銀しゃりしゃりしゃり
Ginsharisharishari


(TN: Ginshari - cooked white rice)

Kei: Ah, good morning.

Hostess: Good morning, Hatou-san. Were you able to sleep well last night?

Kei: Eh... well, yeah......

Hostess: Oh dear, oh dear. Was there a problem?

Her gestures, as she puts her hand to her mouth and cocks her head inquisitively, are rather cute.

Kei: Ah, that is, I just had a bad dream, is all......

Hostess: Ah, really? You seem to have had a hard day yesterday; you must have been very tired.

Kei: I imagine so. I'm the type that can sleep anywhere, but I've had almost no experience traveling.

Hostess: If that's so, that must have been difficult... coming to an inconvenient place like this.

Kei: Yeah, I guess......

Kei: ......By the way, Okami-san.

Hostess: What is it?

Kei: About this hotel...

Do you have any ghosts here?
...But, no, is it really okay to ask that?

Hostess: ?

......I can't ask. There's no way I could ask the Okami-san anything like that, after she so pleasantly allowed a bungler like me to stay here.

Hostess: Is something wrong?

Kei: Ahaha, I was wondering what's for breakfast today...

...And so...

Kei: Uuu! This really is delicious. For Japanese mornings, it has to be rice and miso soup.

...I reflect upon my happiness.
Whether it was lack of time on weekdays, preparation being a chore, sleeping until nearly noon, or a number of other circumstances, my opportunities to eat rice had dwindled.
Particularly freshly cooked white rice with breakfast. What's more, if it's being prepared and set in front of me, I think I might have to extend my stay.

Announcer: -Likely to have clear skies in Hemidzuka.

Hearing a familiar name, I stop my chopsticks and raise my eyes.
It's a TV news program.

Announcer: We will be blessed with pleasant weather the entire day. For those leaving their homes, it could be wise to prepare a hat and related items.

For her to add comments for this area in a regional weather program, this must be quite a rural broadcast.
At any rate, it seems my split tatami umbrella will see no action today.
No, it's not like I'm disappointed...

Announcer: And now for the news.

Announcer: Early last night, a mirror displayed at the Hemidzuka Regional History Museum was stolen.

Announcer: The mirror is an artifact, brought to Japan in 632AD by the Chinese envoy, and is recorded to have been placed in the care of the Nakatomi family, serving as Shintou clergy at the time of arrival.

Hmm, a thief, huh......
If it's year 632, then it's one hundred years earlier than "Nakuyo Uguisu, Heiankyou," so it's really old. The first thing I remember from that period is the Taika Reformation. So it's a little earlier then that, then... (TN: As far as I know, "Nakuyo Uguisu" seems to be a popular manga set in early Japan.)
If you sold it at a curio store, you'd probably get an incredible price to match.
......Could it be, as a visitor at this time from some far off city, that I'm really suspicious?
But, speaking of another such traveler...

Uzuki: Kei-san, is something wrong?

Kei: No, it's nothing.

Uzuki-san is the same, isn't she...

Kei: Actually, you're making a face like you're troubled by something, Uzuki-san... is something wrong?

Uzuki: No - nothing particular on my end, either.

Kei: Is that so?

Fufufu, you underestimate me, Uzuki-san.
This Kei-san's observing eye has discovered the reason behind your downcast face.

Kei: Uzuki-saan, could you be a nattou-hater? (TN: Nattou is an infamous Japanese food consisting of fermented soybeans. It is famous for its awful smell.)

The nattou upon her plate remains untouched.
I happen to like it, but many dislike it so much that they get goose bumps from the smell alone.
Also, I've heard that high-class people generally don't care for it much.

Uzuki: No - It's not that I don't like nattou...

Kei: So, why?

Uzuki: A certain degree of abstinence is required, you see.

Uzuki: Particularly after events like last night, I can't put these onions in my mouth. (TN: Mixing in onions is a popular way to suppress the smell.)

Kei: ?

I don't understand at all.
At any rate, isn't saying something like "I can't put these onions in my mouth," overdoing it a little?

Kei: It's so good, though......

I have the opinion that renouncing the delicious taste of nattou in rice is like letting slip the advantages of being born Japanese, right from under your nose. I can't help but be irritated at the thought.

Kei: Ah, I know.

Kei: For nattou, switching umeboshi for onions makes it delicious. It's a refreshing taste, and I'll bet it's perfect for summer. (Umeboshi = pickled plum, usually eaten with rice/onigiri)

Uzuki: ............

Kei: It's delicious. Really, it is.

Why in the world am I getting so desperate?
Here I am eating with the orthodox shredded onion. Where is the persuasive power?
Despite that, Uzuki-san (though with a bitter smile mixed in) takes my opinion to heart.

Uzuki: If you're going to put it that way, shall we try it once, then?

With exceeding skill and grace, she pinches an umeboshi with the ends of her chopsticks, drops it into her bowl, and stirs.
Though I'm sure it's something completely different, it gives me an impression of the gestures in tea ceremony.
Even if you searched all of Japan, I'd bet you could never find someone who mixes nattou with a more artful gesture.

Uzuki: ......You don't need to stare so intently...

Kei: Ah, sorry. I guess it's hard to eat like that.

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