A week has passed since the cafeteria opened. Sales are quite good. I had planned to run the cafeteria little by little, but it seems like the response has been more than I expected. My original purpose was to make Japanese food take root in this world. And secondly, I thought that it would be good if I could get the minimum amount of money necessary for life. After that, I thought it would be nice if it could become a temporary resting place for adventurers.
But reality betrayed me in a good way. Interestingly, it seems that the number of people coming to the dungeon has increased just to eat in the cafeteria. This should be the one known as “word of the mouth”. We didn’t advertise it that much but a large number of adventurers started coming every day. It’s indeed a good idea to open the store on the 15th floor. Japanese food may be well suited to the palate of people in this world.
Soy sauce and miso are also selling well. This started from customer requests. The set meals are mainly seasoned with soy sauce and some adventurers said that they want to eat such taste at home. Since the cafeteria also sells soy sauce and miso, I recommended it, and they bought it without hesitation. But in this way, it will become a seasoning that is not available to the general public and I don’t want that to happen. Luckily, this point has also been solved. I had Arnold sell soy sauce and miso in Mana’s market. This made it possible for ordinary people on the ground to enjoy Japanese food as well. Thus the success of soy sauce and miso. All that’s left to do is wait for soy sauce and miso to spread throughout the world.
“Teriyaki hamburger steak is delicious!”
Erna is sitting in front of me, looking happy as she eats. Next to me, Pero is also enjoying a sashimi set meal. Right next to Pero, Freya is silently eating a stir-fried vegetable set meal. The four of us came to Homeless Cafeteria. The store is busy today as well, the chatter of adventurers echoed throughout the store.
“Hey-, there’s a grain of rice on your face.”
I took the grain of rice from the corner of Erna’s mouth with my finger and ate it. She immediately turned red and steam emits from her head.
“Ho- ho- ho…..”
“?”
Erna makes a blowing movement from her mouth and she shakes her head afterwards, as if calming herself.
Did I do something wrong?
“Father is very dense sometimes.”
Hearing Pero’s words, I thought about arguing but I held back. This is because it is impossible for me, who had a reputation for being keen, to be dense. And, sometimes, it is the duty of a father to accept his son’s painful words.
“Dense!”
A girl’s voice sounded so I subconsciously looked around. However, there is no sign of such a person. While wondering what it was, I dig my chopsticks into the salmon TKG set meal from the secret menu.
“What is that? It looks so delicious!”
An adventurer who was nearby reacted when he saw my food. This restaurant only serves three types of set meals so it seems to stand out if I eat something different.
“This is a salmon TKG set meal from the secret menu. If you don’t mind raw eggs, you can order and try it.”
“Oh, thank you!”
He also ordered it right away. When the skeleton serving as a waiter brings the food, he teaches the customer how to eat TKG by writing it on a flip. Since the skeletons cannot speak, they basically communicate with customers through written communication.
After the adventurer understood, he put the egg on top of the rice, poured soy sauce on it and stirred it. When he put it in his mouth, he let out a cry of joy, “Uwa!” Apparently, it suited his taste.
“Is TKG delicious?”
I heard that voice again so I checked my surroundings once more. But as expected, the owner of the voice was nowhere in sight.
“Is anyone there?”
“…………”
There was no response. There is no sign of that person but I know there is someone nearby. I then opened the eyes in my forehead and looked around. My third eye has the power not only to see but also to reveal what is hidden in space. I don’t usually use it so it’s easy to forget about it. However, it’s an ability that comes in handy at times like this.
“……Why are you here?”
“You found me.”
A familiar girl was standing behind me. It seems that she has been hiding with her ninjutsu skill for a long time.
“Just show yourself.”
“Can’t be helped then.”
The girl reluctantly releases her stealth and pushes Pero aside to sit in the seat next to me. She has short pale blue hair and a still young appearance. I recalled that she was on her pajamas when we first met, but now she is wearing an adventurer gear. She also carries a large rucksack on her back so she doesn’t look like a nobleman.
She’s Liz. She is the girl from a noble family who was sick in the neighboring town.
“I’ll ask you again, why on earth are you here?”
“I’m bankrupt. That is why I became an adventurer.”
“Huh? Speak a little more clearly.”
“Mmm. My house has fallen and I became very poor. I wanted to become an adventurer to earn money, but I don’t know how. That’s why I thought I’d ask Onii-chan to teach me.”
With eyes half-closed, Liz explained nonchalantly.
In other words, she wanted to be an adventurer so she came here to ask for my help. But why would she go into hiding? No, wait. How long has this girl been following me?
“……How long have you been following me?”
“Since yesterday.”
I almost fell out of my chair from shock. She probably saw me in the city yesterday, I didn’t expect her to be around me for that long. The three people listening to the story were also stunned.
“Why didn’t you talk to me sooner? If I hadn’t found you, you wouldn’t have known how to become an adventurer forever.”
“I’m a shy person. It’s a pain for me to talk to people.”
“But you want to be an adventurer, don’t you?”
“Well, I thought it would be okay to leave it as it is. If I can’t find you, I can just eat for free and just laze around. I don’t like trouble you see.”
I couldn’t help but let out a sigh. This girl seems to have a frightening tendency to dislike trouble. Even with that, she thought about becoming an adventurer. This concept is a bit…
“Did your parents approved of it when you told them you’ll become an adventurer?”
“I was told that if I could make money and earn honor, I should do my best.”
Her parents are also… Well, they say parents and children are very similar. Leaving that aside, for nobles, it seems that downfall means bankruptcy as well. I wonder what kind of life they are living so far.
