--A few days after the martial arts tournament .

　Futa was walking down a narrow alley in a section of the royal capital.
　It was a narrow alley with many narrow stores, a little different from the main street, the long-established street, or the commercial district where the Orba Chamber of Commerce was located.

　The winding streets of the capital are a testament to the wars that had been fought in the past when the capital was built.

　Hard to attack, easy to defend.

　However, the need for such a system has been lost, and most of the alleys have become filthy back alleys and strongholds for those with dark intentions.

　One day, Futa would have been one of them, and he would have joined the ranks of those living on the streets as a vagrant who could not find a job, but that was about it.

　Thanks to Spectacula, there are more jobs and houses, and many of the jobless, or "unemployed," have been saved.

　I thought that if I hadn't met Futa, I might have been one of the laborers who were involved in the construction of Spectacula.

　So many things can change in a moment.

　Realizing now that life is unpredictable, Futa looked around.

Well, it should be around here.

　This side street must be an oasis for those who work hard every day.
　The sun was setting, and Futa could hear the bustle.
　All the stores seemed to be thriving, making him realize that the economy was in full swing.

　Perhaps this was thanks to the spectacle.
　With this in mind, Futa walked down the street, avoiding people.

　He sees an old man and a young girl working as waiters in a tavern.
　There was a vibrancy about this section of the city that resembled that of the Colosseum.

　People with little income, but enjoying their days with plenty of entertainment.
　Some were drinking, some were gambling, and some were playing.

　I'm sure some of them are enjoying the spectacle.

　In the midst of the hustle and bustle, Futa finally found the sign he was looking for.

A round wooden board hanging above the door read in red letters, "Taverna Lute. ...... This is it."

　I looked up slightly and saw the hanging sign.
　The sky is narrow and the stars are hard to see because of the lights in this alley.
　At the end of the swinging door, the top and bottom of which were faint, there was already a crowd of customers.

　A place with an atmosphere I rarely come to these days.
　I don't want to invite Lilac here, and I don't want to bring Corona to such an unsafe place. I don't mind having pasta, but I'm afraid I'll get a lot of complaints.

　The waitress carrying four mugs of pasta in a bundle, running here and there, was very commonplace.

Welcome!　One?

　Through the swinging door, a hanging oxidized bell rattled.
　The girl who worked at the bar responded to the familiar sound by placing a mug on the table and coming over to Futa.

"No, I'm meeting someone.
"Really?　Oh, yeah? Then go ahead and look for me!

　The messiness of this place is also somewhat nostalgic.
　I used to come to places like this all the time and eat alone.

　She was holding a tray and pointing to an interior covered with customers.

　The floor was larger than I had imagined, with a good depth.
　There were various groups of people sitting together at large round tables that could seat five to ten people. There were roughly ten tables.

　The counter was all occupied. However, it was unlikely that the person who had called him would be at the counter, so Futa decided to look for a table for the time being.

　But when he turned his head to look, he suddenly felt a gaze on him. But when he turned his head to look, he saw the bandana-wearing waitress he had just met.

"What's wrong?
"No... hmm?　What's the matter with you?

　I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not.
　Futa didn't recognize her. Unless he's forgotten, there's only one possibility.

"Maybe she's in Spectacula.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

　Maybe he saw it.
　Before I could tell him, he said something and his eyes widened in astonishment. Most of the guests in the room reacted to her shouting without being able to complain that she was pointing at them.

The guy who beat Izuna-san: ！！！！！
That's the impression I got.

　"That's your impression?" I asked calmly.
　It's not that he's a champion or that he beat Lilac, but that he beat Izuna.

　The fight against Izuna was a big turning point for Futa.
　I also remember that the audience was excited.

　However, I didn't think that the fight between Futa and Izuna was memorable for the people of Wangdue.
　At least not in the finals or against Lilac, which makes me feel the uniqueness of this girl.

　I've heard that Izuna has a lot of female fans, so I wondered if that was the case.

What?
That Futa Pomodoro!
The commentator who beat Izuna!

　Beat, beat, beat, beat.

