I am practicing in Tokyo

Chapter 103 My favorite shop didn’t survive the summer

"Guest, your order is ready."

Noto Kiko took the bowl and placed it in front of Yuuki Karang's table who was still immersed in her personal world.

"Oh, thank you."

Yuki Herang came to his senses and stopped twirling his fingers. Fujii, who only showed his face, had already gone back to the kitchen.

He was a drunkard who didn't care about wine. He didn't like oden at first, but after smelling the tangy aroma, he hesitated and took a bite.

Delicious! It feels crispy and smooth in the mouth. How is it made?

I didn't expect that this humble little shop would have such delicious food, comparable to the signature dishes of some old shops with a long history.

He finished the food in a hurry and turned around to pay the bill. The price was less than a thousand yen. For such delicious food, it was really worth it.

"See you next time, guest."

Noto Kiko said hello out of habit, and Yuki Herang moved away. He wanted to say something, but had no way of saying it, so he had to leave for the time being.

"Ah? Did you and Noto look alike when they were young?"

Several old ladies who were shopping together pointed to Noto Kiko behind the counter in surprise and shouted.

"I am her niece Noto Miko. I do look more like her."

These people are her regular customers, Noto Kiko explained patiently.

"I really envy Noto Kiko! My nieces are so beautiful. If she had chosen to get married when she was young, she would have chosen a rich or handsome man at will."

"Who told her to have such high vision? She will be single when she gets old. What's the use of having opened a store for almost 40 years?"

"Keep your voices down, my niece is still here."

These old ladies, gossiping all over the place, packed up the oden they bought and walked away talking non-stop.

Noto Kiko recalled the time when she worked for several years after graduating from Keio University.

——

At that time, she was twenty-eight years old, her family had forced her to get married several times, and she was working as the department head of a big club.

Kiko Noto, who graduated from a prestigious university and had senior executives from the same school in her club, and whose appearance and figure made her a top choice, was active in the mid-1970s, on the eve of the bubble era.

At that time, the economy of the island country was developing rapidly, and the status of women was also improving. She was born in Keio University and had good abilities and background, so she climbed to the position of department head. It took her six years. I heard that if she graduated from Tokyo University

It is not strange for students to become ministers.

"Miss Kiko, do you want to join the party after get off work? You haven't been here for a long time?"

Colleagues around her reminded her to pay attention to maintaining basic social activities. Unlike her maverick days in high school and college, the society of the island country molded everyone into a uniform standard, without individuality, and obeyed the public, just like a hollow body.

The body is a member of this large and sophisticated society.

"Really? Then I will definitely go there after get off work in the evening."

Noto Kiko pretended to be surprised and agreed. The partners of the association were not limited to the same club. There were often so-called rich men with well-off conditions appearing at the association activities. However, she did not look down on these social elites. She wanted to

She is someone who can make her heart beat. She doesn't care about her status or income.

After get off work, colleagues who took taxis came to the pub they agreed with each other. Islanders often gather together to drink after get off work, forming a unique and special drinking culture.

"This is Daisuke Moriyu, the section chief of the Financing Department of Chiba Bank, and a top student at Nagoya University."

"Masao Doi, deputy section chief of the sales department of Chiba Bank, graduated from Imperial University."

"Yuta Tomihara, technical section chief of Honda Automotive Power Department, a top student at Tokyo Institute of Technology."

The female colleague next to me introduced the names and backgrounds of the three associates who were already kneeling on the tatami one by one. They were all young, and they were all chiefs and deputy section chiefs of important departments of the association under the age of thirty. They were considered young in this country.

A promising stock.

"I have long heard that there is a single beauty in your club. When I saw her today, she was even more beautiful than I imagined. I am glad to meet her."

Daisuke Moriyoshi in a black suit bowed politely and stretched out his hands, with a confident smile on his face. As far as the three men sitting here are concerned, he has an eight-point appearance and the highest annuity income, which means he has the best conditions.

Yes.

Noto Kiko quickly shook hands with him, and sat down with her hands apart. She and her two female colleagues were on one side, and the three men were on the other side, symmetrical to each other like a blind date.

