I always ate udon whenever I stopped at the rest area.
Not that I particularly liked udon, but it’s just one of those foods that has a decent price and doesn’t fail too badly. I mean, the udon sold at these places just comes from factories anyway, whether it’s the noodles or the broth.
With ramen, I thought, “Do I really want instant ramen at this price?”, and with jjajangmyeon, there were too many times it didn’t taste like what I wanted. I never really thought about the other menu items. After all, you don’t come to a rest area to eat something super delicious.
Not that I would say anything if the others ordered different things, though.
But even without me saying it, most of the things the kids ordered were udon. Only Mia ordered a tonkatsu.
There wasn’t anyone here who could really handle spicy food. Claire held up pretty well, but that didn’t mean she liked spicy food.
So, the ramen sold here would’ve been pretty spicy for these kids. Naturally, when they picked the menu, they ended up choosing food that wasn’t too spicy.
For a moment, I thought maybe these kids were better suited for other countries than Korea, but then again, it kinda made sense.
After all, they weren’t from a big food culture. It was natural that they wouldn’t handle overly spicy or unusual food.
Still, there were non-spicy options available, which was a relief.
“This place is a bit more serious than just a break spot, huh?”
Alice said casually while slurping her udon.
Maybe it was because it was a weekday; there weren’t too many people. Not that it was empty, though.
“During the holidays, this wide space gets filled, and finding a seat becomes a real pain. It’s sometimes better to just use the rest area for bathroom breaks and find another restaurant,” Claire chimed in.
“Is it that bad?”
Alice said, sounding incredulous.
“I can see why given that we’re in the city, but cars are overflowing nationwide. If they don’t think ahead when making policies, all sorts of problems will spring up later on,” Charlotte said.
Well, to be honest, Charlotte would know more about those matters than I did, so I didn’t feel the need to butt in.
These days, Alice and Charlotte exchanged opinions and studied various things together more often. That could be seen as a positive thing. Although it wouldn’t be entirely applicable, studying the history of this side of the world might help them handle unexpected events in the future.
But—
“Today is supposed to be a fun trip; why are we talking about this?”
Claire said with a slightly dissatisfied expression.
“Look at Mia over there. She’s completely focused on eating without a care in the world. Learn to enjoy things a little more innocently,” Claire said.
As Claire mentioned, Mia was savoring her tonkatsu with a look of pure bliss. It’s not like it was some amazing delicacy or anything.
“I feel sorry about that… but given that I’ve lived until now like this, letting go a bit is kinda tricky. It’s already been over two months since we’ve been here, after all.”
“Same here. I’ve lived like this my whole life… But I still think meeting all of you has been lucky for me.”
“Honestly, it doesn’t really matter how we spend our time. We’re not in any rush. We can study a bit or enjoy political debates. I just hope you can have fun,” I said, and everyone nodded in agreement.
*
If I chose udon for a meal at a rest area, what would I choose for a snack?
I usually bought butter potatoes.
They’re something I could easily make at home, but it turns out to be more of a hassle than you think, and there aren’t many places to buy them outside either.
Aside from that, it would be things like squid or hot dogs… I just feel the best options are those you’d want to eat but find too much hassle to make yourself.
Of course, I didn’t choose the snacks alone.
Claire, Alice, Charlotte, and Mia all got a load of stuff they wanted after I handed them a card.
Thanks to that, our table was piled high with food.
It felt like we were already throwing a party before even arriving at the camping site.
If I had been doing this with friends I knew from childhood, I would have felt a bit embarrassed, seeing as they would all be in their 30s like me. Honestly, if we were all sprawled out eating like this, we’d look like pigs.
But right now, we were all teenagers… no, technically, we were women in our 20s.
Plus, it was hard to believe we looked like Koreans just by our appearances. I mean, we’re from another world anyway. Maybe that’s why I felt bolder.
