Volume 13 Chapter 279 Shirogane Aqua, Faucet
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The four of us—me, Shintaro, Toa, and Tenga-senpai—gathered at Haneda Airport and boarded the same flight bound for Matsuyama Airport in Ehime Prefecture. Since we’d left early in the morning, we all passed out the moment we settled into our seats. I’d been a little worried I wouldn’t be able to sleep, but I ended up dozing off without a problem.
T/N: Haneda Airport is one of Tokyo’s main airports, while Matsuyama Airport serves Ehime Prefecture in Shikoku, Japan’s smallest main island.
”We’re here!!”
”Yay!”
We raised our hands in celebration as we stepped off the plane at Matsuyama Airport.
”Oh, Komachi-chan. Sorry, but could you snap a photo here? I want to post it on social.”
”Hey, look, junior! It’s that faucet over there!!”
”Whoaaaaa!”
Ever since I heard we were heading to Ehime Prefecture, I’d been waiting for this moment. I bolted for the faucet, grabbed a paper cup, and turned the knob. First things first—a taste. I gulped down the light brown liquid that gave off a scent of iriko dashi.
”Ugh, it’s bitter!!”
Wait a sec!! This is supposed to be mandarin orange juice, but it straight-up tastes like iriko dashi! And this color—nothing orange about it. It looks more like udon broth!!
Seeing me struggle, Shintaro hurried over with a paper cup.
”Aqua, here! Water!”
”Thanks, Shintaro!”
I took the light brown liquid and drank it down. Yep. Kombu dashi. Not water. Shintaro, who had offered it in earnest, looked sheepish.
T/N: Dashi is a traditional Japanese soup stock. Kombu dashi is made from kelp and has a savory, umami-rich flavor—not exactly thirst-quenching when you’re expecting plain water.
”I’m sorry…”
”Don’t worry about it, Shintaro. The staff’s already rolling camera.”
”Wait, why is everything udon broth!? Where’s my orange juice!? Where!?”
”Here, Aqua. This!”
Grinning, Toa handed me another cup of the same suspicious-looking liquid. I already knew what this was. With iriko and kombu already down the hatch, the final boss could only be katsuobushi dashi.
T/N: Katsuobushi dashi is made from dried bonito flakes and is another common type of Japanese soup stock. Together, iriko (dried sardine), kombu (kelp), and katsuobushi (bonito) form the trifecta of foundational dashi flavors in Japanese cuisine.
”I want noodles…!”
”Here you go, junior. This time it’s the real deal.”
I drank the clear water Tenga-senpai offered. I flinched for a second, half-expecting a triple-dashi mix, but nah—Tenga-senpai wouldn’t pull something like that. Finally, I got to quench my thirst properly.
”…By the way, this airport looks familiar.”
”Yeah. Isn’t this Takamatsu Airport? We stopped by here on our first trip to Kansai.”
T/N: Kansai refers to a region in western Japan that includes cities like Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe. Takamatsu, located in neighboring Shikoku, is sometimes used as a transit point when traveling between regions.
It’s true…
Huh? What happened to Ehime Prefecture? Where’s my sweet little Dango?
As we exchanged puzzled looks, the producer from Berry-Berry approached with a grim expression.
Huh? That’s not good…
If it were the usual jokey vibe, I’d assume this was some kind of segment, but the look on their face said otherwise.
”Uh, since President Atori is handling things, I’ll explain instead. Actually, while everyone was asleep on the flight, they announced that due to bad weather, we couldn’t land at Matsuyama Airport. So, we had to divert and make an emergency landing at Takamatsu Airport, which was closer.”
”Oh, I see…”
”So that’s why we ended up at this familiar airport.”
”We’re trying to decide now whether to take a highway bus to Ehime or go by train from the station.”
”So that’s what happened.”
”Well, not much we can do about it.”
”I’ll just take it as bonus break time and relax for a bit.”
While I was mulling things over, Tenga-senpai—who’d been talking to a woman at the counter—returned looking way too enthusiastic.
”Let’s go, everyone.”
”Huh? Go where?”
It wasn’t just me getting a bad feeling about this. I exchanged uneasy glances with Toa and Shintaro.
”Where are we going? Isn’t it obvious?”
With a cocky grin, Tenga-senpai dangled a set of car keys.
”All right, we’re going to Ehime—by rental car!!”
I knew it. I looked at Toa and Shintaro again, then stood up, grinning.
”Okay. Let’s do this!”
”Yeah, let’s.”
”Mm. Let’s go!”
”Still, we probably shouldn’t just leave on our own. I’ll check in with Ako-san and the others first.”
I went to talk with Ako-san and the producer, letting them know we’d be heading to Ehime via rental car, courtesy of Tenga-senpai.
”Aqua-kun, great idea~. President Atori, I’m gonna slap a camera on the car!”
The producer’s eyes sparkled as they hurried over to where the staff was prepping the vehicle.
They’re totally gonna air this on the next Berry-Berry, huh?
”Well then, we’ll grab another car and follow behind. Oh, and remind Tenga-kun to drive safe.”
”Got it!”
Things were going smoothly for now. Tenga-senpai was already by the car, and I’d left Shintaro in charge of keeping him in check. That gave me a chance to go grab drinks with Toa.
”Toa, want to hit the convenience store and grab some drinks for everyone?”
”Yeah, good idea. Let’s do that.”
We headed to the airport store, and I left Toa in charge of the shopping while I walked over to the counter lady.
”Excuse me, miss, do you have a moment?”
”Aqua-sama!? Oh—yes, of course!”
