Chapter 4 – The Membership Application

Ｒｅ​ａ​ｄ​ ​ｏｎ Ｋ​ａｔ​Ｒｅａｄｉｎｇ​Ｃ​ａｆｅ

“Wow…”

Steam rose from a bowl of freshly cooked white rice, accompanied by miso soup, grilled mackerel, and a rolled omelet.

Seeing a proper homemade meal on the table, which had always been occupied by just bread and soup, filled me with overwhelming gratitude.

Of course, the bread and soup sold in the shop weren’t bad, but I wasn’t a Westerner, and I couldn’t live on just bread and soup.

How much I had missed freshly cooked rice! As I swallowed my saliva and my eyes sparkled, Yuika, who had recreated this home-cooked meal, puffed out her chest proudly.

“The bread and soup from the shop are good, but as a Japanese person, you have to eat rice.”

“It’s not just Japanese people who eat rice, you know?”

“Ulrika. If you keep interrupting, I’m going to get mad.”

At Yuika’s low warning, Ulrika pursed his lips and stayed quiet.

While the two of them bantered, I fidgeted in front of the delicious-looking meal.

Here was the dilemma: Should I say itadakimasu¹ before eating?

Of course, I didn’t usually say itadakimasu before meals. I didn’t have anyone to say it to, and I hadn’t grown up in a culture where that was the norm.

You might think I could just eat without worrying about it, but the problem was that Yuika thought I was Japanese, her fellow countrywoman.

Of course!!! I could just come clean and say, “Actually, I’m Korean!”, and that would be the end of it.

But it wasn’t that simple…! If revealing the truth changed Yuika’s friendly attitude toward me—especially if it changed for the worse—I might not be able to handle it and would probably run out of the house. (T/N: Probably trying to say that the relationship between Japanese and Korean people usually aren’t the best.)

Even though I hadn’t even known Yuika for an hour, I didn’t want to be disliked by someone I barely knew.

But saying itadakimasu was also difficult. Sure, everyone in anime does it, but how do I know if real Japanese people say it before every meal? I’ve never even left my hometown, let alone been to Japan…!

But if I kept pretending to be Japanese, it would only be a matter of time before I was found out, and that could lead to even bigger trouble…

Growl—

As I agonized over this, my stomach let out a loud growl, as if scolding me for worrying about something so trivial while food was right in front of me. Yuika, who had been bickering with Ulrika, turned to me with a puzzled look.

“Mari? Why aren’t you eating yet?”

“Ah, well, it’s just…”

I couldn’t tell her I was debating whether or not to say itadakimasu.

It felt too stupid and embarrassing to admit I was worrying about something like this.

But my hesitation seemed to give Yuika the wrong idea, as her expression gradually darkened.

“Ah… Is it not to your taste or something…?”

“N-No, it’s not that. Ugh…!”

I had no choice. I clenched my eyes shut, gripped my chopsticks, and shouted.

“I-I’ll eat well…!”

My voice came out louder than I expected due to my nervousness, but Yuika just smiled warmly in response.

“Alright. Enjoy your meal.”

“Y-Yes…!”

I glanced at Yuika’s face and saw no sign of confusion. So this was the right way to do it.

Feeling a bit reassured, I scooped a big bite of rice into my mouth.

“Mmm…?!”

A moment of bliss unfolded before my eyes.

To be honest, the taste was no different from the freshly cooked rice I had eaten countless times before being summoned to the Floating Island. But after not having it for almost a month, it felt like the most exquisite delicacy I had ever tasted.

Yes. To put it into words, this was a taste that brought back memories… At the same time, it was a healing flavor that cleansed my mouth, which had been saturated with flour for the past month.

Unable to hold back the emotions welling up in my chest, tears began to flow.

“Huh? W-Why are you crying…? Did I mess up the rice?!”

“Looks like she’s just moved to finally eat rice after so long.”

“There’s no way she’d cry over something like that!”

I’m sorry. I’m crying over something so trivial.

I quickly signaled to Yuika, who looked panicked, that I was fine and hurriedly shoveled more rice into my mouth.

The miso soup, the grilled mackerel, the rolled omelet—none of it was anything less than delightful. By the time I came to my senses, I had already finished everything and asked for seconds.

“Ugh…”

Though I felt heavy from overeating, the constant weight in my heart felt infinitely lighter.

