The restaurant Alice had reserved was located in a slightly elevated terrain within the capital, and in the vicinity of the restaurant, or rather, in the area around the restaurant, there were no signs of any stalls or the usual hustle and bustle you’d expect from the Founding Festival. The place was surprisingly quiet and peaceful.
[It’s kind of serene, isn’t it?]
[This area is known for its high-end establishments and is frequented by the wealthy, hence the absence of stalls. Setting up stalls is prohibited here. In the Hydra Kingdom, where the authority the citizens hold is strong, people often think that this place holds equality, but in reality, the gap between the rich and the poor is rather large. Well, they have systems that provide assistance in those areas, so it’s not like there are slums or anything like that here.]
[Heehhh…… Well, with an innovation-oriented national policy and vibrant environment for individual and small businesses, there would certainly be an inevitable rise in the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t huh……]
Of course, not everyone can achieve success. A wealth disparity is a natural outcome. So, it’s no wonder that upscale areas like this exist.It also seems like Hydra Kingdom attracts a lot of tourists, as I remember Laguna-san previously putting a lot of effort into tourism by creating beaches and the like.
Having this in mind, this upscale restaurant area also seems to be designed as an elegant district, with well-paved roads and stylish streetlights.
While I was glancing around the surroundings, we were escorted to a table by the window, offering a great view from within the restaurant. Alice had already booked the menu for us, so she only asked me about what drink I’d like, to which I decided to order a glass of red wine that matched the restaurant’s atmosphere.
Fufu, I’ve been to a lot of fancy restaurants, so I’m something of a connoisseur myself…… isn’t actually the case. To be honest, unless it’s on a different level like Shallow Grande, I wouldn’t know if a wine is good or bad.
[However, facing each other in a restaurant like this, exchanging a toast with wine in hand, doesn’t this feel like an adult date?]
[It certainly is a common sight in dramas and such. Well, a date like this feels like a classic one, but it becoming a classic just shows how good of a situation it is, doesn’t it?]
[And after enjoying a sophisticated dinner in a high-rise restaurant with a night view would be a surprise gift!][You really like that kind of thing huh.]
[No, no, Kaito-san. Can you not underestimate me? How many years do you think I’ve been fixated on this? I only gained my knowledge only through the media and the like, so I admire epitomes of classics like this, you know?]
Rather than Alice being a romanticist who likes the classic romance, I feel like she just enjoys these kinds of situations. Leaving aside the fact that she get all shy and can’t handle when she is the one actually doing it, she often takes action to actively experience the situations she admires, such as the case with this restaurant.
[……Ahh, but you seem to be more relaxed this time than usual.]
[Fufufu, well, it’s that, you know? Thinking about what’s after this, it’s no biggie…… No, well, I try not to desperately think about what comes after this, but putting all my efforts into that ironically makes me feel calm.]
[……………….]
I thought about throwing a tsukkomi at Alice as she said that with a smug look on her face, but as it felt like her being too aware of it might make it hard for her to act properly, I just decided not to say anything unnecessary.
After all, she got so flustered that she even started to dig a hole and bury herself in it, and even now, her current state is a result of a painful bluff caused by averting her eyes with all her might.
It’s just, unnn…… I’m really sorry to Alice, but it’s because Alice is getting conscious and extremely tense like that that I can stay calm.
You know, when I see someone more flustered or nervous than myself, it just makes me calm down.
[Well, unfortunately, I don’t have a surprise gift for you.]
[Ahaha, I would be rather surprised if you had something prepared for me.]
If I had known from the start that things were going to be this way, I might have prepared something, but unfortunately, I had no prior information, so I wasn’t able to prepare anything.
Of course, Alice herself knew about it, so she just smiled happily.
Then, seemingly waiting for a pause in our conversation, dishes were brought in and we started dinner. As is the case with high-class restaurants, the course meals were served in an order just like those in French restaurants.
Alice didn’t eat a large quantity of food as she usually does, but used a knife and fork elegantly. Her refined manners were beautiful and made her seem more sophisticated than usual.
And so, after finishing the delicious course meal and enjoying some post-dinner wine while watching the fireworks, a cute cake with bright and colorful fireworks-looking decorations on it was brought in by a waitress.
[……This is a surprise cake for Alice-sama from Miyama Kaito-sama.]
[……Yeah?]
Alice looked surprised, but I was also taken aback. After all, a surprise I was completely unaware of suddenly happened under my name. Eh? What’s going on? What’s with this situation!?
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [The waitress just called Kaito’s name in kanji instead of the usual katakana. On top of that, her acting like she’s supporting Alice……]
Makina : [Fuuu, what a troublesome best friend……]
Serious-senpai : [I knew it was you!]
(T/N: Trinians refer to Kaito as ミヤマカイト, not 宮間快人)
