Chapter 77
The Tax Collector and His Younger Brother (Part 2)「Could this be the Izakaya n.o.bu that Crowvinkel sang about?」
A handsome and flas.h.i.+ly dressed man asked, while peeking in through the half-opened door . He had the air of an actor, though his gentle and smiling expression gave off a sense of amiability .
「Yes, this is that Izakaya n.o.bu . 」
The man heaved an exaggerated sigh of relief at s.h.i.+n.o.bu’s response . As she had thought based on his theatrical gestures, he was definitely an actor .
「Ah, that’s a relief . Crowvinkel’s ballad only mentioned ‘As I go down Inns & Stables Street’ . I noticed this quaint place immediately, but I don’t know what I would have done if I was wrong . 」
He scratched his head sheepishly while slipping through the door, dismissing s.h.i.+n.o.bu’s ‘No customers in the afternoon’ and somehow making his way to the counter .
As he wiped his face with a warm towel, s.h.i.+n.o.bu felt like his smile looked familiar, but she just couldn’t place it .
s.h.i.+n.o.bu remembered every customer she had served . Not just their face, but also their voice, height, and the aura around them . She was certain that she had never seen him before, she began to wonder if he resembled another customer .
The customer smiled and began to chat merrily when s.h.i.+n.o.bu tried to take his order .
「I do enjoy drinking wine during the day, but to tell the truth, there’s a play scheduled at the square in front of the church later today . The play is called ‘August’, a strange coincidence, because the name of the leading actor, me, is also August . Bad rumours would spring up if the lead actor got himself drunk before showing up, don’t you agree?」
Was he what one would call a chatterbox? Left to himself, he would probably go on forever, so s.h.i.+n.o.bu asked for his order again . He came to his senses and lightly cleared his throat .
「Please give me something filling . 」
「Something filling, huh…」
Even though she had received the order, the timing was a little inconvenient . s.h.i.+n.o.bu turned towards n.o.buyuki, who also looked troubled . Since lunch had ended, there was no dish
that could be served immediately .
For some reason, the regulars had come in one after another that day, so the previously prepared tempura, yuki onigiri, and grilled fish had all been sold out .
There were some rice b.a.l.l.s made from yesterday’s takikomi gohan, but he was saving it for Eva to eat tonight . As he was thinking, Gernot, who was sitting facing the wall and looking down, caught his eye .
n.o.buyuki noticed, and began to boil water in a pot .
「Aitheria is such a nice place isn’t it? No wonder my older brother loves it . 」
August commented while looking around the shop, after he had quickly polished off the kakuni appetizer . (TL note: kakuni = j.a.panese braised pork)
「Oh, you have an older brother, dear customer?」
August nodded to Leontaine’s question with a large smile .
「Yes, my prided older brother . He’s working as a va.s.sal to a n.o.ble that lives near Aitheria, it seems . 」
「 ‘It seems’?」
「I haven’t seen him for a long time, though we exchange letters every month . I don’t think he’s rich, but he sends me a sizeable amount of money every month… . 」
「He must be a wonderful older brother . 」
「Yes, indeed . But he objected to me being an actor, so we quarreled . 」
「You must really respect him… . 」
「Yes, I think he’s a really great older brother . 」
When he mentioned n.o.bles in the vicinity of Aitheria, Arnoux’s Sachnussenburg family or the Branton family came to s.h.i.+n.o.bu’s mind . She had met the va.s.sals of both houses before, but she could not recall anyone that looked like August .
「My wife is rather frail, so I’m very thankful for the money my brother keeps sending me; it allows me to buy medicine for her . . I wish to personally meet him after all this time to thank him . 」
n.o.buyuki added pasta to the boiling water in the pot, the same Napolitan pasta that was prepared for Gernot every time he came by . The noodles danced about in the boiling water . By making Napolitan, they could serve August without having him wait too long .
「If you’re looking for someone, you can ask the people
people who work here . Truth be told, this shop has helped reunite many people who had been searching for a long time . 」
「Is that true? Well then…I should ask as well…」
「What’s your older brother’s name? It may be harder if he has a common name, like Joseph . 」
「I believe it’s an uncommon name around these parts, though . His name is Gernot . 」
n.o.buyuki choked, but managed to pa.s.s it off as a cough .
「O-oh, my apologies . It’s probably the dry weather . 」
s.h.i.+n.o.bu mentally thanked n.o.buyuki . If he hadn’t reacted, she would definitely have turned to look at Gernot .
Gernot was drunk, but he wasn’t asleep . He may have had his reasons for not revealing himself .
