Chapter 47

Each table had only one person sitting at it.

All of them seemed to be solo guests.

And, without exception, they were all in cosplay.

‘Is this a place where even the guests have to cosplay? I didn’t hear anything about that from the counter staff.’

After sitting down at an empty seat,

I observed the guests more closely.

First, the woman sitting at the table to my right.

She was wearing plate armor that looked like it belonged in the medieval era.

Her helmet was off and placed on the table.

‘The scar on her face doesn’t look like makeup. It seems real.’

Shifting my gaze, I slowly examined the other guests.

Someone dressed modestly,

but with a reptilian tail attached to their buttocks.

A person who looked like a nine-tailed fox, swishing nine fox tails around.

Someone not wearing clothes, just covering their important parts with leaves.

‘···I’m gonna have to report that guy later.’

Next,

a chubby kid with a beard messily glued to his face.

A person whose entire body was dyed blue, as if they’d done special makeup.

Someone wearing a dog-shaped mask.

A person with abnormally long and pointy ears.

Even someone with wings sprouting from their back.

Somehow, there wasn’t a single normal person here.

‘But upon closer inspection, it doesn’t seem like cosplay···.’

Something felt off.

Cosplay usually gives off a sense of artificiality.

No matter how much effort you put into the quality, there’s always an exception.

But here, I didn’t feel any of that artificiality from the guests.

Wings. Tails. Beards. Skin. Everything.

It all looked like a natural part of their bodies.

‘What the hell···? Is it like the Defense Team said? Are people from different worlds really gathering here?’

Suddenly, I remembered the Defense Team’s chat.

They said that the Drifting Restaurant is visited by people from other worlds.

‘···This is a bit overwhelming.’

It’s not like I doubted the Defense Team’s chat.

I’ve already accepted the existence of other worlds.

After all, the parallel world I lived in is technically another world too.

But that doesn’t mean I took everything the Defense Team said at face value.

I just didn’t doubt it.

Because you can’t be sure of anything until you see it with your own eyes.

But now,

right before my eyes, a situation was unfolding that made me believe.

‘Now I have no choice but to believe···. That’s definitely not just cosplay.’

Even though the truth was right in front of me,

denying it and insisting this wasn’t reality would be foolish.

So I decided to believe.

That this isn’t just a restaurant with a quirky concept, but a real restaurant from another world.

‘Even if their appearances and outfits are one thing, their conversations are anything but normal.’

I focused my attention on my left ear.

To eavesdrop on the conversation at the next table.

“What? Your world has almost an equal ratio of men and women?”

“Isn’t that normal? Why are you so surprised?”

A chubby kid with a bushy beard and a woman with pointy ears were talking.

“Normal? What’s normal about that? Don’t you have any common sense? It’s normal for there to be fewer men than women!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about···.”

“Listen, if there’s one woman and nine men in the world, they can only have one child a year, right? That slows down reproduction, and humanity would go extinct! But if there are nine women and one man? They could have at least nine children a year!”

“······.”

“Look at your face! Don’t you get it? So, for smooth reproduction, there should be more women than men! That’s the way of the world! Got it?”

“Isn’t that too extreme? Our world has an equal ratio and reproduces just fine···.”

“Shut up! I’m right, so don’t argue!”

The stubborn kid yelled, cutting off the conversation.

She was a crazy woman who only pushed her own opinions and refused to accept any rebuttals.

Oh, by the way, that kid had a thick beard but was actually female.

Anyway,

this made it even clearer that they were from another world.

The conversation didn’t seem like part of the concept.

‘At this rate, I might even meet an alien later.’

Even if a meteor fell in front of my house and an alien crawled out to greet me, I wouldn’t be surprised anymore.

‘Anyway, I should stop paying attention. I didn’t come here to people-watch; I came to eat.’

I decided to stop observing the guests.

Just like I was secretly watching them, they were also glancing at me.

If I accidentally made eye contact, it felt like it would be a headache.

***

Come to think of it, I don’t remember getting filming permission.

