3 bar menu

484 – 「I’m Not Dodging Anything」

After finishing all the tasks I had left, including checking the preparations for launch, it was about time for dinner. As usual, I headed to the dining hall on the Black Lotus to enjoy the meal prepared by our chef, the great Tetsujin… or at least, that was the plan.

「Why are you making that face? You look like you swallowed something bitter.」

「Maybe it’s because I just found my lovely fiancée already about to finish a whole bottle of wine, despite not being particularly strong with alcohol.」

「M-Mmph… W-Well, I can’t help it, can I?」

My fiancée—Serena, dressed in an elegant evening gown, blushed lightly and turned her gaze away as she spoke.

☆★☆

While checking the preparations for launch, I explained the situation to Serena and told her that we might be leaving the imperial capital as early as tomorrow. She then quickly cut off the communication in a panic, only to contact me again about ten minutes later.

「Um… well… ouch!? Ugh… um, would you spend tonight with me…?」

An embarrassed Serena asked me with her face bright red through the hologram of the small communicator. If you ask me like that, I can’t refuse, can I? Well, when you think about it calmly, it makes sense. Serena has her military duties, so she can’t come with me. On top of that, after this, I plan to head to the territory of Earl Dareinwald and from there, go to the Holy Vuelzarus Empire. Since I’ll be leaving the empire, it won’t be possible to run into her by chance during my travels like before. In other words, I won’t have any opportunities to see Serena for a while.

「Okay. I’ll make time so I can spend tonight with you, Serena. Also, give my thanks to whoever is behind you.」

I can see someone behind Serena on the communication screen, Serena isn’t that forward usually, so this person must have given her a push. No doubt about it.

「Ugh… Well, I’ll see you later then. I’ll send the plan to your terminal right away.」

With that, Serena ended the communication, and as promised, the date plan was sent over immediately, but…

「The date plan keeps changing constantly…」

I’m not sure how it worked, but the plans Serena sent for the night kept shifting dramatically, the only thing that didn’t change was the ‘boarding the escort vehicle in front of the Black Lotus’. One moment, the plan showed us going to some restaurant for dinner, then to a holo-theater in an upscale hotel, and from there to the attached bar. The next moment, it changed to visiting a custom-made sword and clothing shop for nobles, followed by a gorgeous dinner in a suite room with a private pool in another luxury hotel. Seriously? Going straight to a hotel that’s obviously meant for that kind of use? That’s a bit direct, don’t you think?

Clearly, there are multiple planners doing whatever they want. I have a feeling the planners might be my future mother-in-law and the other two ladies, but there’s also a chance that Serena’s older sisters, who are already married, might be involved too. I haven’t had the chance to meet them at Marquis Holz’s estate, but I’ve heard that even after getting married, some of them live somewhere within the estate with their partners.

After all, the estate itself is ridiculously large. I’ve heard that some houses for branch families or other related nobles are built within the estate’s grounds as well.

「…I’ll just ignore it until it’s time. Ah, I should at least ask about the dress code.」

I’d prefer to go in my usual mercenary outfit if possible, but I guess I’ll try to meet their expectations as much as I can. It’ll probably be an overnight stay… As I watched the date plan continue to change, I also began to think about what would I wear for the date, but in the end, I decided to consult Mei.

☆★☆

And so, after all that, here I am having dinner alone with Serena.

In the end, the plan settled on something simple: dinner followed by some relaxation. It’s a plan that prioritizes the three basic desires, no doubt.

「This is my first… my first time having a date alone with a man.」

A flustered Serena said this with a slightly uneasy expression. That’s true; at least it’s her first date alone with me. Up until now, I always made sure Mimi or Elma were with us to avoid being alone with her.

「When we met again in the Alein System, you even planned a private dinner in a restaurant, so why are you so flustered now?」

「Well, that’s because… back then, our positions and everything else were different, weren’t they? And, well, this time, we are going to do that at the end…」

「So you’re nervous because you’re thinking about that…」

I couldn’t help but smile wryly as the ferocious Captain Serena downed her wine in a fluster, her face flushed red. I see, she’s worried about her performance later. But drinking more because of that seems counterproductive.

「I think it’s a bit late to worry about that now. But I can understand why you are worried, still, let me tell you this, you don’t have anything to worry about.」

「…Do you really think so?」

「Of course. For whose sake do you think I fought an Earl House?」

「…But back then, you didn’t fight just to rescue me; Mimi-san and the others were with me, so you fought to save them, right?」

Serena pouted a little while saying this, her face still red as a tomato. Ah, I see what she’s getting at. She’s worried that the only reason I fought so fiercely against the private army of Earl Ixamal House was because Mimi and the others were captured, and that she was just an afterthought.

「If it had been just you and me on that ship, and we ended up in the same situation, I think I would have done the same thing.」

「Really?」

「Probably. I mean, haven’t there been plenty of times before when I stuck with you even though it was dangerous?」

「Well, yes, but…」

Serena pouted again and turned her head away. Honestly, she can be such a handful.

「And besides, it’s just the two of us now, isn’t it? Isn’t that enough?」

「Hmph… I feel like you’re trying to dodge the question.」

「I’m not dodging anything.」

I chuckled as I used my knife and fork to take a bite of the lavish dinner. We were in a very upscale restaurant, in what was clearly a top-class hotel, but thanks to the private room, I didn’t have to worry too much about formal dining manners. That is a relief because I only know the bare minimum about dining manners and the like.

「The food is great, but the portions are a bit small.」

「At places like this that cater to nobles, they never serve enough to make you full.」

「Is that so? I guess there must be some historical reason behind that.」

Maybe it’s considered unrefined to eat until you’re full, or perhaps nobles dislike the drop in concentration that comes after a large meal. Or maybe it started as a way to reduce food waste and just became a tradition over time. I vaguely remember an anecdote from my old world: during wartime, a certain country that loves tea almost created a tradition of eating a type of bread that wasn’t very tasty but was highly nutritious. This custom continued years after the end of the war, or something like that.1

「…Are you sure you’re not trying to dodge the question?」

「I’m really not. Serena, you know you tend to get tipsy in a bad way when you drink too much… If you get too drunk and pass out, it’s going to be a problem later. I can’t let you keep thinking that I don’t love you, so I’ll have to show you the full extent of my love afterward.」

「…Pervert.」

「Can’t deny it.」

In that sense, maybe this restaurant’s modest portions are just right for tonight. Hmm, you learn something new every day.

TN1: The anecdote Hiro is talking about is about the ‘national loaf’ implemented by the British government during World War II. This bread, made of wholemeal flour, was more nutritious and filling than white bread, but it was also considered less tasty. The national loaf became a staple of the British diet during the war and continued to be consumed years after the war ended although it was never particularly popular.