《I Opened a Café in Another World.》 Volume 1, Prologue Volume 1, Prologue Character Introduction Gilford Risa¡¯s stepfather in another world. Favorite food: Stew Anastasia Gil¡¯s wife. Favorite food: Carbonara His Highness Edgar Crown prince of the Feliformia Kingdom. Favorite food: Hamburg steak Keith Royal Assistant Head Chef. Favorite food: Karaage (deep-fried chicken) Basil Emerald spirit. About 20cm tall. Favorite food: rolled egg Risa (Kurokawa Risa) Ex-office worker who came to another world and started a cafe in an unexpected turn of events. Her dream is to make all the food on Earth!! Favorite food: Japanese cuisine Zeke An ex-knight who fell in love with Risa¡¯s sweets. Now a cafe employee. Favorite food: Pudding Helena A waitress at Risa¡¯s cafe. Favorite food: Ice cream --------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Listen to me~ Risa~¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m listening.¡± The distinguished man heavily rested his head down on the counter and began mindlessly ranting his worries aloud to the lady behind the bar. Although they were hard to see, what with his face down, his silver grey eyes were dull with dejection. The man was Gilford Hyde Claude. Though unimaginable from his behavior, he held the title of Feliformia¡¯s Head Royal Magician. The kingdom was largely separated into three ministries, the Civil Ministry, Magic Ministry, and Knight Ministry. In the Magic Ministry, the Head Royal Magician, i.e. this man, was in charge of the entire ministry. The lady, on the other hand, was Risa Kurokawa Claude. She had on the store uniform, a black apron over a white dress shirt, and wore her long, raven-colored hair in a ponytail to prevent it from getting in the way of her work. Her surname showed that she was a relative of Gilford, though as his foster daughter and not by blood. ¡°I¡¯m working really hard, you know¡­Besides, I only became the Head Royal Magician because they said I would get more days off! That¡¯s not true at all! I don¡¯t even have time to go out on dates with Tasia! The way this is going, Tasia¡¯s not going to like me anymore¡­hey, Risa~ what should I do!?¡± ¡°The busier you are, the more important your position is, right? Besides, Tasia wouldn¡¯t stop liking you over something like that.¡± ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°I do. Anyways, is it really okay to ditch work and come here? Won¡¯t the people at work be troubled?¡± Exasperated, Risa chided her stepfather. It was quite obvious that Gilford would visit his stepdaughter¡¯s cafe as an excuse to ditch work. However, Gilford was still her stepfather as well as a customer, so Risa tolerated him. The peaceful time they had together was over, however. Out of the corner of her eye, Risa spotted a carriage stopping in front of the cafe through the bay window next to the counter. The bells on the door jingled as a man entered the cafe. His sweeping gaze came to a stop on Gilford at the counter and he smiled. ¡°Good day, Giford. What a coincidence it is to meet you in town on a day like this.¡± His smile did not reach his eyes. With each step he took towards Gilford, Gilford¡¯s face grew tighter. ¡°H-hey there, Royce! Did you come to eat some of Risa¡¯s sweets too? Or maybe you¡¯re here for a late lunch? Aha, ahaha¡­¡± Gone was Gilford¡¯s relaxed demeanor as he trembled in his boots. While the conversation sounded peaceful enough, the air crackled with tension. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m still working. Originally I would have been done with my work already, but some officials from another ministry came crying to me¡­¡± The smile on Royce¡¯s face vanished as he pushed his glasses back up. Royce Warlock was Gilford¡¯s colleague and one of the few friends that Gilford had. Rumoured to be the next prime minister, Royce was the Secretary of Civil Affairs. There was only one reason why he would come to the cafe in town during the day. ¡°Because of a certain someone, your subordinates are so busy they can¡¯t even leave the building. They were so miserable that I decided to come meet you in their stead.¡± While Royce deadpanned with a blank look, Gilford rose to his feet as if to run away. He was immediately grabbed by the nape of his neck, however, and was easily captured. ¡°When will you quit your habit of ditching! How many times have I told you this! We¡¯re not school boys anymore, grow up a little will you!¡± These words seemed to be exchanged quite frequently. Risa felt some sympathy towards Royce¡¯s uncharacteristic speed and expert movements as a civil official. Meanwhile, Gilford was throwing a tantrum about how he refused to go back. He was silenced by a look from Royce, and dragged away into the carriage parked in front of the cafe. Melancholy hovered around Gilford, who sat as still as a cat held by the back of its neck. ¡°Now then. Miss Risa, everyone, pardon the intrusion.¡± Royce, who had re-entered the cafe, bowed politely to Risa and the rest of the customers, who had been looking on from their seats. ¡°I apologize for the trouble my stepfather always brings you. Please have some of this for when you take a break. Please give some to my stepfather¡¯s subordinates as well.¡± ¡°Thank you. I will gladly accept these delicious cookies from you.¡± Sorry for the work her stepfather¡¯s friend had to put in, Risa handed a parcel of cookies to Royce as an apology. As if he understood, Royce gave a bitter smile and accepted the parcel. He bowed once more and left the cafe. The usual peace and quiet of the early afternoon finally returned to the cafe. Risa went back to work, clearing away empty dishes and taking additional orders. --------------------------------------------------------------- This is ¡°Cafe Omusubi,¡± a quite and modest cafe in the capital of the Feliformia Kingdom. The name is no less unusual than the never seen before, yet tasty sweets and cuisine of the curious cafe. That is no surprise, as the owner is someone from a country named Japan, of a different world¡­ Volume 1, 1: Where am I? Volume 1, Chapter 1: Where am I? I, Risa Kurokawa Claude or Kurokawa Risa, came to this world around two years ago. I was born and raised in an average country town to an average family. I graduated from an average vocational school and went to Tokyo for work. I was accepted to a medium-small business as an office worker. I worked at the company for two years, and the day after I turned twenty-two¡­ I came to another world without any preamble. --------------------------------------------------------------- ¡­Ow, my body kind of hurts. I woke up from feeling a dull pain on my right side. Even though I went to bed to sleep, I wondered why the bed felt so incredibly hard as I laid on my right. Despite my room not having a single decorative plant, not even a flower, I could smell greenery as well. When I pried open my heavy eyelids, I found myself in a forest. I was sprawled on the forest floor. Instead of the usual bustle of the city, I heard the light rustling of leaves in the wind. ¡°¡­where, am I?¡± I tried muttering the stereotypical line. Of course, no one answered. For now, I decided to check my bearings. I got up and looked around. I was wearing the loungewear I went to bed in. Although I didn¡¯t have any belongings, I was wearing indoor slippers and not bare foot, thankfully. I had no idea where I was. There were no signs of people or animals. That was all. Now, what should I do? Since I didn¡¯t have anything, I needed to secure the absolute necessities¡ªwater, food, and safety. For now, where I was and why I was there was the least of my worries. Humans are surprisingly calm when they are in a predicament. Anyways, after concluding I wouldn¡¯t get anywhere in the forest, I decided to aim for a village. Brushing the dirt off of my clothes, I began walking in a direction that looked like north. ¡­is how I began walking, but I would not reach a road close to humans until two days later. I would lose consciousness there, be picked up by a passing couple, and wake up the next day. I had no way of knowing that as I optimistically walked at a steady pace. Volume 1, 2: I’ve been picked up. Volume 1, Chapter 2: I¡¯ve been picked up. ¡°¡­there¡¯s no village in sight¡­¡± Although I tried to aim for a village, all I saw while I walked was trees, trees, and more trees¡­ While I continued to stare at the unchanging scenery, a day and night had already passed. I shuddered when the sun set last night. I didn¡¯t expect to sleep out in the open air in my loungewear. Of course, there was no way I could have slept in that situation. I crouched at the root of a large tree for safety, and quietly waited for the sunrise. I realized for the first time how bright the moon could be in the dark. After all, it was inconceivable for the only light source to be the moon in modern Japan. There would be a streetlight every few meters, and there were also 24 hour convenience stores every block or two. In hubs like Shinjuku and Shibuya, the large billboards would light up at night. In the silent forest, anxiety began to bloom. Why was I here? Would I really be able to go home? Maybe this was a punishment for not being kind enough in my daily life. If I was having a long nightmare, I really wanted to wake up soon. Why, how¡­ So many thoughts swirled around my head, but none of them had any answers. I would flinch and put up my guard whenever the wind rustled through the trees. Each time, I would wonder what to do if a beast jumped out of the thicket, or if a ghost came out¡­each time, I would shake my head and throw those thoughts away. At last, the sun rose with my spirits and I set out again. My efforts proved fruitless, as I didn¡¯t reach a village on the second day, either. Despairing, I crouched at the root of a large tree like yesterday, and quietly waited for the sunrise. Exhausted from walking for two days straight, I nodded off to sleep. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­ey¡­lo¡± Someone whispered next to my ear. I pried open my heavy eyelids as I slowly woke up. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s awake.¡± My eyes locked with something in front of me. ¡°¡­eek!¡± A ghost!? I thought as I let loose a scream. I tried to back away, only succeeding in bumping into the large tree behind me. ¡°She¡¯s awake!¡± ¡°You woke her up.¡± ¡°Why are you frightened?¡± Though the voices were quiet, they were clear in the silent forest. I glanced around, but there was no one else around. Does that mean the voices belonged to whatever was in front of me? ¡°¡­could you be a fairy of some sort¡­?¡± The floating thing of about 20 centimeters tall could only be explained as the fairies in fairy tales. ¡°Fairy?¡± It tilted its head and echoed my words. ¡°We¡¯re spirits.¡± ¡°¡­spirits?¡± ¡°Yes, spirits.¡± ¡°We connect the humans to the Goddess.¡± The three spirits floated around in the air, taking turns answering my question. Okay, wait, calm down. I get that they are spirits. But why are they in front of me? What¡¯s their purpose? Maybe they are the ones who left me in the middle of this forest¡­? ¡°Were you the ones who brought me here?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°It was the Goddess!¡± ¡°Goddess? So this goddess brought me here?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°What? If you are acquaintances with that troublesome goddess, tell her to put me back where she found me!¡± I was dropped in the middle of the forest, left to wander for two days. How many times did I want to go home? If I wasn¡¯t dropped into this place, I would have been sleeping peacefully on a warm bed. Instead I was subjected to trembling in anxiety and loneliness in a dark forest. Bubbling with anger, I drew closer to the spirits. However, they shook their heads. ¡°Why? If she could drop me here, she can put me back! I¡¯ll tell her myself, let me meet with the goddess!¡± No matter how vehemently I argued, the spirits silently shook their heads with a sad expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. There¡¯s nothing the Goddess can do. You can only cross worlds once¡­¡± One spirit came forward to say. She was slightly bigger than the others and seemed to be the leader of the group. ¡°¡­wait, did you just say ¡®cross worlds?¡¯ Doesn¡¯t that mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes, this is a different world than the one you were born in.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I was speechless. A different world? What does that mean, why¡­ ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯ll guide you to town, though!¡± I accepted her offer, still dumbfounded yet determined to leave the forest. --------------------------------------------------------------- Guided by the spirits, I continued to walk through the forest. Even though there was no way of knowing whether they would really lead me to town, I could only follow them. After deliberating over my feelings, I asked the quiet spirits ahead. ¡°Hey, can I really not go back?¡± While I did feel like I was getting quite obstinate, it was a very important question for me. It wasn¡¯t something I could give up on right away. ¡°¡­no, you can¡¯t. Inhabitants of different worlds and dimensions are not allowed to interfere with each other. That would result in tipping the balance and end in world destruction¡­¡± ¡°Then how was I brought to this world?¡± ¡°¡­that was the will of the Goddess. This world needs you.¡± ¡°Are you telling me I need to become a hero or a priestess? That¡¯s impossible. I don¡¯t have any superpower or an exceptionally high IQ.¡± ¡°Not like that. Don¡¯t worry, you just have to happily live a normal life here.¡± The spirit said with a happy face. I didn¡¯t know why they were so happy, but I was relieved to know that there was no important role waiting for me. While there were still many things I couldn¡¯t accept and I couldn¡¯t tell whether the spirit was speaking the truth, I could feel their affection towards me. Slowly but steadily, I opened my heart to them. We reached a main road at dawn. ¡°There is a small town down the road this way.¡± ¡°¡­just a bit more until town¡­¡± I looked down at the beaten down road the way the spirits were pointing. Finally, I thought, and suddenly my vision went blank. Huh? I thought, and I lost consciousness. --------------------------------------------------------------- When I woke up, I was not on the hard forest floor, but on a bed in a strange room. I sat up and saw that I had on a comfortable dress peeking from under the covers. I looked around the room and found the clothes I wore in the forest clean and neatly folded in a pile on the bedside table. Someone must have washed them. A bed twice the size of my own. To the right were some cabriole sofas and a white table. Across them was an arch-style window, where warm sunlight filtered into the room. The room was miles more spacious than my apartment. The extravagant interior hinted that this was the house of some rich person. ¡­click. I turned towards the door and a plump middle-aged lady came in. ¡°My, you¡¯ve awoken! How are you feeling?¡± She came to the bed and fussed over me. Did this person save me? ¡°I¡¯m all right. Uhm, were you the one who saved me?¡± ¡°The master and his wife took you in. You slept for a whole day, so they were quite concerned. Let me go call them.¡± She smiled warmly and put me to bed, then left the room. After a while, there was a knock on the door. On my reply, the lady from before entered with a couple behind her. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°You never woke up. Oh, we were so worried.¡± The couple brought chairs next to the bed and asked after my health. ¡°Thank you so much for saving me.¡± Thinking it rude to stay in bed, I tried to get up. They stopped me, however, so I could only lower my head in bed. ¡°We were so surprised to see you collapsed on the road.¡± ¡°The doctor said that you were exhausted and dehydrated. Thankfully, you didn¡¯t seem to have any big injuries¡­are you okay now? Are you dizzy?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine now. Thank you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Oh, I forgot to say. I am Gilford Hyde Claude. This is my wife, Anastasia.¡± ¡°I am Anastasia Ashley Claude. Could we have your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Kurokawa Risa¡­oh, Risa Kurokawa.¡± I changed the order so my surname would be last, like the two of them. ¡°Risa, I see. Nice to meet you.¡± Gilford smiled and reached out his hand, which I shook. I didn¡¯t really believe the spirits when they said this was another world, but I could accept it after seeing Gilford and Anastasia. Their hair and eye colors were hues that were impossible on Earth. Anastasia had wavy, pink hair and amethyst purple eyes. While Gilford¡¯s hair was a normal brown, his eyes were silver grey. They confirmed that their hair and eye colors were natural, and asked me the same question. I have black hair and black eyes characteristic of a Japanese person. While I am a little proud of my silky, straight, raven-colored hair, I¡¯m not a particularly beautiful person. I have a button nose and my contours are shallow. The only charm points that I might have are my double eyelids, which make my eyes larger than life. Compare that to the two in front of me, who have Caucasian1 faces that are always popular in Japan. A long, thin nose, a raised forehead and striking contours placed in a proportionally balanced manner. Their fascinating colors seemed to fit in place with their wonderful faces. When I asked why they were curious of my black hair and eye-color, they answered that it is rare in this world for someone to have the same hair and eye-color. What a surprise! Anastasia kept complimenting my hair and eyes, until I blushed with embarrassment. Personally, I was more envious of Anastasia¡¯s appearance. I confessed to them that I was from a different world. ¡°Yes, that is what the sprits told me.¡± ¡°I see¡­The spirits told me that I can¡¯t go back to my own world. Is that true?¡± ¡°¡­Well, with our current technology, it¡¯s impossible to transfer a human to another world. The only one who can do that is probably the creator, the Goddess, but the spirits say that¡¯s impossible¡­¡± ¡°It really is impossible, huh¡­¡± As if to cheer me up, Anastasia gently took my hand. ¡°Don¡¯t think about it too much, rest up for now. Once you get better, we can think about the future.¡± She laid me down and tucked the blanket in over me. ¡°She¡¯s right. You just woke up, after all. Let¡¯s talk again tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± My body was already tired from exertion, and my eyelids could no longer stay open. Shortly after I watched the smiling couple leave the room, I drifted off to sleep. Volume 1, 3: I found a family. Volume 1, Chapter 3: I found a family. After breakfast the next day. I sat across from Gilford and Anastasia on the sofa in my room to talk. ¡°Do you feel better?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m completely fine now. ¡°That¡¯s good. Don¡¯t push yourself, okay?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. Thank you.¡± I had slept soundly, cleared out my plate during dinner and breakfast and recovered completely. The head maid, Mary, had helped me into the bathtub, and I felt refreshed after a bath. I thanked them again for helping a stranger like me. ¡°Now, let¡¯s continue from where we left off yesterday. I¡¯m sure you have a lot of questions, Risa.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You see, I happen to be a royal magician of this country, and we found you when I was investigating a magic phenomenon in the area.¡± According to Gilford, there was a mysterious emission of light the day I came to this world. As a royal magician, he set out to investigate while going out on a date with his wife. Finding nothing out of the ordinary other than some flattened grass, they were on their way home when they found me collapsed on the main road. ¡°It is likely that given the time and place, the emission of light was from your arrival to this world.¡± Gilford nodded in approval. ¡°The spirits said that I was brought here by the Goddess¡­¡± ¡°Yes, they also said that it was the will of the Goddess to me. Spirits do not lie, so I believe it is the truth. It seems our meeting was part of the will of the Goddess as well.¡± ¡°¡­is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. The spirits entrusted you to us before leaving. They are the messengers of the Goddess to humans ever since the olden days. That is why¡­¡± Gilford paused and shared a look with Anastasia. ¡°Hey, Risa.¡± With a look of determination, Anastasia gazed at me. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind if you¡¯re okay with it. Would you like to become our daughter?¡± ¡°¡­I beg your pardon?¡± I was struck dumb by the sudden proposal. Anastasia¡¯s expression showed that it was not a joke, but I had no idea how to reply. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Of course you would be stumped at such a sudden question.¡± Anastasia cracked a wry smile at my flustered silence. ¡°Although Gilford and I have been married for more than ten years, we do not have any children. We have tried everything, but we just can¡¯t seem to have any.¡± There was a hint of sadness in Anastasia¡¯s tone despite her smile. Gilford held her hand as if to support her, and she smiled at him before turning back towards me. ¡°Gil and I both love children, so we really wanted one for our own. But even the doctor didn¡¯t know why it wasn¡¯t working. We¡¯ve also considered adopting, but it just didn¡¯t sit very well¡­¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t the main family, so there was no pressure in producing an heir, either.¡± ¡°But once I saw you, Risa, I immediately knew that you were the child we were looking for.¡± Anastasia¡¯s warm eyes fixed on me. ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange? Even though I don¡¯t understand why, that¡¯s definitely how I felt.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think Tasia¡¯s feelings and the spirits entrusting you to us are unrelated. You will lack for nothing, but we won¡¯t force you if you don¡¯t want to. But if you would like, won¡¯t you try living with us for a while?¡± A mix of joy and confusion welled up in my chest at the couple¡¯s words. Anastasia crossed the room to sit next to me and took my hand. ¡°Let¡¯s become a family in this world.¡± Anastasia¡¯s hands gently enveloped my right hand. Still across the table, Gilford warmly smiled and nodded. ¡°Would you have me?¡± ¡°I would have no other, you know?¡± Anastasia smiled happily and said. ¡°¡­I am in your care.¡± Deeply touched by their sincerity, I lowered my head in reply. In a jubilant Anastasia¡¯s embrace, I began to think that the ¡®will of the Goddess¡¯ or whatever wasn¡¯t so bad at all. --------------------------------------------------------------- Afterwards, I confirmed that the two of them thought I was only fourteen or fifteen years old. It seems that Japanese people look younger than their age regardless of what world they are in. As I felt a combination of joy and sadness, I was spared from calling them ¡°Papa¡± and ¡°Mama¡± on the basis of my real age. They were really sad about that, and I felt bad, but I managed to get them to accept being called ¡°Gil¡± and ¡°Tasia.¡± That was how I started my life in another world, but I still did not know back then. The fact that the food culture of this world was the lowest of the low. Neither did I know that the bland milk porridge-like stuff that I thought was the diet for the sick was actually high class food. Volume 1, 4: I learned about culture in another world. Volume 1, Chapter 4: I learned about culture in another world. One week after I came to the Claude family. Tasia taught me common knowledge and the manners of this world in the morning, then the head maid Mary or the butler Reid taught me in the afternoon while Tasia went out to work. In the evening, Gil would come home from work and teach me about magic. This was how I spent my days. So far, I learned that I am in the capital of the Feliformia Kingdom. There are ten countries in this world, with Feliformia being the most affluent country. The kingdom sits facing the sea with a mountain range within its borders. It is blessed with resources and a bustling trading hub due to its geographic location. When comparing it to my original world, Feliformia¡¯s weather is very similar to Japan. It¡¯s a relief that the winters are not as cold as, say, those in Russia. According to Gil, this world is not spherical like Earth. Perhaps that is why despite a small difference in time and seasons across regions, they are not as extreme as the opposite seasons of the northern and southern hemisphere. There is no extreme time lag like Japan¡¯s day would be Brazil¡¯s night, either. The biggest difference, however, is the existence of magic. Magic is generally split into two categories, spirit magic and book magic. Spirit magic, true to its name, is magic by borrowing the spirits¡¯ powers. To that end, spirit magicians must not only be able to see spirits but also communicate with them. Surprisingly, not everyone can see spirits. Because Gil spoke of spirits so nonchalantly, I thought everyone could see them. Apparently only one in every ten people can even see spirits, so Gil was very passionate about recruiting me to become a royal magician. It might be good to have work in the future, so I told him I would think about it. As Gil is a royal magician, he can use spirit magic. Spirit magic users who graduate from the National Magic Academy are apparently all called magicians. On the other hand, book magic is activated with magic tools as an intermediary, so anyone can use it as long as they have the tool for it. Magic tools are usually items that you would use in daily life, such as a refrigerator. Most of the things that existed in the original world generally fall into this category, so I probably want for nothing in that area. In terms of language, Japanese works for verbal communication, but the writing system is completely different. Similar to the English alphabet, words are formed by combining vowels and consonants. It might take a while before I can read and write, so I¡¯ll have to bring around a handmade chart of the Japanese syllabary table. The culture seems close to early modern Europe. Ladies wear gowns, and the interior design and architecture seem to fit the period. Personally, I really liked the old European style, so it is very interesting to me. I¡¯m okay with the clothes as long as they¡¯re not too over the top. I¡¯ve been thinking of them as slightly extravagant dresses. I¡¯m going on a tangent, but all of the clothes I have is prepared by Tasia. Tasia was raised in one of the most prominent merchant families, and Tasia herself owns a clothing brand named Sheryl Merry. Although she humbly claims that she¡¯s just doing what she likes, how she likes it, Sheryl Merry is the forefront of fashion. In general, my life in another world is quite comfortable except for one unhappy area. Food. A few days after I was picked up by the Claudes, I found out that the bland milk porridge-like stuff I thought was the diet for the sick, was actually high class food. When I asked for bread, they gave me a brown, charred lump that was harder than rock. Not only that, but the food here only comes in three varieties¡ªsalt, pepper, and sugar flavor. Saying that they¡¯re simply emphasizing the flavor of the ingredients is putting it nicely. For the refined palate of a modern Japanese person like me, a week of bland food was my limit. Without thinking about my position as a freeloader, I yelled furiously. ¡°Why? Doesn¡¯t culture development usually start with the food? Why is the food here so bad!¡± Volume 1, 5: I learned about the food on the table. Volume 1, Chapter 5: I learned about the food on the table. My cry of anguish echoed across the breakfast table in the Claude mansion. Gil and Tasia gaped. The head maid who was serving the food, Mary, and the butler Reid were shocked by my outburst. Seeing their faces, I came to my senses and realized I had voiced my complaint aloud. Oh no. I¡¯m seated at the breakfast table in the Claude mansion, and I complained out loud. Our relationship was going so well, and now¡­ But it¡¯s torture to have to keep eating such boring food forever! Oh, I miss soy sauce and miso so much. ¡°Uhm, Risa? Is the food here different from the food where you came from?¡± Tasia lightly asked me, perhaps considering how emotional I became. ¡°¡­well, yes. Unfortunately¡­¡± It was a bit late to repair what I did, but I still took the opportunity to talk to them honestly. After we finished breakfast, I explained the situation to Gil, Tasia, the head maid Mary, and the butler Reid. ¡°I lived in a country called Japan, whose food culture was recognized globally to be quite advanced.¡± Sushi, Tempura, sukiyaki, udon. Curry and ramen also evolved in Japan, and was lauded as a staple in the Japanese diet. If even the tsukemono1 of the old days, or natto or umeboshi were here on the table, I could eat so many bowls of rice. ¡­Ah, they don¡¯t have white rice here. ¡°The staple of this country is bread, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Not just this country, but also the neighboring countries as well.¡± ¡°I see¡­in the world I was in, the bread was very fluffy and different from the bread here. Also, the staple of the country I was born in was rice, not bread.¡± ¡°Rice?¡± Everyone stared blankly at me. ¡°¡­rice doesn¡¯t exist here, does it? Then do you eat any noodles?¡± ¡°¡­noodles?¡± ¡°¡­ah¡­well, noodles are made by mixing flour and water and kneading the dough into a string-like shape. Then you boil it and eat it with soup and sides. The flour can be made with rice or other grains.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°Also, what types of seasoning are there?¡± ¡°What type? Well, salt, sugar, and¡­ah yes, pepper.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And? ¡­that¡¯s it¡­¡± I expected as much, but I still couldn¡¯t hide my dejection. ¡°It was quite bland, so that¡¯s what I expected¡­¡± ¡°Your world must have a lot of seasoning, then?¡± ¡°Yes. I use more than a dozen every day.¡± ¡°A dozen!¡± ¡°That many?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It is no wonder the food is so different, then.¡± It really is, Gil. What should I do¡­ ¡°Oh, by the way, where would you say the food is most advanced in this world?¡± My small ray of hope was stamped into oblivion by Gil¡¯s words. ¡°That would be here, Feliformia. The capital is also an academic city, so there are a lot of people moving around. Trade is very busy here, too, what with all the large firms.¡± I feel a bit bad as Gil was speaking of Feliformia so proudly, but I really wished it wasn¡¯t so. Essentially, the cuisine in this country is the forefront of all cuisine in this world. It also erases the possibility that the food here at the Claudes is just especially bad. ¡°I see. For my last question, do you eat any sweets?¡± ¡°¡­We don¡¯t have any sweets cuisine, no.¡± Well, it¡¯s not a cuisine. Technically it¡¯s more of a food category, Tasia. I sank into the sofa and my disappointment, deflated by the final blow. ¡°Risa~, are you oka~y?¡± Gil was looking out for me after watching me sink lower with each question. Hm. I have to do something about this myself. ¡°Gil, Tasia.¡± ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll make the food for the Claude family!¡± Volume 1, 6: I check out the kitchen. Volume 1, Chapter 6: I check out the kitchen. The Claude mansion is very big. Although I haven¡¯t seen every room, the room that they are letting me use is already about 30 mats1. There seem to be many more rooms of that size in the Claude mansion. The 1B1B apartment I lived in would probably only qualify as a walk-in closet. It¡¯s only expected, though, as the Claude family holds the title of marquis. The current family head is apparently Gil¡¯s older brother, so this is the branch family mansion. Usually Gil would not receive a marquis title since he is from the branch family, but he was granted a new title in light of his large contributions to the kingdom. It seems the standard for nobility is quite strict in this country. Nobility pay heavier taxes than commoners, and have their title stripped away if they refuse to do so. In addition, contributions to the country, such as proceeds from their land or technology research and development or even political achievement come under intense scrutiny. This is probably how Feliformia has long upheld their constitutional monarchy. Essentially, with great power comes great responsibility, and one would not survive if they only enjoyed the benefits of a noble status. ¡­But I digress. The head maid Mary directed me to the unexplored kitchen of such a Claude family. There was a six burner magic stove, a commercial-looking magic refrigerator, a commercial-looking magic freezer, and a magic water supply. The space and equipment lacked nothing. ¡°Mary, who usually makes the food?¡± Speaking of which, I had never asked her this. ¡°Whoever is on cooking duty for the maids. However, they are only in charge of the soup and main dish. Bread is brought in from the bakery that is also the purveyor to royalty.¡± This fossil of bread is baked by a royal purveyor!? So the king of the country also eats rock hard bread¡­It¡¯s remarkable how even the person with the most power has no problems with it. How strong are these peoples¡¯ jaws!? ¡­.Anyways, it¡¯s best not to be shocked by the food in this world. All right, I¡¯ve decided I will become the pioneer of food in this world. This is all so that I can eat good food. After strengthening my resolve, I asked Mary to get together some ingredients for me. She was very excited and willing, and proved a great help to me. No Japanese person would see Mary and think she couldn¡¯t cook. With her slight chubbiness, Mary looked like she would fit right into a cafeteria somewhere with a cook¡¯s apron. She also looked like she would quietly sneak a few extra pieces of karaage2 onto your plate, too. Oh, I would like some karaage. Let¡¯s make some next time. Anyways, right now I need to think about what I can make for lunch, which is happening in 2 hours. I would really like to start with the bread, but that would take too long as I would have to start from making yeast. The milk porridge-like stuff seemed to have wheat grains, so either rice isn¡¯t common here or it doesn¡¯t even exist. They did tilt their head and say ¡°rice?¡± after all. By process of elimination, then, the main dish will be noodles. Noodles, huh¡­udon, soba, ramen, pasta. There is no soy sauce, so udon and soba are out of the question. Ramen requires lye water (something necessary for ramen. If you don¡¯t have lye water, you can¡¯t make ramen), which I also don¡¯t have. The last one is pasta. Wheat was used in making bread, and I saw something that looked like eggs in the soup, too. Then I just need¡­salt and water. Okay! I choose you, pasta! I mean, I can only make pasta! While I was thinking about these things, Mary led in the maids, Reid, the gardener, and some other servants of the Claude family into the kitchen with their hands full of ingredients. I am so, so grateful that they are doing all this for a freeloader like me. I will make good food!! ¡°Mary, ladies. We will be making something called pasta today.¡± ¡°Pasta?¡± Mary and the maids all tilted their heads as they mulled over the unfamiliar word. ¡°It is quite easy, so let¡¯s make it together.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± I smiled at their perplexed expressions, to which Mary replied with gusto. The others followed her lead and crowded around me. First, I dumped a mountain of wheat flour onto the work table. I flattened the peak, cracked an egg into the resulting crater and mixed it in. Then I added some salt dissolved in lukewarm water into the mix and kneaded for around five minutes. I told Mary to follow my movements, as we would need a lot of dough to make enough pasta for everyone in the Claude family. Then we let the dough rest for twenty minutes. There is no plastic wrap here, so I put the dough in a bowl and placed a wet towel over it to prevent it from drying out. During those twenty minutes, I taste tested all of the ingredients that everyone brought in for me. I asked Mary and the maids to teach me their names while I took a nibble on each of them for taste. The ones I will use in the pasta today are mallow, a red eggplant-looking vegetable that tastes like tomato, and zelana, a gingko-shaped vegetable that tastes like spinach. Lastly is toto, some kind of poultry. Toto is a very common meat, and the eggs used in the pasta also comes from the toto bird. The honorable mention goes to a conspicuous coconut-like fruit the size of a basketball, called milkfruit. True to its name, the juice tastes like milk. It seems the fatty content of the milk also increases as it ripens, so I was jumping for joy at the thought of being able to make butter, cream and cheese. It was a little frustrating that the maids couldn¡¯t understand what I was so happy about. There were many other ingredients, but that¡¯s a story for another day. After a while, I flattened the rested dough and cut it into around 3cm (1.2in) squares and pinched the middle so they would form a butterfly shape. This is farfalle pasta, also known as bow-tie or butterfly pasta. It is very easy to make, so I often made it at home. The maids who had been confused by the mountain of flour and everything else were immediately taken to the cute shape of the farfalle, and busied themselves to happily making more pasta. It seems girls are attracted to cute things no matter where you go. Thanks to their help, we made a lot of farfalle pasta, which I then dropped into boiling water to cook. Time to make the sauce while the pasta is cooking. I cut the toto and zelana (mock spinach) into a suitable size. I scalded the mallow (mock tomato) to peel off their skin and cut them into around 2cm (0.8in) slices. I added the toto covered in wheat flour to an oiled pot. Once they looked cooked, I added the zelana and lightly fried that too. Finally I added the mallow in to stew until it began to come apart, and added some salt and pepper to taste. The sauce is done! All that¡¯s left is plating. Actually, my adding mallow to the pot caused quite a stir among the maids. They were shocked to see me cook a fruit that they usually eat raw. Hearing that, I rushed to taste test the mallow sauce and was relieved that it tasted like a slightly sweeter tomato sauce. Anyways, I will finally get to eat a proper meal after coming to this world! It¡¯s amazing how moved I am over (pseudo) pasta margherita¡­ The maids helped me bring the finished pasta to the dining room. Gil and Tasia were already seated and waiting. ¡°The smell was so good, I simply couldn¡¯t wait~¡± ¡°My, I was also led here early by the wonderful smell.¡± Nervous and hoping that the excited couple would accept it, I placed the pasta on the table. I roughly explained the food. ¡°This is a food called pasta. The butterfly-shaped objects at the bottom are a type of pasta called farfalle, and they are categorized under the noodles I talked about earlier. The sauce on top is a mallow-based sauce with toto and zelana.¡± ¡°So this yellowish thing is called pasta?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so pretty! Let¡¯s hurry and try it!¡± Although Gil wanted to ask more questions, Tasia seemed more than ready to dig in and shushed him. Instead of the usual ¡°itadakimasu3¡± that the Japanese say before eating, people give thanks to the Goddess and the spirits in this world. The two of them rushed through their prayer and excitedly took a bite. ¡°Delicious!¡± The two exclaimed in tandem, and the table fell silent as they continued to eat. Relieved that they were enjoying it, I also took a bite of the pasta. Mmm, it tastes the same as the pasta margherita with chicken that I always made. I had only finished half of my plate when Gil and Tasia were completely done. They began giving their thoughts while their mouths were still covered in mallow sauce. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve had something so tasty!¡± ¡°The pasta is slightly bouncy in texture, and it goes very well with the sauce. I¡¯ve never had mallow prepared this way, either! It¡¯s positively scrumptious!¡± Hearing these exclamations and seeing the satisfied faces on the couple, the maids who had helped in serving couldn¡¯t help but fidget as well. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine here, go ahead and have some.¡± Unable to watch them, Gil urged them to go, and they quickly left the room to eat lunch. Afterwards, Gil and Tasia would not stop with their admiration and compliments, and I flushed and accepted them humbly. Starting with the maids who ran to try the pasta, the servants also showered me with praises. I was officially appointed as the chef in the Claude family. Volume 1, 7: I considered food development in another world. Volume 1, Chapter 7: I considered food development in another world. First of all, Japan did not have refrigerators until 60, 70 years ago. People had to preserve their food by drying it or pickling it in salt. Fermented food that is key to Japanese cuisine like miso, soy sauce, natto, etc. was born from that necessity. However, this world has magic tools. In terms of food preservation, refrigerators and freezers were developed early on and therefore took away the need and opportunity to preserve food in other ingenious ways. These are all my conjectures, but it seems quite accurate after cross checking with the history of magic tool development with Gil. It is nice to have convenience, but there are wonderful things that are borne of inconvenience too. The main dish of the Claude family became pasta after they tried it yesterday. The maids learned how to make it and had been diligently helping ever since. However, I would soon be sick of pasta if I had to eat it every day. That is why today, I¡¯m going to make yeast so we can have fluffy bread. ¡°Miss Risa, I shall help you today as well.¡± ¡°Mary, you really don¡¯t have to do this every day. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re very busy too¡­¡± ¡°No, please allow me! It might be a little pushy to say I am helping you, but everything you make is so delicious I would really love to learn by your side.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not pushy at all! You¡¯re a huge help! I would love to have you around.¡± Mary is going to be my assistant today as well. She already has a white apron over her simple maid uniform and is very excited to learn. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at how cute she was while I rummaged through the ingredients. I found an apple-like fruit while taste testing the ingredients yesterday. Its name is Lir, and it tastes like oranges. I¡¯ll be making yeast from this. ¡°Mary, today we¡¯re making yeast.¡± ¡°Yeast, miss?¡± ¡°Yes. Yeast is used to make bread. Compared to the bread in my world, though, the bread here is so hard.¡± ¡°You did say something like that before.¡± ¡°Bread needs a leavening agent to grow fluffy, and that is the yeast that we¡¯ll be making.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t even begin to imagine fluffy bread, but it must be delicious if Miss Risa makes it!¡± Thanks to the food that I¡¯ve made so far, Mary seemed to have very high hopes for the fluffy bread that I would make. Her eyes glimmered with anticipation and she chittered excitedly. ¡°Let¡¯s start, then.¡± ¡°Yes, miss!¡± First I readied a glass jar that I sterilized by boiling. I pushed some sliced and peeled lir into the jar so there would not be any space between slices. Then I added a tablespoon of honey, some cooled boiled water, and closed the jar with a cork lid. ¡°We¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Eh? That¡¯s it, miss?¡± Mary raised her voice in confusion. ¡°I guess saying we¡¯re done is a little misleading. We¡¯re done with preparations. We just have to leave this alone, but before that¡­Mary, where is the warmest room in the mansion?¡± ¡°Warmest? Hmm, I believe that would be the sunroom¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go there, then.¡± Still full of questions at my extraordinary request, Mary guided me to the sunroom. It was a lovely day, and the sunroom was quite warm. The walls were glass, so you could see the rest of the garden or even leave the mansion via the wooden deck. ¡°May I use this table?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± There was a table set, perhaps for drinking tea. I placed the glass jar on the table and covered it with a cloth so the sun would not shine directly on it. ¡°Now we just have to mix it with the air every day and it¡¯ll be done in a few days.¡± ¡°Uhm, Miss Risa, are you perhaps thinking of leaving this here?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°What!? It will go bad, miss!¡± Mary exclaimed in surprise. ¡°Hehe. Now now, Mary. Just think of it as a little surprise to look forward to.¡± ¡°I¡­see¡­¡± The people in this world probably think fermentation equals decomposition. Despite her textbook reaction, the incredulous Mary agreed to watch over the jar for now. The next day, Mary and I went to the sunroom. I took away the covering cloth and opened the lid. There was a quiet hiss, as if I were opening a can of soda. ¡°Mary, try smelling this.¡± I held it out to her after checking the smell myself. ¡°Oh? What is this? It smells quite different from lir.¡± ¡°Yes. This is not the smell of rot, but of fermented yeast. It has only been a day so it is hard to see, but the yeast will be finished when there are more bubbles. It will probably take¡­maybe two, three more days.¡± Mary seemed relieved that it was not rotten, but she blinked, completely in the dark on how the bubbles could be used. A few days passed. We could finally make fluffy bread. The yeast was cultivated properly, but I was still a little worried that it might not grow as much as I liked. With Mary as my side as always, I began to make bread. Mary knew how to make rock hard bread, so she was very confused by the first and second resting during breadmaking, but her suspicions were quickly dispelled by the wafting smell from the oven and the golden brown, puffy bread. Mary and I tried a piece each, and we both sighed in tandem¡ªI from relief, Mary from wonderment. ¡°I was wondering how you would use yeast, but I never thought it would puff the dough up like that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s magic the first time, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mary finished her bread in no time and exclaimed, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry and let the masters have some, too!¡± She bustled around the kitchen preparing for the meal. Urged on by Mary, we had an earlier meal than usual. The menu of the day was bread with minestrone soup, herb toto, and a steamed salad. ¡°What¡¯s the meal today, Risa?¡± Gil accompanied Tasia into the dining room. The two sat in their usual seats and looked at the food with surprise. ¡°Risa! Could this be¡­¡± Tasia looked at me, her eyes glittering with anticipation. ¡°Yes, this is the bread of my world.¡± Actually, the couple had wanted to try the bread of my world ever since I told them about it. The day had finally come where I could answer their wishes. After giving thanks, the two took the bread in their hands. ¡°Whoa!¡± ¡°It¡¯s so soft!¡± Surprised by the unfamiliar texture, they spent some time enjoying the bounciness and softness of the bread. ¡°It¡¯s easier to eat if you tear off a bite-sized piece.¡± They only grew more surprised as they followed my lead in tearing off a piece and putting it in their mouths. ¡°¡­¡± They slowly tasted the bread. My initial anxiety towards their silence was blown away as their faces bloomed with joy. Although the bread I made was miles away from bread you would see in bakeries, it was still on another level compared to the rock hard bread they usually ate. ¡°This is bread!?¡± ¡°How fluffy! It has a slight sweetness to it, and is absolutely wonderful!¡± The two began giving their thoughts as soon as they inhaled their bread. I couldn¡¯t understand all of it as they talked over each other, but I could tell they were showering it with praises. I was really happy to see them eat with such gusto and smile from ear to ear. It seems good food will put smiles on faces no matter where you go. Volume 1, 8: A small child became attached to me. Volume 1, Chapter 8: A small child became attached to me. The day after I made bread. I holed myself up in my room after breakfast to think about the future. Although I now had the choice between pasta and bread for the main dish, my repertoire was still too small. I wrote out the ingredients I was missing on some parchment. First was the Japanese staple, rice. Then the seasonings, soy sauce, miso, vinegar, wine, tougarashi1. It was really painful to only have salt and sugar out of the 5 essential seasonings2. I¡¯m worried for the future. I flung my feather pen onto the table and leaned back into my chair. The ceiling that I gazed up to did not have a single stain or spiderweb. Atop the luxurious chandelier sat a spirit¡­wait, a spirit!? Thud, went something that landed on my face. I grabbed whatever it was that covered my eyes, nose and mouth and it flailed desperately, finally escaping my grasp to land on the table. ¡°¡­w-what?¡± It didn¡¯t hurt, but I was surprised by the unfamiliar feeling. I stared at the table. ¡°U-uhm, I¡¯m so sorry! I didn¡¯t do it on purpose!¡± A small girl with mint-color hair was apologizing profusely to me on the table. It seems this girl had fallen onto my face. ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t you one of the spirits I met in the forest¡­?¡± It was the leader of the group of spirits who guided me to the main road when I was wandering around in the forest. I hadn¡¯t seen them again since I was brought to the Claudes, so I thought they had gone home. ¡°Gil said I was entrusted to him by the spirits, so I thought you had returned to the forest¡­¡± ¡°¡­Actually, I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Eh? Really? Why?¡± ¡°I was worried¡­you were suddenly dropped into this world, so there was no way you wouldn¡¯t be anxious. I didn¡¯t know what to do if you were troubled¡­¡± The girl looked up at me worriedly, her hands tightly gripping the clothes that were the same color as her hair. Speaking of which, I never got to thank the spirits for guiding me to the road since I had collapsed the second I saw it. ¡°Is that so? Thank you for leading me out of the forest. The Claude family has taken good care of me, and I¡¯m all right now! It¡¯s all thanks to you. Thank you so much.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a relief! I thought perhaps you didn¡¯t like us, so I¡¯m glad to hear that¡¯s not the case.¡± Thinking about it, I had been really confused at being dropped into another world so suddenly. I must have lashed out of them, so it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable for them to think I hated them. That wasn¡¯t my intention, and I felt bad thinking back on it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for having such a bad attitude back then. I had never met any spirits before, so I was so surprised¡­ I don¡¯t hate you at all! In fact, I¡¯m very grateful.¡± ¡°Phew, I¡¯m glad.¡± She smiled, relieved. ¡°By the way, why did you drop down from up there?¡± The girl flushed with embarrassment as I asked her about her ambush. ¡°¡­t-that is¡­I was watching over you from the chandelier, but you suddenly looked straight at me. I was so shocked I lost my footing¡­It really wasn¡¯t on purpose, I promise!¡± Just as an apple falls from a tree, so does a spirit fall from a chandelier. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the concept, too which the poor spirit only blushed a deeper red. I decided to change the subject. ¡°Did you have something you wanted to say?¡± ¡°¡­y-yes¡­I thought I could help you out since you looked so troubled. I¡¯m a spirit so I know a lot! I can use magic too!¡± She seemed hellbent on helping me. Perhaps she likes me? It seems Gil¡¯s words that people who can see spirits are well liked by them are true. Either way, this is better than being hated. ¡°Thank you. I really do have a problem, so I¡¯m happy you¡¯re offering! By the way, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡± No name¡­do spirits not have names? What should I call her, then? ¡°Uhm, if you¡¯d like, please give me a name!¡± The girl looked at me with giant, puppy dog eyes. ¡°Would you be okay with my naming you?¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Hmmm¡­even if you¡¯re willing, I don¡¯t have a name on the spot¡­ I hadn¡¯t interacted with her enough, so I could only think of names related to her appearance. Hm, a simple style and green hair¡­ ¡°How about Basil?¡± It¡¯s simple but I thought about it after looking at her hair. I hope she doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m obsessed with food when even her name is a food name. It¡¯s a nice and cute name, I think¡­ The girl placed her hands on her cheeks, mumbling ¡°Basil¡­Basil¡­¡± over and over again and smiling. It seems she liked it. ¡°I didn¡¯t introduce myself, did I? I¡¯m Kurok¡­sorry, Risa Kurokawa Claude. Nice to meet you, Basil.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you too, Master!¡± ¡°¡­eh? Master?¡± ¡°Yes! You gave me a name, so you¡¯re my master!¡± Basil replied to my surprise. Speaking of which, Gil did say that spirit magic cannot be used without a contract with a spirit, and that a contract was signed by something or other about a name and the spirit¡­Did I just sign a contract with Basil? She affirmed my suspicions. I couldn¡¯t tell her to annul the contract when she smiled brightly at me and confessed her joy in signing a contract with me. She was also very excited about helping me in any way she could. Having already decided through my stomach, I asked her. ¡°Does this world have rice?¡± ¡°Yes it does!¡± ¡­what!? I might be able to get rice much sooner than I thought!? Volume 1, 9: I play with the spirit. Volume 1, Chapter 9: I play with the spirit. ¡°Rice exists! Then what about soybeans? And then seasoning¡­first, is there tougarashi1? What about chocolate, oh I guess it would be cacao beans¡­oh, oh, also¡­¡± Hyper over the revelation that rice exists in this world, I peppered Basil with more and more questions about other ingredients. Surprised by the sudden assault, Basil shrunk and backed away. ¡°M-master! Please calm down!¡± O-oh, yes, let¡¯s listen to Basil and calm down for a second. ¡°The names are different, so I can¡¯t say that they are the exact same ingredients that Master would like. However, Most of the ingredients that are similar to the ones in your previous world do exist!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes! That¡¯s what the Goddess said! Oh, I think I wasn¡¯t supposed to say that¡­¡± ¡°The Goddess?¡± ¡°The Goddess is like a mother to us, and is the almighty creator of this world.