As I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my full stomach, Ulrika muttered with a look of disbelief.

“How many days did you starve? Jeez.”

“Ulrika. Don’t say things like that to someone who just enjoyed a meal.”

“I was just curious!”

Ulrika protested, but Yuika ignored him and turned to me.

“I’m glad it was to your taste.”

“Ah, yes… It was so good that I’d love to eat it again…”

I meant every word. As I murmured, still savoring the aftertaste, Yuika smiled faintly and continued.

“Then feel free to visit me anytime. If I have time, I can always prepare a meal like this for you.”

“R-Really?!”

“Yes. It’s just simple food, so it’s no trouble. You can come by anytime.”

“T-Then…!”

Just as I was about to eagerly accept, a thought crossed my mind.

Even if she seems nice, wouldn’t she find it bothersome if I kept imposing on her? Maybe she’s just saying this out of politeness.

Of course, if I actually visited, she would probably serve me a meal like this, but she might secretly think I’m being inconsiderate…

“Ah, um, yes…”

I pulled back from my earlier enthusiasm and answered hesitantly. Yuika tilted her head in confusion.

“Huh? Mari, why are you acting like that all of a sudden?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Um, didn’t you say there was something I needed to fill out…?”

“Something to fill out? Ah, right.”

I quickly changed the subject, and Yuika, as if remembering, handed me the paper she had set aside earlier.

[U.P Membership Application]

“It’s called a membership application, but you can think of it as something like a resident registration. You don’t have to do anything just because you join. Of course, if you want to work, we’d welcome that.”

“I-I see.”

I hesitated for a moment after taking the application, then asked Yuika, “Um, if I work for U.P… would I have to work with other people…?”

“It depends on the job, but for something like dungeon exploration, yes. We usually move in groups of at least three.”

“Eek…”

I’d have to go out with at least two strangers? Absolutely impossible.

“Of course, not all jobs involve dungeon exploration. Some, like mine, involve helping people in need.”

“She’s making a face like that’s impossible too.”

Please don’t read my expressions. I quickly hid my face behind the application, and Yuika awkwardly continued.

“Anyway, I’ve given you the application, but you don’t have to join if you don’t want to. There are plenty of people who move around freely without registering with U.P. It’s just an organization to make information exchange easier, so even if you don’t join, just visiting occasionally is fine.”

“I-I see.”

“Of course, registering would make things smoother.”

Yuika stood up as she said this.

“Our U.P base is at the entrance of District 3, so if you want to join, just bring that paper with you. Ulrika?”

“Yeah. See you later, Mari.”

“Huh? Ah, yes… Goodbye…”

I bid them farewell in a small voice, and the two of them left the house with faint smiles.

As the door closed with a thud, I awkwardly stood there for a moment before slumping into a chair with a sigh.

“I feel… exhausted.”

It felt like a storm had passed, even though it had only been a short interaction. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a proper conversation with someone other than Sister Andreina.

I worried if I had made any mistakes, but since the two of them didn’t seem upset, I must have handled it well.

…Or maybe they just didn’t show it. Thinking like that made my full stomach feel a bit uncomfortable. When will I ever stop imagining the worst and ruining my own mood?

As I rubbed my stomach to help with digestion, the membership application Yuika had given me caught my eye.

She had even left a pen so I wouldn’t have trouble filling it out, which showed her determination to get me to join U.P.

“First… let’s read it.”

She said I just needed to fill in some basic information and any difficulties I was facing, but I thought it would be good to check carefully in case there were any hidden clauses.

Of course, someone who had just made me such a warm meal probably wouldn’t include anything shady. I smiled faintly, remembering the meal I had just eaten.

“Let’s see…”

[U.P Membership Application]

[Name (Must write your full name!)]

[Age and Gender (Optional for ambiguous races)]

[Race]

[Briefly describe any difficulties you are currently facing.]

That was all there was to the application. There was no room for hidden clauses—just a simple form to fill out.

But one thing caught my eye.

“Hmm… Do I really have to write my full name…?”

I had been introducing myself as “Mari” to people (though only three people so far), so did I really need to write “Marionette”?

But given how it was emphasized in parentheses, it might be necessary.

I chewed on the end of the pen, agonizing over it, before finally writing.

[Name (Must write your full name!)]

-Marionette

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Professional girl failure, didn’t think we will see a Kar novel like this!

As such, let’s torture her lots!

Placeholders