The next morning, Shinobu put up a large sign on the glass door: “No Eel Bentos Today.”
The storm from the previous day had cleared up, leaving a beautiful sky, but Shinobu’s heart remained cloudy.
Eva, Hermina, and Berthold, who had ended up staying the night, all had puffy, sleep-deprived eyes.
Berthold, who had arrived just as Backeshoff was leaving, confirmed that lager was indeed a prohibited item.
“Apparently, it’s a new technology discovered when the late Emperor was still young. It was said to be exceptionally delicious, so its production and distribution were restricted to the Imperial Household and a very select few.”
Those who sold it without a license would be subject to a hefty fine, and in the worst-case scenario, could even be sentenced to death.
Shinobu and Nobuyuki, who hadn’t realized the severity of the offense, were at a loss, unable to come up with a good solution.
No, there was a way.
It was simple: they could give up on Izakaya Nobu. They could close this shop, whose front entrance mysteriously connected to the old capital of another world, and just live in Japan.
Thanks to a shady antique dealer, they had managed to exchange the old capital’s currency. If they dipped into their savings, they’d have enough seed money to open another izakaya or small restaurant somewhere.
But they didn’t want to do that.
It had been almost half a year since they opened the shop during the cold winter. They had become close to the regulars who frequented the place. It would be painful to part ways.
And then, there was the issue of Eva. Her family’s finances were currently stable thanks to her wages from Nobu, but if the shop closed, they would be back to square one.
Was there any way to avoid having to give up this place?
“But that scrawny old man Backeshoff, hitting on Hermina of all people… Unforgivable.”
“That’s because Hermina-san is cute.”
Eva consoled Berthold, who was punching his fist into his palm. Hermina, still shocked by what had been said to her the previous day, was huddled under a thin blanket.
“Anyway, we need to come up with a plan.”
“But Taisho, who do we know who’s knowledgeable about this kind of thing?”
There were many different kinds of people among their regulars, but when it came to this type of problem, the number of people who seemed knowledgeable was limited.
“Nikolaus-san, Gernot-san, or Deacon Edwin…?”
“What’s this? Did someone call my name?”
Just then, Deacon Edwin appeared, pulling open the glass door. He was dressed as usual, but it was unusual for him to show up at Nobu at this hour.
“What’s wrong, Deacon? It’s so early in the morning.”
“Well, there was something I was curious about… But it seems I was mistaken.”
“Mistaken?”
Edwin nodded towards Berthold and Hermina, who were huddled together.
“Last night, in the middle of the storm, a clerk from the Backeshoff Trading Company brought a strange document to the church. It was a petition to investigate the invalidity of Berthold and Hermina’s marriage, so I was curious.”
“What?!”
Eva and Nobuyuki calmed the agitated Berthold. Hermina buried her face in the blanket, looking like she was about to cry.
“That scrawny old man, pulling such a stunt… It’s war. Hans and Nikolaus, no, the whole company will burn Backeshoff’s mansion to ashes, leaving nothing behind!”
“Deacon Edwin, that thing has no power, right?”
Edwin’s expression was grim as he stroked Eva’s head, who was looking up at him anxiously.
“Normally, it wouldn’t be a problem. A request would be sent to the church in the northern port town, and that would be the end of it. But in this case…”
“Is there a problem, Deacon?”
“It’s not something I should be telling a child like Eva-chan, but it seems there’s going to be a vacancy for a cardinal.”
The archbishop in charge of the diocese that includes the old capital was spreading money around to the key people in order to become a cardinal.
The Deacon’s concern was that if Backeshoff was connected to the archbishop, the petition might be accepted.
A heavy atmosphere settled over the shop.
This was precisely the time when she needed to be strong.
Shinobu stood up and went behind the counter.
“Alright, everyone. Let’s have breakfast.”
Since there were so many people, the menu consisted of easy-to-eat omusubi (rice balls), miso soup, tamagoyaki (rolled omelet), and fried sausages.
Shinobu and Eva were the ones who made the omusubi.
Translator’s Note
Omusubi are rice balls, often with fillings, a common Japanese food. Tamagoyaki is a type of Japanese omelet made by rolling together several layers of cooked egg.
“The saltiness is quite delicious.”
Edwin forced a cheerful tone as he bit into an omusubi. Berthold’s expression was stiff, but he was eating the omusubi, sharing it with Hermina. He seemed momentarily startled by the octopus-shaped sausages, but after Nobuyuki explained that they weren’t actually squid, he seemed to like them.
Translator’s Note
Tako-san wiener are sausages cut to resemble octopuses, a common element in Japanese bento boxes.
While sipping the miso soup, Nobuyuki explained yesterday’s events to Edwin. Edwin, who had listened silently from beginning to end, muttered as if groaning.
“Lager, huh…”
“Is it that bad?”
Nobuyuki leaned forward, and Edwin nodded gravely.
“The late Emperor was a very wise man. The restriction on lager, or rather, the restriction on its distribution, was set for a thirty-year preparation period before it would eventually be sold as a specialty product of the Imperial Capital.”
The Empire, suffering from chronic financial difficulties, was looking for a highly convertible specialty product, and lager was apparently chosen for that role. Shinobu could certainly understand that if a uniquely brewed beer became widespread, the profits from it would be significant.
It was like Izakaya Nobu’s eel bento. If it couldn’t be obtained elsewhere, there were plenty of ways to make a profit.
“However, it seems that production couldn’t be increased as much as they had hoped. And so, the Imperial edict continues to be in effect to this day.”
“Is there no prospect of it being revoked?”