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± The Goddess who popped up in the last conversation I had with Basil. The person? God? Who was responsible for dropping me here without preamble. While I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t bear any ill feelings towards her, my opinion of her is slightly improved if a lot of the ingredients in my world also exist here, albeit in a similar manner. Food is very important. Hatred stemming from (the lack of) food is very terrifying, as is food stemming from hatred. ¡°I can assume that I can get most of the ingredients I want, then?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The future for food in this world seems a little brighter after seeing Basil¡¯s confident reply. ¡°Master, do you have anything else you are troubled with?¡± ¡°Hmm, anything else¡­I¡¯m troubled that the food tastes bad, but that can¡¯t be helped for now¡­oh, this is more of a simple question, but what kind of spirit are you, Basil? Gil said that spirits all have a type, or rather a specialization¡­¡± ¡°I am an emerald spirit. I can heal plants and make them grow faster! Oh, I can use a bit of wind magic too!¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s why you know so much about food.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Basil puffed up her chest with pride. She looked kind of silly, but I couldn¡¯t deny that I was incredibly fortunate to meet someone (some spirit) knowledgeable of the flora and food ingredients in this world. ¡°Here¡¯s another question.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Do spirits eat food?¡± ¡°We can, but we don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°Oooh.¡± ¡°¡­To be honest, the food Master made looked really good and I really wanted to try it!¡± Basil shyly clasped her hands, but her sparkling eyes betrayed her hope. ¡°Is that so? Then I¡¯ll make some for you too next time.¡± ¡°Really!? Yay!¡± Basil was so happy, she jumped and flew around me in joy. While chuckling to myself thinking about all the ingredients I could get, I passed the time with Basil without a care in the world. 1. tougarashi: Usually translated as ¡°chili pepper¡± but can refer to both shichimi (seven spices) and shishito pepper. It looks and tastes a bit like cayenne, but is slightly more orange. Volume 1, 10: Let’s go out. Volume 1, Chapter 10: Let¡¯s go out. The Ashley Company. Its main store is located in the Feliformia Kingdom, and it has many branch stores in other countries. It deals in various trades, from foodstuffs to magic tools. It also trades with the royalty in various countries, and has a large hand in distribution. I am heading towards that large company right now. It is also Tasia¡¯s home before she married Gil. I was able to set an appointment thanks to her connection. After learning about rice from Basil, I asked Tasia about it. According to Basil, rice is used as fodder in this world. Then it wouldn¡¯t be sold in the markets, but only to farmers. As I thought, rice was only traded between people in the field. That is why I¡¯m running everywhere to try and obtain it now. I stepped into a carriage that screamed nobility and headed towards the Ashley Company. Basil, who was accompanying me, held on to my shoulder while she looked out the window at the scenery passing by. She was even humming like a child going on an adventure. Tasia was also in high spirits to come out with me. It seems her dream had always been to go shopping with her daughter. I felt bad that we were shopping for something as unflattering as rice¡­she seemed so happy, I decided not to talk too much about it. They were so lively about it that despite it being my first outing, we reached our destination before I could really appreciate the scenery. A four-story building towered over me as I got off the carriage. This was probably one of the tallest buildings in this world. The entrance was wide open, and tons of people were coming and going. I followed Tasia into the building and we stopped in front of a large counter. ¡°Hello there, I¡¯m Anastasia Claude. Is my brother Alex here? He told me he would be around today.¡± Tasia asked the lady at the counter, who ran into the back. The family of the founder must all be recognizable here. After a few minutes, the clerk lady came back and showed us into a room on the second floor. Tasia sat down on the sofa in the center of the room, and was immediately served some tea by the clerk lady and another woman. By the way, the standard tea here is herb tea. Black and green tea do not seem to be common, in fact I¡¯m not sure they even exist. The herb tea is also made from dried flowers and not leaves. There are no snacks served with tea. That can¡¯t be helped, though, as they don¡¯t have sweets. Instead, they always add sugar to their herb tea. The tea was the only thing I thought was good in this world. After drinking some tea, there was a knock on the door. On Tasia¡¯s reply, a man entered the room. ¡°Long time no see, Tasia.¡± ¡°Alex!¡± After a joyous reunion with Tasia, the man turned to me. ¡°So this is the girl who became your daughter, Tasia?¡± ¡°Let me introduce you, Risa. He is my brother and the head of the Ashley Company. Brother, she is Risa, the daughter I¡¯ve been gushing to you about.¡± Tasia¡¯s brother offered his hand to me, and I shook it. ¡°I¡¯m Anastasia¡¯s brother, Alexis Giselle Ashley. Nice to meet you, Risa. You can call me Uncle Alex.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Risa.¡± Alexis could be summed up with one word, dandy. Although the butler of the Claude family, Reid, was also a dandy, they had very different auras. Reid gave off an air of intelligence, while Alexis seemed popular with the ladies¡­like he caused quite the scandal in his younger days. Urged by Alex, I sat on the sofa across from him. ¡°So what did you want to talk to me about?¡± Alex cut straight to the chase. ¡°I have a favor to ask of you, Alex. Could you spare us some rice?¡± ¡°Rice? Why rice? I mean, I can do it, but¡­¡± Alex stared at us. No surprise there, anyone would think something was up if two women came to ask for fodder. ¡°I told you that Risa is from a different world, right? In Risa¡¯s world, apparently their staple is rice.¡± It seems Tasia told Alex about my otherworldly origins. Alex¡¯s eyebrows shot through the roof when he heard Tasia¡¯s words. ¡°By rice, you mean that rice? Are you sure?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen the rice of this world yet, but I believe it might be the same thing¡­¡± One glance at Basil¡¯s nodding head and I was sure it was the same thing. Incredulous, Alex bade the woman waiting on us to fetch some rice. After a while, the woman came back with a burlap sack. Alex took the sack and spilled its contents onto the table. ¡°Here¡­you¡¯re telling me humans eat this?¡± It really was rice, but it was unhulled rice. ¡°It is the same as the rice of my world. We would hull the rice in a rice mill and eat it.¡± ¡°Hull? Rice mill?¡± Both Tasia and Alex stared at me blankly. I picked up a grain of rice and peeled off the rice husk with my nail, raising it up for them to see. ¡°We call this brown outerior a rice husk. What¡¯s left is called brown rice, which is further polished into white rice. All of this is usually done with a machine called a rice mill.¡± The two stare at the grain of brown rice between my fingers. It seems they didn¡¯t even think to peel off the rice husk. That makes sense, since the wheat was also whole-wheat. ¡°I see¡­it is edible as long as we have the machine for it, then?¡± ¡°Yes. Hulling is when you remove the husk. Structurally it looks like a mortar with a d rain attached to it.¡± Modern Japan uses fully automatic rice hullers, but we¡¯ll have to use the traditional hullers here. For now, I¡¯ll have to hull the rice¡­manually. ¡°I see. What an amazing world you were in, Risa. From what Tasia tells me, the food you make is also really good?¡± ¡°Yes! The bread and this food called pasta are so scrumptious!¡± It seems Tasia had also told him about my food adventures. Tasia took something out of the basket she had brought. ¡°Tada! This is the bread that Risa made! Try some, Alex!¡± Tasia brought the bread I just made this morning and placed it on a thin piece of paper. Alex took it and his expression immediately changed. ¡°This is bread!? It¡¯s so soft!¡± Uh, it has been a while since this morning, so it¡¯s actually a little hard now¡­I guess it¡¯s still miles softer than the rock hard bread. Alex tentatively took a bite. ¡°¡­delicious! It¡¯s almost as if it¡¯s not bread!¡± No, it¡¯s bread. I can assure you that. ¡°Right? Isn¡¯t it good?¡± Tasia exclaimed and began to lay out her experience with excruciating detail. It can¡¯t be helped when they only know of the rock hard bread¡­ ¡°Risa, this may seem sudden but would you be interested in spreading the recipe for this bread?¡± Alex stopped eating the bread to ask me seriously. ¡­Spread the recipe for bread. I had not even thought of doing so since I hadn¡¯t left the Claude mansion before. Thinking about it, only I could make the tastiest food in this world, including bread and pasta. That meant that if I wanted to eat good food, I would have to make it myself. ¡­That wouldn¡¯t be fun. It would all be my own flavor, then. ¡°Sure.¡± I consented readily. ¡°Really!? I promise to give you royalty! Let¡¯s sign a contract then!¡± A merchant will be a merchant. Alex told the woman something, and she brought pen and paper to the table. ¡°I have some conditions, though. Is that all right?¡± I said to the excited Alex. ¡°First, the price should be as low as possible.¡± ¡°What!? The recipe for such good bread would fetch such a high price, though¡­¡± ¡°I want to spread it as fast and far as possible. To that end, I feel that spreading this recipe to the masses would be more important than restricting the audience to rich people.¡± ¡°While you have a point, if you don¡¯t set the price higher in the beginning, there will be a time when it is pointless to sell it. After all, people will spread the recipe by word of mouth, as well.¡± ¡°I know, and that¡¯s okay. I¡¯m sure profit is the most important thing in doing business, but I want to prioritize spreading the recipe for this bread. Would it be too difficult?¡± ¡°No, I understand. It would be great if you could eat this bread no matter where you go, after all.¡± ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Although Alex was initially troubled by the idea, he accepted it with a smile. ¡°Then as a bargain, will you allow me to sell the other recipes?¡± ¡°Of course. Oh, but there are a lot of ingredients that I can¡¯t obtain, so there are things I can¡¯t make¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I also require special cookware. I¡¯ll start with simpler food, but as time goes on I will probably require more and more complicated cookware.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy. We have a research and development department in the Company. Anything you want made, we will try to make it for you. We¡¯ll also sell the tools along with the recipes.¡± ¡°That sounds good! It would be pointless to have the tools but no recipe, and vice versa.¡± There were books in my world that had silicon attached to it, too. In the end, Alex agreed to support me in all areas, from food ingredients to cookware research and development. ¡°Now, let¡¯s just sign the contract for today. You can give me the recipe some other day.¡± ¡°I understand. Oh, could we let Tasia confirm it just in case?¡± ¡°True. Would you do that, Tasia?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I could read most of the words, but I read the contract aloud for Tasia to check if I missed anything. Finally, I signed in the alphabet of this world at the bottom of the paper. ¡°Is this good?¡± ¡°Yes, thanks. About the recipe, what day would be good for you to come?¡± ¡°I am free whenever.¡± ¡°I see. How about tomorrow, then?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Risa, I won¡¯t be able to come with you tomorrow, will you be okay? I can send a carriage for you, but¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You have work too, Tasia, and I¡¯m not a small child.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll really be okay? If you say so¡­Alex, please take care of Risa.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± After setting up the next meeting with Alex, Tasia and I left the Ashley Company. I was only here for rice. To think it would turn into a contract to spread my recipes throughout the world. I guess the world is give-and-take, after all. Volume 1, 11: How the girl grew up. Volume 1, Chapter 11: How the girl grew up. Once I got back to the Claude mansion, I hulled and polished the rice I got from Alex¡­manually. I prepared a large jar and dumped the unhulled rice in. Then I stuck a wooden stick into the middle and stabbed the rice repeatedly. I was basically using a makeshift mortar and pestle to hull the rice. You ask me why I know this? I was raised in the countryside, in a small town along the coastline in a valley. While it had been a very popular port in the Edo era, time left it to settle, forgotten, in the dust. The town was suffering from depopulation as more people left for the city. I was born in that town as the youngest of four. My grandmother was a brave woman who lost her husband and eldest son to the war and raised the rest of her children by herself. Fortunately our family had land in the mountains as well as a vegetable garden and a paddy field, so we did not lack any food, but my grandmother would often tell me raising the children and trying to get by after the war was very hard. In a devastated post-war Japan, she survived by her motto, ¡°use what you can and make what you can¡¯t.¡± It became the family motto and was passed down to me. All of the vegetables, rice, tsukemono, umeboshi, miso and soy sauce were homemade. My father, who was the second eldest, became the head of the family as the eldest had passed away early. He became a public servant to support the family once he graduated from high school. Following my grandmother¡¯s footsteps, he refused to partake in any hobbies or habits that involved money, including smoking and gambling. Instead, he became obsessed with food. While working as a public servant, my father also kept the farm going. He insisted on bringing in some previously unheard of vegetable sprouts and seeds home and researching them. That included growing the plant and trying to process and cook it. One day, he suddenly said he would raise some chickens and built a chicken coop in the corner of the garden. Of course, the chicken and the egg both ended up on the dining table. When I first saw how a chicken was prepared, I couldn¡¯t eat meat for a while¡­ Children adapt so quickly¡­ As I was the youngest of my siblings, I was doted on by both my grandmother and father in their own way. I was made witness to many things as they taught me everything they knew. Well, I also wanted the allowance they gave me for helping. The most amazing part of this was that I thought this was the norm until I went to Tokyo for vocational school. I mean, most of the people in the town also farmed, fished or had some type of livestock on the side. I also thought it was the norm to barter for things you couldn¡¯t make yourself. Every day, conversations like ¡°We received so many just the other day¡­ here, this is just a little bit¡­ oh my, oh my! Thank you so much, ohohohoho!¡± would happen on repeat at the foyer of our house. By the way, my mother¡¯s place was a fruit farm, so our relatives were all birds of a feather. That was how I grew up. My father was the one who taught me the rice hulling method I am using right now. While we did have the actual rice huller at home, this is the easiest method to hull rice in a modern home. I sifted through nostalgic memories of the things my grandmother and my father taught me and our adventures in the fields as I mindlessly stabbed the rice with the wooden stick. Similarly, my hobby is trying out restaurants and eating food. Maybe it¡¯s because I was raised surrounded by fresh food ingredients, but I am a sucker for food. Even when I became a working adult and started making my own money, my reward for working hard would be to eat out. I would go with friends, colleagues or even just by myself. Japanese, Western, Chinese, innovative, fusion, sweets, I would try anything from popular stores to holes in the wall. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t eat out every day, my salary as an average worker in their second year couldn¡¯t pay for that. I also lived alone, so I had to make do with home cooking most of the time. I was very particular about my cooking, too, so not only were the fresh vegetables and seafood regularly sent to my apartment helping my budget, they were also absolutely necessary for the good food. It might be inconceivable to girls who put their money into prettying and bettering themselves, but everyone has different values. To me, good food makes the world go round. That¡¯s why it is so important to me that the food of this world must be good too. I was come over with homesickness as I reflected over the happenings of the previous world, all the while stabbing the rice with the wooden stick. Is everyone okay? Is Grandma starting to forget things? Dad¡¯s hair is getting thinner, I wonder if any survived this year? Is Mom still a natural airhead? Are my married siblings doing okay with their partners? What about the brother right above me, he became a NEET after he graduated from university¡­did he manage to find a job? If he didn¡¯t, he should just inherit the family business. Well, to my family. The food is bad, but I¡¯m doing okay here in another world. Am I depressed? Well, I¡¯m way past the age to be homesick. I¡¯m not the type to disappear without warning or commit suicide, so I¡¯m sure they think I¡¯m doing all right somewhere. If only I could go back, then I would eat my fill of my mother¡¯s cooking, especially after understanding the food situation in this world¡­ But there¡¯s no use wishing for something that won¡¯t happen. I just want some white rice as soon as possible. Volume 1, 12: Rice with egg on top is the best. Volume 1, Chapter 12: Rice with egg on top is the best. After some 20, 30 minutes of stabbing it, I successfully polished the rice. I removed the rice husks and rice bran from the polished rice. I asked Basil to use her windpower to blow away the bits of rice husks I couldn¡¯t pick out, then I washed the white rice and cooked it in a ceramic pot. There were no measuring cups in this world, so I used a teacup instead. The rice to water ratio of our family, straight from my mother, was one to a little more than one cup. After covering the pot, I cooked at medium heat for five minutes. The pot lid began to dance from all the bubbles popping out of the boiling water, and I switched to low heat for ten minutes. I¡¯m going on a tangent, but there are six burners in the Claude kitchen. There are two burners for each heat power, low, medium, and high. You cannot adjust the heat of a burner, so you have to move the whole pot between burners. I¡¯ll have to talk to Alex about this next time, it needs to be improved. Using a five-minute hourglass to keep time, I waited for the rice to cook. After ten minutes of low heat, I moved the pot to high heat and counted ten seconds. Then I turned off the fire, but I kept the pot lid on. The rice still had to steam, but it was sitting right in front of me. There was still some time before mealtime, so I decided to try some in secret. What should I use as the side for rice? I looked in the fridge and the freezer, but nothing stood out to me. Honestly, the fact that I couldn¡¯t make any Japanese sides because we didn¡¯t have soy sauce and miso was very painful to me. While I closed the door of the fridge, my eyes landed on a basket on a shelf next to it. Oh! I have eggs! It must be a sign for me to make rice with egg on top! I took an egg from the basket and took out a deep-ish bowl to substitute for a rice bowl, and a spoon to substitute for chopsticks. No soy sauce, so I took out some salt. Of course, there was no rice paddle, so I brought out a wooden spatula. Just in time. ¡°Master, is it ready yet?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll open it now, okay?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± At Basil¡¯s urging, I nervously opened the lid. The room filled with the fragrance of just cooked rice. It¡¯s rice!! I peeked in the pot to see the glistening, fat white grains of rice and heard a ¡°whoa¡± in Basil¡¯s voice next to me. ¡°¡­what a good smell.¡± ¡°It really is, wow!¡± Even though it had not been that long since I had come to this world, I felt some sort of nostalgia from the smell of the rice. I gently inserted the wooden spatula into the rice and slowly mixed the rice by flipping the insides of the pot out on top. Some tasty-looking scorched rice was flipped up in the process. These would be perfect for salt musubi later! After lightly mixing it, I put the rice into the bowl I had prepared earlier. Let me try a bite first. Delicious!! No doubt about it, this is rice! All hail rice! This might have been the first time in my life that I was so moved about eating rice. It had some bounce to it, and the more I chewed, the sweeter it got. Basil¡¯s eyes glistened as she nodded joyfully, her cheeks plump and full of rice. After we each had a bite, I made a small cavity in the middle of the rice and cracked the egg into it. I sprinkled on a pinch of salt, cut the egg yolk and mixed it all with the rice. Then I shared some with Basil and, our eyes locking, we each took a bite. S-s-so good!! Don¡¯t underestimate rice with egg on top!! Simplicity really is the best! I snuck a glance at Basil, who was completely smitten and ravenously digging into her share. Although I just wanted a bite, I ended up finishing what was in my bowl and even went for seconds. That the sight of me, moved to tears by rice with egg on top, was spied on by the people of the Claude mansion from the kitchen entrance was something I would not know about until later. Volume 1, 13: It’s a long road ahead. Volume 1, Chapter 13: It¡¯s a long road ahead. The day after I obtained rice. I went to Alex¡¯s place as promised earlier to discuss the future. Although Tasia wanted to accompany me, she had work so she could only give up on that tearfully. We left for town on the same carriage. I got off the carriage at the same Ashley Company building as yesterday and walked toward the counter. ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Risa Claude and I¡¯m here for an appointment with Mr. Alexis.¡± It was the same counter clerk as yesterday. Remembering me, she smiled and came out from behind the counter. By the way, I introduce myself as a Claude in this world. My formal name is Risa Kurokawa Claude, but it seems like you don¡¯t need to include your middle name when introducing yourself. Instead of the room from yesterday, the clerk led me to a room at the end of the hall on the second floor and knocked on the door. ¡°Hey there, Risa.¡± Alex greeted me when the door opened. Although there was a sofa in the middle like the room from yesterday, there was also a large desk and chair at the end of the room where Alex was sitting. There were mountains of papers piled on top of the desk. This must be Alex¡¯s office. Alex stood up from his chair and urged me to sit on the sofa. ¡°Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet me for two days in a row.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯m happy to hear more about the things you have to offer.¡± Alex flashed a refreshing smile at me. He¡¯s a dandy uncle today as well. Oh, right! I took out a ceramic container from my bag. ¡°Alex, I made this with the rice you gave me yesterday. Please have some.¡± There were three musubi in the container. There is no seran wrap here, so I brought a container with a lid. It was annoyingly heavy¡­ ¡°What! You¡¯re telling me this is rice!?¡± ¡°Yes. I hulled and polished the rice as I explained yesterday and cooked it.¡± ¡°Could I try some?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Alex took a musubi in his hand and sniffed it, turned it in his hand and tentatively took a bite. I didn¡¯t have any seaweed for the classic musubi, so I gave up on that. Instead I filled it with small pieces of fish grilled with salt. I tried some earlier this morning and it was pretty good. ¡°Uhm, what do you think?¡± It had cooled after being left for too long, so I wondered if it tasted bad. I couldn¡¯t help anxiously ask the silent Alex who had only taken one bite. However, he greedily devoured the rest of the musubi without sparing a reply. It couldn¡¯t be helped, so I quietly waited for him to finish eating. ¡°Risa, you¡¯re amazing! Whether it¡¯s yesterday¡¯s bread or today¡¯s rice! I¡¯ll do anything I can to help!¡± The second he finished eating, Alex leaned forward and tightly grasped my hands with his sticky, musubi-rice hands. I couldn¡¯t complain in front of such a serious face, so I thanked him and we began discussing the partnership moving forward¡­after I borrowed their washroom to wash my hands. I talked to Alex about the things I wanted to make, the ingredients for those things and the necessary cookware. The two I wanted to start making as soon as possible were miso and soy sauce. After all, miso would take half a year, and soy sauce at least nine months. Soybeans were easy to obtain, though, so as long as I had the cookware these would be good to go. I asked him to make chopsticks and measuring cups for making rice. He would also make something that would help polish a large amount of rice. I also talked to him about burners that could have heat adjustments. In return, I lined out the recipe for making bread, rice and pasta. I¡¯m sure that even if it is just these three recipes, the food culture of this world should develop immensely. I heard this from Alex, but this world surprisingly has alcohol. The Claudes do not drink it, so I thought it didn¡¯t exist. I was so surprised about it, Alex brought out the real thing for me to see. It was wine. I tried a bit of it, and it was almost the same as the wine from my previous world. According to Alex, wine had been around for a while. A long time ago, a merchant ship carrying grapes was stranded at sea. Their food stock depleted, the merchants could only eat grapes that they thought had rotted long ago when they discovered it was extremely tasty and even invigorated them. They decided to purposely let grapes rot afterwards, and from there developed wine. Even so, there did not exist any vinegar. It would have turned into wine vinegar if they tried just a bit more. Oh well, it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll have to make vinegar soon. ¡°I have to say, you¡¯re really full of surprises, Risa. I¡¯d really like your food to spread far and wide, but the chances¡­oh, forget you heard that.¡± Alex muttered as he showed me out, our consultation done for the day. Those words turned something in my stomach. Volume 1, 14: I went to a tea party. Volume 1, Chapter 14: I went to a tea party. ¡°Risa, we¡¯re having a tea party at our house today so you should come too!¡± Tasia said smoothly over breakfast. At the time, I just nodded without thinking too deeply beyond wow, a tea party. I had no idea it would end up like that¡­ When I was lazing around in my room after breakfast, I heard a knock on the door. Tasia opened it and came in with a bunch of maids holding boxes of all sizes. When I looked at Tasia in confusion, she smiled sweetly and said, ¡°Risa, it¡¯s time to prepare for the tea party!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± In an instant, I was stripped of my clothes, forced to put on a multi-colored dress, had my hair arranged and transformed into a lady for the tea party by the maids. ¡°Never underestimate Tasia and the power of maids¡­¡± Suddenly forced into an outfit from head to toe, I collapsed onto the sofa. I¡¯m a girl, so technically I don¡¯t hate being fashionable. However, everything must be in moderation! I couldn¡¯t help but glare at Tasia and the maids, who seemed extremely happy with themselves. After I recovered a bit, I asked Tasia about the tea party that would be happening today. It seems the tea party I had in mind was very different from the actual thing. ¡°Oh my, did I not tell you? Today¡¯s tea party is also your debut party. Don¡¯t worry, though, I kept it small so you wouldn¡¯t be too overwhelmed. I¡¯ve only invited about thirty people!¡± Tasia said something so ridiculous without batting an eye as she picked out her own dress. My debut party!? Wait, thirty people are coming!? I collapsed onto the sofa again. After Tasia finished her preparations, she dragged me to the garden where the tea party would be held. Gil, who was entertaining the guests as the host, was already there. ¡°Ah, Tasia and Risa, I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± Gil raised a hand in greeting and called us over. A lady guest who was talking to Gil turned to face us. Her muted green dress and wide-brimmed sun hat only accentuated her beauty. ¡°My, Adele! You came to the party! I¡¯m so happy!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy that you invited me!¡± The lady guest seemed quite close to Tasia, and they hugged. After chatting a bit, she turned to me. ¡°Tasia, is this girl¡­¡± ¡°Yes, let me introduce you! This is Risa, the girl who is now our daughter.¡± Tasia said, taking a step back to push me forward. I ended up right in front of the lady face to face. ¡°Risa, this is my best friend Adelisia. She¡¯s also the queen.¡± I see, Tasia¡¯s best friend¡­wait, the queen!? ¡°I¡¯m pretty much retired, though! My son is doing all the work. Nice to meet you, Risa. Please call me Adele.¡± ¡°¡­o-okay.¡± I shook the porcelain hand she held out. ¡°I¡¯m so jealous, I wanted a daughter too. Maybe I¡¯ll try a bit harder now! Haha, just kidding.¡± ¡°Ohoho, isn¡¯t she cute! You can do it if you try, Adele!¡± The two left me speechless and began chatting. Gil looked on, smiling. Is the queen really someone you can meet with so easily? I¡¯m not sure about the royalty in another world, but neither the royal family of Japan nor Europe were like this. Well, it might just be my ignorance. Seeing me stiff from meeting such a celebrity guest, Gil lightly clapped my shoulder. When I turned to him, he smiled and explained that Her Majesty was his cousin and Tasia¡¯s childhood friend. She fell in love with His Majesty at first sight, but still kept her friendship with them even after becoming the queen. Even if she was the queen, friends are still friends, after all. Their close friendship and their lighthearted chatting made sense now. They seemed to have a lot to catch up on, as they continued to chat up a storm. Gil rebuked the two, and the tea party finally started. Even though this was apparently a small tea party, I had no notion of tea parties in the first place and as such had no clue what to expect. On the garden tables covered with lace tablecloth was some tea and the cookies I made, now a Claude family favorite. For some reason, bread was on the table as well. I had imagined a three-tier tea tray and afternoon tea, but I just remembered that the standard of food in this world is¡­ One day I¡¯ll make that a reality. Gil gave a simple greeting and introduced me to the guests. It seems the people invited today were only Gil and Tasia¡¯s friends, so they welcomed me warmly. Then Tasia explained the bread and cookies placed on each table. At her recommendation, everyone peered at the food and took a bite. ¡°What a wonderful crisp and flaky texture!¡± ¡°The rich flavor goes very well with the tea!!¡± ¡°What, this is bread!? It¡¯s completely different from anything I¡¯ve ever had!¡± The excited thoughts flew across the tables, and Gil and Tasia couldn¡¯t help but puff up their chests in pride. Similarly, I was surprised by most of the thoughts and was a little happy to hear them. What a wonderful thing it is to be able to share good food with others. It only made me happier to see that it was my food. After the noisy garden slowly calmed down, a peaceful calm settled onto each table. ¡°Hey, Risa.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Once I finally settled into my seat to drink tea after being dragged around to greet everyone, Her Majesty Adele called out to me at the same table. I straightened my back and turned to her. ¡°The cookies and bread you made were delicious! Tasia has also been talking my ear off about how good your other food is!¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I was surprised Tasia said that much¡­but I was happy to receive such honest words. ¡°Hey, if you¡¯d like, why don¡¯t you set up shop?¡± ¡°A shop?¡± ¡°Yes! It would be lovely if a lot of people got to eat good food like today! Isn¡¯t it such a waste to keep it all at the Claude¡¯s?¡± Her Majesty Adele smiled. ¡°You say that, Adele, but really you just want to eat it yourself, don¡¯t you?¡± Tasia folded her arms behind me as she overheard the conversation. ¡°My, my, have I been found out?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®my, my¡¯ me!¡± A shop, huh. I idly began to think about Her Majesty Adele¡¯s suggestion as the two of them chattered away. This conversation would start the ball rolling towards the place I truly belonged in another world. Volume 1, 15: I start a business in another world. Volume 1, Chapter 15: I start a business in another world. Set up shop. I began to seriously consider Her Majesty Adele¡¯s suggestion during the tea party. I roused myself out of a desperate necessity for good food stemming from the low standard of food in this world. To that end, I asked for help from Alex from the Ashley Company. I gave them the recipe for bread and others so the good food would spread across the world. Thinking about it, though, the recipes only contained text compared to the colorful cooking books full of pictures from my previous world. Would the recipes really spread when people did not even know what they tasted like? At first, it would probably be spread as a novelty under the Ashley Company name. However, it would be pretty difficult to make something correctly when they had never seen nor tasted it before. They would not even be able to imagine it, as there is no picture for reference. What would happen then, if they made something completely different from the intended product and thought that was how it was supposed to look? It would be fine if the food they made was coincidentally good. For example, the classic Japanese household food, nikujaga, was said to be a happy accident from an attempt to make beef stew. Although it is different from the original recipe, it became a staple food because of its tastiness. But happy accidents are few and far in between. If they made something bad based on a lack of knowledge for cooking and it became known as bad food, soon people would not even look at the recipe. Then it would be pointless for the recipes to be circulated. But if the correct method and taste was provided in my shop, all of those problems would be solved. In other words, I would set up a showroom type of shop. The color, shape, and taste that cannot be expressed with the recipe can all be understood by eating it at my shop. While a straightforward method to spread food, it seems that is the only way to develop the food culture of this world. Nevertheless, opening a shop is no simple feat, and it hurts my heart to think about all the trouble I will put other people through. Even so, there is no better way to do this if I am to settle down in this world. That night, I talked about it with Gil and Tasia over dinner. Tasia jumped right on board. ¡°How lovely to open a shop! I¡¯ll help!¡± Gil on the other hand had a conflicted expression on his face. ¡°Are you unsatisfied with this family, Risa? You don¡¯t have to force yourself to be so polite about it.¡± Gil gazed at me, desolate. ¡°No, that¡¯s not at all what I meant. While it¡¯s true that I feel a bit bad about being so pampered even though I¡¯m not a child, there is no part of me that is unhappy about living here. I can¡¯t put into words how grateful I am for your taking in a stranger like me. That¡¯s why I want to find something that I can do in this world too. That¡¯s why I want to open a shop.¡± I said as I stared straight at Gil. After a moment, Gil¡¯s face softened and he smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a relief to hear that from you. I will happily help you too, but please remember that you have a home here.¡± ¡°Of course! If you want to quit, you don¡¯t have to push yourself, just quit whenever!¡± Tasia agreed with Gil¡¯s words and gazed at me kindly. From the bottom of my heart, I was happy to have been adopted by the couple as I sat there, gently wrapped in the two¡¯s kindness. That¡¯s how it was decided I would open a shop, and Gil and Tasia began talking about paying all the necessary funds to open the shop under the excuse of ¡°helping.¡± Somehow I managed to convince them to do so under the title of investment. Well, an investment without interest, collateral or a reimbursement date¡­ After obtaining Gil and Tasia¡¯s approval, I went to find Alex at the Ashley Company. After all, every man knows his own business best. I headed to the counter at the Ashley Company. The clerk was the same lady as before. ¡°Welcome.¡± ¡°Uhm, I¡¯d like to meet Mr. Alexis¡­¡± ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡± I didn¡¯t have an appointment, but I didn¡¯t have anything to lose so I came anyways. Even though he was my step uncle, he was still the representative of a giant merchant company. There¡¯s no way he wasn¡¯t busy. ¡°Excuse my rudeness, but you are Miss Risa Claude, yes?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± Despite only visiting twice, the clerk lady seemed to remember me. ¡°I will go check with him, so please wait a moment.¡± The lady smiled at me and left. I spent a few minutes observing the people coming in and out of the Ashley Company¡¯s first floor. ¡°Thank you for waiting.¡± The lady came back, still smiling warmly. ¡°The representative is currently in a meeting, but if you are willing to wait he can meet with you later. Would that be all right with you?¡± ¡°Thank you so much, I¡¯ll gladly wait for him.¡± ¡°Please come this way then.¡± She led me to a cosy little room that was probably used for meetings. I quietly sat on the sofa and drank the tea she put out for me. The warmth from the cup slowly seeped into my hands. Staring into the golden colored tea, I turned the idea of the shop over in my head. Starting with Her Majesty Adele¡¯s suggestion, I came to see Alex impulsively, but I wonder if it will be okay. Once I was alone, seeds of anxiety began to grow. I wanted to do what I could in this world, but what should I do if it turns out to be troublesome for others, especially if it becomes a stain on the honor of the Claude family? The golden surface in the cup rippled as if reflecting my feelings. I had previously worked part time at a restaurant, but I had never opened shop before. Could such a person like me really open a shop here in another world? I tired myself out searching for an answer to a question with no answer. I shook my head violently to dispel the anxiety and finished my tea in one go. After a while, Alex came in. ¡°Thanks for waiting, Risa.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry for appearing out of the blue.¡± I stood up to greet Alex, who smiled and urged me to sit back down. ¡°What is it today?¡± ¡°Uhm, I¡¯d like to ask for some advice from you about something¡­¡± ¡°A new recipe, perhaps?¡± ¡°No, uh, I¡¯m thinking about opening a shop.¡± ¡°A shop!?¡± ¡°Yes, while I think it would be good to keep selling the recipe, it might be hard for people to make something they have never seen or heard of before. That¡¯s why I was thinking about making a shop where they can eat those things.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good idea!¡± Alex was quite astonished, but he wholeheartedly agreed to the idea. Then he muttered under his breath, that could¡¯ve been done, huh. Hm? I looked at Alex, who cracked a wry smile. ¡°Actually, your bread recipe hasn¡¯t been doing so well. There were people who bought it as a novelty, and some people who I reached out to¡­but even though I knew what it tasted like, most people couldn¡¯t even imagine what the end product looked like. Some people made it and even brought it to me to try, but it was completely different from the bread you made.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t try every single loaf of bread that lands on my doorstep either, so I was in a pinch. That¡¯s why your opening a shop is actually a great idea.¡± Then he told me what was necessary to open a shop. First, the license to sell things at a shop is given by the country, and it seems basically anyone can apply for it. Application requires a certified employed person or organization to vouch for you, but Alex will do that for me so there should be no problems there. He will also take care of obtaining ingredients and cookware, so the conversation continued quickly. The problem was where to open the shop. Alex recommended a place on the main road the Ashley Company was on, and brought me to the place in question. It was a two minute walk away from the Ashley Company. Apparently it used to be a hat store, but they just moved so the place was empty. Inside, there were still display shelves from the hat store, but it was very spacious. ¡°It¡¯s spacious and the location is outstanding! It¡¯s very rare for empty spots to show up on this road, too. You have impeccable timing.¡± I looked around the inside of the shop. It really was a location worthy of Alex¡¯s recommendation. It was a first class spot on the central street of the capital. Honestly, it was too spacious. ¡°What do you think, Risa?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a very good location.¡± ¡°Right? How about here then?¡± ¡°No¡­It¡¯s really hard to say this, but I think it¡¯s too good.¡± I felt bad, but I told Alex my honest feelings. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about starting out on my own. While this has more than enough space, it¡¯s too big for one person to manage.¡± ¡°I see. I assumed you would hire people and set up a fabulous shoop, but you wanted to do it on your own, huh.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m thinking about hiring people when the shop has settled, but for now I¡¯d like to do it by myself.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right that this might be too much space.¡± Alex looked slightly disappointed as it was such a good location, but he respected my decision. ¡°Then I¡¯ll introduce you to a smaller storefront.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± We returned to the Ashley Company, and Alex called the department in charge of estate to come help put together a list of suitable locations. Alex had some things he needed to step out for, so Basil and I went around scouting the locations with the help of the notes he gave us. Although Alex recommended going by carriage, I decided to go for a nice stroll instead. The road with the Ashley Company was one of the main roads of the capital, and many people were bustling about. ¡°It¡¯s so busy!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Basil whispered excitedly to me from my shoulder. This was my first stroll in the capital too, and I glanced around while walking. As I thought, the main roads were mostly luxury stores, and the people on the streets were also in extravagant attire. The carriages parked at storefronts had coats of arms painted on them, so I could only assume they belonged to nobles. You could see the carriage driver sitting at the front, waiting for their masters to come out. After a while, we reached the square. There was a fountain in the middle, and there were wooden benches installed around it. Many street stalls were set up as well. Their wares ranged from daily necessities to food. When I looked at the food stalls, there was skewered meat, juice, and even the rock hard bread being sold. I never tried any food outside the Claude family, so this might be a good chance to try some. I went to the stall selling skewered meat. ¡°Welcome.¡± The hefty store owner said to me. ¡°Hello. May I have one?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The man gave me a skewer fresh off the grill after I paid. ¡°Be careful, it¡¯s hot. Thanks.¡± The man smiled and watched me leave. The skewer he gave me had meat cut into five bite-sized pieces, well-cooked and with black marks from the grill. I ate one and leaned the stick towards Basil on my shoulder. She leaned forward to take a bite. I wasn¡¯t sure what meat it was, but the texture tasted like pork. There was just enough fat, and it was grilled just right. It was seasoned with salt. ¡°Basil, what do you think?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Simple seasonings accentuate the flavor of the ingredient itself. It was surprising that the tastiest food in this world was skewered meat from a food stall that I bought on a whim. The ingredients were good, so simple cooking and minimal seasoning was more than enough for good food. While mulling over the flavor of the skewered meat, I started walking towards my destination. --------------------------------------------------------------- I passed through the square into a side street, checking the notes to make sure I was going the right way. There were relatively more tool shops on this street. It was bright and while there were still quite a bit of people, it was calmer than the main road. Stores that gave off an air of old but gold were lined up along the street. ¡°Is it just me, or are there a lot of spirits around here?¡± Looking closely, I could see small children like Basil here and there on the store sign boards and in the alleys. ¡°Spirits live close to buildings and streets with some history to them. They¡¯re even born there sometimes. Spirits are attracted to treasured things, after all. This looks like that type of street. I like it a lot too!¡± ¡°Really? I see.¡± It kind of feels like the shrines and temples in Japan. The older shrines and temples really feel like a deity is living there, after all. I window-shopped the various stores while talking quietly with Basil. Each store had metal antique sign boards that weren¡¯t flashy but really expressed the spirit of professionals. ¡°Huh? It seems it¡¯s around here¡­¡± I checked the note in my hand and looked at the buildings around me. ¡°Oh, that one over there?¡± I looked in the direction of Basil¡¯s finger to see a slightly sooty house. There was nothing on the sign board. ¡°It seems so.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite old¡­¡± As Basil said, it felt much older than the house Alex brought us to earlier. It looked like it hadn¡¯t been lived in for a long time. I unlocked the door and let myself in. As expected, the floor was covered in dust. ¡°It¡¯s covered in dust¡­¡± ¡°Yes. It seems it hasn¡¯t been used for a while.¡± I walked further in to see a counter; perhaps this used to be a restaurant. There were stacks of tables and chairs in a corner. ¡°It seems it was a restaurant before too!¡± ¡°Yeah. The interior was left like this.¡± I moved to the counter and swept away some dust with my hand. ¡°Ah, this counter is made with some good wood.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°And it looks like one whole piece. I think I¡¯ll be able to use this if I polish it enough.¡± I went behind the counter and peeked into the back to find a kitchen. There was no fridge or oven, but there was a stove and a sink. The worktable was also quite big and seemed quite usable. I was happy that at least the equipment expenses would decrease a bit. Although it was not as spacious and gorgeous as the first place Alex had showed me, the location had enough space and even had a homey, cozy atmosphere. I was head over heels for the place. ¡°This feels like a lucky find for a location.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll use this then?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± We went to check out around two more places after that, but none felt better than the first. Although there were many places to fix, my head was overflowing with renovation ideas. --------------------------------------------------------------- We went to visit the lucky find on our way home. At first I hadn¡¯t paid much attention to its surroundings, but it was neighbors to a magic tool store. Curious, I went into the store. We would be neighbors if I decided to go with this location, so I wanted to say hi as well. The door creaked open and I was surrounded by magic tools. ¡°Welcome!¡± A girl of around seventeen or eighteen noticed me and called out in a radiant voice. Her honey colored hair was tied into a ponytail, and a few freckles speckled her face. Although you couldn¡¯t call her the cutest of them all, she was definitely charming and amiable. ¡°Are you looking for something?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I don¡¯t have anything specific in mind, but I¡¯m thinking about setting up shop in the empty place next to you.¡± ¡°Wow, you are?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It seems my reply was a surprise. The girl stared at me, her jaw open. ¡°But aren¡¯t you younger than me!?¡± ¡°¡­Despite my appearances, I¡¯m twenty two.¡± ¡°What!!¡± Thus I met my soon-to-be best friend Angelica. Volume 1, 16: I prepare to open the shop. Volume 1, Chapter 16: I prepare to open the shop. ¡°Wow. Food and tea and cookies, was it? A shop where you can eat those, eh?¡± I dropped by the store, ¡°Silas¡¯s Magic Tool Store,¡± neighboring the prime location for my shop and started talking to the clerk girl, Angelica. When I told her about opening a shop, she replied that ¡°you can only eat food at inns or taverns outside of home. There¡¯s no such shop as the one you¡¯re trying to open.¡± She¡¯s right, I hadn¡¯t seen any caf¨¦s or coffee shops around like the ones in Japan. It seems the prime location used to be a tavern managed by an old couple, but the husband¡¯s health took a turn for the worse and they closed it down. ¡°Hey hey, if you¡¯re going to sell food, you¡¯ll need magic tools for the kitchen, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, I do.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯d be great if you ordered from us! We take custom orders too.¡± Angelica leaned over the counter, her eyes glistening with anticipation. Custom orders, huh¡­oh! ¡°How much can I customize?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­you¡¯ll have to talk to the artisan for the specifics on size and function, but most things should be down for customization. You¡¯ll need this, though.¡± She made a circle with her thumb and index finger. It seems this was a gesture that signified money. Well, it¡¯s understandable that custom orders would be more expensive than ready-made products. If they can make what I want, though, I¡¯m all for it. ¡°Then I¡¯d like to ask for some things.¡± ¡°Sure, sure! What would you like?¡± Angelica took out a notepad from under the counter and listened. I would like three things. First, a stove with adjustable heat. I¡¯d been using the stoves in the Claude mansion a lot, but the stoves in this world only had on and off switches. They were very hard to use when I couldn¡¯t adjust the heat. For example, if I wanted to switch from high to low heat, I had to move the pot from the high heat burner to the low heat burner. I couldn¡¯t do this alone if I were cooking with a bigger pot. For a person who came from a world where the stove has adjustable heat, this was very inconvenient for me. Second, a bread rising box. This was a box-like container that could control the humidity and temperature inside it, perfect for rising. I imagine the main seller of the shop when it opens would be bread, so this box would be indispensable for all the breadmaking. Last, a commercial stand mixer. This was necessary for making butter. The butter used in the tea party Tasia hosted was made by taking milk with higher fatty content from a ripe milkfruit and whipping it with Basil¡¯s power and physical labor. There were around thirty guests and the amount used by the household wasn¡¯t that much, so Basil helped both times, but it wouldn¡¯t do to have her do all the work for the shop. After discussing with Alex, there was also the option to mass produce it, but production would not start on time as he still needed to build the factory and hire workers. That¡¯s why I thought I would make the butter for the shop myself. While Angelica understood the stove easily, she couldn¡¯t really understand the rising box and the mixer. For now, I asked her to tell the artisan to make a box-shaped magic tool that could retain high humidity and maintain body temperature, and a magic tool that could mix things in a container with a stick that branched out at the end. Although I would meet directly with the artisan to discuss the orders on another day, it seems Angelica would pass on the orders beforehand. I was happy at the thought that the cookware I wanted was just in my reach. On the other side of the counter, Angelica was chuckling to herself for obtaining some orders. I felt bad staying too long, so I excused myself and left. I returned to the Ashley Company and told Alex of the location I wanted, who said he would help speed the process along and asked me to sign a few papers. When I told him about Silas¡¯s Magic Tool Store, apparently the store was quite famous among its kind. The Ashley Company also deals in magic tools, but the wares are either cheap, mass produced magic tools or luxury items too expensive for the general public. Silas¡¯s Magic Tool Store not only makes custom orders, but they also do repairs and remodeling, so they have always had many clients. It seems they also have many good artisans. I was relieved to hear Alex say that you couldn¡¯t go wrong with a custom order from Silas¡¯s Magic Tool Store. After taking care of the papers at the Ashley Company, I went home and began to think of the shop menu. First, I would like to sell bread. Of course, this was to spread leavened bread. Then I would like to slowly add variation to the bread. Food that wasn¡¯t possible to make with the rock hard bread here, like sandwiches or sweet breads like cream-filled rolls. Croissants would be nice too. However, since I would be doing everything by myself, I would need to select an efficient menu very carefully. First, the round bread that is now the staple of the Claude family. Then loaf bread and sandwiches, perhaps. Oh, I would need a bread pan made for loaf bread. Square and round cake rings would be nice, too. The rings are for baking sponge cakes or setting the shape of mousses. I¡¯d really love to make cake someday. Well, maybe I would gradually move towards sweets. At the moment, I guess I¡¯ll make a lunch menu centered around bread. A daily or weekly rotation of two or three types would be ideal. Now, there are so many things I need to do. Preparing cookware, trying out the menu, renovating the store. Stocking up on ingredients and material budgeting, etc. Even if I didn¡¯t understand the turnover rate at first, I would still like to profit to some degree. There is also the royalties from the Ashley Company for their sales of the technologies and recipes, so it might be different from other shops as well. I smiled warmly at Basil, who was peeking curiously at the paper scribbled full of words I wrote with an unaccustomed feather pen, and deliberated over the future. --------------------------------------------------------------- The next day, I went to Silas¡¯s Magic Tool Store for the meeting about the magic tools. ¡°Welcome!