Fancy dinner

When we got inside, we arrived with plenty of time before our reservation, so we had to wait another twenty minutes, during which neither of us said a word, until they seated us at our table. I picked up the menu, trying hard to find an item that was cheap, but not so much as to embarrass me further.

As expected, everything is really expensive. The cheapest thing is a kid’s meal consisting of a chicken steak and fries. But there’s no way I’m ordering that. I should just do something basic... What about this? The pasta options aren’t that expensive. Oh, they’re just appetizers. Do I have to get that with a main course meal on top of that?

Before I could fully decide, a waiter approached us.

“Good evening, are you ready to order?”

Without missing a beat, Rui ordered right away.

“I’ll have the crab cakes and the lobster with mashed potatoes for the main dish.”

“Great choice. And would you like something to drink?”

“Yes, a simple orange juice, please.”

“Of course. And what about you, sir?”

“Em... The stuffed mushrooms and grilled ribeye steak with baked potatoes. And an orange juice as well, please."

“Certainly. I’ll be right back with your appetizers.”

Phew. At least I managed to order.

“Jinko.”

“Y-yes?”

“Who was she? That girl outside.”

“...She’s my ex-girlfriend.”

“Oh... Are you okay now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well... It’s just that you seemed really angry back there. I haven't seen you react that way before.”

“I don’t know what came over me. I thought I put her behind me, but... Sorry, can we talk about something else? I’m still pissed at her for how she acted.”

“Of course.”

“...”

Even so, neither of us knew what to say in that situation.

This day has been a disaster so far. All because of Onna. No, it’s because I lost control back there. I should just say something. If things stay like this, the potentially wonderful evening will be wasted.

“...So, have you figured out anything regarding my situation? Like how to fully expel the ghost, or why I haven’t been able to fall asleep anymore?”

“No, sorry. Since you might be the first person in history to experience this, it’ll be hard to help you.”

“Oh...”

Well, maybe the silence was better. I can’t really blame her though. I can see how this situation is hard to deal with.

“So, should we just resort to you knocking me out forcefully? If you don’t have any other ideas, I don’t really see a reason not to try it.”

“What if the spirit possesses you and hurts someone?”

“You can just lock the door and secure the window, right?”

“What if it tries to hurt me while you're unconscious? Or you? Dead spirits act without reason, so it could harm even the body it’s currently possessing.”

“Hmm...”

After a while, an idea hit me.

“What if you tie me up?”

“What?!”

“What?”

“...What do you mean by ‘tie you up’?”

“So I wouldn’t be able to move, preventing the ghost from harming anyone if something goes wrong.”

“Oh, right... That could work. But I would have to tie you up really tightly, so you wouldn’t be able to move an inch. That way-”

“Ahem, excuse me, your appetizers are here.”

“T-thank you.”

“Thank you.”

We both thanked the waiter, but Rui’s face was really red for some reason.

Why is her face so red? Does she think the waiter overheard what she was saying? If so, I understand why she would be flustered, since it could sound odd without context, but why would it matter? It’s not like she’s meeting these people regularly. Wait... She works here, so does that mean they know each other?

I looked at the leaving waiter and met his gaze. He smirked and winked at me, then turned away and walked to another table.

“Rui?”

“Yes?”

“Do you know that waiter?”

“Yes, he’s my colleague, why?”

“No reason. I just remembered you work here, so I thought you might know him.”

“I see.”

“Let’s eat. It looks really good.”

“Yes.”

As we ate our food, we conversed a little about when I would come and see her to proceed with the last experiment. Then, the topic shifted to work.

“How long have you been working here?”

“Almost two years.”

“Really? You were only fourteen on paper back then, right? I’m surprised that they let someone that young work here.”

“I actually worked illegally here for a while. I told them I lived with a single mother who struggled to take care of me and wanted to find work to help her.”

“And they bought that?”

“I tried it at two different restaurants, but they wouldn’t believe me there."

“Wow... And what do you do here?”

“I’m mostly a waiter, but I can assist in the kitchen if they’re understaffed there.”

“You did mention having learned how to cook over the years.”

“If I had time, I could even become a chef here, but since I’ll have to move again a couple years after I finish high school, I don’t really see the point.”

“What? Why do you have to leave?”

“I mentioned that before, no? I have to move to a different place every couple of years so the people around me won’t get suspicious of me not aging.”

“Right... You did say that. How long have you been living in the Czech Republic?”

“Around five years. I only enrolled in school recently because I didn’t really feel like going to school at that time.”

“Uhuh...”

She said before that she has to move every five to ten years. Since she’s already been living here for more than five years, so that means she’ll have to leave pretty much immediately after finishing high school. Hmmm...

“Jinko?”

“Huh?”

“You’re just staring into space. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, of course. Let’s finish our appetizers quickly. I think they’ll bring the main course shortly.”

“...Right.”

We went right back to eating and soon, the main course arrived. But throughout the rest of our meal, we didn’t talk about anything other than the food being good.

“Would you like something for dessert?”

The same waiter came to our table again, this time asking us about what we wanted for dessert. Since I knew it would drain me of every last cent, I politely declined, making the excuse I was already full.

“I’ll have the tiramisu and strawberry sorbet.”

“Of course, I’ll be right back with it.”

While the waiter was leaving, a noticeable smile escaped Rui’s lips, and I couldn’t help but ask.

“Are you looking forward to the dessert that much?”

Rui turned to me, surprised, then she smiled again, even wider than before.

“Of course! Dessert is the best part of every meal. On top of that, you don’t get to eat at such a high establishment every day, so you have to make the most of it. I for one can’t believe you didn’t order any... What a waste.”

Yeah, well, not all of us are drowning in money. This might be a good time to talk about the issue of going to such a fancy place.

“About that... I don’t know how much money you have, but this dinner is kind of expensive for me. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the food and everything here, but if we go somewhere in the future, perhaps a more affordable place would be better...”

This is so awkward. I hope she doesn’t take it the wrong way.

“What are you talking about? Tonight's dinner is free. For the both of us.”

“Eh? What? What are you talking about?”

“I told you, remember? Ut’s a favor from the owner. He’s been offering me a dinner for two here for quite a while now, but I never had anyone to go with, so I turned him down every time, until now.”

“What?! You didn’t tell me that! Are you saying I’ve been worrying and counting my savings for nothing?”

“I didn’t tell you? I’m sorry, I must have forgotten.”

“Oh man, if I had known, I would’ve ordered the dessert.”

Rui chuckled and handed me the dessert menu.

“So, order one right now.”

Oh, did I say that out loud?

“No, no, no! I'm really feeling full.”

It would just be embarrassing to order a dessert now.

“So order something small."

“W-well...”

I blushed a little, avoided her gaze, then sighed and took the menu.

“Fine, I’ll order something.”

Just then, the waiter came back.

“Miss, here is your tiramisu and sorbet. Please enjoy.”

As the waiter turned to leave, I mustered up my courage and spoke.

“Excuse me! Can I actually also order dessert?”

“Of course. What would you like, sir?”

“The cheesecake, please-”

BOOM!

Just as I finished my sentence, a loud explosion rang out from all directions. Before anyone could react, everything began to collapse, walls, the ceiling and floor alike.