CH 20

EP.20 Gangster’s intrusion

Saturday, April 22nd [AM 11:58]

If the first floor was created with the theme of marine life, the second floor was created with the theme of aquatic life living in rivers or streams.

Although the number of varieties was a little smaller than that of the first floor, such as beavers, freshwater lobsters, frogs, and salamanders, quite a large number of creatures were still living in the aquarium.

“Wow! So cute!”

Tо̄jо̄ exclaimed after seeing a beaver building a house with branches.

Sakamoto was also looking quite happy, watching with his hands in his pockets.

“Ryu-chan! Ryu-chan! Look at this! This frog looks amazing, right?”

“Yes, indeed.”

I looked around while bumping into Kishimoto, looking at the spotted frog, as I forgot that I was following them.

Unlike the first floor, the lighting on the second floor was relatively bright.

It seems that it was because the creatures living in the river often live between the ground and the water, so they artificially created grass forests.

Because of the lighting, it was impossible to get as close as before, so I had no choice but to watch from afar.

Had it been about 15 minutes since Tо̄jо̄, and Sakamoto started looking at the second floor?

Now that they had seen everything worth looking around, the two went back down to the first floor on a rotating staircase at the end of the second floor.

They were in the aquarium for about 40 minutes.

It was almost time for lunch, so we decided to leave the aquarium.

“Rika, let’s go now.”

“Oh… wait, let me just look at this.”

“We don’t have time.”

“No waaaaaaay~!”

When I forced her out, Kishimoto reached for the beaver, who was in the middle of a meal, in a pathetic voice.

***

Saturday, April 22nd [PM 12:20]

From the aquarium, Tо̄jо̄ and Sakamoto headed to Minami Ikebukuro Park, about a 10-minute walk away.

“Wow, there are so many people out for a picnic.”

“Yeah.”

It was like looking at Central Park in New York or the riverside of the Han River.

On the wide lawn, people who came out with their family or lovers were sitting on a mat and chatting happily.

If it were Korea, I would order delivery food through a phone call instead of bringing my own lunch box from home, but here it was Japan, so I woke up at dawn and packed my lunch box.

When I took out a three-tier lunchbox lacquered in black from the bag I had been wearing since morning, Kishimoto’s eyes started shining.

“Wow! You brought a lunch box!”

“You have to eat well to chase.”

Saying so, I opened the first floor of the cupboard.

“Wow! It’s kimbap1 and fried tofu rice balls!”

“I tried my best today.”

It was kimbap and fried tofu rice balls, which are the regular dishes for picnic days in Korea.

In the case of kimbap, it was not a regular kimbap, it had pork cutlet and tuna, and fried tofu rice balls had furikake2 and beef.

I packed enough for the two of us to eat, so if there were any leftovers, they would all go into my stomach in the evening.

This time, I opened the lid on the second floor.

“Fried! Rolled omelet! Braised meat and potatoes!”

“The Essence of Picnic.”

If the first floor was Korean style, the second floor was a Japanese-style lunch box side dish.

I brought karaage3, fried shrimp, rolled omelet, braised meat potatoes, and tsukemono4 made of various vegetables.

Protein and carbohydrates are important, but vitamins and fiber are indispensable in a balanced diet.

I didn’t had to open it already, but I also opened the lid on the last third floor for Kishimoto, who looked forward to it.

“Amazing! Even dessert is perfect!”

Kishimoto, was genuinely happy.

Inside were various fruits such as cherry tomatoes, oranges, melons, and watermelons.

This was sold in small cups at the convenience store, but I only changed the packaging.

It was much more cost-effective to buy fruits with a small amount, rather than buying all kinds of them.

Instead of a mat, we sat on a wooden bench in the park and watched the two go on a date, sharing their own three-tier lunch boxes.

***

Gulp-

Tо̄jо̄ Karen was the most nervous of the day.

That was because it was the first time, she had ever cooked for someone.

The best lunch box was completed after continuous practice day and night following the recipe taught by Kim Yoo-sung.

The result was now in the mouth of the person she liked.

“Wow, did you make all of these yourself? Thank you for the food.”

She said, nodding to Sakamoto’s question.

“You can eat as much as you want. I made a lot.”

“Then… let’s start with rice balls.”

As Tо̄jо̄ watched, the first thing Sakamoto picked up was a triangular ball of rice.

There were three ingredients inside: umeboshi5, pickled salmon, and pollack roe mayo.

It wasn’t made thanks to Kim Yoo-sung, but by asking the recipe from the chef cooking in the mansion.

