The girl standing before Kazuomi wore the same pale blue academy uniform as everyone else.
Yet somehow, she appeared incomparably refined.
Her soft hair had been gathered behind her head with red-and-white ribbons.
Kazuomi could not see her face, but her posture and bearing made her seem like an aristocratic young lady who had stepped directly from a medieval European castle.
Her pale, elegant neck resembled flawless ice or polished jade.
Kazuomi found himself staring at the exposed nape.
It was no wonder people considered the back of a woman’s neck so alluring.
Her neck was slender and graceful, her fair skin revealed without ornament.
She stood like an orchid blooming alone beyond anyone’s reach.
At that moment, however, she was clearly in trouble.
“Hmm…”
The girl had been hesitating for nearly half a minute.
She stared motionlessly at the menu board like a work of art, apparently unaware that it was her turn to order.
“Have you decided what you would like?”
The cashier finally prompted her.
The girl seemed to gather her courage.
She nodded firmly.
“Excuse me!”
She raised one hand, carrying equal parts expectation and anxiety.
“Oh, sorry.
Could you correct this for me?”
A middle-aged trainer walked directly to the counter and handed over his meal ticket.
“You printed it incorrectly.
I left a note asking for extra broth, extra sauce, no green onions, and an added egg.”
The cashier examined the ticket and apologized repeatedly.
After typing rapidly at the keyboard, she printed a replacement and handed it to him.
The girl—
She froze.
All thought appeared to cease.
Her raised hand remained suspended awkwardly in the air.
What had that gentleman just said?
Had it been Japanese?
Or some form of incantation?
Why did the ordering procedure she had carefully studied fail to match what was happening?
The most sheltered of sheltered young ladies—an Irish exchange student from the absolute upper reaches of society—had entered a crisis.
Just as her mind completely shut down—
Are you trying to order this?”
Kazuomi stepped out from beside her and pointed to an item on the menu.
The moment he glanced at her face, he nearly forgot to breathe.
Perhaps because she was of mixed heritage, the girl’s skin was extraordinarily pale and delicate.
Her eyes glittered like light-green agate.
When her beautifully shaped lips pressed together, two shallow dimples appeared in her cheeks.
The only phrase that entered Kazuomi’s mind was exquisite beauty.
The girl initially looked surprised when their eyes met.
Then, realizing what he had asked, she nodded gently.
Kazuomi had already noticed her staring at that menu item.
After receiving confirmation, he turned toward the cashier.
“Excuse me.
Please give her the chilled soba and rice-with-egg set.”
He looked back at the girl.
“Would you like anything added?”
The question appeared to remind her of something.
She raised her hand again with sudden enthusiasm.
“Yes!
Extra-large, extra toppings, and heavily seasoned!”
Both Kazuomi and the cashier froze.
Kazuomi recovered quickly and leaned closer to whisper an explanation.
“This is a fixed set meal, so you can’t select the serving size.
What you just requested only works at certain ramen shops.”
“Is that so?”
The girl answered blankly.
A completely sheltered young lady.
That was the only image Kazuomi could form.
“My apologies.
I behaved improperly.”
After Kazuomi’s reminder, the girl recognized her mistake.
She lowered her head and apologized with restrained politeness.
“Please prepare the order as this gentleman described.”
Although the cashier also appeared slightly overwhelmed, she maintained a professional smile and typed quickly.
Then she entered several numbers into the card reader beside her.
“Certainly.
The total is twelve hundred yen.”
The girl turned toward Kazuomi and bowed formally.
“My sincere apologies for troubling you.
Provided it would not inconvenience you, please permit me to pay for your meal as well.” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
She produced a card and held it toward the cashier.
“I shall pay by card.”
Kazuomi intended to decline politely.
Then he looked more closely and nearly stared his eyes out of their sockets.
The girl was not holding the pale green meal card issued by the academy.
It was a black bank card embossed in gold with the crest of a lion.
Even the cashier was startled.
“Um… I’m sorry, but we don’t have a payment terminal here.
We can’t accept bank cards.”
“Huh?
I was told that cards could be used…”
Before the girl could create an even larger disturbance, Kazuomi hurriedly presented the meal card Koji had given him.
He forced a smile.
“It’s all right.
Please allow me to pay for this meal.”
“Here is your meal ticket.
Please wait at the collection counter.”
The cashier handed the ticket to the girl with both hands, still visibly nervous.
After receiving it, the girl’s cheeks flushed with childish excitement.
Tiny stars seemed to sparkle in her eyes.
“Thank you very much.”
“It was nothing.”
Kazuomi watched the young lady leave with her meal ticket, practically surrounded by the imagined sight of blossoming flowers.
Only then did he regain his composure.
“Excuse me.
I’ll have a medium spicy curry and a mixed fresh-vegetable salad.”
“Certainly.
That will be one thousand yen.”
Kazuomi took his meal ticket and headed toward the collection area.
There, he discovered that the girl seemed to be waiting for him.
When he approached, she smiled happily.
“Thank you again for your assistance.”
“If it would not trouble you, I would be delighted if you joined me for lunch.”
Her appearance, bearing, and manners were flawless from head to toe.
She was a true aristocratic daughter among aristocratic daughters.
However—
She possessed far too little common sense.