Eve of the Festival ①
Hydrangea Grand Hall. Restaurant District.
“Hey, you, kid! Don’t hold back, eat up, yo!”
“O-Okay…”
“Kids love meat, right? You should eat lots.”
“O-Okay.”
“Pee… Pipee… Pee pee pee………—”
“………”
“Gahahahahaha, still round and hard as ever. Drink up, drink up.”
“I’m a minor.”
Right now, I was surrounded by a strange man with a flashy, weird afro; a sensual, handsome young man in a kinagashi; a floating pink sphere; and a loud-laughing old guy wearing a twisted hachimaki.
“I really like these meat-wrapped dumplings, ne~. Hey you, nice, yo!”
Please don’t stand up and gesture just for that.
Also, a short-sleeved gold jacket over a white T-shirt is quite the fashion sense.
And on the shirt, the word 『Doha』 was written crudely in black letters.
『Doha』— Have I seen that somewhere before?
And yellow star-shaped glasses.
So party-people paraphernalia exists in this world too.
“Pee… Pee… Max… Singularity… Detected… Pee pee pee…”
Eh, what is this pink sphere? Seriously, what is this thing?
“Gahahahahaha, this pink sphere. It’s saying something.”
Whoa, he’s slapping it repeatedly. He’s drunk, that old guy.
“Hoh. It’s rare for the 『Afterlife Vision System verβ』 to emit anything other than beeps, isn’t it?”
The handsome young man in the kinagashi said smoothly and quickly.
What’s with that obviously systematic name? No, wait, have I heard it somewhere?
How did things end up like this in the first place?
It was when— yes, when I arrived here at the Hydrangea Grand Hall.
I was completely starving. Then I remembered there was a restaurant district.
So, I decided to drop by, entered the restaurant district, and this place caught my eye.
It was 『Cidre Tavern second』. As the name suggests, it’s the second branch.
Remembering they mentioned franchising, I went in, only to find it almost full.
Just as I was about to give up, thinking it was impossible, a staff member called out, saying it was fine if I shared a table.
The table they recommended was this hellish one.
“Hey hey, hey yo. Meat’s here. Yo yo. Me is meat. You is you! Kid. Eat more, yo!”
“I-I am eating.”
Honestly, it’s tough with just meat.
“Gahahahaha! When you’re young, you eat and drink, eat and drink, drink drink drink!”
“I’m a minor.”
“Hoh. This salad. It’s delicious, isn’t it?”
The handsome young man in the kinagashi. He’s the only one eating salad.
“Pee… Pee pee……… Pee pipee…—“
Somehow, the pink sphere started circling around the table.
Ah, the old guy splashed sake on it. But the smaller spheres around it formed a barrier and repelled it.
Subtly amazing. Anyway, these people. They’re Tier I Seekers, right?
Come to think of it, there was something-something System on the Wish Slate.
Now that I think about it, Doha was there too.
Does that mean the young man in the kinagashi and the old guy with the twisted hachimaki are also Seekers?
But I didn’t think this something-something System was non-human.
Well, it’s a name that sounds non-human no matter how you think about it.
But weren’t non-humans unable to become Seekers anymore?
“Speakin’ of which, yo. Did ya hear, yo?”
“Hear what?”
“About that big wave! About Wof, yo!”
Me?
“Hoh. Did something happen?”
“The four from ‘The Impregnable’ who nominated Wof ended up in the same room, yo! Seriously, waoh! Oh oh, crazy crazy, yo yo!”
“Hoh. Does that mean he’ll be facing all four of them alone?”
What do you mean, facing?
“Gahahahahahaha! He’s really something. Just what you’d expect from a challenger to ‘The Impregnable’. Youth is a wonderful thing. Here, drink up, drink up.”
“I’m a minor.”
I haven’t challenged anyone… Ah, this lemonade is delicious.
And it seems they don’t know I’m Wof.
Well, it’s not like my photo is circulating or anything.
That kind of thing is still at the level of portrait sketches in this world.
