572 Twisting Gap
I got up from my fluffy futon. What a nice morning. My head feels so clear as if yesterday never happened.
Sleeping really is the best medicine to forget everything. It's fine to mull over on things, but that's only gonna wear your mind down.
Resetting everything once is the way to go to heal the heart.
I got out of my room in my yukata, to enjoy a morning bath.
I wore a yukata that was prepared at the dressing room when I left the bath last night. This feeling of being in between warmth and cold is addicting.
I arrived at the open air bath trouble free and took off my yukata. It's hard to describe the contrasting sensation of the morning cold air and the steamy vapor of the bath.
I washed my body with buckets of water before stepping in the hot air bath.
"Ah, this is the good stuff... I sure sound like an old man."
I laughed at myself. I couldn't relax tomorrow since Balga entered right after me.
I swore I'd enjoy this warm water to the fullest this time for sure as I relaxed.
I'm the only one here this early in the morning. I freed myself from worldly thought in this quietness.
I managed to focus only on the sound of rushing water from the sink to blank my mind.
Once my body got a bit too warm, my rumbling belly urged me to get out of the bath.
A waitress was waiting for me in the hallways.
"Balgaranda-sama wished to have breakfast together with you. How would you like to do? I shall be your guide to the dining room if you accept."
Looks like I can't run away either today. Balga has taken quite a liking to me it seems. Oh man. I overdid it yesterday.
"Sure. Do you mind leading the way?"
He'd just ambush me outside the inn if I refused him here.
I'm guessing he's gonna offer to guide me through this city.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
(Well, I mean I've got nothing to lose anyway... But still, do champions have a lot of free time?)
Does he have nothing else to do he could afford to chaperon me?
Shouldn't gladiators fight in the coliseum to earn their keep. Or at least do training to keep himself on toes and maintain his position on the ring.
(Oh wait, he did mention how nobody would challenge him anymore. That's beyond his control I guess.)
Balga must be too strong for most people.
He probably won't get challenged again anytime soon.
This period must be his off days.
I'm planning to tour the city anyway, might as well have a guide familiar with it.
"Hey there, morning. I trust you don't mind me asking if I could be your guide today."
Balga had an overwhelming presence in the dining room. Other guests keep glancing at him, this city's hero.
I took a seat ahead of him. This dining room has tables and chairs unlike guest rooms and the tatami with low tables.
But as expected of a high class inn. The chair got a really soft cushion on the bottom.
The paintings adorning the wall depict calm scenery that match mornings.
The well placed ornaments here are not of the gaudy type either.
Neither are the flowers arranged in a single vase on each tables despite being eye catching.
"It would be an honor to have the hero of this city himself be my guide. Haa~. The breakfast here looks so good."
The waiters brought our meal right as I sat down.
White rice, miso soup, pickled vegetables, roasted sake?, baked seaweed and raw eggs. A perfect assortment with no room for complaints.
(There's absolutely someone with the past world knowledge behind this...)
This world's common sense can never think up this breakfast.
(The flavors are nearly identical too...)
Someone must have reincarnated carrying knowledge from a Japanes person.
"At first, I thought the person who came up with this meal set can't be right in the head. Of course that's long gone now. The moment I had a bite, I just knew they must be a genius! Nobody else would think something so revolutionary yet so simple."
Looks like Balga is really taken with raw egg on white rice.
No wonder. After all, the table has a bottle of soy sauce. Unbelievable it may sound.
It's even the dashi soy sauce that goes well with TKG (Tamago Kake Gohan aka raw egg on rice). It must be made to specifically pair well with TKG.
This was the biggest shock I had in this world yet.
"Are they trying to twist in Japanese culture in this Western-styled fantasy? That's just crazy..."
All the staff members of this inn wear Japanese clothes. Enough to almost make me forget I'm in another world.
Yet, everybody outside is wearing clothes that look like Netherlands' native.
This gap is giving me a headache.
"I'll go ahead and wait for you at the entrance. Feel free to take it easy. Later."
I was sipping my after meal tea when Balga up and left.
I think he's trying to get closer with me. Waiting at the entrance huh, he really won't let me go away.
That wasn't enough to disturb me from enjoying the nostalgic taste of green tea spreading in my mouth though.
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