¡± Angelica was watching over the shop today too. ¡°Risa, welcome! Wait a sec, I¡¯ll go call my father.¡± She said and ran into the back behind the counter. Soon after, a man with honey colored hair followed her back out. His face was also speckled with familiar freckles. ¡°Thank you for waiting! Risa, let me introduce you. This is my father and a magic tool artisan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Gunt, the owner of Silas¡¯s Magic Tool Store. Nice to meet you.¡± Angelica brought her father over. It seems she takes after her father. I introduced myself and shook Mister Gunt¡¯s hand. His hand was rugged and rough, the hand of an artisan. They led me to a meeting space next to the counter. There was a wooden table and some chairs, with ore and blocks of wood messily placed on the shelves. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the general idea from this young¡¯un.¡± In Mister Gunt¡¯s hands was the note Angelica wrote yesterday and some blueprint-looking designs drawn on parchment. ¡°This heat adjustable stove seems doable. I never thought of that before. It would probably be quite convenient to use one burner and adjust the heat as you see fit, but there was never any need for it up until now.¡± I had talked to Angelica about the stove in detail yesterday, and it seemed Mister Gunt had also understood it without any difficulty. The problem was the other two, the bread rising box and the mixer. Angelica looked at me with astonishment when I told her about it yesterday. In a world where the concept of fermentation doesn¡¯t exist, it¡¯s only natural to not understand why there would be a need to make a rising box that needs to maintain body temperature, and not an oven or refrigerator. As for the mixer, I suspect they probably could not even imagine what it looked like. I explained the size and function of these two things while drawing diagrams. The two couldn¡¯t wrap their head around how these were cookware, but that would have to wait until I could give them a demonstration. Although it would be difficult to make something unimaginable, for now Mister Gunt agreed to make some prototypes. I had nothing to lose, so I tried asking for bread pans, cake rings and a whisk. Mister Gunt said these looked easy enough, and agreed to take the orders. They would all be completed in five days, and I agreed to come back then. I asked them to write up the bill for me, as the items were all custom orders. The stove was 400 ril, the rising box 600 ril, and the mixer 1000 ril. The currency here is called ril. Generally one ril can buy one loaf of bread, so one ril is around 100 yen (~1 USD). Although everything was relatively expensive when compared to Japanese home electronics, they were all custom made and necessary for opening the shop. Besides, maintenance and repair was free, so it might turn out to be cheap in the long run. I left Silas¡¯s Magic Tool Store after paying. Volume 1, 17: I stock up on the flavor of my homeland. Volume 1, Chapter 17: I stock up on the flavor of my homeland. A week passed. The magic tools I ordered were completed five days after I visited, and I asked Mister Gunt to set them up in the shop for me. The rising box I was so worried about turned out to be almost identical to the real thing. I tried it out right away, and as I expected it made breadmaking much easier. I showed the Silases, who were suspicious of the box, the breadmaking process and got them to eat some bread. They accepted its uses despite their astonishment. During the five days, I busied myself with cleaning and fixing the worn down areas in the shop. I asked some traders for help with the parts I couldn¡¯t do myself, and the bigger renovation projects are going under construction soon. By the way, this shop actually has two floors. The second floor used to be a living space, and it seems the old couple used to live up there. As I planned on commuting here from the Claude mansion, I decided to turn the second floor into a storage and resting space. I also got the cutlery and silverware for the shop. I finished the talks with the Ashley Company, who agreed to provide food ingredients. I decided to set the opening date to a month later. The menu was pretty much set, so I only needed to iron out the smaller details now. There was still some time, but I didn¡¯t know if I would have time after the shop opened so I decided to make the flavor of my homeland today. Yes, that¡¯s miso and soy sauce. I wanted to make these two seasonings indispensable to Japanese cuisine no matter what. I purchased two types of beans similar to soybeans from the Ashley Company, and made miso and soy sauce with each of them. Why now, you might be wondering, but that is because I¡¯ve finally made the koji-starter that is required to make miso and soy sauce. After five times of trial and error, I finally succeeded in getting the koji mold to stick to the soybeans. I couldn¡¯t see the koji, so I enlisted the help of the spirit Basil. I don¡¯t think I would have been able to make any without Basil. A thousand thanks. Now I just had to prepare the ingredients. That¡¯s why I was in the kitchen so early in the morning. I left the beans to soak in water yesterday, and they grew two times their size today. All ready. --------------------------------------------------------------- Miso and soy sauce are both started by cooking the beans. Miso beans are cooked for around six hours, soy sauce for around eight; they must be slowly cooked on low heat, with the scum constantly skimmed off. The beans are cooked until they can be easily crushed by your fingers. Then I mixed the miso with koji and salt first. Just in case, I made a batch with more salt and another with less. It would take many days before they were finished, so better to be safe. Then I crushed the boiled beans with a large mortar. I remember crushing this with the stone mortar we used to pound mochi back at home. After crushing it until there were only a few beans, I added the koji and salt mixture in. Sometimes I would add some of the water from boiling the beans to make it just the right thickness. Using the two batches of salted beans with salt and koji, I repeated the task of adjusting the thickness around four times. It was dull and taxing work to mix and mash. Finally, I poured it into a large ceramic container, taking care not to make any air pockets. I lightly salted the top, covered the opening with a clean cloth, then topped it with a wooden lid and a heavy stone on top. There was no seran wrap to seal it or prevent contamination in this world, so I wrapped the whole thing with a large cloth and tied it with a rope. Then I wrote down the date, the type of beans I used and the salt ratio on a piece of paper and tucked that in between the cloth and the rope. The preparations for the miso were done. Two or three months later, I would have to do something called tenchi gaeshi and mix and flip the whole miso batch, but that was still a long way off. Next is the soy sauce. First, I mixed flour with a wooden spatula in a pan until they were slightly browned. Then I took out the boiled beans with a strainer and cooled them to below body temperature. Once the flour was also at the same temperature, I mixed it with the same amount of koji taken from the koji-starter. Then I mixed in the beans, piled it into a small mountain in a rectangular container and placed it into the bread rising box. That was all I could do for the soy sauce today. The next day, the beans had stuck together, so I gently pulled them apart and spread them flat on a container. It went into the rising box again, but without the temperature control. If the temperature was too high, there was danger of growing natto bacteria too, which I didn¡¯t want. And the next day. I took the container out of the rising box to see that the beans turned green. It seems the koji mold was growing, I observed with relief. Just in case, I had Basil look at it, who confirmed that it was okay. I put the beans into a ceramic container identical to the one with miso, and mixed in some cold salt water. Now it would sit in the refrigerator for three weeks. I would have to take it out every four to five days to crush any beans that floated up to the surface. After three weeks, it would sit at room temperature to ferment for about half a year, and I would have to mix it every two or three days too. It was quite exhausting. After making it by hand, I fully understood how much work was put into miso and soy sauce that I could have easily bought at a supermarket or convenience store in my previous world. Maybe it wasn¡¯t as difficult in modern day Japan, as there were probably factories to mass produce it, but it struck me deeply how hard it was to make it traditionally. Volume 1, 18: I opened a café. Volume 1, Chapter 18: I opened a caf¨¦. Around two and a half months after I came to this world. After receiving so much help from so many people, I finally stood in front of my shop, ¡°Caf¨¦ Omusubi.¡± After a month and a half of preparation, the caf¨¦ was finally ready to open. There was an accident during the renovation, so the open date was pushed back by half a month, but I was satisfied with the design so I¡¯ll ignore that. For a parallel world visitor like me who had no way or knowledge of trade to open a shop, I had the help of Tasia, Gil, Alex from the Ashley Company, the Silases from Silas¡¯s Magic Tool Store, the Claude butler Reid and head maid Mary and many, many others. Oh, of course Basil too. I felt from the depths of my heart how important it was to be connected to other people. That¡¯s why I took the Japanese word for ¡°connect,¡± musubi, coupled with the food of my homeland and namd the shop ¡°Omusubi.¡± As a restaurant with no precedent in this world, I also named it a ¡°caf¨¦.¡± The renovated interior still had the long wooden bar counter on the right upon entering. On the left were leather-covered bench seats attached to the wall, and three warm colored tables with chairs. Finally, to the side of the counter was a glass showcase placed to be visible from the outside with a height about up to my chest, forming a bay window where takeout would also be possible. I had started prepping for the store since early morning, and now it was noontime. It was finally opening time. I gazed up at the store front, reflecting on the events up to opening the caf¨¦, and opened the wine red door decorated with a glass lattice window. I flipped the sign from ¡°Preparing¡± to ¡°In Business.¡± I went behind the counter and waited for customers to come. While I simulated waiting on customers in my head and wiped down drinking glasses, the bell attached to the entrance jingled. ¡°Welcome.¡± I said with a slight hitch in my voice, and turned to my first customer. ¡°Risa, we¡¯re here!¡± Smiling as they entered was Tasia and Gil. I couldn¡¯t help but relax upon seeing the two who saw me out in the morning. ¡°Tasia, Gil. You two are my first customers.¡± Relieved, I directed them to their seats. ¡°Of course! I mean, we¡¯d been standing near the shop wai-ow!¡± ¡°Gil!¡± Tasia slapped Gil¡¯s shoulder and glared at him as if to silence his words. Apparently they had secretly waited for me to open the caf¨¦. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh in a mixture of embarrassment and joy as Gil winked at Tasia sheepishly. After waiting for the two to sit at a table for two, I took out the menu. I have to wait on the two who came here as customers properly. Honestly, it was very embarrassing, but I should think of it as roleplay and still try to do it properly. ¡°Here is the menu. Today¡¯s lunch sets are an egg and vegetable sandwich set and an omurice set. Soup and salad is provided with the lunch set, and you can also order a drink for two more ril.¡± I handed them each a menu, pointed to the big chalkboard across the wall from the counter and explained the lunch set of the day. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have the omurice set. Could I also have this original blend tea with it?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll have the sandwich set, also with original blend tea.¡± ¡°Okay. Would you like your beverages after the meal?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Okay. Please wait for a moment then.¡± I jotted down their orders on a chit and returned to the counter. Then I went to the back of the counter to the kitchen and started preparing their meals. First, I poured some cold water into two drinking glasses. The water had some sliced lemon-like fruit in it so it smelled refreshing. I took out some salad plates and arranged salad in it, then drizzled it with some dressing. I put some cutlery on the tray and carried everything out of the kitchen. ¡°Thank you for waiting. Here¡¯s your salad.¡± I lined up the cutlery on the table and then placed the salad and glasses of water. The two were watching my every move with delight, so I slightly blushed. Infected by their joy, I smiled back and returned to the kitchen. I turned on the stove and started to heat the soup I prepared in the morning. Today¡¯s soup is pot-au-feu. Then I cut the sandwiches into triangles and plated them. Next is the omurice. I sliced a square of butter into a heated pan, which slowly melted with a sizzle. I tilted the pan to coat it with the butter and poured in some eggs mixed with milk. Now it¡¯s a race against time. While the egg sizzled, I quickly mixed the egg on the pan with some chopsticks. After mixing for a while, I hit the pan against the stove to flatten the egg and piled some chicken rice I had kept in a heat insulated jar onto the middle of the egg, about a little more than halfway down. Still hitting the pan now and then, I wrapped the rice up with the egg. Then I took the pan away from the stove and slid the omurice onto the plate. I dribbled some homemade ketchup on the center, and the omurice was finished. Then I plated the soup and put both on the tray. When I went to the couple, they were in the middle of eating their salad. ¡°Thank you for waiting. Here is your omurice and sandwich, with the soup on the side.¡± I was used to their gaze this time, and I quickly set the food on the table. ¡°It looks delicious!¡± They stopped eating their salad and looked at the sandwich and omurice they each ordered. Despite having had both at home already, Tasia and Gil¡¯s eyes sparkled with excitement. ¡°Please enjoy your meal.¡± I bowed and returned to the counter. The two seemed to be having fun trading their food every now and then. Even though they were my family, it would be bad to keep staring at them, so I turned and looked out the bay window next to the counter only to discover that walking passersby would sometimes glance over in my direction. The bay window had a sunroof that extended outward and could serve as a shutter when folded. It had been shut until yesterday, before opening, so people who pass by often might have noticed that a new shop had opened here. In this world, they didn¡¯t hang a flower garland on the doors of newly opened stores, so it seems word only spread by word of mouth or by people coincidentally walking by. Today was the first day and I only expected people I knew to come in, so I was glad that people were even noticing the caf¨¦. It would be nice if some passerby would come in today too. I cleaned up the emptied salad plates from the Tasia and Gil¡¯s table and returned to the counter to see a carriage parked in front of the store from the window. A woman got off the large carriage decorated with minute detail and came towards the bay window, so I reached for the window handle. ¡°Welcome.¡± ¡°Hello. I would like some bread.¡± She wore a calm navy dress and had an air of elegance. As she felt similar to Mary from the Claude mansion, she must have been a maid for the noble who owned the carriage. ¡°There are bread rolls and loaf bread available today, which would you like?¡± I asked while pointing to the corresponding bread. ¡°Please give me ten of each.¡± ¡°All right. The loaf bread is already cut, so would ten slices be okay?¡± ¡°Yes please.¡± I softened at the sight of the woman who hesitated but still ordered with a smile, and prepared her order. ¡°Would you be so kind to put it in here?¡± Here, people bring baskets specifically for buying bread with them. It was the same back at home where we would bring plastic containers when we went to buy tofu from the local tofu store. I received the bread basket and placed the bread inside. ¡°Thank you for waiting. Will that be all?¡± I asked her to confirm the contents and returned the basket. ¡°That will be 2.5 ril per bread roll and 1 ril per slice of bread for a total of 35 ril.¡± The bread in this world (the rock hard kind) usually costs one ril. After taking into account the labor and novelty of the recipe, Alex and I concluded that the bread rolls should be 2.5 times that. It seems there must be a noticeable gap like this between prices so that the bread I sold was differentiated from the usual bread, otherwise the market might monopolize it. Once the recipe spreads, Alex said that the price would naturally come down. As for loaf bread, such a thing did not originally exist in this world so I was troubled about the price. However, I set it to be one ril per slice, six slices per loaf for a total of six ril per loaf, which seemed about right when comparing it to the bread rolls. I received the payment from the maid and watched her leave, my head bowed in thanks. Once the maid got back on, the carriage slowly moved away. After I watched it for a while, the window of the carriage rolled down to show Her Majesty Adele! She hid her mouth behind a fan and winked at me as the carriage drove away. It seems she put aside time to come visit today. I found about this later, but the coat of arms for royalty was carved into Her Majesty¡¯s carriage, so even if she had not come in person, it would still spread like wildfire that someone related to the royal family had come. Because of that, without my knowledge, Caf¨¦ Omusubi became known as a royal purveyor. Volume 1, 19: I met a sweets guy. Volume 1, Chapter 19: I met a sweets guy. A week after Caf¨¦ Omusubi opened. The guests Tasia invited to the tea party dropped by one by one, and my shop opened smoothly. The sales for bread were especially amazing. On opening day, the 50 bread rolls and five loaves of bread prepared for the takeout window were sold out by evening. Although I made the same amount for the next day, they sold out around three hours after opening, and I could only apologize and ask the guests who came afterwards to come by again the next day. Just in case, I made double the amount for the third day, but it sold out in four to five hours. I made double that amount for the next day¡­and slowly increased the amount every day, but the labor and energy put into bread making also increased. There were not as many dine-in customers so it seemed I could go on a bit longer by myself, but it might be good to start scouting for employees. Even so, I was very happy that the shop was met with such excitement and popularity so early on. I directed people who inquired about the recipe to the Ashley Company, and Alex said that the sales there were going well. Although Caf¨¦ Omusubi¡¯s image might be that of a bakery at the moment, hopefully soon customers use that as a stepping stone to come in and use the caf¨¦ as well. I also wanted to slowly add more sweets to the menu. The cookies that were served as a complimentary service to the drink menu were also sold at takeout. These cookies were made during down time in bread making. The shapes were not cookie cut, but made by dropping spoonfuls of dough onto the baking sheet, so they had much to improve. They could be easily made, however, and their sales were slowly climbing higher. Soon I would like to make things like cake too. The bread and cookies were sold out by evening today, too. As I calculated the amount of ingredients to order for tomorrow, wondering what to do, I spotted someone staring at me through the window out of the corner of my eye. Oh, it¡¯s that person again. A man looked over here from the other side of the road, across from the shop. By again, I meant that he would gaze at the shop almost every day, his shoulders drooping slightly once he saw the empty showcase and he would leave. He was the first customer to buy the cookies in the showcase on the second day. It was the first time a man had come to buy something, so he made a deep impression. He was also incredibly handsome. He had silver blonde hair with baby blue eyes and was always wearing a close-fitting uniform. Upon asking him, it seems it was the uniform of the chivalric order. He seemed thin and lanky at a glance, but it was clear that he was physically fit even through the uniform. Unfortunately, he usually had a complete lack of expression. I only knew he was dejected from the gloom surrounding his slouched back. Today, too, he gazed at the showcase for a while, confirming its contents, before turning on his heels. Watching him every day, I felt more and more pity for him. That day, the last customer had just left. I flew out of the caf¨¦ and chased after him. ¡°E-excuse me!¡± I finally caught up to his large paces and yelled straight at his back. He turned back and his eyes widened at the sight of me, seeming to know who I was. ¡°¡­Yes?¡± He asked in a calm voice. Even though I was the one to reach out, I had not thought of what to say at all, and I couldn¡¯t speak. ¡°Ah¡­uhm¡­¡± He stared at me blankly. ¡°¡­Are you free right now?¡± --------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Here, I hope it fits your taste.¡± After I confirmed he was free and returned to the shop with him, I set down a dish straight out of the oven in front of him as he sat down at the counter. It was bread pudding, colored golden brown and giving off a sweet fragrance. I soaked the bread crusts left over from all the sandwiches in a mixture of egg, milk and sugar, sprinkled some dried fruits on top and baked it in a slightly deeper plate. While it was simple to make, I could vouch for its flavor. The second I warned him how hot it was, he started eating. As expected, he covered his mouth due to how hot it was, but he kept chewing, and the tense air around him relaxed. Although his face still betrayed no emotion, the atmosphere was so warm that he looked like a dog happily wagging its tail. He continued to silently eat the pudding, which quickly disappeared from the plate. Full with satisfaction, yet also hollow with emptiness, he stared at the empty plate for a while, the spoon still in his hand. Once I changed his already cold tea for some hot new tea, he straightened his back and took a sip. I reached for the empty plate to take it away. ¡°¡­What is this food called¡­?¡± He raised his head to look at me, asking in a calm voice. ¡°This is called bread pudding.¡± ¡°Bread pudding¡­¡± He muttered, seeming to digest the words. I said excuse me, and reached for the empty plate again. He finished his tea and took out his wallet, to which I frantically stopped him. ¡°Uhm, I made this with ingredients I happened to have on hand so you don¡¯t need to pay me.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°It seems you come here often, too, and this was by my invitation.¡± If this were in my previous world, it honestly wasn¡¯t food that would warrant payment. While it was tasty, it was made from bread scraps. I only made it at home from hardened bread back then. He insisted on paying, but compromised when I insisted on only receiving payment for the drink. He looked so apologetic that I began to feel guilty. I asked him to come again if he would like, to which he gave a strong nod and left. From then on, Zeke Brown began to come to the shop every other day. Apparently he first bought the cookies for his five year old baby sister, but after trying one, he couldn¡¯t help but finish the whole bag. He panicked and came back the next day to find it sold out, then the next day, then the next¡­and just when he was losing heart, I called out to him. These were sweets that this world was still unfamiliar with, yet he seemed to have a huge sweet tooth and really enjoyed eating them despite his blank face. I felt a kindred spirit in him, and I surprisingly began to look forward to making something different for him every day. He was usually a man of few words with no expression on his face, but lately it seemed that there were small differences in his blank facial expression that showed emotion. He slowly began to talk to me about himself as well. ¡°Since you¡¯re wearing the uniform, you¡¯re part of the chivalric order then?¡± ¡°Yes. I entered once I become an adult. This will be my second year.¡± When I was taught about this world in the Claude mansion before, I remember they told me that people became adults at sixteen. ¡°Two years after coming of age means¡­you¡¯re younger than me!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m turning eighteen this year¡­¡± ¡°Four years younger than me¡­¡± ¡°¡­You mean you¡¯re twenty two!?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous¡­I thought you were the same age, if not younger than me.¡± I was surprised to hear that he was younger as I had assumed he was older than me. I was even more surprised that I was perceived to be much younger than I actually was. Gil and Tasia also thought I was in my teens. I guess compared to European faces like theirs, a stereotypical Japanese face like mine would look much younger¡­ ¡°Is it okay to be skipping work here when you¡¯re a knight?¡± ¡°Yeah. I come by after I finish my rounds, so there¡¯s no problem.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± He said nonchalantly, steadily reducing the number of scones by his hands as we talked. As scones were quite plain on their own, there was whip cream and fruit jam on the side. Still maintaining a blank expression, he put together various combinations of the two as if he was experimenting with the taste. ¡°What do you think about the scones today?¡± ¡°They¡¯re tasty. While they¡¯re good by themselves, they¡¯re even better with cream and jam. It goes well with tea.¡± Although he was terse, he gave his honest opinion when asked. While blunt, his thoughts that contained neither lie nor flattery made him a valuable critic when making sweets. That this chivalrous man would become the most passionate fan of my sweets was something I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine. --------------------------------------------------------------- Maybe he took a day off from work, but he didn¡¯t come today even at the usual time. I was a little sad, but I quickly cheered up when the other regular, Angelica from the Silas¡¯s Magic Tools Store next door, praised the swiss roll I made today as ¡°delicious!¡± The bread sold out earlier than usual today, so I decided to close up early. The sun was down too, so I planned to leave for home after doing some of the stocking up for tomorrow when there was a hard rapping on the door. When I went to the entrance to see what was going on, a middle-aged man stood leaning against the door. He seemed ready to knock again, so I opened the door by a crack. I was immediately assaulted by a wall of alcohol. ¡°Ngahhh¡­who¡¯re ye, miss?¡± The man seemed to be so drunk, he couldn¡¯t even articulate his words clearly. ¡°Ahhh whuteva, gimme some wine, wine!!¡± ¡°Excuse me! We aren¡¯t a tavern, please go elsewhere!¡± I said firmly, dumbfounded, and the man¡¯s expression completely changed. ¡°Yer tellin¡¯ me ye won¡¯t gimme wine!? Dun shit w¡¯me!¡± Suddenly furious, the man tried to push past me into the shop, putting his weight onto the door despite his unsteady footing. ¡°Like I said, we¡¯re not, ahh!!¡± ¡°Master, careful!!¡± Even though he was a drunk, he was still a man, and I was pushed off balance by the door into the counter behind me. In a split second, Basil used her power to soften my fall so I didn¡¯t hit the counter as hard. ¡°Master, are you okay?¡± ¡°Y-yeah.¡± While I was distracted by my astonishment and the pain, the man stomped into the shop. I held a hand to my stinging back, puzzling about what to do. Should I try to persuade him to leave, or should I go get help¡­ I tried to think calmly, but faced with an unprecedented situation, I could only hear my pounding heart. While I was paralyzed, the man who entered the shop seemed no less furious as he stumbled towards me. Right when Basil flew in front of me to protect me, ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°O-ow ow ow!¡± The familiar chivalric order uniform dove into my view. I looked up, and there was Zeke standing in front of me, twisting the arm of the drunkard upwards. I let loose a sigh of relief. He twisted the whining drunkard¡¯s arm higher, silencing him, and brought him out of the shop. After a while, he returned alone. I was sitting at one of the tables trying to calm myself down, and I jumped at the door opening so suddenly. I was so shocked I had forgotten to lock up. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes. Uhm, thank you so much.¡± I tried to get up, to which he put up a hand and eased into the seat across from me. ¡°The drunkard appears to have been a regular at the tavern that was here before. Their memory must have been confused from all the alcohol. Well, being drunk doesn¡¯t excuse their forceful entry, so they will be met with some punishment.¡± ¡°Punishment¡­¡± ¡°Usually it¡¯s a fine. If you sue him, you might inflict a heavier punishment on him. What do you want to do?¡± ¡°O-oh, no, just the fine will be enough! As long as he reflects on it¡­¡± Even though he was an unruly drunkard, I wasn¡¯t assaulted or anything since Zeke came. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes. After all, he didn¡¯t break anything¡­¡± He made a face of disapproval. ¡°Even if the public order on this road is quite good, you¡¯re still a woman. While I respect you for managing the shop on your own, it is also dangerous.¡± He was right. Some other day, the same, no, maybe even something worse might happen. A shop run by a single woman would probably be an easy target for criminals. I might have been a bit naive for forgetting about security despite trying to run a shop alone. I sank into self loathing through the shock and regret. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­No, I¡¯m sorry for lecturing like I know about it.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re right.¡± The shop fell into silence, and the air grew murky with awkwardness. After stewing in the heavy, suffocating air, I raised my drooped head to see Zeke in deep thought with his hand on his chin. He noticed my gaze and his eyes met mine. ¡°All right. Will you hire me?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± He said something so ridiculous, I could only stare back at him. ¡°Hire you¡­aren¡¯t you part of the chivalric order? Besides, this isn¡¯t a shop that requires security at all times¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine if I quit the chivalric order, right? Also, I¡¯m not going to be a security guard, but an employee.¡± ¡°An employee? It¡¯s true that I was going to hire employees some time down the road, but¡­¡± ¡°Good, there¡¯s no problem then. Besides¡­¡± He suddenly stopped, and there was a hint of rare pink on his blank face. He looked a little embarrassed. ¡°¡­I like the sweets you make.¡± I wonder if I¡¯m just imagining that I feel like I¡¯ve just been confessed to¡­when such a handsome man like him said that to me, my cheeks flushed despite knowing he was complimenting my sweets. Both of us were so embarrassed that he went home while the matter of hiring him was left hazy and undecided. ¡­A few days later, he came to the caf¨¦ in his casual clothes instead of his usual chivalric order uniform, and told me he had quit the order. Please hire me, he said with his head bowed. I couldn¡¯t refuse him, and while it was a little forceful, he became an employee at Caf¨¦ Omusubi. I would later come to know that he had been a promising recruit that was even rumored to be the next Head Knight of the order, but that was a story for another day. Volume 1, 20: I hired an employee. Volume 1, Chapter 20: I hired an employee. Caf¨¦ Omusubi now has an employee. Honestly it was just around the time when I began to have too many things on my plate, so it was great to have another person on board even though they were an amateur. First, I taught Zeke how to make bread. As we know, bread took up more than half of the sales at the caf¨¦. Although I was slightly bothered about the caf¨¦ turning into a bakery, the purpose of more hands on deck was to answer demands so there was no helping that. Zeke had close to no experience in cooking, but he listened to my explanations earnestly and quickly learned how to make bread. Perhaps he was a quick learner to begin with. As he was originally in the chivalric order, he was also a stickler for respect. Although he spoke casually to me when he thought I was younger, he became very polite when I hired him, even calling me manager. I didn¡¯t like being so stiff, so I asked him to stop¡­only for him to call me teacher, which made it worse. When I asked him to stop that too, he reluctantly started calling me Miss Risa. That seemed the least he would allow, so I decided to compromise. I was okay with the casual speech before, though¡­ While he worked hard at bread making, I could experiment with possible new menu dishes. The person happiest about this was none other than Zeke. Things I couldn¡¯t make before included cake. Although I could make swiss rolls relatively quickly, whole cakes and tarts needed a lot more time. Of course, when one thinks of cake, one thinks of shortcake. Zeke¡¯s eyes shone when he saw the experimental shortcake I made. The slice I handed him disappeared in an instant. He must really love sweets to make such a happy face. In a way, this might be a better place for him than the chivalric order. Step by step, Caf¨¦ Omusubi began moving forward. ¡°¡­Whoa! So this is custard cream!¡± Today was the regular weekly holiday. In Feliformia, there was one holiday per week where everyone except the essential services rested. Most people spent this day at home, be they nobility or commoners. Even at the Claude¡¯s, all the butlers and maids had a day off. So today, Caf¨¦ Omusubi also had a day off. To be honest, I wanted to open business as holidays bring in the most profit, but there was no way anyone would be on the streets. It would be pointless to open when there wouldn¡¯t be any customers, so I could only tearfully give up. I hadn¡¯t imagined that my industrious Japanese nature would surface here. Anyways, the regular holiday. The caf¨¦ was closed, but I was in the kitchen trying out new dishes. For some reason, Zeke was there too even though he had the day off. When I let slip that I would be trying things yesterday, he happily asked if he could drop by today despite it being a holiday. It seems his sweet tooth was getting the better of him, and he was itching to try the just made custard cream. I hadn¡¯t made any extra, so I sadly couldn¡¯t answer his expectations. I spared him a side glance as I poured the cream from the pot into another container and put it into the fridge. He followed my actions with his eyes and slouched. Don¡¯t be like that, you just had three of the trial puddings I made! I quipped in my head, ignoring his reproachful stare. A stack of empty pudding containers were in front of him. I had baked three different types of pudding and caramel and chilled them in the fridge. He was the only employee, so I was deciding the menu for the caf¨¦ while listening to his opinions. For now, the combination appeared to be sweet pudding with slightly bitter caramel. There were three more things I planned to make today. First, pie dough. I could store it in the freezer, so I wanted to make as much as I could. Once I had pie dough, the amount of sweets I could make would multiply instantly. Pies, of course, but also tarts, breads, and even mille feuille with the custard cream. Next, ice cream. It would take time to make this, so I would have to work on it even on workdays. After all, ice cream had to be mixed thoroughly every one or two hours in the freezer, which would take a lot of energy as well. However, I had finally received a magic tool that would make that easier yesterday??¡ªa hand mixer. This was also a custom order from Silas¡¯s Magic Tool Store. The stand mixer was already making butter and a valuable asset in whisking cream, but it wasn¡¯t suitable for making things in small amounts. That was solved by acquiring a hand mixer, which also made mixing ice cream much easier. Lastly, chiffon cake. This could also be made thanks to the hand mixer, as meringue was the life and blood of a chiffon cake. Making meringue required mixing egg whites, which would also take a long time. With two mixers, the food would also have more variety. Better to rely on the magic tools when they are handy, after all. ¡­bam bam! Right when I took the roller, prepared to start making pie dough, there was a hard knocking on the door. Memories of the drunkard from the other day flashed across my mind and I flinched. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Noticing my pale expression, Zeke got up from his stool and left the kitchen. I thought I had forgotten all about it, but I guess I might have been terrified¡­I¡¯m so glad Zeke is around¡­ ¡°¡­one¡­you!!¡± ¡°¡­so¡­¡± I could hear Zeke and someone else in the direction of the entrance. Was it someone Zeke knew? But their tone seemed gruff. Suspicious, I peeked into the hall from the kitchen, locking eyes with the person Zeke was talking from behind his back. ¡°Ah!! You!!¡± He pointed at me and pushed past Zeke into the shop. ¡°You¡¯re the one who seduced him!¡± He was a redhead of my height, if not shorter, and looked like a middle schooler if we were in Japan. Hm? But he was wearing the chivalric order uniform that Zeke wore. Didn¡¯t you have to become an adult to get in the order? While I was captured by my thoughts, he marched over to me. ¡°Zeke is¡­ow!!¡± He opened his mouth but was interrupted by a dull loud thud, to which he immediately hunched down holding his head. Zeke had hit his head. With a balled up fist, too¡­ --------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Please have a seat.¡± For now, I had the young man, discouraged by Zeke¡¯s punch, sit at the counter. The sulking youth was called Reinhardt Howell, who entered the chivalric order at the same time as Zeke and was friends with him since the chivalric academy. Apparently he was also eighteen. Good thing I didn¡¯t tell him I thought he was a middle schooler¡­ ¡°¡­I won¡¯t approve of it.¡± He quietly muttered, still looking away. He most likely barged in, dissatisfied that Zeke had quit the chivalric order. I wouldn¡¯t blame him, though. This was the first time I heard of this, but he quit the chivalric order he even went to the chivalric academy for, only to work at a caf¨¦, a placecompletely out of his field. ¡°I¡¯m fine if you can¡¯t approve of it.¡± ¡°Why! You worked so hard! And you¡¯re blessed with talent and physique! The guys in our year, no, everyone in the order had high expectations for you as the next captain of the order! Even so, why! It¡¯s obvious that the reason you quit so easily was because of this woman!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that Miss Risa was the reason.¡± Hearing Zeke¡¯s words, Reinhardt glared daggers at me. ¡°See, he-¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not what you¡¯re making it out to be. If you¡¯re going to slander Miss Risa, go home. I do feel bad towards you since we¡¯ve gone through so much together, but I don¡¯t regret quitting the order, nor do I plan on going back. That¡¯s how far I¡¯ve fallen.¡± ¡­what? ¡°¡­Wha, w-w-wha!¡± I stared at Zeke with my jaw dropped, and Reinhardt flushed red and jumped up, his seat clattering to the floor. Zeke argued vehemently, ¡°Miss Risa¡¯s food is amazing! It¡¯s the best in this country, no, the world. Not only that, I have never been so deeply moved by these things called sweets that she makes since I was born. This is the path I will walk. That¡¯s how far I¡¯ve fallen for Miss Risa¡¯s food.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ah, he¡¯s talking about the food. Right, that makes sense. F for Food, not H for Human. Reinhardt, who had been yapping like a Spitz up until now, stood speechless staring at the suddenly eloquent Zeke. ¡°If you still don¡¯t approve, you¡¯ll understand once you eat some. Msis Risa, there is still some pudding, right?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, there is.¡± ¡°Could he have some?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I returned to the kitchen and took the nicest looking pudding, plated it, and brought it to Reinhardt. ¡°Here, please have some.¡± The pudding was covered in plenty of brown colored caramel. Tempted by the sweet fragrance, he stared at it. ¡°You¡¯ll understand if you eat it.¡± Zeke said, full of confidence. Reinhardt glanced at Zeke and I and slowly picked up the spoon. Pudding is equal parts bouncy and soft, so his spoon easily sank in. He paused, surprised by the texture, but tentatively raised a spoonful to his mouth. His eyes grew wide, and he picked up the plate in his hands to take two bites, three, and he inhaled everything on the plate, even the caramel, in a matter of seconds. He set the plate down and exhaled a long breath before breaking out of his trance and looking up. ¡°You¡¯re amazing! I¡¯ve never had anything like it! What is this!?¡± ¡°Right? Today¡¯s also the first time I¡¯ve had pudding!¡± I was shocked by his sudden change in attitude, but Zeke nodded as if it was only natural. Then, Zeke began to chatter about all of my food that he had tasted as if to show off. While this scene of two men talking away about sweets was a little weird, I guess this means the case is closed¡­? Afterwards, Reinhardt lowered his head to me and apologized. I thought it was probably better for Zeke to return to the order, but Reinhardt easily approved of Zeke¡¯s position, told him to work hard, gifted him a bottle of ale, and left with a hop in his step. A new regular, a sweets guy, was added to Caf¨¦ Omusubi¡¯s roster. Volume 1, 21: My business was met with obstruction. Volume 1, Chapter 21: My business was met with obstruction. ¡°Zeke, could you bring this out?¡± ¡°Yes. Miss Risa, here are the new orders!¡± ¡°Excuse me! I¡¯d like to order now?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll be there right away!¡± One month after Caf¨¦ Omusubi opened, two weeks after Zeke became an employee. He completely fit in with the store, and was making rapid progress in making sweets. There were madams who came to the shop with their eyes on the handsome man, so he was actually contributing to the customer count as well. The store was doing well, perhaps too well. At first the customers were mostly Tasia¡¯s friends, but rumors slowly spread by word of mouth and lately there were customers who caught wind of those rumors. Thanks to that, while the bread takeout was still the center of sales, dine-in customers had increased. Zeke and I were kicked into high gear handling all the work. ¡°Excuse me~ what is a swiss roll?¡± A pair of two schoolgirls looked at the sweets of the day written on the blackboard and asked. ¡°It might be hard to understand with just words, so let me bring out a sample for you.¡± I learned this month that in a world unfamiliar with sweets, it was easier to show people the food they were interested in. ¡°This is a swiss roll. Next to it is a chiffon cake and pudding.¡± ¡°Wow! I don¡¯t know what to pick!¡± I showed them the sweets on a tray, and their eyes glimmered with excitement as they discussed what to get. More young customers like these girls had also been coming in. It seems a girl who had come with her mother talked it up at school. No matter the world, girls enjoy trying new cake. ¡°I¡¯ll go with the swiss roll!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll have the chiffon cake!¡± ¡°Right away.¡± I bowed with a smile and headed towards the kitchen. While there were now two people working at the caf¨¦, it was thriving way past our expectations and we were going into overdrive trying to handle everything. I was happy the caf¨¦ was so popular, but on the other hand I still had much to teach Zeke, and I also wanted to develop new menus. The days sped by in a whirl as I thought these things. It was right around then when there was an accident at the previously smooth sailing Caf¨¦ Omusubi. When I went to work in the morning, Zeke was in front of the store sweeping with a broom. I smelled something rotten when I approached him. ¡°Morning, Zeke. What happened?¡± ¡°Good morning. There was kitchen waste spread on the ground.¡± The dustpan in Zeke¡¯s hand did indeed have kitchen waste in it. No wonder it stunk. Especially right now, in the summer, the smell was horrific. ¡°Thank you for cleaning it up.¡± At any rate, I wondered why there would be waste in front of the store. Was it a prank? However, I didn¡¯t think too deeply about it back then. Similar pranks continued to happen to the shop. There would be large amounts of mud on the door and the windows, or we would receive large amounts of fodder that we hadn¡¯t ordered. The pranks continued, and Zeke asked if he should use his old connections with the chivalric order to have them patrol this area too. I didn¡¯t want it to blow up into something big, but if this kept happening I would have to ask for security. Even so, I couldn¡¯t decide what to do. Angelica from next door also said she witnessed some suspicious person. She conjectured that perhaps it was the work of some girl who had feelings for Zeke? To which Zeke simply looked nonplussed and confused. Should I wait for the pranks to stop, or should I catch the suspicious person¡­right when I was weighing my options¡­ One day, I left home relatively earlier than usual. When I neared the caf¨¦, I saw someone hunched over the storefront. Their gray hooded robe and rummaging actions screamed suspicious. Just when I was going to call someone, I glanced at their hands. ¡°Wha¡­fire!?¡± I let loose a shocked exclamation, and the person flipped around to face me. In their hand was a magic tool like a lighter, and a wooden stick that was just lit. Why? What is this person doing in front of my shop? ¡°What are you¡­¡± I started to say, when the fire on the stick suddenly flared and burned brighter. It rose a yellow ocher colored smoke with a stinging smell. It seemed to be a special type of wood. The fire ate up the wood and reached the person¡¯s hand in an instant, leaping to their robe. ¡°Eek, hot!¡± The person threw away the wood and took off their robe to show a girl in her teens. She had orange colored hair in a bob cut and she was around my height. She repeatedly rubbed her left hand, which had been holding the wooden stick. Distracted by the suspicious girl, I didn¡¯t see where the stick was thrown. Over the stinging smell wafted a burnt smell, bringing me back to my senses and I looked towards the origin to see smoke rising from the pile of wooden crates at the edge of the store. Those wooden crates were specifically used for stocking vegetables, so they were thoroughly dried with every delivery for sanitary reasons. It was obvious what would happen if fire sprung up near those crates. The crates caught on fire and began to burn brightly. ¡°Fire¡­! What should I do!! Water¡­water!!¡± I have to put out the fire! I thought, but my body wouldn¡¯t move. Where could I find water again!? ¡°Miss Risa!?¡± I turned towards Zeke¡¯s familiar voice. ¡°Zeke, what should we do! The store, the fire!! Water¡­!!¡± I grabbed his hand and tried to explain, but I couldn¡¯t speak through the confusion. My store is! Going to burn down! The place where I belong is¡­ I stared blankly into the crackling flames. After coming to this world, I met the people at the Claude¡¯s, opened this shop, and got Zeke as my employee¡­the memories flashed before my eyes. After a while, Angelica came over from Silas¡¯s Magic Tool Store next door, noticing something strange. ¡°Eek!! A fire!? Dad, get some water!!¡± Ignoring Zeke and I who were standing still as trees, Angelica shouted and attracted the attention of neighbors and passersby. They frantically began to put out the fire. With Mister Gunt in the lead, the men in the neighborhood heaved water-filled buckets to the store and dumped them over the fire. A few minutes later, thanks to their quick efforts, the fire was stopped without spreading. The crates were completely burned up, and there were charred marks on the wall, but thankfully the building did not catch on fire. Seeing that everything was all right, all my strength left me and I sat on the ground, still holding on to Zeke¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Are you okay, Miss Risa?¡± ¡°¡­I think I¡¯m just relieved.¡± I laughed dryly, and Zeke stared at me with a painful expression. Then I saw that girl out of the corner of my eye. ¡°Ah, that girl is¡­¡± I muttered, and Zeke seemed to understand as he nodded and went towards the girl. When Zeke approached her, she tried to escape, but quickly gave up when Zeke grabbed her hand and she was obediently dragged back here. ¡°For now, let¡¯s head into the shop.¡± After thanking everyone who helped beat down the fire, we entered the shop. Worried, Angelica also came in. She asked me if I was okay and noticed that there was a new face in the group. ¡°Hm? Aren¡¯t you Chester¡¯s daughter, from Chester¡¯s Bakery?¡± It seems Angelica knew this girl, who was currently keeping her head down like she swallowed something sour. ¡°Angelica, could you do me a favor and bring this girl¡¯s parents here?¡± ¡°Ah¡­Yeah, sure.¡± Angelica noticed the change in my tone and quickly left the shop. ¡°Were you also behind the pranks?¡± My voice rang out in the quiet shop. The girl kept her silence and continued to stare at the floor. I sighed heavily and looked at Zeke. He folded his arm and got up from the counter he was leaning on. ¡°While you¡¯re free to stay silent, this will be probably reported to the chivalric order either way. You¡¯re the one who committed arson, no?¡± Hearing Zeke¡¯s words, she snapped her head up. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Right when she opened her mouth, the door slammed open. A panting middle-aged man stood in the doorway. ¡°Helena! What are you doing!¡± He stomped into the store and hit the girl¡¯s head with his fist, then pushed her head down to kneel on the ground with him. ¡°I deeply apologize for what my stupid daughter has done!¡± Zeke and I were taken aback by the girl¡¯s father¡¯s forceful energy and looked at each other. We calmed the apologizing man and, for now, had both of them take a seat. According to the man, he, Paul Chester, was running a bakery. His single daughter, Helena Chester, was sixteen and had just come of age last month. Chester¡¯s Bakery was blessed with the opportunity of being a royal purveyor. However, recently due to my shop, Caf¨¦ Omusubi, opening, his sales were suffering and there were less and less orders coming from the royal family. As the store owner, he knew of this shop and had purchased the recipe from the Ashley Company. However, it was so different from the methods passed down in his family so he couldn¡¯t make it very well. While he was doing that, his daughter Helena seemed to have misunderstood something and began to hate Caf¨¦ Omusubi, even pulling pranks on it. It seems Helena thought that the recipes sold by the Ashley Company were taken advantage of and monopolized by this shop. In addition, Helena had just been fired from the maid job she had been hired as an apprentice, so she was desperate. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to set the shop on fire!¡± The quiet Helena finally opened her mouth. Her eyes were glossy with tears, but she bit her lip to keep herself from crying. Apparently she only wanted to raise a scandal about smell at the shop using a kind of wood that gave off a stinging smell when burnt. I remembered the smell. Zeke seemed to know about the wood, and he said they often used it to repel bugs and monsters when they performed outdoor maneuvers. One of its characteristics was that it was very flammable wood, but it seems Helena lit it without knowing that, thus leading to it flaring up to her hands and her throwing it at the crates. ¡°I mean, I thought our bakery would fall out of business the way this was going! We had been lauded as the royal purveyor for generations! But lately everyone seemed to completely change and say our bread wasn¡¯t good¡­Our customers were decreasing too¡­¡± The words that seemed to squeeze out of her infuriated Mister Paul. He opened his mouth, but I raised a hand to stop him. ¡°Have you had the bread at this shop?¡± She shook her head at my question. I told her to wait a bit, and put the bread from yesterday into the oven to bake. That was how little Helena knew of Caf¨¦ Omusubi, especially of the food here. That¡¯s why I would have her eat the bread here and understand how different it was from the bread at Chester¡¯s, so she would accept it. Some ten minutes later, I placed the bread in front of her. ¡°Here¡¯s our bread. Please try some.¡± Helena gingerly reached for the hot bread. I also offered some to Mister Paul, who was watching her on the side. Helena blew on the bread to cool it a bit and took a bite. ¡°¡­Tasty.¡± She quietly mumbled. ¡°I¡¯m glad you could understand that.¡± At my words, Helena bit her lip with the bread still in her hands. ¡°Even if it wasn¡¯t on purpose, though, you still set fire to my shop. Hey, Zeke, what is the punishment for arson according to the chivalric order?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a heavy crime. Some jail time is guaranteed.¡± The girl snapped her head up and turned white as a sheet. ¡°I¡¯m really, deeply sorry!! Of course we will compensate you for your losses, but please, anything but that! I¡¯m begging you.¡± Mister Paul lowered his head again. ¡°Please raise your head. Rest assured, I don¡¯t plan on doing so.¡± ¡°Really!?¡± Relieved, Mister Paul¡¯s stiff expression softened a little. ¡°However, I¡¯m not such a good person as to let you off for free.¡± Trembling with fear, Helena listened closely for what I was going to say. ¡°First, I will have Mister Paul learn the recipe to make this bread.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Everyone except me was taken aback by my words. ¡°Not for free, mind you. There are two conditions. First, I want you to sell the same amount of bread as you usually sell at your shop every day to me for one ril, excluding the holidays. Second, while you are allowed to sell the bread at your shop, you will sell it at the same price as we do here. Of course, the bread will have to reach a certain standard for quality assurance.