“Pee pee… Pee… Serious… Error… Pee pee.”
A serious error?!
“Um, it’s saying something about a serious error.”
“Oh yo, hey, kid. What’s an error, yo?”
“Hmm. The 『Afterlife Vision System verβ』 is uttering words other than beeps? Most intriguing.”
“Gahahahahahaha! Hey. How did this round thing become a Seeker in the first place? Things like this aren’t supposed to be able to become Seekers anymore, right?”
“That? Apparently, it became a Seeker before anyone noticed, and became Tier I before anyone noticed.”
What’s that, scary… But, that’s fine.
Ah, but Alhazardo Abramelin seems like the type who’d like that sort of thing.
“Gahahaha! That’s some light horror.”
“Hey, kid. Are you eating, yo?”
“I am eating.”
“Right, right. I was surprised when I saw the schedule handed out today. Doha. You. You’re participating in the Exhibition Match?”
“Yeah, yo. It’s been a while, yo.”
“And your opponent is Gymnema Sylvester… the ‘Lord of the Seas’?”
“Hey, no shortage of worthy opponents, yo. Oh yeah. Oh yeahh.”
“Gahahahahaha! So young. I’m getting too old for this stuff. If I were twenty years younger, I’d challenge ‘The Impregnable’ too, you know.”
“John-san. That’s surely reckless.”
“Pee pee… Pee… Pee pee…—”
“That’s our John-san, yo. Nice joke.”
“Gahahahahahaha! If my wife found out, she’d kill me.”
“Hahaha…”
Ah, the lemonade is delicious.
“What is this hellscape of monstrous beings?”
The one who spat out those words was a girl with two-toned blue and green hair.
Her eyes were also heterochromatic, blue and green. She had lovely features and wore a robe.
Beside her stood a knight in full plate armor with a full-face helmet. He looked strong.
“Oh my, Rolif. Gilbald.”
“You’re the Dancing Princess. Yo, Rolif. And Gilbald. Yo yo. Hey.”
“Gahahahahahaha! The Dancing Princess. And still as stiff as ever, Gilbald.”
“………”
“Pee pee… Pee…— Pee.”
Rolif. And Gilbald.
I feel like I’ve heard those names somewhere.
“Oh yo. The ‘Waterwind Dancing Princess’ is eating at a place like this too, yo?”
“I thought you preferred the kind of places Alveld goes to.”
Meaning high-class establishments?
Alveld seems like the type to frequent members-only or invitation-only places.
“I go to those kinds of places too, but delicious food doesn’t choose its location.”
“Pee pee… Pee… Pee pee.”
“By the way, who’s this child here?”
Rolif-san looked at me suspiciously.
Well, I’m sitting alone in the middle of hell, so I understand the strange look.
“We’re sharing the table.”
“This guy, yo. Is a kid, yo.”
“Gahahahahahaha! A minor brat. Here, drink up, drink up!”
“I’m a minor.”
“Pee pee… Large-Scale Singularity…”
Large-Scale Singularity!? Is that about me?
Rolif-san looked surprised.
“This is the first time I’ve seen it say anything other than ‘pee’.”
Ah, so it really is like that.
“So, do you need something from us?”
“Not at all. You eccentric Kessai.”
Rolif-san sighed, said, “We’re leaving,” and went up the stairs near the counter.
This place also had a second floor, which served as a VIP Room.
“Hoo you, same as ever, yo. Tomboy Dancing Princess, yo.”
“Gahahahaha! A spirited girl.”
“Eccentric, am I? Perhaps that’s true.”
“Hoh hoh. Hey yo. Kid. Eat, eat, yo.”
“I am eating. Um, are you perhaps drunk?”
“Hoh. You noticed? Actually, everyone but me is drunk.”
Said the handsome young man in the kinagashi nonchalantly.
So it was true. The afro guy started saying things like “Check it out, yo yo.”
“Gahahahaha! Here, here, drink up, drink up.”
“I’m a minor.”
Alright, I really want to escape this hell soon.
How do I get out?
The lemonade was delicious.