The Man Who Remained — His Second Life Began with a Humble Bow of Apology. - Chapter 66: Culture Shock from a Foreign Culture.

Culture Shock from a Foreign Culture.

The man sat directly on the bare ground, his legs folded neatly beneath him.

No, calling it simply “sitting” wouldn’t be quite accurate.

It was more precise to say that he was sitting in seiza—the formal kneeling posture.

His name was Unyou, and there he was, sitting in seiza without any sense of shame before this massive gate.

He was the official Gate Captain of the Seiryuu Gate, one of the four gates that protected Hourai.

And despite holding such a formal position, he had foolishly committed an offense against the Demon King’s representative.

At present, Unyou was being made to sit there, seiza-style on the ground, with a sign hanging from his neck that read:

“I am the idiot who picked a fight with an important guest.”

Beside him sat Cross, also wearing a sign that read:

“I am the fool who neglected his duties and accepted that fight.”

Both of them were being treated as complete offenders.

Unlike Unyou, who remained oddly dignified despite the circumstances, Cross sat hunched over, looking small and miserable.

It wasn’t because he felt ashamed or guilty.

Cross was simply on the verge of tears because his legs had completely fallen asleep from sitting in seiza.

“…Um… I don’t care what happens to our idiot here, but could we perhaps let the guest go…?”

One of the female gatekeepers spoke up hesitantly.

Ellie responded with a bright, smiling face.

“Oh no, this is a matter of shared responsibility.”

The smile she gave was unmistakably sadistic.

“However… treating the Demon King’s representative like this could harm our reputation…”

As the gatekeeper spoke meekly, Ellie let out a quiet sigh and shot a cold, condescending glance towards Cross.

“That’s enough. But Cross… please remember the position you’re in as the Demon King’s envoy next time.”

“…Yes… I’m sorry for picking a fight…”

Cross whimpered as he clung to Ellie to stand up, his legs trembling like those of a newborn fawn.

Even though only thirty minutes had passed, his legs were so numb that he couldn’t stand on his own.

“Well then, I guess I should—”

As Unyou began to stand, the female gatekeeper placed her hand firmly on his shoulder, forcing him to remain in seiza.

“Gate Captain Unyou, you stay right where you are. Do you have any idea how grave your offense is—challenging the Demon King’s envoy to a fight, despite your formal position? At least show you’re sincerely apologetic.”

Her words were delivered in a voice that was cold to the bone.

“Tch…” Unyou clicked his tongue but obediently continued his seiza.

“Now then, once again—allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Haku, Deputy Gate Captain of the Seiryuu Gate, one of the Four Sacred Gates. I’ve heard your people do not use surnames often, so please feel free to call me Haku.”

She bowed her head deeply.

“Understood, Haku-san. Pleased to meet you,” Ellie replied, bowing as well.

Cross, still trembling, bowed alongside her.

“Yes, thank you. Lord Cross, the envoy, and Lady Ellie, his attendant—welcome to Hourai. On behalf of all Seiryuu Gatekeepers, we sincerely welcome you. Open the gate!”

At her command, the other gatekeepers echoed her shout and rushed about.

Soon, with a deep creaking sound, the massive gate slowly opened.

Beyond it, over a hundred gatekeepers stood in formation, creating a path for them to walk through.

“Please, proceed straight ahead. We will assign an escort shortly.”

Following Haku’s words, Cross and Ellie began walking down the path formed by the gatekeepers, looking around curiously at everything in sight.

Seeing this, Haku felt relieved, thinking to herself that they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

“…Hey. Now that they’re gone, can I get up?” Unyou asked after they had left.

Haku let out a long, exasperated sigh.

“Unyou-san… do you realize the situation you’re in?”

“Huh? What situation?”

“You challenged the Demon King’s envoy to a fight while holding the position of Gate Captain.”

“Yeah, so?”

“…In this situation, at best you’ll be dismissed. At worst—forced to commit seppuku.”

“…Eh? Seriously…?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Of course, she knew those two wouldn’t push for such a punishment, but the possibility was real.

Wanting him to reflect on his actions, Haku spoke with intentional severity.

“…Deputy Captain… please… lend me your wisdom. Even dismissal means the old man will probably kill me anyway…”

He bowed his head low to the ground, his voice desperate.

