Everyone in the group lit up when they shared their death stories. Apparently, they’d all drawn a line between their present lives and the past, so there was no hint of sadness, but if a stranger were to overhear their discussion, it would have been spine-chilling.
Miach looked around at the cheerful group, then cocked her head in puzzlement. She’d been wondering about something ever since she walked into the shop, but she hadn’t found the right moment to ask. “Anyhoo...what’s this table you’re all sitting at?”
Everyone was gathered around a kind of low table that she’d never seen before. They sat on some sort of rectangular mat woven from grass, and there was a thick blanket spread out underneath the top of the table. They’d taken off their shoes and stuck their legs into this blanket. She’d never even heard of such an object in her life.
Flora laughed mischievously at the saucer-eyed Miach. “You always do have a sharp eye, Miach. This, my friend...is a kotatsu!”
“A...kotatsu?”
“Just try it, and you’ll see. Sit down over here, and stick your feet in—go on.”
“Okay, if you insist...” Miach tried sliding in like everyone else. It was comfortably warm inside the blanket. She realized how the table worked immediately. “I see now. It’s a table with heating. And the blanket’s here to keep the warmth in... Is this also from your past home—Japan, was it?”
“You got it. I made it myself, you see. Here’s some satsumas for you too.”
“Thankee kindly.” Just as Flora prompted her to, Miach ate the satsuma. It was autumn outside, and today was a little chilly. She relished the snug warmth of the kotatsu wrapping around her as well as the fresh, sweet juiciness of the fruit. Just then, she sensed someone watching her closely and looked up. “Meow...? Do I have something on my face, Groh?”
Groh had been staring at her with a rather serious expression, but now he averted his eyes awkwardly. “No, it’s nothing,” he mumbled. “It’s just—you reminded me of the cat I used to live with in my past life... Ah... Tama used to love kotatsu too...” His eyes were brimming with tears.
“Aww, so you were always fond of animals,” Flora cooed, pressing a hand to her cheek. The others also looked touched by the heartwarming thought.
“A cat and a kotatsu... It’s a classic combination,” one of them said dreamily.
“That’s the spirit of Japan, isn’t it?” Flora said. “Oh Miach, would you like to have these sweets too?”
“Thanks for coming, Miach,” another member said. “You really remind us of the old days. Here, take this—it’s not much, but just a little something for your time.”
“If you like this, I still have a lot of prototype kotatsu left over, so feel free to take one with you!” Flora added.
“Ooh, yes please! I’d be grateful!” Miach beamed brightly as the group offered her more sweets and pocket money. Everyone was so kind and generous, perhaps because they were all on their second go at life. Thanks to that, Miach was a regular at their meetings even though she hadn’t been reincarnated. Most of their conversations went right over her head, but she loved their easygoing banter. She was curious what kind of stories she’d get to hear today.
The front door banged open, and a young man tumbled into the room, out of breath and shoulders heaving. He was a member of the group that Miach knew well. “B-Big news, everyone!” he shouted.
“Oh my, is something wrong?” Flora asked.
“Y-You have to come, Flora!” he urged, his face pale. He seemed to have sprinted here—his voice was raspy from the effort, but he pulled himself together to deliver the news. “You know your ramen shop three towns over?! A girl came to eat there... She took one bite and shouted something!”
“I-It can’t be...!” The whole group gulped in suspense. Heavy silence fell in the room.
After a few moments, the young man announced, “She said... ‘This tastes exactly like Tenkiippin!’”
Everyone rose in excitement. “She’s Japanese!!!” they yelled in chorus.
“I really think you should find a better benchmark for sniffing out group members...” Groh grumbled.
Miach didn’t get what was going on, so she went on pulling the thin white veins off her satsuma.
“Hey Flora, you’re a witch, aren’t you?!” Groh complained. “Don’t you have...like...a better way of luring out reincarnated people than feeding ’em ramen? You’re taking this fantasy world of swords and magic too lightly! Why don’t you use a special spell or something instead?!”
“Well, what can I do? The ramen way rakes in more money. The cost-performance ratio can’t get better than this! We found you with the ramen too, Groh. You were raving outside the shop after you ate there.”
“Anyone would start raving at that...! I mean, it was like a carbon copy of Tenkiippin’s ramen! If we weren’t in an isekai, you’d definitely get sued, you know that?!” Groh ranted, but Flora shrugged him off.
In a way, they’re a good match, Miach thought as she looked on, munching on the satsuma.
The others were psyched to hear about a potential new member.
“We’re all together anyway, so why don’t we go to meet her right now?” the young man suggested. “Apparently she’s a wandering adventurer, but she’s still staying in that town!”
“I’m down, let’s go! Wonder which era she’s from,” another member chimed in.
“Maybe we could ask her if Haunter x Haunter finished already.”
“I wanna ask how many Pokamon there are now. And whether my fave, Garchump, is at the top of the rankings for getting picked in battles...”
With the young man leading the way, the group swarmed out to the street.
“Come with us, Groh,” Flora said. “You’re looking for a reincarnation of your cat Tama, aren’t you? She could be the one!”
“Why would Tama even know what Tenka’s ramen tastes like...” Groh scowled, but he still let himself be dragged away by Flora. He nodded at Miach. “Sorry, delivery girl... Can you keep an eye on the shop for her?”
“I’ll add a special bonus!” Flora added. “Jill should be here for his shift any minute, so it’ll just be for a little while! Pretty please?”
“’Course, happy to help. Have fun!” Miach said, seeing them off with a wave. She closed the door behind them with a quiet thump. Left all alone in the shop, Miach heaved a heavy sigh. “Ah, what a nice thing to have... Pals from your hometown.”