After about an hour of chatting casually, Honoka let out a sigh.
“Ah, it’s fun talking with you, Tatsuya-kun. It makes me feel so at ease. You’re popular at school, right?”
Honoka’s face was a little flushed, and her way of speaking had a slight drawl. The beer glass in her hand had been refilled four times, so it seemed like she was starting to feel tipsy.
“No, not at all. I’m kind of an introvert. I’m always nervous around the popular kids in class.”
“Eh, you don’t look like that at all!”
“I pull my hair back when I’m working. Normally, I’m like this.”
I lowered my bangs and took out a pair of dark green glasses from my bag to put on.
“Wow, you look completely different! But I don’t mind this version of Tatsuya-kun either.”
“Thank you. But the reason I’m not popular isn’t just because of that…”
“Eh, what is it? Is it that you have some weird fetish or something?”
“No, even if that’s true, I definitely wouldn’t talk about it.”
“Haha, yeah, that’s true.”
Honoka, unusually relaxed, was speaking in a carefree, almost dreamy tone. A conversation about fetishes would never come up from her normally. Alcohol can be quite dangerous.
“I’m a complete rookie, so I don’t think I’m the type of guy women would be interested in.”
“Hmm, I see. But honestly, I don’t think that really matters in a relationship, does it?”
Honoka said this without any surprise or disappointment, as if it were nothing.
“Back in the day, there were those dramas where they always said that men should have money or that the ‘three highs’ — high income, high education, and tall height — were what women wanted. But I think, in the end, it’s more about matching personalities and human nature. Because if you choose someone for those reasons, you’re not dating the man, you’re dating his money or education.”
She popped a piece of meat and potato stew into her mouth, pressed her cheek, smiled, and said, “Yum!” before continuing.
“Now the trend is more about men with experience points, but it’s still the same. Even if a guy has a lot of experience, if he has a bad personality, he’s not going to be popular. Plus, for women who don’t delve into dungeons, experience points aren’t even necessary.”
“I see. Since you’re a bridal planner, experience points aren’t necessary for you, right?”
“Well… it’s not that they’re completely unnecessary. You see, when your level goes up, your body gets stronger, so you’re less likely to have skin problems, your body becomes more toned, and your digestion improves, or so they say.”
I didn’t know there were such side effects.
“Well, it’s basically like strength training, so if that’s the case, I’d rather just do my own muscle training and prefer a wonderful man over experience points.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
I took a sip of my oolong tea and looked up, meeting Honoka’s gaze. It felt a little intense.
“Honoka, don’t you have a boyfriend?”
“Nope, I don’t. Being a bridal planner doesn’t really give me the chance to meet anyone. All my clients are couples who are already happy.”
“That’s true. Well, how about meeting someone at work…?”
As soon as I said that, I realized my mistake. It almost sounded like I was asking if she was asking about me.
“Hehe, what do you mean by that?”
“Ah, no, I mean—”
“Don’t tease older women too much.”
“N-no, it’s not like that! Uh, by the way, we haven’t talked about the main topic yet.”
I hastily tried to change the subject, but Honoka’s expression turned a bit serious.
“Right, we haven’t. But, could you keep this a secret? I don’t want anyone at work to know.”
“Sure, I don’t really talk to anyone at work besides you.”
“You know that we handle dungeon ingredients at our shop, right? And that my mom is a dungeon diver?”
“Of course, I know.”
There’s no way I’d forget that. In fact, I might be working part-time here for that very reason.
“My mom usually goes on dungeon dives with a three-person party, but it seems like the healer was poached by another team. So now, she’s been going with just one other person, and it’s been less stable than before. Sometimes she comes back with injuries…”
“I see, that sounds worrying.”
“Yeah, our specialty is French cuisine made with dungeon ingredients, but I told her she doesn’t have to push herself. My dad’s cooking is amazing even without them. It would be tough if we didn’t use dungeon ingredients, but we could still make it work… But she won’t listen.”
“I understand… I’m sorry, I don’t think there’s much I can do to help…”
When I said that, Honoka looked at me blankly before bursting into laughter.
“No, no! I just wanted someone to listen to my complaints! I can’t talk to anyone else at work about this. If we stop using dungeon ingredients, we might have to cut back on staff, and I’m just not sure what to do. I’ve been bottling up so much, so I’ve been dragging you around just to vent. Talking about it made me feel a lot better. Thank you.”
“But if there’s anything I can do to help, I’m here!”
“Tatsuya-kun, you’re so kind. You must be popular, right?”
“I told you, I’m not.”
“What a waste. You’re such a good guy. Young people these days have no eye for good people.”
As she said that, Honoka reached out for the glass on the table where I had my hand.
“Ah, your glass is empty! Do you want something else?”
I quickly moved my hand and took the menu, handing it to her. After a brief, slightly sad expression, Honoka smiled again.
“It’s still before 9, right? Let’s go to another place!”
She stood up to freshen up her makeup, and I sighed in relief. It wouldn’t do to see Honoka in such an undignified state here.
And then I realized — this was the perfect opportunity for me to pay the bill. The smart men always pay while the woman is at the restroom, or so it said in a dating guidebook I bought from a used bookstore.
I wasn’t sure how much the bill was, but I had enough cash with me, so it should be fine. If not, I’d feel pretty embarrassed, but I’d have to ask Honoka to cover it.
I nervously pressed the bell and asked the waiter to bring the check. The bill that the waiter brought was…
“Seventeen thousand yen…”
That was expensive. But, it’s enough!
“Uh, is it okay to pay with 20,000 yen in cash?”
“Not okay!”
“Ouch.”
A hand hit the top of my head lightly.
“Honestly, what are you doing, Tatsuya-kun?”
“Well, I read in a book that men are supposed to pay when women go to the restroom…”
I looked down, feeling embarrassed.
“Ah, you’re so cute. But you know, I don’t think any grown woman would let a high schooler pay for them, right? Sorry, I’ll pay with my card. Please make the receipt out to ‘Anjour Terrace’.”
Honoka took her credit card out of her wallet and handed it to the waiter. She looked so cool.
When we stepped outside, it was already completely dark. I felt a bit like I was doing something wrong.
“Alright, let’s go to a bar! A bar!”
It seemed the night was far from over.