Haku let out yet another sigh.

“Haah… This is such a hassle. But leaving the Gate Captain’s reputation in shambles isn’t acceptable either… For today, you will follow my every instruction without complaint. Understood?”

“Of course!”

He replied energetically.

But Haku knew all too well how little trust could be placed in such superficial words, and so she sighed heavily again.

Though the roofs were red, they weren’t a bright red. Instead, their tone was subdued, almost brown, giving the buildings a chic appearance.

In fact, the entire color palette of the structures was chic.

Reddish browns, deep grays—houses with triangular roofs painted in such hues.

Cross had heard from the gatekeepers that the wavy tiles covering the roofs were called “kawara,” but he still didn’t quite understand what they were.

The buildings weren’t log houses, yet wood was prominently used in their construction.

They looked fragile, as if they might collapse or burn down easily, and yet there was something stylish and distinctly foreign about them.

Just looking at them filled Cross with that uplifting sense of excitement unique to traveling somewhere entirely new.

Beyond that, there were countless details that differed from the royal capital or the human world and caught his attention.

Clothes that wrapped the body in a single piece from top to bottom, sandals with absurdly high wooden soles called geta.

And perhaps most striking of all was the massive ox-drawn carriage—no, it was more like an ox cart—with wheels far larger than any he had seen before, rumbling down the streets.

It was a world so strange that there was no denying this was a different country altogether. Cross could feel it in his bones.

Still feeling like an overwhelmed tourist, Cross and Ellie were guided by the gatekeepers to a place called a kanmidokoro, a traditional sweets café.

“Please wait here until the official escort arrives. In the meantime, feel free to order anything you like. Of course, the bill will be covered by us.”

Following those words, they entered the café and were led to a private room, where a smiling waiter patiently waited for their order as they browsed the menu.

But now, Cross and Ellie found themselves troubled.

The menu was written in thick, stylized characters, with no prices and no descriptions of what the items actually were.

The only word they vaguely recognized was “dango.” Everything else was a mystery.

“…What should we do, Cross?” Ellie asked, looking worried.

“…Hmm. I know what mochi is, but… shiruko? Is that a soup? Why would a sweets shop have soup? And… the teas… I’ve never heard of any of these teas before…”

He tilted his head in confusion at teas that weren’t even labeled as black tea.

“What if we order something we can’t eat… or what if we order too much…?” Ellie fretted, wringing her hands.

Clearly, she wasn’t used to traveling.

“Alright then, want to leave it to me?”

“Eh? Um… sure, I don’t mind, but… do you know what these things are, Cross?”

“I only know about 20% of it, but I know how to handle this.”

“I don’t really understand, but I’ll leave it to you. Honestly, I have no idea what to do…”

“Yeah. Excuse me, waiter—could you please bring us your recommended items for two? This is our first time here, so something beginner-friendly would be great.”

The waiter smiled kindly and nodded.

“Understood. Is there anything sweet that either of you can’t eat?”

“Nope. Ellie, you’re fine too, right?”

Ellie nodded in agreement, and the waiter quickly jotted down something on their order sheet.

“Very well. Please wait a moment while we prepare your order.”

They bowed politely and left the room.

“…I guess you’re right. I should’ve just left it to someone who knows better,” Ellie murmured softly.

“Yeah. Though, to be honest, I’ve messed up ordering like this before too, so I can’t guarantee anything… but it should be fine. I wonder what we’ll get.”

“There were a lot of items with names like ‘dango,’ so probably something made from kneaded flour—something filling.”

“Yeah. They had mochi too.”

“What is mochi? I’ve never seen it before.”

“Hmm? Well, when I was human, I ate it once… it stretches like crazy.”

“Stretches?”

“And it’s really white.”

“White.”

“Also, it’s super easy to choke on. It sticks to your throat and can cause suffocation.”

“…Is it some kind of torture device?”

“No, it tastes really good. Oh… there’s one more downside.”

“What is it?”

“It makes you gain a ton of weight. The women were on the verge of tears.”

“…Even food prepared by demons is more merciful than that,” Ellie remarked, her appetite completely vanishing at Cross’s ominous description.