During my overnight stay for Anima’s consolation trip, the topic of the magic ship Kuro gave me had come up. I was genuinely excited about the idea of hosting a shipboard party myself, so I decided to start making some serious progress on those plans.
I intended to visit Kaori-san to consult her about the menu and perhaps oversee the catering, but before that, a thought occurred to me. I contacted a certain someone and made my way to the Demon Realm—specifically, Kuro’s castle—to meet her.
"Hello, Kaito-san. What brings you by today?"
"Actually, I have a proposal for you, Noin-san... or maybe it's more of an invitation."
Yes, I had come to see Noin-san. It wasn't that I needed anything specific from her; I just wanted to suggest something that had been on my mind for a while.
"...Um, would you like to go to the Friendly City with me for a bit?"
"...A-Ah... Did I do something to upset you, Kaito-san?"
"Oh, no, it's not like that! Sorry, I explained that in the wrong order."
To Noin-san, the Friendly City was the place she least wanted to visit in the world. Just hearing the name caused a look of utter despair to wash over her face, as if her entire world were ending.
Of course, I had no intention of harassing her. I actually thought this would be a treat for her, but I really had botched the delivery of the explanation.
"So, there's another otherworlder in the Friendly City... a former Hero-role. She's opened a shop there. Did you know about it?"
"No, I don't let any news regarding the Friendly City reach my ears, so... I see, a fellow migrant. That is heartening to hear, but visiting casually is... complicated. It's difficult. By the way, what kind of shop is it?"
"Well, it's a diner that specializes in Japanese food..."
"!?"
Up until that moment, Noin-san had been completely unenthusiastic—she looked genuinely pained, in fact. But the moment those words left my mouth, her expression shifted instantly.
Noin-san was notoriously particular about Japanese cuisine, so the prospect of a diner run by an otherworlder must have piqued her interest.
"I've already saved the coordinates for the storefront in a teleportation magic tool, so you won't have to see much of the city at all. How does that sound?"
"I... Honestly, I'm very interested. Japanese food... set meals... I want to eat them."
It looked like she was on board, so things were looking good. However, if we actually sat down for a meal, her true identity would almost certainly be exposed. I’d need to make sure she was okay with that part.
Serious-senpai: "A stomach pain flag is rising for Kaori..."