Wen Akagi, a student VTuber who loves travel and cooking as if they were the same thing, casually asks his viewers during a late-night stream what the ideal travel partner would be. The chat floods with jokes. But the next morning, a DM arrives from Mikoto, a flashy gyaru streamer at his school. She claims she seriously wants to learn to cook and travel with him. Wen, suspicious, agrees to meet at a local market. Instead of one guest, however, Haruto, Mikoto's childhood friend who is hopelessly
A Second Toast to an Unfinished Journey - A disciple from the mountains, forcibly taken to the sea.
The late-morning light filtered softly through the arcade of Asahi Shopping Street. Ice was beginning to melt at the fishmonger's, and the smell of freshly fried croquettes drifted from the butcher shop. Akagi Wen stood at the market entrance, idly rolling the wooden spoon pendant around his neck between his fingers as he gazed absently at the people passing by.
(*Shiohama, huh.*)
That anonymous DM that had arrived at Milvue that night. *"An old diner in Shiohama is up for sale, land and all. You should visit once, before that town's dashi is lost."*
The sender was unknown. A freshly created account with zero followers and zero posts. And yet, the town name it mentioned matched perfectly with what Mikoto had spoken of at the dinner table.
"Wen, sorry to keep you waiting!"
A bright voice flew toward him. He turned to see Mimori Mikoto trotting over, her fluffy gyaru-style curled hair bouncing. A white miniskirt, a pale blue cardigan. The star-shaped hairpin on her left ear caught the light and sparkled.
"Yeah, I just got here too."
"I've heard that one before. You were totally waiting, weren't you."
Mikoto grinned, showing her right fang, and peered up at Wen's face from below. Her large hazel eyes were especially sparkly today.
"Huh? How could you tell?"
"Wen, you touch your pendant when you lie. You've been touching it this whole time."
Wen hastily pulled his fingers away. So he had a habit like that. Mikoto giggled.
"Hey, you were meeting Mikoto alone again, weren't you."
A low voice stabbed at him from behind. He turned to see Sanada Haruto standing there with deep wrinkles between his brows. Short-cropped black hair, slightly upturned monolid eyes. Today he wore a black hoodie and jeans, with a convenience store bag in his hand.
"Haruto-kun, good morning. It wasn't just the two of us—we had plans for three, remember."
"So what! Did you have to start chatting before I got here!? You should've waited for me!"
"Haru, you showed up late and you're the one getting mad?"
"But... I overslept... and when I messaged Mikoto, she said she was already here..."
Haruto's voice was rapidly turning tearful. Mikoto shrugged in exasperation, and Wen gave a wry smile.
"Okay, okay. We're all here now, so let's talk while we walk."
The three of them began walking slowly through the arcade. Morning-picked tomatoes were lined up at the greengrocer's storefront, and the fishmonger was calling out in a booming voice.
"So, about Shiohama."
Wen lowered his voice slightly.
"I looked into it, but there's barely any info online. It's a small town of about three thousand people. There's a fishing port, and a few guesthouses. It doesn't seem like a tourist destination."
"A seaside town would be perfect for streaming! The sunset, the fishing port—totally photogenic! I've never done a stream by the ocean, so I'm excited!"
Mikoto clasped her hands in front of her chest and bounced.
"Hey, Wen. You're not planning to go alone with Mikoto, are you."
Haruto glared at Wen with sharp eyes.
"Huh? No, Haruto-kun, you're coming too, right? You said you'd go the other day."
"Obviously! If I don't go, you and Mikoto would be alone together! I'd never allow that!"
Haruto's voice cracked. His eyes grew watery, and the tip of his nose turned red.
"Haru, how much of a worrywart are you? It's not like Wen's going to do anything to me."
"You don't know that! This guy might be the type who seduces women with his cooking!"
"Seducing women with cooking? What's that supposed to mean?"
Wen nearly burst out laughing. Haruto seemed genuinely worried.
(*Shiohama, huh...*)
Even as he laughed, the eeriness of that DM clung to the back of Wen's mind.
