It was around midnight.
I was in the basement of a small building on the outskirts of Roppongi. There was only one customer on the floor. Gabriella is sitting at the counter, snacking on some nuts.
The bartender, Marquis, is polishing his glass as if he is unconcerned about her presence. It's been a while since he's finished, but he's not going to have anything else to do with it, he talks.
"I'm tired of eating this. Is there anything else?"
After a while, Gabriella's voice came out. She was looking at a plate of nuts, half-reduced in size.
Marquis responded innocently, surprised at the sudden request.
"Cheese, jerky, and chocolate can be served right away."
"I'm tired of eating that too. Is there anything else on the menu that you can pick?"
"...Then how about smoked salmon?
"It's not on the menu."
"All right."
The barman put the shining glasses back on the shelf and went to the kitchen. A few moments later Gabriella was presented with a plate of the proposed dish. She happily picked up the fork that accompanied it. As she took her first bite, she was impressed.
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I raised my voice.
"This smoked salmon is pretty good."
"It was good."
As I was doing this, I heard the sound of a bell ringing, signalling the arrival of a customer. It was Nishino in his school uniform.
Gabriella naturally raised her voice.
"You're not with my sister?"
"I'm sorry , but I'm alone."
Futsumen seems to know what he is doing and walks through the store from two people to a seat close to each other.
Then he saw Gabriella eating smoked salmon.
He turns his attention away from her and towards the barman standing over the counter.
"Did you like it?"
"I'll just have to order some more."
"I think you've been stubbornly reluctant to offer it before....."
The two men exchanged a few meaningful words. the exchange between the two men attracted Gabriella's attention.
"What are you talking about ? What's wrong with this salmon ? "
"No, it's not a big deal. Don't worry about it."
"I'm curious. Isn't it possible that it has a story behind it?"
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This did not sit well with Nishino and Marquis. Reluctantly, Nishino continued to explain to Gabriella.
"It's the smoked salmon you're eating..."
" What's wrong with this?"
"I was told it was originally ordered by the man himself for his own pleasure."
"...So?"
"It's not a big deal. You can eat it as you like."
The fact that he was in front of them made it easier for Marquis to talk. Inwardly, however, he feels rather sorry for them. It had been on order for the last month and had only arrived this week. But with Gabriella, he had no choice but to play down the situation.
"I'm sorry about that," she said, putting down her fork with a sigh.
"No, don't worry about it. And it's a shame to leave it behind."
"...I'll take it gratefully."
Little does the barkeep know that at a later date a large quantity of fresh salmon and its processed products will be delivered to his shop under Gabriella's name.
Today, at this moment, Marquis is guaranteed to be at a loss for words, surrounded by freshly landed salmon.
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