- VOL 1 – THOSE UNITED BY THE FATE -
Chapter 1: A New Journey! (2/10)
----------------------------------------------------
He chose one of the food stalls at random and stood in line like everyone else.
‘There are quite a lot of people. New ones keep arriving. It must be a really big celebration.’
His line was not that long. Even though a lot of people were coming here, there were plenty of stalls handing out food. There was also no long process. The workers took soup from big pots and put it in bowls. They gave out a piece of bread with it.
That was all the food handed out, but Shin had no complaints about it. In fact, he was surprised that so many people were being given free food.
When it was about to be his turn, the person working at the counter in front of him suddenly raised his voice. Shin poked his head out from the side of the line to see what was going on.
''Yumi-saaaan!!!''
The person pouring soup at the counter had called out excitedly to the woman whose turn it was. Shin noticed this and turned his focus to her.
The woman, whose name he assumed to be Yumi, had well-organized blonde hair. Thanks to her neatly arranged hair, her face was quite prominent. Looking at her from behind, Shin could see her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Minato-kun! Don't shout in the crowd!"
The woman angrily called out to the young man at the counter. Even though she had lowered her voice considerably, Shin was right behind her so he could hear what she was saying.
The young man at the stall whom the woman called Minato continued to speak excitedly.
''You came here to see me? If I had known you missed me so much, I would have come running to you!”
The young man spoke in a very casual manner as if nothing unusual was going on. He had a shameless expression on his face and his lips were curled upwards in happiness. You could tell that he was very joyful to see this woman.
''I just came to see how the celebration was going. I also wanted to check on the food distribution. I didn't know you worked here.''
As she said this, the slight blush disappeared from her face. It was replaced by a simple and somewhat serious expression. She was as calm as if she had just heard nothing.
''I think you're forgetting the line behind us. I guess you are not a proper employee. Hmm, I might have to report this to the guild.''
The young man at the counter ignored the threat and continued to speak as shamelessly as before.
''Ay ay ay ay. Is Yumi-san so happy to see me? You have no reason to hide your happiness. You don't have to be so embarrassed because we're in a crowd. You can say you love me in front of everyone.''
Shin was bored with the conversation in front of him. In fact, it hadn't even been a few minutes since the conversation had started, but since the line had been moving fast before that, it was too much for him to wait this long for the last person. As he huffed and puffed, wishing the lovers in front of him would stop bickering, he suddenly witnessed something he hadn't expected.
The lovely woman in front of him had approached the counter and punched the young man in the head in a way he could not have imagined. Then she raised her voice and began to speak angrily.
''It seems that even threats won't fix you! Put this soup on and don't talk so much! I don't want to stand in another line after waiting in this one.”
The young man at the counter rubbed his head and had a pained expression on his face. Although he was not shedding tears, he seemed to be crying inside. Looking at the woman with a sad face, he took soup from the pot next to him and poured it into a bowl. Then he took out a piece of bread and gave it to her with the soup.
''You didn't have to be so harsh...''
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
He looked very disappointed. She ignored him and started moving towards the tables as he expressed his pain in a sad voice.
''Don't worry Yumi-san! I know you're acting like this because you feel unworthy of me! But contrary to what you think, you are an angel! You don't need to hide your love for me, I accept you!”
The young man at the counter was still talking as if they were alone, not caring about anyone else around. He also shouted these words behind her back when she came out of the line. The woman kept walking as if she didn't hear anything.
A few seconds later, when she merged into the crowd, the young man at the counter had a very cold expression on his face. As if nothing had just happened, he turned around and looked at the next person in line. This person was none other than Shin.
The young man turned around to take soup from the cauldron and went about his business without any reaction. Shin was quite surprised by this sudden change in the young man. As a result of his surprise, he involuntarily spoke out loud the thoughts in his mind.
''I think Minato-kun has been completely rejected.''
Even though he said it out loud without realizing it, the way he said it was exactly as he had pictured it in his mind. He spoke as if he was mocking the situation of the young man in front of him. A small grin appeared on his face and he laughed quietly.
''Tsch''
The young man in front of him clicked his tongue and grimaced when he heard him.
''Here's your soup!''
Seeing the young man's face grow angry and wrinkled, Shin knew he had blurted out what was on his mind. He had been alone in the forests for a while, so he was used to speaking aloud.
''Thank you.''
Still, he ignored the young man's anger and simply thanked him and took the bowl of soup that was handed to him.
But he did not leave the line and started walking towards the tables. Because he was still expecting something from the young man. Frowning, he asked the young man suspiciously.
''No bread?''
The young man at the counter grinned when he heard the boy's question. Although he had a smile on his face, he started to speak as if he was very sad.
''I'm afraid we're out of bread. More will be here soon, but I'm afraid we won't be able to give it to you.''
Shin knew very well that these words were a lie. Because there was plenty of bread in the boxes right behind the young man. However, this young man had obviously heard Shin's words about him and wanted to give him a little punishment.
Moreover, as their conversation progressed, he realized that Shin was quite young and a boy on a new adventure. If it had been someone else in front of him, he probably wouldn't have tried such a thing. However, he was annoyed with this young boy and thought it would do him no harm if he didn't give him bread.
''Hmm... Actually, there's a lot of bread in the boxes right behind you, but whatever. I'd better go to Yumi-nee before my soup gets cold.''
Shin had a very natural expression when he said that. Anyone who saw him in this state would surely believe him without questioning him. However, the young man at the counter was a little suspicious of the boy. He knew the woman from earlier quite well and couldn't remember that she had a younger brother.
‘Nah, she would have made small talk at some point. Besides, this brat was right behind Yumi-san. If he was her brother, Yumi-san would definitely have noticed him. I don't know why, but this brat is trying to trick me!’
While the young man at the counter was thinking this, Shin turned around and looked toward the tables. Then he muttered to himself with a sigh.
''Hahh... If you're out of bread, there's nothing to be done. I didn't come all this way for a bowl of soup anyway. I wonder how my sister will react when I surprise her!"
He had a look on his face that showed he didn't care that he couldn't get any bread. Even though he seemed to be a little upset, he didn't seem to mind too much because he was about to surprise his sister. But the young man at the stall was apparently not fooled by this fake fact.
''Nice trick, but a master like me doesn't fall for such schemes.''
He spoke these words very confidently and calmly, then folded his arms across his chest. Shin did not care that the young man did not believe him. He seemed to have accepted the situation and felt that there was nothing more he could do, so he turned around and started moving forward.
When the next person behind him took his turn to get soup, he looked back at the counter for the one last time. The young man at the counter still had his eyes on him. Seeing this, Shin's face briefly broke into a grin.
‘He seems to have taken the bait. He just needs to swallow it.’
He said his last words, looking into the young man's eyes. His voice was cold and there was a hint of grudge in it.
''Maybe I could have helped you win my sister's heart, but I wouldn't let such an inconsiderate person anywhere near my sister.''
Then he stuck out his tongue to the man and headed towards the tables where the woman named Yumi had just gone.
''Gulp''
The young man at the counter gulped as he looked at the boy's back. Ignoring the person in the line in front of him who was waiting for him, he shouted towards the boy who was walking away.
''My brother! Come here, I forgot to give you bread!
As the young man at the counter called after the boy in a rather innocent and smiling manner, Shin, who was heading towards the crowded tables, grinned devilishly at what he had just heard.