Yoron Island Hostess Diary (15) Kuma-chan
This is a crisis. I wondered what I would do all by myself if customers came... but before I could even finish that thought, there was a noisy commotion and two people walked in. Seeing the face of one of them, I felt relieved and let out a cry. "Pipe!" "Sato-chan!" we exclaimed, hugging each other. When I said, "I'm not sure if I can even run the place like this right now," Pipe replied reliably, "It's fine, it happens all the time." Hmm? Does it really happen all the time?
Pipe and her friend, Mr. Hayashida, efficiently got the girls to drink some water. Then, they took beers out of the fridge themselves and started drinking quietly in a corner seat. Eventually, Manu, who for some reason always arrives late, came in for her shift, and they predicted, "Uh oh, she's going to get scolded by Madam," which is exactly what happened. Madam appeared sluggishly and shouted, "Who did this!" Then, the middle-aged man next to me who looked like a fur seal confessed, "Sorry, it was me." "Oh my, it was Kuma-chan? Well, then I suppose it can't be helped," Madam said, giving up. Kuma-chan is apparently a very wealthy man who travels from island to island on a cruiser. His body is so sturdy that he can't get drunk just by drinking at night. That's why he had summoned the Rafflesia members to the beach for a barbecue party.
Kuma-chan's boat is stocked with world-class liquor and high-end ingredients. Of course, everyone goes. The problem is that Kuma-chan is too strong, and everyone gets wiped out one after another. Still, the rule that you get 1 million yen if you can beat Kuma-chan is too tempting. Everyone tries to strike it rich, only to end up defeated.
"Kuma-chan has the place to himself today. You're paying for the daytime shift too!" Madam told him, and Kuma-chan agreed, saying, "Can't be helped, I guess." "Um... we're here too," Pipe said, raising her hand timidly. When Madam went over to their table and said, "Ashie, Pipe! When did you get here?" she resisted, saying, "Forget it! I'm drinking with Sato-chan!" But in the end, she was crushed by Madam in a bear hug and had to drink while looking miserable. Madam is also from Okinoerabu, and apparently, the two of them were classmates. Thanks to Kuma-chan, it was quiet that day, and we closed early. Pipe took me to a goat restaurant for after-hours. We're going to eat it...? I remembered the goat at Manu's house. It was white and cute, but the fact that its pupils were horizontal bothered me. I wonder if it's a foul if you faint.
The goat soup had a pretty intense smell, but the goat sashimi was delicious. My face started to feel shiny, and I felt a surge of useless energy. When I woke up the next morning and smelled my pillow, it smelled like a wild beast.
Pipe said she would take me on her boat, so we went to the fishing port. When I went to where Pipe and Mr. Hayashida were calling, "Sato-chan!" there was a weathered fishing boat with "Pipe Cut II" written on it. Wait? Didn't you say it was a cruiser?
Before I could ask, I was ushered on board. The fishing boat bravely headed out beyond the reef. From emerald green to deep indigo. The color of the sea changed dizzyingly. "It's fast, isn't it? If you're not careful, you'll end up in China in no time." That wouldn't be good. "I get so absorbed in the fish finder. Once we start chasing a school of shibi, we can't stop," Mr. Hayashida said. Pipe is a fisher, and Mr. Hayashida is a fishmonger. They sometimes go through the fishery cooperative, but they also sell directly to restaurants. When we pulled up the first net, it was full of shibi. Shibi are young tuna, but they were quite large and thrashed about, slapping the deck. Pipe cleaned one for us right away, and it was delicious. Still, the soy sauce is sweet. It was sweet at Manu's house too, but I was so hungry I didn't notice. When I asked Pipe, she said that from Kyushu to Okinawa, both soy sauce and miso are sweet. I didn't know that. Japan is still so vast.
(To be continued)
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