Traveling With a Beautiful Girl - Volume 2: Chapter 2: In Front Of Hotel
“It reminds me of Tokyo.”
The time was just after ten at night.
Upon stepping out of Nagoya Station and taking in the sights, Nanase Riho murmured softly.
“I get what you mean.”
I raise my gaze.
Looking up at the towering buildings until my neck hurts brings back memories of the skyscrapers in Shinjuku. Since leaving home, of all the tourist spots we’ve visited, Nagoya Station is by far the most urban. Huge buildings, likely over 200 meters tall, are standing tall around the station. While the impression of night views is that they’re prettier from a high place, looking up at buildings from below is quite something too, I think.
“Shall we head to the hotel first?”
“Do you have a reservation…”
“Of course. It’s about a 10-minute walk from here.”
“Impressive.”
As I’m in awe of Riho’s usual thorough preparations, I put some strength into the hand holding the luggage when suddenly…
A cute rumble of hunger echoed from somewhere. The hustle and bustle of Nagoya Station echoes in our ears.
“Didn’t we eat eel earlier?”
“That’s just your imagination.”
“The eel we ate?”
“No, no. We did eat the eel! But it was a bit on the high-end side, so there wasn’t much… Wait, I didn’t hear my stomach rumble in the first place!”
“Well, I didn’t say anything about stomach sounds.”
“~~~~!!”
Oh, she self-destructed. She quickly covered her face, dropped to her knees, and curled up like a child playing hide and seek.
“Maybe because of everything that happened today, my body is wanting more calories than usual. So…”
“Right, got it. I’m also feeling a little peckish after you mentioned it… let’s get something light to eat before we go to the hotel.”
As I suggested this, she nodded slightly.
◇◇◇
On a whim, She and I went into a restaurant that serves chicken dishes to satisfy our sudden hunger. The menu features grilled Nagoya Cochin, fried chicken, and oyakodon (chicken and egg bowl).
Not wanting to eat greasy food at this hour, we both ordered Nagoya Cochin Oyakodon.
“You must have been really hungry.”
She commented as I dug into the Oyakodon in front of me. For the record, her portion was half-size, fitting for a girl’s stomach.
“No, look who’s talking?”
“I ordered a half-size. Compared to you, who ordered a regular size, I’m being modest.”
“No, that’s just the difference between men and women. Well, I was hungry, but it’s simply delicious.”
The Nagoya Cochin chicken was chewier than any chicken I’ve had before.
Should I say it’s well-textured?
The more you chew, the more the flavor seeps out, and you can taste the richness.
The egg that binds it is silky, and it goes well with the dashi and soy sauce.
“As a midnight snack, it’s the best.”
“For once, I agree.”
“For once?”
“Sometimes, even your whimsical choices hit the mark.”
This time, the restaurant was not from Riho’s search, but rather a place I randomly decided to enter because it caught my eye on the way to the hotel. Of course, it was my suggestion.
Riho, who was originally a search-oriented person, came along without any complaints. Although it’s a small change, I feel happy noticing these little differences in her.
“What?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Could it be, grains of rice…”
“You get stuff on your face a lot, don’t you, Riho?”
With a red face, Riho quickly wiped her mouth. It’s a sight I’ve often seen in Atami, and it gives me a feeling of nostalgia.
Our first meal in Nagoya got off to a pretty good start.
(T/N: If Author ever continues ahead I’ll post it but for now it ends here)