*"Before that town's dashi is lost."*
Why would the word "dashi" even come up? It was written like someone who knew Wen's streams well.
The three of them had just reached the middle of the market when it happened.
"—You're Akagi Wen-sensei, correct?"
A quiet yet clear voice stopped all three of them in their tracks.
The speaker was standing right in front of them, as if she'd appeared out of nowhere.
A girl with a large backpack. Her long, near-black dark brown hair was tied high in a ponytail. A smooth forehead. Her large, slightly drooping eyes were mostly dark pupils, making her emotions hard to read. A small knife roll hung at her waist.
"Huh... um, who are you?"
"Forgive my late introduction. My name is Kirishima Rena. I came from deep in the mountains, after watching all of your streams."
Rena bowed deeply. Her ponytail swayed softly.
"All of them...?"
"Yes. The casual streams starting with your toast time, the cooking videos from your travels, the explanations of how to make dashi. I've watched everything."
Rena raised her head and stared directly at Wen. Deep in her eyes, something like a quiet flame flickered.
"Wait a second! Who are you!? Showing up out of nowhere—what do you want with Wen!?"
Mikoto stepped forward, placing herself in front of Wen.
"I am the one who should become Wen-sensei's travel companion."
Rena stated it flatly.
"Hah!? What are you talking about!? Wen's companion is me!"
"You're Mimori Mikoto-san, correct? I've seen you on stream. You focus on game commentary and casual chat, and you've said yourself that your cooking is catastrophic."
"Wha—! You've been watching my streams too!?"
"As a streamer connected to Wen-sensei, I reviewed your content thoroughly."
Rena glanced at Mikoto, then tilted her head slightly.
"I believe the one fit to stand beside Wen-sensei is a woman who can properly make dashi."
At those words, Mikoto's temple twitched.
"I can make dashi too! I've used dashi packs from the convenience store before!"
"Dashi packs are not dashi."
Rena's voice dropped in temperature.
"Huh...?"
"Those are dashi-flavored seasonings. True dashi is only made by drawing out umami from kombu and katsuobushi over time."
Rena took a step closer to Mikoto.
"Those who lack the fundamentals are second-rate. You have no right to stand beside Wen-sensei."
"Wh—... s-second-rate...!"
Mikoto's large eyes were rapidly filling with tears. Her lips trembled, and her manicured fingers clenched into fists.
"Hey, you! How dare you say that to Mikoto!"
Haruto stepped in front of Rena. His brows were raised, his voice cracking.
"And who are you?"
"I'm Sanada Haruto! Mikoto's childhood friend!"
"I see. Then you are also unnecessary for Wen-sensei's journey."
"Why!?"
"Because you cannot make dashi, and you appear to have no useful skills for travel."
"Ugh...! I-I have the important job of protecting Mikoto...!"
"You would only be in the way."
Rena cut him down without hesitation.
"What did you say...!"
Haruto's face turned bright red, tears welling in his eyes. Mikoto was glaring at Rena just as fiercely. The air between the three of them grew tense, ready to explode.
"W-wait a second! Everyone, calm down, okay?"
Wen hurriedly stepped between them. But Rena casually reached for the knife roll at her waist.
"There's no problem. I'm just going to check my senses."
Rena pulled a single knife from the roll.
A well-maintained Japanese kitchen knife with a blade about twenty centimeters long. The silver edge reflected the light filtering into the arcade, gleaming sharply.
"Whoa whoa whoa! What are you doing!?"
Haruto let out a scream-like shout.
"I've confirmed there's no danger to the surroundings. I do practice swings every day to keep my sense for distinguishing dashi aromas from dulling."
Rena said this matter-of-factly, then brought the knife to a centered stance.
"Hup."
The blade sliced through the air.
"Hah."
Another swing.
"Eeek! S-stop! Are you trying to cut someone!?"
Haruto went pale and stumbled backward.
"Haru, why are you running away! It's just practice swings!"
Mikoto laughed as she grabbed the hem of Haruto's hoodie.