“I understand your situation. Alright, from now on, I’ll show you how to become an adventurer.”
“You don’t have to teach me that. I’ve decided to be Onii-chan’s wife.”
“Ah!? My wife?”
“Yes. It will be easier that way.”
I let out a second sigh. I had been thinking of how to help her become an adventurer but this girl started saying ridiculous things again. And her reason is not a reason at all.
“Let me tell you, I also have the right to choose my partner you know. Besides, I can’t marry a girl who isn’t even old enough yet.”
“Stingy.”
“I’m not stingy. I’ll teach you how to be an adventurer, and I can train you for that, but I can’t help you get married.”
“Stingy”
Don’t call me stingy twice. At that moment, Erna stood up and exclaimed,
“Shinichi doesn’t have enough time to deal with a kid like you!”
“Shut up middle aged woman.”
“You-, Me?, middle-aged? What are you saying!”
Liz’s words infuriated Erna. She raised her wand and began to say, “I’m going to make you disappear!” me and Pero hurriedly stopped her.
“Apologize to Erna. What you said just now is too much.”
“I’m sorry…. middle-aged woman.”
Liz bows her head to apologize but her next words made Erna furious again. Well, it’s incredibly rude of Liz to provoke Erna’s anger by apologizing first then insult her after. It seems like she needs to be taught some common sense first. After calming Erna down like how a cowherd does, I decided to check Liz’s status again.
| 【Analysis: Liz Schmidt: The third daughter of the Schmidt family. She has a personality that hates troublesome things to the extreme. If possible, she would like to spend the rest of her life lying in bed. She has a strong interest in Shinichi Tanaka. Rarity: B, Overall Ability: D】 |
| 【Status】 Name: Liz Schmidt Race: Human Age: 15 years old Magic Attribute: Water Magic: Aqua Ball, Aqua Arrow, Aqua Wall, Aqua Cure Skills: Shinobi’s Vessel ▹Intermediate: Ninjutsu, Body Strengthening, Eyesight Enhancement Evolution: Conditions are not met <Evolution Condition: Swordsmanship (Advanced), Ninjutsu (Intermediate), Taijutsu B (Advanced)> |
Compared to the first time I saw her, her Ninjutsu and Body Strengthening seemed to have improved. Compared to ordinary people, her status is still quite good. If she trains well, she’ll be able to become an intermediate adventurer in no time. Maybe her choice to become an adventurer is the right one.
“Okay, I’ll make you an adventurer. However, I’ll manage your money.”
“As long as I have three meals and a nap, there is no problem.”
Liz took her purse out of her pocket and then she handed it to me. When I looked inside, there were only five copper coins inside. How pitiful that one day’s worth of food was all she had.
“Let’s eat for now. You must be hungry anyway, right?”
“Yes.”
When a sashimi set meal was brought in front of her, she dexterously began to eat with chopsticks. I was intrigued, so I asked her a question.
“You can use chopsticks?”
“I learned it when I saw Onii-chan using it.”
It’s scary to think that she learned how to use chopsticks in an instant. She doesn’t like trouble, but she seems to be quite smart. I also resumed eating, and I instantly felt satisfied with my salmon TKG.
“Uhm, if you call Father Onii-chan, I wonder what you’ll call me…”
Pero looks at Liz with an anxious expression.
“Son”
Liz replies as she munch on her meal. This time, it was Freya who asked,
“And me?”
“Red Woman”
Freya murmured, “Red woman…”
Finally, Liz points her chopsticks at Erna and says,
“Rival”
Erna had a surprised expression on her face. She quickly put a proud smile on her face and then she ordered a drink to the waiter skeleton. She took a deep gulp on the sake that was brought to her, then she pointed her index finger at Liz.
“Okay, I’ll recognize you as my rival! Let’s compete fair and square.”
“That’s what I hope for. I won’t lose to a middle-aged woman you see.”
It felt like sparks were flying between the two of them. As adventurers, it must be a pleasure to compete against each other in terms of skill. In that case, I can’t afford to lose either. As I was grinning at that thought, Pero and Freya looked at me with shocked expressions.
“Father is really dense after all…”
“Yeah. Tanaka-dono doesn’t seem to understand the heart of a maiden.”
That again.
What’s so dense about me?
You’re both mistaken you know. I would like to protest resolutely. After we finished our meal, we decided to go back to our hideout for the time being.
◇◇◇
“Liz, you’ll share a room with Erna and Freya. As for the bed, it will be purchased later today. Do you need anything else?”
“None.”
“Alright then, I’m going to the city. In the meantime, get your things sorted out.”
When I closed the door of the room and turned around, I saw Pero painting in the living room. The model is Erna. He quickly runs the pencil across the drawing paper and makes a sketch. His skill on painting has improved a lot. It’s amazing that he’s able to draw this much on his own. Maybe he’ll pursue a career as an artist someday.
“I’m going to the city. If anything happens, report it immediately.”
“Yes, I know.”
Because Pero is concentrating, Erna replied instead. When I looked at Freya, she is busy polishing her weapon in front of the fireplace. It’s the usual scene of the Homeless party.
“Okay then. I’ll leave the hideout to you guys.”
I left the hideout and exits to the ground through the Temple of Teleportation. I tried to go to inside the city but I immediately paused.
“Right. I need to make sure I haven’t received a letter.”
When I searched the mailbox in the temple, I found an envelope. The sender is the Lord of Mana.
Is it some kind of request again?
Feeling doubtful, I decided to go to the lord’s mansion for the time being.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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