¡± At a glance, these conditions seemed completely in favor of my shop. After all, compared to the bread they made previously, they had to sell something labor and time intensive to me for one ril, which I would sell for 2.5 ril. However, this was beneficial to Mister Paul as well. First of all, he had been selling rock hard bread for one ril. While the new bread would still be sold for one ril to my shop, he could sell it for 2.5 ril at his store front, so his profit per roll of bread should be increased as well. Since the bread here sold so well at 2.5 ril, even if the price was more than double the rock hard bread, it shouldn¡¯t turn customers away. ¡°Is that really okay?¡± Mister Paul seemed to have understood this and asked me, slightly suspicious. ¡°Yes. I opened this shop to spread new food and recipes, so there is no better way if that would help spread them faster.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­I couldn¡¯t have wished for better. Thank you so much.¡± I felt a bit ashamed to have someone so much older than me bow his head to me so many times. Meanwhile, Mister Paul seemed happy with just learning how to make bread, and he smiled for the first time today. ¡°Next, Helena.¡± After Mister Paul calmed down, I turned to Helena, who flinched and cowered into her seat. ¡°You will be working at this shop.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°Wait, Miss Risa! Why!?¡± Ignoring the shocked Helena, Zeke objected and leaned towards me. ¡°Well, right now you will be volunteering. It¡¯s only natural to pay for your crimes with hard labor, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± ¡°Besides, it would do well for Helena to know more about the world. Even if you¡¯re sixteen, you¡¯re an adult. You take responsibility for the things you have done now. You were under your parents¡¯ wings until now, but that won¡¯t work from now on. That¡¯s what I believe it means to become an adult. While I understand Mister Paul¡¯s feelings and the situation at your bakery, I won¡¯t favor or be biased towards you. In other words, I will forget what you have done today, and treat you as an employee moving forward. I made eye contact with Helena, and she covered her face with both hands and began to cry. ¡°¡­I¡¯m really, sorry¡­! I¡¯ll do, my best¡­¡± Awareness of her crime, the trouble she brought on her family, the bad influence on her family¡¯s bakery¡­The burden on her shoulders from this case was so heavy, it was unclear whether she understood everything that happened at the moment. However, I felt like the tears she was shedding were proof that she at least understood a bit of it. Less than a month after opening, Caf¨¦ Omusubi was forced to close temporarily for a week. Volume 1, 22: We got a new waitress. Volume 1, Chapter 22: We got a new waitress. While the exterior of Caf¨¦ Omusubi was being repaired, we put our time into coaching the Chesters. I instructed Mister Paul in making bread and asked Zeke to instruct Helena in waiting on customers. Specifically, the various menus and the caf¨¦ system¡­all so that she could wait on customers without hesitation when the caf¨¦ reopened. After all, we were a shop that sold meals, drinks and desserts, so she would need to ask about the timing to bring out drinks and desserts when customers ordered as well as explain the system to first-timers. In addition, the menu was packed with food never seen before in this world, so customers would not be able to tell what food they were just by looking at the names. Therefore, in order to work at this shop, waiters and waitresses had to start from knowing the menu like the back of their hand. ¡°Once you¡¯ve taken the customer¡¯s order, you write it down on this paper, a chit. When they want a drink with it, you write that next to the food and the timing to serve under the drink. Timings include before, during, and after.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Zeke explained with indifference. As a man of few words, his explanations were short and succinct. He quickly finished explaining the chit and moved on to the menu. To put it bluntly, he was cold and strict. It wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t interested in teaching, he simply did not give off a friendly atmosphere. Yes, it seemed Zeke was still affected by the incident and he treated the girl with antipathy. The first day of Helena¡¯s instruction ended like that. The problem was the second day. It would be very difficult to remember explanations like that. Helena was quizzed by Zeke to check whether she remembered his words and could explain the food, but she couldn¡¯t answer very well. While she tried her best and squeezed out some answers in the beginning, her voice grew smaller and smaller. On the other hand, Zeke did not scold her but sighed every time she got stuck. Even though he was doing so because of what Helena did, I couldn¡¯t watch any longer and told them both to take a break. After everyone ate the staff meal I made, Helena suddenly went outside. Zeke offered to clean up, so I left it to him and ran after her. Helena had left through the back door, which was left slightly ajar. I thought maybe it was too much for her and she ran away, but I stopped when I heard the voice outside. Helena was sobbing quietly. Even though she was already an adult in this world, she was still at tender sixteen. Of course, it was bad for her to do what she did, but she was much more mature than when I was sixteen in my first year of high school, and she did well enduring Zeke¡¯s cold attitude. She could have cried in front of us too. Tears are a woman¡¯s weapon, which should pull out a bit of pity even from the strict Zeke. On top of that, her own father was in the kitchen. She could have cried and clung to him too. However, she did none of those things, instead sobbing quietly out the back door so no one would notice. It wasn¡¯t that I forgave everything she had done. However, it was true that seeing Helena like this changed my opinion of her. When the one hour lunch break ended, Helena approached me with red, swollen eyes. ¡°Uhm, Miss Risa.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I was wondering if you could lend me something to write on? Anything is fine as long as I can take notes.¡± It seems Helena had not simply cried, but had also thought of a way to break through her situation. I took a pile of paper on the counter near the register and handed it to her. ¡°Here are some used chits. The back is blank so feel free to use them. If you run out, there¡¯s more in the same place.¡± Generally, only the front side of chits are used. At first I thought it a waste and tried to use the back too, but it got confusing which side was the current order so I stopped. I couldn¡¯t stand throwing them away like that, though, so they were being used for small notes or tags for reserved food items. The used chits seemed to harden Helena¡¯s resolve, who held them tightly, thanked me and went towards Zeke. Curious, I pretended to return to the kitchen and quietly peeked into the front of the restaurant. Helena faced Zeke with a serious expression and began to speak. ¡°Zeke, I¡¯m sorry but could you start from the top? I can¡¯t remember it all by hearing it once, and I don¡¯t want to wait on customers with such a hazy impression of the menu. Please.¡± She said and lowered her head. Zeke¡¯s eyes widened, perhaps from surprise or from noticing Helena¡¯s swollen eyes and the notepaper in her hands. ¡°¡­All right.¡± Zeke accepted and Helena let out a small sigh of relief. She quickly pulled in her emotions and bowed to Zeke again, saying please take care of me. I also sighed in relief. I didn¡¯t chide Zeke on his attitude as punishment to her and so that I would be taking her in without bias. While it would have been easy for me to help, she would not grow if I did. After that, Helena began diligently asking Zeke questions. She would ask immediately whenever she was confused and took notes of his answers. During break time, she would reflect on her notes and mumble under her breath in review. The second break was over, she would talk to Zeke about the things she noticed during break. She would also come in earlier than anyone and start cleaning. She also took the lead in doing other things. Her actions must have given Zeke a lot to think about. While it was hard to tell from his lack of expression, he stopped being especially cold to her. Helena was also used to waiting on customers. It was only natural, as she had always been helping in the family business. She could perform calculations so she could take care of the register, and her movements were efficient. Thanks to her notetaking, her memory improved, and she could even play by ear now. I felt relieved at her bright signs. On the other hand, her father Mister Paul wasn¡¯t doing so well. ¡°Like I said, please measure the amounts accurately with the cup! Didn¡¯t I say to adjust the thickness with water and not flour?¡± ¡°Ah¡­You did¡­¡± A sigh escaped me. It was like this the whole time. We had met an obstacle at every turn starting from measuring. While it was possible to eyeball the amounts, products that would be sold needed to have the same taste and texture. If the amount of ingredients weren¡¯t measured exactly according to the recipe, there would be small pockets of different taste and texture in the bread. Even so, Mister Paul said he had never measured his ingredients before. Shocked by his reality, I began to drum the idea of measuring into his head. I didn¡¯t know about the rock hard bread Mister Paul had been making, but it was definitely unforgivable to make my bread that way. I had thought to teach him how to make yeast as well, but it seems there would be no time for that. For now, I taught him how to manage and maintain the yeast and decided to give him yeast I made. The most troublesome part about teaching Mister Paul to make bread was my inability to dispel the notion in his head that bread = rock hard bread after he had eaten the bread of this world for so long. This also applied to the method. First rise? Second rise? He couldn¡¯t understand why the bread needed to rest, and at first, he tried to put the shaped dough in the oven immediately after mixing and kneading the ingredients. There was no other way than to have Mister Paul believe with his heart and soul that bread = leavened bread! I made him make bread with my puffed up bread in mind for four days straight. Finally, he made something closer to leavened bread. Somehow I managed to get him to master the method for bread rolls and loaf bread, and he reached the standard where he could deliver them on reopening day. I wouldn¡¯t know if it would work until the day of, though¡­ --------------------------------------------------------------- One more new thing appeared at Caf¨¦ Omusubi. Uniforms. The fourth day of temporary closure. Instruction for the Chesters was basically over, and now they simply needed more experience. While I was thinking about new menus, it popped into my head when I looked at Zeke and Helena who were in serving practice. We should have uniforms! Up until now, Zeke and I had been working in our casual clothes. Zeke wore dark colored pants, usually black or navy, under a casual collared shirt. I had on similar clothes to Zeke. When I first came here, I wore the dresses Tasia prepared for me, but the sleeves covered in lace and frills were a fire hazard and unsuitable for cooking. In this world, mainstream fashion mandated that men wear pants and women wear skirts. There were female knights, though few and far in between, so it wasn¡¯t necessarily skirts for women all day every day. However, that was only the uniform. Clothes were a cultural and habitual issue, and there would always be people who stuck out like a sore thumb or actively went against the stereotype. Even Tasia, who had approved of my opening a caf¨¦, offered her frank advice to my wearing pants. Among the customers were people who would scrunch their eyebrows together when they saw my clothes as well, though they were by no means malicious. In addition, Tasia was also the owner of a clothing brand. Even if we were not connected by blood, there was no way she wasn¡¯t concerned about her daughter¡¯s appearance. Of course she would want her daughter to wear cute clothes. That¡¯s why, when I approached Tasia about making uniforms, the conversation moved quickly as if she had been waiting for it. She was very excited about making it at her own clothing shop. The day after I talked to Tasia, she brought an artisan from the clothing shop and burst into the closed caf¨¦. ¡°This is Sheryl Merry! Thank you for choosing us to design and make your uniforms!¡± Tasia smiled brightly to us and signaled to the artisan waiting outside to bring in their things. ¡°Uhm, Miss Risa, what is the meaning of¡­¡± Taken aback by Tasia¡¯s entrance, Zeke whispered to me, confused. ¡°Sorry for the commotion. I asked my stepmother to make us some uniforms and¡­as you can see¡­she¡¯s more excited about it than I thought she would be.¡± I didn¡¯t think it would blow up like this, and I began to be overwhelmed by the staggering amount of cloth and thread being carried in one after the other. Mister Paul, who had been focused on making as much bread as he possibly could, even poked his head out to see what the commotion was all about. ¡°Zeke, Helena, we¡¯re making uniforms today so you can take a break on the serving practice.¡± The two, shocked speechless by the avalanche of people with Tasia in the lead, smiled wryly to me and walked towards Tasia, who was all fired up to make uniforms. ¡°All right, Risa! Here we go!¡± Fidgeting with excitement, Tasia happily gave the signal to take our measurements. ¡°¡­Uhm, even me?¡± Helena hesitantly asked next to me. ¡°Of course. You¡¯re also an employee here, and it would be weird for only one person not to be in uniform, right?¡± ¡°But this is Sheryl Merry! I can¡¯t afford such luxurious clothes!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the price. Tasia agreed to give me a family discount, and this is a necessary expense so I can¡¯t ask you two to pay for it.¡± ¡°Really? ¡­I can wear Sheryl Merry¡¯s clothes¡­!¡± ¡°Uh, Tasia. Could it be that your store is actually a luxury store? ¡­I¡¯m ignorant of things like that so I asked for your help, but¡­¡± I grew anxious hearing Helena¡¯s words and tentatively asked Tasia, who was rolling measuring tape around my waist. ¡°It¡¯s a request from my lovely Risa, of course I would want to do it! Preparing your clothes is my job as your mother!¡± Tasia said nonchalantly as she raised and lowered my arms, taking my measurements and telling them to the assistant waiting on her next to me. ¡°If you say so¡­Um, Helena, are you okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Sheryl Merry, you know!? I¡¯ve always dreamed of wearing Sheryl Merry¡¯s clothes since I was a child! I¡¯m over the moon!¡± Helena¡¯s eyes were glossy and her cheeks flushed red. According to her, Sheryl Merry was the runner-up, if not the top clothing store in the country. It wasn¡¯t famous simply because it was luxurious, but it had state of the art concepts, designs that created harmony between traditional and novelty¡­It was also lauded for its conscientious tailoring such that parents could pass down their clothes to their children with slight alterations. When going to special occasions, you picked Sheryl Merry. Any girl dreamt of being clad in the gorgeous and beautiful clothes of that shop. Such a shop¡¯s clothes were definitely not cheap. The more intricate the design, the higher the price to reflect the labor put into it. An unattainable prize for young girls¡­that is Sheryl Merry!! ¡­Is what Helena said, fiery with passion. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I can wear clothes that I wanted to wear once in a lifetime! Not only that, but since this is a uniform, I can wear it every day! I¡¯m simply over the moon!¡± ¡°My my, I¡¯m so happy that you love it!¡± Tasia smiled broadly and answered the excited Helena. I listened to Helena, amazed, while Zeke seemed uninterested and stood silently, allowing his measurements to be taken. After all the measurements were taken, we began to discuss the cloth and the design. I took Zeke and Helena¡¯s opinions into account and talked to Tasia and her artisan. ¡°Zeke and I have to cook in the kitchen, so we¡¯ll need to move easily.¡± ¡°True~ The cloth should be one that is hard to dirty as well.¡± ¡°For Helena, a skirt would probably be better? But wouldn¡¯t a skirt be hard to move in?¡± ¡°She¡¯s serving customers, so the cuter she is the better!¡± ¡°Then how about we take the middle and go with something like a culotte?¡± ¡°Ooh, that¡¯s a good idea! Hmm¡­how about this for the design?¡± Tasia quickly drew some sketches while listening to my thoughts. ¡°This one is Risa, this one is Zeke and this one is Helena.¡± I checked the designs Tasia drew. ¡°Uhm, Tasia?¡± ¡°Ye~s?¡± ¡°Please give me pants.¡± ¡°No! You¡¯re a girl so it has to be a skirt.¡± ¡°No, Tasia, I insist! While it¡¯s not that I can¡¯t move with a skirt, any movement is very restricted. Setting Helena, who will be serving in the front, aside, I¡¯ll be mostly working in the kitchen. I use the stove as well, and I won¡¯t be able to work wearing something so frilly! Instead, I¡¯d be terrified of it catching on fire! It¡¯s a fire hazard!¡± No matter how I looked at it, Tasia¡¯s design did not seem suitable for cooking. It looked like an extravagant version of the servant¡¯s clothes that the maids of the Claude family wore. ¡°B-but¡­¡± Tasia slouched, dejected by my strong tone. ¡°¡­! I mean, this design is very cute! But as I¡¯ll be working, I want to avoid wearing anything that restricts my movement. Besides, Tasia, didn¡¯t you say that the female knights¡¯ uniforms also include pants? Then you could treat these uniforms that way, too, and make some wonderful pants! I imagine there haven¡¯t been many female chefs, but wouldn¡¯t it be great if more girls began to dream of that path? When that happens, there will be more people to wear uniforms like this. Besides, I¡¯d be happy if people evaluated me purely based on my skill as a chef without caring whether I was a man or a woman.¡± A long time ago in my previous world, we also had an era where women only wore skirts. However, that perception was changed by a great female designer. Because of the war, women were forced into independence even if they didn¡¯t want to, and pants for women spread across the world. In modern day, women could wear pants without judgement. While I wasn¡¯t planning on forcing my common sense onto this world, a small thing like women not being allowed to wear pants seemed to point to a bigger problem. ¡°I understand that you¡¯re worried for me, Tasia. There¡¯s a reason why people say first impressions matter the most. But just because I¡¯m wearing pants doesn¡¯t mean I will act like a man, nor do I want to become one. I firmly believe that neither is making food nor eating it related to sex. That¡¯s why I¡¯d like my uniform to have pants instead of a skirt.¡± Tasia¡¯s concerned gaze matched that of my biological mother¡¯s. Although their contours were completely different, somehow that¡¯s how I felt. While we had only been mother and daughter for a little while, her expression showed her concern and worry for me. It roused some memories for my biological mother, and I became a little sad. I smiled at the worried Tasia to comfort her. ¡°¡­haaaa. I can¡¯t help it if you say it like that. I can¡¯t let you wear any clothes that might prove dangerous, too.¡± Tasia sighed deeply, giving up, and sketched out a new design. The sketch made in a few minutes had pants that accentuated womanly curves. In the end, my uniform was a white dress shirt decorated with lace on top of black pants, with a long garcon apron. Lace and frills were added here and there to lighten up the attire. Zeke had a white shirt with black pants and a garcon apron like me. Simple and clean. Helena had a round collar dress shirt with frills and a black culotte under a short apron. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s so cute!¡± Helena¡¯s eyes sparkled with delight as she gushed over the design. ¡°I think it¡¯s great, too! How about Zeke?¡± ¡°Yes, I think it¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go ahead with this! I¡¯ll bring it in for fitting tomorrow.¡± We finished the talk, and Tasia exclaimed she had to get to work and left with her artisans. The next day, she brought in temporarily sewed outfits to the caf¨¦. We changed into them and she checked for small details while we told her places that were difficult to move. The day after that, she brought in the fitted uniforms and checked for any defects. There weren¡¯t any problems, so she would bring in the final product tomorrow morning. As she made it in a hurry, spare uniforms would have to be made some other day, but it was thanks to Tasia and her artisans that the uniforms were made so quickly. In this way, all the preparations were made towards the following day when the caf¨¦ would reopen. --------------------------------------------------------------- The day of the reopening. Neighbors and fast made regulars came to the store after catching wind of the reopening. It was also the day of the Chesters¡¯ debut. First, albeit barely on time, Mister Paul managed to deliver the promised amount of bread rolls and loaf bread, which all received a passing grade. It was his first day, so I made more just in case, but it seems I would no longer have to worry about the bread starting tomorrow. Helena was also nervous in the beginning, but after a while she relaxed and was very animated. There were customers who knew about the incident and looked at her with astonishment and suspicion, but Helena¡¯s sincerity and refusal to back down won them over, and they happily ate the food and left. Personally, the decrease in customers that I was so worried about did not happen. On the contrary, there were even more customers than before. We were forced to close temporarily when we had just opened, and I was worried the customers would leave, but it seems the short time before the closure was enough for Caf¨¦ Omusubi to find a place in many people¡¯s hearts. That day, not only the bread from Mister Paul, but also the bread I made just in case were all sold out, and the caf¨¦ closed for the day without a single lull in business. After closing up, I made time to interview Helena. ¡°How do you feel after today?¡± I asked, sitting across from her at a table seat. While Helena seemed quite drained from the unfamiliar workload, she looked refreshed. ¡°I was really busy, so I completely lost myself into work¡­but, I think I did pretty well in my own way.¡± ¡°I see, that¡¯s good. Do you think you can keep going?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°Actually, I wondered whether you would tell me it¡¯s too hard and want to quit.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡¯ ¡°For a week until yesterday, you had to endure Zeke¡¯s icy attitude. there were people like that among the customers today too, right? It was your fault, but I wondered if you would crush under the pressure.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Even so, you never whined once and tried your best. Zeke accepted you, and there were no complaints from the customers, either. I think that¡¯s because of how sincere you were.¡± Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair. The only way Helena could rebuild that trust was by doing her best on her own. She understood that. That was why she refused to be discouraged by the cold stares, nor would she cry and complain. ¡°¡­Thank you, so much. You could have reported it to the chivalric order, but you gave me this chance to start over¡­¡± Overwhelmed with emotion, Helena squeezed out her words. ¡°¡­I was like that, but¡­My father told me about many things¡­I really, truly regret what I did that day. I¡¯m relieved that¡­this shop¡­didn¡¯t¡­burn down¡­¡± Her emotions took over and Helena covered her face. She must have thought over a lot of things after the incident, and worked through some hard feelings where I couldn¡¯t see them. While I do feel that she reaped what she sowed, she was still a sixteen year old girl. She would probably continue to make mistakes. Correcting and having her make up for those mistakes while guiding her on a new path was something a proper adult would do. I got up to sit next to her and quietly patted the crying girl¡¯s head. She sobbed harder, and I quietly watched over her as she let go of the feelings she had bottled up inside her. Volume 1, 23: I received a request. Volume 1, Chapter 23: I received a request. A few weeks passed after Helena joined Caf¨¦ Omusubi. Zeke, who had disapproved of her hiring in the beginning, recognized how hardworking she was and stopped holding hostility towards her. Helena was originally a bright and honest girl. I believe the incident before was an extreme expression of her drive and thinking. I introduced Basil before we reopened. Well, neither Zeke nor Helena could see spirits, so they could only react with ¡°ah¡­I see¡­¡± At any rate, Caf¨¦ Omusubi was going along smoothly. According to Angelica, people were talking about this shop, and the rumors were even spreading to other countries. As if to prove that, there were a lot of customers wearing foreign clothes lately. More people began to ask for the recipes as well, and I directed them to the Ashley Company. Alex also reported that the sales for the recipes had soared recently. The reason why I opened this shop in the first place was to bring the good food from my previous world into this world and spread food culture, so I was happy to hear that was going well. Around that time, a visitor came to Caf¨¦ Omusubi. ¡°Welcome.¡± The doorbell jingled, and a customer came in as always. When I looked over, it was Gil who I had just said goodbye to in the morning. An unintentional regular, Gil came here often to escape his work. I glanced at him suspiciously, but changed my assumption when I saw who was with him. ¡°Hello, Gil, Mister Royce. What is the matter today?¡± Seemingly cold at a glance, the man with the air of an intellectual was the current Secretary of Civil Affairs, Royce Warlock. He was one of the eccentric Gil¡¯s few friends as well as his colleague and year mate. Two men who form the backbone of this country, visiting my shop at the same time¡­I wonder why in the world they are here. ¡°Risa, I¡¯m sorry for the sudden visit but we have something to talk to you about. Do you have time?¡± ¡°Of course. Let¡¯s move to the second floor.¡± I showed them the stairs at the back that led to the second floor. I asked Helena in the front and Zeke in the back to call me if anything happened, and brought a tea set up to the second floor. The former living room on the second room was now a resting space for Caf¨¦ Omusubi employees with a table set. I had the two sit there and I sat across from them after pouring some tea. ¡°So what is the matter?¡± ¡°I came here today to ask a favor of you, Lady Risa.¡± Mister Royce said without sparing a glance towards his tea. ¡°I see. A favor?¡± ¡°Late next month, there will be an international royal conference. Every three years, the royal families and ministers of each country meet in one room to discuss politics, economy, trade and technology. The host this year is our country, Feliformia.¡± International royal conference, huh. I guess on Earth it would be something like a summit. ¡°It is customary to have a large scale dinner party during each conference. Would you be willing to help us with the dinner party?¡± Mister Royce bowed his head with graceful efficiency. A man of ability can look good no matter how little he moves¡­oops, this wasn¡¯t the time to think about such things. ¡°Uhm, I still don¡¯t quite understand the situation¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain.¡± In reply to my confusion, Gil began to speak. ¡°Risa, there are rumors about your shop that are spreading not only here in Feliformia, but also to other countries. We had an inquiry from the neighboring country, Engeld, the other day, asking if they would be able to eat your food at the international royal conference. Although the conference is the most important part of the event, since there was such an inquiry, the country¡¯s dignity is now on the line especially as our country is known to have well developed food culture. We cannot afford to fail to live up to their expectations. That¡¯s why we came to ask for your cooperation¡­although I don¡¯t feel too happy about it.¡± Gil finished unhappily, glancing at Mister Royce sitting next to him and shrugging. Mister Royce recoiled slightly at his glance, but recovered quickly with a cough and turned back to face me. ¡°I understand very well how difficult this request is. It is completely fine if you are unable to attend the day of, but it would be very helpful if you could come to coach our royal chefs during the preparation time. Of course, you will receive compensation¡­please, could you accept this request?¡± It had not even crossed my mind that Gil¡¯s friend and one of the top people in the country, Mister Royce would bow his head to me. Judging from their interaction earlier, Gil must have reluctantly agreed before coming here. Although I did not know Mister Royce very well, from the few minutes that we had talked, he seemed like someone who was very diligent and made sure he got the job done. The stakes must be very high for him to come to me himself and bow his head. ¡°I understand. I don¡¯t know how I may be of assistance, but I accept the request.¡± After turning the request over in my head, I agreed. Gil huffed in disapproval, while Mister Royce¡¯s expression softened in relief. ¡°Risa, are you sure? You don¡¯t have to listen to this guy out of politeness, you know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Gil. I don¡¯t think I will be able to do much, but I will try my best.¡± ¡°I am eternally grateful, Lady Risa.¡± After that, I discussed with Mister Royce and decided to head to the royal palace for coaching every two or three days per week, the first day being three days later. On those days, the caf¨¦ would only have Helena there serving takeout for bread and sweets, while Zeke would come with me as my assistant to the royal palace. Volume 1, 24: I go on a business trip. Volume 1, Chapter 24: I go on a business trip. Three days after Mister Royce came to visit. After finishing all the preparations for opening and making the sweets for takeout, I left Helena to take care of the shop and brought Zeke with me to the royal palace. We went by the carriage that Mister Royce specially prepared for us, so we drove right into the palace without being stopped at the entrance. My first time visiting the royal palace, I saw that the garden was, as expected, spacious and extravagant. At a glance, the decorations on the outer wall seemed pointless, but I suppose those also had something to do with the dignity of the country. I wondered whether the maintenance fee was disgustingly expensive like a true commoner, when the carriage slowly rolled to a stop. A guard opened the carriage door from the outside, and Zeke got off first before reaching out a hand to me. Hesitating a bit, I put my hand on his and got off the carriage. We were led into the royal palace, where Mister Royce came out to welcome us. ¡°Lady Risa, Mister Zeke, thank you for taking the time to come here. Shall I bring you to the kitchen right away?¡± ¡°No problem. Yes, please.¡± As we were visiting the royal palace, I thought I should wear a dress at first, but I got caught up making sweets for takeout at the shop in the morning. Then suddenly it was time for the carriage to come get us, so I couldn¡¯t help but come wearing the caf¨¦ uniform. Putting aside whether it was suitable attire for visiting the royal palace, it was probably okay for cooking in the kitchen. Thus did I try to convince myself while following Mister Royce to the kitchen. ¡°Lady Risa, although it is a bit late to say this since you are already here, the chefs may not be very nice to you.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mister Royce said with a stiff expression along the way to the kitchen, to which Zeke asked suspiciously. ¡°Royal chefs stay at stewards for a very long time, at least ten years even if they start as soon as they come of age. During those years, they train, learn and polish their skills.¡± I began to understand what Mister Royce was trying to say. ¡°I see. You¡¯re saying that kind of person would never listen to the words of a young lass like me. They have the pride of someone who has been working in the royal kitchen for a long time.¡± ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± Although Zeke seemed to understand, his expression showed he wasn¡¯t very satisfied with the answer. ¡°I¡¯ve already taken that into consideration, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°¡­I see. It may be a bit troublesome, but I put them in your care.¡± Surprised by my unexpected reply, Mister Royce gazed at me in wonderment before looking away apologetically. While we talked about such things, we reached the kitchen. Mister Royce took the lead into the kitchen. As it was past noon, the kitchen was not very busy. Right now they were preparing for the evening meal. ¡°Mister McKinnies, do you have a moment?¡± Observing the kitchen, Mister Royce called out to a man. The man clearly made a face as if to say it can¡¯t be helped and came towards us. Seeing that, a shadow passed over Mister Royce¡¯s face, but it quickly disappeared. ¡°Lady Risa, this is the head chef of the royal kitchen, Ian McKinnies.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Risa Claude.¡± Even though they were the ones to be coached, we were the ones who specially came to greet them. Not only that, but the Secretary of Civil Affairs, Mister Royce, introduced him as opposed to a self introduction. Ignoring how McKinnies, a chef hired by the royal palace felt, it was unacceptable for that to reflect in his attitude. Mister Royce had placed me above him in the hierarchy for everyone in the kitchen to see by introducing his name first. His face flushed red with rage, but he accepted that this was still work he had to do, and he deadpanned nice to meet you before returning to his station. Mister Royce shrugged and glanced at me in concern. ¡°I imagine you have your own work to do, Mister Royce. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be fine. Zeke is here too.¡± ¡°Please leave it to me.¡± Although I had not planned on doing so on my way here, this looked like a situation where I would have to rely on Zeke. My heart felt lighter upon hearing Zeke¡¯s quick reply. ¡°Please let me know if anything happens. Then, Mister Zeke, I leave it to you.¡± Still concerned for me, Mister Royce quickly walked out. ¡­Now, I guess it¡¯s time to battle. Volume 1, 25: I pick a fight. Volume 1, Chapter 25: I pick a fight. Although we had arrived at the kitchen, Zeke and I were treated like thin air. We stood against the wall so as not to disturb their work and observed. After thirty minutes, Zeke¡¯s face began to grow darker and he glanced over at me every now and then. On the other hand, I stayed calm and observed the people working in the kitchen with a steady eye. There were around twenty chefs in the kitchen. Aside from the head chef, there were two sous chefs, two assistants for the sous chefs, around ten station chefs, and five stewards. They were all men. Even here, the culinary world is male-dominated¡­ Most of the chefs seemed to have been informed of me beforehand and they did their work while completely ignoring me. However, the steward boys seemed to be curious of our unfamiliar presence and would glance over from time to time. After a little less than an hour, seeing as standing would lead to nothing, I took action. ¡°Hey, you there.¡± ¡°!! M-me!?¡± ¡°Yes, you.¡± I called the steward boy washing dirty dishes in the corner of the kitchen. The boy was not expecting anyone to talk to him and was caught off guard. He did not notice the sharp glares from the station chefs. I apologized to him in my heart and asked him again. ¡°What¡¯s your dream?¡± ¡°¡­uh, my dream?¡± What a pure boy who still answered despite being so flustered. He probably couldn¡¯t tell whether I could be bluntly refused as he didn¡¯t know who I was or why I was here. ¡°My dream is of course to become an accomplished chef.¡± ¡°Accomplished, huh¡­then, what does it mean to become an accomplished chef?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± The boy stared at me blankly. All the chefs in the kitchen who had been listening to our conversation stopped moving. ¡°When you are allowed to cook by yourself here? When you can make food for royalty? Or perhaps, if you open your own business? Or when you are recognized by someone? Is there anyone here who you believe to be an accomplished chef?¡± ¡°U-uhm¡­¡± Clang! When the boy was confused about how to reply, a huge sound rang out through the kitchen. I looked toward the sound to see that the head chef had slammed a metal container onto the worktable. ¡°I only hear whining from that mouth¡­what exactly are you trying to say!¡± ¡°Ah well. To be perfectly honest, if he was referring to the chefs here as accomplished, I would have pitied him.¡± The chefs slowly began to understand what I was saying and the air grew thick with tension. Feeling their glares centered on me, Zeke immediately took half a step forward to protect me, but I put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. ¡°Hah! Listen to what the young lass is saying! This is a sacred and important place within the royal palace that governs over food. I suggest you go home, little lady.¡± The head chef looked down at me icily and made a motion as if to shoo me away. While it was hard not to quail in such a disadvantageous situation, I endured and looked him straight in the eye. ¡°Would you like me to spell it out for you? I¡¯m saying that the food you make is B-A-D.¡± ¡°!! You!!¡± The blood rushed to his head and he lunged at me, his face red with fury. But Zeke quickly stepped in and caught the head chef¡¯s fist with his hand. Zeke put enough power into his grip for there to be a grinding sound, and the head chef¡¯s face twisted in pain. I gasped and put my hand on Zeke¡¯s wrist. ¡°Zeke, don¡¯t hurt a chef¡¯s hands!¡± Zeke quickly released his hand at my words, and immediately the chefs in the area crowded around the head chef to see if he was okay. The head chef raised his hand to stop them, motioning that he was fine, and glowered at me. ¡°You¡¯re all bark and no bite. I don¡¯t know what you told Secretary Warlock, but this kitchen is this country, nay, the world¡¯s peak in terms of cuisine. This is no place for a lass like you.¡± The chefs around him nodded and began to say yeah, go home. The kitchen began to get noisier when a man who looked like a sous chef began to speak. ¡°Head chef, why don¡¯t we show them how wonderful our cuisine is? In the process, we¡¯ll see how good this girl¡¯s skills are, too?¡± The head chef nodded proudly, his pride brushed by the sous chef¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s right, why don¡¯t you show us how good your cooking is.¡± Although I feigned a blank expression, I quietly chuckled to myself, All according to plan. The head chef immediately turned on his heel to prepare, while the sous chef who suggested the competition winked at me for some reason. Hm, I wonder if this person already knows¡­? Somehow, he felt like an ally. Volume 1, 26: I compete. Volume 1, Chapter 26: I compete. ¡°Ahem. Please make something with this fish.¡± The head chef and I were to compete with our skills, all according to my plan. If nothing had happened, Zeke and I would have continued to be treated as thin air. But then we couldn¡¯t answer Mister Royce¡¯s expectations. After all, the goal was the international royal conference. It would be impossible for the two of us to cook all the food. No matter what, I had to have these chefs recognize my skill and obtain their cooperation. The chef and I stood with the kitchen between us. The sous chef who spoke up began to explain the rules of the competition. The fish looked like a sea bream. Its eyes were clear, so it was quite fresh. I had never eaten this fish, so I didn¡¯t know what it tasted like. Hmm, what should I make? I glanced at the head chef across from me, who smirked, brimming with confidence. He saw my glance and snorted. Oh, you little¡­no matter how mild-mannered I am, even that pisses me off. I¡¯ll definitely make you cry! I feigned serenity and smiled warmly at the head chef. The head chef put the fish on a cutting board and stuck in his kitchen knife. He filleted the fish and peeled off the skin in an instant. I admired his dexterity with a knife and also began preparing my fish. In the end, I decided to make fish ball soup. While I was nowhere as fast as the head chef, I filleted my fish with no problem. ¡°Ha!¡± The head chef laughed again. I felt frustrated, but I ignored him and continued. I put water in a pot along with the fish head, vegetables that looked like ginger, onions and cabbage and turned on the stove. I was going to make fish-based dashi from the head. The vegetables were for taking out the fishy taste and adding depth to the flavor. The chefs watching me all tilted their heads in confusion. I see, soup stock and dashi don¡¯t exist in this world¡­even though dashi is the foundation of cooking. I felt discouraged by the differences in cooking from my previous world, but I moved back to the cutting board. I diced the fish fillet into small pieces and beat it with the kitchen knife again and again. The kitchen was filled with the sound of my kitchen knife hitting the cutting board. Although the other chefs stared at me incredulously, I could no longer feel their eyes on me. I¡¯m pretty sure that there are no paste products in this world. I continued to beat the meat, reflecting on how amazing Japanese paste products were. I would have liked a mortar so I could grind it, but this was an away game. No way about it. It was a little chunky, but I moved the fish paste to a bowl. I added some finely chopped vegetables in, with egg whites and a bit of flour for binding, seasoned with salt and pepper and began to knead the mixture. When it began to stick together, I placed it in the fridge and went back to the pot. I skimmed off the scum with a ladle and moved the pot to a low heat burner. This would still take a while, so I left it to stew. I looked at the head chef while I cleaned the cookware I used. The fillets were covered in flour and laid on a tray. Is he frying it? Or saut¨¦, perhaps? I thought, as the head chef took out a frying pan and poured in some oil. A bit late for an explanation, but this world also has oil, most commonly extracted from the olive-like lintz fruit. The flavor is almost identical to olive oil, and it is used in various areas like beauty and health care, not just cooking. Somehow, the chef poured in a weird amount of oil. It wasn¡¯t enough for frying, but too much for saut¨¦ing. Was he going to shallow fry it? I continued observing, and the head chef put the fish on the frying pan without any hesitation. The hot oil sizzled, and the flour quickly turned a golden brown. Like the Claude kitchen, this kitchen¡¯s burners only had one heat setting. The fish was cooked at high heat. In a few seconds, the fish¡¯s color completely changed and the head chef flipped it, shallow frying it at high heat. Then he picked it up with a spatula and moved it to a plate. There were so many things I wanted to point out that I was twitching. From the amount of oil, the heat setting, the time on the pan, to plating without draining the oil. The fish shimmered with oil, neither fried nor saut¨¦ed, and sat resting on the plate with a puddle of oil seeping out under it. ¡­What a dish that inspired indigestion¡­ In my previous world, olive oil contained more oleic acid than salad oil, and as such was lauded as being healthier. According to Basil, even though the name was different, a lintz was basically the same as an olive with the same nutrition content. Therefore, it was safe to believe that lintz oil also contained oleic acid. However! All things in moderation, even if they are healthy. It is bad to have too much oil, which has a high amount of calories. Disappointed by the food with an unpredictable taste, I went back to my own dish. I turned off the heat under the pot and took out the ingredients with a strainer, then moved the pot of soup to a medium heat burner. I tried a bit of the soup. Mm, I made good dashi, the ginger was a wonderful highlight. I put in some quarter-sliced carrot-like vegetables and thinly sliced shiitake-like mushrooms and brought the soup to a boil. Finally, I took the fish balls out of the fridge. I took a handful with my left hand and squeezed bite-sized pieces out between my index and thumb into the soup. The chefs crowded around me, brought over by the enticing aroma of fish and ginger. I seasoned with salt and pepper, then added a pinch of sugar to bring out the flavor. To be honest, I would have liked soy sauce or a miso base, but there was no way that would exist in this kitchen, and the batch that I made still needed a few more months. After taste testing, I turned off the heat and plated the soup with a slightly deeper soup dish. ¡°Are both of you finished?¡± The sous chef who had been standing between the head chef and I asked, and we nodded. ¡°Then how about you eat each other¡¯s food? I¡¯m sure you know what your own food tastes like.¡± What! I have to eat that thing that¡¯s drowning in oil!? ¡°Yes, why not?¡± For some reason, the head chef agreed nonchalantly. I don¡¯t think I have a choice¡­ ¡°¡­I understand.¡± I really didn¡¯t want to, but I nodded. The sous chef placed the head chef¡¯s oily cuisine in front of me, and my soup in front of him. I gulped and cut through the head chef¡¯s food with a knife. Although some time had passed, it was fried at a high temperature so the outside was still crunchy. However, when I raised the bite-sized piece with a fork, I was shocked to see more oil dripping from the bottom of the piece. I faced the head chef and we took a bite at the same time. What will be, will be, I thought, and the instant it went in, I covered my mouth with my hand. I forced it down, but I couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°¡­disgusting.¡± ¡°¡­delicious.¡± The head chef murmured at the same time. The antonyms surprised the head chef, sous chefs, the chefs around us and me. Only Zeke smiled, satisfied with the conclusion. Volume 1, 27: I begin coaching. Volume 1, Chapter 27: I begin coaching. ¡°Sorry¡­no, please excuse my rudeness.¡± While I gulped down the cup of water Zeke gave me to cleanse my palate, the head chef bowed to me. His complete change in attitude caused a ruckus among the other chefs. Of course they were, as it was no simple feat for the head chef to be bowing his head to a young girl who had only lived for half of his years. However, I saw the head chef in a more positive light now that he honestly admitted his defeat as a chef. ¡°Hey, can I have some too?¡± While the other chefs muttered amongst themselves, the sous chef from earlier said his first words after the competition and pointed at my food. When I answered, ¡°Yes, of course,¡± he happily went to try some. The other chefs followed his lead. ¡°Would you like some of this too, Zeke?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I jumped on the bandwagon, pointing to the head chef¡¯s food and asking Zeke, to which Zeke gave an immediate reply. The head chef heard us and his shoulders drooped in dejection. Ah, sorry head chef. I¡¯ve trampled all over your pride as a royal chef. ¡°Well, well, you surpassed all my expectations, Lady Risa.¡± The sous chef left the circle of chefs trying out my food and called out to me. ¡°Your expectations?¡± ¡°I went to your place, Caf¨¦ Omusubi, a while ago. I¡¯ve been secretly excited about this since the Secretary told us about it.¡± ¡°Keith! You knew about this!?¡± ¡°Head chef, I¡¯m not a chef if I don¡¯t head to the streets and do some research you know!¡± Although he was already a sous chef, Keith said he was only 32 years old. He was friendly, or perhaps flashy, but he must have been quite skillful to have reached sous chef at such a young age. Apparently he had been to my shop. Neither Zeke nor I remembered him, though. ¡°The head chef has admitted defeat, which means we can expect to be coached by Lady Risa, right?¡± Reminded by his words of our purpose for visiting, I looked at the head chef. He seemed to remember the same thing as he looked at me, shouted at the noisy subordinates who were trying my food, and bowed his head to me. ¡°Please coach us.¡± I understand. I¡¯ll coach you. ¡°First, what is this amount of oil? It¡¯s too little to fry, but too much to grill. Also, why didn¡¯t you drain the oil before plating? There¡¯s a big puddle of oil on the plate.¡± ¡°Well, this is fish ¨¤ la meuni¨¨re¡­¡± ¡°What? Meuni¨¨re is done with butter, not oil!¡± I criticized the head chef¡¯s dish. I felt a little guilty rubbing salt over the head chef¡¯s open wound, but the thing he served was inedible. After he asked for guidance, I apologized to him. I explained that I provoked him into a competition, and he understood and offered the kitchen¡¯s cooperation. Even so, there were many places to improve before the international royal conference. I was discouraged to hear the head chef¡¯s blatant question, ¡°What is butter?¡± but I decided that I would begin coaching with the evening meal. ¡°What is the evening meal for today?¡± ¡°¡­The main dish was going to be the meuni¨¨re¡­with sides of pleuet soup and kel salad.¡± So that fish that was in no way ¨¤ la meuni¨¨re was going to be the main dish. Pleuet was a small watermelon-looking pumpkin. Kel was a common fish similar to salmon. They had already finished food preparations, so I asked them to show me. First, the pleuet soup was already finished, so I opened the pot lid and looked in. ¡°Eh¡­this is finished¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. We just need to heat it up and plate it.¡± The soup station chef answered without an ounce of hesitation. Honestly, I couldn¡¯t believe it. I didn¡¯t even have to taste it to know how bad it was. It was a potful of salt water with bite sized pieces of pumpkin floating in it¡­ ¡°Head chef¡­¡± The man shrunk back in reply to my stiff voice. ¡°May I change the menu?¡± ¡°Yes, of course!¡± I gave orders after the head chef¡¯s immediate reply. There were only two and a half hours left until dinner, so there was no time to prepare other food. We would have to modify the current menu. ¡°First, throw away the water for the pleuet and mash it with a wooden spatula or something. Once it¡¯s quite crushed, strain it until it¡¯s smooth.¡± The head chef relayed my orders to the station chef. All the chef¡¯s in the kitchen moved at once at his command. Seeing their speed, I could see that he had led this kitchen for a long time. He wasn¡¯t head chef just for show. ¡°The kel salad is fine, but add dressing to it.¡± ¡°Lady Risa, what is this dressing you speak of?¡± I had them prepare the ingredients at the salad station and began to make the dressing. First, I diced a pseudo-onion. I wanted to grate it, but I didn¡¯t have a grater so I thinly chopped it instead. I slid the onion into a bowl with salt, pepper, lintz oil, and pseudo-kabosu juice. I reached for a whisk but then I remembered there was no such thing in this kitchen. Making a mental note to myself to bring in a whisk next time, I poured the contents of the bowl into a jar and shook it instead. I dipped my finger in and tasted it. Hm, good. The dressing is done. I placed the thinly chopped kel in the center like a rose and scattered leaf vegetables around it. Then I drizzled the dressing on top with a spoon. ¡°Please try some.¡± I handed the plate to the head chef. He tried a bite and his eyes widened. ¡°Amazing! The ramul¡¯s sourness gives a refreshing punch and fits well with the kel and the salad!¡± The pseudo-kabosu seemed to be called ramul. The head chef had the salad station chef eat some, and ordered him to make the dressing. ¡°Head chef! The preparations for the pleuet are finished!¡± Hearing that, I moved back to the soup station. The pot had pumpkin mash in it. The station chef was sparkling with anticipation, waiting for me to compliment him. However, this was only the beginning. ¡°Do you have any milk?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­what for?¡± ¡°What do you mean what for? We¡¯re putting it in here.¡± ¡°What!?¡± Yes, I planned to make potage soup from the pleuet. It hadn¡¯t even crossed the soup station chef¡¯s mind to add milk to soup, and he stared at me with his jaw dropped. Of course, the head chef was also surprised, but he ordered someone to bring milk over. Soon a milk fruit was on the table. This milkfruit, essential for making cream, was an indispensable ingredient in my cooking and in desserts. As always, I carved out a hole on the top of the milk fruit and poured the milk into the pot. I set the pot on the stove and heated it, taking care to stir it with a ladle so the bottom wouldn¡¯t burn. When it began to bubble, I added some salt and pepper and tasted it. Yup, the taste of pumpkin potage soup. ¡°Head chef, soup station chef, have a taste.¡± I turned off the heat and the head chef and soup station chef each took a spoonful. ¡°¡­Delicious.¡± Their voices harmonized. ¡°I had no idea you could use milk this way¡­Not only did it keep the pleuet¡¯s thickness, but it rounded out the flavor¡­¡± The head chef murmured. He was satisfied with the outcome, so the soup was okay. Now, last on the list was the meuni¨¨re. This was the job of the head and sous chefs. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for your guidance, Lady Risa!¡± ¡°Keith, you little¡­¡± Sous chef Keith said with a light tone, to which the head chef chided. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at their bickering. It was hard to tell whether Mister Keith was a diligent or lazy person. One thing for sure, he was not to be underestimated. Well, anyways, the meuni¨¨re the head chef made could not be saved, so I started from scratch. First, I had the head chef and Mister Keith fillet the sea bream-like fish, called lomelle. The problem lay in the next step. I seasoned the fillet with salt and pepper. The head chef did not even season the fillet just now. Then, I covered the fish in flour. This was an easy task, so no problem here. Next was the problematic frying. I urged the two to pay attention, and turned on the heat under the frying pan. I added a bit of oil to the heated pan and tilted it to cover the bottom with oil. I put in the fish covered with flour and grilled both sides to a golden brown. Then I moved it to the medium heat burner and set the lid on to steam. After the fish was cooked, I added a square of butter to melt on the fish. There was no butter in this kitchen, so I asked Zeke to go back to the caf¨¦ to get some. The head chef and Mister Keith were very interested in an ingredient they had never seen before. Finally, I plated it and squeezed some ramul juice left over from the salad dressing onto the fish and set a piece of watercress-like vegetable on the side as garnish. ¡°Things to take note of. First, make sure the fish is seared to seal in the flavor. You can make sure it is cooked when you steam it on medium heat. Take special care not to burn the butter at the end.