I (30), Who Works for a Black Company and Died While Regretting My Gloomy Life, Started Over From High School!
Chapter 95: Lets Have a BBQ Party!

The time was approaching evening, and the setting sun illuminated the beach with an orange glow.

During the daytime, the beach had been crowded with swimmers, but now, at this time, most of them had left, and only the sound of waves gently washing ashore could be heard.

“Incredible… This feels amazing!”

In this serene atmosphere, I, dressed in casual clothes, manipulated the charcoal with tongs in hand. Igniting the charcoal was a bit troublesome for an amateur, but I had prepared firelighters and rolled-up newspapers, leaving no room for error.

I gently fanned the already glowing orange charcoal with a fan, and the fire was approaching its ideal state. Soon, I could let go of it.

“Wow…! Is it really okay for me to experience such happiness, having a beach barbecue?”

“Of course. I prepared a lot, so have fun to your heart’s content.”

Beside me, Shijouin-san, dressed in casual wear, looked at the blazing large charcoal grill with sparkling eyes, expressing her admiration. Her pure and genuine excitement was the best reward for all the effort I had put into the preparations.

After we finished playing on the floating mat, we returned to the beach, took showers, and changed into our regular clothes. It was time for dinner.

Originally, there was a suggestion to go to a family restaurant or something on our way back, but when I proposed a beach barbecue, Shijouin-san was thrilled and fully supported the idea. That’s why we decided to go with it.

(I was going for a classic approach this time. Following the conventions of anime and manga, having a beach house for lunch and a barbecue for dinner is a staple. And Shijouin-san’s excitement made it all worth it.)

The other members also had a longing for these classic activities, which is why the barbecue plan was unanimously approved. Outdoor meals are always popular on occasions like this.

“I’m excited, but at the same time, I’m a bit nervous. Having a beach barbecue with classmates is something only carefree college students would do…”

“Yes, considering that we’re all friends with few other acquaintances, I can understand how Niihama feels about this compared to us. The contrast between the ‘dark side’ imitating the ‘light side’ is quite apparent.”

While changing into casual clothes, Ginji and Kazamihara commented with a mix of excitement and wariness. Their faces couldn’t hide their anticipation for this first-time experience of being part of a party.

“So, the only ‘light side’ here is Mai, left out from the group. Please enjoy the barbecue without any meat, just eating green peppers and onions.”

“Huh!? W-What’s that supposed to mean? Just because I’m in a sports club doesn’t mean I have a lot of friends!”

“Being in a sports club and actively participating makes you part of the ‘light side.’ Your radiance is incomparable to Niihama and Haruka, who only have each other as friends.”

“Uhm, Mizuki-san… It’s a bit painful to be hit right on the mark like that…”

Shijouin-san and I groaned and held our chests in response to their words. While I do talk with my classmates more now, it’s not like I’ve made a lot of new friends.

“Well, everyone seems to be happy, Niihama-sama. I’m glad everything is going well.”

With a smile, Natsuzaki-san, dressed in aloha attire, offered her thoughts. She had been very helpful from the planning stages, arranging the provision of the charcoal grill and table set from the Shijouin family.

“And, Natsuzaki-san, thank you for everything. I feel like I made you work extra hard with my plan today…”

“Hahaha, don’t worry about it. As a child, all you need to do is enjoy today and make it a good memory with your friends.”

It was truly respectful to meet someone like him, a “responsible adult.” I felt gratitude towards him from the bottom of my heart. He was completely different from those dreadful bosses in my previous life, who forced underage new employees to drink alcohol.

“Now… Since everything I can help with is done, I’ll take a little break over there. Please enjoy yourselves without going too wild.”

“Oh? Natsuzaki-san, aren’t you going to eat with us here?”

“No, no, young lady. It’s not refined for a guardian to be nearby at an event like this. I’m just having some coffee while enjoying the evening sea view. If you need anything, just call me.”

With those words, Natsuzaki-san left the scene.

Thinking about how he had been watching over us all day, I couldn’t help but be deeply moved. I nodded in agreement with Fudehashi’s comment that he was more like a first-class butler than a chauffeur.

“Alright… Let’s get ready for the last part. How are we doing with cutting the ingredients?”

“Got it! While you were lighting the charcoal, I finished preparing everything!”

“Yes! While Ginji-san was preparing the food, I set the table!”

With everyone’s cooperation, the preparations were complete.

Next to Shijouin-san, who was wiping the kitchen knife, there was a table with neatly cut pieces of beef, onions, bell peppers, carrots, and more, piled up in appropriate sizes.

As expected, she had great skills.

I could have done all the preparations at home, but I thought it would be fun to do it together with everyone on-site. Judging by the lively atmosphere, it seemed like the right decision.

“Haha, but it’s really fun to cook together like this! It reminds me of the cultural festival!”

“Ah, like the time Kazamihara almost cut off her own finger along with the octopus legs.”

“Yes, at that time, Haruka held me down with an intense expression. The sensation of her double melons against my back made me almost drop the knife.”

“Don’t just reminisce; reflect on your actions!”

