บท 14: This is the first time I have ever seen the shadow of death_Part 3

"...Is this the place?"

"Yep."

Outside the shopping center, they walked a short while down a narrow path until they arrived at a ramen shop. Alisa looked up at the sign and grimaced.

I don'tblame her.

But while Masachika understood her reaction, Yuki was full of smiles.

"The sign says, The Cauldron of Hell. Are you sure they serve ramen here?"

"Of course I'm sure."

"But it says Hell on the sign..."

"Don't worry, Alya. This is the place. Here, it says the name of the restaurant on the menu,too."

"...Oh."

Although it still didn't make her feel any better, Alisa nodded with a grimace, as if she was paralyzed due to shock.

"You sure you don't want to go somewhere else?"

But Masachika's thoughtfulness suddenly triggered Alisa's determination,and he was met with a piercing glare.

"Don't be ridiculous. I was only a little surprised by how unique this place turned out to be."

"Uh-huh..."

He knew there was nothing he could say to convince her once her utter hatred for defeat crept out, so he gave up and followed Yuki into the restaurant.

"Welcome!"

They were immediately welcomed by a man's well-projected voice as the pungent scent of spicy food irritated their noses.

"Gmph?!"

Masachika suddenly heard a faint gag coming from behind.

"How many in your group?"

"Three."

"All right.This way,please."

The waiter walked them over to three seats at the counter. When Masachika glanced over at Alisa to his right, she was holding her nose, with tears welling in her eyes.While Masachika and Yuki were used to the smell due to constantly eating out at spicy restaurants, Alisa seemed to be in pain.

"Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" replied Alisa in a hushed voice, making it clear that she was just acting tough. She then tightly shut her eyes,did away with the tears,and tried to pretend like nothing was wrong as she reached for the menu...but the moment she opened it, she froze.

"...Hey."

"Hmm?"

"I have no idea what I'm even looking at."

"Yeah..." Masachika awkwardly nodded. It made sense because with violent names like Blood Pond Hell and Spike Pit Hell, it was hard to imagine this was even food. Yuki, her hair tied in a low ponytail, then began explaining the menu as if she were a regular.

"The Blood Pond Hell is a ramen known for its bloodred soup base, just as the name suggests, and is the mildest ramen on the menu. Spike Pit Hell, on the other hand, is a spicier dish that makes it feel like your tongue is being pierced by a thousand needles, as the name suggests."

"O-oh...Well,then..."

Alisa meekly lowered her gaze toward the very bottom of the menu as she grimaced.

"What about the Hell of Uninterrupted Suffering?" Alisa asked timidly.Yuki immediately smiled proudly, as if she had been waiting for the question.

"It's apparently so spicy that you lose all feeling!"

"Are you sure that's not nerve damage?"

Alisa's expression fell with despair, as if she had finally realized how terrifying this restaurant really was. Masachika, by her side, also looked over the menu one more time, only to realize that even the least hot ramen was still really hot.He closed his eyes.

"I guess I'll go with the Blood Pond Hell, since the common rule is to go for the standard dish when it's your first time."

"Y-yeah, the basics are important, after all."

"Oh? You two are going to order the same thing? I guess I'll order that as well,then."

Masachika offered what help he could, which Alisa thankfully accepted, and was followed by Yuki. Thus, they all ended up ordering the same thing.

"At any rate, I was kind of surprised to see you dressed somewhat boyish today,Yuki."

"Giggle. I thought I'd switch things up a little, since it's the weekend."

"Really? Well,you almost look like a completely different person. You still look really good,though."

"Thank you. You look really good today yourself. It's not often I see you in something other than your school uniform. I thought you were a professional model for a second there."

"Really? Thanks."

Masachika felt both uncomfortable and happy to be in between two girls chatting it up, but he began to break into a cold sweat as the surrounding men glared at him. The look the male waiter, who seemed to be around the same age as him, was giving him was the worst. They were the eyes a man would use only on his worst enemy, but Masachika really was surrounded by two beautiful women, so he couldn't complain. Not only were they beautiful,but they were also essentially without equal, so it was simply normal for an average-looking guy like Masachika to be stared at. It was also perfectly natural for a nerd to get excited and think, Wait. Am I the protagonist of a rom-com?! Is this my harem?!

They aren't fighting over me, though. Plus, I probably just look like their professional bag carrier from the viewpoint of an onlooker.

And it was just how Masachika imagined it. Everyone's curious stares faded once they realized the girls were ignoring him and chatting with each other.Even the waiter, who was glaring at him with envy and hatred, softened his gaze and went back to work...and that was when Yuki decided to drop a bomb.

"This shirt and these jeans actually used to be Masachika's."

Alisa's smile froze, and the temperature in the restaurant plummeted.

Yukiiiiiiiii!!

The curious looks in the restaurant began to refocus on him. Even the waiter was looking back and forth between Yuki and Masachika as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"He gave you those?"

"Yes, my family wants me to dress 'ladylike'...but I've always wanted to dress more boyish like this, so I asked Masachika for some of his old clothes."

"Oh..."

Alisa's smirk turned into an ominous faint smile as she hit Masachika with a penetrating glare.

"I didn't realize being childhood friends made two people so close. I didn't know Kuze liked dressing girls up in his old clothes, either. Interesting hobby."

"It's not a hobby."

"Yes, it isn't his hobby. It's his fetish."

"You shut up."

He glared at Yuki as if to tell her to not say another word, but she simply seemed confused.

"Hmm? But I clearly remember you being thrilled when you first saw me wearing a boyfriend shirt."

"That never happened!"

