Salt and Lead - 11

Not long after I had coffee with Hina, I received a call from Hoshino.

 

 

'She's calling already?'

 

 

I thought it would be a few more days before I got a call, so I was surprised that she was calling already and answered Hoshino's call.

 

 

"Yoo-hoo, Line-chan. Are you busy?"

 

 

"No, I'm fine. Did something happen?"

 

 

"No, I didn't call because I needed help......"

 

 

I was puzzled by Hoshino's words that she didn't need help. If she didn't need help, I had no idea why she was calling me, and so I was even more confused by the situation.

 

 

"Do you like ramen?"

 

 

"......Huh?"

 

 

And that confusion quickly turned into bewilderment.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

I rode my motorcycle to the place Hoshino told me about. It was still a distance to the Abydos Autonomous Region, but since I had been there once before, I was able to get there faster than last time.

 

 

"Hey~ Over here, over here!"

 

 

When I arrived at the place Hoshino told me about, I could see Hoshino and the other Abydos students gathered in front of a wooden building.

 

 

"Hello, everyone else is here too. And......"

 

 

"Hi, long time no see."

 

 

And next to them was an adult, Sensei.

 

 

"Hello."

 

 

I got off my motorcycle and smiled and greeted Sensei. Then I looked at the Abydos students, and everyone was there except for one. Everyone except Serika.

 

 

'Ah.'

 

 

At that moment, I turned my head towards the building and saw the sign there. The place where everyone was gathered was Shiba Seki Ramen.

 

 

"Hmm~? Line-chan, are you looking for Serika-chan right now?"

 

 

"Yes...... But why...... I think I have an idea where Serika-san is."

 

 

I realized what the situation was. Shiba Seki Ramen and the Abydos students except for Serika, and even Sensei. This situation was one I had seen in the story.

 

 

Serika must be working part-time inside right now.

 

 

"Hoo, you're sharp. Shall we go in then?"

 

 

I felt uneasy at Hoshino's sly and playful appearance, and soon I felt sympathy for Serika. But this was inevitable, and the door of Shiba Seki Ramen opened indifferently.

 

 

"Welcome! Shiba Seki Ramen...... Whoa?!"

 

 

And beyond that, we were greeted by Serika, who was welcoming customers with a smile, but whose expression quickly distorted and shouted in embarrassment.

 

 

"Wow~☆ There are six of us!"

 

 

"Ah, ahaha. Serika-chan...... Hello."

 

 

"Hello."

 

 

"Hello."

 

 

"H-How did you all know about this place...?"

 

 

Then, Nonomi, Ayane, and Shiroko greeted Serika in turn, and I also greeted Serika after them. Then, Serika blushed and was embarrassed that everyone had seen her working part-time.

 

 

"Ehehe~ I knew you'd be here."

 

 

"Hello."

 

 

"Even Sensei...... What, are you a stalker!!"

 

 

'Stalker?'

 

 

I was a little puzzled by Serika's words. It was not the right word to come out after hearing Sensei's greeting.

 

 

'For that reaction to be natural, something must have happened before...... I don't remember what was in the story......'

 

 

"Ehehe, Sensei is not guilty. If Serika-chan was going to work part-time, it would be here, right? So we came."

 

 

"Was it Hoshino-senpai......!! Ugh."

 

 

"Are you students from Abydos? Serika-san, stop talking and take orders."

 

 

While Serika was suppressing her anger after realizing that Hoshino was the culprit, another person appeared from inside. It was a Shiba Inu beastman wearing a blue Japanese-style outfit and a white apron.

 

 

There were ominous parts, such as a pipe in his mouth and a scar on his face, but the cute dog appearance completely offset it, making me have complicated feelings.

 

 

"Ah, ugh...... Yes, Master. I'll guide the customers to the group seats. Please come this way."

 

 

And Serika, even though she didn't want to, had no choice but to guide us to our seats, and I walked behind, looking around the inside of the store little by little, and arrived at the seat last with Sensei.

 

 

"Okay, Sensei is here, here! There's a seat next to me!"

 

 

"......Hmm. There's also a seat next to me."

 

 

Then, Nonomi and Shiroko encouraged Sensei to sit next to them.

 

 

'He's popular. But this is a bit awkward......'

 

 

If this happens, I have to sit where Sensei doesn't choose, but since both of them wanted Sensei to sit next to them, I was a little uncomfortable with the situation.

 

 

'They're both nice, so they won't hate me, but it's a bit......'

 

 

I looked up at Sensei next to me. Since he was right next to me, I had to raise my head more than I thought, which was a bit of a strain on my neck.

 

 

'Looking at it like this, there was a big height difference. Isn't he over 180cm?'

 

 

I thought about my current height. It was 143cm, which was about 30cm shorter than my height in my original world. I lowered my head again and closed my eyes slightly. I felt a little sad.

