Now then, what kind of town was Asakusa in the modern day? Geographically, it lay close to Ueno, with the Sumida River right nearby. This Sumida River connected to the Arakawa and eventually the Tokyo Bay, making it highly valuable as a water transport route. Today, the Asakusa Port had been built, where loading and unloading of all kinds of cargo was carried out busily every day.
Asakusa itself still retained many shops brimming with the old-time atmosphere centered around Sensou-ji Temple. Of course, it too had suffered from the past monster disasters, and some parts of the townscape were no longer what they had once been… Yet, much like Atami, it had spared no effort in restoring itself as a tourist destination, reviving the area.
“Mm.”
“Oh, Shion. Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
The two met in front of Sensou-ji Temple. Yet rather than enter the temple, Suzuno Shion and Inari immediately began walking toward their actual destination. Nakamise Street was a lively and fun place, but with Inari’s face so well-known, diving into such crowds could easily cause a serious accident—so she decided to refrain.
“Ah, it’s Inari-chan.”
“For real. Where’s she going?”
“Hey, who’s that girl with her?”
Hearing such voices, Inari gave a small “Oho.” She had been taught how to handle such situations by Eri, as well as by Akai and Hikaru.
“Forgive me, but today is a ‘private matter’, thou seest.”
She smiled and waved. Some people still took photos and videos, but none tried to come closer. In recent years, this etiquette had spread considerably: onlookers refrained from intruding, and awakener in turn were expected not to dismiss people too coldly.
“Come, let us be off.”
“You’re used to it.”
“Well, I have friends most adept at such things.”
The fruit of practice with Eri, to be sure—but that aside, the members of Servant Uniform Workshop excelled at this sort of handling. For them, it was practically a basic skill. Meanwhile, Shion was not nearly as famous, and so was hardly noticed—at most, a few comments of “what a cute girl.” Thus, the two walked away from Nakamise Street.
Asakusa was not limited to just that street; the entire area was filled with shops, forming a vast shopping district. Having overcome the monster disasters, it now bustled more than in the past. Among its establishments was the Japanese confectionery store where Shion had once bought dango.
“Here.”
“Ohh… now this is quite a refined little place.”
The shop, with its sign reading “Jinmeidou”, radiated a distinctly traditional Japanese air. Inside, it seemed to double as a small café. Guided in by the staff, Inari and Shion took their seats. It was still a little before noon, so no other customers were there. Warm tea and menus were brought to their table.
“Please call when you’re ready to order.”
“Indeed. We shall do so.”
Saying so, Inari accepted the menu—there was only one copy—and set it on the table, turning herself around so Shion could see.
“You don’t have to.”
“Think nothing of it. I can see it well from here.”
“…Mm. Thanks.”
Having the text upside down was no issue. The two leaned in to browse together—and found it impressively varied.
There were the classic dango flavors: mitarashi, red bean, mugwort, isobe (seaweed), and zunda. Then came daifuku, ohagi, and manju. Drinks ranged from matcha to juice, even milk. Inari let out a thoughtful “Hmm,” impressed by the range.
“They even have oshiruko… oh? Anmitsu as well. So that’s here too, hm?”
“…Order everything?”
“Somehow, that seems unwise. Choosing carefully hath its own pleasure, dost thou not think?”
“True.”
“What, even mochi? I thought that was only for the New Year…”
Looking at the menu item Isobe-yaki (set of three) – 510 yen, Inari groaned in thought, while Shion debated between the regular and the special anmitsu. The difference was in the addition of shiratama and the variety of fruits. After some pondering, the two nodded at each other and called the waiter.
“Special anmitsu.”
“The same for me.”
“Very well, two special anmitsu.”
As the staff brought the order to the kitchen, Shion glanced at Inari.
“Just anmitsu? Surprising. I thought you’d order at least two things… or some dango, since you liked it.”
Inari, on the other hand, tilted her head as if it were obvious.
“Well, it seems one cannot take anmitsu home, aye? And besides… would it not be more delightful to eat the same thing as Shion, and share the same feeling?”
“…True. But I did think it might be fun to order different ones and share.”
“What! That idea never occurred to me…!”
“Kind of a dream of mine.”
“…Shall we add something now and try it?”
“No, let’s save it for next time. Something to look forward to.”
Indeed, there was no need to think of this as a one-time outing. The promise of future enjoyment was something wonderful in itself. Inari found herself agreeing wholeheartedly.
In matters of friendship, both Inari and Shion were still beginners. And for that very reason… such simple things were all the more joyful.