Several days have passed since I heard from Minami that Katsu was in a good mood.
Today is Christmas Eve, and the townscape feels more vibrant than usual, as if jingling bells are ringing.
Despite the festive day, I find myself walking alone through the streets.
“I can’t believe I’m back here again.”
My gaze falls upon the shop where I once bought a roll cake as a treat for Suella. The shop, which I remember lining up for a considerable amount of time back then, seems even more crowded now, likely due to the Christmas season. A store employee dressed as Santa Claus is holding a “Last in line” sign and organizing the queue. If my memory serves me right, the line is even longer than before.
“Haa, am I going to stand in that line in this cold?”
Feeling a sense of dread, I still acknowledge that I have no choice but to join the queue, so I slowly make my way to the end of the line. The reason I came to this shop is, naturally, to buy a cake for our Christmas party. Katsu, who is good at cooking, and Himik, who is steadily improving her culinary skills, are not good with sweets. Although they could make a cake, they both expressed a desire to eat a delicious one if we were going to have one. When I asked the others if they could bake a cake:
“Are you suicidal, Leader?”
Minami recalled when she last held a kitchen knife, which was many years ago.
“I’m not as good as Katsu.”
Kitamiya, who can cook but is only at an average level.
“Senpai, please remember. Our previous lives. We could never have such a sophisticated hobby as cooking.”
Kaido spoke with a distant look, recounting his life inseparable from convenience stores. I’m not much different; I can make instant noodles, but baking a cake is a different story. And then there were the otherworlders.
“I know of cakes, but I do not know how to make one.”
Memoria, who was at the forefront, mentioned that few people have tasted a cake before.
“I’m sorry, Master. Please expect more from me in the future.”
Himik said regretfully, admitting her training was insufficient.
“I can cook, but I’m not familiar with the cuisine here.”
Suella, who is currently studying Japanese cuisine, said she was not well-versed in Western sweets. Well, the ones I had the least expectations for, the twin angels, I had to ask.
“What is a cake?”
I had to start by explaining the concept of cake. Given the situation, the natural course of action was to buy one, and thus the decision was made to go with a cake from a store. At that point, Suella said,
“In that case, I’d like to try the roll cake I had before.”
She spoke as if recalling it, mentioning the content of my previous treat. The female group, Kitamiya, and Minami, researched the store.
“Leader, you lined up at this store by yourself?!”
“No way, this store is famous for being hard to buy from!”
The store I had simply chosen based on the idea that a famous shop would be good, apparently, was quite a significant place for the two women. This time, I was expected to come again, and so I have. However, that doesn’t mean I came empty-handed this time. The combination of Christmas and cake, I predicted it would be crowded, so I made a reservation in advance.
“Well, making that reservation wasn’t an ordinary feat either…”
Getting that reservation was quite a struggle. As it’s a famous shop, there are various restrictions for reservations. First, they said only customers who buy a whole cake or more are eligible, reservations had to be made several days in advance, and after explaining various other things, I was told that if the reservations flooded in, there would be a lottery. At that point, I considered choosing a different store. However, the fact that I’m here means I successfully made a reservation.
“I should have brought someone with me.”
The queue is full of women, and despite only coming to pick up a reserved item, I feel out of place. The few male customers are all in couples. I’m the only man here by myself. They say regrets don’t come before they happen, and that’s certainly true. Normally, I would smoke a cigarette to ease the tension, but in Tokyo, smoking is fined outside designated areas. If I were to smoke here, I’d undoubtedly be kicked out.
“Our company is blessed, you know.”
I nod to myself, pretending to hide my loneliness, and reaffirm that the environment where I can smoke anywhere is a blessing. I pull up the collar of my jacket to ward off the cold. The sign that read “Last in line” has moved further back, but I’m still far from the front. It will take some more time, so while enduring the stares from the women around me, I reach for my smartphone. I intended to browse a news site, but…
“Oh, aren’t you Mr. Tanaka!”
“Huh?”
My gaze, which had dropped, immediately snaps up. It pains me to say it, but there are countless people named Tanaka if you search for them. It’s a surname I’ve heard so often that there are even patterns where the characters are different but the pronunciation is the same. I don’t know how many Tanakas are in this queue, but I have a feeling this call is directed at me.
“You are.”
“It’s been a while! What are you doing here? Or rather, why are you lining up alone?”
“If I had no business, I wouldn’t be lining up. You haven’t changed, Kawasaki.”
I turn my gaze to the person whose name has surfaced from my memory, who greets me with a salute.
“Energy is my forte! If you take away my energy, all that’s left is a beautiful woman!”
Her voice is annoying, but not *too* annoying. With a voice of exquisite volume, I recognize it. Looking in the direction of the voice, I see a familiar face, as expected. Kawasaki Midori. I met her when I was doing business with my previous company. As you can see, she has an excess of energy. While it sounds good to call her vivacious, at times she can be quite loud. She should be five years younger than me, but her petite build makes her look youthful, younger than her actual age. She has a cute face with lingering youthfulness rather than being simply beautiful. Dressed in a beige trench coat, with light brown hair cut neatly at shoulder length, she maintains a constant smile.
“You really haven’t changed at all. As you can see, I came to buy a cake.”
“Alone?”
“I don’t know why you’re emphasizing that part, but stop making that ‘seriously?’ face. It’s quite irritating. Honestly, I’m here to pick up supplies for a Christmas party with family.”
“Oh? Mr. Tanaka, you have that kind of free time now? I thought you’d be in the middle of a Death March by now… Honestly, I thought you were just a lookalike when I saw you in this line.”