「H-heeh, Gernot, huh . That really is an uncommon name~」
Leontaine’s voice had become rather stiff too . She immediately decided not to speak about the person in question, who happened to be sitting next to August .
「Does it sound familiar…?」
「You see, we don’t really get the names of all the customers that come to the shop . 」
「I guess that’s true . And it’s not like you can remember them all, right?」
There was no one that didn’t know Gernot’s name, a regular of Izakaya n.o.bu, but no one could voice that thought, so s.h.i.+n.o.bu returned to her task of drying the rice bowl that would be used for the day .
「Perhaps some other clues…?」
「Well… He once fell from a tree while trying to save a cat a long time ago . The incident affected his vision in one eye, so he uses a monocle . And he went to the University in the Imperial Capital to study law… . 」
「This is the first I’m hearing of this… . 」
「Well, isn’t that because you don’t know his brother?」
「Y-yeah . This is the first time I’ve heard of him . Yep . 」
While wiping the rice bowl after Leontaine’s not so suave save, s.h.i.+n.o.bu stole a glance at Gernot . He was trembling quite a bit .
The story might have been one he did not want known . Climbing a tree to save a cat most definitely did not match the image of a strict
a strict and by-the-books tax collector .
An awkward silence filled the shop as Leontaine reached her limit of feigning cooperation in the search for the brother .
n.o.buyuki used a colander to drain the water from the boiled pasta .
「Now then, the dish is almost ready . . 」
n.o.buyuki put the ingredients into a frying pan and quickly cooked them before adding the pasta . The pasta was followed by the ketchup based sauce, which had been prepared in advance, and the mixture was then stir-fried .
「Thank you for waiting, here’s the Napolitan with thick sliced bacon . 」
On seeing the dish placed before him, August let out a small sigh .
「I never thought I’d be able to eat pasta here in Aitheria… . But this dish seems strange . I’ve never seen red pasta before . 」
August nodded and smiled while commenting that pasta was his elder brother’s favorite food as well . n.o.body could tell August that his elder brother still loved that dish .
「Here you go, please enjoy our pasta a la Aitheria . 」
Gernot, who was still facing down snuck a quick glance at the fork-wielding August . He was wondering what his younger brother’s reaction would be to his favorite food .
Everyone was concentrating on August, who was bringing the pasta laden fork to his mouth .
「What?… . This is…」
August’s rather fixed smiling face turned into one of surprise .
This was most likely a genuine reaction . He opened his eyes wide in surprise, and he ate another mouthful .
「What in the world…」
His fork became a blur of motion, and August didn’t even notice that the area around his mouth was now soiled .
He greedily devoured the thick and sweet Napolitan .
At that moment, Gernot, who was still facing away, calmly pushed the container of tabasco sauce and powdered cheese towards him .
「Hm? Thanks . 」
Bros
August looked confused for a moment, but quickly understood Gernot’s intentions . After sprinkling powdered cheese and tabasco sauce on the Napolitan, he took a bite, and instantly fell silent .
「It’s miraculous…」
He murmuring this thanks in somewhat of a daze, he continued eating itcontinued eating it hungrily .
It was reminiscent of when Gernot had first visited the store, right down to the way he ate the dish . When they saw someone eat it like that, they knew that it was definitely worth the effort to make and serve it as the shop’s side dish .
「It’s delicious… . It’s really, truly delicious . 」
August smiled widely, his mouth and its immediate surroundings stained a sticky red . His smile as he patted his full stomach was much more genuine and pleasant compared to the false one he had shown until now .
Judging from how August had completely annihilated the dish, he was definitely Gernot’s brother .
Before s.h.i.+n.o.bu managed to hand August a wipe cloth, Gernot had already handed him a white handkerchief .
「Ah, thanks brot…no, I mean, kind sir . 」
August quickly corrected himself when Gernot coughed violently .
「Thank you, it was delicious . Crowvinkel’s song was definitely not exaggerated . I will come by to eat here again if I have the chance . I want to enjoy food with drinks next time with my brother, if possible . 」
August stood and left the shop hurriedly, leaving behind a few extra silver coins and the late afternoon atmosphere .
「Oo-oh right . Mr Gernot?」
At Leontaine’s call, Gernot looked up while hesitating,
「When did he notice…?」
n.o.buyuki smiled in amus.e.m.e.nt at Gernot’s mumbling and pa.s.sed him a cup of water .
「He knew from the beginning . He may have come here after asking around . . 」
「But that didn’t seem to be the case when he came in . 」
「True . But think about his job . 」
He was an actor, after all . He was probably quite skilled .
