Chapter 27
The Dinner Party
Translator : PolterGlast
We returned to the
town from the abandoned road and immediately received the reward for the Corpse
Shout subjugation at the Adventurer's Guild.
This time, the reward
was five silver coins, the same as for the Sword Hawk yesterday.
We split it evenly,
and with the money I had saved until today, the total came to four silver
coins.
Just three days ago, I
was penniless, and now I can't help but grin at having this much money.
"Fufufu, it
really is nice to get paid! I can't help but smile!"
"It is. If we can
consistently earn two silver coins a day, we can live a little
extravagantly."
"Right! I never
dreamed I could make a living as just an adventurer! So... do you remember your
promise, Graham-san?"
"Hmm...? Oh, you
mean the celebratory dinner?"
"You remembered!
We earned enough, so let's have our celebratory dinner today for sure!"
Ginia jumped up and
down, passionately insisting that we have our celebratory dinner.
It will probably
deepen our friendship, and I want to have one too.
"I've got a bit
of leeway in my wallet now, so I don't mind. Do you have a place in mind?"
"Hmm, the tavern
where I work might give us a discount!"
"That sounds
good. I owe them for letting me stay over, so let's spend some money
there."
"Yeah! Then let's
head over right away!"
I go to pick Ginia up
every morning, so there's nothing special about going there, but it's a great
idea.
Letting Ginia lead the
way, we headed straight to the tavern after finishing our quest.
We arrived at the
tavern around evening.
It seemed to be open
for business already, but there were only two customers inside.
I helped out a little
when they let me stay, but perhaps due to the bad location, they don't get many
customers.
For a street with a
cheerful-sounding name like Elma Street, it has a gloomy atmosphere, so I guess
it can't be helped.
"Oh, you're back
already. —Wait, you've got Graham with you today."
This woman, standing
behind the counter and looking bored, is the owner of this tavern, Kaira.
She's in her late
thirties, and I'm guessing from her appearance that she's probably a bit
younger than me.
"Yes! We came
because we wanted to have a celebratory dinner here. Is that okay?"
"I don't mind.
I'll still make you pay for what you eat and drink, though."
"Of course we'll
pay! Thank you as always!"
"If you're a
customer, then I'm the one who should be thanking you. Did you find a place to
stay, Graham?"
"Thanks to you, I
was able to find an inn. You were a real help when you let me stay."
"I just lent you
the shop's sofa for a day, and it was at Ginia's request. More importantly...
you're as unsociable as ever. Why don't you try smiling a little?"
Perhaps because she
runs a tavern in such a lawless area, she speaks her mind bluntly even though
we've barely just met.
I know I'm unsociable,
but I've always been bad at forcing a smile.
I sometimes find
myself envious of the receptionist, who can smile like a blooming flower, and
of Ginia.
I pictured the smiles
of those two as a model and turned a smile towards Kaira.
"...Pfft,
ahahaha! Ah, that's hilarious! Your smile is as terrible as ever. Have you been
practicing like I told you?"
"My mental image
should be perfect."
"Well, it's only
been three days. It's amusing for me to see it like this, so it's fine, but you
should really try to make a more natural smile."
Ever since I stayed at
the tavern, Kaira has been demanding to see me smile and using it as
entertainment to go with her drinks.
She doesn't seem to be
tired of it yet, and there's a part of me that wants to check in a mirror just
how bad my forced smile is... but the thought of confirming it is scarier, so I
haven't brought myself to look yet.
"Hey, Kaira-san!
Don't make fun of Graham-san!"
"I'm not making
fun of him. I'm just laughing because his forced smile is so bad."
"That's what
making fun of someone is! That's enough, we're going to our table!"
"There's no need
to get so angry over a little teasing. You get so defensive when it comes to
Graham."
I followed the
inexplicably angry Ginia and we sat down at a table in the back of the shop.
Looking at the menu,
which seemed to have been made a long time ago, we decided what to order.
"Graham-san,
you'll have a drink, right?"
"Yeah, I'd like
one if I can."
"Of course you
can, this is a tavern! What would you like to drink?"
"Anything's
fine... but I'll start with a beer, I guess."
"Got it! What
about food? If there's anything you like, let me know."
"I'm not a picky
eater; I like anything that's delicious. I'd like to try whatever you
recommend, since you work here."
"In that case,
leave it to me! Kaira-san, we're ready to order!"
As I watched Ginia
place our order like she was chanting a magic spell, I sipped my water slowly.
When I left the
village... I never imagined I'd be able to live a life like this.
Everyone was kind and
life in the village was fun, but since leaving, everything I see and touch is
new and every day is enjoyable.
And it's all thanks to
Ginia, who agreed to form a party with a geezer like me.
"Alright, the
order is in! The food will be coming out soon!"
"Ginia, thank
you, really."
"...Huh? What's
this all of a sudden!? Don't thank me in a tone that sounds like you're about
to disappear!"
"No, I just
suddenly thought about how happy I am. It's thanks to you, Ginia, that I'm able
to live in this town."
"That's not true!
You're strong, Graham-san. You would have been fine even without someone like
me!"
Ginia says that, but
I'm not a strong person by any means.
I might be stronger
than Ginia in combat, but mentally, I was in such a bad state after leaving the
village that I actually cried.
If it weren't for the
receptionist and Ginia, I wouldn't be surprised if I had run away and returned
to Furo Village early on.
"No, if it
weren't for you and the receptionist, I'm sure my spirit would have broken. You
think highly of me, Ginia, but a one-armed geezer over forty isn't valued by
the world."
"You mean those
thugs at the Adventurer's Guild who were making fun of you!! ...That really
makes me mad! Don't worry, next time someone makes fun of you, I'll beat them
to a pulp like this!"
Ginia, her face bright
red with anger, furiously swung her fists around.
It's strange, but just
having one person who gets truly angry for my sake makes me not care at all
about the people who mock me.
"No, don't. I
genuinely don't mind because I have you. I'd rather not attract the attention
of weirdos, and besides, I'm having the time of my life right now."
"...You're right.
I'm having the time of my life too, so I'll keep my anger in my heart! But,
but, if you ever get so mad you want to punch someone, let me know right away!
I'll beat them up for you!"
"I'll ask you
then. Thanks."
"Yes! Leave it to
me!"
As Ginia posed with
her fists up and a huge smile on her face, I couldn't help but smile too.
She really has saved
me in so many ways.
"Ara~, you've got
a natural smile on your face. That's the one, that's the smile. Here, I've
brought the drinks and food you ordered."
"Wow, that looks
delicious! This gratin with lots of cheese is really tasty! You should try it
with your drink!"
"It has a nice,
savory smell. It looks like it'll go well with the beer."
"I'll bring the
rest of the food out when it looks like you're about done. Enjoy
yourselves."
I had made the
atmosphere a bit somber, but from here on out, we need to surround ourselves
with food and drinks and have a fun celebratory dinner.
And so, we spent a
wonderful time talking about our pasts, deciding on our future, and enjoying
ourselves to the fullest.
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