"But she's holding a blade! That's dangerous!"
"It's fine! She's checking her surroundings before she swings!"
"Mikoto, let go! I'm seriously scared!"
Haruto thrashed about. Mikoto lost her balance.
"Kyaa!"
The two of them tumbled over together, and the momentum sent them crashing into a stack of containers at the nearby greengrocer's storefront.
CRASH!!
With a loud noise, the empty containers toppled over. Newspapers and plastic bags inside scattered everywhere, and passing housewives shrieked.
"Heyyyyy!! What do you think you're doing!!"
A small old man in a white apron burst out from the back of the greengrocer's. His hair was thinning, his face sunburned bright red. This was Marushima Toshio, the owner of Marushima Greengrocer.
"What have you done to my containers! Are the vegetables okay! Ah, this daikon is damaged!"
Toshio righted the fallen containers while ranting furiously.
"W-we're sorry! It's our fault!"
Haruto apologized with tearful eyes, still sitting on the ground. Mikoto had shrunk down beside him.
"Um, sir, are the vegetables in your shop okay...?"
Wen rushed over and began picking up the scattered vegetables.
"Of course they're not okay! This daikon is broken! I can't sell it now!"
"I'll buy that daikon. And all the other damaged vegetables too."
"Huh...? What are you saying?"
"It'd be a waste to throw them away. Even a broken daikon is plenty delicious if you simmer it."
Wen smiled. Toshio stared at Wen's face with a dumbfounded expression.
"You... you cook?"
"Yes, I cook on my streams. My name is Akagi Wen. Your vegetables are always fresh—I use them often in my videos."
"Ohh...! You're Wen-kun! My grandkid was making a fuss about our shop appearing on your stream!"
Toshio's expression shifted from anger to delight in an instant.
"Is that so? Thank you."
"I see, I see! Those tomatoes from back then—were they good?"
"They were incredibly sweet. That got a huge reaction on stream."
The two had just begun chatting amicably when it happened.
"Heyyyyy!! What's all this racket!?"
A thunderous shout echoed through the entire arcade.
Everyone flinched.
The voice belonged to an older woman carrying shopping bags. Her graying hair was tied neatly back, and she wore a navy kimono with a yellow apron. Her posture was perfectly straight, her gaze sharp.
"Ah... you're..."
Toshio's voice shrank.
"Marushima-san, you're at fault too. What are you causing a commotion in front of your shop for? You're blocking the walkway."
"No, this isn't my fault..."
Toshio stammered. Apparently, he couldn't stand up to this woman.
"You lot. Sit in seiza, right there."
Fumi pointed at the four of them in turn.
"Huh...?"
"Don't 'huh' me. You caused a scene in the middle of the market, damaged a shop's property, and on top of that, swung a knife around. Sit properly and let me hear what happened."
"Um, I was the one who swung the knife. These people have nothing to do with it."
Rena spoke up quietly.
"You sit too. All of you, line up over there."
Overwhelmed by Fumi's commanding presence, the four of them lined up at the edge of the arcade and sat in seiza. Passing shoppers watched from a distance, wondering what was going on.
"Um, I'm sorry. Our conversation just got a little complicated..."
Wen bowed apologetically.
"So, what happened? Explain in order."
Fumi crossed her arms and looked down at the four of them.
"I asserted that I was the one fit to be Wen-sensei's travel companion. That woman objected, and her male companion snapped at me."
Rena explained flatly.
"I didn't snap! I was just protecting Mikoto!"
"I'm Wen's companion! You're the one who's wrong for barging in!"
"You say that, even though you can't even make dashi."
"Dashi dashi dashi, shut up about dashi! Does making dashi automatically make you his companion!?"
"It's the minimum requirement."
"What is that! That makes no sense!"
"Hey, Wen! Say something!"
Haruto looked to Wen for help with tearful eyes.
"Huh, me...?"
Still sitting in seiza, Wen looked at the three of them in turn.
(*How did it come to this?*)
He'd only been looking for a tra
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