Chapter 58 – Enthronement Ceremony
I don’t know about other countries, but I was told that in this country the coronation and enthronement ceremonies are like a wedding and reception.
I asked if the enthronement ceremony is the actual moment of ascending the throne, but Yuzuriha-san scolded me, saying I shouldn’t nitpick about that. She said, “It’s just how it is, so don’t worry about it.”
In other words, the coronation ceremony is the ritual of becoming a king, and the enthronement ceremony is the ceremony of making it widely known.
That being said, the enthronement ceremony becomes a national holiday, and in the palace, a grand party is held. Free drinks are served by the government to the common people, and they celebrate throughout the night, offering their blessings to the new king.
“—Hey, you’re going to attend the enthronement ceremony, aren’t you? And of course, there’s the palace ball afterwards.”
“Of course I won’t attend.”
“Why!?”
“Because I am a commoner.”
For some reason, Yuzuriha-san invited me to participate in the enthronement ceremony, but of course I firmly refused.
Commoners are much happier with free booze than with the enthronement ceremony or the palace banquet.
Aristocrats, royal highness, they don’t understand that.
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On the day of the enthronement ceremony, I wandered around in front of a sushi restaurant all afternoon.
“Ugh, it’s expensive…but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime celebration…but it’s still expensive…”
Sushi is the number one food served at celebrations in Japan.
To be frank, sushi is super tasty. But it’s very expensive. Extremely expensive.
It could cost more than a month’s worth of food for me and Suzuha.
However, at the moment, my wallet was well-stocked.
The royal family had given me a large sum of money as a reward for saving Touko-san the other day.
From my perspective, I barely made it in time, and Touko-san was on the brink of death. Moreover, I embraced her while covered in sewage, and to make matters worse, I even ended up kissing her in the name of treatment. I thought I might face the death penalty for such a crime.
But instead of accusing me of any wrongdoing, the generosity of the royal family, who even offered me a reward, keeps me up at night with a sense of gratitude and awe.
—If that’s the case, shouldn’t our family at least celebrate Touko-san’s accession to the throne with sushi?
I came up with this idea and went to a sushi restaurant on the border between the aristocratic and commoner districts of the capital…
I was hesitant to enter the restaurant due to the high price, so I ended up circling around in front of it, unable to make up my mind.
I’ve been going round in circles for an hour now.
“Ugh, but if I keep hesitating like this, I’ll never make any progress. I even told Suzuha that we’d have sushi today… Alright, that’s it! Here I go!”
“—Anyway, not that it matters, but what are you doing?”
When I turned around, Yuzuriha-san there with a dumbfounded look on her face. Ah, so embarrassing.
“Ah, um, well…”
“Well, I heard from Suzuha-kun, so I can imagine. Knowing you, you probably thought of buying sushi but got scared off by the price and have been hesitating ever since, right?”
“…Yes, that’s right…”
“You’re such a helpless person. By the way, I have some good news for you.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you want to go to a place where they’re offering free sushi today as a celebration of the new queen’s ascension?”
“EHHH!? But free sushi is probably made with questionable ingredients that are about to spoil, I’m sure of it!”
“They use fresh, high-quality ingredients, and skilled craftsmen prepare the sushi right in front of you. And on top of that, it’s all-you-can-eat.”
“!!!”
“Well, it’s the kind of place where you normally wouldn’t get in, but that’s where connections come in. Of course, Suzuha-kun will be there too. So, what do you think, are you interes—”
“Please let us accompany you!”
“…Eh? You’re coming?”
“Of course! Please sign me up for the all-you-can-eat salmon sushi!”
“…Ah, um, sure, that’s fine… I can’t believe you got hooked so easily like this…”
When I made the most saluting request on the spot, Yuzuriha-san agreed with a stiff smile.
Indeed, the secret to obtaining permission to go along was starting with an all-you-can-eat salmon option that is both inexpensive and delicious, relying on the wisdom of the common people. If I had started talking about tuna or sea urchin here, there’s no doubt I would have offended Yuzuriha-san.
And I don’t know what Yuzuriha-san meant when she said “hooked so easily”, but that doesn’t matter in the face of all-you-can-eat sushi…
—It was only a little while later that I wanted to punch myself in the face for being so carefree in my thinking—