I just naturally brought my camera into the restaurant.

‘Should I ask the staff for permission now?’

While I was pondering that,

a bunny boy staff member hopped over to me.

He seemed to have finished taking orders from other guests.

“Table 10, how may I assist you with your order?”

By the way, the bunny boy was male,

but he was wearing a bunny girl outfit.

‘F*cking bastard.’

Luckily, the curse didn’t leave my mouth.

I barely managed to swallow it.

I’ve definitely mellowed out a lot lately.

The frequency of casually cursing has dropped significantly.

I guess that’s a sign of becoming a proper adult.

“Customer?”

“Ah, yes. Do you have a menu? It’s my first time here.”

“We don’t have a menu at our restaurant. You can tell us what you’d like, and we’ll do our best to make something similar for you.”

“···Then, I’ll have whatever’s most popular here.”

“Got it!”

I thought it might be a bit of a troublesome order, but the staff accepted it without hesitation.

“Oh, and I forgot to ask earlier at the counter, but is it okay to film here?”

“Film?”

The staff tilted his head at my question.

I had a strong feeling it wouldn’t be allowed.

“If it’s not allowed, I’ll turn off the camera right away.”

“······Ah! Camera filming! I know what that is! It’s been a while since a customer wanted to record, so I forgot for a moment! Anyway, filming is allowed in our restaurant!”

“Really? But it’s a live broadcast, not recording.”

“Raw meat?”

“Live broadcast. Dammit.”

“···Yes! I don’t know what that is, but anything related to filming is fine!”

He seemed to know about camera filming and recording but not live broadcasting.

Well, anyway, I got permission more easily than I expected.

And just in time, the viewers’ chat restrictions were lifted, and messages started pouring in.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Cosplay restaurant? Lol

【Balloon Gum Collector】—Wow! Bunny boy appeared!

【Reverse Rape Mania】—Se-hoon. Aren’t you supposed to cosplay as a bunny boy too?

【Big Girl】—Right? Shouldn’t you?

【Yoho】—Hehe. Room Master, you should too. When in Rome, do as the Romans do!

【Handsome Licker】—Lick! Lick! Lick!

【Se-hoon Defense Team】—How are they broadcasting from another world? O.O

【Drifting AI】—I’ll tell you. Praise me.

【Maehwa Tree】—I think I saw something like a nine-tailed fox on the camera earlier···. It’s probably cosplay, right?

【Qkrnfl892】—But why is everyone’s way of speaking so weird here? Lol

【Min Ji】—It must be part of the restaurant’s concept.

【Qkrnfl892】—Never seen a place like this before. Lol

【Jujijoa】—There are actually quite a few unique restaurants like this abroad. Korea is just conservative, so there aren’t many.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—Stop pretending you’ve been abroad, you country bumpkin.

【Balloon Gum Collector】—Wow. Their way of speaking isn’t exactly otaku-like, but it’s strangely annoying!

After checking the chat,

I listened closely to the voices of the people nearby again.

‘···Their way of speaking is normal? Is it because of this necklace again?’

To check, I took off the necklace for a moment.

Then, the other guests and the staff at the counter started speaking in a weird way.

It sounded like failed translations of Korean.

‘Looking at it, everyone else is wearing a necklace too.’

It seems like

this necklace has a mysterious effect that allows communication with people who speak different languages.

Your words are translated and delivered to the other person,

and their words are translated back to you.

On top of that,

if both parties are wearing the necklace, the translation isn’t just approximate but perfect.

‘Well···. It’s possible for something like this to exist. There are probably worlds more technologically advanced than mine.’

After confirming, I put the necklace back on.

And I decided to ask if I could buy this necklace separately before leaving the restaurant.

It would be useful for traveling abroad.

‘Ah. But this is a barter-only restaurant, right? Would they even accept my wallet? It’s a leather wallet.’

While thinking that and waiting for my food,

a woman cleared her throat and slowly approached my table.

It was the woman with the fox tail.

She gave me a bewitching smile and greeted me.

“Hello?”