　There were men happily exchanging mugs and laughing with red faces, a family with a vaguely unpleasant look, a group of women chatting amicably at the counter.

　None of these faces were familiar to me.
　But perhaps they were watching the spectacle.
　The way they looked at me and said, "Commentary brother," helped me determine why they knew Futa.

"d*mn, if only I could have beaten you, Izuna would have won!
"Yes, yes, yes!　Oh, yeah!
You bastard! You're blocking Izuna's path to victory!　What do you have to say about that?



　They're reckless.
　Futa's shoulders slumped involuntarily.
　But apparently, the old man's words at the end of his speech cut off their cries, and judging from the way their eyes were focused on him.

　It seems that he is asking them to say something, like an interview.
　I don't know what the right answer is, but I scratched my head and said, "Ah.

　Now that he knows that this is a diner with a connection to Spectacula, he realizes that it would be better for Futa to stick to his position as Futa Pomodoro, the fighter.

　He scolded himself for his near lethargy and stood tall.
　He straightens his back and releases his fighting spirit in vain--and the crowd goes silent.
　The air was so tense that even the children stopped moving their forks, and the serving girl gulped down her saliva.

　It was almost at the same time that Futa opened his mouth as they took the air in a bad direction, wondering if he had offended them.

It's true. If I hadn't been there, he would have won.

　Yes, grudgingly.
　Just as Pasta had told him to do, he did what he had to do.

　The diners were silent.

　--Is this what you wanted? d*mn it, at the most crucial moment, he didn't answer me.

　It was only natural that he wasn't there.

　But I couldn't let my inner conflict show, so I kept a cool face.

　An explosion of cheers erupted from the crowd.

"That's right!
That's right!　If it weren't for my brother!　d*mn!
d*mn it, I'll beat you next time!

You're not Izuna. ......

　The drunken woman behind the counter sticks her finger in the air from a distance and blurts out, "Futa.
　But no one was listening to Futa's words any longer.

　Apparently, the bar is in a festive mood just because of this statement.
　I don't know what's better, but a fat man comes out of the kitchen, takes one look at Futa, and smiles. I wonder if he is the owner of the restaurant.

I got a deal from the champion!　Free drinks today!
Yay!
You're the boss!
You're so generous!

　Futa was completely left behind.
　What is it about Izuna that makes them so passionate about him?
　He was certainly a popular swordsman, but was he really this popular?　He tilted his head.

　He let out a deep sigh as he felt a presence on his back.

And you're coming late?
And you're late?" "Oh, this is getting exciting.

　The man who laughed so loudly was the one waiting for him today, Izuna Sienzan.

　It's another story that Izuna's appearance was greeted with even more cheers, making it impossible to eat and taking up a lot of time.






This is the place I come every day to eat.

　The owner kindly allowed him to sit in the back of the room, and he was picking up an appetizer in front of Izuna, who was pouring a mug of sake.

The Master fought off the money grubbers the first day he arrived and was welcomed with open arms.
Are you doing that again ......?

　Next to Izuna, Mochisuke was chomping on a glass of fruit juice.
　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.

I don't know what it is, but I got a reward from the princess. I'm not sure what it is, but I got a reward from the princess, but it's gone to pay off my debt!
"Oh, ...... I see. What do you think?

　I should say I got Izuna to clean up the bad guys around here.
　I'm not sure if it's because I've had Izuna clean up the bad guys around here, or if it's because I've made room for him this way.

　Anyway, Izuna became the hero of the store, and when they heard that he was going to participate in a tournament as a fighting swordsman, all of their acquaintances turned into Izuna fans. In other words, that's what happened.

But what can I say? This is the first time we're having dinner together. I didn't think you'd ask me out.
I didn't think you'd ask me out either.

　Izuna was the one who suggested this conversation.

　A reunion. Izuna was in debt, but his life had become more stable. And above all, the big game is over.

　So I've cleared my mind to some extent.
　He vows to win next time, but if there are no hard feelings, he can at least have dinner with her.

　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that," he said, nodding his head in agreement.

