Chapter 12 – Karela Academy

“Ugh, ugh…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t think I can hold it anymore…”

“Bathroom?”

“Yes…! W-What should I do?”

“What do you mean, what should you do? Just go. Just tell me what you want to eat before you go.”

“Ah, th-then, can I do that?”

“Yeah. Go ahead.”

After finishing our enrollment applications and dropping off our luggage at the inn, we headed straight to the restaurant Yurasia had been raving about.

As we stood in front of the restaurant, Yurasia was fidgeting, crossing her legs and trembling.

“But… Miss, can you handle the ordering?”

“Do you think I’m an idiot or something? Why wouldn’t I be able to order?”

“Well… I guess you can? Sara’s here with you too, so… I’m sorry, but I’ll run to the bathroom as soon as we go inside!”

“Okay.”

Despite her urgency, Yurasia still trailed behind me instead of rushing ahead.

She was practically dancing on her legs, breathing heavily, yet still followed behind.

I don’t understand why she’s hesitating in a situation like this. She should just go already.

Clicking my tongue, I quickened my short steps.

Arriving in front of the restaurant, I pushed the door.

No, I pulled the door.

Wait, is it one of those doors you push sideways?

Why is there no handle, and why is this door so inconvenient?

Placing my hand on the transparent glass door, I pushed it sideways.

Sideways…

…It’s not opening?

“Are they closed today?”

I glanced back at Yurasia, unable to open the door.

Yurasia, who had been standing behind me with a puzzled look, quickly smiled awkwardly as if in a dilemma.

“Um, well… How do I explain this?”

“Closed means closed, what’s there to explain—”

“Eek! I’m sorry, Miss!”

Interrupting my words, Yurasia hurried past me and opened the door.

No, wait. The door opened on its own. Automatically.

“I-I can’t hold it any longer, I’ll be right back! Carbonara, with fettuccine! Please ask for the yolk on the side and the pepper to be lightly ground! Sorry!!”

“Fet… Fet, what? Wait, hold the door—”

I stepped inside, following Yurasia, and turned around to close the door.

“Huh? It closes on its own?”

The door shut by itself.

Puzzled, I looked at Sara.

“What’s going on? It didn’t open earlier, so do I need to channel magic into the footboard or something? And why does it close by itself?”

Why does something as simple as opening a door have to be this complicated?

“…That’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

For once, Sara, usually composed, looked a little flustered as she whispered quietly.

“Lady Ellie, this is what they call an ‘automatic door.’ When a person stands in front of it, a sensor above detects them, and the door opens automatically…”

Sara pointed to a rectangular black device attached above the door.

Wow, they’ve invented something like that?

But.

“Why didn’t it open when I stood in front of it?”

“…Lady Ellie, it’s just that your height is a little… small, no, uh, cute…”

“What? What do you mean my height is cute… Oh.”

Damn.

So it didn’t detect me because I’m short?

A machine, being this arrogant?

“So, people around my height can’t even enter this place?”

“Well… First, Lady Ellie, please understand this is just a general explanation, and I hope you won’t be upset after hearing it.”

What’s she going to say now?

“Go on.”

“Usually, people of your… height are accompanied by guardians, so… yes, it’s not usually a problem.”

Ah.

“Hah, ha… I see. That makes sense.”

Gritting my teeth, my hands trembled, and my face flushed with heat.

And I swore.

I would find a way to rip apart the bastard who reincarnated me into this body.

“Alright. Let’s… let’s just place the order.”

Exhaling heavily, I turned to look ahead.

And there stood…

Some strange machine.

…What is that?

As I approached it, I saw words written on the machine.

[Please touch the screen to place your order!]

The machine even spoke in a cheerful, lively voice.

…Touch? So I’m supposed to press it?

Raising my arm, I pressed down on the screen.

Then, whoosh! The screen changed.

[Dine-in] [Takeout]

The lively voice spoke again.

[Are you dining in or taking out?]

That’s when I realized.

This machine was for ordering food.

Now, machines take orders instead of people.

Back in my day, you’d just look at the owner and say:

“Your most popular dish, and add some extra meat.”

