kscans

Chapter 49 - Three People Who Don't Belong in a Ramen Shop

Harry was trying to use his special move, cutting in line at the ramen shop.

"Harry, you should stop that. It’s a nuisance, you know," Claire chided him.

"What’s the big deal! Right?" Harry asked the young man he still had his arm around.

"Ah, that’s right. I’m not in a hurry, and it’s an honor."

…So these guys really are famous.

"You see that, Eleanor? This is normal. Normally, people know who we are."

This guy is subtly holding a grudge.

"I’m sorry for not knowing. I’m not very familiar with foreign matters."

You self-absorbed man!

"…………Harry, stop it, your words are hurting me too…………And I’m sorry," Claire said, stopping Harry and then apologizing to the young man who had let them cut.

"N, no, you’re Claire-san, right? Could I get a handshake?"

When asked, Claire graciously shook his hand. Just as you’d expect from a popular celebrity in America.

"Ah, thank you……………" The young man thanked Claire, then his gaze shifted to me.

"…………What is it?"

"Ah, no, I’m sorry."

The young man who had been looking at me apologized and quickly averted his eyes.

"You can’t be serious. After he was nice enough to let us go ahead," Harry said.

"I don’t want to go to this ramen shop that badly, nor do I need to be let ahead."

I’d rather wait in line than do something like that.

"Eleanor, we’ve come this far. There’s no turning back now."

Claire seemed to have already resigned herself to it. It was probably best to follow the lead of someone accustomed to this.

"Fine. You just want me to shake his hand, right? I don’t see what’s so great about a handshake."

I said something like a tsundere while shaking the young man’s hand. I then repeated the process with several more people before we finally entered the shop.

Once inside, the three of us sat down in a row at the counter.

I could feel it myself. We were completely out of place.

"I should have at least worn a tracksuit."

Of course, I hadn’t planned on coming to a place like this. I was the one who invited them for a meal, but I had envisioned a place where we could talk more normally.

"Nah, you’d stick out even in a tracksuit."

"You’re right."

A black robe would stick out even more!

We each ordered ramen and were served quickly.

I went to eat my ramen, picking up some noodles with my chopsticks, but my long hair fell forward. It was my first time eating noodles as Eleanor-san, so I hadn't expected this to happen.

"Why don’t you tie it up?" Claire advised from the seat next to me.

"I don’t have a hair tie or a rubber band."

"Here, you can have this."

Claire took a rubber band from her pocket and placed it on the counter.

"Tie it for me."

I can’t tie it myself.

"Huh? Me?"

"Please."

"Are you a princess or something?"

"Actually, I am."

"Yeah, yeah."

Though she clearly didn't believe me, Claire stood up, walked behind my chair, and tied up my hair.

"Much appreciated."

Wow, this is nice. I should practice tying my hair when I get home. It was a nuisance when I was swinging my sword, and this might happen again in the future.

"Isn’t that something a king would say?"

Claire returned to her seat, picked up her chopsticks perfectly, and began to eat her ramen.

"Don’t worry about it, don’t worry about it. You two use chopsticks so naturally."

Both Claire and Harry were using chopsticks with ease. In fact, Claire was even making a mini-ramen in her spoon.

"Well, we have our ways. Our language is normal too, right?"

Now that she mentioned it, these two were really good at Japanese. I wonder if they used to live in Japan.

"You’re good. Well, I won’t press for details."

"Please don’t. Hey, Eleanor, where in Frontier are you active?"

"The Kunaar Ruins, I guess. Though I haven’t been there recently."

Let’s just go with that.

"Hmm, that place… What’s it like?"

"What? Are you going?"

"We came all the way to Japan, and we got permission from the Guild."

"So even foreigners can go."

I didn’t know that.

"Normally it’s impossible. But Japan and America have an agreement. That said, it’s still hard to get permission. This time is special."

"Because of me?"

"Well, yes. Basically, they want us to verify if Item Bags really do drop."

Too bad. They don’t.

"Good luck. It’s from slimes."

"Slimes don’t appear in the Kunaar Ruins."

Come to think of it, it wasn't slimes, it was skeletons.

"Maybe they drop from skeletons too."

"That’s so vague. Well, we’re treating it like sightseeing."

There’s nothing for an A-rank to do in the Kunaar Ruins, after all.

"Hey, Eleanor, can I order another bowl?" Harry asked. I looked at his bowl to see that not even the soup was left.

"That was fast. No wonder you were so quiet. Go ahead and order."

But don’t overdo it on the salt.

"I think it’s delicious, but I can’t believe you can eat a second bowl…" Claire was also amazed.

"Hey, Claire, what about my stalker?"

I couldn’t say anything too careless in a place like this.

"Under investigation. Be careful, just in case."

"Is it just the two of you?"

Are there so few American agents?

"We have investigators over here as well. But we’re the ones who operate in the open."

"Hmm. Either way, I’d like you to lay low until the auction is over."

"I agree."

We continued to eat our ramen. After finishing, we left the shop, not wanting to overstay our welcome, and parted ways with the two of them right there. Incidentally, the shop owner asked for our autographs and a photo, so while I was reluctant, I wrote my signature and we took a picture with the four of us, including the owner.

Seeing Harry and Claire’s cool signatures, I decided I should practice mine too.