Chapter 103: Too Many Promises
After finishing my workout, I returned home, quickly showered, and sat at my desk to organize the plans I had for this summer vacation.
First of all, the first planned event was a 1-night 2-day beach trip with the Group D members from the school trip.
The destination was Onjuku Beach near Chiba, and we planned to spend a night at a guesthouse run by Yaguchi’s relative.
We decided to go on August 8th, avoiding the weekend, as it was the peak vacation season.
Second, it was the student council’s unity meeting.
The proposal came the day before the vacation ceremony, when I visited the student council. It was suggested that the council members go to an island this summer.
The President, being a third-year, would graduate next year, so she looked at me earnestly, wanting to create lasting memories.
Naturally, I couldn’t refuse such a request, so I agreed to go.
The date for this was set for mid-August, the 16th.
The third plan, made earlier today, was to go to a festival with my junior, Minato Nao.
The festival was this coming Saturday, and seeing that she suggested it first, it seemed she had been planning it for a long time.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to perfectly clear her schedule.
I was a bit worried about whether it was okay for a famous celebrity like her to go to a festival with me, but this being a love comedy world, it was probably fine. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝘯𝘰𝓿𝑒𝓁.𝒸ℴ𝑚
The last plan was a trip to Senior Fuma’s hometown.
I heard it was quite far from Tokyo, almost a 10-hour drive.
Senior Fuma mentioned that to receive the transmission of the Fuma Clan’s assassination technique, Swift Wind, the village elders’ approval was needed.
Unlike the previous plans, Senior Fuma said any time would be fine, so she asked me to tell her when I was available.
She mentioned she would be working part-time unless something special came up.
So, although I haven’t decided yet, I planned to adjust so it didn’t overlap with other commitments.
“…It looks like I have something to do almost every week.”
It was a pretty unfamiliar feeling for someone who lived an introverted life until just last year.
Was this what a real-life extrovert’s life was like?
…Maybe not.
Smirking, I put down the calendar in my hand, browsed the web on my smartphone for a while, and then decided to go to bed.
Vacation could be almost poisonous for students who were used to a regular routine.
Unlike school, where every day’s schedule was set, an irregular and unplanned life during vacation tended to make one slack off.
Being well aware of this, I didn’t allow myself to become lazy.
Even if it was just for a day, having tasted the sweetness of rest, I made a daily planner the next day and stuck it beside my desk.
“Hmm, perfect.”
It was indeed a perfect routine for gradual muscle growth.
With this plan, I felt I could reach my target weight of a total of 1100 kg during the vacation.
I had been short on time for exercise recently, but the fight with Ivan made me realize the need to gain more strength.
And the best way to build strength was, of course, through training.
“Yu-seong, come eat!”
“Yes!”
Feeling proud as I reviewed my plan, I hurried out of my room at my mother’s call.
Lunchtime.
“Ryu-chan! Hello!”
“Huh?”
Apart from my workout routine, I was helping at my parents’ store when I blinked in surprise at the familiar face that suddenly entered.
It was Rika and her mother, Maria.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Yu-seong?”
“Hello.”
I nodded and greeted Maria warmly, then led them to a table.
“What brings you here today?”
Maria covered her mouth with her hand, chuckled, and replied,
“Obviously, we came to eat. Why else? I heard from Rika that the cheonggukjang here is delicious, so we came to try it.”
I couldn’t hide my surprise at her words.
“You’re from England, but you eat cheonggukjang?”
Maria nodded and said,
“There was a time when I was quite into Korean dramas. I used to frequent Korean restaurants almost every day back then. Now, I only eat it occasionally.”
Anyway, since they were customers at the restaurant, it wouldn’t be polite to turn them away, so I led them to an inner table.
“We have two guests here!”
After announcing their arrival loud enough for my parents in the kitchen to hear, I brought them barley tea and a wet towel and asked,
“What would you like to order?”
Maria, who had been looking over the menu on the wall with interest, asked me,
“What’s the recommended dish here?”