¡± ¡°Lady Risa, may I have a bite?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Once I answered the fidgeting Mister Keith, he reached for the meuni¨¨re with glee. The head chef tried some as well. ¡°Whoa, this is amazing!!¡± ¡°¡­T-this is meuni¨¨re?¡± Mister Keith ate the fish with jubilee, while the head chef was once again defeated into dejection. ¡°Head chef, you¡¯ve suffered an utter defeat, eh! Well, you just have to keep working hard from now on!¡± It was unclear whether Mister Keith was consoling the head chef as he slapped the head chef¡¯s shoulder repeatedly. ¡°Besides, we¡¯re so lucky to have Lady Risa coaching us! It means the world for a chef to make good food, after all. I¡¯m happy to know that there¡¯s someone better than me!¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. We still have much to improve.¡± Yes, the desire and ambition towards food would never run out. Anyone should have the desire to eat good food, even if it is this world where food is not as developed as Earth. By opening the minds of the people who stand at the center of food culture in this world, more doors should be opening for the development of food culture here as a whole. Those doors would definitely increase the speed at which food culture develops. So I prayed for the day when someone who could make more delicious food than me would appear. To that end, I started with becoming the teacher of the royal chefs. Volume 1, 28: His Highness, enter right. Volume 1, Chapter 28: His Highness, enter right. I began to commute to the royal kitchen two to three days every week. On those days, I would lead the kitchen in place of the head chef. The most troubling part besides coaching the chefs was meal planning. It was okay for the caf¨¦ menu to be unchanging for the most part. It was important to have a seasonal menu, but the caf¨¦ required a regular menu or customers might complain that ¡°I came here just to eat this but it wasn¡¯t on the menu.¡± The royal kitchen was a completely different story. As long as you were cooking for the royal family, you could not possibly give them the same food every day. It was easier on the chef, but also easier to get sick of for the consumer. Well, something like a weekly curry day might be okay, but it would be difficult to find a meal that everyone liked. In addition, a common household meal like curry did not exist in this world. ¡°This week will be these¡­maybe up until this date, no wait! They overlap here, so that¡¯s a no go. Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Lady Risa, are you meal planning again?¡± Sitting in a corner of the kitchen racking my brain over the menu for the week, I raised my head at Keith¡¯s voice. ¡°Yeah. A week flies by so fast. I have to plan all the meals for this week again¡­¡± ¡°Thanks for doing that. You know, neither the head chef nor I could think up these dishes you make, and everyone in the royal palace is praising how good the food has gotten.¡± ¡°Ahaha, is that so.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t laugh it away like that! I still remember the shock I received when I went to your store! It was so good¡­the people here at the royal palace get to eat that every day! They¡¯re really blessed!¡± Keith knew of my caf¨¦ before I came to coach the royal chefs, so he was the friendliest towards me. I was also amiable towards him, so we became fast friends. He had also become engrossed in my food. I heard through the grapevine that despite being a flirt towards the ladies, he was very passionate towards eating good food. Therefore, he also trusted me deeply, as I was the maker of said food. Only Zeke had trusted me so much before, but now with Keith¡¯s trust, the royal chefs began to rely on me as well. As I wasn¡¯t seen as a woman, it was nothing amorous, but I wouldn¡¯t be exaggerating if I said that this was the most popular I had ever been in my life. Burning up with rivalry towards said Keith was my very own caf¨¦ employee, Zeke. To be honest, Zeke held the position as my first disciple. Although he didn¡¯t really express his emotions, he changed a little since we came to the royal kitchen. One day, soon after we began to commute to the royal palace, I was set back at the caf¨¦ by many orders for cake. As such, I got to the royal kitchen a little later than usual. ¡°Good morning! I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m late¡­huh?¡± I entered the kitchen to find a crowd of chefs. ¡°Excuse me, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Ah! Lady Risa! Please do something about those two.¡± ¡°Heh?¡± I called to a chef nearby, who pointed to the center of the crowd with an exasperated expression. In the direction of his finger was Zeke and Keith, who looked like they were going to throw hands at any moment. ¡°So? You¡¯re a caf¨¦ employee, and what about it?¡± ¡°A royal chef like you probably couldn¡¯t understand. Not that I expect you to.¡± ¡°I see. Tell me then, what exactly can you do?¡± ¡°Let me return those words right back at you.¡± I tilted my head, still confused despite listening in on their conversation, and tried to get between them. ¡°Both of¡­¡± ¡°What is going on!¡± The head chef entered the kitchen and raised his voice, cutting me off. ¡°There is much to do! Quit your bickering and go to your stations!¡± ¡°Yes, chef!¡± At his shout, the crowd of chefs scattered with their reply. The two in the center stared the other down and turned their backs towards each other. They noticed me while doing so, and their eyes met mine. ¡°Miss Risa.¡± ¡°Lady Risa.¡± ¡°¡­Morning.¡± I smiled weakly and raised a hand in greeting. After that, Zeke and Keith began to compete in everything. From cooking competitions to trivial and pointless things. For some reason, they would always ask me to judge the results. For Zeke, who only had me as his image of a chef, it was great that he had a rival. After all, Keith had much more experience in cooking, and putting aside his flavor, he was superior in the foundations and knife work. However, Zeke didn¡¯t lose to everything. His sweet tooth and flaming passion for sweets began to reflect in his skills. Sweets were unexplored territory for Keith, and he had no chance against Zeke when it came to that area. It was good that they had friendly rivalry, but all things in moderation. Honestly, with two big men constantly loitering around me, it was very difficult to coach the others or do anything in general. The head chef and I would rebuke our respective subordinates, and the current fight would end. But soon after they would start fighting again. It was quite troublesome. ¡°I wonder if those two can¡¯t get along for more than a few seconds¡­¡± I mumbled to the head chef, casting a glance towards the bickering pair. ¡°¡­It really is hopeless when the person in question doesn¡¯t notice either¡­¡± ¡°Hm? Head chef, did you say something?¡± ¡°¡­Nothing.¡± I stared blankly at the head chef, who simply sighed deeply and went back to his station. Despite small incidents like this happening here and there, the consultation at the royal palace went by smoothly. ¡°Keith, can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Who planned the menu before?¡± ¡°That would be the head chef and us sous chefs. But we never went so far and beyond like you, Lady Risa. Usually we just looked at the ingredients of the day and thought up something based on that.¡± ¡°¡­Heh?¡± Seriously¡­and you were okay with that, royal chef!? I have no more words for the food in this world. --------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Lady Risa, please check this.¡± ¡°Okay! ¡­Hmm, it needs a bit of salt, I think. Try adding one more pinch.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± As always, I went around coaching the chefs while they prepared for lunch. The menu for today was pseudo-clam chowder, chicken and steamed vegetable salad, vegetable omelette, and bread rolls from the royal purveyor Chester¡¯s Bakery. After my instruction, Mister Paul¡¯s bakery was revitalized and he rehired bakers, once again receiving orders from the royal family. Mister Paul still delivered bread to Caf¨¦ Omusubi, and lately he was very passionate about making new breads. He would come from time to time to hear my thoughts, but unfortunately there wasn¡¯t anything that could be sold yet. Seeing the determined Mister Paul even after his proposals were rejected by me, I felt that it was only a matter of time. Personally, I was waiting and praying for someone better than cooking than me to appear, so I was very happy to watch him grow and had high expectations for him. Of course, that was the same for the royal chefs here too. A few days after commuting to the royal palace, I could say with confidence that the younger, more inexperienced chefs learned faster. The awards for best knife work and efficiency in food preparation still went to the veteran chefs. However, they also had strange habits because of their experience. This was the same as when I was teaching Mister Paul how to make bread. For example, let¡¯s say they wanted to fry something. If it was pan-fried vegetables, it was okay to use high heat. However, dishes that burnt easily like the meuni¨¨re or dishes that needed to be cooked through would be burnt to a crisp in an instant when put on high heat. This actually happened a few days ago when we were making hamburg steak. At a glance, the steak was grilled beautifully and looked quite appetizing. I had a bad feeling about it as I cut through the middle, only to find it completely raw. The concept of switching heat settings during cooking couldn¡¯t seem to stick in the chefs¡¯ minds. There was no question that I told the veteran chef who puffed his chest out with pride to go back and make the steak again. Bad habits die hard, and they would often rear their ugly head when the kitchen was busy. The head chef was working especially hard to avoid that. I didn¡¯t want to drag him out in the open too much, but the head chef was very diligent, the complete opposite of Keith. Of course, there was also his position to think about, but he was a straightforward person by heart. He was also very masculine and had a strong sense of justice. That was also why the chefs trusted him so deeply. He could reel in even Keith with one look. However, after I shook his lofty throne, the head chef was also trying his best, albeit in the shadows. As the leader of the royal kitchen, he couldn¡¯t be looked down upon by the other chefs. To that end, he secretly came to my caf¨¦ on the weekly holiday for one-on-one instruction. I¡¯m begging you, he said with his head bowed, and I accepted based on his passion. I discovered later that it was easier on me if the head chef also improved. Although I started the consultation in the royal palace at Mister Royce¡¯s request, it was a milestone to further develop this country¡¯s food culture. ¡°Lady Risa!¡± ¡°Hm?¡± While I was finishing the final checks on the lunch dishes, a chef ran to me in a panic. ¡°R-right now, um¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I tilted my head at the chef as he stumbled through his words, when the door to the kitchen opened and two people wearing the chivalric order uniform entered with someone behind them. ¡°Excuse me.¡± The man in the back said, and all the chefs jumped and quickly kneeled down. Still confused with the situation, I stood by myself. ¡°This is no official gathering, so please feel at rest.¡± He said, and the chefs slowly got up. He looked around and met my eyes, then for some reason walked over to me. Huh? I thought as he moved towards me. He opened his mouth, and¡ª ¡°Your Highness!!¡± Slam! The kitchen door opened, and there stood Gil, panting and catching his breath. ¡°What is it, Gilford?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®what is it¡¯ me! What do you think you¡¯re doing to Risa, to my daughter!?¡± Gil stood in between us as if to hide me from the man, full of wariness. ¡°I thought I would see the rumored chef. You wouldn¡¯t let me meet her even when I asked you to, so I could only come to see her myself.¡± ¡°What do you mean, see her yourself!¡± For some reason, Gil did not want me to meet this person. Astonished, I peeked out at the man from behind Gil and was struck with a strong sense of familiarity. Where have I seen that face before? Hmmm¡­? Gil called this person Your Highness, right¡­? Your Highness should be the title for royalty. Then it hit me. This person looked like Her Majesty Adele. I saw Mister Royce, who came in late, and moved towards him, saying, ¡°Mister Royce.¡± ¡°Lady Risa. Sorry to bother you at such a busy hour.¡± Mister Royce looked at the scene in the kitchen, his forehead creasing, and apologized to me with a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Uhm, could that person be the crown prince?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± The crown prince of this country, and the son Her Majesty Adele was speaking of. I took a good look at the man who wasn¡¯t paying attention to Gil, who was rattling on about something. He seemed my age, perhaps older. His wavy, blond hair seemed to come straight out of a fairy tale. His facial features inspired authority as if he were born to lead, and I imagined that he must be popular among the ladies. Mister Royce, who stood next to me, sighed again and said, ¡°Let¡¯s move somewhere more suitable for this,¡± before interrupting Gil and the crown prince. --------------------------------------------------------------- Lunch preparation was basically finished, so I left the kitchen to the head chef and followed Mister Royce to another room in the royal palace. Of course, Gil and the crown prince also came with us. Gil unhappily sat next to me and eyed the crown prince across from us warily. I worried whether Gil¡¯s attitude towards royalty was lese-majesty and a criminal offence, but Mister Royce did not rebuke him nor did the crown prince himself say anything about it, so it seemed fine. ¡°Your Highness Edgar, allow me to introduce you. This is Lady Risa.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, I am Risa Kurokawa Claude.¡± ¡°I am Edgar Ashlnig Faris Feliformia.¡± I began to get up, but was stopped by His Highness, so I introduced myself sitting down. ¡°So, why did Your Highness decide to go to the kitchen?¡± ¡°Gilford wouldn¡¯t stop bragging about his daughter, and it made me curious. I heard that she just so happened to be in the royal palace, so I simply thought to go see her. Besides, lately the food has become extremely delicious. Mother said that was all thanks to this daughter of Gilford¡¯s, and my curiosity got the better of me.¡± ¡°Aaahhh dammit! If only I hadn¡¯t bragged to Your Highness!¡± Gil held his head in his hands after hearing His Highness¡¯s simple explanation. ¡°Why are you so unhappy about this, Gilford?¡± ¡°I mean, we¡¯re talking about Your Highness, you know? If you decided to take Risa as your wife, what am I going to do!? I¡¯d finally gotten such an adorable daughter! I wouldn¡¯t even be able to say no if you asked! Risa will marry over my dead body, do you understand!?¡± And here I was wondering what you were so caught up on, Gil¡­ It seems Mister Royce thought the same, as he made an exasperated expression. ¡°Hmm. Gilford has a point. You are Gilford¡¯s daughter, so there is no problem with lineage, and we are about that age. I would also be released from the troublesome bachelor game.¡± ¡°Aaahhhh!! No no no! No, definitely not!¡± His Highness nodded at the good idea, and Gil jumped up from his seat to object frantically. ¡°Now, now, calm down Gilford. It¡¯s a joke. Half of it at least.¡± ¡°You mean you¡¯re half serious about this!?¡± His Highness chuckled at the frantic Gil, who continued to eye His Highness suspiciously, but sat down with a huff by Mister Royce¡¯s urging. ¡°Moving along, it is true that I wanted to meet you at least once. I¡¯ve heard from Royce that you are helping with preparations towards the international royal conference. I thought to do everything in my power, as our country is the host this time. I have high expectations for you, and it seems I have naught to worry, judging from the meals these days.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. I will do my best, however small my contribution may be.¡± His Highness spoke to me in a friendly way. I don¡¯t know if it was because I was Gil¡¯s relative, but I was dense in terms of these hierarchy things, so his amiable attitude was a lifesaver. ¡°I shall put it in your care. Anyways, I have a favor to ask of you¡­¡± ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± It seemed to be a difficult topic, as His Highness looked away for a while. He hardened his resolve and looked back straight into my eyes and said, ¡°The meal from the other day, humbug, was it? I would like to have that again!¡± ¡°¡­Heh?¡± I couldn¡¯t help the strange noise that came out of my mouth upon hearing such a strange request. His Highness had such a serious face, I thought it was something dire¡­ ¡°¡­Has Your Highness taken a liking to hamburg steak?¡± ¡°Yes! I have never had anything like it before. It is the tastiest thing I have ever had!¡± ¡°I see. I am glad that it fits your palate.¡± ¡°I have been looking forward to meal time recently. The bureaucrats and knights in the palace all think so as well, and they all move with a hop in their step. Please allow me to thank you as the next leader of the palace.¡± Said His Highness and he straightened his back before bowing his head slightly to me. ¡°Your Highness, you cannot lower your head so simply!¡± ¡°I really am truly grateful. Besides, I am not king yet. I wanted to express my thanks.¡± ¡°That is fine, but¡­I simply helped in the kitchen at Mister Royce¡¯s request. I am very happy that you like the food so much that you want to have it again.¡± Nevertheless, of all the food His Highness had, for him to be enamored by hamburg steak¡­ I chuckled at myself, and the sudden audience with His Highness ended. Volume 1, 29: Now, to the international royal conference. Volume 1, Chapter 29: Now, to the international royal conference. The two months since I received Mister Royce¡¯s request flew by in a blur, and suddenly it was the day of the international royal conference. As it was an event that also celebrated the country, there was a festive air in the royal palace and in downtown. The royal kitchen was hectic and everyone was bustling about. The international royal conference would span for two days. There would be a dinner party for royalty and the ministers of each country today, and then a ball tomorrow for all nobility. Although Mister Royce had only requested help with the dinner party, when I suggested a buffet with light food and snacks during the ball, he quickly agreed. Personally, when I hear balls or parties, I would immediately think of wine and finger food. While this resulted in more work for the chefs, I hope they see this as a learning experience and try their best. The dinner party today was also a demonstration of the country¡¯s power, so it was a dine-in full course meal¡ªthe serving order was two appetizers, soup, a main seafood dish, sorbet, a main meat dish, dessert, and finally tea. Unfamiliar with the notion of a full course, the chefs were astonished by the sheer amount of food at first, but they rose to the challenge. I had finished instructing them in the processes, so all I had to do now was pray that we didn¡¯t run into any big problems the day of. After lunch, we began serious food preparations. The first appetizer was shrimp baked in its shell garnished with mock-asparagus and drizzled with an egg yolk and butter sauce. This was a simple dish where the shrimp, asparagus and sauce were prepared separately and then assembled, so it was very quick. The second appetizer was a marinade-inspired mushroom and vegetable salad. This was also simple, where the mushrooms were lightly pan-fried before being placed on the vegetables. The soup was pleuet potage soup. This time, we made croutons from the bread and scattered some on top. The pleuet potage soup would appear on the royal dining table every once in a while, so the chefs knew how to make it. The problem was the main dishes. The seafood dish was grilled fish with tartar sauce, and the meat dish was hamburg steak, as it was His Highness Edgar¡¯s favorite. Both were not good if they cooled, so both proved to be races against time. The sorbet served between the main dishes as a palate cleanser was made with a fragrant strawberry-like fruit called meichi. The dessert was mille feuille, provided by Caf¨¦ Omusubi. I enlisted Zeke and Helena¡¯s help in making the pie crust a few days ago, and all the custard we needed was ready in the refrigerator. As we went about with preparations, the sun quickly set and soon the dinner party was about to start. The kitchen instantly became more hectic. ¡°Lady Risa, shall I start preparing the second appetizer? Or should I wait until the first appetizers are served?¡± ¡°Uhm, okay, go ahead and prepare it. Ah¡­do you have any space to plate it?¡± I balked at the sudden decision pushed on me by Keith¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯ll have space if I squeeze the plates closer together. What should I do?¡± Keith was also troubled by my indecisiveness. Usually I would give orders on the spot when it came to cooking, so I was also at the end of my fuse. ¡°Keith, tell them to move the first appetizers onto the serving wagon. Then you¡¯ll have space!¡± The head chef saw that I wasn¡¯t myself and barked out orders. As expected of the head chef. Our differences in experience and age really showed here. He was an indispensable presence in the kitchen as he shouted encouraging words to the slower chefs and dealt with any bumps in the kitchen line. The dinner party began, and the appetizers were served in order. Next was the soup, which only needed to be plated and had croutons scattered on it. ¡°You idiot!¡± ¡°S-sorry!¡± Suddenly the head chef yelled in anger, and I hurried over to see what had happened. ¡°Head chef, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Lady Risa, I¡¯m sorry. There aren¡¯t enough croutons.¡± ¡°I added too many in the first plates and I ran out by the end¡­¡± The young chef in charge of the croutons made a mistake and was on the verge of tears after being yelled at by the head chef. I looked at his table and the bowl with the croutons only had bread crumbs left. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped that there are none left. However, it is an unforgivable offense if the first plates have croutons while the last do not. Fortunately, croutons are an easy recipe!¡± I quickly took one of the loaves of bread that was going to be served and chopped it into cubes. I heated oil on a pan and dumped the bread cubes in. Once they were lightly fried, I quickly took them out so they wouldn¡¯t soak in the extra oil. I picked one up to check and it gave just the right texture. I immediately went to the soup bowls and split the fresh croutons amongst the remaining five dishes. ¡°Thank you for waiting. Bring them out.¡± I quickly moved the soup dishes to the serving wagon with the young chef and called the serving maid. She pushed the wagon out of the kitchen. The soup problem was solved, but the real fight was only just beginning. First, the grilled fish. I left this to the reliable head chef and sous chefs. I would be grilling the hamburg steak afterwards. The three of them seemed okay. They drained the oil from the grilled fish before plating. It was about time to grill the hamburg steak. I placed four beef patties each on two heated pans and began grilling them. After five minutes, I flipped the patties and covered the pans to steam for ten minutes. Once they were cooked, I moved them to a frying pan with some mallow sauce in it. I heated the sauce, letting the flavor seep into the steaks, and plated them, finally drizzling some of the sauce onto the steaks. I asked someone else to garnish it with a vegetable glace and continued to grill more steaks. Finally, all the hamburg steaks were grilled. I worked in a trance, and when I was finished I was covered in sweat. I mopped my brow with a towel and looked around. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. The sorbet was served between the main dishes without any trouble, and the hamburg steaks I just finished were on their way out. Although I had a bit of time to catch my breath, I still had one more task¡ªdessert, or the mille feuille. I sandwiched a layer of custard between two pieces of pie crust, adding some meichi sliced in half on the top. A dollop of meichi jam in a curved line around the mille feuille¡­and done. This was work that required specific technique, so I couldn¡¯t ask others to do it. Although I managed to teach the chefs all the recipes we were making today in two months¡¯ time, there was no time left to teach them sweets, too. I kept going, completely in the flow. A layer of pie crust, a layer of custard, a layer of pie crust, meichi on top, a line of jam¡­ ¡°There! This is the last one!¡± I finished the last plate and straightened my back. I moved the plates onto the serving wagon while the maid in charge nodded and came over. ¡°We¡¯re finished!!¡± Upon hearing Keith¡¯s words, some of the chefs dropped in exhaustion while others raised their hands in joy, all relieved that it was over. I also breathed a sigh of relief and massaged my stiff shoulder. However, for some reason my heart sank to my stomach. What is this horrible feeling? I thought as I stepped forward to talk to the head chef¡­ Freed from the tense and busy day, a young chef was jumping for joy. Behind him was the maid pushing the wagon of mille feuilles, who had yet to leave the kitchen. Oh no, I thought, but I could only watch as he crashed into the maid¡¯s back. ¡°Whoa!¡± ¡°Eek!¡± The maid grabbed the wagon to steady herself, but the wagon toppled sideways with the plates of mille feuille sliding to their demise. No! They can¡¯t go to waste! ¡°Basil!¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± I called Basil¡¯s name immediately. While the rest of the chefs stared, dumbfounded, a light breeze blew through the kitchen. It kept the wagon from crashing down and the plates floated in mid-air. Then the wagon was set upright, and the plates were gently placed back on the wagon. ¡°Phew¡­thank you Basil. You¡¯re a lifesaver.¡± ¡°This is nothing, Master!¡± I was relieved that the mille feuilles weren¡¯t ruined. Thankful for Basil, who answered my call immediately, I gently patted her head with my finger. It would have been difficult to remake these desserts. It would have been a close call with the ingredients, but it would take too much time to assemble. Not only that, but I had done them all myself, and it would have been too late to instruct other people in assembly. Even worse, most of the desserts had already been served. We couldn¡¯t afford to have these plates be served late. After all, the representatives from every country were in the hall. Even if it was just a matter of the food being served to them, differences between countries would turn into a political problem. Maybe I was overthinking this, but wars had been fought over food in my previous world. All men had some form of gluttony when it came to food, or so it was carved into my head. Hatred surrounding food is terrifying. Ignoring the chefs who still hadn¡¯t caught up to the situation, I ran to the wagon. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Y-yes, I¡¯m sorry.¡± I lent my hand to the maid on the ground and pulled her up. ¡°Can you still bring it out? If not, shall I call for someone else?¡± ¡°No, I am all right. I will bring the dishes out now.¡± Fortunately, the maid didn¡¯t seem to have any injuries, and she immediately pushed the wagon out of the kitchen. Meanwhile, the young chef who had bumped into her was getting chewed out by the head chef. ¡°You could have ruined that whole wagon of food!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± The young chef was on the verge of tears from being yelled at by the head chef, but this offense required a hard scolding. While the head chef continued to chew him out, the tense atmosphere in the kitchen slowly relaxed. To avoid getting the same treatment from the head chef, the other chefs who had been jumping around quickly busied themselves with clean up. Among them were some chefs who came to me to ask about the weird events just now, and I told them the truth about having a spirit with me. They reacted with ¡°Whoa¡± and ¡°Amazing!¡± and got quite noisy again, but a sharp look from the head chef reined them in and they returned to their clean up duties. The last thing on the course, the tea, was served by the serving maids in the hall, so my job was done for the day. I had focused really hard on the dessert assembly, so my eyes would not stop blinking. I pinched the part of my nose between the eyes to relieve some of the stress when I felt a tap on my shoulder. ¡°Lady Risa, well done.¡± I turned to see the head chef. His face was also taught with exhaustion. ¡°You too, head chef. We managed to survive it all.¡± ¡°Yes. I was worried what would happen for a second there¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha, me too¡­We only have tomorrow left. I believe it won¡¯t be as busy tomorrow, but let¡¯s push through.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± The head chef smiled wryly and agreed with me. The sense of achievement at surviving through the day mixed with the anxiety for tomorrow to form some complicated emotions. On the other hand, the chefs around us had been quiet while the head chef was yelling, but soon they couldn¡¯t help their happiness at completing the full course and began to chatter, albeit quietly, amongst themselves while they cleaned up. Noticing this, the head chef turned back to yell at them again. ¡°What are you lot chattering about!! We still have tomorrow to go! Those who are done cleaning, go check on the ingredients for tomorrow!¡± The chefs jumped at his yells, replied, ¡°Yes chef!¡± and ran about in a panic. The head chef shook his head and sighed, to which I laughed drily. Volume 1, 30: Anyone would want to eat good food. Volume 1, Chapter 30: Anyone would want to eat good food. The last day of the international royal conference. In preparation for the ball tonight, the kitchen was a battlefield today as well. Although it was not a race against time like the full course meal yesterday, there was a lot of finger food provided today. The amount was nothing to laugh at, and there were twenty to thirty types in all. Here was the menu. First, bread rolls. Personally, I couldn¡¯t understand why, but everyone from the head chef and Mister Royce to the crown prince all suggested it so it was part of the menu. Next, two or three types of sandwiches. Meat pies, kel (pseudo-salmon) vegetable rolls, (mock) shrimp fritters, chicken and mallow spring rolls, mushroom canap¨¦, zelana (pseudo-spinach) cake sal¨¦, meat vegetable rolls, etc. There were around ten more food items. Then there were around five desserts, all in my station. It would be too hard for me to do everything myself, though, so I asked Zeke to come with me today. We would be making bite-sized fruit tarts, shortcakes, pudding, leaf pies, and mini cream puffs. I went to the royal palace early in the morning to begin preparations. The food prep for five types of sweets, and a huge amount of each at that, was very time consuming. Not only that, the mini cream puffs weren¡¯t even sold at Caf¨¦ Omusubi yet, and I wasn¡¯t familiar with the process. Now that I think of it, I wonder why I decided to put something I wasn¡¯t familiar with on the menu. I guess I wanted to do something special for a rare event like this. Besides, Zeke was coming to help, and his skills had improved by leaps and bounds lately, perhaps due to his rivalry with Keith. Despite his personality, Keith was still a sous chef. He had worked hard on his path in cooking even before he became an adult, so he had more than ten years of experience. Compared to him, Zeke only had a few months. What he couldn¡¯t catch up with in years, he made up with diligence and skill, especially when it came to his favorite category, sweets. Sometimes his passion seemed to burn higher than mine. To that end, Zeke was completely in charge of the pudding and leaf pie. ¡°Miss Risa, is there anything else I can help with?¡± Zeke quickly finished making the pudding and leaf pie and asked me while he cleaned up his station. I was shocked at his speed, but I was really thankful that he came to help and took him up on his offer. ¡°Then could I ask you to cut the fruit?¡± ¡°All right.¡± I had nothing but gratitude for Zeke who helped me with so many things, even though I was the only one to receive Mister Royce¡¯s request. The tart crusts, sponge cakes, and puff pastry were baked without too much trouble. Now and then some chefs would come over to watch, but they were also busy with preparations. The head chef also glanced our way from time to time, but he scolded the chefs. Once the tart crusts were cooled, I squeezed a dollop of custard cream into the tart crust. I asked Zeke to decorate the tart with fruit. He was very dexterous with his hands, and the fruit tarts were decorated very prettily. Next was the shortcake. I sliced the rectangular, bouncy sponge cake and dressed it with meichi syrup. Then I placed some sliced meichi, put on a layer of whip cream, and added another layer of sponge cake. One last layer of whip cream on top, with whip cream dollops and meichi as decoration. The contrast between the colorful, red meichi and the white whip cream raised a cheer from the watching chefs. Some other chefs switched with the cheering chefs to see what the commotion was about, and I laughed drily. Next was the cream puffs. I was going to make a croquembouche out of the mini cream puffs. A croquembouche was a pile of cream puffs stacked to look like a tree. They were also used as a substitute for wedding cakes, so I thought it would be perfect for a wondrous occasion like this. First, I squeezed custard into the puff pastry to make a cream puff. I tried one and it was good. Zeke¡¯s sharp eyes caught me trying the cream puff, and he stared at me fervently like a dog begging for food. I gave him one while no one was looking as thanks for helping with everything. Next was the stacking. I used a round cookie base and covered it with caramel cream. This would serve as adhesive for the cream puffs. Croquembouche actually uses pure caramel, but it was difficult to handle. While some people substitute chocolate instead, there was no chocolate in this world yet, so I decided to use caramel cream. I placed the cream puffs onto the cookie base so there would be no holes. Once the first layer was finished, I covered the top with more caramel cream. Rinse and repeat. I stacked around five layers, then drizzled caramel cream on top. I made around five of these towers. While it took a lot of time, I made something I was happy with. We finally finished making all the sweets, so I stepped towards the rest of the kitchen to check the food when I saw someone at the kitchen entrance. ¡°Huh? Tasia, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you here?¡± ¡°Fufufu, you¡¯ll see.¡± I had a terrible feeling in my gut when I saw Tasia in such high spirits. Tasia was supposed to take part in the ball with Gil today, so it wasn¡¯t weird to see her in the palace. After all, Gil was the head royal magician of this country and he had the title of marquis. It was only natural that he would receive an invitation to the ball. Of course, the invitation extended to Tasia, his partner, as well. But why was she in the kitchen? Frightened by her broad smile, I slowly backed away. ¡°I¡­I still have some things to take care of, so¡­¡± I stammered and turned on my heel, but she grabbed my wrist from behind me. ¡°Fufufu. Risa, you have to prepare for the ball too, you know?¡± ¡°What! Why!? I didn¡¯t hear about this!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you about it~¡± Said Tasia as if it were nothing at all, and my face twitched. A repeat of the tea party nightmare!? I thought, terrified, and I looked around for help. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine here, right? Head Chef McKinnies.¡± ¡°Y-yes! Of course!¡± To my surprise, Her Majesty Adele was also here, standing next to the head chef. Judging from their dialogue, she was getting approval to take me away from the kitchen! Her Majesty Adele smiled from ear to ear and took the other hand that Tasia hadn¡¯t grabbed. ¡°Then shall we head out, Risa?¡± The chefs watched, speechless, as I was dragged out of the kitchen by two ladies. --------------------------------------------------------------- As I thought, I was forced to change into the party style dress like the time with the tea party. In a room in the royal palace. The only difference was that Her Majesty Adele and her maids who were beauty themselves were present. I experienced an exhaustion levels higher than the time at the tea party. After all, including the beauty pair Tasia and Her Majesty Adele, I was basically surrounded by ladies with high fashion sense. First, I was covered in the smell of food and sweat, so I was scrubbed from head to toe in the bathroom. You don¡¯t have to wash there too! Afterwards, I was rubbed from head to toe in body oil and had a face mask placed. After all the skin care was finished, they began to pick out my clothes. With Tasia and Her Majesty Adele in the lead, the maids dressed and undressed me with this color dress, that type of shoes and what about the accessories? My arms were lifted, let down, and I was turned this way and that. They finally came to an agreement on my clothes and moved to my hair and makeup. My eyes glazed over as they argued over what hairstyle and hair accessories I should wear. The happy time when I cooked in the kitchen seems like a far away memory¡­ I wore a bright blue dress with silver strap high heels. My hair was spun in a complicated fashion with a silver accessory studded with a stone the same color as my dress. A professional makeup artist did my makeup. However, the face in the mirror reflected exhaustion back at me. It¡¯s true that I looked amazing, and the dress, the hair, the shoes, they were all very cute. But I felt that the powerful women around me had sucked various things out of me in the process. I¡¯m a girl too, so I like dressing up. But I wish they were a little gentler about it¡­ I sighed for the nth time of the day, and the maids led me somewhere, probably the ballroom. Whatever happens will happen, I thought, and I followed them to an extravagant door. They asked me to wait there and left. I wondered if the kitchen was doing okay. Everything was going smoothly while I was there, and the head chef was probably leading everything just fine, but I was still worried. Even though I was dressed like this, I thought I should go check on them for a bit and turned away from the door, when I heard a familiar voice behind me. ¡°I have let you wait.¡± ¡°Y-your Highness Edgar!?¡± His Highness Edgar, dressed in extravagant white sewed with decorations the same bright blue as my dress, calmly walked towards me. ¡°Why are you here? Is it all right for the host to be here?¡± ¡°Has Mother not told you?¡± His Highness replied, just as surprised as I was. ¡°Your mother, Her Majesty Adele? She didn¡¯t say anything in particular¡­¡± ¡°Mother demanded I escort you.¡± ¡°W-what!? E-e-escort¡­¡± I jumped at His Highness¡¯s words. A commoner like me, escorted by the crown prince of this country!? ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly! Aren¡¯t escorts usually reserved for fianc¨¦es!?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have one. Lady Risa, would you allow me the honor of escorting you?¡± He said, and offered his left hand towards me. His princely movements struck a chord in me. I was a girl once, too, and any girl had dreamed of the prince in fairy tales. While I hesitated, His Highness began to speak, his hand still raised. ¡°If I do not escort you, I will enter the ballroom on the other side of this door alone. If the guests see the crown prince of the host country walking without a lady by his side, what would they think¡­¡± His Highness¡¯s face darkened in sadness, and he looked down. But if I let him escort me, I shuddered at what would be said about the young lady aiming for the throne next to him. His Highness implored once again. ¡°What would the other countries think¡­while this ball does not hold as much political weight as the rest of the conference, if I show myself in such a weak position at the end of the conference that had been going so well until now¡­¡± He sighed heavily and placed a hand over his eyes. I finally understood that he was acting out a small skit. However, his words had some truth to it, and it would be bad to bluntly refuse him. In the end, I placed my lace-gloved right hand on his still offered left. ¡°¡­Only for today¡­¡± I muttered full of hatred, and His Highness took my hand, chuckling. ¡°Thank you, Lady Risa.¡± On His Highness¡¯s signal, the knights standing on either side of the door opened it. It was a glorious ballroom with a high ceiling and a splendid chandelier reflecting its light off the floor. Tables were lined up next to the arch windows with the finger food the chefs and I made and wine placed on them. The ball had already begun, and a few couples were dancing elegantly to the music in the center of the hall. I suddenly realized upon seeing their dance. I can¡¯t dance! The only dances I know are folk dances and small moves from pop idols long ago. I glanced up at His Highness desperately, who stooped down a bit to lend me an ear. ¡°Your Highness! I¡¯m sorry to tell you when we are already out in the open, but I can¡¯t dance!¡± I whispered into his ear, covering my mouth with one hand. He chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t have to force yourself to dance. Leave it to me.¡± I don¡¯t know what he was telling me not to worry about, but I was relieved that I didn¡¯t have to dance. He slowly led me to the center of the hall, where people noticed His Highness and moved out of the way, making a path to the seat of honor. Everyone had their eyes on us. Putting His Highness aside, I had never had so many eyes on me before and began to panic. Somehow I kept up a smile, but inside I screamed, don¡¯t look at me! They must be thinking, who is that tiny prick? I thought as we moved forward. We finally reached the seat of honor and I was urged into a seat reserved for royalty. I looked around to see Her Majesty Adele nearby. She met my eyes and smiled warmly. Next to her was a dandy old man. If he was sitting next to Her Majesty Adele, does that mean this person is the king of this country¡­? ¡°Father, Mother, thank you for your patience.¡± As I expected, His Highness called the dandy old man ¡°Father.¡± ¡°It is nothing. I see you are Lady Risa, Gil¡¯s daughter.¡± His Majesty looked towards me and said with an amiable tone, to which I frantically straightened my back. ¡°It is an honor to meet Your Majesty. My name is Risa Kurokawa Claude.¡± ¡°Be at ease. I have heard much about you from Adele. I am very grateful for your efforts in the past two days. Enjoy the ball.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I could only say respectful words to His Majesty, who was very friendly. After smiling at me for a while, His Majesty stood up, saying ¡°all right then.¡± Her Majesty Adele followed, and urged His Highness Edgar and I to do the same. A servant behind His Majesty motioned to the orchestra, who had been playing wonderful music, and the music died down. The couples in the center of the ballroom stopped dancing, and the chatting masses grew quiet as they stood at attention towards His Majesty. ¡°Thank you for coming here tonight from far and wide across the continent. I am grateful that we could gather here and spend meaningful time during the international royal conference. I look hopefully to the future of every country represented here. Please enjoy the ball for tonight to celebrate that bright future.¡± The hall resounded with His Majesty¡¯s voice that was calm yet full of authority. The audience clapped, and when the clapping died down His Majesty continued. ¡°Perhaps you have noticed already, but we have prepared wine and many other foods today as never before. The tables form a buffet, where you can enjoy your wine standing, but also have some food with it. Go ahead and try them.¡± Oh, I see. There was only wine in the previous balls. I had completely forgotten that I was the one to suggest eating light meals while standing. I guess there must be people among the crowd who were surprised by this since they had never done a buffet before. His Majesty looked at me. Huh? I thought as he raised his left hand in my direction. ¡°The food was made by Lady Risa Claude here. By her talent, innovation, and courage, we now have a ball with no precedent. The food she makes is completely different from anything I have ever had before. I was shocked to find out that there is such good food as the food she makes. Thanks to her contribution, the food in this country, nay, this world will change greatly. Please give her, the one who has given us such joy, your greatest compliments.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure why, but the people in the hall began to clap. I began to get flustered while His Majesty, Her Majesty Adele, and His Highness Edgar began to clap as well. Urged by His Highness, I pulled one foot backwards, raised my dress a little and curtsied in greeting. The clapping in the hall got louder. I began to cook in this world because the food here was so bad I couldn¡¯t take it. It was a very selfish reason. I opened a caf¨¦ so that I could work on something only I could do, and so that people would be inspired by my cooking to make better food¡­ The consultation for the international royal conference was no difference. To put it bluntly, it was all for my own gains. And yet, so many people acknowledged my food. Because of my food, some stranger in a place I didn¡¯t know was inspired, and their hearts were filled with happiness. I was hit with a wave of joy and embarrassment. What I did might have been a mistake. Perhaps somewhere down the road, someone other than me would develop the food culture of this world. However, right now, so many people were happy because of me. And supporting me were the people who had helped me at every step and every turn. If they had not tried their best to make my thoughts reality, I would not have succeeded. It is just food, yet at the same time it is food. It might only amount to daily nourishment that replenishes one¡¯s energy. Even so, people looked for deliciousness in food, for happiness. I was happy to help them reach that happiness. His Majesty ended his speech and the ball continued with some people, overcome with curiosity, reaching for the food. Their faces glowed with happiness. Volume 1, Epilogue Volume 1, Epilogue ¡­Jingle jingle. The red door opened and a doorbell rang. ¡°Welcome!¡± It was afternoon, and the store was packed with people enjoying their tea. Placed atop the white tray that the waitress girl held was some tasty-looking mille feuilles. Decorated with red fruits and dusted with confectionary sugar, they seemed to shimmer in the light. Their sweet fragrance tickled one¡¯s appetite. Confronted with food he had never had before, the man followed the sweets with his eyes. entranced. He was a traveller from the neighboring country who had heard of the store through rumors. ¡°Would you like a counter seat if you¡¯re dining alone?¡± A woman behind the counter noticed him and motioned to the empty seat in front of her. He glanced around while moving to the seat and smiled warmly to the woman. ¡°Welcome, here is the menu.¡± The menu given to him was written in the common language of this world. However, he had never heard of the names of the menu items before. ¡°¡­Excuse me, do you have any recommendations?¡± At a loss, he anxiously asked the woman. She smiled and pointed to an item on the menu. ¡°Do you like sweet things? Then I would recommend ice cream today. It is perfect for the season, and it will cool you down.¡± A cold and sweet food? He couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of food it was, but he went along with her recommendation. ¡°I¡¯ll have that then,¡± he said, and she took his order to the back. He let out the breath he had subconsciously held in, and peeked at the food the people around him were eating. To his right sat a young boy, clad in a uniform that looked like it belonged to the chivalric order of this country. He was eating a round and flat crust full of some sort of thick liquid and rectangular objects. To his left was a lady wearing a plain yet high quality dress. She had on her plate a yellow thing that looked like a flipped cup, covered in brown sauce. She took a spoonful out of the small mountain of yellow and brought it to her mouth. Although neither food was anything he had ever seen, so he couldn¡¯t imagine what they tasted like, the expressions on the two people showed bliss and satisfaction. ¡°Thank you for waiting. Here is your ice cream.¡± Anticipation bloomed in his chest as the woman returned and placed a bowl in front of him. The glass bowl was filled with ice cream¡ªa strange name to the stranger food. The slightly yellow thing looked dazzling, with a small leaf of vibrant green placed on top. He drew a breath, and a sweet fragrance caressed his nose. He reached for the spoon, his mouth salivating. He dug into the slightly hard surface and tentatively brought the spoonful to his mouth. Coolness spread through his mouth with the sweet and rich taste before melting away. Another bite, and another bite, and he could not stop his hand as he emptied the glass bowl in an instant. Now he understood the faces filled with bliss to his left and right. And he decided that while he was in this country, he would visit this shop every day. When the female employee came to take his bowl, he inquired about the business hours and asked for the check. After paying, he left the shop with a bounce in his step. This was Caf¨¦ Omusubi, quietly standing in a corner in downtown of the Feliformia Kingdom. The shop with a strange name served stranger food that had no precedent, but was lauded as food with the best flavor. It also served a large variety of sweet food, named sweets, that went well with tea. Unbeknownst to most, the shop owner was a woman from another world. Volume 1, Extra: We found an adorable daughter. Volume 1, Extra: We found an adorable daughter. It was truly a coincidence to meet Risa. A few hours after Risa came to this world. ¡°Master! There were sightings of a magic phenomenon in the Kukul Forest.¡± My assistant Rollo Millen said as he burst into my office. He was a young boy of sixteen years who had just graduated from the Magic Academy. He was a diligent hard worker. However, his face would often betray his thoughts, so the small boy felt like a puppy to me. Well, he graduated at the top of his class so he has the required skills for the job. He relayed the details to me slowly yet passionately. It seems he really wanted to go on the investigation. Hmm, the Kukul Forest, huh? A lot of spirits live there, so it¡¯s really no special event for a magic phenomenon to occur there. Oh, the Kukul Forest is quite near the hot springs in Ersgard¡­ All right, I must go there with Tasia on a date! Ever since we fought the day before yesterday, she had been sulking. I have to ask her on a date, and a long one at that, to cheer her up! Mmm, hot springs, huh. If I remember correctly, there should be inns that provide private baths. If I take a bath with Tasia¡­mhm, this is good. This is really good, mfufu. I felt someone¡¯s gaze and looked up to see a bored Rollo, his eyes half-closed. Ah, I completely forgot about him. ¡°Master, were you listening to me!?¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­this warrants an investigation in Kukul Forest.¡± I coughed and said with a straight face. Rollo brightened up and his eyes sparkled. If he had a tail, it would be whipping up a tornado right now. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought! Then, I will-¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll go myself this time.¡± Rollo looked as if he had been struck by lightning. Nghh¡­I do feel bad, but I must do this to save Tasia and my happiness. After that, Rollo clung to me begging to accompany me, but I made him give up by throwing all of my work on him. I hate it if there were a third wheel in a private room reserved for two. Sorry, Rollo. That afternoon, I set out to Ersgard with my beloved wife¡­stopping by Kukul Forest on the way. Tasia was ecstatic to sleep at a famous inn in Ersgard. Phew, what a relief. She was fidgeting with excitement to head into the hot springs right away. While I wanted to go with her, I went to Kukul Forest first. My hot springs shall wait until night, mfufu. Once I arrived at the Kukul Forest alone, I asked the spirits there to guide me to the place in question. It seems this morning a magic phenomenon really occurred here, but the spirits said they weren¡¯t the ones to cause it. They simply told me it was the ¡°will of the Goddess¡± and left. I wonder what this ¡°will of the Goddess¡± is. I tilted my head in confusion at the unfamiliar phrase and looked at the unnaturally flattened grass. There weren¡¯t any other traces of magic, so there was nothing for me to do here. ¡­All right then. Wait for me Tasia, I¡¯ll be right with you~ That night, we fully enjoyed our lovey-dovey life as husband and wife. The next day. We spent the morning lazily at the inn before heading back to our house in the capital. Tasia sat happily next to me, swaying along to the ride. I wonder if her skin was glowing because of the hot springs or because I tried hard. Either way, she looked miles more adorable than before. While I was thinking about such things, the carriage suddenly stopped. We had just left Ersgard so it was unlikely we had already reached the capital. I wonder if there was a problem? ¡°Reid, what¡¯s wrong?¡± I called to Reid, who was driving, from the window. He got off from the driver¡¯s seat and came to the window. ¡°Master, there is a young girl collapsed down the road. What should I do?