Chapter 20

"Sure, I'll take it."

Shinobu adjusted her expression to avoid arousing suspicion and went to take the order from the blonde woman. Up close, she was quite a beauty, the kind of woman who might be mistaken for an actress from an old Hollywood movie.

The woman pointed at the menu on the wall and asked,

"Is this cucumber pickle... the same as sauerkraut made from cucumbers?"

"No, it's not pickled in vinegar like sauerkraut. It's a different method, a specialty of our restaurant."

"Hmm, I see," the woman said, resting her long index finger on her well-shaped chin, as if pondering something.

Her slightly husky voice and each of her gestures were seductive and alluring, even to Shinobu, a woman herself.

"Then I'll have that."

"Very well. What would you like to drink?"

"I'm fine without a drink."

Shinobu bowed to the smiling blonde woman and relayed the order to Shinnosuke at the counter. The cucumber pickle was ordered, but this still felt off.

When she returned to the counter, Nicolaus, who had been watching the situation, had a serious look on his face.

"Still suspicious. This order only increases my suspicion that she's a wine merchant."

"Is that so?"

Shinobu cleared her throat slightly and continued. It seemed he enjoyed explaining, as his expression was somewhat smug.

"Sauerkraut keeps well. It's very useful as a food supply for armies on long marches."

"Is that so? I thought it was just tasty."

"Soldiers would complain if they only had hard-baked bread and thin soup. However, it's impossible to gather enough vegetables for thousands of people. No market would handle that many extra vegetables."

"That's why they use sauerkraut."

"But, you see," Nicolaus took a sip of ale.

"Long-lasting sauerkraut isn't very tasty. It's already sour, and making it last longer makes it even worse."

"So it's not strange for her to be interested in a new type of pickle?"

Sauerkraut alone would get boring. If they could offer a different flavor, it would change things up a bit. Shinobu didn't know much about the military, but she knew that soldiers would prefer better food.

If the woman was a wine merchant, it wouldn't be strange for her to be interested.

"You're right, Shinobu. You're definitely smarter than Hans."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Ignoring the two of them bickering over Nicolaus's order of braised beef tendon, Shinobu thought hard.

This strengthened her suspicion that the woman was related to a wine merchant.

But what could she, just a regular izakaya, do about it?

"Hey, what do you think, boss?"

In a moment of desperation, she asked the boss, who was frying tempura.

Today, the boss looked more determined than usual, as they often received orders for fried and grilled dishes.

"Probably not," the boss said.

"Not? What do you mean?"

"She's not a wine merchant. Just a guess, though."

The boss glared at Nicolaus.

"Shinobu is easily convinced, so don't fill her head with strange ideas, Nicolaus."

"But, boss, I don't think there are any holes in my theory."

"If you're so sure, why are you drinking here instead of heading back to the barracks? Captain Berthold isn't around, and it's better to act quickly if you're going to make a plan."

"Ah, well, that's a bit much."

Shinnosuke's words made Nicolaus shrink.

"Today's boss is a bit scary."

Hans sought help from Eifa, but the girl, busy washing dishes, was cold today.

"You're involving Shinobu in strange stories during such a busy time. Hans is guilty too, of course."

"Y-Yes."

Watching the two shrink, Shinobu tried to sneak away from the counter to avoid trouble,

"Shinobu, please clear the plates from table two. It gets difficult if they pile up."

The boss said this with a smile, and from the way Shinnosuke shrugged, it seemed he agreed with Eifa.

Knowing that she would be in trouble if she didn't work seriously, Shinobu focused on her job.

But she didn't forget to keep an eye on the woman.

"So, how does the boss explain the woman's suspicious behavior?"

At the counter, Nicolaus was persistently repeating his theory about the wine merchant to Shinnosuke. Hans, apparently bored, was busy drinking ale with mountain vegetable tempura.

"I think it's just a meeting."

"A meeting?"

"Yes, probably. A meeting with a man in this restaurant."

The boss answered while transferring the fried mountain vegetables from the oil to the tempura basket. The oil, which was changed daily, was particularly good today due to the high usage.

"First, she didn't drink any alcohol. This can be explained if it's a meeting. It's unlikely that someone would drink before a romantic rendezvous."

"That's true."

"Also, she's eating dry snacks. Maybe she doesn't want to fill up on a proper meal. If she's going to eat with him at another restaurant, it wouldn't be wise to eat too much here."

"Interesting. That makes sense."

Despite trying to appear calm, Nicolaus seemed flustered by the boss's logical reasoning.

It's no wonder, given that the boss is a fan of detective dramas and even records reruns.

"What about the pickle?"

"That's meaningless. She probably wanted a change from the dry snacks. It's a common mistake for beginners. When you start suspecting, everything seems suspicious."

Shinobu refrained from pointing out that the boss wasn't a beginner, but Nicolaus slowly raised his hands in a surrender pose.

Taking advantage of this, Hans elegantly stole a quail egg fry from Nicolaus's plate.

"By the way, what do you think, Eifa?"

Apparently eager to continue the conversation, Nicolaus turned to Eifa.

But the girl's answer was unexpected.

"...That customer is a man."

"Huh?"

Shinnosuke, Nicolaus, Hans, and Shinobu were all taken aback as the sliding door of the izakaya opened.

"Welcome!"

"...Welcome."

A man who looked like a merchant entered. He was probably around twenty-two or twenty-three.

Ignoring Shinobu's greeting, the man approached the blonde woman.

"So, did the disguise work?"

"Don't be silly. No one suspected a thing. Five silver coins are mine."

The voice of the blonde woman was deep, clearly a man's. It seemed she had been putting on the voice for the order.

Indeed, upon closer inspection, she was taller than an average woman.

"I've been holding it in because I didn't want to use the restroom. Let's quickly change and go to another place."

"Alright, alright. I'll pay for this place. Two silver coins should be enough. I'll leave the money here."

The man placed two silver coins on the table. However, this was too much for the dry snacks and cucumber pickle.

"Sir, that's too much!"

"The extra is a tip. Keep it."

As the two left for the night, Eifa muttered,

"...Wine merchant, huh?"

Hearing this, Nicolaus hung his head and quietly offered a shot glass for a drink.