Japanese cuisine, Western cuisine, fast food like hamburgers—when I searched on my phone, I saw that the area near the station had just about every kind of restaurant.
“What would you like to eat, Nanami-san?”
“I’m fine with whatever you want, Nina.”
“Then, which one do you like out of these?”
As I tried to show Nina my phone, she unexpectedly leaned in close to me before even looking at the screen—taking a position where she was peeking at it from the side.
“…This resembles the egg dish we had for breakfast,” she noted.
“That’s called omurice,” I replied.
“Omurice…”
Repeating the word, Nina stared intently at the screen—she’d been like this at breakfast, too. Maybe she’s just really into food.
“Well, since Nina wants to try various things, it might be good to go somewhere with a lot of options.”
“Ah, yes, maybe a family restaurant would work?”
From the other side, Nanami-san leaned in to look at the screen, leaving me sandwiched between them.
“…What would you like to eat, Fujiwara-kun?”
“I’m good with anything. Although, I am curious about the ramen place here—just not today.”
“Ramen…”
“The taste you’re imagining for ‘ramen,’ Tsukasa-san, sounds quite intriguing.”
“Haha… Nothing special, just the usual—tonkotsu, shoyu. I like salt and miso, too.”
Nina seemed to have picked up on my thoughts about the appeal of ramen—or so it seemed. Both Nina and Nanami-san were showing interest.
“I’ve never had it at home, though.”
“In that case, we could try different places each time we go out… wait.”
This would mean we’d be going out together again. Not that I planned for today to be a one-time thing, but somehow, the thought made me a little self-conscious.
“…Tomorrow, we’re going to the dungeon with Kashino-senpai and the others, so maybe on our next day off?”
“Y-yeah… on the next break, then.”
“If you’re going out, you’ll need to finish your assignments too. Want some help?”
General subject classes give out assignments as usual, so we have to finish them on weekends. Even though it’s a school for explorers, it has a lot in common with a regular high school—it’s just that you can graduate by only taking units aimed at becoming an explorer.
“About these assignments… could I help out as well?”
“…Nina, would you want to go to school?”
“Eh… Nanami-san, that’s…”
Nina attending school was something that the person in the forbidden room also suggested.
Since she’s able to go out like this, she’s cleared the first stage. Now, it’s important to see if she actually wants to go.
“I have a collection of information about people who came into me. I might be able to help with assignments to some extent.”
Nina knows far more than I expected. But that’s just from the information of those who entered the dungeon; she hasn’t experienced much firsthand.
“If you decide you’d like to go to school, just let me know. Even if full enrollment is too soon, maybe we could get permission for you to visit.”
“Yes. I think I could learn about humans from that person at home as well.”
“That person?”
“Oh, right. I haven’t told you yet, Nanami-san. There’s a forbidden room at the far end of the East Wing…”
“Oh… Suzuri-san told me. Said I might meet the person in the forbidden room someday. So you’ve already met them, Fujiwara-kun.”
I explained the situation, that when Nina got lost, she was looked after by the master of the forbidden room.
“It’s a room with lots of books found in the dungeon…”
“Interested, too, Nanami-san? I’m curious as well; it’d be nice if we could enter again sometime.”
“She looked after me and asked that I call her ‘older sister.’”
I didn’t catch her actual name, but considering her appearance, it’s probably best to respect her wish to be called ‘older sister.’
“…Maybe we should properly ask Suzuri-san about this next time.”
Before unraveling the mysteries of the dungeon, I wanted to solve the mysteries closer to us—like the dorm where we live.
◆◇◆
After some discussion, we decided to go to a nearby restaurant.
The three of us sat around a table, and I handed the ordering tablet to Nanami-san first. She and Nina sat beside each other, looking at the menu with serious expressions.
“A… welcome…”
The waitress brought water to our table, but as soon as she placed the glasses down, she quickly hid her face behind her tray.
“Uh… is something wrong?”
“N-no… I apologize… I’ll be right back.”
She turned to leave but nearly stumbled, only managing to stay upright with the help of another waitress.
“Please be careful,” I said.
I didn’t catch her nametag, but I was sure I recognized that blonde hair.
(Wait… she’s a student in Class D, isn’t she?)
Our teacher, Ms. Iga, had mentioned something about her, saying that the school would be providing her with support. I never expected to run into her working here.
“Are you interested in this restaurant’s uniform, Fujiwara?” Nanami asked.
“N-no, it’s not that… I just thought the waitress looked familiar. She’s probably from our class.”
“Since part-time jobs are allowed by the school rules, she should be fine,” Nanami replied.
“Is this a menu item only for children?” Nina asked, pointing at the kids’ lunch.
“Kids’ meals? You can order it at any age.”
“That seems tricky to answer… but I don’t see any age restrictions at this place.”
“Then, I’ll have this, and… this, this, and this,” Nina said, pointing at curry, a hamburger steak, and dessert.
Nanami’s eyes widened a bit at Nina’s appetite.
“…Wow. You’re so slim—where does it all go?”
“It’s all converted into magic power. Since the efficiency isn’t great, I need to consume more.”
“That sounds… enviable,” Nanami remarked with a hint of awe.
“Well, thanks to some extra income, feel free to order whatever you want,” I said.
“If that’s not enough, please order more,” Nina replied, her eyes subtly sparkling.
For someone who shows so little emotion, she genuinely seemed excited about eating, even if it was mostly to replenish her magic.
“I’ll go with a Japanese-style meal,” Nanami said. “Ms. Suzuri told me to maintain a balanced diet.”
“I like to claim fries are vegetables,” I added.
“…A flexible mindset.”
Just the sight of Nanami’s slight smile made me inexplicably happy.
(“Should I keep quiet while you two are enjoying each other’s company?”) Nina suddenly communicated directly into my mind.
(“N-no… just act normally.”)
She glanced at Nanami, showing almost no change in expression. Nina’s grasp of human social subtleties would need a bit more work.
