21st Century Necromancer

Chapter 171 Midnight Diner (2nd Update)

After finishing their duties at the hospital, Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi left the hospital to find it was already deep into the night.

They both could have left much earlier. Hiromi had finished organizing the patient files before dinner time, but just as they were about to leave, an emergency patient needing surgery came in. The doctor on duty was occupied with another patient, and the nurses couldn't find any other doctors available to assist. So Yu Chen and Hiromi had no choice but to help out.

And with that help, they were busy until late at night.

"Sorry, Mr. Chen Yu, I didn't expect that staying to keep me company would end up making us this late," Hiromi said apologetically as she walked shoulder to shoulder with Yu Chen on the streets of Tokyo at night.

It had been Yu Chen who offered to stay and keep her company, but they had not expected an emergency surgery to completely make them miss their meal times, and now they were heading home on empty stomachs.

Yu Chen, in response to his girlfriend's apology, didn't take it to heart, "What are you saying? As doctors, could we just watch a patient die? And isn't waiting for one's girlfriend the right thing to do?"

Hearing Yu Chen say this, Hiromi couldn't help but let out a chuckle and, looking at the boyfriend walking beside her, suddenly remembered how she had first confessed to him. She asked, "Mr. Chen Yu, back then... why did you choose to accept me?"

"Huh? Why ask about this all of a sudden?" Yu Chen was taken aback for a moment, but seeing the serious and concerned look in Hiromi's eyes, he scratched his head, not quite sure how to phrase his thoughts, and after a moment said, "At that time, you were standing at my doorstep. Although I didn't think it was quite right to let you into my house, to just let you walk away...

that's something I couldn't do. And as for accepting you... after something like that happened, I couldn't just act as if nothing happened, right? A man should take responsibility."

"Eh? Is that really your reason?" Hiromi asked in surprise, having not expected him to accept her based on that reason. While it didn't match what she had anticipated, hearing Yu Chen's words gave her an unexpected sense of security.

Looking at his girlfriend, the young man suddenly smiled, "Hiromi, what is there to fuss about? Didn't I ask why you liked me back then? And didn't you answer that liking someone doesn't need a reason? So my acceptance of your confession doesn't need a reason either, right?"

"Hmm..." Hiromi tilted her head, thinking that seemed right, but still, it felt somewhat unsatisfying. Though she wanted to find words to argue, she didn't quite know what to say at the moment.

It was then that Yu Chen suddenly noticed a small diner still lit in a side alley and said to Hiromi, "Hiromi, there seems to be a place over there that's still open. Why don't we just eat there! It's so late; I'm too lazy to cook when we get home."

"Yeah, that works. But it's rare to see a place still open at this late hour!" Hiromi looked over, glanced at her watch, and couldn't help being a bit surprised.

The two walked together down the alley and arrived at the front of the small shop that was still open in the deep night.

It was an old restaurant that appeared to have been around for years. The wooden door at the entrance had darkened to a deep brown, the glass was clean but still gave off an impression of being worn by time, and even the hanging cloth at the door had a somewhat antiquated feel to it.

Although the wooden door was old, it seemed well preserved and was not hard to open. A gentle push and the door swung open, the lively atmosphere inside mixed with the scent of food wafting out, making the already starving Yu Chen and Hiromi feel even hungrier.

Casually pulling the door shut, Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi took a seat at the counter.

This was a very traditional Japanese-style eatery, with a wooden counter encircling the kitchen in a square horseshoe layout. The owner stood in the middle, while guests sat around the perimeter.

The place was small and appeared a little uneven, but the atmosphere was very pleasant. The patrons looked like they had just gotten off work; although exhaustion was evident on their faces, the fact that such a small establishment was still open late at night to serve them steaming hot food undoubtedly brought smiles to their worn faces.

"You two seem new here, welcome," said the owner with a kind smile, dressed in a traditional short kimono and tied with an apron around his waist, "The menu is on the wall, just these few items, but if there's anything else you want, I can try my best to prepare it."

Yu Chen glanced at the menu on the wall, noting that there were only five or six items to choose from, including drinks. The food in front of the other patrons, however, did not appear on the menu. So he turned to Hiromi Jounouchi beside him and asked, "Hiromi, what would you like to eat?"

"I'll have a pork miso soup set meal, I'm a bit hungry. Let's start with some rice," replied Hiromi Jounouchi, who had also seen the menu on the wall and chose the only set meal available.

A set meal was a combo, and pork miso soup was exactly that, a pork soup. Seeing Hiromi Jounouchi order this way, Yu Chen decided to go for the same, "Then I'll also have a pork miso soup set meal, and if possible, could you please give me a serving of Steamed clams with wine?"

"Sure, please wait for a moment," the owner nodded without mentioning whether the dish Yu Chen ordered was possible to make and turned to enter the kitchen.

"Are you two a couple? Haven't seen you before. Is this your first time here?" the old man sitting next to Yu Chen, who seemed like a regular, asked curiously, "Because the people who come here are mostly regulars, everyone knows each other, so new faces pique our curiosity."

"We are not married yet; we only thought to find a place to eat nearby since we got off work late today," Yu Chen explained with slight embarrassment. Even though their relationship was almost indistinguishable from a married couple's, it was still somewhat embarrassing to be addressed in such a way.

"Ha, I see! Well, young man, you'd better hurry up, good women are in high demand these days!" The old man chuckled and took a glass from the counter, placing it in front of Yu Chen and pouring him a beer, "Here, have a drink on me. You should come more often; the owner's cooking is really good, and you can order whatever you want."

"Thank you," Yu Chen politely expressed his gratitude, lifting the beer glass and feeling the good intentions emanating from the people around him.

"Sorry to keep you waiting; here are two pork miso soup set meals and Steamed clams with wine, please enjoy." The owner set down the two pork miso soup set meals in front of Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi. The warm and fragrant food instantly brightened the eyes of the famished pair. They thanked the owner and began to eat.

Listening to the good-natured laughter around him, Yu Chen suddenly felt that occasionally coming to such a small eatery after a late day at work was indeed a very pleasant choice.