「With just that…」
Gernot muttered as he emptied the gla.s.s of water and stood up .
「Gernot-san, is that all for today?」
「Yeah . Apologies, s.h.i.+n.o.bu-san, but I remembered that I had some urgent business today . 」
「It’s at the square in front of the church, isn’t it?」
「Wh-who said anything about watching the play… . . No, I will go to see it . 」
As s.h.i.+n.o.bu listened to Gernot’s voice trail off, she quietly made a reservation for two that night .
The Tax Collector and His Younger Brother Part 2 Could this be the Izakaya n.o.bu that Crowvinkel sang about A handsome and flas.h.i.+ly dressed man asked, while peeking in through the half opened door . He had the air of an actor, though his gentle and smiling expression gave off a sense of amiability . Yes, this is that Izakaya n.o.bu . The man heaved an exaggerated sigh of relief at s.h.i.+n.o.bu s response . As she had thought based on his theatrical gestures, he was definitely an actor . Ah, that s a relief . Crowvinkel s ballad only mentioned As I go down Inns Stables Street . I noticed this quaint place immediately, but I don t know what I would have done if I was wrong . He scratched his head sheepishly while slipping through the door, dismissing s.h.i.+n.o.bu s No customers in the afternoon and somehow making his way to the counter . As he wiped his face with a warm towel, s.h.i.+n.o.bu felt like his smile looked familiar, but she just couldn t place it . s.h.i.+n.o.bu remembered every customer she had served . Not just their face, but also their voice, height, and the aura around them . She was certain that she had never seen him before, she began to wonder if he resembled another customer . The customer smiled and began to chat merrily when s.h.i.+n.o.bu tried to take his order . I do enjoy drinking wine during the day, but to tell the truth, there s a play scheduled at the square in front of the church later today . The play is called August , a strange coincidence, because the name of the leading actor, me, is also August . Bad rumours would spring up if the lead actor got himself drunk before showing up, don t you agree Was he what one would call a chatterbox Left to himself, he would probably go on forever, so s.h.i.+n.o.bu asked for his order again . He came to his senses and lightly cleared his throat . Please give me something filling . Something filling, huh Even though she had received the order, the timing was a little inconvenient . s.h.i.+n.o.bu turned towards n.o.buyuki, who also looked troubled . Since lunch had ended, there was no dish that could be served immediately . For some reason, the regulars had come in one after another that day, so the previously prepared tempura, yuki onigiri, and grilled fish had all been sold out . There were some rice b.a.l.l.s made from yesterday s takikomi gohan, but he was saving it for Eva to eat tonight . As he was thinking, Gernot, who was sitting facing the wall and looking down, caught his eye . n.o.buyuki noticed, and began to boil water in a pot . Aitheria is such a nice place isn t it No wonder my older brother loves it . August commented while looking around the shop, after he had quickly polished off the kakuni appetizer . TL note kakuni j.a.panese braised pork Oh, you have an older brother, dear customer August nodded to Leontaine s question with a large smile . Yes, my prided older brother . He s working as a va.s.sal to a n.o.ble that lives near Aitheria, it seems . It seems I haven t seen him for a long time, though we exchange letters every month . I don t think he s rich, but he sends me a sizeable amount of money every month . He must be a wonderful older brother . Yes, indeed . But he objected to me being an actor, so we quarreled . You must really respect him . Yes, I think he s a really great older brother . When he mentioned n.o.bles in the vicinity of Aitheria, Arnoux s Sachnussenburg family or the Branton family came to s.h.i.+n.o.bu s mind . She had met the va.s.sals of both houses before, but she could not recall anyone that looked like August . My wife is rather frail, so I m very thankful for the money my brother keeps sending me it allows me to buy medicine for her . . I wish to personally meet him after all this time to thank him . n.o.buyuki added pasta to the boiling water in the pot, the same Napolitan pasta that was prepared for Gernot every time he came by . The noodles danced about in the boiling water . By making Napolitan, they could serve August without having him wait too long . If you re looking for someone, you can ask the people who work here . Truth be told, this shop has helped reunite many people who had been searching for a long time . Is that true Well then I should ask as well What s your older brother s name It may be harder if he has a common name, like Joseph . I believe it s an uncommon name around these parts, though . His name is Gernot . n.o.buyuki choked, but managed to pa.s.s it off as a cough . O oh, my apologies . It s probably the dry weather . s.h.i.