This House Has A Delicious Restaurant - Chapter 3 - The Queen of Opera - Part 3

“I’m Luke! I asked my mom to prepare dinner for two later, so please wait a bit for the meal. Oh, my mom doesn’t sell alcohol to me, so if you want to drink, you’ll have to pay!”

 

“Alcohol is fine… Just causing enough trouble with the meal alone.”

 

Honestly, I should refuse the meal too, but it’s a free meal, so I’ll eat pretending not to notice.

 

Outside, the twilight was beginning to envelop the surroundings.

 

It had been two days since I was kidnapped by Zerdan and shared body heat with him before escaping from him.

 

I didn’t know what would happen next. Escaping from that room in the first place was the first time, and I hadn’t even read the game manual in detail.

 

The main characters I’ve met so far are Zerdan and Lazis.

 

I wonder if I can completely escape from Zerdan when I meet Obella. I’m fed up with being murdered anymore.

 

If I progress the story to a certain extent and submit my opinion, I might receive a bonus if the game succeeds. There’s no money in the game or reality.

 

Anyway, I have to survive for a long time and progress as much as possible. A harem ending would be unrealistic, but if I can get one out of five people, it’s a game clear anyway, right? Oh, except Zerdan, that’s four.

 

“Sister, what are you thinking? Are you listening to me?”

 

“…What did you say?”

 

“You weren’t listening after all. If you keep doing that, I won’t feel like telling you good information.”

 

“Oh, you mean how to get the autograph of the Opera Queen? But Luke, you said you got it by chance too. There are so many people who go to the last performance; can you get an autograph?”

 

“It’s not from going to the performance.”

 

Luke was talking about this too, but he seemed upset that I wasn’t listening. Then he tapped the table with his smaller palm.

 

“You need to listen carefully this time! It’s special information that I haven’t told anyone!”

 

“Okay, I’ll pay attention this time.”

 

“I mentioned earlier, right? Our bar has a lot of regulars because the food tastes so good.”

 

“Right, you did. Though I haven’t tasted that food yet.”

 

“She was one of our regulars. The Opera Queen.”

 

“…Huh?”

 

At the unexpected answer, I blurted out something stupid, and Luke shrugged with a triumphant expression. As if boasting about himself.

 

“Could that be a scam?”

 

“It’s not a scam! I’m not that dumb! And honestly, why is she called the queen anyway? With a face that’s hard to deceive even if you tried.”

 

“I wouldn’t know about the face, but is she really that beautiful?”

 

“If you’re a fan, wouldn’t you know her face…?”

 

Luke looked at me with a sincerely bewildered expression and kindly explained about the Opera Queen. At the same time, the sound of the bar door opening was heard.

 

Luke seemed busy explaining or uninterested in the guest who came in behind, only looking at me.

 

“Anise is sometimes called the Opera Queen because she sings opera well, but people gather their mouths because her appearance is so beautiful.”

 

The incoming guest was wearing a black cloak, but through it, I noticed bright blonde hair.

 

“She has bright blonde hair that reaches her waist, and deep blue eyes like the night sky. Extremely beautiful. When I saw her, I almost wondered if it was the same person. And she’s taller than ordinary women, so it feels like you can’t easily approach her.”

 

Bright blonde hair…

 

The guest in the cloak seemed interested in the voice that came through. She looked at where Luke and I were sitting.

 

Even with a cloak, her height was quite high for a woman, and her gaze touched Luke’s back of the head before turning to me.

 

Her eye color, like Southern light, was beautiful. There was a small dot just below her left eye, which seemed attractive, but her calm gaze looking down at me made her an unusual person.

 

Should I say she has charisma, or her aura was different?

 

“Luke, does the Opera Queen have a small dot under her eye?”

 

“How did you know? Did I mention that too?”

 

The guest smiled softly at Luke’s cute question. Luke, who turned around at the sound, soon froze without a sound.

 

Anise, known as the Opera Queen, pushed her hat back. Her long blonde hair poured down as her face slowly revealed itself.