“I wonder. The current Emperor deeply respects his grandfather, the late Emperor, so it might be difficult to revoke it. And I haven’t heard any news of successful mass production of lager since then.”
“Oh no…”
Edwin placed a hand on Nobuyuki’s shoulder, who was dejected.
“The only remaining hope is to bet on the possibility of the late Emperor himself revoking the Imperial edict that restricted the distribution of lager.”
“Huh?”
Was the late Emperor still alive? Shinobu almost asked, but managed to stop herself. It would be extremely disrespectful if she didn’t know he was still alive. It would be bad to ask too many strange questions.
“Even so, it’s unlikely this time. Even if we were to go directly to the late Emperor, there isn’t enough time. Bacchushoof will probably move faster.”
“Oh no…”
Eva plopped down on the floor.
Shinobu also thought about it a lot, but couldn’t come up with a good idea. She even doubted if there was a solution at all.
Should they go back to Japan? That thought crossed her mind many times.
At that moment, Nobuyuki let out a groan as if he had made up his mind.
“Anyway, let’s open the shop, at least for the evening.”
The first to arrive at the shop was Holger, the master of the blacksmiths’ guild. Eva and Hermina had gone home, so only Shinobu and Nobuyuki were in the shop.
As usual, he took up his position in the middle of the counter and, right off the bat, said something outrageous.
“At today’s city council meeting, Izakaya Nobu was brought up.”
“Huh, what does that mean?”
Holger grimaced at Shinobu, who leaned forward.
“It’s not good news. In fact, you should be prepared for the situation to be quite bad.”
“…Is it about the lager?”
“What, you knew?”
The city council had been handling minor pending issues as usual, but when the only remaining agenda item was the upcoming meeting in the old capital regarding the Northern Three Provinces, Backeshoff brought up this shop as an urgent matter.
“The council members were caught off guard. Everyone knew that the ale at this shop was delicious, but they never imagined it was lager. Well, it’s not surprising that they couldn’t compare it since they’ve never had lager before.”
“So that’s why it happened?”
“I don’t know if you’re acquainted with him or not, but Godhart of the Water Transport Guild defended you quite vehemently. He was furious.”
Shinobu had an intuitive understanding that it was because of the eel incident.
If Izakaya Nobu were to be penalized in any way, the fishing rights in the old capital that he had worked so hard to obtain would be completely useless. This was probably his attempt at providing support.
“He even said that bringing up the issue of an izakaya at a city council meeting called into question Backeshoff’s capacity as chairman. I, and that glass-obsessed Lorenz, agreed with him.”
“Lorenz-san too?”
“Two generations of his family are regulars here. He’d be in trouble if this shop disappeared. It was also interesting that the three major water transport guilds, which are usually at odds with each other, all defended Nobu together.”
When she thought about it, many different people had eaten and drunk at this shop. It was a strange feeling to be reminded of this in this way, but Shinobu felt a warmth in her chest.
“That said, Backeshoff was one step ahead. It seems he had prepared the groundwork beforehand. This shop will be subject to an investigation by the city council.”
“Is that so…”
“The investigator in charge is Gernot, the tax collector. He’s the kind of guy who’ll suck you dry down to the bone once he gets his teeth into you. You’d better be careful.”
“Gernot-san?”
Gernot was a regular.
Ever since he ate Shinobu’s Napolitan, he had been visiting the shop from time to time to eat. He seemed to be particularly fond of eel, to the point where he always bought three eel bentos.
Perhaps Gernot would be a little considerate towards them.
That faint hope was cruelly dashed by Holger.
“Gernot was very enthusiastic. It’s not often that he gets a job from the city council. If he achieves good results here, his future will be secure. He’s not the kind of sweet tax collector who would overlook something just because he’s been to the shop a few times.”
Having said that, Holger placed enough money on the counter for the otoshi and a glass of ale and stood up.
“I like this shop, and I hope the allegations against it are false. But, the opponent is Gernot. If you have somewhere to hide, you should at least make preparations.”
He had probably come to warn them.
He understood that it was dangerous for someone with his position as a city council member to contact Izakaya Nobu. It wouldn’t be surprising if he were accused of instigating the destruction of evidence.
Even so, he came to this shop. He was incredibly grateful for his thoughtfulness.
“Taisho, what should we do?”
“What do you mean, ‘what should we do’?”
“Holger-san told us we should prepare to run away.”
They could run.
It wouldn’t be impossible to open a shop somewhere else.
But Nobuyuki didn’t seem to be hesitating at all.
“As long as the shop is here, we’ll keep doing it here.”
“But you might get arrested. Even if you don’t get arrested, a bad reputation might spread, and customers might stop coming.”
Nobuyuki glanced away, and Shinobu followed his gaze.
There sat the kamidana (household Shinto altar). Today’s offering was gomoku inari with sesame seeds.
Translator’s Note
Gomoku inari is a type of inarizushi, which is sushi rice stuffed in seasoned fried tofu pouches.
“If that happens, it happens. This is an izakaya. As long as there are customers, we’ll do it here. If it becomes impossible, we’ll think about what to do then.”
Shinobu nodded with the biggest smile she could muster at his words.
“Alright, let’s work hard today.”
“Yeah!”
In the old capital, where gossip-loving residents were plentiful, this incident spread in an instant.
Shinobu and Nobuyuki had expected customers to stop coming, but from that day on, the number of customers clearly increased.
Not only regulars but also people who had only shown their faces once before started coming through the noren shop curtain, making them so busy that they didn’t even have time to catch their breath.
But Gernot never once showed up at the shop.
And then, the day of destiny arrived.