21st Century Necromancer-Chapter 718 - 714 Topics in the Restaurant (Please Subscribe, Request for Monthly Tickets)
718: Chapter 714: Topics in the Restaurant (Please Subscribe, Request for Monthly Tickets)
718: Chapter 714: Topics in the Restaurant (Please Subscribe, Request for Monthly Tickets)
Chen Yu had made a reservation for the evening at a newly opened restaurant which follows the latest trend in Japan, adopting a rich American style.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, Chen Yu had already booked a table, so the group of three was quickly led to their seats.
Looking at the menu brought over by the server, Inomata Naoki asked Chen Yu, “Brother Yu, shall we start ordering now?
Isn’t Hiromi still not here, shouldn’t we wait for her?”
“Hiromi just messaged me that she’s stuck in traffic and running a bit late, she told us not to wait,” Chen Yu explained to Inomata Naoki while browsing the menu and continued, “Let’s order first, we can start eating and wait for her.
We can order for her when she arrives.”
After hearing what Chen Yu said, Inomata Naoki let go of his concerns, took the menu, and, looking at the dishes, asked Tokairin Yūko who was sitting beside him, “Tokairin, is there something you’d like to eat?”
“The curry treasure crab looks quite good, I’d like to try it,” Tokairin Yūko said somewhat demurely after examining the menu, selecting a dish she was interested in.
Seeing Tokairin Yūko order crab, Chen Yu and Inomata Naoki, after some discussion, ordered a large serving of curry lobster and squid.
The specialty of the restaurant was various seafood in curry flavors, and most uniquely, the restaurant didn’t use plates or bowls to serve their food.
Instead, it was poured directly onto the table, allowing customers to eat with their hands.
Following their order, the server laid out a clean disposable tablecloth on the table and handed each of them disposable gloves.
With their gloves on, the food they ordered was soon brought to their table.
Watching the server dump a big bag of steaming hot food on the table and then eating it directly with their hands, the uninhibited way of dining made their appetites surge.
Reaching out for a piece of squid, dipping it into the yellow curry sauce scattered on the table, and putting it straight into his mouth, the rich flavor of curry mingling with the freshness of the seafood burst like a delicious bomb in his mouth, instantly awakening Chen Yu’s appetite.
“The taste is really good!” he praised, with pieces of squid still in his mouth, Chen Yu’s hand was already reaching for a piece of lobster.
Because the treasure crab was ordered only by Tokairin Yūko, Chen Yu and Inomata Naoki tacitly refrained from taking any of it, focusing instead on the lobster and squid.
While eating, Chen Yu also started asking Inomata Naoki about his and Tokairin Yūko’s morning activities, “Naoki, which booths did you and Doctor Tokairin visit this morning?
I didn’t see you buy anything.
I remember when you used to come to the anime expo, you’d at least carry a big bag of merchandises and sellers back home.”
“That was all a few years back.
Ever since being diagnosed with cancer, I’ve been out of the Otaku lifestyle for a long time,” Inomata Naoki stated, his face showing a mix of embarrassment and relief at the memory.
Back then, Inomata Naoki was incredibly passionate about the two-dimensional world.
Although he couldn’t be considered an extreme otaku, he would never miss out on any collectibles, manga, or new games.
If there was an expo in Tokyo over the weekend, he would definitely go with glee, then spend all his hard-earned pocket money on it.
But when he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, he was completely knocked down.
All his thoughts were consumed by how to treat the illness and survive.
His passion for his past hobbies naturally faded until he finally abandoned them.
Looking back now, Inomata Naoki couldn’t help but feel a bit ashamed of his former “chuunibyou” tendencies.
Though Japan is the birthplace of two-dimensional culture, being an otaku is not viewed positively there.
Otaku are considered a somewhat negative social group in Japan. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
“I actually think it’s not too bad.
Liking those things isn’t wrong.
It’s just that otaku aren’t very good at communicating, right?” Tokairin Yuko spoke while biting into a crab claw, sucking on its juice and sharing her opinion: “I once handled a case where the police’s suspect was an otaku.
He was considered a suspect precisely because he wasn’t good at communicating.”
“I disagree on that.
The communication issue otaku have is limited to when dealing with non-otaku because they don’t share common topics of interest,” Chen Yu had a different view: “What ordinary people call otaku, to a large extent, are actually more like hikikomori.”
“Hikikomori are those who have suffered psychological trauma and, as a result, resist engagement with society, right?” Inomata Naoki, who had returned to his hometown in Kumamoto to manage a farm, was still able to keep up with the topic: “When you think about it, there are actually quite a few of them in Japan.
They are indeed similar to otaku in a certain sense.”
Bringing up this subject immediately cast a somber mood over the dinner table.
Due to their work, both Chen Yu and Tokairin Yuko had encountered such groups.
Many of them suffered psychological injuries as children or during their work and life, causing them to fear facing society again, or even to refuse to step out of their homes, leading to self-imposed isolation.
Although Japanese society has begun to pay more attention to this group in recent years, it still remains a serious issue.
For the Japanese, conformity is an important social behavior.
If you stand out from the crowd, you can easily be ostracized, become isolated, be labeled an outlier, or even experience what is known as ‘social death.’
Discussing such a serious matter naturally affected the three people’s appetites, so much so that when Jounouchi Hiromi arrived late, there was still plenty of food left on the table.
“Sorry, I’m late!” Jounouchi Hiromi sat down next to Chen Yu.
Seeing the table still full of untouched food, she couldn’t help but say to Chen Yu, “Didn’t I tell my husband not to wait for me?
What, couldn’t you guys let loose without me?”
“No, we were just discussing a rather heavy topic, and we got so caught up in conversation that we forgot to eat,” Chen Yu explained to his wife, while also handing her a pair of clean disposable gloves: “The curry here tastes good.
Do you want to add anything else to your order, honey?
I’ll have the waiter bring over the menu.”
As he spoke, Chen Yu raised his hand to signal and beckoned the waiter over.
Jounouchi Hiromi, aware of Chen Yu’s relationship with Inomata Naoki, was accustomed to his casual demeanor.
After glancing at the menu, she ordered another curry crab and a lobster, then began to eat.
But while eating, Jounouchi Hiromi was also curious about the topic they had been discussing: “What were you guys talking about just now, honey?”
“We were talking about the topic of otaku and hikikomori.
I remember you had patients similar to hikikomori before, right, honey?” Chen Yu looked at Jounouchi Hiromi and started to explain.
