GJ Bu

Chapter 12: The Rules of Set Meals (1)

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Chapter 12: The Rules of Set Meals (1)

On the path to the station from school, there was a ramen shop that didn’t look too popular.

Having idly chatted in the clubroom till the announcement proclaimed that everyone had to go home, if somebody said “I’m hungry” on their way back, they’d all end up going there.

It was usually Kirara, though she’d always continue to eat her fried chicken, spare ribs or whatever regardless.

“Sup, pops! Let’s eat on the tatami seats?”

Mao stepped in as if it was her own house.

The table over the tatami seats was filled with things. It didn’t look like it was set there for customers at all.

Mao swept the table clean with her elbow, roughly clearing it of needless things and carelessly throwing them onto the floor. Apparently, she had known the owner since she was a little kid.

“Wow, sonny, you’re surrounded by beauties. Wanna trade places with this old man?”

The old man made a strange hand sign.

Kyouya only fixedly cast his eyes down. He was surrounded by Mao, Megumi, Shion and Kirara, 4 beautiful girls. He had absolutely no objections on that part; he only wished the man would stop making that obscene sign in front of him with his thumb. (2)

Megumi didn’t understand what it meant, so she just looked on in puzzlement. Shion turned her face slightly to the side and stared at the framed celebrity signatures hanging on the wall. Mao sported a wide grin. As for Kirara, she didn’t seem to show any reaction.

The girl had her eyes fixed on an old, stained menu that looked as if it hadn’t been replaced in ten years, until Mao took it from her hands.

“Let’s all order accordingly then. That way we can split the portions.”

And so it was decided that they’d all order accordingly.

The first to open her mouth was Mao.

“Pops! First, we’ll have the fried rice set meal with a large serving of rice.”

“Right away!”

Kyouya had his mouth half open with a “Huh?”

What’s a fried rice set meal?

He’d never heard of it before. Surely it must be something like a ramen and fried rice set. He tried to a.s.sure himself. But if that was the case, what did she mean with a large serving of rice? Why was there rice?

After the wait, the real thing came out.

“There you go! Fried rice set meal with a large serving of rice!”

He put the fried rice on the table and, beside it, a bowl with a mountain of white rice. It really was a fried rice set meal. Not just a set meal with fried rice, but an honest to G.o.d fried rice set meal.

Kyouya turned his face to the side and gazed sideways at the fried rice. It was ordinary fried rice; regardless of the angle or how you looked at it… it was fried rice… nothing else.

“Let’s dig in!”

“Eating living beings. Show grat.i.tude.”

“Oh, G.o.d in heaven that grants us life…”

After each of them made their own sort of thanks, they split the food and started to eat.

The mountain of fried rice that Kyouya was watching from the corners of his eyes was steadily cut down. Without saying a word, as if it were perfectly normal, everybody ate their fried rice with white rice on the side.

“You’re not eating, Shinomiya-kun?”

“Hey, Kyoro, if you don’t eat it it’s going to be gone before you know it.”

Having been told that by Megumi and Mao, Kyouya split his disposable chopsticks.

The fried rice really was genuine fried rice. He tried taking just the fried rice, without the side dish, but Mao got mad at him and Megumi kindly warned him that he should eat the white rice too.

Kyouya went quiet, and after serving himself some of the side dish he ate the white rice too.

“Pops! Next is a yakisoba(3) set meal with a large serving of rice!”

Another order came from Mao.

What came next was a large portion of yakisoba with another mountain of rice. Kyouya observed it out of the corners of his eyes again. As expected, no matter how he looked at it, it was simply yakisoba.

To Kyouya’s eyes, as they went, these “set-meals” should not have existed. It was akin to the “Okonomiaki set meal” that they said Kansai people ate.

The mountain of yakisoba gradually disappeared.

What kind of strange order would come next? Kyouya expected to see something scary.

“Pops! Next is a gyoza(4) set meal. With extra rice.”

The gyoza set meal came out. It was served in portions for two.

“This isn’t normal at all!”

Kyouya shouted abruptly, unable to keep it inside any further.

“What are you getting so mad about?”

“I’m not mad!”

Thinking that n.o.body there would understand his plea, Kyouya silently went back to eating.

Everybody was already starting to eat their gyoza set meal, but Kyouya’s plate still had plenty of fried rice left.

Fried Rice Set Meal (Secret Menu)

¥550 (Tax Included)

“Do they have a white rice set meal in that shop too?”

“Are you an idiot?”

TRANSLATOR’S NOTES

(1) In j.a.pan, a set meal (teishoku) is a common convention for meals that consists of a main dish and a side dish, always accompanied by rice and miso soup.
(2) The man is probably making the fig sign, which is is considered obscene in j.a.pan.
(3) j.a.panese noodles fried with a.s.sorted vegetables and meats.
(4) A type of dumpling filled with meat and vegetables.

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