I asked her to recommend a good udon place that was open in the morning. Nobody had eaten breakfast yet, so I figured we could make a stop along the way.
”Thanks, miss.”
”Ah, no… It’s totally fine.”
She kept glancing at me, a little flustered.
”Want a signature? Oh, you want it at the counter? Sure thing.”
I pulled out one of the [already visited BERYL] stickers made by Berry-Berry and handed it to her.
”Stick this anywhere you like.”
”Oh, then—could you put it on the shop’s door?”
Toa and I stuck the sticker on the door and snapped a quick commemorative photo.
Yeah, that should do it.
”Toa, the drinks are heavy. I’ll carry them.”
”Thanks, Aqua.”
As we left the airport, Tenga-senpai pulled up in a tiny car, sunglasses on, waiting coolly at the entrance.
”Looks like the juniors have arrived. All set here.”
Tenga-senpai… Why did you rent such a small car? Do you know how tall we are?
Huh? You really wanted to ride a convertible that badly?
Well… if that’s the reason, I guess it can’t be helped.
”All right, let’s hit the road to Ehime!!”
”Whoaaa!!”
We piled into the car and set off. First stop: the udon restaurant the lady recommended.
”I’ll go in first and ask for filming permission.”
I got out and slipped past the noren curtain alone.
The rich smell of dashi broth hit me. My stomach growled.
”Excuse me, would it be okay if—”
”Yes… Wait, Aqua-kun!?”
I explained the situation and got the green light to film. Shortly after, a staff member arrived with a proper consent form. Apparently, verbal agreements weren’t enough anymore—compliance and all.
”So, what’s everyone getting? I’ll have bukkake udon.”
”I’ll go with curry!”
”I’ll have meat. Gimme something hearty.”
”Then I’ll go with kitsune.”
I ordered niku udon. Tenga-senpai got curry udon, Shintaro picked kitsune, and Toa chose bukkake. Udon for breakfast really hit the spot—light, easy to eat, and easy on the stomach.
T/N: Niku udon is topped with sweet-simmered beef; curry udon features a Japanese curry-based broth; kitsune udon comes with aburaage (sweet fried tofu), and bukkake udon is served cold or warm with a concentrated broth poured over the noodles—often garnished with green onions, grated daikon, and other toppings.
”Let’s eat!”
Slurp! I inhaled the aroma and dove in.
Ahhh, this texture! This is the real deal—Sanuki udon’s chewiness is on another level.
Next up: meat.
”Mmm.”
Sweet and savory—so good!
I took a sip of the broth. The meat and sauce had seeped in just right—perfect!
I rotated between noodles, meat, and broth in an unbreakable cycle.
”Aqua, we’ve got inarizushi and onigiri too. What about oden?”
T/N: Inarizushi is sushi rice stuffed in sweet fried tofu pouches.
”Then I’ll take daikon.”
I bit into the daikon soaked in broth.
Ahh… It’s udon broth again. Makes sense. This place uses udon broth for their oden, too.
”Mmm, this egg is amazing.”
”Hanpen’s really good.”
”Goboten, too.”
Okay, I’ll try the konnyaku.
T/N: Hanpen is a soft, fluffy fish cake made from white fish and yam; goboten is burdock root coated in tempura batter; konnyaku is a firm, jelly-like yam cake often used in oden.
Once we were full, we signed another sticker and slapped it up.
”All right, let’s roll!”
”Yeah!”
”Let’s go!”
”Ah!”
We jumped in the car and crossed the mountain toward the highway.
There was a more direct route from the airport, but it looked like a detour on the map… A decision I’d come to regret.
”This road’s so narrow…”
”Good thing we went with the small car, huh?”
True. We took a winding road that ended in a dead end.
”Uh… what? That’s weird…”
”Tenga-senpai, we’re off course.”
”Huh? But it was connected on the map…”
Maybe the map was outdated or the GPS hadn’t been updated. I suggested we stop chasing shortcuts.
”Ah!”
I spotted someone and asked Tenga-senpai to pull over. I hopped out and called to a woman working in the fields.
”Excuse me!”
”Huh? Aqua-sama!?”
I asked her for directions. When you’re lost in the countryside, locals are the best GPS.
”Thank you, miss.”
”Oh—yes! And good luck with your live performance in Ehime!”
I waved goodbye and returned to the car.
”Tenga-senpai, she said if we follow this road, we’ll see a sign. We just need to go from there.”
”Got it!”
After a few minutes, we made it to the highway—though some of those narrow roads had me sweating.
”Sorry, everyone. Took a while ’cause I tried a shortcut.”
”Hey, that’s part of the adventure, right? Don’t worry about it, Tenga-senpai,” Toa said.
Shintaro and I both nodded.
Later, we even hit a cliffside road without guardrails, but I pretended it was a theme park ride. That helped. A bit.
”Oh, we made it to Matsuyama.”
”Yay!”
”Aqua, what now?”
Everyone turned to me.
There was still time before the rehearsal. Originally, this time was set aside for Berry-Berry filming and the like.
”For now, let’s check in. Once we drop our luggage, we’ve still got time. We can grab a bite or do some sightseeing.”
”Roger!”
”Yeah, let’s do that.”
”Ah, got it.”
All right! We’ve got a plan.
Next stop: the ryokan.
And this time, I’m getting my mikan juice from that faucet!
T/N: Mikan are Japanese mandarin oranges, known for their sweet, juicy flavor. In Ehime Prefecture, mikan juice is sometimes served fresh from faucets as a local specialty.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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