The restaurant where Lilia-san and the others were waiting was apparently quite popular. When Luna-san and I arrived, there was a long queue in front of the restaurant, and Lilia-san and the others were currently in the middle of the queue.
[Ahh, Kaito-senpai, Luna-san~~ We’re here~~]
When Hina-chan spotted Luna-san and I, she gave us a big wave and we decided to join them in the queue.
[Thank you for waiting, My Lady…… I guess it would really take some time before we could get our turn huh.]
[Yes, we should have queued a little earlier. I underestimated the popularity of this restaurant.]While Luna-san and Lilia-san talked with each other, I lined up where Hina-chan and Aoi-chan were.
[What a long queue…… What kind of restaurant is this?]
[I read in Phantasmal King-sama’s guidebook that this restaurant serves very rare dishes. I can’t tell what kind of dish they are just from the name of the dishes though……]
[Uuuuu, I’m so hungry~~]
Aoi-chan answered my question, and Hina-chan complained of her hunger.
Hmmm. If there’s this many people queued, I can certainly expect its quality, but I guess it would take us a lot of time before we could eat……
[Kaito-senpai! Can’t you do something with Senpai’s special invitation?][I- I wonder? I’ve heard that I can use it to buy things for free, but will they give priority to me rather than the queue?]
[I understand how you feel, Hina-chan, but even Lilia-san’s platinum rank didn’t work, so I guess it would also be difficult for Kaito-san?]
It seems that it wasn’t only the two of them, as Lilia-san and the others seemed to be also fed up with the queue, but now that they had queued for quite some time already, it was hard to change to another restaurant.
It seems that even the higher-level invitations weren’t given priority to the queue, so well, I guess we don’t have any choice but to wait in queue huh?
Just as I was thinking this, a person who looked like a waitress came from the start of the queue and walked towards us.
Stopping in front of me, she politely bowed before speaking.
[……May I ask if you’re really Miyama Kaito-sama?]
[Eh? Yes, I am.]
[Thank you very much for coming to our restaurant today. Miyama-sama and his companions will be seated in the “VIP seat”, so please come this way.]
[……Eh?]
When the waitress told us that they had prepared a separate seat for us, we tilted our heads.
I didn’t inform them that we will come to this restaurant, nor did I make a reservation. So, why are there VIP seats available as if it’s a matter of course?
Perhaps sensing my doubts, the waitress informed me with a gentle smile.
[By orders of the Six Kings, “all the restaurants” in this city where the festival is held have “VIP seats reserved for Miyama-sama and his companions”. Of course, we have also prepared a large private room with a great view.]
[……Huh?]
[……It’s a face pass. Kaito-senpai got a face pass.]
[……I don’t know if I should say that it’s to be expected of Kaito-san or it’s Kaito-san again…… I guess I could just say that Kaito-san is the same as usual huh.]
As for the evaluation from my two kouhais, I would really like to hear it carefully later. I could already guess Lilia-san’s reaction based on how she’s holding her head, looking far into the distance.
Even though I was surprised, I was grateful that we were able to eat without waiting, so we followed the waitress’s lead and moved on.
Just as the waitress said, the seats we were led to were in a private room with a very nice view.
It seemed that they didn’t have a big enough table to seat everyone, so we were divided into groups and separately seated. I was seated along with Aoi-chan and Hina-chan, forming the otherworlders’ group.
[……Miyama-sama, the chef would like to greet you after dinner, but would that be alright?]
[Eh? Ah, yes. I understand.]
[Thank you very much. Well then, we will prepare our signature dish.]
[T- Thank you.]
Waitress-san, I’m begging you, don’t come over here…… I’m not used to this kind of situation at all, so please go to Lilia-san’s side instead.
[Here is the beverage menu.]
[…………………]
When I looked at the menu that was handed to me, I saw that there were many different items written on it…… and I don’t have any idea what the heck these things are.
[……L- Lilia-san…… I don’t know anything about the things listed here at all.]
[Well then, would you like me to choose for you?]
[Yes please.]
Asking the nearby Lilia-san for help, I handed her the menu and she ordered as if she was used to it. It seems like she has a good grasp of which people can’t drink alcohol.
I’m really glad that Lilia-san was here with us.
[……Kaito-senpai, what kind of food are going to be served?]
[Hmmm. From the interior and the atmosphere around the place feels like a French restaurant. What do you think, Aoi-chan?]
[I’m sure that this place is a high-class restaurant…… but the table setting seems a little different from a French restaurant.]
I’ve always thought about this, but I wonder if Aoi-chan is a noble lady from a pretty wealthy family? I mean, she can even judge a restaurant by its table setting and such things.
As I was getting my hopes up for a fine dining experience I hadn’t tried before…… a little while later, the appetizers were brought out along with our drinks.
[Thank you for waiting. This is the hors d’oeuvre, “Pale Pig breze”.]
(T/N: hors d’oeuvre = appetizers)
[……Aoi-chan, what is a breze?]
[It means it’s braised. They simmered it after steaming. They are usually made from the cheek meat, but they aren’t usually served as hors d’oeuvre.]
[……No, I mean, isn’t this……]
[Y- Yes, ummm…… I’m surprised about this too.]
When I whispered to Aoi-chan about the food that had been brought to us, she taught me with a somewhat puzzled expression on her face what the unfamiliar word meant.
No, I know exactly why Aoi-chan is confused. I mean, all three of us are probably feeling the same way.
[……Aoi-chan.]
[……Yes.]
[……Hina-chan.]
[……Yes, I know the name of this dish too.]
[……Then, one-two…]
[ [ [ Pork feet…… ] ] ]
Yes, the dish that was brought to us…… was unmistakably “Pork Feet”.
Dear Mom, Dad————- I’m having dinner with Lilia-san and the others at a fancy restaurant. I was surprised by the VIP treatment, but what surprised me the most was————— the food brought to us looked familiar.
<Afterword>
It was unexpectedly the kouhais’ turn.
Q: What kind of restaurant is this?
A: It’s like a high-class otherworld-style Chinese restaurant.