Having worked here more than once, I answered smoothly,
“Usually, our guests order yakkiniku. We get fresh meat daily from a butcher who slaughters pigs every day. Besides that, kimbap, bibimbap, yukgaejang, and kimchi jjigae are also popular.”
“Hmm, really?”
Since we had all the typical Korean dishes one could think of, it took a while for customers to decide on their order.
I smiled wryly and told them to let me know once they’d decided, and then I served the basic side dishes.
Unlike other restaurants, our place offered basic side dishes like seasoned vegetables, stir-fried fish cakes, and kimchi, which made us popular with residents in the surrounding commercial and residential areas.
Although the high cost of living in Tokyo made it impossible to serve an abundance of side dishes like in Korea, my parents always tried to provide as much as possible to our guests.
“Wow! This oden is delicious!”
Apparently quite hungry, Rika immediately tasted the oden and kept exclaiming how delicious it was.
I looked at the two, who were dressed up nicely, and asked,
“How did you end up here?”
Rika answered while munching on japache,
“It’s vacation, and I went shopping with Mom at the outlet mall. We were going to eat there, but then I remembered the cheonggukjang we had here before, so I brought her to Ryu-chan’s place.”
I see. So that’s what happened.
I nodded and then glanced at Maria, who was still pondering over the menu.
Her blonde hair cascading down her ears shone a soft hue under the restaurant lights.
Honestly, who would think, seeing her like this, that she was the mother of a 17-year-old daughter?
They say Westerners age quickly, but Maria seemed to maintain a youthful appearance as if time had skipped over her.
To an outsider, they might seem more like sisters than mother and daughter.
“Alright, I’ve decided.”
Maria, having decided on the menu, looked straight at me.
“May I place the order?”
“Oh, yes.”
I took out a notebook and pen tucked into my apron.
“Let’s start with one cheonggukjang, two rolls of kimbap, and one each of yukgaejang and assorted jeon.”
As I jotted down the menu, I asked,
“That’s quite a lot. Are you sure it’s okay for just the two of you?”
Maria tapped her stomach confidently and said,
“Yu-seong, believe it or not, I can eat quite a lot.”
Despite her slim figure, such a statement didn’t seem very convincing.
Well, if there were leftovers, we could always pack them up, so it should be fine.
I scratched my head with the pen and asked,
“What would you like to drink?”
“Oolong-hai!” ^[ED/N: A popular mixed drink in Japan made from Shochu and iced Oolong tea. It’s a refreshing alcoholic beverage with a mild and earthy taste, slightly sweet with roasted notes.]
Rika’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Mom! We came by car!”
Maria grumbled about her being stingy and then asked to change it to oolong tea.
“Yes. Order received.”
I politely acknowledged and then conveyed the order to my parents in the kitchen.
That concluded my role in the dining area.
All that was left was for the kitchen to diligently prepare the food.
Thanks to the two visiting just after the peak hour, the restaurant was quite empty and quiet.
Of course, the sound from the TV was still audible, but to me, it was almost like white noise.
I had become so accustomed to it that it barely registered as noise anymore.
With nothing much to do, I was stretching when Maria, who had been smiling since ordering, gestured for me to come over.
Curious, I approached her, and she propped her chin with her hand and asked,
“Do you have any interest in Comiket, Yu-seong?”
“Comiket?”
I blinked in surprise at the unexpected mention.
After all, Comiket was Japan’s largest subculture festival.
A dream festival held only twice a year, in summer and winter.
Of course, I had never been there before.
I only knew it by name.
“I’m interested in doing a team cosplay this time, and there’s a role that would suit you perfectly, Yu-seong.”
Maria said this with a charming twinkle in her eye.
“How about doing a team cosplay with me? I’ll prepare all the costumes. It’ll definitely be a fun memory.”
And I couldn’t help but be taken aback by Maria’s sudden proposal.
‘She’s asking me to do cosplay?’
It seems I underestimated this world.