+n.o.bu mentally thanked n.o.buyuki . If he hadn t reacted, she would definitely have turned to look at Gernot . Gernot was drunk, but he wasn t asleep . He may have had his reasons for not revealing himself . H heeh, Gernot, huh . That really is an uncommon name Leontaine s voice had become rather stiff too . She immediately decided not to speak about the person in question, who happened to be sitting next to August . Does it sound familiar You see, we don t really get the names of all the customers that come to the shop . I guess that s true . And it s not like you can remember them all, right There was no one that didn t know Gernot s name, a regular of Izakaya n.o.bu, but no one could voice that thought, so s.h.i.+n.o.bu returned to her task of drying the rice bowl that would be used for the day . Perhaps some other clues Well He once fell from a tree while trying to save a cat a long time ago . The incident affected his vision in one eye, so he uses a monocle . And he went to the University in the Imperial Capital to study law . This is the first I m hearing of this . Well, isn t that because you don t know his brother Y yeah . This is the first time I ve heard of him . Yep . While wiping the rice bowl after Leontaine s not so suave save, s.h.i.+n.o.bu stole a glance at Gernot . He was trembling quite a bit . The story might have been one he did not want known . Climbing a tree to save a cat most definitely did not match the image of a strict and by the books tax collector . An awkward silence filled the shop as Leontaine reached her limit of feigning cooperation in the search for the brother . n.o.buyuki used a colander to drain the water from the boiled pasta . Now then, the dish is almost ready . . n.o.buyuki put the ingredients into a frying pan and quickly cooked them before adding the pasta . The pasta was followed by the ketchup based sauce, which had been prepared in advance, and the mixture was then stir fried . Thank you for waiting, here s the Napolitan with thick sliced bacon . On seeing the dish placed before him, August let out a small sigh . I never thought I d be able to eat pasta here in Aitheria . But this dish seems strange . I ve never seen red pasta before . August nodded and smiled while commenting that pasta was his elder brother s favorite food as well . n.o.body could tell August that his elder brother still loved that dish . Here you go, please enjoy our pasta a la Aitheria . Gernot, who was still facing down snuck a quick glance at the fork wielding August . He was wondering what his younger brother s reaction would be to his favorite food . Everyone was concentrating on August, who was bringing the pasta laden fork to his mouth . What . This is August s rather fixed smiling face turned into one of surprise . This was most likely a genuine reaction . He opened his eyes wide in surprise, and he ate another mouthful . What in the world His fork became a blur of motion, and August didn t even notice that the area around his mouth was now soiled . He greedily devoured the thick and sweet Napolitan . At that moment, Gernot, who was still facing away, calmly pushed the container of tabasco sauce and powdered cheese towards him . Hm Thanks . Bros August looked confused for a moment, but quickly understood Gernot s intentions . After sprinkling powdered cheese and tabasco sauce on the Napolitan, he took a bite, and instantly fell silent . It s miraculous He murmuring this thanks in somewhat of a daze, he continued eating it hungrily . It was reminiscent of when Gernot had first visited the store, right down to the way he ate the dish . When they saw someone eat it like that, they knew that it was definitely worth the effort to make and serve it as the shop s side dish . It s delicious . It s really, truly delicious . August smiled widely, his mouth and its immediate surroundings stained a sticky red . His smile as he patted his full stomach was much more genuine and pleasant compared to the false one he had shown until now . Judging from how August had completely annihilated the dish, he was definitely Gernot s brother . Before s.h.i.+n.o.bu managed to hand August a wipe cloth, Gernot had already handed him a white handkerchief . Ah, thanks brot no, I mean, kind sir . August quickly corrected himself when Gernot coughed violently . Thank you, it was delicious . Crowvinkel s song was definitely not exaggerated . I will come by to eat here again if I have the chance . I want to enjoy food with drinks next time with my brother, if possible . August stood and left the shop hurriedly, leaving behind a few extra silver coins and the late afternoon atmosphere . Oo oh right . Mr Gernot At Leontaine s call, Gernot looked up while hesitating, When did he notice n.o.buyuki smiled in amus.e.m.e.nt at Gernot s mumbling and pa.s.sed him a cup of water . He knew from the beginning . He may have come here after asking around . . But that didn t seem to be the case when he came in . True . But think about his job . He was an actor, after all . He was probably quite skilled . With just that Gernot muttered as he emptied the gla.s.s of water and stood up . Gernot san, is that all for today Yeah . Apologies, s.h.i.+n.o.bu san, but I remembered that I had some urgent business today . It s at the square in front of the church, isn t it Wh who said anything about watching the play . . No, I will go to see it . As s.h.i.+n.o.bu listened to Gernot s voice trail off, she quietly made a reservation for two that night .