Kazamihara, who wasn’t involved in the ingredient cutting, spoke in her usual carefree manner. Well, I can’t blame her; it’s hard not to get distracted by that impact on her chest.

“But, hey, is it really okay to cut the meat and vegetables this big? It might be difficult for them to cook through, right?”

Ginji was right. I instructed them to cut the meat and vegetables thickly.

True, it might be a bit hard to cook them if we were grilling them yakiniku-style…

“Oh, it’s no problem! We’ll use this to grill them…!”

I nonchalantly took a certain cooking utensil out of my bag.

Everyone’s eyes widened when they saw the item—a romantic one that’s been seen before, but seldom used—the iron skewers for barbecues.

“Wow!!”

Seeing the item that could finally realize the dream-like form of a barbecue, my friends showed enthusiastic reactions, their eyes shining brightly.

That’s right, even though it’s called a barbecue, most of the time it’s just like grilling meat outdoors. While that’s certainly enjoyable, the opportunity to use the iron skewers shown in movies and manga is quite rare, and that’s been a strong aspiration of mine since my previous life.

I don’t know why just skewering something on a stick can be so captivating, but judging from the reactions of everyone here, it seems like this sense of romance is somewhat shared.

“Hehehe, you skewer the meat and vegetables on this long iron skewer, grill them with barbecue sauce, then hold the piping-hot skewer in your hand and take a big bite! And then, wash it down with a cold cola…! How about that?”

“T-That’s amazing! Isn’t Niihama-kun such a wonderful guy!?”

Shijouin-san, who was too excited, praised me with an extravagant compliment that could be taken the wrong way. It’s quite an impressive cost-performance to receive such compliments just by preparing the skewers.

“Haha, we’re just getting started! We also have sugar and soy sauce, so we can make grilled corn and onigiri! For sweet treats, there are grilled bananas, chocolate and biscuit s’mores! I’ve prepared it all!”

“Wowww…!!”

The excited angel of the beach screamed with joy, her innocent expression filled with genuine happiness, just like a child in front of a birthday cake. It’s truly adorable.

“Oh… As expected of Niihama-kun. It may be to please Haruka, but you’ve really prepared everything thoroughly.”

“I used to be the lazy one, but somehow I’ve become the one who’s always prepared. I’m really hungry, so I’ll help myself!”

“Hehe, Niihama-kun, you’re really considerate! I thought that during the cultural festival too. You’re quite experienced with setting up and enlivening events!”

Everyone praised me, and while it made me happy, I couldn’t help but quietly feel bitter as I remembered the past struggles with preparing for parties.

In my previous life, for some reason, the middle-aged men I worked with loved events like cherry blossom viewing or barbecues outdoors. However, unlike booking a regular izakaya, these events were a lot of work.

Reserving a spot for the leisure sheet, researching suitable barbecue locations, and arranging the necessary equipment and catering were all tough tasks. Even if I managed everything just right, the bosses who had grown too used to parties were often dissatisfied, saying things like “It’s too ordinary” or “You lack the will to treat your superiors properly.”

That’s why I started to come up with “high-quality surprises” for the parties, thinking about what would make the bosses happy. I tried various things within the limited budget, like bingo tournaments as a side event, preparing cherry blossom-colored sake for elegant sake sharing during hanami, or renting a draft beer dispenser for the barbecue. I even grilled American-style bone-in steaks and sliced them up in front of everyone. It was all about pleasing them.

(Thanks to that, the bosses didn’t complain as much… but I ended up becoming the party organizer every time, which was the worst…)

Well, I did learn some “know-how” about what people enjoy at events through those experiences, and now I’m putting that knowledge to good use.

“We have plenty of drinks since everyone brought them! Today must have made you all thirsty, so drink to your heart’s content!”

I pointed to the cooler box, which was filled to the brim with various types of canned juice, all buried under a mountain of ice. This kind of display is often seen at festivals and not only keeps the drinks cold but also creates a refreshing atmosphere.

“Yes, of course! Oh, let’s do that thing! It already feels like a party, so Niihama-kun, please lead us!”

“Huh, me?”

I quickly understood what Shijouin-san meant by “that thing.” Although I was a bit surprised at first, I could feel the looks of my friends saying, “If you don’t do it, who will?” So, I smiled wryly and showed my consent.

And so, we all took out our choice of drink from the cooler box and opened the tabs. The refreshing sound of the cans being opened resonated through the calm evening at the beach.

“Well then, this is the finale for today! Eat and drink to your heart’s content, and let’s have a great time until the end! Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

I led the toast, a moment that I had been through countless times in my previous life. But now, in a completely different and joyous mood, I said the words.

However, at that moment, I still didn’t know.

That the seeds of unexpected happenings could be found anywhere, and that they were waiting to sprout in unexpected ways.

I had no idea that this harmonious beach barbecue party would go beyond excitement and end up overheating, as a mere mortal like me couldn’t possibly predict such events.

(TLN) Whew, just finished translating next week’s chapters! Ko-fi members have access to all of them right meow! Thats a teaser for the bonus chapter that appears after 100!