I’m not sure why she’s greeting me,

but I bowed my head politely to acknowledge her.

Then, the fox girl continued with a sticky gaze.

“Is this your first time at this restaurant?”

“Yes.”

“Then, how about joining me?”

“Joining you?”

It was a random proposal.

When I asked back in a puzzled tone, the fox girl quickly added an explanation.

“There’s no menu here, right? So, I thought I could recommend some tasty dishes while we eat together. This is my fifth visit, so I’ve tried a lot of the food here.”

“Ah. If that’s the case, it’s fine. I’ve already ordered.”

“Aww. You’re not just going to eat that, are you?”

The fox girl didn’t give up and persistently clung to me.

Her actions were being captured on camera.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—What’s this? Is she hitting on him? Get lost, b*tch!

【Handsome Licker】—How dare she, f*cking hell.

【Yoho】—Huh. She’s really crazy.

【Qkrnfl892】—This is a bit dangerous? She’s not as good-looking as me, but she’s not bad either.

【Balloon Gum Collector】—Wow! Our Se-hoon’s getting NTR’d!

【Big Girl】—BSS fits better than NTR.

【Reverse Rape Mania】—No no no no, I hate NTR, dammit!!!

【Jujijoa】—That’s not Se-hoon’s type. He’s fine.

【Se-hoon Defense Team】—What’s Se-hoon’s type?

【Jujijoa】—Me.

【Se-hoon Defense Team】—Idiot.

【Maehwa Tree】—Hmm···. That’s probably cosplay, right?

【Min Ji】—Then is she a real nine-tailed fox?

【Maehwa Tree】—Well, if she were a real nine-tailed fox, everyone in that restaurant would be dead by now.

【Handsome Licker】—Maehwa, shut up.

【Se-hoon Defense Team】—Maehwa, don’t worry. They can’t kill at the Drifting Restaurant.

【Drifting AI】—I’ll tell you. The fox girl is making a sinister expression. I warn you.

The fox girl slyly rested her arm on the table.

And she kept hitting on me.

She didn’t seem to care about the camera at all.

“Hey. Your face is being broadcasted live right now. Is that okay?”

“Huh? What’s a broadcast?”

The fox girl blinked and asked back.

She didn’t seem to know what a broadcast was, or even what a camera was.

I thought about explaining, but it was too bothersome, so I gave up.

She’s from another world anyway, so it’s fine.

“More importantly, is it okay if I join you? I’ll bring a chair.”

The fox girl concluded on her own.

Even though I didn’t give any answer.

This type doesn’t understand indirect refusals, so I decided to clearly and firmly reject her.

“No. I’ll eat alone.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I want to eat comfortably.”

I firmly expressed my refusal.

The reason was exactly as I said.

But the fox girl didn’t know how to give up.

“···Uh, can’t you see how many tails I have?”

She didn’t leave her seat and instead twisted her body slightly to emphasize her tails.

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but··· I’m actually the famous nine-tailed fox. You can see I have nine tails, right? Even so, you won’t join me?”

“Yes. I won’t.”

“Huh? I’m a nine-tailed fox, you know?”

“What the hell does that even mean?”

I have no idea what she’s trying to say.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】—‘I’m a nine-tailed fox, you know?’ What the hell is she on about? Crazy b*tch. Lol

【Handsome Licker】—Is she asking for praise for her cosplay? Lol

【Yoho】—I’m Yoho. Hehe.

【Min Ji】—It’s a bit rude to say this, but··· she’s really ugly. T.T

【Qkrnfl892】—Lol, just leave quietly~

【Maehwa Tree】—Guess she’s just an idiot.

The viewers had the same reaction as me.

The fox girl, having been rejected again, muttered to herself with a shocked expression.

“This, this is strange···? There shouldn’t be any man who dislikes a nine-tailed fox···?”

And then it happened.

*Thud.*

A sound of something falling came from nearby.

‘···What’s that?’

I looked down.

Three thick tails were lying on the floor.

‘······.’

When I looked back up at the fox girl, her tails had reduced to six.