Even though there were side dishes, it was better than just taking the plain rice.

“Wow, it’s delicious!”

Fortunately, her choice was right.

She succeeded in drawing the word delicious from Sakamoto’s mouth.

Tо̄jо̄ gained confidence from this, so she was able to recommend the next dish without hesitation.

“Try this one this time.”

What she picked up with her chopsticks was a golden karaage.

After dozens of practices, she managed to produce an edible level of fried food.

Sakamoto, who was munching on rice balls with exclamations that it was delicious, momentarily hesitated to accept it because it was an unexpected behavior, but he soon opened his mouth and ate the karaage when Tо̄jо̄’s eyes turned fierce.

Munching.

“It’s good.”

“Right? Eat egg rolls and Vienna, too.”

From then on, it was quick and easy.

She served the meal by feeding Sakamoto this and that.

At first, Sakamoto, who looked burdened, gave up at some point, and began to eat the side dishes she served.

When the lunch box that Tо̄jо̄ had prepared was half empty, Sakamoto tried to persuade her in return.

“Don’t just give it to me, eat some too, Tо̄jо̄.”

Then Tо̄jо̄ blinked holding her chopsticks.

“It’s okay because I’m full just watching you eat deliciously.”

“Come on, I’m starting to feel uncomfortable.”

Tо̄jо̄ stared blankly at the rice ball that Sakamoto put out of the box, and soon nodded and took a big bite.

Holding the rice balls in both hands, she started to eat in a hurry.

Sakamoto Ryuji watched the scene with satisfaction and handed her the oolong tea in the thermos.

Maybe she was thirsty, but she hurriedly took a cup of oolong tea and gulped it down.

“Ahh~!”

Sakamoto grinned and asked at the sight of her cheerful meal, while she had forgotten to be shy for a moment.

“Isn’t it better to eat together than alone?”

Then Tо̄jо̄ belatedly realized, and was ashamed of herself, she nodded her head with a red face like a tomato.

“Hm.”

The mealtime between the two passed in such a warm atmosphere.

***

After lunch at Minami Ikebukuro Park, Tо̄jо̄ and Sakamoto walked slowly along the park’s Garosu-gil.

As I watched it from afar while drinking green tea drawn from the vending machine, Kishimoto muttered.

“I want to have a date like that later on….”

When I heard it, I felt something was wrong.

“Rika, didn’t you say you were a love doctor?”

Then Rika hurriedly covered her mouth, perhaps realizing she had made a slip of the tongue.

However, she laughed and confessed, perhaps because she knew she couldn’t pick up what she had already said.

“Actually, I’ve never done it myself, but I learned it from manga.”

“…….”

Had she been showing off with the knowledge she learned from manga?

“Oh, but I really gave a lot of advice to my friends about their relationship! It’s real!”

I had a lot to say, but I decided to move on because it wasn’t important.

The atmosphere was good, but wasn’t it time for Tо̄jо̄ to confess?

Thinking so, I turned my head forward.

“Wow~ That’s a good view.”

There was a completely unexpected situation.

“I’ve been looking for you. You little fop.”

“Last time, you took the girl we were working on, and this time you’re dating a new girl?”

“Isn’t he a professional player?”

While looking away for a while, gangsters who seemed to have popped out of a manga appeared and surrounded the both of them while they were taking a walk.

“Shall we call the police?”

“No, wait a minute. Even if you report it now, it’ll take a while to be dispatched. I’ll step in if necessary.”

I stopped Kishimoto, who was flustered and watched how Tо̄jо̄ and Sakamoto, surrounded by gangsters, did.

If it was an event of the original story, it would have been better if we didn’t had to intervene.

Shortly afterwards, Sakamoto, who appeared to be acquainted with the two, stepped forward and shouted.

“You guys! Why did you show up?”

“Oh, I’m scared. Are you going to hit me again? I’ll just have to stay in the hospital for a month this time.”

The gangsters said so, pretending to grab their neck and arms with a cast.

“Wow… Scaredy-cats.”

It was a short conversation, but I could figure out what their relationship was.

The freshmen from the kendo club.

Perhaps those two were the ones who were hurt by Sakamoto in a 2:1 attack.

“I got caught fighting with you and got fired from the kendo club!”

“You don’t know our pain for not seeing Fuma’s amazing chest anymore!”

It was just then.

“Stupid guys!”

Tо̄jо̄, who was listening quietly behind the scenes, shouted in an angry voice.

“Because you guys keep being like that, you still don’t understand why you were fired from the kendo club!”