A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 166

“Oh, and Rene. I asked the manager to reserve a separate room for the two of us before I came out.”

“…What?”

“The place we’re going to is an expensive restaurant. Since we won, I thought we deserved at least this much. Anyway, it’s an expensive restaurant, and considering you were sort of forced to come out, I asked the manager to book a separate room for us. Just think of it as the two of us going out for a meal. That’s okay, right?”

“Ah… th-thank you…”

It truly was a genuinely kind gesture.

Of course, it felt a bit strange thinking that Tuni, who forcibly dragged me out, was saying such things, but… that wasn’t what mattered.

After around 30 minutes, we arrived at the meat restaurant.

…Just as Tuni had said, it looked incredibly pricey.

Could I really be here?

Was it really alright for someone like me to eat at such an expensive place?

Those thoughts popped up naturally, and when I saw the overwhelming prices listed at the entrance, it was evident just how expensive it was.

“…Is it too late to turn back now?”

“Come on! We’ve got every right to eat here, since Ga-eun and the manager said so. Let’s enjoy ourselves!”

That sounded like something said merely out of politeness.

“Welcome!”

“Hello. We have a reservation for Tuni for dinner…”

“Oh, two ladies. I’ll guide you inside.”

…Huh?

I felt a moment of confusion at Tuni’s interaction with the staff, but for now, I firmly pulled down my hat and kept my gaze directed downwards.

There weren’t many people around, but I could definitely feel stares directed my way.

…This was why I didn’t want to come out.

“I heard the Sirius members haven’t arrived yet. There seemed to be something going on before we left… But, we have a separate room, so they should find us once they arrive. Let’s just focus on eating!”

Once we reached the two-person room, Tuni, looking excited, clenched her fists and exclaimed.

I was already feeling exhausted, though…

“Rene, are you going to drink? I think I will.”

“Ah, um… what about you driving, Tuni…?”

“Don’t worry. Eunho can drive. Anyway, we’re both going back to our homes today.”

Drinking, huh.

I wondered if it was necessary. It wasn’t like we were broadcasting or anything.

“I think I’ll be fine… I’ll just have cola…”

“Then I’ll order a bottle of beer and cola… Let’s get the beef set.”

The beef set Tuni mentioned… Even if it was meant for four people, it was priced at a level I definitely wouldn’t have any reason to eat at again after today.

Is it really alright to order this?

What did I even do to deserve this…?

Could we even finish all of that?

If it’s a set, it must come in large portions, but I typically don’t eat much, and Tuni isn’t much of an eater either.

…I don’t know.

I guess we’ll manage somehow.

“Um. I’m really sorry for dragging you out today, Rene.”

“Oh, it’s fine… it’s not like I have any plans to use it otherwise, as Tuni said…”

After all, I was the one who brought it up first, so Tuni had no reason to feel sorry.

Of course, I wouldn’t say I had no regrets…

“When we talked about it last time, I thought it’d be a good idea to go for a meal together eventually since you dislike going out so much. But since we can enjoy an expensive meal on someone else’s dime today, I figured we should take advantage of it.”

On someone else’s dime.

That reminded me…

“By the way, I noticed you made the reservation under Tuni’s name. You aren’t the one paying for this, right…?”

“Oh, absolutely not. I don’t have the money to eat here… Just the manager and I booked the reservation under our names. Right after the Sirius Team won, everyone was focused on us because of the victory story, right? So, just in case we run into any problems today, think of it as a precaution.”

There was a surprisingly sensible reason for all of this.

As we were chatting, the waiter walked in with the ordered beef set and drinks.

As for the quantity… no matter how I looked at it, it seemed to be on the smaller side given the price.

Just how delicious, how good could the meat be to justify this price for such a small portion?

Swallowing those questions internally, I watched as Tuni grilled the meat.

They offered a service where a staff member could grill it for you, but Tuni seemed to think grilled meat tasted better when you did it yourself.

Sizzle.

The sound of the meat cooking filled the air with a delicious aroma.

It was enough to make my saliva instinctively gather, and both Tuni and I couldn’t take our eyes off the grill.

“…Here you go.”

“Thank you…”

And Tuni handed me the perfectly grilled beef.

