Kei: By “lunch and dessert,” you meant a value set and an apple pie?
Youko: We’re both students without part-time jobs, so it’s only natural, right?
This place is Hackin’ Beef Hamburger. (TN: An international fast food chain that even has a branch in Hemidzuka. Its mascot is an adult man with a chainsaw, thus the name.)
Just as the jingle says, “Of course there’s one in my town, and there might be one in yours, too. ♪” The international fast food chain.
The store where you’ll find after-school students camping out, even outside of summer break.
By the way, the reason I don’t have a part-time job is because school is too difficult, not because I don’t have a desire to work.
Anyway, considering my state of welfare, it’s not an ill-fitting place to dine, but… while I won’t say “splurge,” I would at least like her to consider my aspirations for lunch.
She said she had some special income, after all.
Kei: But I like Japanese food…
Youko: I know that much, already.
Kei: Rice above bread. Fish above beef.
Youko: Okay, forget value. Ordering á la carte, one Rice Burger and Fish and Chips.
Kei: …………
Youko: Come on, now, you have fried onigiri, codfish, and potato tenpura. The drink is Oolong Tea, but the limited-time shake flavor is maccha, so there’s a pretty high degree of “Japanese” in there, dontcha think? (TN: Maccha – ceremonial green tea powder… also “potato tenpura” is Youko’s way of making french fries sound Japanese.)
……It’s not like I’m asking for a high-grade tea ceremony dish, or something extravagant like that.
For me, a sushi conveyor would be fantastic. Or if not, just some daily special from somewhere (w/ tax, 450￥) would be more than enough.
Kei: That’s just a sham, you know? A fake. You fooled me and I got excited over nothing.
Youko: Well, I’ll buy it for you, so you can find the seats! And I’ll be going with a steak burger set!
Her face knows nothing of my troubles. With a flapping wave of her hand, she energetically heads to the onee-san behind the order counter.
Kei: Hah……
Left alone, I give the store interior a glance.
We went to a part of town where few people go, so it’s not that bad, but the place still looks congested.
Kei: I’d better find a seat.
——————–
Youko: Well?
After putting away the main-in-line burger, I’m about to dig into my Fish and Chips when she interjects.
Kei: What?
Youko: You know good and well, so… WELL!?
Youko-chan has outstretched her palm in my direction.
Let’s see… the Urchin Burger was 360 yen, the Fish and Chips, 240 yen. That and, with a regular-sized oolong tea is——
Summing up the items that were on my tray, I pull a bill out of my wallet.
Kei: ……Here.
*kusha!* Resting on her palm, the face of a prominent historical figure is mangled into oblivion.
Youko: The hell you playin’ at, foo’!
Kei: Hya!?
Crushed in her fist, the bill is shoved back at me.
Kei: Uuu! Youko-chan, you’re cruel……
Youko: The cruel one is you! I’m not cruel at all! Uwaa—n! Hato-chan’s an ungrateful ingrate—!
Kei: Eh!? What, what, what’d I do!?
Youko: To think you’d just hand me paper like that, I don’t believe you! Does the lunch I bought mean nothing to you!?
Kei: Well, I wouldn’t say that…..
I try to iron out the crinkly bill with my hands, but it fails to do much of anything.
By the way, did that gesture of holding her hand out mean something other than “hand it over!”?
I direct my inquiry to the person in question.
Kei: Umm… then, your hand from before…?
Youko: I’ve just given proof of my love for you, Hato-chan! Did you forget to show your love to me!?
Kei: ……Love?
Youko: A souvenir.
Well, it would have been nice if there was a vendor at the station….
——————–
This summer……
I cried more than I ever had before…
I had such a confusing journey…
…and returned to my life, chased about by mundane concerns.
Summer is going to end soon… I wonder if Tsudzura-chan is back home yet, preparing to return to school.
Or could she really have been a fox from that region and actually bewitched me?
I’ve talked to the tax counselor, and made them wait to sell the Hemidzuka mansion until the summer ends, but——
If that’s really true, then in deciding to release the property, I’ve probably done something very bad to her.
Youko: So, at any rate, the next semester starts tomorrow…
Kei: Yeah. If only to help you finish all your homework, it’s good I came back early.
Youko: Yeah, yeah. As far as that goes, I really owe ya one, but aren’t you putting yourself a little high on the pedestal?
Kei: The only reason I hadn’t done it before was the things that happened with my family. Even the teacher said they would look out for me, extenuating circumstances and such.
Youko: I guess so. Though really, your Mama-san meant a lot to you—
Youko: Honestly… I don’t get why you aren’t all slick and “blah blah” with the English. Your grades’re even worse than mine…?
Kei: Oh, be quiet. My grades are better in classic lit. Besides, if people could inherit their parents’ skills, all the children of the world with numbers in their names wouldn’t have such a hard time.
Youko: Yeah, yeah——
Blue Ending: Return – End of Summer