verdantgrove

Location: Shopping Area - Star Street

Souma: Hm? What a lengthy queue... Is there some sort of event occurring here? Each individual attendee appears to be holding identical containers as well…

Kiryuu-dono, just what is the purpose of that line?

Kuro: Hm? Ah, that store’s pretty popular these days. They sell drinks.

Keito: ...Drinks?! You can’t be serious… Everyone in that line is only there to buy drinks…?

Kuro: I’m serious. Pretty common for places like this to have a thirty minute to an hour wait, ya know?

Keito: How incorrigible… Ah, wait. These have to be special drinks that are made of expensive ingredients or something like that, yes?

Kuro: Not really? They put something in them that’s called tapioca. Other than that, it’s really just normal juice.

Seems like what’s really trendy is to take pictures of the juice you bought and post them on social media.

Keito: Pictures? What’s even the point in taking pictures of something like that? This grows more incorrigible by the second…! This trend is utterly incomprehensible.

Kuro: Isn’t that what trends are supposed to be like?

Keito: Wait, Kiryuu! Why do you know so much about this particular trend, anyway? I was under the assumption that you and I aren’t so different when it comes to things like this.

Kuro: ‘Cause of my sister. Looks like it’s even spread over to her school. She always makes me come along with her when she’s buyin’ some, so I can’t really help but pick up some basic knowledge about it.

Souma: “Tapioca”... It is something which prompts one to feel the growing desire to take pictures of their own beverage, in spite of themselves...? Are these drinks truly so picturesque? I would wholly like to see them, if only just one! And… to try them, as well…!

Kuro: Well, what do ya say we get in line?

<1 hour later>

We have persevered through this grueling hour-long wait…! And at last. At last we have obtained our “tapioca”...!

So this is… “tapioca”!

Souma: ……

…These strange things appear to me to be shaped much like a frog’s eggs… Am I meant to drink this…? Have I been deceived?

Kuro: Hahaha. Yeah, it’s a little weird at first. I thought the same thing. Well, why don’t ya try it and see?

Souma: Very well, then… I shall set aside my reservations. ...Slurp, slurp… ♪

Th-this is…! How very fun this squishy texture is! It is my first time trying something with such delightful chewiness. Munch, munch… ♪

Mmm. It is rather sweet, and with the inclusion of something with a texture much like that of mochi, it is almost reminiscent of oshiruko1!

Hm? Hasumi-dono, your beverage differs quite substantially from mine, does it not? It appears to me to more so resemble a dessert as opposed to a drink…?

Keito: ...I ordered it because I thought it would be fine based on the name alone, but then they gave me this bizarre-looking… thing.

How am I even supposed to drink this…? Why on earth is it topped with such a copious amount of whipped cream? This seems impossible to drink.

Kiryuu. Am I supposed to eat the whipped cream first? Or am I supposed to mix it into the drink? Which way is the right way to drink this?

Kuro: There’s no right way to drink it. With a decked out drink like that, any way of drinkin’ it is fine as long as you appreciate all the decorations.

Keito: I don’t understand why something that isn’t even fit to drink while you’re walking would be so popular anyway.

Kuro: Quit complainin’. What are ya, my mother-in-law? Save your whining until after ya try the drink.

Keito: Hmph. I suppose you’re right. I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Well, I’ll go on and give it a try. Slurp, slurp…

Kuro: I mean, ya already judged it pretty harshly…

Keito: ...Ooh. Its appearance is a different beast entirely, but it tastes fine. Not bad.

Kuro: Tastes pretty good, yeah? My sister told me that it seems pretty popular to get a drink that looks cute on top of tastin’ good.

Keito: Hey, Kiryuu. What on earth is that you’re holding?

Souma: Kiryuu-dono. That is no beverage; that is a light bulb. Be that as it may, its color is quite vibrant indeed...

Kuro: Look a little closer. There’s a straw in it, yeah? This is a drink too. The bottle it’s in is shaped like a lightbulb, but it’s got colorful juice inside.

Keito: This is only getting more incorrigible…

Kuro: Oops, almost forgot. Gotta take a picture… And done.

Souma: Kiryuu-dono, why are you taking a picture of your beverage? Is it perchance the case that collecting pictures of such drinks is a favored pastime of yours?

Kuro: You’re a little off. I took it so I can send it to my sister.

She’s gonna get all pouty when she finds out I went somewhere without her and didn’t send her anything about it— ‘cause she’d feel like I was off havin’ fun behind her back.

Don’tcha think it’s cute? Ya do? Me too. I’m beat...♪

Keito: You say that without even a hint of resignation in your eyes. You know, when it comes to your sister, you suddenly become completely blind to everyone else around you.

Whoa…!

Souma: Oh my goodness?! Hasumi-dono, where are you going?!

Kuro: Looks like he went into that general store over there. Wonder if he saw something… Ah, must’ve been the stationery.

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TL Notes:

1: sweet red bean soup with mochi

Proofread by 310mc and Amagiiz.