Beef. Ssamjang (a thick dipping sauce). And freshly steamed white rice combined, then slowly put into my mouth, steam rising from it.

“Hah…”

It’s hot.

But not so hot I couldn’t manage.

In fact, it was even more mouthwatering.

Sweet rice and savory beef.

And the ssamjang that complemented both perfectly.

“It’s delicious…”

“It truly feels like it’s melting in my mouth.”

It probably wasn’t that extreme, but I understood why someone would say it.

“Let’s have a toast. Cheers!”

“Cheers, I guess…”

Of course, what filled my glass was cola, but they say the atmosphere is important for these things.

“Wahh! Truly, nothing beats a drink after finishing work!”

“…You like drinking?”

“Ah, yes. I like it quite a bit. To be precise, I’m not really into soju or makgeolli, but I enjoy beer, cocktails, and wine.”

“Aha…”

Seems we’re a bit different.

I just enjoy all flavors.

“Remember the screwdriver you made during the broadcast, Rene?”

Ah, that orange juice drink…

Was its name screwdriver?

I feel like it was called skeleton diving. Why am I remembering it this way?

“That’s my favorite drink. Please make it for me next time.”

“…Sure.”

“But I’ll bring all the ingredients!”

As I nodded to her words, Tuni’s phone buzzed with a notification.

“Oh, everyone’s arrived. Um… they want to say hi to you, Rene…”

At Tuni’s words, I vigorously shook my head.

I knew.

Given that I was all the way here, it would be outright ridiculous to not see them at all.

But then again, having everyone come in at once was beyond my tolerance.

With five members from the Sirius Team, plus the director, coach, and manager, that’s a total of eight people.

If that happened, I’d really die…

“U-Um… would it be okay to call them one by one?”

I nodded in response to that question, putting my hat and sunglasses back on.

Of course, my hair would still be visible to them… but if it could at least block a fraction of the stares aiming at me, that would be enough.

“I don’t think that’s necessary…”

“Really…?”

“No, never mind.”

As Tuni tapped away on her phone to reply, someone knocked on the room’s door.

“Is it okay if I come in?”

“Uh, come in.”

From the voice and Tuni’s reaction, it seemed to be Owen.

…Of all people to come in first, it had to be Owen.

He always calls me Master and seems to harbor some weird ideas about me.

Wouldn’t he be disappointed seeing my appearance?

Even if our paths diverge from here on, I absolutely dread the thought of being seen by someone who now has some strange connection with me…

“Hellooo… um…?”

Then Owen walked in and froze mid-greeting.

Without needing anyone to tell me, I could tell that he halted upon seeing me.

Silence thickened the air in the room.

Stares piercing me from behind.

I just wanted to escape immediately due to my discomfort.

“Oh, um… this is the master, right, sis?”

“Yah! What kind of reaction is that? It’s disrespectful to Rene!”

“…Ah. I’m sorry! I was surprised for a moment…”

As if realizing something from Tuni’s words, Owen stepped closer to me, bowing his head deeply in apology.

“Ah, no… I’m used to this kind of thing…”

“…I’m sorry, Rene. If I’d known he’d be like this, I wouldn’t have let him in.”

“Ah… I’m the one who’s sorry…”

Why am I apologizing?

“It’s because I look so strange…”

I just happened to be born with this appearance…

“…Huh? What do you mean? Strange-looking? Why do you think that? Did I say something weird?”

“Y-Yeah? I mean, I’m strange-looking… Isn’t that how you see me, Owen?”

“Huh?! No, I was just surprised! I only saw the back of your head from behind, how could I judge based on that?”

…Oh.

That makes sense.

“More importantly, it’s rude to comment on someone’s appearance.”

“Your reaction when you walked in was sufficiently rude too.”

“That’s true. I really apologize for that. But the reason I was surprised was… um… I don’t know if this is okay to say… but it’s because it reminded me of my osh… my favorite character.”

…Huh?

“…What?”

What in the world does that mean?

“Ugh, this nerd.”

“You’re cracking me up, sis. Anyway, I was surprised to see the master, but it’s not because of you! It’s just that seeing you reminded me of my favorite character. …That sounded strange, huh?”

Hmm.

Even I don’t quite understand either.