¡± I also got off the carriage and looked ahead. There was indeed a girl collapsed in the middle of the road. The carriage wouldn¡¯t be able to get past. As both Tasia and I hail from quite prestigious families, this might be a trap where they target our wealth and mug us. As such, Reid asked for my opinion. Well, with my skill we should be fine. I told Reid to stand by close to Tasia and drew near the girl. On closer look, her hair was black. I had never seen a human with black hair before. While there was the rare navy or dark brown, this pure raven color was very unique. There were also a surprising amount of spirits around her who seemed to be worried for her and protecting her. Were spirits ever this attached to a single human before? I squatted down to see her face contorted in pain. I gently shook her but received no reaction. It seems she was completely unconscious. The spirits all asked whether she was all right. The sheer amount of them was a little scary. I asked them why she was here and the spirits spoke that phrase again¡ª¡±the will of the Goddess.¡± What in the world is the ¡°will of the Goddess?¡± Suddenly I remembered the flattened grass near the scene of the magic phenomenon. It looked like something had been lying there, something around the size of this girl. Was this a coincidence? If so, perhaps I also happened upon this scene by that ¡°will of the Goddess.¡± The words of spirits who would never lie held some weight, after all. I placed my arms around the girl and lifted her up, bringing her to the carriage where Reid and Tasia were anxiously waiting. The second I reached the carriage, Tasia snatched the girl from me and fussed over her to my astonishment, but I kept my peace. Tasia seemed to have felt something from the girl. With the still unconscious girl, we went home. ?¨T©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤¨T? Three days ago, I had my first fight in a long time with Gil. The reason was that we couldn¡¯t go on our promised date. We had planned for it since two weeks ago, and if Gil hadn¡¯t ditched his work we would have been able to go. His disciple, Rollo, was really apologetic about it, but this was Gil¡¯s fault no matter how you cut it. He had a habit of ditching work as he loved magic research but hated his palace work. While I understood it was just the way he was, I was really unhappy about not being able to go on our planned date for the past two days. To cheer me up, he suddenly came back during lunch yesterday and invited me to go to Ersgard with him. I was surprised, but apparently he had some investigation work to do. The work was easy and it was close, so let¡¯s go to the hot springs, he said. He had me at hot springs, and I went with him. I was very happy to enjoy the hot springs. We stayed at an inn that had been the talk of the town recently, and it had private baths in the rooms. The building was very pretty and the employees at the inn were also very kind. Above all, I was very happy to flirt with Gil, something we hadn¡¯t done in a long time. Gil may look timid, but he¡¯s very amazing. Ufufu. We could only stay for one night as we had come under the pretense of Gil¡¯s work, but I¡¯d like to come back again with more time. Swayed by the carriage on our way home, I was planning out our next date in my head when the carriage suddenly stopped. Gil called to Reid, the driver, who got off the marriage and came over. Then Gil left the carriage while Reid stood by the window. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I peeked my head out the window and asked Reid. ¡°Someone is collapsed on the road in front of us¡­they are in the middle of the road, so the carriage cannot pass.¡± I see. That¡¯s why Gil went to look. It¡¯s Gil, so he won¡¯t be in any danger; his title as royal head magician is no decoration. His skill as a magician is formidable. Call it woman¡¯s intuition, but I felt that this was related to his work out here somehow. After a while, Gil came back with a girl in his arms. I lay my eyes upon her and thought: ahh, my daughter! Gil and I were completely healthy, but for some reason we were unable to make any children. Of course, we have been doing our nightly business quite diligently, perhaps more than normal. Even so, we have yet to succeed. The countless magic checkups we went to showed nothing unusual about either of us. Although our relatives had already given up, I wanted a child. I always liked children, and there are no women who wouldn¡¯t want a physical reminder of their love for their husbands. Of course, I was no exception. Although I was well aware that this girl did not come from my womb, I still felt as if she was my daughter when I saw her. I couldn¡¯t explain why, but that was all I could think about. I snatched her from Gil, laid her down on the carriage seat and checked her body. While her clothes were dirty here and there, she didn¡¯t seem to be injured. I placed her head on my lap and gently caressed her head. Her hair was a beautiful ink black and as soft as silk. It touched my heart. I realized that to me, she was already my child. No matter what shape or form she may be, I loved her. I want to talk to her. I want to dress her in cute clothes. I want her to call me mom. With my dream that had almost disappeared into sea foam so close at hand, I was so excited I couldn¡¯t sit still. ¡°¡­Gil, I think this child is our daughter.¡± My words startled my husband sitting across from me. ¡°¡­Tasia, what do you mean by¡­our daughter?¡± ¡°I think we couldn¡¯t make any children so that we could meet this child. Of course, she didn¡¯t come from my womb, but that¡¯s how I felt when I saw her¡­it¡¯s so remarkable.¡± I said, to which Gil sunk deep in thought. Maybe Gil didn¡¯t think anything like that? I¡¯m the one who¡¯s weird? If so, will he start to hate me for being so strange¡­? I thought anxiously and watched him. He gazed at me with a serious face. ¡°The spirits said to me that this girl is the ¡®will of the Goddess.¡¯ I had never heard of this phrase before, so I¡¯m not sure what it means, but¡­perhaps it is related to how you are feeling. Perhaps this child really is our daughter.¡± He said, smiling kindly and taking my hand into his. The corners of my eyes stung and I couldn¡¯t speak. Instead, I gripped that hand as tightly as I could. Oh, I am so, so happy that I married this man. Reflecting on my happiness and thinking about my daughter who had yet to awake, we went home. Volume 1, Extra: How the girl was brought here. Volume 1, Extra: How the girl was brought here. Now in terms of Risa, who was adopted by the Claudes, you may wonder why she came to another world in the first place. There is a reason that must not be known. This is the story of the gods of certain worlds. The chief god ordered the gods to create worlds. Those gods followed their orders. Among the gods, one god created humans but gave them nothing. On the other hand, one goddess blessed the humans with the power of magic. She then blessed a small group of those humans with the grace of the spirits, never noticing the harm that would bring¡­ --------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°You know, the humans in my world are evolving all on their own. They¡¯re making a bunch of tools and inventing a lot of new foods by modifying them. When I disguised myself and went in the other day, they¡­¡± I am the Goddess, the creator of a certain world. I blessed humans with magic and gave birth to spirits. The god next to me was my colleague, Aegis. Right now there was a small trend among the gods to disguise yourself and go to the worlds you created to play. Aegis went to his world and was talking about his visit to me¡­ ¡°So next time, I¡¯m thinking about doing an eating tour. Man, I won¡¯t be able to eat all of it in one go so I guess I¡¯ll start from the east side.¡± It appears the food his humans made were fitting to his tastes, as he came back to brag to me about it every time. I wouldn¡¯t blame him, as it sounded delicious just from his descriptions. He also said that each country had different types of food with different characteristics. ¡°What about your place?¡± ¡°The humans in my world¡­¡± Their magic developed by the day. However, their food culture was nothing compared to the culture in Aegis¡¯s world. His world also had science on par with the magic here on top of the fantastic food. The other day, I actually went to the world I created. Nature flourished and the people were living bright and wonderful lives. Their food, however, was very unfortunate. It only got worse the more I heard of the food in Aegis¡¯s world. ¡°¡­have quite a unique taste.¡± ¡°Hah! You mean it was bad, right? Man, it¡¯s all because you gave them such a convenient thing as magic.¡± Aegis smirked. Was it my fault? Aegis didn¡¯t give them anything simply because it was too troublesome! Even so, it was frustrating that he was making a fool out of my humans and I! ¡°¡­I hate you, Aegis!¡± Even I¡­even I want to eat good food! I held back the tears threatening to spill from my eyes and kicked Aegis out of my halls. After that, I tried many things. I took some of the tools from Aegis¡¯s world and dropped them into mine as magic tools. I planted all the ingredients for good food. I tried this, I tried that, I tried everything I could. Still, there were no results. The humans of my world were passionate towards magic research, but they did not care for food. There were a few humans that were mildly interested, so if only they had a small push¡­ Around that time, Aegis came to my halls again. We did not part on good terms, so the air was quite tense. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry for saying such harsh words before.¡± ¡°No, I said things I didn¡¯t mean, too¡­¡± It was hard to face Aegis, so I lowered my head. What should we talk about¡­ ¡°¡­Hey, uh, you want to teach your humans to cook good food, right?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Why did Aegis know about that? While it was true that I had done a lot of things to urge them on, I never said a word to Aegis. Besides, we had never met since I kicked him out of my halls. ¡°If it¡¯s just a little push on their backs, it¡¯s nothing that I can¡¯t help with.¡± At the end of my wits, I looked up at Aegis in surprise. He quickly turned his face elsewhere and wouldn¡¯t look at me. His ears seemed a tint redder than normal, but perhaps it was just me. Anyway, he gave me a proposal. I would bring one human from his world to mine, with the condition that all the children of one couple in my world would be turned into spirits. One of those children must be the most talented person in that world. I thought about it. Even if this was so that the food culture of my world would develop, I would be changing the fate of at least four humans. In the end, I accepted his proposal. However, I also added my own conditions. Aegis would pick them, but the couple and the human who would come to my world would all be kind at heart and able to treat each other with affection. The human from his world would know how to make food, and they would love eating food as well. Then, I changed all the children of the couple into spirits and allowed them to live freely in my world. In order to break the rules of world making like this, I would probably need to pay the equal price. However, since the children would live on in my world as spirits, I felt it would be all right. A little while after we agreed on Aegis¡¯s proposal, equivalent to a few years in my world. The chosen human came to my world. Please live healthily and happily. And please, make some good food that I can try. --------------------------------------------------------------- This was how the girl Risa was brought into another world, to the Claudes. All was for the sake of the Goddess¡¯s selfish wish to eat good food. There was no way for Risa and the Claudes to know that. In addition, there was no guarantee that the god who secretly held feelings for the goddess would be rewarded. Meanwhile, the spirits all knew of the reason why Risa came to this world. However, the attempt that began with the god bragging to get the goddess¡¯s attention ended up dragging unrelated humans into an exchange between worlds. The spirits could not lie, and they discussed amongst themselves. In the end, they decided to never speak of the event. If they were asked about it, they would all answer that it was the ¡°will of the Goddess,¡± a phrase full of exasperation, pity, and hope. Volume 1, Extra: The encounter of a young boy. Part 1 Volume 1, Extra: The encounter of a young boy. Part 1 ¡°Ruto! Hey, Rutobias!!¡± Afternoon in a corner of the academy. A girl yelled up at the rarely used school dormitory. This was the Feliformia National General Magic Academy. It was an academy with many branch schools outside Feliformia as well, where one could learn about magic. Students entered the academy at ten years old to learn the foundations in the elementary department for three years. Then they would specialize into the magician, magic tools, chivalry, or general education department. The yelling girl was an elementary first year, Amelia Idyll. ¡°What, it¡¯s just Amelia.¡± Hearing her yell, a boy¡¯s head peeked out from on the roof. He was Rutobias Ashley Mathias, an elementary first year student like Amelia. ¡°You skipped class again, right! The teacher won¡¯t say anything about it but you should still go to class!¡± Shrugging his shoulders to the lecture coming from downstairs, Rutobias went back to napping on the roof. ¡°Hey! Ruto! Are you listening!?¡± Hearing Amelia yell louder, Rutobias sighed and signaled to the entity beside him. A gentle breeze blew through, enveloping Amelia and moving her to the top of the roof. ¡°Waah! If you¡¯re using spirit magic say so first! You scared me.¡± Amelia complained as she alighted next to Rutobias in surprise. Rutobias thought to himself maybe it was better if he hadn¡¯t brought her up here. Things would get even more annoying if he said that, though, so he closed his eyes in silence. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m talking, are you listening!?¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°One ¡®yeah¡¯ is enough!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Rutobias had yet to win against Amelia with words when she got like this. He would find it too troublesome before he even started fighting, so he never tried winning in the first place. ¡°¡­Geez. We¡¯ll be in our second years soon, you know? Class might be boring for you, Ruto, but there¡¯s more to going to school than just studying!¡± ¡°¡­I know.¡± ¡°Then go to class tomorrow, okay?¡± While she was noisy, she had grown up with Rutobias. Amelia was an indispensable, rare friend that didn¡¯t care about Rutobias¡¯s titles. Prodigy, genius, royal magician candidate and heir of the Mathias house. Rutobias had many titles, yet he liked none of them. Rutobias was born to the Marquis of Mathias, a powerful family in Feliformia. With his birth, the Marquis of Mathias¡¯s problems of a successor were instantly solved and the family rejoiced. Not only that, but Rutobias was blessed with exceptional magic talent. It was rumored that spirits had circled around Rutobias¡¯s mother when he was in her womb. Even for the Marquis of Mathias where many talented magicians hailed from, this was a rare sight. They waited with bated breath for him to be born. The spirits were overjoyed with his birth and never left him alone. They fussed over him more than his mother, flying to his mother and wet nurse whenever he cried and telling them whether he was hungry, his diaper needed changing or he couldn¡¯t sleep. Thanks to them, the adults around him and his mother who was raising her first child had an easy time raising him. Around when Rutobias turned one, he began to talk. Although his parents were very depressed when his first word was ¡°shiwit (spirit),¡± he soon learned to call his parents and even the other adults around him by name. From there, he acquired vocabulary at a very fast pace. First he learned the names of the things around him and what they were used for. Soon he began to understand adults as well. His parents hired a tutor for him. The young Rutobias did not understand what it meant to learn something, so he listened to whatever the adults around him said and absorbed all the knowledge he could. He simply knew that when he remembered things, his parents would be happy and the adults around him would compliment him. Before he found a purpose to learning, Rutobias turned seven. His tutors exclaimed that they had nothing more to teach him. He learned that he wasn¡¯t normal when he entered the academy at ten. His father proclaimed that he didn¡¯t need to go to the academy, but encouraged by his mother and his childhood friend Amelia, Rutobias entered the academy. He had never played with any children other than Amelia, so he was excited about meeting classmates his age. However, life at the academy could not have been farther from Rutobias¡¯s expectations. First were the classes. They practiced reading and writing with the universal language chart. In math class, they did arithmetic on fruit. History class was taught with a picture book. Rutobias was thrown into chaos by the childish material. There were even children who could not understand such childish teaching amongst his classmates. Rutobias could not understand why they couldn¡¯t understand. His relationship with his classmates was also completely different than what he imagined. Rutobias wasn¡¯t used to group work, but as long as he followed the teacher¡¯s instructions in class he was fine. However, the troubles that happened without teacher supervision during break and after school were very annoying to Rutobias. There was one male student in Rutobias¡¯s class who held a leader-like position. His grades weren¡¯t bad, he was among the taller kids in the class, and his family was rich. Perhaps because he was strong-willed, he would often walk around with a few other male lackeys. That was fine. However, he was very hot-tempered and would often pick a fight with timid female classmates or male classmates who had failed during class. To Rutobias, if he didn¡¯t like something then he would simply ignore it. He failed to understand the student who would lash out at everything. Then, the student set his eyes on Rutobias. With many lackeys in tow, he tried to find fault in Rutobias who was quietly reading. His words were empty and ridiculous, but perhaps he couldn¡¯t find anything to attack Rutobias with. Striking an intimidating pose, he rattled on and on, his lackeys agreeing with him. Amelia couldn¡¯t stand by and watch so she defended Rutobias, and the fight escalated. Exasperated by the childish back-and-forth, Rutobias joined in with a sigh. He pointed out the holes in the student¡¯s argument as simply as he could. However, perhaps the student couldn¡¯t, no, didn¡¯t want to understand. He cut Rutobias off, denying him a chance to defend himself and spouted profanities. In the end, the student even resorted to violence and threw the book Rutobias was reading. Amelia was furious, but Rutobias understood how naive he was to dream about life at the academy. The teacher came and dissolved the fight, but from then on his classmates were distant and cold to him. Children were cruel sometimes. Regardless of personality, anomalies were ostracized. Rutobias¡¯s exceptional talent that never surfaced when he entered the academy was finally discovered by his classmates, and he was left out of everything. Rutobias gave up. He already knew everything the academy had to offer. As long as he could obtain graduation certification for the sake of his future, he had no more expectations for this place. Less than two months after he entered the academy, Rutobias began to ditch class. --------------------------------------------------------------- On the roof of the school dormitory. Next to Rutobias, who was napping in the warm sun, Amelia chatted away. After Rutobias stopped going to class, Amelia would find him somewhere on academy grounds and start talking to him about everything. From the classes to classmates, what was trending right now, what happened at home, what happened on the streets, her topics were endless. It was impressive even for Rutobias, who knew many things. There were things Rutobias had no interest in, but if he stopped reacting Amelia would instantly yell at him, ¡°are you listening!?¡± It was very tiring to calm her down when that happened, so Rutobias became very good at letting things in one ear and out the other in the past few months. Even so, it wasn¡¯t true that he did not listen nor want to listen to Amelia. He knew she came to talk to him every day for his sake. While Rutobias felt that he had more knowledge than the average child his age, Amelia knew more about other things. He would find some topics interesting, but Amelia would not give him the space to ask questions and jump from topic to topic. Today, too, Amelia chattered all about her day while Rutobias listened. ¡°So, about that girl¡­¡± Today¡¯s topic was one of Amelia¡¯s female friends. ¡°So, her big sister brought us there. That¡¯s why, here! A souvenir for you, Rutobias!¡± Amelia took out a brown package from her school bag and thrust it in front of the napping Rutobias¡¯s eyes. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good so try some!¡± Rutobias took the package and looked sideways at Amelia, whose eyes were sparkling with excitement. Her expression urged him to hurry and open it. Rutobias propped himself up and loosened the ribbon tying the package together. ¡°¡­Small bread?¡± ¡°Bzzt, wrong!¡± He peeked into the package to see small circular shapes the color of browned wheat. He knew it was food as Amelia had said, ¡°it¡¯s good!¡± To Rutobias, it looked like some small version of bread, but Amelia smirked and said no to his guess. ¡°C¡¯mon, try some!¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Rutobias picked one up from the package and put it in his mouth. ¡°¡­!?¡± His eyes widened in shock. He assumed it was bread, so he thought it would be hard. It did have some hardness to it. However, it was a different type of hardness from bread, and it broke apart easily in his mouth with a crunch. Above all it had a rich fragrance and a faint sweetness. ¡°See! It¡¯s good, isn¡¯t it! It¡¯s called a cooky!¡± Amelia smiled from ear to ear as if she had just pulled off a prank and leaned towards Rutobias. ¡°Cooky¡­¡± Rutobias repeated after Amelia as if to solidify the word in his brain. The cookies disappeared one by one into Rutobias¡¯s stomach. ¡°Ruto, give me one too!¡± Amelia, made hungry by the sight of Rutobias, reached out her hand¡­but Rutobias raised the package in his hand away from her. ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°¡­Uh, I¡¯m not sure?¡± Still confused, Rutobias was filled with an unfamiliar emotion. He was filled with the desire¡ªgluttony, though Rutobias did not know that yet¡ªto hold on to these cookies. You gave me these as a souvenir¡­he thought, but he couldn¡¯t resist Amelia¡¯s stare as she pouted. He slowly brought the package back between them. ¡°Just a bit.¡± ¡°Yay! You¡¯re so kind, Ruto~¡± Amelia immediately brightened up and popped a cookie into her mouth. The cookies disappeared in an instant. Although it was bad manners, they ate everything, even the crumbs. ¡°That was so good~¡± Amelia was satisfied, but Rutobias felt hollow. ¡­I want more. Unable to sit still, Rutobias thrust the now empty packaging into his pocket and jumped from the roof. ¡°Wh- Ruto!?¡± Surprised by Rutobias¡¯s sudden jump, Amelia ran to the edge of the roof and looked down. Rutobias fell with gravity, but the power of the wind spirit cushioned his fall and he landed softly. He looked up to the roof. ¡°Amelia! I want to go to the store that sells these cookies, bring me there!¡± ¡°Eh? Ehhhhh!?¡± Volume 1, Extra: The encounter of a young boy. Part 2 Volume 1, Extra: The encounter of a young boy. Part 2 Rutobias and Amelia got on the train carriage¡ªmoved by magic, not pulled by horses¡ªin front of the academy and came to the center of the capital. ¡°I used my allowance last time I went, so I can¡¯t buy anything today, okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll pay for Amelia too.¡± ¡°Really!? Yay! What a reliable man you are, Ruto!¡± Happy that Ruto would cover the bill, Amelia chattered about the store while they walked. ¡°It just opened around half a year ago on the tools street, but it¡¯s a peculiar store.¡± ¡°Peculiar?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s called Caf¨¦ Omoosbi, but it¡¯s different from an inn or a tavern. There is no alcohol on the menu, and you can eat during the day and at night, but not in between. Lunch is around the 11th to 14th hour, and dinner is around the 17th to 20th hour.¡± ¡°Is it closed from the 14th to the 17th hour then?¡± ¡°Nope. That¡¯s called teatime, when they serve tea.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true we often drink tea around then¡­¡± ¡°Also, they serve desserts like the cookies I gave you today with the tea!¡± ¡°Desserts? Judging from what you just said, cookies fall under those desserts?¡± ¡°It seems so. There are lots more other than that! The cookies were good~¡± ¡°What? There are other kinds?¡± ¡°Of course! There are tons more, so I couldn¡¯t try them all when I went with my friend last time!¡± Amelia bounced in front of Rutobias while looking back every now and then. Rutobias fell into deep thought, reconsidering his choice to buy more cookies. However, even though Amelia said there were other kinds of desserts, he couldn¡¯t even imagine what they were. ¡°Ah! There it is, it¡¯s that store!¡± ¡°Wai- Amelia!¡± Seeing the store come into view, Amelia started to run, dragging Rutobias behind her. Stumbling over himself, Rutobias followed her to the conspicuous red door of a small shop. ¡°Here! Let¡¯s go in!¡± Amelia opened the door and entered the shop with Rutobias behind her. As expected from seeing the outerior, the shop was quite small. Yet it was filled with people, as there were no empty seats. ¡°Ah¡­what should we do? I think it¡¯s full.¡± Amelia mumbled sadly. Just then, a pair of women sitting at the counter stood up, ready to leave. Seeing them, Amelia lightly pulled Rutobias¡¯s sleeve and whispered, ¡°over there,¡± to him. Rutobias chided the fidgeting girl with a look. While he waited for the seats to be cleared, he observed the rest of the shop. There were many groups of women like the pair that just stood up from the counter. There were some men as well, but they were always in a pair with another woman. The pair of women who sat at the counter paid their bill at the register near the entrance and moved past Rutobias and Amelia out the store, both with satisfied expressions on their faces. ¡°Welcome. Please have a seat over here.¡± A women from behind the counter waved at Amelia and Rutobias to the empty seats. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ruto.¡± Amelia pulled Rutobias to the seats that were a little deeper into the shop. Rutobias followed obediently. They clambered onto the slightly taller bar stools, and the female employee handed Amelia and Rutobias each a menu. ¡°Welcome. Is this your first time here?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve come here once. It¡¯s Ruto, my friend¡¯s first time, though.¡± Amelia said nervously, to which the employee smiled warmly. ¡°Thank you for your second visit, and thank you for your first. Would you like me to explain the menu?¡± Explain the menu? Why? Rutobias thought, but once he looked at it he understood. Aside from the drinks, all of the names were unfamiliar and strange. ¡°Yes please.¡± Rutobias immediately answered. ¡°All right. Then first is the set. A dessert, we call them sweets here, can be ordered as a set with a drink. The set is cheaper by one ril than if you ordered them separately, so it is quite the bargain. However, water is served for free, so if you do not need a drink then you can order a dessert ¨¤ la carte, on its own. Sweets go very well with tea, so personally I recommend going with a set. As for the sweets themselves, it is easier to see them so please wait a moment while I go fetch them.¡± The employee explained, pointing at the menu while she did so. She left to bring the desserts¡ªshe called them sweets¡ªfrom the kitchen. ¡°Ruto, that was the store owner! She opened this shop and thought up everything on the menu!¡± ¡°By herself?¡± ¡°Seems so, that¡¯s what my friend¡¯s sister said!¡± Rutobias was astonished by Amelia¡¯s words. Rutobias had assumed that the store owner was male and quite old. However, the person who waited on them was a woman and looked as if she had just come of age. While they whispered to each other, the woman Amelia said was the store owner returned with a tray in her hand. ¡°Thank you for your patience.¡± She gently placed the tray down in front of Rutobias and Amelia. Rutobias gasped. Lined up on the tray were things he had never seen before. First, a triangular white thing caught his eye. Meichi was placed on top of it, showing a beautiful contrast between white and red. There was meichi inside as well, and the layers seen on the side alternated between yellow, white, and meichi. ¡°Here are the cakes of the day. From the left is a shortcake, cake roll, and fruit tart. These are the standard menu items¡ªchiffon cake, pudding and cookies. The last one would melt if I brought it out, but there is also ice cream. That is a cold sweet with three different flavors for you to pick. If you are feeling peckish, I recommend french toast. French toast is sliced bread soaked in egg and milk, then grilled. It¡¯s very good with our special sauce. If you don¡¯t really care for sweet things, we also have meat pie. Meat pie is ground meat wrapped in stewed mallow and grilled. It¡¯s perfect for a light meal.¡± Rutobias looked back and forth between the tray and the menu while listening to her explanation, finding each item tempting. Amelia also looked at the tray and the menu, unable to decide what she wanted. To be completely honest, Rutobias wanted to try all of them. However even with the help of Amelia, two children wouldn¡¯t be able to finish the amount of food, so he abandoned the thought. He singled down to the white triangular dessert that the store owner explained was a shortcake. While he was interested in all the other food, he had absolutely no clue what the shortcake would taste like. ¡°Hey, do you know what you¡¯re getting, Ruto? I¡¯m still thinking.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have the shortcake.¡± ¡°Really!? Then I¡¯ll have this fruit tart thing.¡± It seems Amelia had been split over the shortcake or the fruit tart. Since Rutobias picked the shortcake, she picked the fruit tart by process of elimination. The store owner smiled at them and confirmed their order. ¡°One shortcake and one fruit tart, then. Would you like a drink with that?¡± ¡°Since I¡¯m here, I¡¯ll have tea as well. What about you, Amelia?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll have this.¡± ¡°Two of those then, please.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll get some water out for you right away.¡± The store owner wrote down their orders on a small piece of paper and brought the tray to the back. She came out and placed two glasses of water in front of them before leaving again. ¡°So exciting! I hope it comes soon!¡± Amelia said happily as she watched the store owner leave. ¡°Yeah¡­oh, what did you have last time you came here?¡± ¡°I had pudding, and my friend had this thing called, uhm¡­mill foy? Her sister had the chiffon cake. I had a bite of each and they were all so good, mmm. I¡¯m really excited about the shortcake and the fruit tart, they didn¡¯t have that last time!¡± Amelia recounted the deliciousness from before ecstatically. Rutobias gave her his full attention. Usually he would only hear about half of what Amelia said, but today he seemed to drink up every word. Surprised, Amelia blinked at him. ¡°Wow, Ruto¡­it¡¯s so rare for you to listen to me so earnestly¡­¡± Pointed out by Amelia, Rutobias also wondered why he was so invested. He had never been so interested in something before. Once he ate the cookies Amelia gave him, he felt as if he was driven to this shop. And once he got here, his curiosity only multiplied. ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped since it¡¯s all because of the desserts here! I mean, it¡¯s so delicious! One day I¡¯ll definitely try everything on the menu!¡± Amelia was taken aback by Rutobias¡¯s strange behavior, but decided not to think too much about it, instead making her own heart flutter by her dream. ¡°Thank you for waiting.¡± After making some small talk, the store owner came with two plates. She placed the sweets down with a clink in front of Rutobias and Amelia. ¡°Whoa!¡± Amelia couldn¡¯t help but gasp. Around the shortcake was a streak of red syrup that hadn¡¯t been on the sample. In addition, there was white powder like a thin layer of snow on top of Amelia¡¯s fruit tart. ¡°This red is meichi sauce, and rest assured, the white on top of the fruit tart is sugar.¡± The store owner smiled at the captivated Rutobias and Amelia and poured some tea from a teapot into two empty cups. ¡°Here, these two are hot so please be careful. Enjoy.¡± Rutobias and Amelia reached for their forks, forgetting to answer the store owner. Rutobias stuck his fork into the edge of the triangle. It was a little bouncy, but he pushed the fork to reach the plate and brought the piece to his mouth. He tentatively closed his mouth over it and his eyes widened. The white around the cake melted and a rich flavor spread throughout his mouth accompanied by sweetness. Once he bit down on the piece, the flavor changed. In the middle was faint sweetness coming from the fluffy something in the middle, balancing out the sweet and sour taste of meichi. The first bite disappeared so suddenly, so he reached for the second bite. Just then, he glanced at Amelia, who was sitting next to him, and their eyes met. ¡°Hey, hey, Ruto! Gimme a bite!¡± Amelia smiled from ear to ear, staring straight at Rutobias¡¯s shortcake. Rutobias also grew curious about Amelia¡¯s fruit tart. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s trade.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± They traded plates, and Rutobias brought a piece of fruit tart to his mouth. Under the colorful fruits was some thick sauce, with a base similar to the cookies they had at the academy a while ago. The fruit tart was yet another different flavor from the shortcake. The sourness from the fruits mixed with the sweetness of the thick sauce, creating a unique, yet fun texture with the flakiness of the pie base. ¡°This is really good too~¡± Amelia ate a bite of Rutobias¡¯s shortcake and placed her hand on her cheek in pure bliss. ¡°The fruit tart is good too.¡± ¡°Right, right?¡± Amelia excitedly replied to Rutobias¡¯s thoughts. They traded their plates again after a bite. Rutobias wet his mouth with the tea and began to eat again, slowly this time. By the time he was halfway through, Amelia¡¯s plate was already clean. He felt someone¡¯s stare from next to him, but upon turning he saw Amelia¡¯s pleading eyes. Before she could say anything, Rutobias turned back so he couldn¡¯t see Amelia and began to eat faster. Once it was all in his stomach, he took a breath while sipping the slightly cooled tea. That fluffy texture with the smooth sweetness from the white¡­ Reflecting on the aftertaste, suddenly Rutobias was struck with a violent curiosity for how it was made and what the ingredients were. Since he had come, he may as well ask the store owner herself about everything. So Rutobias thought, but when he looked around he didn¡¯t see her. Instead, he spotted a girl around the same age as the store owner waiting on another table, and a male employee at the register near the counter calculating a bill. They both seemed busy and it didn¡¯t look like he could easily ask them where the store owner was. The shop was still as busy as when Rutobias and Amelia had entered. Guests that got up to leave were immediately replaced by new, hungry ones. It wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to stay long, Rutobias thought, and he stood up. ¡°Ruto, are we leaving?¡± ¡°There are people waiting after all.¡± Amelia nodded to Rutobias¡¯s words, finished her tea and got off the bar stool. Rutobias paid for both of their orders, purchased the cookies he originally came for, and the two of them left the shop. Volume 1, Extra: The encounter of a young boy. Part 3 Volume 1, Extra: The encounter of a young boy. Part 3 The next day. It was the weekly holiday, so there weren¡¯t any classes. Most shops excluding the essential services were also closed, but Rutobias went to Caf¨¦ Omusubi with nothing to lose. Yesterday, Rutobias¡¯s head was full of the sweets even after he went home. What was that white thing made of? He also ate the cookies he bought once he got back, but they only made his heart flutter more and stimulate his appetite. He had absorbed so much knowledge ever since a young age, but this was the first time he had wanted to learn and know something. This might be what I¡¯ve always wanted to do, he thought, and he felt a hole in his chest fill up. The only one who could fulfill his wish was the store owner who made those sweets. So he thought and so he brought his small wish to the caf¨¦, but the sign on the red door wrote ¡°Preparing.¡± The shop was silent without a soul, and Rutobias slouched in dejection. Deciding to come again tomorrow, he turned on his heel when he heard the clang of the doorbell from behind him. He turned back to see the store owner open the door, a broom and dustpan in her hands. ¡°Hm? You¡¯re from yesterday¡­I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯re on holiday today.¡± ¡°¡­Yes¡­Uhm¡­¡± Unexpectedly face to face with the person he wanted to meet, Rutobias was at a loss for words. Meanwhile, the store owner tilted her head at the fidgeting Rutobias. ¡°¡­Yes?¡± ¡°Uhm!¡± Rutobias anxiously looked up at her. ¡°I want to learn to cook the food you serve here!¡± Rutobias said breathlessly, surprising the store owner. She quietly stared at him for a while before smiling warmly. ¡°Please come in. We can talk all we want inside.¡± She opened the door with a clang from the doorbell again and invited Rutobias inside. --------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a seat over there?¡± She pointed at a counter seat and put away the broom in her hand, finally moving behind the counter. ¡°Huh, Miss Risa?¡± A man appeared from the back, perhaps from hearing the noise. ¡°Ahh¡­Zeke¡­.¡± The man Rutobias saw yesterday looked at him, seemed to understand the situation and returned to the back. ¡°Here.¡± The tiny clink of a teacup and saucer hitting each other resounded through the quiet shop. Some hot tea, still smoking, was placed in front of Rutobias. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± She lightly replied and poured another cup for herself. She pulled a stool in the corner behind the counter over to sit across from Rutobias. Seeing her take a sip of tea, Rutobias also drank his tea. ¡°Now, let¡¯s continue where we left off.¡± Once they settled, the store owner began to speak. ¡°You said you wanted to learn cooking. How old are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ten years old.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re going to the academy?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m currently an elementary first year.¡± In his heart, Rutobias added ¡°more or less¡± to his sentence. ¡°But if I can learn how to cook, I don¡¯t mind if I quit the academy!¡± Rutobias had no attachments to the academy where he no longer had any reason to go to. ¡°Even if you say that¡­you do know that usually when someone wants to learn cooking, they graduate from the academy¡¯s general education department first before becoming an apprentice?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know the specifics.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize. It¡¯s probably rarer for someone to know what they want to do when they have just entered the elementary department.¡± Rutobias came to understand how people became chefs by her explanation. He also read between the lines in a negative light. She was implying that he should graduate first before coming to her. The store owner saw Rutobias¡¯s clouded expression and smiled wryly. ¡°As you might have already noticed, it would be very difficult to learn cooking at your age. It doesn¡¯t seem like your parents are chefs, either.¡± ¡°¡­No, they¡¯re not.¡± Do I give up here then, so Rutobias asked himself. Just when he had finally found something, was he going to back down like this? ¡­No, no way. ¡°I know how impossible it sounds, but please, teach me cooking! I implore you!¡± Rutobias looked straight at her and begged earnestly. His heart was set alight when he ate the cookies and the cake. He wanted to make those with his own hands. ¡°¡­Your feelings are very clear.¡± Rutobias heard a quiet voice from above his lowered head. When he looked up, the store owner was smiling compassionately. ¡°Then, wait until you graduate from the elementary department. That is my final offer.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°In this country, youth employment is not recognized if it isn¡¯t the family business or if there is no special reason for it. The most important part of learning cooking is practical experience in the kitchen, but as your parents aren¡¯t chefs, you fall under youth employment. Even if you offer to volunteer, this shop would profit off of it. That¡¯s why at the very least, you have to graduate from the elementary department. I¡¯ll try to do something about it by then.¡± She seemed to have thought of something upon seeing Rutobias¡¯s earnestness, as the store owner suggested the above conditions. Rutobias wasn¡¯t sure what she meant by doing something about it by then, but it wasn¡¯t a phrase to cajole a ten year old child. He decided to believe in her words. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Good. Also, you seem to have special talent in you. That¡¯s why you have to go to the academy.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± He had never imagined that the store owner, who had only met him twice, would say something he had heard ever since he was born. ¡°Ahh¡­well, how should I say this. Perhaps you¡¯ll understand if I say I¡¯m also someone who can see spirits?¡± She scratched her cheek sheepishly and whispered, ¡°Basil.¡± Then a spirit appeared near her neck as if they pushed past her raven hair. ¡°I also have a contract¡­although I was kind of forced to.¡± She said, poking the spirit¡¯s cheek. They pouted but quickly recovered and grabbed on to her index finger as if to play. ¡°I can see all the spirits that are flitting around you. I was curious from the moment you came yesterday. After all, you¡¯re only the second person I¡¯ve seen so far to be like that.¡± ¡°The second?¡± ¡°Yes. My father¡­stepfather, is the head royal magician. Like you, he¡¯s surrounded by many spirits. Well, I guess he kind of has to or he wouldn¡¯t have his job.¡± Rutobias thought of a certain person when she said head royal magician. The current head royal magician was Gilford Hyde Claude. He was the top magician of the country. It was said that a person of his skill only appeared once every century. ¡°According to my stepfather, his studies and the academy were boring and troublesome, but he was glad he went. The friends he made there were irreplaceable and well worth all the trouble of going¡­Well, apparently he skipped most of his classes, though. Food for thought on how that bad skipping habit of his still hasn¡¯t gone away¡­¡± She said humorously, chuckling and taking a sip of her tea. ¡°¡­Would it be better if I became a magician¡­¡± He remembered the words he had heard since he was small. ¡°You will grow up to become a splendid magician.¡± As the Marquis of Mathias often produced elite magicians, the expectations on his back from in and out of the family were gigantic and heavy. It was as if his road to become a magician was set in stone. It was nothing but trouble for him when they decided his future for him. Even so, somehow he couldn¡¯t refuse them outright. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, it¡¯s better you don¡¯t.¡± She said nonchalantly, as if to throw away all his hesitation. ¡°If you become a magician like this, you¡¯ll definitely regret it. It¡¯s a different story if you come to a compromise with yourself in the process, though. For example, you¡¯ll do it for money, power, or honor. It¡¯s possible to go on when you become an adult if you can endure the work for the sake of things like that. If you can¡¯t, though, I don¡¯t think you should. There are numbered seats for the magicians in this country, so it would be better to leave those to people who want to do it than fill them with people who don¡¯t want to.¡± She was right. If he became a magician, still split about his feelings, even if he compromised for a time, he would be back on square one in the end. ¡°¡­You¡¯re right¡­¡± Rutobias mumbled. She smiled, a little troubled. ¡°But you¡¯re still ten years old, you know? You still have a long road ahead of you. I understand you want to reach the end the fastest way you can, but loitering on the way doesn¡¯t mean that all the time you spent loitering is worthless. There is a lot to learn when you wander, in its own wandering way. That¡¯s the same for the elementary department.¡± Rutobias lifted his head. ¡°I¡¯m not Gil, but studies are not the only thing you learn in the academy. The academy was made to create many future, possible yous. It might seem like a small world, but there are things that can be grown and created only because it¡¯s a small world.¡± ¡°¡­Really? I don¡¯t see how.¡± ¡°You might not see it, but trust me. I¡¯ve been through that too, and now I know it is so.¡± Her decisive words held an inexplicable weight, and they reached Rutobias¡¯s heart. Perhaps it stemmed from his respect for her, as she could make things he couldn¡¯t, but her words went straight to Rutobias¡¯s heart. ¡°Just so you know, I¡¯m not telling you to go to the elementary department just to bully you. I believe that one day you¡¯ll be grateful that you went. Besides, I feel like you might find something you want to do there besides cooking, too.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s!¡± ¡°Just a possibility. But that would be nice, too. I don¡¯t want to rain on your parade, but there is such a thing as a single moment¡¯s flame. That¡¯s why I think you shouldn¡¯t decide right here and now. Isn¡¯t it better to have more choices, more paths? You can understand that, right?¡± While her words were not something one would typically say to a ten year old child, she spoke them seriously. She felt that Rutobias would understand and be satisfied with her answer. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Good! And besides, like I said, you¡¯re still only ten years old. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to be spoiled a little more by the people around you? Time you can spend as a child is already so short, you should try to be as spoiled as you can during that time.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She smirked as if she were pulling a prank, and changed the cold tea out for hot tea. ¡°¡­Spoil, huh¡­¡± As he watched the cup slowly fill with golden liquid, Rutobias had a thought. ¡°¡­Uhm!¡± ¡°Hm? What is it?¡± ¡°¡­I, I¡¯m really hungry¡­¡± Rutobias made a despondent face and looked up at her. She seemed to understand what he was going to say and laughed mirthfully. ¡°And you use it right away, eh¡­you¡¯re really not to be underestimated. It can¡¯t be helped, I¡¯ll give you something special to eat.¡± She asked him to wait a bit and went to the back. After a while, she came back out with a small plate. ¡°Here you go.¡± She said, but Rutobias was disappointed by the sweet fragrance and the plate placed in front of him. On the plate were five small, burnt brown colored cubes. Rutobias had assumed it would be something like the cake he had yesterday, so the huge difference between expectation and reality let him down. It wasn¡¯t pretty and it was tiny¡­he didn¡¯t have to voice his thoughts as his disappointment showed on his face. The store owner let out a chuckle. ¡°Sorry, sorry. It isn¡¯t as gorgeous as cake but at least try one just for kicks?¡± I¡¯ll have one too, she said as she stabbed one with a small fork and popped it in her mouth. Judging from how easily the fork cut into the cube, it wasn¡¯t hard. Rutobias mimicked her actions and ate one as well. ¡°¡­!?¡± His eyes widened as a sweet smell spread through his senses and the cube melted on his warm tongue. ¡°It¡¯s good, right? This is called chocolate.¡± ¡°Chock a let?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a dessert prototype that might appear on the menu, so keep it a secret okay?¡± She placed the fork on her mouth in place of her index finger and told Rutobias mischievously. ¡°Okay!¡± Rutobias flushed in happiness at the thought that he was eating something that wasn¡¯t on the menu yet. He immediately reached for another piece of the chocolate on the plate. After they finished the chocolate, the store owner talked with Rutobias for as long as she could. She was called Risa, and Rutobias was surprised when he heard her age. He thought she was sixteen and had just come of age, but she said she was twenty-two. Opening a business right after she became of age and with that skill¡­sounded quite far fetched, but it was still surprising to hear the gap between her appearance and her actual age. She smiled wryly at his astonishment, seemingly troubled by the difference. Volume 1, Extra: The encounter of a young boy. Part 4 Volume 1, Extra: The encounter of a young boy. Part 4 Rutobias finally asked about the ingredients for the cookies and the shortcake he had eaten yesterday, and Risa invited him to the kitchen, saying that it would be faster to actually see them. Rutobias went behind the counter and followed Risa into the kitchen. ¡°Whoa!¡± Rutobias exclaimed in pure innocence. The kitchen was filled with the smell of chocolate and some sweets that were fresh out of the oven. ¡°Miss Risa, what¡¯s wrong? That child is¡­¡± ¡°Zeke, sorry to bother you when you¡¯re working. This boy is Rutobias, a chef-to-be¡­one day. Rutobias, this is Zeke. He¡¯s one of the chefs here, and your senior.¡± The man who had peeked out to look at Rutobias was in the kitchen. Following Risa¡¯s introduction, Rutobias introduced himself to Zeke. ¡°I¡¯m Rutobias Ashley Mathias. I¡¯m an elementary first year at the general academy.¡± ¡°Zeke Brown.¡± Rutobias was a little scared of Zeke, who answered with a blank expression. To the young ten year old, Zeke looked larger than life. ¡°Sorry Rutobias, Zeke might look scary but he really isn¡¯t. He doesn¡¯t really show anything on his face, but he loves sweets as much as you do.¡± Seeing Rutobias flinch, Risa chuckled and teased Zeke. ¡°Miss Risa¡­despite my face, I do care what you say about me, you know?¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry. Well, you¡¯re getting better than when you first started working here! But your coolness is your special quirk.¡± Zeke seemed a little down at Risa¡¯s teasing, but Risa laughed and replied lightly as always. Although he felt a bit left out by how close the two were, Rutobias sensed a kindred spirit in Zeke. ¡°I¡¯d like to let Rutobias see us at work, do you think you can keep going, Zeke?¡± ¡°I see, I¡¯ll do so.¡± ¡°Then Rutobias, come with me.¡± Rutobias bowed to Zeke, who returned to work, and followed Risa who waved at him. ¡°First, could you wash your hands here? Even if you¡¯re watching, just in case for sanitary reasons.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He stood next to Risa at the sink and washed his hands according to her instruction, mimicking her smooth movements. He used soap and a brush to thoroughly wash even his nails. ¡°All right. First, let¡¯s go with shortcake.¡± Risa took out a large jar from the refrigerator. ¡°This is¡­milk?¡± Rutobias tilted his head at the familiar ingredient. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s milk.¡± ¡°How is this related to shortcake?¡± ¡°Hehe, everything! After all, the white part of the shortcake is made with, you guessed it, milk!¡± ¡°What!? That was milk!? But milk is a liquid! No matter how you look at it, the white part of the shortcake I ate wasn¡¯t a liquid!¡± Rutobias raised his voice in surprise to Risa¡¯s words. ¡°You¡¯re right! That¡¯s why I thought to show you the actual process.¡± Watching his disbelief with excitement, Risa began to take out the necessary tools. Rutobias quietly watched her. On the worktable was a silver, metal container and a metal cup with gradations on it. There was also a remarkable tool where a couple of oval shaped wires were stuck to a handle. Rutobias was completely in the dark on what the tools would be used for. ¡°Seeing is believing, let¡¯s start then!¡± Risa said happily and poured the milk into the cup with the gradations. Once it met one of the gradations, she poured it into the big metal container. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Rutobias, confused by why she needed to pour the milk twice, asked Risa. ¡°This is called measuring. I¡¯m adding sugar later, but there is a set milk to sugar ratio. If it were different every time, the sweetness would also be different every time.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The work that seemed twice the effort had actual reason for it. While she explained to Rutobias, Risa finished measuring the milk and took the strange tool. ¡°Now we¡¯ll be using this curious tool.¡± Risa put the wire part of the tool into the container with milk inside. Rutobias prepared himself for magic to happen and watched Risa¡¯s movements. Risa picked up the container to fit snugly between her body and her left hand and began to mix the contents with the tool in her right. Rutobias stared. ¡°¡­Um, Miss Risa?¡± He called out weakly to Risa. However he felt a pat on his shoulder and turned to see Zeke, who had been working on something else. ¡°Just watch.¡± His face showed a shadow of a smile. Zeke had experienced the same thing as Rutobias, and couldn¡¯t help but call out to him as he watched. Risa chuckled and continued stirring, the bowl in her hands rattling with the sound of metal on metal. After a while, the milk began to transform. It was originally liquid, but it began to thicken and seemed to increase in volume. Risa stopped in the middle to measure in some sugar, causing it to thicken even more. ¡°And whipped cream is done! This is the white part of the shortcake.¡± Risa lifted the tool she had mixed with, and the milk that had stayed on the tool stood up, making a stiff peak. It seemed like magic, and Rutobias stared at the transformed milk in awe. ¡°¡­How did milk turn into this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a surprise that you¡¯re surprised. Actually, Zeke asked me the same thing. To be honest, this isn¡¯t normal milk. It¡¯s from milk fruit that was left alone longer than usual. Try a bite?¡± Risa said, pouring a bit of milk into the measuring cup and handing Rutobias a spoon. Rutobias scooped a spoonful of milk from the cup and put it in his mouth. ¡°It¡­seems richer than milk¡­I think?¡± ¡°Yup. Ripe milk has more fatty content, so it¡¯s richer. Then you mix it with this tool, a whisk, to thicken and give it shape.