 

 

And at that moment, Sensei moved. Sensei went to Shiroko's side and sat down.

 

 

"Hmm......"

 

 

"It's cramped! Shiroko-senpai, if you stick so close, Sensei will be uncomfortable, so move a little more this way."

 

 

"No, it's okay. Right, Sensei?"

 

 

"Why are you being so shy! There are plenty of seats here! Everyone sit properly!"

 

 

"Ugh, ......Umm."

 

 

"Line-chan, please sit here."

 

 

While I was blankly watching Shiroko trying to stick right next to Sensei and Serika trying to stop her, Nonomi patted the seat next to her and told me to sit down.

 

 

"Thank you, Nonomi-san."

 

 

"You're welcome. Ah, Serika-chan. Your part-time uniform is so cute☆"

 

 

"Wow, Serika-chan, is that your thing? A type who gets a part-time job because of the uniform?"

 

 

"Wh-What, what are you talking about?! It has nothing to do with it! Th-This place was also our regular place......"

 

 

"Serika-chan in her part-time uniform, I could take a picture and sell it for a high price. How about it? Would you like to buy one, Sensei?"

 

 

"Don't do weird side jobs, senpai......"

 

 

I quietly chuckled as I watched Hoshino tease Serika. I had a hunch that this would happen when I saw Hoshino's appearance before entering this place, but I didn't try to stop Hoshino.

 

 

I had a hunch that if I said something wrong, I would be the target of that teasing in an instant.

 

 

"How long have you been working part-time?"

 

 

"A-About a week ago......"

 

 

"I see☆ So that's why you've been secretly disappearing sometimes!"

 

 

"S-Stop talking and order!"

 

 

"What would you like to order, right? Serika-chan? You should be nice to the customers, shouldn't you?"

 

 

"Ah, ugh, ugh...... Wh-What would you like to order......"

 

 

'This is a bit pitiful though......'

 

 

It's not like Serika doesn't have anything else to do, but she kept getting teased, and when she was urged to take orders, she was teased again. Seeing her struggling while being teased made me feel sorry for Serika.

 

 

"I'll have a chashu ramen!"

 

 

"I'll have shio."

 

 

"Um... I'll have miso ramen..."

 

 

"I'll have a special miso ramen! With extra grilled chashu!"

 

 

'What should I get...'

 

 

Hoshino called me here, but I didn't know much about ramen. I hadn't eaten it many times, so I didn't really have a preference.

 

 

'For now, I don't want anything heavy or strong, so should I just get a shio ramen?'

 

 

"I'll have a shio ramen, please."

 

 

"Come on, Sensei, don't hesitate and order a lot. It's super delicious here, Abydos's famous Shiba Seki Ramen!"

 

 

"......Um, but does everyone have money? You're not going to rely on Nonomi-senpai again, are you?"

 

 

In the middle of that, Serika asked suspiciously who was going to pay.

 

 

"Huh? I don't mind☆ I still have a limit on the card I got from home."

 

 

"No. We can't rely on you again. Sensei is paying for this. Right, Sensei?"

 

 

"I didn't hear anything about that?"

 

 

"Wahahaha, you heard it now, so it's fine."

 

 

At that moment, Sensei jumped up from his seat and tried to run straight out of the restaurant. But Hoshino had already moved behind Sensei, and she quickly grabbed Sensei by the neck.

 

 

"Where do you think you're going?"

 

 

And Hoshino's next words were enough to confuse me.

 

 

'What is this... just for ramen...'

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

And so, we ended up eating ramen while holding onto Sensei. The clear chicken broth seasoned with salt was a great dish in itself, which warmed my body, and the thin yellow noodles had a good texture that pleased my mouth.

 

 

After we finished eating the ramen and reached the counter, Hoshino spoke to Sensei.

 

 

"Ehehe~ You have an adult card, right? It's time to use it."

 

 

"An adult card is not for use in a place like this... So, you gathered everyone here to buy us food, that was your intention, senpai."

 

 

"Come on, it's a chance to buy food for cute students. It's a rare opportunity."

 

 

I couldn't hide my complicated feelings, wondering if this was okay after hearing Hoshino's words. After that, Nonomi approached Sensei and whispered something, trying to hand him something, but it seemed like Sensei didn't receive it.

 

 

"Wow, I ate well, Sensei!"

 

 

"I ate well."

 

 

"Yeah. Thanks for the meal."

 

 

"Go away already! Don't come back!! You're interfering with my business!"

 

 

"Ah, ahaha... See you tomorrow, Serika-chan."

 

 

"I really hate you!! Everyone dies!!"

 

 

"Ahaha, I'm glad you're healthy."

 

 

It seemed like Serika was very angry. I thanked Sensei, said goodbye to everyone, and went home.

 

 

And a few hours later, I received a call that Serika had gone missing.