Val has been wanting to buy and eat for a while now.
　Since Yagami Teru's work wasn't in, he decided that it would be fine to take a day off.
　Slipping the pebble-shaped magic tool for emergency communication into his pocket, he wandered out of the house.
　Meena metastasizes to his side as if nothing had happened.
　He quickly checked his surroundings, but no one had seen them.

'It's something I'm trying to get a grip on,'

　Meena explains in a whisper.

'Then yes,'

　Val saw her actions.
　Grasping the distance to the extent that it is necessary to transfer is a super-high skill that even Yagamiaki is not easy to grasp with magic.
　It's a sign of Mina's seriousness.
　The two of them strolled through the second class area of the imperial capital after disguising themselves simply with magic.
　Val is naturally familiar with it, but Meena has no pretense of being unusual.

''Meena didn't have anything in particular that she wasn't good at, did she?

Yes. You can have fish, vegetables, meat, dairy products, and fruit.

　Many Imperials would be astonished to learn that an elf would say, "I'm an elf.
　Because generally speaking, the image of elves is that they only eat vegetables.
　Neither Val nor Meena has any intention of correcting that.

''Let's go to the first class area once in a while.

That's unusual.

　She glances lightly at his words.

'You're here today, you know.

　Val is not good at magic, and it's difficult to disguise herself alone.
　With her, it would be an easy solution.

'And it's not that I don't like the first class area.

That's right.

　He just didn't feel like being too extravagant.
　Sometimes he changed his mind.

'So, please.'

I'm sorry, sir.

　At his request, Meena invoked the illusion.
　They became a young, plain looking man and woman in somewhat superior clothing.

'If you want to wander around the first class area, this is about as good as it gets, isn't it?

Yeah. You should dress a little nicer, you know.

　Val replied.
　It was true that there was a tendency for the clothes they wore to be a measure of their income to some extent.
　They transitioned to an unpopular point in the first class area and walked out of there uncharacteristically.
　While the second-class areas were often bone-dry and plain, with an emphasis on standing up to the wind and snow, the first-class areas were filled with buildings with a flamboyant appearance.
　One can feel the difference in whether or not they can afford to invest in decoration.
　Near the imperial palace was the nobleman's quarter, and there was a gate between it and the town where the commoners lived.
　It was guarded by soldiers in shifts, and was closed unless there was something to do.
　Near the gates were the headquarters of the great merchants and upscale residential areas, which helped in the perception that the richer they were, the closer they could live to the aristocratic quarter.
　Val and Mina did not enter the more upscale area, but rather the more second class area.
　The food served in the more upscale area is closer to the taste of the aristocracy, and they don't feel the need to go to the extent of using magic.

''Since we're going to be here, why don't we go for pasta and cheese?

That's good.

　They consulted briefly and chose one restaurant.
　This restaurant specializes in pasta, a dish made with noodles and cheese, and is popular mainly with young men and women.
　The inside of the restaurant, which could hold about 30 people, was 80% full, with five staff members busily working around.
　They were ushered into a vacant two-person seat at the back of the restaurant.

Two chicken and cheese pastas, rose water and wine.

　Val ordered on his behalf.
　As the waitress leaves with a smile on her face, Meena opens her mouth.

'That's unusual. 'You're asking for a drink in the daytime.'

It's nice to have a change of scenery.

　Val laughs a little shyly.
　I guess he's also aware that drinking in the daytime is not a good idea.

''Then shall I join you?

　Meena starts to say.
　It was even more unusual for her to ask for alcohol than him, but he wasn't surprised.

'Can we cancel the order now?　Isn't that hard?

No problem. I'll have some rose water.

　Meena says with a smile.
　Rose water was her favorite, and she was glad Val remembered it.
　She wasn't the one to directly mention it, though.
　She orders the rose water just as the waiter brings her food.
　There were five large pieces of chicken on top of the noodles, with a generous sprinkling of cheese on top.

'Yeah. Delicious.'

Yes.

　Perhaps because the two men were not food critics, their assessment of taste was quite simple.
　It may not be as good as the high end food, but Baru thinks it's good enough.
　The price is higher than in the second class area, but the skill of the cooks and the quality of the ingredients have improved.

It's definitely worth the money.

'Yes. You should not be rewarded for being a good cook.

　Meena agrees with him, but not with much heat.
　I guess she just understands that it's better that way, but it's not a passion.
　Still, he was grateful for Val's willingness to go along with him.
　This is how they enjoyed their meal.