　In addition to that, it's probably the first time you've ever had a meal with one of these people.
　In the case of Prim, the main purpose is to meet with Richter, if anything.

　Besides.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's a fan of your work.
　Futa nodded his head in agreement.

　I'm not talking about the first time I came to the capital.
　In fact, they hadn't even had a proper meal since the Colosseum.

So you didn't even notice that you couldn't afford each other.
"Wrong.

　Izuna laughs gaily.


　Futa followed suit and raised the corners of his mouth loosely.
　Futa had no idea how desperate Izuna was. Futa didn't know how desperate Izuna was, and Izuna was too busy with her own problems to care about Futa's.

　A relaxed mind lubricates connections between people.

　When the place changes, the environment changes, and the mind changes.
　You can share a cup with someone who was in the same place but never paid attention to you.

So what do you think?
What do you mean?
What, you don't care about the past?
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I guess so. I don't mind talking to Izuna right now.
I see. I thought so too, but you've become really strong.

　The girl who works at the store does a good job of getting rid of the customers who are trying to listen in.
　However, I almost exposed myself in the semifinals. To tell you the truth, it's not so hard anymore to be asked a few questions.

　It's just. It's not something to talk about. It's not a good story.
　That's why Futa is only talking about it here.

"I'm sorry about that. I broke up a business meeting.
"Yeah, well. If you're paying off your debt, I have nothing to say.
I see. Well... Well, if that's what you want, then fine.

　Izuna raises the corner of her mouth.

　I'm still going to be strong," he said, taking a glance at Mochisuke, who was eating a piece of focaccia.

I'm still getting stronger. I've got a lot of reasons.
Yeah, I guess.

　In that sense, we may be similar.
　Futa thought to himself.

By the way, she's... she's not married?
"Huh?　Hmm? - Oh, Mochisuke. So where's your family?
Didn't you hear?

　I'm sure you've heard of her.
　She played with her fluffy, short-cut gray hair and pondered a bit.

"I want a definition of family.
The definition is ......?　If you have a mother and a father, then you have brothers and sisters.
Brothers and sisters. ......

　I'm sure you're not the only one who has a problem with this.

I'll ask you, Futa Pomodoro. I'm not sure what to make of that.
What?

　This is the first time I've ever seen such a thing.
　I'm not sure what to say.

I'm not going to be your brother or sister.

　But considering Pasta's true feelings and the way she had been treated by her brother, it was a difficult question to answer.

"What are you talking about? We're brother and sister.

　The Colosseum's estrangement has taken its toll, and Izuna turns her unclouded eyes on Futa, believing him.

But, ......, aren't Futa Pomodoro and Pasta Pomodoro related by blood?

　Definition of family.
　If you want to call them father, mother, brothers and sisters.
　Surely there should be a blood relationship there.
　But somehow she knows that there is no blood relationship between Futa and Pasta.
　That's when Futa was wondering how to answer.

"Huh?　So what?
"Master?
No, I'm not sure. I don't know. I don't see the connection between blood and family.
But you're with your mother and father.
Ha-ha-ha, mochisuke. You're an idiot.

　You're an idiot." With a poof and a red face tinged with alcohol, Izuna put her hand on Motosuke's head and laughed.

Blood ties don't matter. What's important is whether or not they think of you as family. Hey, Futa.

　Futa was very uncomfortable.
　Izuna must be saying something good.
　But because of the messy relationship between her and the pasta, she couldn't get into his cool words.

　It's just that... well...
　If I could call my sister-in-law my family...
　That would be a relief for me someday.



Yeah, I know.
"...... blood relations are irrelevant.

　I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've.

　He looked up, stared straight at Futa again, and said.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that.
"...... I see.

　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

　--He had heard that he had picked her up sometime ago.
　I'm not going to go deep into her situation.
　But if the two of us being together like this is "family" to her.

　I think that would be a selfish thing to be happy about.

　Considering Izuna's background, it is true that she is not a stranger to him.



　I looked at Izuna with that in mind.
　I looked over at Izuna, and he was eating a pizza that had been served to him.


"Apparently so.
You've said some good things, so why don't you say 'yes' with pride ......?