Atelier Tanaka

Book 7: Chapter 1 (7)

Ordinary Day

{Sophia-chans point of view]

It was only my first day back in the capital, but Ive already seen a familiar face.

Misa-chan is a childhood friend of mine. My family runs a restaurant while Misa-chans family runs a second-hand shop down the street from us. Weve known each other since we were young and weve had many opportunities to play together. Shes one of the few people I can truly call a friend.

Theres one other thing about us that has allowed us to remain such good friends for so long. Our differing tastes in men.

She prefers younger men, typically younger than herself.

While I prefer men of my own age or even slightly older.

This is how weve managed to remain friends without ever having a fight over a man. We spent our youth together sharing stories of boys we were interested in all the while agreeing that the other had zero interest in the boys we were chasing respectively.

We got to talking and she ended up inviting me to a dinner party.

She told me that she had met some men earlier in the evening who invited her to bring some friends to a classy restaurant in town. However, she was having trouble finding enough women to bring with her. She was wondering who she could invite when she bumped into me.

I thought about it for a moment before agreeing to come.

Maybe Ill have a chance to have my first time.

My heart was racing as I followed the directions Misa-chan had given me to where the party was to be held. I arrived at a fancy restaurant near the noble district of Kalis. It was a classy restaurant that couldnt be compared to my familys place.

I spotted Misa-chan waiting outside for me. She told me that one of the men attending was a member of the Central Order of the Knights and had reserved this restaurant for the party. This knight was the man she was most interested in.

But, what is this feeling?

This is a restaurant that services nobles and the wealthy exclusively, but Im not feeling nervous at all.

Maybe my time with Tanaka-san has prepared me for this. I remember eating lunch with Fahren-sama at his favourite restaurant. I cant recall the taste of a single thing I ate, but I remember how lavishly decorated it was.

Its human nature to compare and contrast differing experiences even if it might be wrong to do this. Humans tend to view the luxuries in life as being what their life is worth. Its rather unfortunate. However, the vastly different lifestyles Ive experienced have left me with an open mind.

The dinner party began shortly after our arrival.

My name is Klein. I-Its a pleasure to meet you.

The man, rather, the boy, working as the coordinator of the dinner, greeted us as we entered.

Hes so young.

Hes in his early teens at the oldest.

He doesnt appear used to situations like this. Hes as nervous as I expected myself to be. He was clearly very cute even to someone like me who isnt interested in younger men. However, glancing to my right, I could see Misa-chans eyes had changed to those of a hunter. It reminded me of Ester-chans eyes whenever she looked at Tanaka-san before she lost her memory.

The remaining members introduced themselves starting with the men first and then the women. There were three men and three women making a total of six people for the dinner party. All of them were strangers to me aside from Misa-chan.

We were seated with women on one side and men on the other. On the womens side, Misa-chan sat in the centre with me on her left and to her right was a young woman in her mid-twenties with long brown hair. It was easy to see that Misa-chan was trying to draw attention to herself by sitting in the centre.

On the mens side, Klein took the centre spot while a tall, thin man set to his left. On Kleins right was a man with a well tanned body. Both of the men were incredibly good looking.

Both of them were in their twenties and appeared to be knights just like Klein-san. The hard breasplate that covered their chests made me feel a certain way. The significant age difference between them and Klein-san was surprising, but Ive heard that the Central Order can progress quickly through the ranks.

This is my childhood friend, Sophia.

Misa-chan acted fast and immediately put the attention of the two men she had no interest in on me.

No hesitation.

But is it really all that bad if I got them to myself?

Your names Sophia-san? Youre quite pretty.

That maid outfit suits you well.

Ah, I m still in my maids uniform.

Ive grown so used to wearing it that I forgot I had it on.

I must look so out of place to them.

Id love to know all about you, Klein-kun.

Eh? Um, y-you want to know about me?

Misa-chan wasnt holding back.

Misa-chans focus on Klein-san and the other twos focus on me, left the third woman in a pitiful state. I suppose Misa-chan just brought her in to make up the numbers. I suppose Misa-chan brought me in for the same reason; she wanted Klein-san and nobody else.

Well, I suppose I should allow myself to enjoy it.

How many chances will I get to meet a good-looking knight like this?

These thoughts were running through my mind when the two knights started in on me.

Sophia-san, do you have an interest in knights? Im a knight just like Klein. Yeah, thats right, were both knights. Klein and I have been friends ever since I took notice of him during training and took him under my wing. Just the other day, the three of us were out on an assignment to slay high orcs.

