not to copy 'mechanical products' too much. Was it 'science'? She said those are technologies that specifically developed in this world. It sounds like Shiro and the Earth God have a few different treaties regarding things like that."
Come to think of it, hadn't we been required to hand over all mechanical devices during the Hero Summoning? In my case, the smartphone I turned in at the very beginning had been magically modified by Eden-san to have infinite battery and signal before being returned to me, but that was an exception...
"I see... Oh, speaking of which, it's almost lunchtime. Shall we grab a bite?"
"Oh? Is it that time already?"
"Well, we did take quite a few detours along the way."
As I pondered what to eat, a shop on the car navigation system caught my eye.
"Kuro, are you okay with hamburgers?"
"Yes!"
"Then we could just use the drive-thru, but we're not in a huge rush, so why don't we eat inside?"
"U-Um?"
I smiled at Kuro, who tilted her head as if she didn't quite grasp the concept of a 'drive-thru,' and steered the car toward the burger joint.
I would have preferred to eat some of Okayama's local specialties, but I couldn't see any such shops nearby. Besides, a burger chain would be a fresh experience for Kuro, so it worked out.
When it came to burger chains in Japan, there were three major players. The one we were visiting today was the one where the prices were a bit higher and the service was a bit slower, but the food was delicious.
Not that the other chains weren't great, but this particular brand felt like it leaned more toward a premium experience.
"Welcome!"
"I'll take this set with an iced coffee... Kuro, what do you want?"
"Hmm, they all look so good... I'll take everything!"
"...Um, okay. One of every burger individually, one of every side item, and a large orange juice."
"Y-Yes... Are you sure?"
"It’s fine."
I gave a strained smile to the clerk, who was staring at us with a stunned expression, and confirmed the order.
High-ranking beings like Kuro and Alice were able to instantly absorb whatever they ate and convert it into magic power without leaving a trace, so they could essentially eat as much as they wanted.
While there were some who didn't eat at all, like Magnawell-san, or those who mostly just stuck to alcohol, like Megiddo-san, Kuro and Alice were both big eaters.
Alice went without saying, but Kuro's hobby was literally eating her way through different places. Since she simply loved the act of eating, she tended to order one of everything whenever she visited a new kind of shop.
In fact, at the okonomiyaki place we went to yesterday... she had eaten one of every single item on the menu.
Even though it was lunchtime, it was only about 11:30, so there were still plenty of empty seats. Kuro and I moved to a table by the window to wait for our food.
Since preparing one of everything was going to take some time, I told the staff to just bring the items out as they were ready.
"Delicious! This is my first time having a burger made with rice, but it's wonderful! I have to tell Noin about this when we get home."
"Ahaha, well, I'm just glad you like it."
"...Kaito-kun, do you want a bite too?"
"...Eh?"
"Here, say 'ahh'."
"...A-Ahh."
...This was embarrassing. Deeply embarrassing. I was incredibly grateful that there weren't many other customers around. Even with the Recognition Inhibition magic in place, in the worst-case scenario, I might have been flagged as a lolicon.
I knew Kuro had the driver's license she’d received from Eden-san, so we could probably talk our way out of any real trouble, but... yeah, the weight of the imaginary stares was painful.
"Kaito-kun! This one is amazing too! Here, try it!"
"...Y-Yeah."
As I looked at Kuro holding out a burger with a radiant smile, a small part of me truly regretted not just using the drive-thru.
Serious-senpai: "...A gag character? Me, the very Incarnation of Seriousness... a gag character? Absurd! I won't... I won't accept it! I refuse to accept this!!"
???: "Only one more chapter in the first part, then we move on to the middle part... followed by the wedding rehearsal, I suppose? Must be nice for Kuro-san. I wish I... cough, cough. I'd love to see more lovey-dovey scenes for Alice-chan as well."