Yuki continued to drop bomb after bomb without even a hint of guilt,creating a stir in the restaurant. Listeners took "That never happened!" to mean that he hadn't been "thrilled" when she wore the shirt. Yuki did, however, wear his old shirts from time to time. She would visit his house on a whim without a change of clothes sometimes, so she would wear his old clothes as pajamas.However,she was the one who had jumped up and down in excitement when she first put on his old clothes while shouting, "Boyfriend shirt, boyfriend shirt!"Masachika, on the other hand, simply rolled his eyes, but no one would ever know the truth except for them.

"...What's a boyfriend shirt?"

Thankfully Alisa didn't know what a "boyfriend shirt" was, since she wasn't into geek culture. Yuki leaned toward her with the smile of an angel and the whisper of a devil to ask if she wanted to know what it was, but Masachika promptly began to interrupt her. However, before he could even do that, the waiter came over with their ramen, glaring at Masachika as if Masachika had killed his parents.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Three orders of Blood Pond Hell."

One glance down at the ramen before her sent Alisa rearing back with a grunt as she choked a bit. The eye-burning steam apparently didn't do the dark-red soup, which was living up to its name, any favors. The spicy food-loving siblings, on the other hand, smiled and grabbed their chopsticks.

"We should hurry before the noodles get soggy."

"Good idea."

"Y-yeah..."

Masachika and Yuki dug into their noodles without a moment's hesitation while Alisa timidly slurped up her first bite.

"Mmmm! This is delicious!"

"Yeah, it really lives up to its reputation."

The siblings smiled with clear satisfaction after their first bite, but when Masachika glanced at Alisa...

...her entire body was tense, and her eyes were opened wide as she continued to chew without even blinking. Her left hand on the table was clenched ridiculously tight and trembled.

"You okay,Alya?" "...!Yeah,it's...delicious."

Only after she swallowed the food in her mouth was she finally able to blink again and put on a calmer expression. Masachika felt both annoyance and admiration when he saw her still trying to act tough, and he handed her a napkin.

"You should wipe your lips after every bite, or your lips are going to swell.""...Thanks."

Masachika went straight back to his ramen after making sure she wiped her lips, and the powerful punch from the cayenne pepper filled his mouth after every slurp. It was so hot that he began to sweat, but the spiciness really brought out the other ingredients' flavors, making him crave even more. He wanted to peek into the abyss of the red sea. (This is Masachika's personal opinion alone and should be regarded as such.)

"Man,this is good." Masachika exhaled in satisfaction. But all of a sudden,he heard a whisper tickle his ear.

"<It hurtsss.>"

It was a pitiful cry coming from the young woman at his side. When he glanced over, he noticed Alisa's chopsticks were frozen in place. While she was maintaining her composure, she apparently couldn't move her chopsticks another inch. That was when she realized Masachika was looking at her, so she shoved her chopsticks into the bowl as if she had no other choice.

"No, wait. Alya, you don't have to force yourself to eat that."

"I'm not. I already told you it's delicious."

And yet you said it hurts in Russian just a second ago.

"But... Yeah,okay. If you say so."

Masachika wondered if she'd be all right, but he knew he had to give up because nothing he was going to say would stop her. After drinking some water and taking a short break, Alisa brought her chopsticks toward the ramen once more when...

"<I can't take it anymore...>"

I can't concentrate like this!

The voice coming from his side was so feeble that it made him feel pity;he tried not to care as he continued his meal when all of a sudden-

"<Mommy...>"

Once Alisa started clinging on to her imaginary mother, Masachika looked at her, unable to stand idly by.

Yeah, this isn't going to work. Her pupils are dilated.

Surprisingly, Alisa's expression still hadn't changed at all...but the shadow of death was on her face. It was hopeless. Masachika was planning on letting her have her fun until she gave up on her own, but it was getting dangerous. The doctor had to get into the ring and stop the fight.

"Al-"

Right as Masachika tried to stop her, Yuki spoke up as if to get the first word out and cut him off.

"How is it,Alya?"

Alisa's wandering eyes suddenly focused at the sound of her future campaign rival's voice. Her fighting spirit was summoned, bringing life back into her body as she even managed to smile.

"It's delicious."

"Oh, that's wonderful. I am so happy to hear that you love spicy food,too."

Yuki innocently smiled back at Alisa's somewhat ghastly, fierce smirk. She then held out a condiment to Alisa while still innocently smiling.

"This restaurant has something called Demon Tears, which can make the food even spicier. Would you like to try it?"

Yuki was basically attacking a fleeing enemy. The corner of Alisa's lips twitched. By the way, Demon Tears were a type of seasoning, and its official name was Even the Evilest of Demons Get Tears in Their Eyes. It was an original blend created by this restaurant.

Stop torturing her! Alya doesn't even have any HP left!

Masachika was inwardly shouting when he came to a startling realization.

Oh! There was no way for Yuki to have noticed, since Alya was complaining in Russian.

Once he realized that oversight, he leaned in to whisper into Yuki's ear...when he realized something else. While Yuki might have appeared to be smiling innocently, there was a sadistic fire burning in the depths of her eyes.

She's doing this on purpose?!

As Masachika shuddered, a pale-white hand reached for the condiment.

"All you need are a few drops for it to taste amazing."

"Wait! Alya?! I really don't recommend doing that!"

But his warnings were in vain, for Alisa took the lid off the container,grabbed the tiny spoon, and scooped some of the dark-red liquid, which she then sprinkled into her ramen. And a few seconds later...

"...?!?!"

The restaurant was filled with Alisa's voiceless screams.