With just that one sentence, they’d bring out drinks and all sorts of food.

If it wasn’t good, you’d complain, and they’d give you extra as a service. Right?

Now, there’s no warmth, no personal touch.

Wow… The world’s gotten so cold.

Just as I was about to respond to the machine’s voice—

“Dine—”

I stopped mid-sentence.

I pressed the screen earlier, so shouldn’t I press it again this time?

I almost answered naturally, but realizing something felt off, I quickly shut my mouth and pressed the [Dine-in] button.

That was the correct move.

Whoosh! The screen changed again.

And then…

“…Why are there so many options?”

A long list of dishes, easily more than a dozen, appeared.

Do I just press one of these?

“Car… carbonara. Ah, there it is.”

I found the carbonara Yurasia had requested.

It was listed in the featured menu at the top.

To press it, I stretched my arm… my arm…

Standing on tiptoes, I pressed it.

[Please select your pasta type!]

A new screen appeared, displaying pictures of various types of noodles, offering multiple choices.

What did Yurasia say earlier?

Fe, Fe… Persian?

“It’s fettuccine, Miss.”

Ah, right, fettuccine.

“Spagetoni, spaghettini, fedelini, capellini… bu, bucatini… What is all this?”

There’s no fettuccine listed here.

“…It’s in the flat pasta category.”

Flat pasta?

Scanning the screen again, I spotted a button for flat pasta.

Seriously, why is this so complicated?

You could starve to death just trying to place an order.

Grumbling inwardly, I pressed the flat pasta button and then selected the fettu-whatever.

Then, another screen popped up, asking about the egg yolk, pepper, and sauce amount.

The cheerful voice only made me angrier.

“This is really annoying.”

“…Miss, I can do it for you if you’d like.”

“No, wait. I’ll do it.”

Now it’s a matter of pride.

It felt like losing to a damn machine.

After carefully pressing the buttons according to Yurasia’s instructions, the items entered the cart.

Is it done?

“It’s exactly how Knight Yurasia requested. Very neat.”

“Oh…”

I succeeded.

It’s oddly satisfying.

Next, Sara’s order.

“What are you having, Sara?”

“I’ll just have the same as Knight Yurasia.”

“Alright.”

Just like before, I pressed the carbonara button and selected the fettuccine—

“Oh, crap. I pressed the wrong one.”

I accidentally pressed something called tagliatelle instead of fettuccine.

How do I cancel this?

“…Cancel, cancel. Damn it, where’s the cancel button?”

“It’s alright. I actually prefer tagliatelle.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. I like it better.”

“Well, then.”

Feeling a bit off, I nodded and pressed the buttons as I had earlier.

The order went into the cart just like before.

Now it was my turn.

“What was it that Yurasia suggested I eat? She said something was really good earlier.”

“Oh! Lasagna!”

At some point, Yurasia had returned from the bathroom and responded.

“Huh, there wasn’t anyone in line, but your ordering took a while, didn’t it?”

“Ah, yeah. This machine is a bit tricky.”

“Huh? The kiosk is tricky?”

“What? Ki, ki… what?”

“Hmm…?”

Yurasia tilted her head, confused, then said,

“Then I’ll do it for you!”

“No, I—”

Before I could stop her, she quickly tapped the screen with practiced ease.

In contrast to my fumbling, the order was completed in no time.

…How is she so good at this?

Are kids these days just used to this kind of thing?

And unlike me, she didn’t press the screen hard; she gently tapped it, as if stroking an animal’s fur.

So, what are people like me supposed to do?

I can’t even enter this place alone or order food.

I stared blankly at Yurasia, lost in thought, as she casually rummaged through her pocket.

“It’s fine. I’ll pay, so go grab us a table.”

“Really? Hehe, thanks! I’ll enjoy the meal!”

As Yurasia walked away, I rummaged through my own pockets.

I pulled out a crumpled… paper? A bill?

I pulled it out.

Pulled it out… ugh, I’m getting stressed.

Where do I even put this?

“Miss. It seems this restaurant only accepts card payments.”