¡± This time, Risa took a spoonful of the solidified milk and handed it to Rutobias. Rutobias put it into his mouth, and sure enough, it was the white part of the shortcake he had yesterday. In spite of his astonishment, the process had happened before his eyes so he had no choice but to believe it. He found it remarkable that such a delicious thing had never existed in this country until now, and discovered reverence for Risa who made it like it was nothing. ¡­There are always higher heights. From when he was small, Rutobias was lauded as a genius. However, now he felt that the word should be used for this woman, not him. Suddenly Rutobias felt incredibly dumb for dancing to other people¡¯s tunes. Perhaps Risa did not show any of her struggles on her face, but there was definitely no sign that she had any from how nonchalantly she explained the recipe for the dessert. ¡°¡­What the heck.¡± ¡°¡­Hm?¡± ¡°¡­No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Rutobias¡¯s shoulders suddenly felt a lot lighter. No matter how much knowledge and talent he had, none of it mattered. It was all about how he used it. Perhaps he had no talent in cooking. However, he at least wanted to see the future of the person who moved his heart. ¡°Miss Risa, please teach me more.¡± ¡°¡­Usually I¡¯d advertise the recipes sold at the Ashley Company right about now! Is what I¡¯d like to say¡­but just for this boy overflowing with curiosity, I¡¯ll make an exception.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± After that, Rutobias watched Zeke make cookies and asked all the questions about the tools he had never seen before and much more. They also showed him how to make butter, the essential ingredient for cookies. Despite first impressions, Zeke listened to Rutobias more than Risa and they became closer. After all, he was the same as Rutobias, where he fell in love with Risa¡¯s food and chose to walk the path of a chef. Zeke knew what Rutobias was experiencing. ¡°You don¡¯t have to rush. There is much to learn, not just from your studies, but also from hanging out with your friends. I used to be a knight, but I don¡¯t regret it, and my experience shows in my cooking. Go out and experience the world, look, hear, eat¡­your experiences will lead back to good food. Well¡­all of this is advice I received from Miss Risa, though.¡± ¡°Yup yup! Go out, experience things, be troubled, and fail as much as you can! Failure is the mother of success, and delicious miracles can be born from culinary failures! That¡¯s why don¡¯t rush, don¡¯t give up, and have fun!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Risa and Zeke smiled at Rutobias¡¯s energetic response. --------------------------------------------------------------- On the way home from Caf¨¦ Omusubi. The streets were dyed in sunset red. His shadow stretching on the pavement, Rutobias went home with a bounce in his step. His culinary studies weren¡¯t set in stone yet. However, after talking to the store owner of Caf¨¦ Omusubi, Risa, and Zeke today, he felt like his goal was slowly becoming clearer. He walked towards home. For some reason, even such a simple everyday thing seemed to shine today. He stopped and looked up at the indigo sky to see the crescent moon peeking out from the clouds. Rutobias reflected on the events today. He took a deep breath and stepped forward again. Around two years later. There would be a new cooking department established at the Feliformia National General Magic Academy, but at the time there was no way Rutobias would know of it. Volume 2, Prologue Volume 2, Prologue Characters Helena A waitress at Risa¡¯s caf¨¦. Her family runs a bakery. Favorite food: Ice cream Alan A new caf¨¦ employee. Ex-royal chef apprentice. Favorite food: Pancakes Olivia A new caf¨¦ employee. Single mother for her young son. Favorite food: Nikujaga (beef stew) BasilEmerald spirit watching over Risa. Around 20cm tall. Favorite food: Tamagoyaki (rolled egg) Keith Royal sous-chef. Flirtatious, but his title isn¡¯t just for show. Favorite food: Karaage (deep-fried chicken) The capital of Feliformia. A few steps into the tools street off the main road stands a small compact shop. The sign hanging on the bright red door read Caf¨¦ Omusubi, the shop¡¯s name. Lauded for its unfamiliar yet delicious cuisine, its name reached far and wide outside the capital and throughout the countries. However, only a select few knew that the store was managed by Risa, a woman who came from another world. --------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯d like to order!¡± ¡°Yes, right away!¡± Around noon one day. Even though Caf¨¦ Omusubi had just opened, the shop quickly filled with a swarm of customers. ¡°I¡¯ll have this omusubi lunch set.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± The pair of young women said, pointing at the menu. ¡°All right.¡± The girl with a bob cut in a black uniform smiled and nodded, writing notes on the paper in her hands. ¡°Would you like anything to go with that?¡± ¡°Would you like a drink with that?¡± She smoothly asked such questions before bowing and returning to the large counter in the middle of the shop. Watching her leave, one of the two women who ordered murmured, ¡°I hope it comes soon!¡± ¡°Me too! I¡¯m so glad we managed to grab a seat!¡± ¡°Yeah. I mean, just look at that line!¡± There was a line of people outside the window waiting for seats to clear. There were also people who peeked into the store and went home after buying takeaway food with complicated expressions. Seeing the people outside, the two female customers felt a tiny bit of superiority. After a while, another employee came to their table with two plates. She smiled and placed the plates on the table. ¡°Thank you for your patience. Your omusubi lunch sets.¡± ¡°It¡¯s here, it¡¯s here!¡± On the left of the plate were two types of omusubi. On the right, a steaming bowl of miso soup full of ingredients. There was also a small bowl of salad with tamagoyaki on the side. The two customers no longer saw anything other than the food in front of them. While finding their excitement charming, the store employee gave a simple explanation of the food before quickly excusing herself. They immediately picked up their forks and puzzled over which omusubi to eat first. One type was white rice mixed with bits of colorful green and pink. The other type was grilled golden brown on the surface. After some deliberating, they each picked a type and scooped a bite out with their forks. Their eyes, sparkling with anticipation, widened in amazement. ¡°Yummm!¡± ¡°Mmm, it really is! I¡¯ll have the other one this time.¡± ¡°Me too!¡± They chittered over the quickly disappearing food. The next breath they took was over tea. ¡°I¡¯m stuffed!¡± ¡°It was so yummy! It always is though.¡± ¡°Right?¡± They nodded to each other, satisfied. ¡°Hey, the one who brought us the food, that was the store owner, right?¡± ¡°It seems so. She¡¯s amazing despite her age, right?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem much different from us, yeah¡­¡± The woman who bustled about serving food and giving other employees orders. The two female customers watched her in awe, her long hair tied in a ponytail swaying with her movements. His Highness Edgar Crown prince of the Feliformia kingdom. Blonde hair blue eyed Prince?. Raises marriage talks with Risa this time. Favorite food: Hamburg steak Zeke Ex-knight and cook at the caf¨¦. At first it seemed his feelings towards Risa were simple respect, but¡­? Favorite food: Pudding Risa (Kurokawa Risa)Ex-office worker transported to another world. Store owner of Caf¨¦ Omusubi. Fighting every day to spread the good food from Earth! Favorite food: Japanese cuisine Volume 2, 1: There is much to do even on the regular holiday Volume 2, Chapter 1: There is much to do even on the regular holiday Today, there were only three people inside Caf¨¦ Omusubi, which was usually bursting with customers. It was only natural, as today was the regular holiday. The three sat at a table, taking small bites of the various foods lined up in front of them and discussing with serious expressions. ¡°Then this should be good for the daily lunches this week?¡± The raven haired woman who asked the other two people was Risa Kurokawa Claude. Although she used to be called Kurokawa Risa, around a year and a half ago she suddenly came to another world. Under strange circumstances she came to manage this caf¨¦. Her shallow contours typical of the Japanese and wide black eyes caused her to look younger than she actually was in this world. As a woman, she was happy about this, but the people around her often worried, ¡°Can a girl this young really manage a store?!¡± As such, she had complicated feelings about her looks as the caf¨¦ and store owner. The man nodding next to her was Zeke Brown. He usually took care of cooking. An ex-knight, he was tall and muscular despite his slender body. He was quite handsome with silver hair and blue eyes. However, his face rarely showed any real expression. Even now, his face remained blank as he nodded in agreement. To that end, he often came off as cold, but he was really a passionate man, both chivalrous and kind. It might be hard to imagine given his cool exterior, but he was also passionate about sweets. He fell in love with Risa¡¯s desserts, and quit the chivalric knight order to work at the caf¨¦. ¡°I think it¡¯s good.¡± Sitting across from the two and agreeing with Risa in a bright voice was Helena Chester. The girl with her orange hair fashioned in a bob cut was a waitress at the caf¨¦. She began to hate Caf¨¦ Omusubi, thinking it was at fault for the drop in sales at her family bakery. She attempted to raise a smell scandal, but was captured and began working at the caf¨¦ to make up for it. Although she had a bit of trouble due to the pranks she pulled on the caf¨¦, she worked very hard to become an irreplaceable member of the caf¨¦¡¯s staff. Caf¨¦ Omusubi was run on the backs of these three people. One year after Caf¨¦ Omusubi opened business. Until recently, the caf¨¦ only rested on the weekly regular holiday for the people. However, business boomed to the point that three employees could not keep up with it. Now, to make sure the food and waiting quality would not dip, the caf¨¦ had its own regular holiday for a total of two closed days every week. There were complaints from customers that the shop had already been hard to visit even before the new schedule. However, they would be putting the cart before the horse if the employees forced themselves, causing food and waiting quality to drop. While it was also possible to hire more employees, the applicants consisted of people who wanted to steal Caf¨¦ Omusubi¡¯s recipes, fans who just wanted to work at a famous shop, people who just wanted to get closer to the handsome Zeke¡­people who only had impure motives. There was also no room or space to train and onboard new hires. Unable to watch the busy trio, Risa¡¯s friend, Angelica would also help out sometimes. While she was a huge help, she also had her work at Silas¡¯s Magical Tool Store next door as the store¡¯s poster girl. After deliberating for a long time, Risa finally decided as the store owner to add a business holiday. On the business holiday, everyone would rest. Then they would gather at the store on the regular holiday to discuss the next week¡¯s menu or develop new items for the menu. Today, the three people picked at the prototypes on the table while discussing. ¡°Does the amount seem okay?¡± ¡°Could we make more of this cake? There were a lot of customers who ordered it after it sold out, so I had to recommend other cakes to them¡­¡± ¡°I see! Then we¡¯ll make more of this and make less of the others.¡± Risa looked at the sales for the day as well as the wasted food items while deciding the new stock. Next to her, Zeke looked at the list and nodded in agreement. By the time they finished their meeting, the food for tasting had gone cold. They finished all of it for lunch and began to prepare for business the next day. Helena replenished the consumables like paper napkins and takeaway bags, then bustled about cleaning places she usually didn¡¯t clean, from the storage on the second floor to the storefront. Risa and Zeke prepared for the menu tomorrow and made food that could be placed in the takeaway shelves. In the caf¨¦ usually humming with noise during business hours, only the sounds of the three people resounded in its walls that day. Volume 2, 2: Helena is troubled. Volume 2, Chapter 2: Helena is troubled. Just after lunch rush hour ended, the sound of shattered ceramic bounced off the walls of the caf¨¦. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± When she was cleaning up a table after a customer, Helena had dropped a plate. She apologized to the customers around her. That was the third dish today. After cleaning up the broken pieces, Helena went to a place the customers couldn¡¯t see and sighed. Watching her, Risa furrowed her eyebrows in concern. However, the caf¨¦ was very busy today, so there was no time to chat. Afterwards, Helena pulled herself together, and the caf¨¦ closed without any further complications. ¡°Helena, are you okay? You seem a little different than usual today¡­ are you feeling unwell?¡± After the store closed, Risa cleaned up most of the kitchen. She went to the hall where Helena was and asked. ¡°Miss Risa¡­I¡¯m so sorry. I broke three dishes today¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Ah, not that it¡¯s good to break them, but¡­ well, did something happen?¡± Helena stopped folding napkins and looked straight at Risa. ¡°Miss Risa, do you have some time after this? I¡¯d like to ask your advice about something.¡± Risa agreed and went to the kitchen to tell Zeke she would leave early today. --------------------------------------------------------------- The second floor of the caf¨¦ used to be living quarters for the couple who previously owned the store, but it was used as resting space for staff and storage now. There was a large table in the middle of the old living room, to which Risa and Helena walked towards. They sat down across from each other. Helena was seventeen years old. Although she was already an adult in this world, she was still a minor in Risa¡¯s previous world. Risa felt uncomfortable giving a minor alcohol, and anyways, it seemed better to be sober when they were going to talk about something serious. She made some relaxing tea. Then she asked Helena. ¡°So, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Helena took the cup, but didn¡¯t drink it, instead swirling the tea around in the cup. She sighed, put the cup down, and looked up. ¡°Miss Risa, have you ever thought about marriage?¡± ¡°Heh?¡± Risa was so shocked to hear marriage come from the mouth of Helena, who was six years younger than her, that she couldn¡¯t help but squeak in surprise. ¡°Marriage¡­I mean, well, of course I would like to be married some time in the future, but that¡¯s something that requires a partner before discussion even happens¡­do you want to marry, Helena?¡± Risa answered vaguely with another question, but Helena¡¯s face remained dark as a raincloud. Risa worried that she might have said the wrong thing. ¡°Uhm, I don¡¯t know about Miss Risa¡¯s world, but most girls get married once they come of age here. Rather, this is a little difficult to say, but¡­single women your age are few and far in between, Miss Risa.¡± ¡°Right after they come of age¡­what, you mean they marry at sixteen?! Isn¡¯t that a bit early?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s most common to get engaged at sixteen, and then marry some time between eighteen and twenty.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s true that you could get legally married at sixteen in my previous world, but¡­¡± ¡°Ah, really?¡± ¡°Yes, but that was very very rare. Most people get married in their twenties. People were getting married later and later, so there were more and more newlyweds in their thirties.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°So Helena, you also want to get married, then?¡± ¡°Yes. Specifically, I have someone I want to marry.¡± ¡°What! Helena, you had a boyfriend?!¡± ¡°Yes, it hasn¡¯t been going well with him recently, though.¡± ¡°Is that why you were acting so strangely today?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s actually already over with him to be precise. I couldn¡¯t really accept why we couldn¡¯t keep trying¡­I felt really bad, and a lot of thoughts started swirling around in my head¡­¡± Risa, who had no idea that Helena had a partner like that, wavered in her shock. But what good was the advisor to the advisee if they wavered? She calmed down by downing the whole cup of her now cooled tea. ¡°Regardless of whether you were thinking about marrying him, I feel like there is always some form of regret when you break up with your boyfriend.¡± ¡°I know that, but¡­¡± According to Helena, they began dating around the time Chester Bakery was about to go bankrupt. When Helena was troubled about her family business, he always tried to cheer her up. Risa felt a little guilty about this, as Caf¨¦ Omusubi was one of the reasons why Chester Bakery almost went bankrupt. Judging from Helena¡¯s tone, however, she didn¡¯t seem to hate the caf¨¦ anymore, so Risa felt relieved. Even when Helena began to work at the store, their dating had been going smoothly. When Chester Bakery got back on its feet and was bustling with business as before, he was happy for her. However, their relationship changed with a certain event. As the eldest son, he said to Helena, ¡°I need to continue the family business, so of course you¡¯ll marry into my family, right?¡± Helena was surprised at how matter-of-factly he said it, and couldn¡¯t help but ask ¡°Why?¡± Taken aback by her unexpected reply, he grew furious and they argued over it. Although he was the eldest son, Helena was also the single daughter of Chester Bakery. He didn¡¯t think about her position as the sole successor, which infuriated Helena. However, Helena was destroyed by the harsh words he spoke in anger. If only Chester Bakery had gone out of business¡­ After watching her father try his best to keep the bakery, passed down for generations, afloat, Helena was unable to forgive those words. Not only that, she felt betrayed by the person who had been so close to her and had cared so much on the outside, when he really thought such things in his heart. He also knew that he screwed up. He tried to take it back by saying those weren¡¯t his real feelings, but ever since then things had been awkward. They finally broke up yesterday. ¡°Father couldn¡¯t stand seeing us like that, so he said I didn¡¯t have to continue the family business if I didn¡¯t want to. Of course, I would be happy if my future husband would continue our business, but I don¡¯t want to marry someone I don¡¯t even like, just because they are willing to do so.¡± ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± Holding back her tears, Helena finished speaking. Her body language expressed all of her complex feelings¡ªregret, anxiety, fury, and simple despair. ¡°Thinking back on it, if I had chosen my words more carefully when he came to propose, he might not have said such harsh words. It¡¯s too late to think about all of this, though.¡± Helena laughed helplessly. If his family wasn¡¯t a business. If Helena wasn¡¯t the only daughter. If, like he said, Chester Bakery went out of business back then¡­ It was pointless to think about all of the what ifs, but Helena couldn¡¯t help but think about the possible futures with him. Although she was hurt by his words, she didn¡¯t hate him . When Helena was in pain, there was no doubt that he had supported her, and it was likely that his joy when the bakery returned to business was very much real. ¡°You can¡¯t always get what you want, huh.¡± Helena murmured sadly. She downed the cold tea in one go and sighed again. Volume 2, 3: I received a crazy request. Volume 2, Chapter 3: I received a crazy request. ¡°Marriage, huh¡­¡± After going home, Risa rolled onto her bed and thought about Helena¡¯s words. Although Risa had wanted to marry some time into the future, she had never really thought deeply into it. As such, she did not know what she could say to help Helena. However, Helena seemed much more refreshed when she went home after sharing, as if talking had lifted the burden off her chest. ¡°Of course she would feel complicated about it.¡± Risa also sighed as if she was infected by Helena. ¡°Are you troubled too, Master?¡± Basil peeked down at Risa, who was lying face up. Basil was a small spirit who had always been by Risa¡¯s side ever since Risa had come to this world. ¡°It¡¯s no use for me to worry about it, but I can understand why she would think that way.¡± ¡°About marriage?¡± ¡°Marriage¡­ more like the relationship between two people, I guess? I feel like I can understand where Helena was coming from when she said you can¡¯t always get what you want.¡± Risa also had a similar experience. Risa met with her last boyfriend less and less after she graduated from vocational school and got a job. Not only that, but his opinions and the topics he cared about as a college student were too far removed from Risa, who was in the working class. Small things piled onto each other, and they broke up in the end. She didn¡¯t hate him. After they broke up, they stayed friends. However, they simply couldn¡¯t continue as lovers. It wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault, either. Small differences stacked upon each other, small wounds festered and grew larger, and both of their hearts were hurt. In Helena¡¯s case, even though her boyfriend¡¯s harsh words were the last straw, the differences probably began to show when Helena began working at the caf¨¦. There was less time to meet, and Helena slowly moved her top priority from her lover to her work. Although she did not mean to ignore him, it was true that his importance had decreased in her heart, according to Helena. Although Risa¡¯s situation was different from Helena¡¯s, she understood how unbearable it was. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s hard to be human.¡± Basil said, tilting her head in confusion, to which Risa laughed wryly. Spirits could not understand the concepts of marriage and love. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s hard to be human.¡± Not knowing that such a hard problem would fall upon her soon, Risa went to sleep. _______________________________________________________________ The next day. As always, Risa sat down across from her step parents Gilford and Anastasia at the breakfast table. ¡°Good morning.¡± Anastasia, who was drinking her tea before breakfast, and Gilford, who was reading the newspaper, murmured their replies. They were the kind couple that had taken Risa in and adopted her when she had collapsed in this world. Gilford was the head royal magician and held the title of marquis. His hair color was a recognizable brown from Risa¡¯s previous world, and his silver grey eyes were always crinkled with amusement. Sitting next to him was Anastasia, with shockingly pink hair impossible in Risa¡¯s previous world and violet eyes. Although she was in her forties, her looks and her personality made her seem much younger. She was also the owner and designer of the famous clothing store, Sheryl Merry, and the object of many women¡¯s admiration. Her family ran the large merchant company, the Ashley Company, and she had helped Risa negotiate the caf¨¦¡¯s ingredient supply chain with them. Once Risa sat down at the table, the maids brought in breakfast and the three of them began to eat. When they began to talk about their plans for the day, Gilford remembered something with an ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°That reminds me. Risa, tomorrow is the caf¨¦¡¯s regular holiday, right?¡± ¡°Yes, what about it?¡± ¡°Do you have any plans? It¡¯s really fine if you do.¡± ¡°Nothing in particular. What is it?¡± Hearing that, for some reason Gilford slumped back in his seat. Risa and Anastasia looked at each other, confused by his actions. ¡°That damn Royce, he said he had something to talk about with you so he¡¯ll be coming tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°Mister Royce?¡± Royce Warlock was the Secretary of Civil Affairs and Gilford¡¯s friend. He was also one of the few people who could rein in Gil, who either hated or loved his work. While they bickered whenever they met, they had been friends since the academy so they got along quite well. ¡°He refused to tell me what it was about, though. Somehow I can¡¯t be convinced that it¡¯s nothing dubious¡­¡± ¡°If he¡¯s talking with me, it must be a request like that time with the international royal conference, right?¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not so sure about that.¡± ¡°Anyways, since there¡¯s no choice but to ask him about it and I haven¡¯t met him in a while, why don¡¯t we invite Mister Royce for lunch as well?¡± Anastasia suggested brightly, to which Gilford let out a ¡°whaaaaaat¡± with a whine. However, Anastasia looked at him, all smiles, and replied ¡°Hmm?¡± Gilford reluctantly nodded. Catching a glimpse at their power dynamic, Risa thought to herself, there¡¯s a lot to do even after getting married, huh. _______________________________________________________________ As per usual, Risa window shopped through the market at the central plaza on her way to the caf¨¦. The market closed at noon, and provided fresh vegetables, fruits, and seafood harvested and caught the day of. She could find special seasonal ingredients or rare imports every time she went by. It was fun to chat with the storekeepers about them as well, and ideas for new recipes would pop up in her head. Usually, the ingredients used at the caf¨¦ were supplied by Anastasia¡¯s family, the Ashley Company. However, limited ingredients produced by farmers could be purchased at the market. After buying some vegetables and fruits, she continued to the caf¨¦ and met Helena along the way. ¡°Thank you for staying so late with me yesterday,¡± Helena said with a smile. Risa sighed in relief. Not only that, Helena had already moved on. ¡°I¡¯ve got to find a new boyfriend!¡± She couldn¡¯t help saying something unnecessary like ¡°If you don¡¯t hurry up, Miss Risa, you¡¯ll miss your chance, you know~¡± after that, though¡­ Zeke, who came to work right after they reached the caf¨¦, also looked relieved to see Helena back to normal. That day, the caf¨¦ closed without Helena breaking a single dish. _______________________________________________________________ The next day on the regular holiday, Royce visited the Claude mansion. He wore a simple white dress shirt with a tie under a close-fitting black jacket. His long, navy hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and his almond eyes peeked out behind silver frames. He was led to the drawing room by the butler, Reid. Ignoring Gilford¡¯s grim expression, he greeted Anastasia. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you on such a busy day.¡± Anastasia silenced Gil, who complained behind her, ¡°you should be,¡± with a glare and welcomed Royce with a graceful curtsy. The four of them sat on the sofa, and they made light talk about recent events. Anastasia and Royce led the conversation, and time gently passed. Seeing Gilford calm down a bit, Anastasia changed the subject. ¡°So, I heard that you had something to talk about with Risa! What could it be? Would it be better if Gil and I headed out?¡± ¡°It would actually be better if you stayed and listened. A few days ago, the parliament actually decided to increase the programs at the National Academy.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I think I¡¯ve heard something about that.¡± Gil said, remembering, and Royce nodded. ¡°When you say programs, you¡¯re referring to something like the Magician or Chivalry Department, right?¡± Risa dredged up what little knowledge she had and asked. Feliformia National General Magic Academy, or the National Academy, was a school where people learned magic theory and application. They learned the foundations in the Elementary Department from ten to twelve years old, then they specialized into programs from thirteen to fifteen years old. ¡°Yes. Currently, we have four programs¡ªMagician Department, Magical Tool Department, Chivalry Department, and General Education Department. This time there was discussion about creating a Culinary Department.¡± ¡°A Culinary Department?¡± Risa echoed in surprise. Royce continued. ¡°It was brought to the table after the royal conference. The dinner party and ball were a great success due to Lady Risa¡¯s contributions. Afterwards, many of the other countries proposed to have their chefs study food abroad at Feliformia.¡± ¡°My, is that so!¡± Anastasia also widened her eyes in surprise. Although there were many chefs who came to the caf¨¦ asking to be taught, Risa had no idea such petitions had grown to the international level. At the same time, the face of a boy who began to come to the caf¨¦ regularly a few months ago emerged in her mind. The boy who begged to be taught cooking. She had promised she would find some path for him if his heart hadn¡¯t changed when he graduated from the Elementary Department. If the academy created a Culinary Department, she would be able to keep that promise. ¡°But the kids in the programs will be thirteen to fifteen years old, right? Wouldn¡¯t it be a little too early to have them learn cooking at that age?¡± Anastasia said worriedly. She was right, Risa thought. The boy she was thinking of was only eleven, but his intelligence well surpassed his age so he would be fine. However, if she thought of his childhood friend who was close to the average child their age, it was too early for her to learn cooking. Then Risa remembered her own school years. The students in the programs were around the same age as middle school students in Risa¡¯s previous world. When Risa was a middle schooler, she had applied cooking classes. Not only that, but the older years in elementary school also did simple food prep. It felt more likely to create a specialized program for cooking at the National Academy based on that. ¡°I think it would be fine as long as the teachers took proper precaution.¡± Risa talked about her cooking classes with the full attention of the other three. ¡°I see. It would be fine to deduct from your story that the academic institutions in your previous world mandated that their students learn from many disciplines, then?¡± ¡°That might be true. I never thought too deeply about it¡­¡± ¡°That is very interesting. I would love to hear more, but we should stop there for now. I came here today to ask your collaboration in creating the Culinary Department. We would be overjoyed if you were to serve as our consultant on the project, Lady Risa.¡± ¡°W-what? Me?!¡± Amidst her shock, Risa worried whether there was no other suitable person for the job. ¡°I did approach Head Chef McKinnies, who refused on the grounds that you would be a better fit. He said to ask you first.¡± Royce said, as if he read Risa¡¯s mind. ¡°Personally, I agree with Chef McKinnies. Not only that, but you have experience with food preparation in a class setting. We had also considered asking you to become a teacher after the department accepted students. Please, we would like you to accept this.¡± ¡°W-w-w-wait a second! I still have the store to look after, that¡¯s impossible! We already have too much to do for three people, much less two!¡± ¡°Yeah, Royce! Don¡¯t just move the conversation forward on your own!¡± Risa panicked and Gilford jumped to her aid, though he seemed more eager to pick a fight with Royce himself than the topic at hand. He was immediately yelled at by Anastasia¡ª¡±Honey, hush.¡±¡ªand he grew quiet. ¡°I know this is a lot to think about, and I expected you would say that. It is all right if you don¡¯t answer right away. After all, the Culinary Department would be established the year after next earliest. That would be a little less than two years from now.¡± Risa¡¯s shoulders relaxed upon hearing that it would be just short of two years later. Although it was a new department, it wouldn¡¯t happen overnight. ¡°That¡¯s true. The class material needs to be decided from scratch, and equipment and facilities also need to be acquired.¡± ¡°Yes. I am not well versed in cooking, so I cannot say anything about the class material. However, we will be rebuilding a new building in place of one of our old, unused buildings. The budget for that has already been decided as well.¡± ¡°My, you¡¯ve finished all the preparations.¡± ¡°You probably stole it all with your silver tongue.¡± ¡°Rather than put it into work that won¡¯t produce harm or health, the money would do much more when put into education for the children of the future.¡± Royce replied nonchalantly to Gilford¡¯s bitter words. He really did take all of it¡­ Risa and Anastasia smiled dryly. ¡°Anyway, please consider the offer.¡± Royce said, wrapping up the conversation. _______________________________________________________________ Afterwards, they had dinner with Royce. Gilford had cheered up by then, and they chatted pleasantries over the meal. Royce asked various questions about the education system in Risa¡¯s world, and Gilford and Anastasia took the chance to ask about Risa¡¯s childhood as well. In return, Risa asked about Gilford and Royce¡¯s student days. They didn¡¯t talk about the Culinary Department over food, and time passed happily and peacefully. _______________________________________________________________ I¡¯ve changed the term ¡°course¡± to ¡°program¡± to make more sense in English. It might just be my experience, but I¡¯ve come to associate ¡°course¡± with specific classes rather than the ¡°program¡± that takes three to four years to complete. Volume 2, 4: Risa is also troubled. Volume 2, Chapter 4: Risa is also troubled. The next day after Royce came to talk about establishing the Culinary Department. After a long time, Risa went to visit the royal kitchen to meet with the Head Chef Ian McKinnies. Royce had approached him first about the Culinary Department, and McKinnies had coached many royal chefs over the years. Risa believed he was much more suitable for being the consultant for the Culinary Department. ¡°Hello!¡± Risa peeked into the kitchen, and several chefs who recognized her replied to her energetically. ¡°Miss Risa, what did you come here today for?¡± One of the chefs, surprised at her sudden appearance, asked her in surprise. In his eyes were also a small glint of hope. ¡°I just have a question for the Head Chef. The caf¨¦ is opening soon, so I can¡¯t stay long.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Risa couldn¡¯t help but laugh in guilt and mirth at his disappointed reply. He immediately cheered up and left the kitchen, leaving ¡°I¡¯ll go call the Head Chef!!¡± behind him. Risa only laughed harder. After a little while, he returned with a more elderly chef. ¡°Long time no see! I knew you would come.¡± ¡°Long time no see, Mister McKinnies.¡± The man, who would not look like he was a cook if he hadn¡¯t worn chef clothes, was the Head Chef Ian McKinnies. He told his subordinates he would leave the kitchen for a while, and accompanied Risa outside. ¡°Sorry I don¡¯t have a room for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. The caf¨¦ will be opening soon, so I wouldn¡¯t be able to sit and relax anyways.¡± McKinnies and Risa sat down on the haphazardly stacked boxes next to the staff entrance. ¡°You¡¯re here about that right? The talks about the Culinary Department.¡± ¡°Yes. I heard you turned down the proposal, Mister McKinnies?¡± ¡°Yeah. I feel that you¡¯re more suitable for the job than me, Lady Risa.¡± ¡°I believe the contrary. You have many years of experience in coaching rookies as the Head Chef.¡± ¡°Well, in the royal kitchen, yeah. But all the guys here have already come of age. The program in the academy is for kids at least three years younger than that, right? I¡¯ve never taught anyone that young, and they¡¯ll only piss their pants when they see me.¡± He shrugged his shoulders, and Risa couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Not only did McKinnies have a stronger build, but he also looked perpetually unimpressed. His eyebrows seemed to have been drawn with a thick marker, and he had a sharp glare. If he roared in his naturally low voice, the children would be helpless in their fear. He sighed, relating how his recently born grandson had also burst into tears upon meeting him, and Risa couldn¡¯t stop laughing. ¡°Well, leaving aside my looks, I still think you¡¯ll do better. Of course, I¡¯ll help any way I can. You probably need to hire more employees for the caf¨¦. It¡¯ll be fine as long as you start preparing now.¡± Risa smiled and changed the subject after hearing his warning. Both had their work to do so they did not talk for long, but Risa felt lighter afterwards. She was still troubled by it, though, and she went to work with a heavy heart. _______________________________________________________________ ¡°Miss Risa, it¡¯s overflowing.¡± At Zeke¡¯s voice, Risa was pulled back down to earth. The pot she was filling was overflowing with water. Risa hurried to turn off the water, and wondered regretfully how much she had wasted. ¡°Are you all right? First it was Helena, and today it¡¯s you, Miss Risa.¡± ¡°Ahaha, sorry.¡± Risa laughed drily at Zeke¡¯s concerned gaze. Just then, Helena brought some empty plates into the kitchen. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She stared at the two who had stopped cooking. ¡°Miss Risa¡¯s head was in the clouds like you were a while back, so I was wondering if she was okay.¡± ¡°What! Miss Risa, are you in love?!¡± Helena jumped over to Risa, her eyes shining with excitement. ¡°What!¡± Before Risa could deny it, Zeke exclaimed in surprise. ¡°¡­ No, it¡¯s not like that¡­¡± Risa said slowly. Both Helena and Zeke heaved a sigh, to which Risa tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Whaaat, it wasn¡¯t love?¡± Helena said in disappointment as she left the kitchen. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Zeke?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± With that, Zeke immediately returned to his work. ¡­ What is up with these two¡­ Risa tilted her head again. She shook it off and returned to the work at hand. _______________________________________________________________ ¡°A Culinary Department, huh.¡± After the caf¨¦ closed, Risa told Helena and Zeke about the establishment of the Culinary Department. McKinnies also suggested she talk to the two of them, and she also thought it wasn¡¯t just her own problem. ¡°That¡¯s amazing! Hasn¡¯t it been a few decades since the National Academy last added a new program?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know the specifics, but it seems so.¡± ¡°Mister Zeke graduated from the Chivalry Department there, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Huh, what about Helena?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t go to the Academy. I graduated from the Central Women¡¯s School.¡± ¡°Wow, is that so? It¡¯s a women¡¯s school, so there were only girls there?¡± ¡°Yes. I only had my father growing up, so he told me to go and learn how to be a proper woman¡­ Seriously, I would have preferred to go to the Academy.¡± According to Helena, there were many schools other than Zeke¡¯s alma mater, Feliformia National General Magic Academy, and Helena¡¯s alma mater, Feliformia Central Women¡¯s School. However, the National Academy was more prestigious than other schools and had a higher employment rate. Most of the people who held important positions in the country graduated from the Academy. ¡°What an amazing school¡­¡± Hearing all this, Risa felt more and more like the responsibility was too heavy for her to bear this time. ¡°As I thought, it¡¯s asking too much for me to be the consultant for the establishment¡­¡± ¡°What?!¡± Helena and Zeke stared in shock at Risa, who held her head in her hands. ¡°That¡¯s amazing, Miss Risa!¡± ¡°Heh?¡± Helena said brightly, the complete opposite of the gloomy Risa. ¡°You contributed so much to the international royal conference last year, so it¡¯s only natural, but that¡¯s still so amazing! That means your cooking has been acknowledged, Miss Risa!¡± Helena chattered excitedly as if it were she who had obtained the consultant position. However, Risa was taken aback by her reaction, completely caught off guard. Zeke also nodded approvingly. ¡°Yes. Making a new department means that the country is attempting to improve its food as well. Since the purpose lines up with the reason Miss Risa opened this store, we couldn¡¯t hope for better, right?¡± What Zeke said was true. In the first place, Caf¨¦ Omusubi had opened because Risa was so shocked by the huge gap in food between worlds, so she set out to improve it. ¡°It¡¯s a blessing that there will be a Culinary Department, but it doesn¡¯t seem possible centered around me. My hands are full with just this store¡­¡± Clearly it was way past her possible workload. Risa was not as great a person as the two were making her out to be. In Risa¡¯s previous world, her culinary knowledge and skill were worthless. Even so, she was lauded for her new flavors and new recipes in this world. At first she had taken the compliments honestly and was glad to hear them. She was happy to make the food when she saw the people in the Claude mansion and the caf¨¦ customers eat so happily. For a short while, she was even proud of herself, thinking, ¡°what great work I¡¯m doing for so many people to be happy about it.¡± However, she was soon visited by fear as black as the abyss. Once new things were released, what had originally been around would grow old. While a universal truth, Risa experienced that firsthand. ¡­ One year after the caf¨¦ began. She was fortunate to have regulars, who happily came to the caf¨¦ for the food. However, they soon grew tired of the existing menu. The second they entered the store, they would ask if there were any new recipes. Risa was made acutely aware of their expectation for new flavors from her. Heavy expectation and the pressure that accompanied it. How long and how far did she have to go? Even if she turned her back on the problem, somewhere deep inside of her lamented her troubles. Ignoring Risa¡¯s long face, Helena raised her hand enthusiastically with an ¡°ooh, me, pick me!¡± ¡°This is great timing! Shouldn¡¯t we increase the number of employees now? See, I might marry and quit too.¡± ¡°Helena, you¡¯re getting married?¡± ¡°One day, Zeke, one day! I was just dumped by my boyfriend so it won¡¯t happen for a while, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you were spacing out a few days ago?¡± To Zeke¡¯s words, Helena laughed with no sign of the dark cloud from before on her face. She had moved on, Risa thought in relief. ¡°Putting Helena¡¯s marriage aside, I also agree that we should increase our employees. It would be difficult to go on with just us three. If someone were to fall sick, the store would not be able to open.¡± ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°What do you mean, putting my marriage aside!¡± Helena exclaimed furiously. Risa laughed and calmed her down. It was late at night, so they left to go home. Volume 2, 5: Interviews are hard. Volume 2, Chapter 5: Interviews are hard. The next day, they began recruiting new employees: one waiter and one cook. There were two conditions: ¡°can work long term,¡± and as there was no time to teach the rookie, ¡°experienced only.¡± They immediately put up flyers inside and outside the store and immediately received many applications. They asked for the applicants¡¯ names and told them the interviews would be in three days, before the store opened. Word spread, and even more people visited the next day to apply. Risa was very happy to hear that there were more than ten applicants within two days of recruiting. Zeke and Helena weren¡¯t hired via recruiting, after all. Zeke basically forced himself in, while Helena began working as atonement. Regardless of how they were hired, both of them were now indispensable comrades. Risa hoped that the new employees this round would also become a part of their team. Her hopes couldn¡¯t be farther from the truth. Perhaps she had placed her hopes too high. The day of the interviews, Risa was taken aback by the crowd of applicants in front of the shop. Although she knew this beforehand, most, if not all of the applicants were women. The caf¨¦ customer demographic also leaned towards the female side, so she had predicted it would be that way, and she was okay with that. She was not okay with their appearance. All of the girls were incredibly fashionable. Not that being fashionable was a bad thing. However, they were so dressed up that Risa almost wanted to ask them, ¡°are you going on a date?¡± She could not imagine that any of these girls thought seriously about becoming an employee at a restaurant. Of course, not all of them were dressed so prettily, and perhaps it would be better not to judge a book by its cover. They all came for the interview, so Risa asked them all to enter the store and take a seat. She called their names one by one to the second floor. The interview questions included their name, age, experience, and why they applied. All the girls had a similar reason to why they applied. Risa didn¡¯t really mind that, as she also had a similar reason when she interviewed for part-time and full-time jobs. However, they all had a strong smell about them. All the girls had applied extremely fragrant perfume. When she observed each and every one of them, they all had polished, long nails that seemed fresh from a manicure. Although it was good that they were putting in the work to take care of their hands, it wasn¡¯t suited for serving customers at a restaurant. After she finished all of the interviews, Risa turned towards her two employees with mental exhaustion written all over her face. ¡°¡­What do you think?¡± Risa asked, and Helena answered with a dejected expression. ¡°I believe I have the same opinion as you, Miss Risa.¡± Zeke seemed ill from all the smells as he pinched the bridge of his nose, a dark cloud over his face. ¡°For now, let¡¯s send the girls back and tell them no one is hired.¡± ¡°I agree, we still have to prepare for business.¡± The three of them simultaneously sighed and went down the stairs to the first floor. Risa announced to the applicants: ¡°Thank you for coming here today. After some discussion, unfortunately we have decided not to hire anyone today. This was truly a painful decision to make. I hope I will still see you visit our caf¨¦ as customers.¡± There were people who sighed with disappointment, people who immediately put their things together to leave, and people who for some reason looked towards her happily. Amidst the reactions, Risa could not see a single person who really wanted to work at the caf¨¦. Just then, one of the girls spoke timidly. ¡°Uhm~¡­ Could I shake Mister Zeke¡¯s hand before I go?¡± She gazed expectantly at Zeke. ¡°Ah! Me too~¡± ¡°No fair! Mister Zeke, me too!¡± Once one of them spoke up, all of them pushed each other to crowd around Zeke. Zeke quailed at the herd of women and backed away, but they were not to be deterred and clasped his hands. ¡­stab. Risa¡¯s chest suddenly stung with pain. Surprised, Risa pressed a hand on her chest. It went as quickly as it came, but a dark fog began to spread through her chest. Risa recognized this feeling¡ªjealousy. The girls eagerly talked to Zeke, who only replied with ¡°yeah¡± or ¡°no.¡± It was blatantly clear from their starstruck eyes that they all had crushes on him. Regardless of how Zeke felt about the matter, right now there were girls at his side that weren¡¯t Risa. ¡°All right, all right, excuse me, that¡¯s enough!¡± Helena clapped her hands briskly, bringing Risa out of her thoughts. Saved by Helena, Zeke quickly removed himself from the crowd. The girls raised their voices in disappointment and reluctantly left the caf¨¦. _______________________________________________________________ The store was filled with the heavy smell of perfume even after all the girls left. ¡°I had anticipated this, but not to this extent.¡± ¡°Anticipated what?¡± Risa asked Helena as she opened all the windows to air out the caf¨¦. ¡°What type of applicants would come. The girls who came today probably thought of working here as some kind of social advantage. The uniform was designed by the famous Sheryl Merry, and the desserts have royal purveyor status. It can¡¯t be helped for them to think so. Not only that, but Mister Zeke is quite popular. He has the experience as an ex-knight, and I mean¡­ he looks like that. A lot of customers come just to see him, too. Even if they fail the interview, maybe they have a chance of getting closer to him¡­ or so a lot of the girls were probably thinking?¡± Helena chattered while she furiously polished the tables. Almost all of the applicants today wished to fill the waiter position. A restaurant waiter was no easy job. Even if they smiled brightly while wearing a cute uniform, it was basically physical labor. A tray piled full with cakes and drinks had was by no means light. As they had to relay orders between the kitchen and the dining hall, waiters would be walking all day. None of the girls who came to the interview seemed to have the determination to do work. As the current sole waitress, Helena probably felt even more strongly about their lack of determination. Her frustration threw her past disappointment into pure wrath. Leaving the efficient yet furious Helena behind, Risa went towards the kitchen. ¡­ For Zeke, huh¡­ Zeke had already begun preparing for lunch as if the interviews were long forgotten. His profile as he broke apart leafy greens into a bowl, while blank, was very handsome. Although she hadn¡¯t noticed since they met every day, he was no doubt a handsome man. When the caf¨¦ was busy, he would also help out on the front. The girls he waited on would often stare into space after him. ¡­ I never felt anything before, though¡­ Where in the world did that jealousy come from? ¡°Is something the matter, Miss Risa?¡± Zeke stopped what he was doing and looked towards Risa, who stood stock still at the kitchen entrance. ¡°Sorry, sorry, I¡¯ll go make the soup.¡± Risa smiled at him, pretending everything was all right. Volume 2, 6: An envoy came to visit. Volume 2, Chapter 6: An envoy came to visit. A week after she heard about the establishment of the Culinary Department, Risa decided it was about time she should reply. She decided to reject the offer, and took up a pen to write a letter to Royce. Just when she thought about how to start, she heard a knock on her room door. ¡°My Lady, are you free right now?¡± The voice behind the closed door was that of the head maid Mary. ¡°Miss Mary, what is it?¡± ¡°Madam has summoned you.¡± ¡°Tasia?¡± Thinking she could write the letter later, Risa followed Mary out of the room. Apparently Anastasia was in the guestroom. ¡­ Is Mister Royce here again? Then I can tell him my answer right away. So Risa thought, but the one waiting for her was not Royce. Sitting across from Anastasia was a man well into his years with a head of silver hair. His silver eyes behind glasses were warm and kind. However, he observed Risa intently as if to judge her character. ¡°Risa, over here.¡± Anastasia waved Risa in from the entrance to a seat next to her. ¡°This is my daughter, Risa.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Risa.¡± ¡°It is an honor to meet you. I am Lucius Zach,¡± he introduced himself gracefully. ¡°Mister Lucius is the Grand Chamberlain of the royal palace.¡± ¡°Hohoho, it may be not too long before I retire, however.¡± Anastasia added, to which Lucius smiled calmly. Risa tilted her head at his tilted. What business does the Grand Chamberlain possibly have? After they finished introductions, RIsa sat down and Lucius spoke. ¡°I have already spoken with Mrs. Anastasia, but I asked if you could be present as I wanted to tell you as well. This is still secret, but there are talks of marriage between Lady Risa and His Highness the Crown Prince Edgar.¡± ¡°Marriage¡­ talks?¡± ¡°I was surprised, too! Adele and I had joked about how ¡°we¡¯ll be relatives if our children marry, ohohoho,¡± but I had no idea it would blow up like this!¡± Risa had met His Highness Edgar many times when she went in and out of the royal kitchen in preparation for the international royal conference. During the ball for that conference, he had also escorted Risa. ¡°Her Majesty Adele has given her approval and would love for this to go through.¡± ¡°I¡­ see.¡± Risa replied, still unable to grasp reality. ¡­ She probably means as a concubine, right¡­ ¡°His Highness Edgar will one day ascend to the throne. If the marriage talks go through, Lady Risa will become the future queen.¡± Lucius continued, shattering Risa¡¯s thoughts. ¡­ Future queen¡­ me? Risa stared at Lucius blankly. ¡°Pardon my rudeness, but Lady Risa, is there a man that you are currently intimately acquainted with?¡± ¡°N-no, there isn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I see. That is a relief to hear. I understand you have met with His Highness Edgar many times now, so you are well acquainted with his character. Your ages are quite close as well, so I am certain he will become a good partner for you.¡± ¡°If I remember correctly, His Highness Edgar is one year older than Risa, yes? Oh, you two looked perfect for each other when he escorted you!