 

The twilight crept into the landscape outside, coloring the scene through the window, making the Opera Queen also beautifully adorned.

 

* * *

 

A man looked at the building where Anise, known as the Opera Queen, would soon begin her final performance.

 

He didn’t know where she would go after the performance. There were many rumors in the public about elopement for love or incurable diseases, but he had read in the newspaper that she had told journalists there would be no more stages after this one.

 

If so, he needed to strike while she was still residing nearby.

 

Zerdan watched the setting sun.

 

“Captain, I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

 

He heard slow footsteps from behind, and it seemed Khan had finished his business and was walking over.

 

Zerdan smiled as Khan scratched his head and complained. As he had expected, once he released the butterfly from his hand, it flew away.

 

“Didn’t you say she didn’t know what ability the Captain had? Yet she’d found out about our residence. It might be better to eliminate for precaution against any future dangers.”

 

“I regret that.”

 

“If you liked the body, it would have been okay to keep it in the room more than you thought.”

 

“I’d like to see how she behaves in the future. My ability to make quick deductions and assess situations is quite good, though. I want her under me more than a physical relationship.”

 

Khan looked surprised at Zerdan’s rather generous assessment.

 

He seemed a bit unusual, but not so special. Still, Zerdan had a good eye for people, so if there was any use to it, there was.

 

Anyway, it was none of his business. Now that this is the last time he will see her.

 

“I’m curious if Bella will make a rescue request.”

 

“I’ve already planted shadows in her.”

 

“Good job. Let’s start the work.”

 

The twilight that enveloped the surroundings began to fade into darkness. The owner of the bar, not far away, came out and turned on the lights near the entrance.

 

Khan’s gaze turned that way. As the lights came on, the owner’s shadow was visible.

 

After finishing his business, the man went back into the bar and closed the door. However, the shadow under the light remained in place.

 

The shadow slowly approached Zerdan and Khan. Specifically, it was under Khan’s feet.

 

Shadows that had been around here began to gather toward one place. Shadows of all living things, including humans and animals.

 

Soon, the multitude of shadows gathered around Khan dispersed in all directions simultaneously.

 

“It’s a shame not to see the final performance of the Opera Queen.”

 

Zerdan murmured regretfully.

 

A man in a white suit pulled out a cigarette under the moonlight. The corners of the man’s mouth rose as he lit it.

 

* * *

 

“I feel like you’re talking about me, so I couldn’t help but listen.”

 

“Oh, Anise?”

 

Luke called her name with a skeptical expression.

 

As he called her name, Anise came to me and became a flower… Oh, no, not that.

 

Seeing Anise nodding quietly in response to Luke’s call, I understood why people loudly talked about her beauty. Honestly, even without opera, her face alone could have garnered enough fame.

 

If it were modern society, she would have been even more famous appearing on TV, but that’s an irrelevant thought. Anise took a seat at the nearby table.

 

“Welcome, Anise.”

 

“Hello.”

 

She greeted Luke’s mother brightly and ordered food confidently, without even looking at the menu. Judging by her familiar ordering, it seemed Luke was right about her being a regular at this restaurant.

 

I thought she would go to a more glamorous place given her fame.

 

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to come again today!”

 

“I always eat here before performances. It gives me a certain energy.”

 

In response to Luke’s words, Anise took a sip of water. Then she looked at the hat on the chair next to Luke.

 

“Do you still have the hat I signed for you?”

 

“Yes! It’s my treasure!”

 

“Well, be careful not to lose it. Watch out so bad people don’t snatch it away from you.”

 

“Of course!”

 

It seemed that because it was rare, there were people who stole items with Anise’s autograph.

 

Feeling a little strange, I looked at the hat and hmmed to myself. Anise’s gaze turned to me.

 

“Are you Luke’s older sister?”

 

“No. We just met today.”

 

Anise smiled beautifully as she looked at me. But contrary to her smiling face, her eyes were not gentle.

 

“She wants Anise’s autograph too! No one else believes it, but she’s the only one who believes that the one on my hat is Anise’s real autograph, so I brought her here.”

 

“Is that so?”