On the table, there were chicken skewers, tteokbokki, walnut cookies, donuts, hot dogs… a mix of delicious foods to enjoy and things you’d be surprised to find at a rest area.
But whatever, right?
As long as we’re having fun, that’s all that matters. We’re on a trip!
Especially watching Mia munch away excitedly, the types of food in front of me didn’t really concern me.
“Is it really okay to eat all this on our way?”
Alice said with a somewhat reasonable concern, looking a bit worried.
“Don’t worry. Once we get there and work hard, we’ll be hungry again,” Claire chimed in with reasonable support.
That’s right. Technically, we were in our 20s on paper but still had the bodies of teenage girls.
We’d probably be hungry again soon anyway.
“Exactly, Alice. Since we’re on a fun trip, there’s no need to dwell on serious thoughts.”
“That’s not your place to say. It was you who talked to Claire earlier!”
Alice pointed out, but Charlotte ignored her and just picked up a chicken skewer.
*
After driving for about another hour after leaving the rest area, we finally arrived at the camping site by the seaside that we had booked.
“What do you think? Did we make a good reservation?”
“I had my doubts for a while, but I think we nailed it,”
The reservation was made by Claire and Alice. Since Claire wanted to drive, they had been eagerly researching camping gear since they heard they could buy a car.
But that didn’t mean the other three of us were uninvolved.
Mia, Charlotte, and I had been busy planning the other details. What we would eat when we got there, what roles each of us would take to wrap things up quickly.
It wasn’t that we had a strict plan, though. Honestly, it was just that the two were so enthusiastic about everything that I felt a bit out of place.
It ended up working out as division of labor, though.
It was autumn.
It was great weather for camping, but today was Monday. Not that there was a holiday, making it impossible for there to be too many people around.
Claire and Alice’s reservation spot was not far from the sea, and we could see the ocean right in front of us. The camping site was lined with pebbles, and as soon as you stepped out, the sandy beach was visible. It might be pointless to come during the summer when there would be lots of people wanting to come.
But it was a beautiful place.
We all worked together to set up the tent. It was our first time pitching a tent ourselves, but I had laid out the parts and simulated it beforehand. Plus, the strength and stamina of the other three exceeded that of an average person, so it took us only about an hour to pitch the tent and finish up the small preparations.
The tent stood alongside the car. We hadn’t purchased anything special for car camping, but it seemed that the tent alone would comfortably fit the five of us.
“Sis, let’s go to the sea, the sea!”
“…If we go in the water in this weather, I feel like I’ll freeze to the bone.”
“Dipping my feet is fine! You’re wearing slippers right now too!”
With Claire’s words, I reluctantly let her drag me toward the water.
Swish—
The sound of the waves was refreshing.
The sea was blue, and the sky seemed determined to match it. We made a good call starting early in the morning. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten to enjoy such a view.
I followed Claire and dipped my feet into the water just a bit.
Even with slippers on, sand slipped between my toes. The water was a touch cold as expected, but it was bearable.
The salty scent of the sea wafted through the air.
“How is it?”
“It’s beautiful, really.”
“Yeah. It’s really pretty.”
Claire and I stood side by side, looking out at the sea for quite a while.
Click.
A sound came from behind, and when I turned around, Alice was holding a camera.
It was a camera I bought on a whim, thinking I might want to use it for vlogging. I chose an entry-level camera with lenses recommended for beginners.
“I want to take a picture too!”
Claire quickly ran over to Alice. Every time Claire stepped onto the sandy beach, little footprints sank into the sand.
Taking the camera from Alice, Claire immediately snapped a picture of her.
Alice might’ve been a bit flustered, but surely the shot turned out well. After all, it was Claire taking the picture, and Alice was the one in it.
Not just her, anyone else too.
There’s no way the pictures we took together while enjoying ourselves wouldn’t turn out beautifully.
When we look back someday, we’d surely be enveloped in wonderful memories.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