“Oh, it’s card-only? They only accept cards?”

I shoved the crumpled bill back into my pocket and pulled out a rectangular leather wallet.

A wallet.

Calling it a wallet is laughable.

A wallet should be sturdy and large enough to hold a bunch of gold coins, but this thing is just big enough for a single card.

And these days, people hardly use heavy gold coins.

Instead, they use flimsy, fluttery paper that can blow away in the wind or get soaked and tear.

What are they going to do if they lose something like that?

Good grief.

Fiddling with my fingers, I pulled out a small black card from the wallet.

The concept of a card is ridiculous too.

They say this tiny piece of metal holds a ton of money.

It’s not even made with demon stones, nor does it seem to be an artifact. It’s really fascinating.

And they say this card alone can prove my identity, just by carrying it around.

Since I’m still too young to have a proper ID, this card acts as my identification wherever I go.

Keeping up with this changed world is exhausting, really.

Maybe I should’ve gotten out of the house more.

“Sigh…”

With a sigh, I brought the card to the screen.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds, then Sara spoke.

“…Miss.”

“Yeah?”

“That’s not the right spot. You need to insert it here. Not in that direction, flip it over. Yes, slowly insert it like that.”

“…Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. And no need to feel disheartened. Out of everyone using it for the first time, you’ve been the fastest and most accurate.”

“Really.”

“Yes. So there’s no need to feel embarrassed. You can always hold your head high. After all, you are the spring of the empire and the cherry blossom of the Eustetia family, Lady Eliaernes Eustetia.”

“…Right.”

She’s not mocking me, is she?

She’s sincerely complimenting me, right?

I nodded vaguely, pulled the card out as the cheerful voice instructed, and was about to head to the table Yurasia had picked out when I locked eyes with the crowd of people lined up behind me.

They were all standing there, visibly irritated but unable to voice their complaints because of my noble status.

“Sara.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“…Get those people a drink or something. And this time… please handle it.”

“As expected, you are truly admirable.”

Sara accepted the card with a respectful bow and approached the people who had been waiting in line.

As she handed out drinks, their once sour expressions softened, and the atmosphere grew lively again.

One day, I’m going to destroy that damned machine.

***

The pasta and lasagna were as delicious as Yurasia had said.

However.

If it hadn’t been for the chef who came over mid-meal to shower us with compliments, cry with joy at a single word of praise, and cause a scene, the meal would have been even better.

All the excitement faded before I could fully enjoy it.

I really should wear my hood if I’m going to be out and about like this.

If I changed my hair color, my father would probably cry his eyes out.

Anyway.

After finishing the meal, we gathered up the dessert the chef had given us. Sara had coffee, Yurasia had brownies.

I had banana milk and a peppermint candy.

And then, we stood before the automatic door.

Once again, the arrogant machine failed to recognize me, leaving my small handprint on the glass as I jumped—jumped—up and down.

It didn’t open.

I tried jumping higher—no, still nothing.

“Huh… Miss?”

Yurasia watched me with a curious look, her lips curling into a soft, fond smile.

Right.

Let’s just break it.

I’ll just break it.

I’ll pay for the damage.

Twice, no, three times the compensation.

I can’t take this anymore.

Clenching my trembling fists, I began to channel pink mana into them. Seeing this, Sara quickly approached and whispered in my ear.

“…To leave, you need to press the button over here.”

“What the hell? Then it’s not even an automatic door!”

But. Why didn’t she tell me sooner?

It would’ve been nice if she’d just told me from the start.

Is it because I didn’t ask?

No, no.

Sara’s been with me long enough that she should’ve known to tell me.

…Could it be.

“Sara. Did you purposely not tell me?”

“No, of course not.”

The answer came out reflexively.

But I saw it.

I saw the surprise in Sara’s face at my question.

“Hah… How could you… Forget it. I’m disappointed.”

The harsh words rising from my stomach came out as a sigh.

But I didn’t feel like swearing on such a pleasant day.

I’ll let it go today.

“Ah! You smell like peppermint! You smell just like my grandma!”

“What the hell?”