Thinking she’s as honest as ever, I decide there’s no need to hide anything and answer truthfully.
“Ah, you didn’t know? I quit my previous company. Now I’m working somewhere else.”
“Whaaat!? Mr. Tanaka, you changed jobs!! That’s why I haven’t seen you around lately! What was the reason for the job change? Did you finally punch that bald old man? If so, I’d say ‘Good job!'”
“Shut up, I didn’t punch anyone. And be mindful of your surroundings. If you’re going to make noise, move away.”
“Ah, sorry.”
Our conversation takes place while standing in line. I receive disapproving stares from the women in front and behind me, and Kawasaki bows repeatedly.
“So? Did you specifically come over to talk about old times?”
“Yes! I had plans to meet my cousin, and I had some free time until then, so I was just wandering around! Then I saw someone I knew lining up in an interesting place, so I decided to say hello!”
“Is that so?”
It’s good that she’s honest, but being told so directly that it was just to kill time after all, makes me feel a bit awkward, a mix of “refreshing” and “what is this person saying?”. Even when I used to visit her company often for discussions, I always found her oddly likable.
“Well, it’s also a good way for me to kill time.”
Having someone to talk to is also convenient for me. I was getting tired of standing in this long line alone, and although she makes it a bit noisy, it might actually be just right in this cold weather. I thought to say something, but…
“Kawasaki! Please hold my spot!!”
“Eh!? Wait, Mr. Tanaka, your legs are fast!?”
Behind Kawasaki, on the opposite side of the cake shop. I happened to see a scene where a soccer ball, likely a Christmas gift from his parents, slipped from a young boy’s small hand as he swung it around excitedly. Perhaps as a result of my usual training, I understood what was about to happen and reacted instinctively, faster than I could think. The ball rolled into the street, and the child chased after it. My trained eyes precisely tracked the scene, calculating the time until the approaching car reached the boy. Accelerating with each step, I felt like I was moving faster as the world slowed around me, and I dashed into the street, lunging towards the boy.
“Takashi!”
Presumably, this is the boy’s mother. If she looked away for a moment and her child ran into the street, she would surely scream. With a spin, and hearing the blare of a car horn behind me, I felt relief that I had managed to clear the road and pushed the approaching woman back.
“Geez, if it wasn’t me, it would have been dangerous, kid. It’s dangerous to just run out like that.”
I hand the soccer ball back to the boy, who doesn’t seem to understand what happened, and without a word to the mother who is checking him for injuries.
“Be more careful next time.”
I lightly pat him on the head, brush off any dirt, and cross back to the cake shop via the crosswalk. I hear the woman’s voice thanking me from behind, and I turn back briefly, give a nod, and head back. I wonder if Kawasaki held my spot. It was a sudden incident, so I thought it impossible, but…
“Mr. Tanaka, you’re amazing!! What was that! Were you secretly an Olympic athlete or a former SP!?”
“Calm down, I’ve just been exercising a lot recently.”
She had diligently held my spot for me. I was a little worried without any magical energy or the support of my Magic Crest, but I’m glad it turned out okay. Kawasaki, still buzzing with excitement from witnessing my actions, badgered me, but I couldn’t tell her the truth, so I just brushed it off. She persistently asked what kind of training I was doing, but I couldn’t possibly tell her. As I evaded her questions, time passed.
“By the way, is it okay for your meeting time?”
“Ah! Oh no, it’s almost time.”
When I pointed out the time, she glanced at the watch on her left hand and started to panic, realizing she was late for her appointment. I thought I could finally relax, but…
“Huh? Leader, Midori-san. Why are you together?”
“Katsu?”
“Oh, Katsu, is that you!”
One more person joined the group. Seeing Katsu approach us in casual clothes, I called out his name, but I hadn’t expected Kawasaki to know Katsu too.
“Mr. Tanaka, you know Katsu?”
“Ah, at my current workplace. It seems you know him as well.”
“Hehehe! It’s not just that we know each other, Katsu is my cousin! And what’s more, I’m Katsu’s first love!”
“What!? Midori-san!!”
“I see.”
I wondered about the way she introduced herself, but it clearly explained their relationship. Kawasaki, who was playfully teasing Katsu, looked happy, and Katsu, in turn, dropped his usual mature demeanor and adopted a more age-appropriate expression. In that case, I think Kawasaki’s introduction earlier was quite accurate. And now I understood the reason behind Minami saying he was in a good mood.
“I’ve been keeping in touch with him, he had things to discuss, so I thought we could grab a meal today!”
She showed me an excessive amount of affection, as if doting on her younger brother. While I found it heartwarming, my lips could only form a wry smile. Internally, I felt relieved that she seemed to have helped Katsu relieve some stress. Having my worries eased and my questions answered, I decided it wouldn’t be right to keep them any longer.
“I see, then I won’t keep you any longer. Enjoy your day off.”
“I will! Come on, Katsu!”
“Ah, Leader, excuse me!”
“Yeah, be careful.”
Seeing Katsu being pulled along like that, when he’s usually the one leading, was a fresh sight. I remembered the long line and told myself I just had to endure a little longer.
Words of the day:
Isn’t it quite common for people you know to be connected in strange ways?
That’s all for today.
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*The first volume has been decided to be published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.*
*It was released on October 18, 2018.*
*The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year.*
*Additionally, the second volume will be released on December 19.*
*The content has been revised and expanded from the original web novel posted on “Shosetsuka ni Naro,” and includes unpublished interludes.*
*Please check out the new releases as well!!*
*Also, a comic adaptation has been decided for Kodansha’s “Young Magazine the Third.”*