Ive heard of High Orcs.

Ester-sama told me about them.

Tanaka-san supposedly killed one with a fireball.

She said he looked cool.

I really dont like to brag, but those High Orcs are more than just a lowly monster. Yes, hes right. High Orcs pose a threat to entire kingdoms. They could threaten the lives of everyone in the empire. It could even be compared to taking down a lower class of dragon.

Ester-sama couldnt stop talking about how impressed she was by Tanaka-san when he defeated the High Orc. The High Orc must be a strong opponent and these two were able to defeat them on their own. This strength piqued my curiosity in them.

Knights really are amazing.

Such stories of bravery make my heart swoon.

Well, they werent much against us. I didnt even need to use my shield against them. I easily dodged the first attack and cut open the first high orcs stomach with my sword. The beast collapsed to the ground before it could even attempt a second attack. Did you know about this, Sophia-san? High Orcs are worth a lot of money dead. A single High Orc can easily earn ten gold coins.

Ten gold coins? Amazing.

A commoner could never dream of earning that amount of money in their entire life. They both must be strong, renowned knights to be able to earn that much money so easily. I think Im growing more interested in one than the other. Maybe inquiring more about how much money he makes might be a good idea.

The dinner party progressed and the conversations picked up as everyone got to know each other.

Only the lone woman looked like she wasnt having a good time. Misa-chan made no attempt to get her involved and I was enjoying my own conversation with the two knights. I felt bad for her, but the world of women can be a ruthless one.

I must do everything I can to come out on top. This may be my last chance.

If I fail here, my life as a woman will be over.

I doubt I have much more than two or three years left.

We were completely separated into our own worlds now. Misa-chan and Klein-san; the two knights and myself. The dinner party was essentially split in two now and we allowed the night to progress naturally. I lost myself in the conversation with the two knights. Theyre both so cool.

Just around the time when we were finishing our meals, a voice broke through the noise of the restaurant.

Is this place a joke!? I went out to an expensive restaurant to have a good time, but even here, I have to deal with this! Men and women flirting with each other all over the place! Id happily drink the night away until I could forget it all, but I cant even get any proper service!

There was a man sitting at the bar wearing attire entirely unsuited for such a classy restaurant. He must be an adventurer.

He was yelling at a nearby waitress.

Hes growing increasingly angry at being unable to get his order of drinks. In a place like this, your order typically takes a while to arrive. The atmosphere and experience of the restaurant is supposed to make up for this, but this man didnt appear to care for any of this.

Oi, whats taking so long!?

Aaah!?

The frightened waitress screamed out in terror.

Ive worked many years as a waitress and Ive encountered similar customers in the past. I could sympathize with her. However, Im nowhere near brave enough to intervene so I could only look on from my seat.

What would Tanaka-san do if he were here? No, I dont even need to think about that. Hed rush to her aid without hesitating. He wouldve solved the situation immediately and made the waitress feel safe. He might not look it, but hes surprisingly strong and dependable. Tanaka-san.

I hated myself for my inability to save her, but at some point during the mans tirade against the waitress, he turned his attention to our table. My entire body froze, but his gaze went straight passed me toward the men behind me.

What are you laughing at? Are you having fun showing off your women to the rest of us?

The man stood from the bar and started walking toward us.

His steps brought him around the table and next to the knights who were still in their seats.

Im scared.

Im terrified.

Oi, bastard, who do you think youre talking to?

Well, we can handle this outside, but lets make this quick.

The two knights rose to their feet without hesitation.

Knights of the capital.

Attractive knights.

Theyre so cool.

Haa? Youve got some nerve you little runt. Ill kill you both!

I could smell the alcohol coming off the man.

The belligerent adventurer shoved his way past the knights and made his way outside. The two knights followed and the scene quickly changed to the streets of the city. This type of exchange is common back at my parents restaurant, but Ill still never get used to it.

And what is Klein-san doing? I glanced back at him and saw that he was lying with his head on the table. He looked pale and unwell. This is Misa-chans typical method. She must have slipped something into his drink when he left to use the bathroom.

She was already standing at his side, gently patting his back with her hand. I could see her lean down and whisper something into his ear. It didnt take long for Misa-chan to get what she wanted. Klein-san stood from his seat and was dragged away by Misa-chan. I could already see her hand making its way down to his thigh.

By the way, the disregarded third woman left some time ago.

It was a dinner party that offered a variety of experiences.

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