Her two female colleagues could be considered beauties even after putting on makeup, but the three men opposite her all unanimously set their sights on Noto Kiko.

An elegant figure, a perfect face, a face with light make-up, a simple ponytail tied up in a knot, and a raised arc that attracts the mind. This is a great beauty that cannot be measured by scores. In the Warring States Period, she would definitely be

There were successive samurai ronin who were willing to sacrifice their lives for her and worship her as a princess.

"Miss Noto, what are your usual hobbies?"

Tomihara Yuta, who looked like an honest technical geek, quietly launched his offensive, "I do like music and movies, specifically jazz and musicals."

"I prefer watching TV. I lie down in front of the kotatsu table at home after work every day, put my feet in to keep warm, drink all kinds of wine and peel tangerines like an idiot, and listen to the sound of rain, wind and thunder outside.

The lightning flashes and the swaying of the dolls in the wind under the eaves on a sunny day are my favorite."

Of course, you cannot express your inner monologue, otherwise you will be considered unmotivated, unsociable, and become the target of ridicule in private.

"Sports, baseball or something."

Thinking of the past a few years ago, Kazuya Suhara's blurry figure on the small color TV screen, throwing down his baseball bat and kneeling in frustration, was like an old photo album that had been opened, and the memories came to my heart with warmth.

"I also like baseball. The best pitcher last year was Kazuya Suhara. The news reported that he married a second-rate female idol this year. It seems that famous professional baseball players like to marry female celebrities."

Masao Doi, who was on the edge, revealed the information he had learned, and finally his intention was revealed.

"I admire a capable and independent woman like Ms. Noto even more. Even if she gets married, she doesn't need to change her husband's surname to become a housewife. She can have her own career."

This guy! I can’t tell, he really knows how to lick!

The other two men looked sideways at Masao Doi in the same row. If his appearance was not good enough, he should start with family treatment, right?

Such a great beauty, I will follow you!

Daisuke Moriyu turned around and glanced at Kiko Noto, whose soul was out of body and lost in memories. He made up his mind and continued.

"My attitude is the same. Independent women in the new era have a special kind of beauty."

"Me too, the traditional old customs are no longer suitable for the current environment."

Technical geek Tomihara Yuta also added that the three men looked at each other coldly for the prey they were looking for, and the atmosphere became tense for a while.

"Sorry, I'm a little tired, so I'll take my leave now."

Noto Kiko's memories were broken. The news about Suhara Kazuya's marriage made her inexplicably disappointed. She suddenly stood up and said goodbye rudely.

"It's because of you that you scared Miss Kiko away by talking about marriage."

"Didn't you say that your eyes are almost bulging out? Can't you be more reserved?"

"Asshole, I want to teach you a lesson."

Behind the closed door, there was the sound of men arguing and fighting, but Noto Kiko didn't care about it.

She stopped a taxi on the side of the road with a brand new 10,000 yen bill. The young couple, who had obviously greeted her first, watched angrily as she got into the back seat and raised her friendly middle finger.

"It's rare to see such a generous guest like you! Where are you going?"

The driver accepted the money, she smiled bitterly and replied.

"Perhaps in a few years, the roadside will be full of customers waiting for the bus with large bills. Our country is developing very fast."

Looking sideways at the bustling lights outside the car window, she chose a place that was not developing fast. There was her favorite oden shop in the commercial street where she often went when she was in high school.

In the commercial street at midnight, all the shops were closed. Noto Kiko took off her high heels and walked barefoot to the small oden shop.

"Poor management, store transfer."

She raised her head and murmured the notice on the rolling door. It turned out that this place had also been abandoned by the times and could not survive this summer.

Squatting down and looking up at the deep sky, there are fewer and fewer stars. The fast-paced modern life and the accompanying thick industrial smoke obscure them.

"I originally planned to get married at the age of thirty, but I didn't expect that I would get ahead of myself because I was a youthful and passionate sports idiot."

She complained, looked at the store's transfer contact number, stood up and made up her mind.

"Put down this store, sister, I want to lie down."

In this way, nearly forty years passed, and the 28-year-old Noto Kiko became the 63-year-old Noto mother-in-law.

(End of chapter)