Chapter 37

Shinno wiped the table and counter clean with a cloth dampened with vinegar. This is a task he usually leaves to Shinobu and Aefa, but once a week, it has become a habit for him to do the cleaning.

Today is the day of rest in the ancient city. Despite it being morning, there is no one on the main street. According to the widely believed religion in the ancient city, it is a day when one does not have to work. Although Shinno could open the shop, no customers would come even if he did.

It seems more important to spend one day a week with family than to have the experience. In fact, he once opened the shop, but the only customer that day was Deovin the subdeacon, and it did not turn into a business at all.

Finally, he cleans the kamidana (Shinto altar) and changes the water in the sakaki branches. Since the day Aefa disappeared, he has started to prepare inari sushi once a week. Although he does not know what it means, he feels that the business has become a little more prosperous since he started doing this.

Speaking of Inari, the shop itself is a mystery. The entrance to this shop, located at the corner of the shopping street that is often called a shutter street, is somehow connected to the ancient city. Although the front shutter can be opened from the shopping street side, when you try to leave the shop, it is connected to the ancient city.

Neither Shinno nor Shinobu are the type to worry about such details, so they have not told the landlord. The landlord, who lives next to the Inari shrine, never comes to see the shop, and the monthly rent is paid by bank transfer.

Still, when Shinno occasionally visits the Inari shrine, it is not just for a walk. It was the Inari shrine that helped him when he was really in trouble.

"Well, I should start preparing."

On a regular day of rest, cleaning is all he does. After that, he either watches the detective dramas he has recorded in his room upstairs, assembles bottle ships or plastic models, or goes out to eat, calling it research. But today is different. A special customer is coming.

He changes from the work clothes he usually wears while cleaning to a chef's outfit. Putting on a white Japanese hat, he feels his mind clear and calm, a skill he has had since his apprenticeship.

After disinfecting the knives and getting ready, he heard a noise from the back door.

"Welcome."

"Hello."

Shinobu entered, looking shy. Her cool summer dress and light jacket were quite different from her usual kimono. When she came out into the shop, she sat down at the counter. Her every movement was different from usual, calm and composed.

"Boss, I'm sorry for asking you to do this today."

"It's fine. It's our anniversary, after all."

The izakaya Nobu has been open in the ancient city for exactly half a year. When the shop opened, it was still cold and there were days with snow in the ancient city, but now it is so hot that you can break a sweat.

He pours two glasses of beer, not in mugs. When he hands over the glasses, which are sweating on the surface, he is surprised by how slender and long Shinobu's fingers are.

"Cheers."

"Cheers."

He had only intended to wet his mouth, but perhaps he was thirsty. He ended up drinking the whole glass and then smiled wryly. Shinobu, who hardly wears makeup when they go out to eat, has a fresh complexion. Or is it because she hardly wears makeup?

"Speaking of beer, a lot has happened, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, the Bacheshof incident."

"Right, Bacheshof, I think that was the name."

Shinno brings out the appetizers he has prepared for Shinobu, who is smiling interestingly with a glass in hand. He can serve sashimi, which is not yet popular in the ancient city, without hesitation today. He watches her as she savors it. Shinobu, who was strictly trained as the daughter of a ryotei (high-class Japanese restaurant), eats beautifully. And her taste is also reliable.

"Boss, have you improved your skills again?"

"Maybe. If you say so, Shinobu, maybe I have."

"I think the taste is more customer-oriented than before."

"More customer-oriented, huh?"

It was about nine months ago that he and Shinobu, who had run away from home, fled the ryotei. It was not a romantic elopement. It is more accurate to say that the two, who had fled separately, happened to act together.

Shinobu left home because she was to be forced into an unwanted marriage. There was a plan to bring in the son of a vice president of a certain bank to rebuild the ryotei, which had a prestigious name but was in decline. It was obvious from her character that she did not want to get married.

"Boss, I want to eat tempura."

"Sure, sure. I'll fry anything you want."

With the tempura fried to a crisp, he sprinkles salt to let it settle. Shinobu's favorite is sea bream, shiitake mushrooms, chrysanthemum greens, and squid. She is also a lover of pickled ginger tempura.

"This squid is delicious."

"Such delicious squid, even Mr. Bertholdt might eat it."

"Recently, he seems to have overcome it quite a bit."

While eating the extra squid he had fried, he finished his second glass. He thinks it is well fried, even if he says so himself. His face feels a little warm, perhaps from the alcohol.

From there, he makes various dishes according to Shinobu's orders. Things he thinks would be difficult to serve in the ancient city. Things that could be served in the ancient city with a little effort. Conversely, ancient city dishes that could be adapted.

Each time he makes a dish, Shinobu's merciless criticism flies, and they talk about the regular customers he wants to serve. Such a holiday is not bad.

For the final dish, he prepares two servings of salmon ochazuke. Although he did not know it, it is a dish that was served to the late emperor. As it flows smoothly down, the stomach is filled with a pleasant satisfaction.

"Hey, Shinno."

"Hmm?"

"Let's keep the izakaya Nobu going, okay?"

"...Yeah, sure."

He thought he heard the faint sound of cicadas somewhere. Midsummer is just around the corner.