SWNOVELXO Volume 1 Chapter 29 - Hokkaido
I was at an established crab restaurant in Sapporo, Hokkaido with Kaede-chan.
“Senpai, look, look! It’s huge!”
Kaede-chan, sitting across the table, excitedly shows me the crab leg.
“It’s big, isn’t it? Amazing.”
It’s larger than Kaede-chan’s small face.
“I’m going to dip it in!”
Kaede-chan puts the crab leg into the hot pot.
She’s going to dip it.
My heart pounds.
“I’ll do it too.”
I abandon my wicked feelings and put the crab leg into the hot pot.
“How long should we put it in?”
“It says 2 or 3 minutes. Well, just go with the flow. You can eat it raw anyway.”
“That’s true… Ah… Mmm! Delicious!”
Kaede-chan eats the crab, genuinely pleased.
I also follow Kaede-chan and put the crab in my mouth, and the deliciousness of the crab spreads in my mouth.
“Amazing! It’s different from imitation crab!”
So tasty!
“Senpai, you’ll get scolded. chewing noises”
“Yeah, the grilled ones are delicious too.”
“The beer tastes even better than usual.”
“Right?”
I’m glad we came!
I’m glad we became adventurers!
Kaede-chan and I enjoy the crab while drinking beer.
“Being nouveau riche is great, isn’t it?”
“Really. I never thought about coming to Hokkaido to eat crab without sightseeing when I was working.”
Hokkaido has many tourist spots, and there’s plenty to see.
But Kaede-chan and I didn’t do much sightseeing, just casually looking around Sapporo.
We really came just to eat crab.
Well, we don’t have much time anyway.
“Let’s buy souvenirs before we go back.”
“Yeah. The crab won’t fit in the fridge though.”
It’s for a single person, so it’s small.
“We have money now. Shall we move? We can buy a bigger fridge.”
Both of us don’t cook much, so I think we won’t use it much.
Maybe for alcohol and frozen food?
And yet, our meals are usually dining out or delivery.
“Living together, huh?”
“It’s room sharing.”
Room sharing between two adults of opposite genders is called living together.
I’ve decided that.
“Considering your job, somewhere near Ikebukuro?”
“You too, Senpai. How about near my house?”
“Where’s your house? Your place is definitely cleaner than mine, and I want to drink there.”
Kaede-chan stubbornly refuses to invite me to her house.
“Senpai, you can’t because you try to slice things in people’s houses. And you’ll definitely dive into someone’s bed, so no.”
“I won’t do that.”
“You do when you’re drunk, don’t you?”
Did I also dive into a bed during my university days?
I’m really the worst.
“I won’t do it anymore.”
“Well, you were a student who didn’t know how to drink back then.”
I used to drink shots like crazy.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. So, where’s your house? I won’t go anyway.”
We’ll move soon after all.
“Nerima.”
“Nerima… Oh, well, it’s close.”
You live in a fairly good place.
Guild staff with appraisal skills must earn well.
Definitely more annual income than I had as a working adult.
…Speaking of which, you said you would treat me at first.
At that time, I was half-serious about becoming your kept man.
“Then, let’s go with that. We’ll look for a place later.”
“Yes. Ah, I’m full, I’m full.”
“Me too.”
We ended up ordering extra items besides the course, and ate quite a lot.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we ate a lifetime’s worth of crab.
“It was delicious, wasn’t it?”
“Really. Shall we head back to the hotel?”
“Thank you for the meal.”
We pay the bill and leave the restaurant, heading towards the hotel.
“The nights are getting cold here, huh?”
It’s still October, but Hokkaido is quite cold.
“Yeah. My heated body is starting to cool down.”
Kaede-chan, walking beside me, said that, and linked arms with me.
“Kaede-chan, you’re warm.”
She smells good too.
It’s the smell of crab, though.
“Senpai, you’re warm too.”
“Alright, let’s stop by the convenience store.”
“Okay!”
We stopped by the convenience store, shopped, and then returned to the hotel.
Upon retrieving the key we had left at the hotel, we got on the elevator.
Inside the elevator, it was just the two of us, and all the while, Kaede-chan was holding onto my arm.
To anyone looking, we were clearly a couple.
When the elevator stopped at the floor where our rooms were, we got off and headed to our rooms.
When we reached my room, Kaede-chan stopped linking arms and stepped away.
Then, she walked to the next room and stopped in front of the door.
“…Well, Senpai, I’ll go to your room after I take a bath.”
Kaede-chan said this, looking up at me with flushed cheeks, and went into her room.
I saw Kaede-chan off, entered my room, and took a shower.
After finishing the shower, I climbed into bed and started meditating.
I think about an hour had passed since I started meditating.
It was just before 11 o’clock.
Perfect timing.
Then, I heard a knock on the door.
I got out of bed and headed to the door.
When I opened it, there stood a cute junior girl, with her hair tied up, wearing the provided yukata.
“Come in.”
I opened the door wide, welcoming Kaede-chan into the room.
“…Excuse me.”
Kaede-chan slowly entered the room.
The moment Kaede-chan passed by me, I smelled a sweet and pleasant scent, distinct from that of crab.
I sat on the bed and looked at Kaede-chan, who was standing.
“Sit down.”
“…Okay.”
Kaede-chan sat right next to me.
We were really close, our legs almost touching.
Definitely that kind of distance.
“It’s a nice time, isn’t it?”
Kaede-chan seemed to think the same thing as me.
Indeed, it’s a nice time.
Kaede-chan reached out her hand, not for mine, but to grab the remote control.
“Let’s watch Senpai’s heroic appearance! Ah, move a bit closer; I can’t see the TV.”
Kaede-chan pushed me.
“Okay. Oh, what would you like to drink?”
Damn it!
Who cares about the TV?!
“Cassis, please.”
I took out a Cassis soda and a beer from the provided fridge and handed the Cassis soda to Kaede-chan.
“Senpai, Senpai! It’s starting!”
Kaede-chan, at maximum excitement, pulled on my arm.
Today, well, Elenora-san was appearing on TV.
We were going to watch it together.
“What was that nice atmosphere earlier about?”
“I thought it would make Senpai happy.”
Yeah, it was good.
I was happy.
“Well, it’s fine, but…”
I decided to watch TV, feeling both pleased and a bit awkward.