¡± Anastasia said joyfully as she put her hands together in front of her chest. That day, Risa had only managed to stand by His Highness Edgar¡¯s side without embarrassing herself thanks to the amazing work of Anastasia, Her Majesty Adele, and the royal maids. Risa could not see herself in her reflection that day. Risa was flustered by the sudden talk of marriage, but Anastasia seemed all for it. Lucius said, ¡°please consider it, I await your answer,¡± and left. Volume 2, 7: Leave your troubles for when you make meringue. Volume 2, Chapter 7: Leave your troubles for when you make meringue. The light clang of metal on metal formed a rhythm. Risa held the silver bowl in her arm as she whipped the egg whites with a whisk. Usually she would use the mixer to make meringue, but today was an exception. It was the regular holiday today, so there were no customers or the two employees. She didn¡¯t really want to stay home, so she holed herself up in the caf¨¦ kitchen. Even so, she couldn¡¯t motivate herself to make a new recipe, so she was doing brainless work. So many things had happened recently, so she wanted to have some time to herself to think. The request to be the consultant for the Culinary Department, the recruitment for new employees, and the marriage talks with His Highness Edgar. Putting the recruitment aside, she was extremely underqualified for the Culinary Department and the marriage talks. Suppose she did marry His Highness Edgar. She would not be able to continue running the caf¨¦. All royalty that came of age in the Feliformia Kingdom dabbled in politics. Of course, that included His Majesty and Her Majesty, but His Highness Edgar who would lead the next generation already had a position. If she became his spouse, Risa would also be given a political position. She didn¡¯t need to think about that to know it was impossible. After all, Risa had come to this country, no, this world for less than two years. She knew next to nothing about this world, especially when it came to politics. In addition, even though Risa was the daughter of a marquis, she was adopted. Of course, Lucius might not know this fact, but the spouse of the crown prince should still be a lady with noble blood. If this were an average marriage talk, His Highness Edgar might have been the ideal spouse, what with his incredible character and income. However, he was the crown prince of a country. It wasn¡¯t like she loved His Highness Edgar, but there was a reason why she couldn¡¯t refuse on the spot. That was the joy that Anastasia showed when they were informed. She was best friends with His Highness Edgar¡¯s mother, Her Majesty Adelisia. Risa¡¯s refusal would likely cause her deep sorrow, so Risa couldn¡¯t put her foot down. Besides¡­ Risa thought. The people of this world expected Risa to provide unfamiliar and new flavors to them. While she was happy about it, she also felt immense pressure from them. If she married His Highness Edgar, wouldn¡¯t she be set free from that pressure? Risa almost went with the flow, the unimaginable duties and troubles of the crown princess seeming better than all the troubles she had right now. She was suddenly brought back to reality, noticing that the bowl was full of meringue. Suddenly feeling all the exhaustion in her right wrist, Risa placed the bowl on the table. Her sigh in the quiet kitchen sounded strangely deafening. Volume 2, 8: Bull’s-eye. Volume 2, Chapter 8: Bull¡¯s-eye. ¡­ She was acting strangely lately. Zeke felt something off about Risa. The day she told them about the Culinary Department, she was clearly acting strangely. However, for these past few days, while she didn¡¯t seem so at a glance, something about her seemed off. She would be waiting on customers or cooking in her usual, quick way. Suddenly her smile would disappear and she would look depressed. This had happened many times now. Perhaps Zeke only noticed because he always watched her with his eyes. One day Zeke discovered his feelings upon Helena pointing it out. ¡°Mister Zeke, you must really like Miss Risa, huh?¡± Zeke felt the weird emotion in him grow clearer when he heard those words. ¡­ Yeah, I¡¯m in love with her. The second he thought that, his face suddenly rose in temperature. Surprised at this sudden change that had never happened before, he pressed the back of his hand against his cheek. ¡°¡­Huh? I just took a wild guess but I hit the nail on the head?¡± Helena stared at Zeke, her jaw dropped in shock. Even though Zeke acted cool, he still had emotions. It was fun to think about recipes he liked. He felt anger towards unreasonable things, and of course he felt joy and sadness. It simply did not show on his face. Not only that, he was succinct with his words, so it was hard for others to tell what he was thinking. Only Zeke¡¯s family and friends who had hung around him for a long time could read Zeke¡¯s emotions. However, looking back on it, Risa seemed to pick up on them as soon as she met him. He may have been projecting as she was someone he respected, but she seemed to read her like a book despite the lack of any expression. Despite all that, Risa didn¡¯t seem to notice his crush. She probably thought Zeke¡¯s friendliness stemmed from none other than respect. Even so, he had no desire to let her notice. He feared ruining the current relationship they had at this moment. Besides, there was also the question of whether they were a fitting couple. As a chef, he was still an amateur. Although he had amassed more knowledge and skill than when he had just started working at the caf¨¦, he still entreated teaching from Risa. Day after day, Zeke was overwhelmed by her seemingly endless knowledge and ideas conjured out of thin air. That was nothing compared to the distance, the gap between them. Even so, he wanted all of Risa one day. Risa, who masked her thoughts and worries with a smile. He wanted her to confide in him and to allow him to kiss her sorrows away. Unable to inform the target of his attention of his feelings mixed with concern and ulterior motives, Zeke smoldered within himself. Volume 2, 9: Trouble at the store. Volume 2, Chapter 9: Trouble at the store. The sound of glass breaking resounded through the caf¨¦, followed by a piercing shriek. Risa ran out of the kitchen to see what was going on. The deafening silence, usually filled by the usual bustle of customer small talk, was now filled with Helena¡¯s apologizing voice and a female customer¡¯s whining voice. Risa ran to the center of the commotion while all the other customers watched on. ¡°What is the matter?¡± She stopped next to Helena to see there were bits of broken glass on the ground. A plump female customer sat as if perched on her throne next to the glass. She sized Risa up, scrutinizing her from head to toe before saying, ¡°You¡¯re the store owner?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is that so. Then fire this rude employee on the spot.¡± She said, glaring at Helena as if that was Helena¡¯s just desserts. Although Risa wasn¡¯t sure what had happened, she politely bowed and apologized. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry if she caused you any dissatisfaction.¡± She felt Helena bow next to her. ¡°Thanks to you, my newly tailored clothes are ruined, ruined I say! I doubt people like you can understand, but custom orders are the most luxurious clothes out there, okay?!¡± ¡°I deeply apologize. Allow me to wipe it off for you.¡± Risa looked at Helena and sent her to grab a dry cloth. Fortunately the spilled liquid was water, and the small part of the customer¡¯s clothes that had been wet was slightly darker than its surroundings. Risa stooped over her and gently dabbed at the wet spot. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that your clothes got wet. By the way, have you ordered?¡± ¡°Do I look like I have? Of course I haven¡¯t!¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯ll take your order now, then.¡± Once the customer calmed down a bit, Risa quickly took her order in hopes to quickly fill her stomach. Perhaps she was just hangry. The customer immediately pointed to some things on the menu, ordering for the quiet girl sitting across from her as well. It seemed the girl was her daughter. Unlike her mother, the girl looked frail and delicate and sat still as if trying to erase her own existence. Her quiet demeanor was the complete opposite of her fiery mother. Said mother was still irritated by all the attention, and shooed Risa away with a ¡°what are you waiting for? Take it away¡± after giving her the menu. Thanking her lucky stars, Risa returned to the kitchen with Helena, who had just finished cleaning up the broken glass. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Helena hung her head in dejection. ¡°It¡¯s okay. She¡¯s calmed down for now.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about getting fired. There¡¯s no way I would fire you over something like that, so rest easy.¡± ¡°I placed the glass in a bad place. The customer¡¯s wrist just happened to knock it over¡­¡± She must have such a fiery temper to be angry over such a small thing. Helena had always been very talented with improvising on the spot with customers. It was very rare for Helena to be so troubled. ¡°I will take care of that customer, so could you support Zeke in the kitchen while she¡¯s here?¡± Risa looked at Zeke who had been watching them from the worktable, and he nodded. She left Helena to Zeke and brought the cake tray he made out of the kitchen. The mother and daughter calmly accepted and cleaned up the cake tray before jauntily leaving the caf¨¦. Risa gave them an assortment of cookies on their way out as an apology, and they received it despite their incessant complaints. The other customers were all tense from the mother¡¯s outburst, and the air was significantly relaxed once the pair left. One of the regulars, the wife of the neighboring hardware store owner, came to pay the bill soon afterwards. Her husband was the one who made the hanging signboard for the caf¨¦. She often brought the other wives of the tools street, or came to cool her head after fighting with her husband. She was alone today, so it was more likely for the latter reason. She overheard everything from her seat at the counter, and she whispered to Risa as she paid the bill. ¡°Helena did nothing wrong! My, that customer made a waterfall out of a few droplets of water. What a troublesome bunch nobility are!¡± As Risa had suspected from the holier-than-thou attitude and the expensive clothes, the customer was nobility. ¡°I believe she is part of the family of the lord who has land to the west of the capital. Well, she¡¯s the wife of the lord¡¯s son. She came to visit the capital just recently and had been causing quite the disturbance in the shopping districts.¡± It appears the customer had been raising an uproar in other stores as well. The hardware store lady sighed and bemoaned her woes to Risa. ¡°Even if her husband is the son of the lord, that¡¯s a lord out in the country! They don¡¯t even know if the son will be the successor. It¡¯s been whispered up and down the streets that she came to drive a hard bargain and sell her daughter into marriage with the crown prince.¡± Risa¡¯s heart skipped a beat upon hearing ¡°crown prince.¡± Just then, a new customer came in. The hardware store lady said, ¡°sorry to keep you,¡± and left, not noticing Risa¡¯s paled face. _______________________________________________________________ The mother and daughter pair came the next day as well. Seeing them drained Risa¡¯s energy, but she couldn¡¯t chase them out. Meanwhile, Helena saw the pair and retreated into the kitchen. Risa switched with Helena and went towards the customers in question. She smiled warmly and combatted the holier-than-thou attitude with grace and humility. The mother seemed pleased by Risa¡¯s attitude and left in high spirits with her daughter after eating. _______________________________________________________________ The incident happened the next day. It was busier than usual, and there was a long line of customers waiting to be seated. The mother pushed past the line into the store and immediately threw the fan in her hand at Risa, hitting her in the chest. It didn¡¯t hurt much, but the suddenness of it all surprised Risa, who stiffened at the impact. ¡°Why this young lass?! Of course my daughter is more suitable! How dare you! What lowly tactics did you use?!¡± The mother screamed in a high pitch whine. Risa failed to grasp the situation. ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about¡­¡± Risa replied, to which the mother flew into a fury and shrieked louder. ¡°How shameless! It¡¯s as clear as day that you seduced His Highness the crown prince! A peasant like you can only hope for a position as a concubine, and you dare reach for the throne?! Know your place!¡± Risa was surprised as to why she knew about the talks that Lucius said were still confidential. The mother suddenly smiled triumphantly as if Risa¡¯s exhaustion signaled victory. She began to defame not only Risa, but also the caf¨¦, tearing it to shreds with verbal accusations and petty criticisms. There was no sign of the pleased customer from yesterday. Her screams could be heard from outside the caf¨¦, and soon there was a crowd outside the entrance. Risa stood petrified by her yells. Then Zeke stepped in front of Risa. ¡°You are affecting the business. It would be best that you leave.¡± ¡°E-excuse me?!¡± ¡°Can you not see that you are bothering the other customers? If you refuse to step down, I will call in the Chivalric Order.¡± Zeke said firmly, his face kept passively blank yet his eyes glinting. Just then, a familiar face pushed out of the crowd. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± There was no way he should have been on the streets on a weekday at lunchtime, but he must have ditched work as always. Yes, it was Risa¡¯s stepfather, Gilford. He took one look at Risa, who was shielded by Zeke, and the customer who stood with her legs apart and her arms crossed. He nodded, understanding the situation. ¡°You are¡­ the wife of the eldest son of Viscount Sylvares of the Western Territory, yes?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± She stared suspiciously at Gilford, who appeared out of nowhere, and puffed her chest out and her chin up in pride when he guessed her position correctly. ¡°I see, I see. Perhaps this is the first time we have met? I am the Head Royal Magician, Gilford Hyde Claude.¡± Gilford said, bowing respectfully. The blood drained from the customer¡¯s face. She was from the family of a viscount, one of the lowest ranks of nobility. On the other hand, Gilford was the Head Royal Magician and held the title of a marquis. She finally understood what she had done after not even recognizing his face and forcing him to introduce himself before her. Gilford hammered in the last nail on the coffin. ¡°Did you have some problem with my daughter¡¯s caf¨¦?¡± ¡°D-daughter¡­¡± She shook like a leaf upon hearing Gilford¡¯s words. ¡°U-uhm, I¡­¡± ¡°Please leave.¡± Despite her utter and complete defeat, the customer still tried to inch out a few words. However, she was cut off sharply by Gilford, and wandered out of the caf¨¦. Volume 2, 10: I hear my stepfather’s opinions. Volume 2, Chapter 10: I hear my stepfather¡¯s opinions. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Risa sat in the staff room on the second floor of the caf¨¦ with Gilford. Most of the customers left along with the onlookers who came to see what the commotion was all about. Risa took a break after leaving the now empty caf¨¦ to Zeke and Helena. ¡°I¡¯ll raise a formal protest towards the lady at a later date so rest easy.¡± ¡°Gil, I don¡¯t really understand why it¡¯s become like this¡­ she suddenly threw her fan at me, too.¡± ¡°She did?! Good grief¡­¡± Gilford grimaced and told Risa of the lady¡¯s background. Viscount Sylvares¡¯s eldest son had brought his wife and their daughter on a business trip to the capital. While his interest was in trade, her interest was having their daughter seduce the crown prince and become the queen. Although she tried various ways to have the crown prince interact with their daughter, none of her endeavors bore fruit. In frustration, she took to the streets in a shopping spree. According to Gil, it reached her ears through the grapevine that Risa was the prime marriage candidate for the crown prince, and she practically flew to the caf¨¦ in a rage. ¡°She didn¡¯t know that you¡¯re the daughter of the Claude family. Even so, I really doubt how well their character and morals are when they defame someone in public like that.¡± Gilford shrugged and said, ¡°The people in between social classes trumpet their titles the loudest.¡± His face turned serious, however and he looked at Risa. ¡°Regardless of where the information was leaked, it¡¯s now public knowledge that you¡¯re the prime marriage candidate for the crown prince. Words have no wings but they can fly a thousand miles. We will probably receive a formal proposal soon.¡± Although he had not been present when Lucius had visited, Gilford had already known about this for quite some time. However, he had no wish to let his daughter¡¯s hand be taken so he never spoke directly to Risa about it. He recently heard rumors that there was a proposal in secret. Worried, he ran to Risa as fast as he could. ¡°If I reject the talks, will anything bad happen to the Claude family¡­?¡± If she refused, Risa worried that there would be effects on the Claude family honor and Gilford¡¯s position. ¡°It depends on your reason for refusing. Even if you are our daughter, it is ample reason to refuse the talks based on our lack of connection by blood. However, there are precedents of lower-ranking nobles who were adopted into higher-ranking noble families to marry royalty.¡± Despite Risa just surviving the scandal in the caf¨¦, Gilford voiced his opinions bluntly. As long as she introduced herself with the Claude surname, Risa was a person of the Marquis of Claude. They informed her of the proposal and gave her the freedom to decide. ¡°You don¡¯t have to think about the Claude family, just think about what you want to do. We didn¡¯t adopt you as our daughter so we could be connected with royalty. If you want to marry His Highness Edgar, by all means do so. Of course, if you don¡¯t want to, that¡¯s okay too. Personally, I still want you to be my daughter for a long, long time.¡± Risa simply smiled a troubled smile. _______________________________________________________________ ¡­ Words have no wings but they can fly a thousand miles. What a true saying, Risa thought as she grit her teeth. The commotion yesterday served as the first spark, and word spread like fire across the whole street that Risa was the prime marriage candidate for the crown prince. The second the caf¨¦ opened, customers piled in over each other to press her on the truth of it. As it was indeed true, she couldn¡¯t deny it, only vaguely replying with ¡°I cannot say anything on the matter.¡± The first wave of customers were regulars and gossip-loving housewives. In the afternoon, however, the demographic changed as nobility began to appear in the crowd. They set their targets on Risa and observed, judged her every move, not even bothering to enjoy their meals. Even Zeke and Helena were affected by the tense atmosphere. Risa felt bad for them. Concerned for her, the two of them waited on the customers and managed to keep the caf¨¦ event free until closing time. However, Risa realized with rising dread that the same situation would happen the following day, and she began to feel depressed about going to the caf¨¦. _______________________________________________________________ She barely slept that night. Dragging her feet behind her, Risa managed to get out of the house and began to walk towards the market. The sky was covered with thick, gray clouds. It looked like it was going to rain today. The ocean was probably already showing signs of a storm, as all of the seafood stores were closed. The vegetable and fruit stores displayed fresh wares as always, but due to the weather or her low mood, Risa couldn¡¯t seem to see anything that stood out to her. ¡°Hm? Risa? You¡¯re earlier than usual today.¡± Risa stopped when she was called by the lady owner of one of the stores she frequented. ¡°Yeah, I couldn¡¯t sleep.¡± The lady owner¡¯s brightness characteristic of a model saleswoman was blinding for Risa today. I¡¯ll talk to her for a minute or two and leave. Risa thought, but another woman who looked like a customer approached the stall, so Risa turned to leave. At that moment. Suddenly her vision blurred, and the sky tilted. Hearing the lady owner and the customer¡¯s frantic voices far off in the distance, Risa fell unconscious into the darkness. Volume 2, 11: The store owner is not present. Volume 2, Chapter 11: The store owner is not present. That is what Zeke told Helena who had just arrived for work. He had been informed a few moments ago by a maid from Risa¡¯s house. ¡°What?! Is she okay?!¡± ¡°The maid didn¡¯t get into specifics, but she is not in mortal danger.¡± Helena relaxed a little at that. She was reminded of the time when her mother passed away. Anyways, if Risa was okay, they had to focus on the caf¨¦. As the store owner wasn¡¯t present, the decision whether the shop would open fell to Zeke. ¡°What about the caf¨¦¡­?¡± Helena asked. Zeke thought about it for a bit and said, ¡°Let¡¯s open business.¡± Helena personally felt anxious about opening without Risa around, but she couldn¡¯t help but nod at Zeke¡¯s confident reply. It would be better to have more hands on deck, though, Helena thought. She ran to Silas¡¯s Magical Tools Store next door. The poster girl, Angelica jumped and stopped halfway through her ¡°welcome!¡± Ignoring her look of shock, Helena stomped up to the counter. ¡°Angie, please help us with the caf¨¦!¡± Just then, Angelica¡¯s father, Gunt, peeked his head out from the back to see what was going on. He quickly agreed to lend Angelica, so Helena managed to get a helper for the caf¨¦. While they frantically ran around preparing, it was suddenly time to open shop. They somehow managed to open without too much trouble, but the workload only got worse as time went on. The caf¨¦ quickly filled with customers as always, and orders came streaming in. Helena and Angelica took turns taking orders and helping Zeke out in the kitchen. All of the cooking that was usually split between Risa and Zeke fell on Zeke¡¯s shoulders. Helena let Angelica take care of as much waiting as possible while she helped support Zeke by doing simple tasks like plating salads. Even so, there were complaints from the customers that the food was slow to come. The flurry of orders slowed down after lunchtime. While the caf¨¦ remained at full capacity, more customers came to have afternoon tea and spend the time idly. Finally able to catch their breaths, the three employees (and helper) took rotating breaks. When it was Helena¡¯s turn, Zeke told her she could eat the leftovers from lunch. However, she couldn¡¯t seem to find the appetite so she sipped at the lukewarm soup, reflecting on how fast the problem that Zeke mentioned previously had become reality. ¡­ If one of us three fell sick, the caf¨¦ wouldn¡¯t be able to run. Angelica was helping out today, but she couldn¡¯t help out every day. Besides, how long would it be possible to run the caf¨¦ without their backbone, Risa? Helena violently shook her head to dispel her spiraling thoughts and downed the rest of the soup in one go, resolving to try her best to survive the rest of the caf¨¦¡¯s open hours. _______________________________________________________________ ¡°Thank you for your patronage.¡± Helena sent out the last customer and flipped the sign hanging outside the door. She closed the door and let out a sigh. Their helper Angelica was collapsed on a chair with her head on the table. She squeezed out a tired, ¡°It¡¯s finally over¡­¡± ¡°Thank you so much Angie! You¡¯ve been such a great help, we couldn¡¯t have done it without you!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ It¡¯s really nothing¡­¡± Angelica laughed and weakly raised her right hand to wave away the compliments. Helena cleaned up the last of the dirty plates from the tables and headed towards the kitchen. ¡°Here¡¯s the last batch.¡¯ Zeke was washing the pile of dirty plates at the washing sink. Even he was tired out by the workload, as there was a sleepy air about him. Helena said ¡°Thanks again, you can go home now,¡± to Angelica and picked up the clean dishes next to Zeke to dry them. ¡°Mister Zeke, what are we going to do about the caf¨¦ from now on? Tomorrow is the regular holiday, but if Miss Risa needs more time to get better¡­ We can¡¯t keep asking Angelica to come help, but we don¡¯t have time to hire and teach new employees, either.¡± Helena looked at Zeke. After a while, he answered, ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ Let me think about it. For now I¡¯ll go check on Miss Risa tomorrow.¡± Helena knew that he was the most worried about Risa. At first, Helena had thought Risa and Zeke were going out. After working with them, though, she understood that nothing could be further than the truth. Zeke began working under Risa after falling for her sweets, and their relationship was clearly that of a master and her student. Even so, one was a man and the other a woman. She began to wonder whether Zeke was actually romantically attracted to Risa. She tried a wild guess the other day only to receive the blatant result of his flushed face, a stark contrast from his usual blank expression. Regardless of his feelings, though, Helena had no interest in helping him. After all, her previous experience told her it was pointless for a third person to butt in and try to push things along. The Central Women¡¯s School Helena went to was on very friendly terms with the Central Men¡¯s School, so there were a lot of opportunities to interact with the opposite sex. When friends got together, they would immediately start talking about love. Sometimes, even Helena would be told, ¡°I like this person so help me out.¡± There were times when collaboration did lead to fruition, but more often than not it would turn into full on war over one boy. Even bystanders would be dragged into the fray. Thus Helena learned that it was best to keep far, far away from other peoples¡¯ love lives. However, just a little would probably be okay, right? That was why Helena asked Zeke to go visit Risa alone. She lied, saying she had something she had to take care of tomorrow. Helena had pulled pranks on Caf¨¦ Omusubi, blaming it for the horrible business at her family¡¯s Chester Bakery. The one who reached out to help her back on the right track was Risa. Not only that, but Risa even taught her father how to make the new, fluffy bread. She revered Risa as a human and as a woman. Although she wouldn¡¯t go out of her way to help, she would be happy if Risa and Zeke¡¯s relationship took one step further. While she thought about such things, Helena helped Zeke in silence as they finished closing up shop. Volume 2, 12: Someone came to visit. Volume 2, Chapter 12: Someone came to visit. The next day, Zeke went to Risa¡¯s house to visit. Because of her carefree and easy going demeanor, it was easy to forget that Risa was nobility. He deeply understood how far away she was from him upon seeing the large mansion where she lived. The stone path stretching towards the front door from the gate, the vibrant blossoms signaling summer on the bushes to the left and right of the path, the clean, green lawn stretching as far as the eye could see. Zeke took a deep breath and knocked on the door with the metal door knocker. Soon, the door opened to reveal the maid who came by yesterday to inform them that Risa had collapsed. He told her he was here to visit, and she quickly let him into the guest room. She told him to wait here, so he gave the gift he brought to the maid. Thinking it uncouth of him to come empty handed, Zeke had prepared some citrus jelly. After all, one could easily eat jelly despite having no appetite for food, he thought. His six year old sister exclaimed it was delicious after taste testing, so he could vouch for the flavor. Zeke told the maid to keep it chilled in the fridge, and she happily took it away. After a while, a maid older than the previous one entered and led him to Risa¡¯s room. He felt imprudent intruding on the room of the girl he liked, but Zeke quickly forced his feelings down and followed the maid in. Risa sat upright on the bed, her back against the bedpost, and welcomed Zeke with a smile. ¡°Thank you for coming, Zeke.¡± Zeke was a little relieved to see her doing better than he thought despite her pale face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m meeting you like this.¡± Risa said embarrassingly as she pulled up the covers a bit to cover herself. Instead of the usual caf¨¦ uniform, she wore pajamas with her long raven locks falling down her back. Zeke stopped himself from staring and asked after her health. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°I¡¯m much better than yesterday! My fever has gone down, too. The doctor said I collapsed from fatigue and lack of sleep. I would say the bump on my head from falling hurts more, though.¡± Risa laughed, half joking. ¡°You all tried your best to keep the caf¨¦ open yesterday, right? I¡¯m sorry to have caused you so much trouble. I think I¡¯ll temporarily close the caf¨¦ for around a week starting tomorrow. It would be good for you and Helena to stretch your wings a bit, too.¡± Risa said with a smile, but it was very obvious to Zeke that her smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes. He had a bad feeling about this. If he agreed to this, it felt as if she would leave to somewhere far, far away¡­ As if to confirm his suspicions, she would not look at him. The room filled with awkward silence. Zeke watched Risa idly straighten the wrinkles on her covers and opened his mouth to speak. ¡°While you aren¡¯t there, Miss Risa, I will protect the caf¨¦.¡± Risa looked up as his serious voice resounded through the room. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us and concentrate on getting better.¡± Zeke¡¯s blue eyes silently burned with determination. Overwhelmed, Risa simply nodded. Zeke left the mansion. _______________________________________________________________ Zeke went to the royal kitchen at the back of the palace, where once Risa commuted to offer her aid. The chefs were busy preparing for the evening meal. Amongst them was the head chef who noticed Zeke and beelined towards him. ¡°Head chef.¡± ¡°Who? ¡­Ah, if I remember correctly, you¡¯re from Lady Risa¡¯s place¡­ Zeke, was it? Why are you here?¡± Head Chef McKinnies stared at Zeke, taken aback by his sudden appearance. In response, Zeke bowed his head down towards him. ¡°I came to ask a favor. Would you please lend one of the chefs here to me?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Miss Risa collapsed yesterday.¡± The head chef¡¯s eyes seemed to pop out of his head at those words. The other chefs around them also stopped their movements and stared at Zeke in disbelief. ¡°Lady Risa?! Is she all right?!¡± ¡°Yes. It was from fatigue and lack of sleep.¡± ¡°Phew¡­ That¡¯s a relief. So because she¡¯s at home recovering, the caf¨¦ is short of hands on deck, eh?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± McKinnies sighed and folded his arms. ¡°Hmmm. I¡¯d really love to help, but you need someone capable right now, right? If I let a rookie go with you, he¡¯ll only be a burden¡­¡± ¡°Head chef, I¡¯ll go. Seriously, please let me go.¡± One chef piped up from behind Zeke. Judging from his voice, Zeke knew that the chef was Keith Deringale. The tall man who pulled his brown hair back in a low ponytail was one year older than Zeke and the sous chef in the royal kitchen. Zeke couldn¡¯t bring himself to like him. Most people let their guard down upon witnessing Keith¡¯s smile and his silver tongue. However, Zeke felt the underlying ice behind Keith¡¯s facade, and felt very suspicious of him. ¡°Keith, eh¡­ Well, I guess you¡¯ll be helpful.¡± Said the head chef, and Zeke clicked his tongue in secret, no longer able to ask for someone else. Regardless of how he felt about Keith, he respected Keith¡¯s culinary skills. Keith had much more experience than Zeke after all. If anything, Keith¡¯s position as sous chef when he was only in his thirties was ample proof of his skill. There was no better helper for the caf¨¦. Swallowing his distaste for the man, Zeke bowed to Keith. ¡°We¡¯ll be in your care, then¡± ¡°Just so you know, this is for Lady Risa.¡± Despite being irritated by Keith¡¯s reply, Zeke still told Keith logistics such as opening time and his contact information before leaving the kitchen. Volume 2, 13: Troubles with early summer lunch. Volume 2, Chapter 13: Troubles with early summer lunch. The next day, Zeke informed Helena at work that a royal chef would be there to help today, and she rejoiced. Keith came at the appointed time, and he was introduced to Helena. To Zeke¡¯s surprise, Helena recognized him. Apparently Keith had come by every so often as a customer. He was quite memorable as it was rare for a man to come to the caf¨¦ alone. Keith¡¯s friendliness was no obstacle for Helena and they hit it off right away. Zeke didn¡¯t know Keith came to the caf¨¦ as he was always cooped up in the kitchen cooking. He found Keith¡¯s friendliness appalling, but he tried to convince himself that it was better than an awkward kitchen. There wasn¡¯t much time until the caf¨¦ opened, so they busied themselves with preparations. First Zeke explained the equipment and cooking ware. While he listened, Keith tried handling all the tools, including adjusting the heat of the stove. As expected of a chef, he examined each tool closely. Once Zeke finished explaining the equipment, he talked about the lunch menu today. Keith looked at the list of recipes and asked, ¡°Did Lady Risa think up this menu?¡± ¡°No, I did.¡± ¡°¡­ I see.¡± Keith muttered under his breath after some thought. His tone felt off to Zeke, but they had no time for him to question Keith further. Keith did his work efficiently, asking questions whenever he couldn¡¯t find tools or he didn¡¯t understand the recipe. At first they both prepared lunch when the store opened, but soon Keith could handle all the lunch orders by himself. Zeke left lunch to Keith and concentrated on preparing the desserts for tea time. The sponge cakes and tart bases were already baked, so he decorated them with fruits, custard and whipping cream. He worked on the shortcake that was quickly becoming a regular item on the menu and fruit tarts filled with custard and decorated with fruits of the current season. No-bake cheesecakes and the popular puddings were already chilling in the fridge. Once he finished decorating, he moved to bake the meat pies for people who didn¡¯t like sweets. Because they had Keith, the caf¨¦ ran much smoother than the day before yesterday. Angelica still came to help out, but once the lunch crowd slowed, she went back to work at the magical tools store. It was around the end of lunch time when Helena entered the kitchen with a troubled expression. ¡°Mister Keith, we¡¯ve sold out all the pasta lunch sets for today, right?¡± ¡°Aahh, yeah.¡± ¡°I knew it¡­¡± Helena slumped her shoulders and left the kitchen, only to return in a flurry. ¡°Would it be possible to make one more serving of the pasta lunch set? I recommended a different set, but the customer persisted that they would like the pasta¡­¡± Keith peeked into the fridge at Helena¡¯s words. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t have enough ingredients¡­ It¡¯s technically possible to make it if we don¡¯t add the mallow topping. Could you ask the customer if they would still be okay with that?¡± Keith suggested, and Helena left the kitchen with a bright ¡°yes!¡± She immediately returned to say, ¡°The customer would be fine with that.¡± ¡°Gotcha.¡± Keith had already started boiling water, and upon Helena¡¯s reply he began to cook the pasta. Zeke sighed in relief, having watched the whole affair. The finished pasta sans mallow set was brought out of the kitchen by Helena, and lunch time finally ended. Zeke checked the stock of desserts and began to make more, prioritizing the ones that were more popular¡ªtoday, that was the no-bake cheesecake, pudding, and ice cream. While he could make more pudding, they had no more cream cheese to make cheesecake, so he made the fruit jelly he brought to Risa the other day instead. Zeke put Keith in charge of washing all the dishes from lunch time while he concentrated on making sweets. After a while, Keith finished the dishes and came over, asking Zeke to give him something to do. Zeke set him to work on cookies. Although they didn¡¯t have an immediate need for it, it was a favorite on the to-go menu, so there was no harm in cooking more. Keith quickly learned how to work with the baking tray and hummed while he worked. However, he would leave the kitchen to help Helena at the front when it got busy, and his quick reactions helped keep the caf¨¦ running smoothly. Zeke was impressed by how well he adapted to a new setting and his ability. Even though there was a small incident with the shortage of pasta lunch sets, closing time rolled by with the employees much more relaxed and comfortable with their workload. Keith had washed dishes whenever he was free, so there wasn¡¯t much left to wash. Zeke finished up the last few teacups and looked around the kitchen to see if he had missed anything. That was when he saw the pot left on the stove. He opened the lid and exclaimed, ¡°¡­ What¡­¡± The pot still held a large amount of stew. ¡°Ahh¡­ So you¡¯ve noticed?¡± Keith stopped cleaning the countertop to look towards Zeke. ¡°Why is there so much left?¡± Not only were there more than one or two servings, but the pot was still half full. Zeke took a step forward and questioned Keith, who seemed to know something. ¡°Calm down, I¡¯ll explain in a bit. Here, Helena, you should come and listen too.¡± Keith raised a hand to stop Zeke from advancing further and waved to Helena. Once they surrounded the pot on the stove, he began his explanation. ¡°Regarding the lunch sets, pasta was all sold out to the point of shortage while there was a lot of soup left.¡± Keith glanced at the pot. Helena looked inside for the first time and mumbled, ¡°this much?¡± ¡°Do you know why, Zeke?¡± They had always prepared two lunch sets, but there had never been such an imbalance in the orders before. Zeke mulled over what went wrong. Next to him, Helena slowly began to speak. ¡°¡­ This is just my gut, but¡­ Was it because the weather was so good today?¡± She said with no confidence, to which Keith nodded. ¡­ The weather was good? What does that have to do with anything? Zeke still didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What about it, you ask?¡± Keith said, and Zeke jumped at his words. ¡°The lunch set entree for today was either summer vegetable oil pasta or summer vegetable stew. The customers took one look at the menu Helena wrote on the blackboard and decided on pasta. On a hot day like this, do you think customers would order hot stew? If I was a customer, I wouldn¡¯t unless I had some very important reason. Stew is best eaten when you feel cold. Stew is thick, so it¡¯s hard to cool, and the flavor is rich from the milk. There was really only one choice for lunch today, especially for regulars who had eaten stew before.¡± Zeke had no words to defend himself. Looking back now, the cold desserts sold well, and he washed many glasses. Keith¡¯s silence upon seeing the menu must have been because he had foreseen this problem. ¡°Well, the ingredients might be wasted but you learned something! It¡¯s your first time deciding the menu for the day, too. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Zeke was furious that he hadn¡¯t seen the problem at all. Not only that, but it had to be spelled out to him by Keith of all people, as if to rub salt on an open wound. Zeke closed his right hand into a fist until his knuckles turned white. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice this either when I was trying to make up menus at the royal palace. According to Lady Risa, people have different tastes for different things depending how they feel as well as the weather and temperature that day. If you think about it, you¡¯d want to drink something cold on a hot day or when you¡¯re thirsty, right? That also applies to food. I kind of got it after eating the food Lady Risa makes, but I¡¯m still nowhere near Lady Risa¡¯s level when it comes to menu-making. Her power comes from knowing all of this as if it were common sense. Well, you learn by doing, eh? Practice makes perfect.¡± Keith patted Zeke¡¯s shoulder, said ¡°good luck,¡± and returned to cleaning the countertop. In the end, Zeke brought home the rest of the stew as his family had more mouths to feed. His mother was happy to save some food money, and his stew-loving sister jumped for joy, but Zeke did not find the stew tasty at all. Volume 2, 14: Basil will try their best. Volume 2, Chapter 14: Basil will try their best. ¡­ Master¡­ Basil restlessly flew in circles around the pale, sleeping Risa. Their only master, Risa, had been so troubled recently she couldn¡¯t even sleep at night. Even though Basil had been right by her side, they could not understand her troubles. The structure of human society and relationships were too contrived for a spirit like Basil to understand even with much thought. The ¡°doctor¡± type of person had dropped in to say she was bedridden with fatigue, lack of sleep and stress, and that she would get better on her own if she ate nutritious meals and slept properly. Basil wanted to help. She wracked her brain blessed with botanic knowledge from the Goddess for some kind of food that would be nutritious for Risa. Oh, I¡¯ve got it! That one will definitely help Master get better! A certain plant popped up in Basil¡¯s mind, who decided to leave right away to forage it even though it would be a bit lonely to leave Risa¡¯s side for a while. ¡°Master, please wait for me.¡± Basil clung to Risa¡¯s cheek, not wanting to leave. They finally tore themselves away and flew out the window without looking back. _______________________________________________________________ Basil left in the evening and flew through the night, finally reaching their destination when the sun finally rose from the mountains. Basil was at the forest where they were born and raised¡ªwhere they met Risa. Basil had covered a day¡¯s worth of distance by carriage in half a day. Even though they did use the power of the wind, they had still flown a long way. In the depths of the forest where not even beasts dared to tread was the sacred tree. The ancient tree where Basil had been borne from. Although they could barely feel any energy from it, it had once been the center of the forest. It gave the energy it had saved up for so long to the plants around it and simply wanted the sweet embrace of slumber now. The plants flourished as evidence of that. Actually, Basil could make the plant they wanted to forage today with their own power. However, plants created by spirits were always of lower quality than naturally grown ones, which had the power of time on their side. The plants here were at a tier even higher than those, as they absorbed the energy given to them by the ancient tree. They grew bigger and stronger than any other plants in the forest. Where is it¡­ Basil pushed past the plants that grew many times taller than them. ¡°There! Rubell!¡± A plant quietly grew, hidden in the shadow of some giant leaves. It was what Basil was looking for. Rubell loved the shade, so they often grew under larger plants. However, they required a lot of nutrients to grow, and often all of their nutrients would be stolen by the larger plant next to them, resulting in a wilted rubell plant. They were called the Mythic Plant because of this. Basil took a cutting of rubell. If Risa ate this cutting, filled with nutrition, she was bound to get better. Basil rested on the ancient tree before standing up again, and hugging the cutting close with both hands, they flew back the way they came. _______________________________________________________________ Because they had used up much of their strength on the way to the forest and they were also carrying a cutting larger than them, Basil took almost a full day to return. It was the second morning since Risa had collapsed. Basil passed through the Claude mansion gate and flew towards the window of Risa¡¯s room. They wondered whether Risa would be happy when they looked at the rubell in their hands and noticed their mistake. What should I do? She can¡¯t eat it if it isn¡¯t cooked! Basil stopped in midair, just a few steps away from Risa. They thought about it for a bit and remembered someone who might be able to help. Before they went to that person¡¯s place, though, Basil peeked into the window to see how Risa was doing. Ah, Master can get up now¡­ Phew! Basil sighed in relief upon seeing Risa upright on the bed talking to Anastasia. Master, please wait just a little more! Praying in their heart, Basil pushed themselves into the air again. Volume 2, 15: Basil wants to express their wishes. Volume 2, Chapter 15: Basil wants to express their wishes. Basil headed towards Caf¨¦ Omusubi. Customers were entering the entrance one after another, so the caf¨¦ was already open. Basil looped around and entered the caf¨¦ from the back entrance. They peeked into the kitchen to see that person. Zeke Brown. The man that worked with Risa. Although he couldn¡¯t see Basil, he couldn¡¯t stand natto, just like them. He was the closest to Risa, not including the Claudes. Basil was confident he would be able to help. At first they wanted to approach Gilford, who could see spirits, but unfortunately he wasn¡¯t in the area. Even if they wanted to ask for his whereabouts, only Risa could commune with spirits, and Gilford¡¯s spirits were also nowhere to be seen. They gave up on meeting Gilford, and decided to come to Zeke, who could cook. Zeke moved quickly around the kitchen, busy working. It would be difficult to ask him for help right now. Just then, Basil noticed the other person in the kitchen. I saw that human when I went with Master to the castle. He can make food, just like Risa and Zeke. Even so, Basil didn¡¯t really know who he was, so they decided to ask Zeke for help. _______________________________________________________________ After they cleaned up the closed caf¨¦, Helena and the chef from the palace left. Zeke stared down in deep thought, both hands on the countertop. Basil suddenly flew into his vision, and he flinched backwards away from Basil and the cutting of rubell. ¡°W-what?!¡± ¡°Mister Zeke, this is for Master!¡± ¡°¡­ Hm? This is¡­ Rubell? Where did this come from?¡± ¡°I went to get it!¡± Basil puffed up their chest with pride, until they heard Zeke mutter to himself. ¡°Is this some sort of magic?¡± Basil was completely crushed. Not only could Zeke not see them, but he couldn¡¯t even hear them¡­ But they were not to be deterred. They began to wave the rubell around to express their existence. In a room where the air was still, the rubell plant shook by itself. It qualified as a scene in a horror movie, but Basil¡¯s efforts were answered. ¡°Ah¡­ are you Miss Risa¡¯s spirit?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯m Basil!¡± Basil shook the rubell plant harder to show agreement. ¡°I want Master to eat this! I¡¯m sure you can make it tasty!¡± Basil came to find Zeke and no one else, because they wanted him to make it into a delicious dish. Rubell could be eaten raw, and was more nutritious that way. However, it was absolutely disgusting raw. It had a stinging bitterness with a distinct grassy taste. Basil used the leaves on the cutting to try and act out the words, ¡°please cook this for Risa.¡± Zeke stared at the shaking rubell at length, finally nodding. He understood! Basil smiled from ear to ear, only to be crushed by his words. ¡°What dance is this? Is this a ritual of some sort for spirits?¡± Zeke did not understand at all. Basil sighed and put the rubell on the countertop. Charades featuring rubell was a failure. Basil quickly realized that just shaking the plant was not enough to show such a complicated concept like cooking for Risa and wondered whether there was another way of communicating. Oh! I can just write on paper! Ignoring Zeke, who bemusedly poked the rubell that suddenly stopped moving, Basil flew towards the hall. If I remember correctly, it should be somewhere around here¡­ Basil peeked under the counter as they had seen Risa do many times. There it is! They gathered a single chit and one pencil into their arms and flew back to the kitchen. Their flight was a little wobbly, but they somehow managed to land next to the rubell. ¡°¡­ A chit and a pencil?¡± Zeke tilted his head at the objects floating in from the hall. Basil took a breath and placed them on the worktable. They spread the paper out on the counter and began to write with the pencil. Scritch scritch, went the paper as words slowly formed. ¡°Risa eat rubell good¡± The handwriting and the words were childish and awkward, but Basil did their best. Finishing the last ¡°d,¡± Basil sat exhausted on the table with the pencil and watched Zeke¡¯s reaction. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you want Miss Risa to eat this rubell, so you want me to make it into a tasty dish?¡± Basil wobbled over to the rubell plant and shook its leaves. ¡°Does that mean yes?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Basil shook the leaves harder. At long last, he understood. _______________________________________________________________ It took a lot of time and energy to write words with the pencil, so Basil quickly gave up. They couldn¡¯t keep shaking the rubell either, as it was the main ingredient. To that end, Zeke placed a teacup and one chopstick on the table and suggested one tap on the teacup as ¡°yes,¡± two taps as ¡°no.¡± If Basil wanted to say more, they could write on the paper. ¡°By the way, did you already decide on what to make?¡± ¡°Nope, not at all!¡± Basil took the chopstick and tapped the teacup twice. ¡°I see. Rubell, huh¡­ I¡¯ve never had it before, though. It¡¯s rumored to taste pretty bad¡­¡± Rubell, in other words the Mythic Plant, was usually sold at a high price as a medicinal herb. This was the first time Zeke had ever seen the actual plant. He tore off a small piece and tried it, chewing once or twice before clapping a hand over his mouth and rushing to the sink to wash out the flavor. ¡°¡­ That¡­ Was worse than I thought¡­¡± He grimaced, the taste refusing to leave his mouth, and returned to the worktable. ¡°This is going to be quite the annoying ingredient to cook¡­ You went to get this especially for Miss Risa though, so I can¡¯t give up now, can I?¡± ¡°Yes! Please help!¡± Basil tapped the teacup once, and Zeke nodded. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll try my best.¡± So the long night of experimentation began. Volume 2, 16: Making food for the sick. Volume 2, Chapter 16: Making food for the sick. ¡°Rubell¡­ with rice, water, salt and pepper and cheese, perhaps.¡± A recipe popped up in Zeke¡¯s mind, and he laid out the ingredients on the worktable. After closing the caf¨¦, Keith let him know how overconfident he had been in his skill. He stood in the kitchen by himself, frustrated and depressed. Suddenly, a cutting of rubell appeared in front of him. Apparently Risa¡¯s spirit had brought it here, and the cutting waved around in the air as if to tell him something. After a while, he finally understood that the spirit wanted him to cook the rubell into a tasty dish for Risa. When Zeke was still a knight, one of their drills had involved camping up in the mountains. The drill was designed to simulate the shortage of food during wartime. He was told that it would fall to himself to forage for food, but he would be able to survive on just rubell if he found it. That was how nutritious the plant was. On the other hand, it was also famous for being incredibly disgusting. Zeke could confirm this from the tiny piece he just had. This tastes really bad. Despite rinsing out his mouth for a few minutes, the bitterness aftertaste clung to his tongue. He was tasked with making this disgustingly bitter rubell into a tasty dish. The spirit didn¡¯t have anything in mind and left it all to Zeke to decide. A dish that would dampen the bitterness of rubell and also be edible for the sick Risa. In the end, he decided to go with risotto. It could be eaten without too much trouble even if one didn¡¯t have much appetite. He voiced his thoughts aloud, and the teacup was tapped once. The spirit agreed. Now that he decided on the dish, he set about preparing the dish. First, he would parboil the rubell to detract some bitterness. He set the rubell leaves to soak in water, and put a pot filled with water on the stove. In another pot, he heated a square of butter and some lintz oil and lightly pan fried the rice. The white rice mixed with the golden oil and let out a wonderful smell. Once the rice turned translucent, he turned down the fire, added water and closed the lid to slowly steam the rice. Next, he strained the rubell and quickly parboiled it so the nutrients wouldn¡¯t escape into the water. The color of the rubell lightened from a forest green to a bright, vibrant green. He diced it as thinly as he could, so the taste would spread and pack less of a punch. Meanwhile, he occasionally stirred the pot of rice so the bottom would not burn. When the rice grains began to puff up, he added the diced rubell. The pot filled with white now had speckles of green. He added a bit of water and continued to stew the risotto. When there were no more hard rice grains, he added cheese garnish and seasoned with salt and pepper. The cheese melted and spread across the top. Zeke gently spooned a bit of it and it stretched into a tasty-looking string. He turned off the fire, placed a bite-sized serving into a tasting saucer, and put the saucer down with a small spoon next to the teacup and chopstick. He scooped up an even smaller portion of risotto, and it floated into the air before disappearing. He took a bite as well. ¡°What do you think?¡± He asked the spirit before voicing his opinion. The teacup clanged loudly once, followed by a half-hearted, dull thunk. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s much better than when I had it raw, but it¡¯s questionable whether this tastes good¡­¡± The strong bitterness was gone and it was edible, but that was about it in terms of taste. Zeke wondered what it was missing. He looked around in the cabinet and the spices, but nothing stood out to him, so he turned to the fridge. The first thing that he saw was the pudding left over from business today. He had a passing thought to try adding it, but he quickly waved away the thought. Right when he was about to close the door, he saw the bottle of white liquid in the corner¡ªthe milk. He remembered Risa saying that milk could help lessen smells and spiciness; perhaps it could help dampen the distinct flavor of rubell as well. Zeke remade the risotto from scratch, adding milk instead of water when he steamed the rice. He paid special attention as milk was easier to burn than water. This time, he put the rubell into a mixer to make rubell puree. He felt that the diced rubell still held some of the bitterness when chewed. However, that would leave nothing for texture, so he added some crushed nuts. Seasoning was cheese and salt and pepper. He also added some soy sauce that Risa had happily reported was finally finished. It looked quite different from the first dish. He gave some to the spirit to taste, and immediately received a single loud clang. They approved. Zeke spooned a little out of the pot and tried some. Not only was the bitterness now a subtle, gentle flavor, but he felt the dish could even be called delicious. He finally created the ideal risotto. It was already late at night, however, so he asked the spirit if it could wait until tomorrow. He received a single tap in reply. It was decided that Zeke would bring the risotto to Risa tomorrow morning, and the spirit would inform Risa of their plan. Zeke felt quite accomplished for creating the risotto while communicating with the spirit, but he also felt the fatigue of the day catching up to him. He quickly cleaned up the kitchen and left the caf¨¦ after saying goodbye to the spirit. Volume 2, 17: The risotto was bittersweet. Volume 2, Chapter 17: The risotto was bittersweet. The light began to filter into the room from the crack in the curtain. It was early morning. Risa opened her eyes, but she didn¡¯t move from her bed. ¡­ What am I doing¡­ A few days ago, Risa collapsed from overwork, lack of sleep, and stress. She was assaulted by an intense wave of self-hate. Whether it was the culinary department, marriage talks with the crown prince, or all the attention she received from that, it felt as if new troubles would arise even before she solved the previous one. There seemed like a never ending supply of new troubles to face. Her thoughts ran wild until late at night, and she couldn¡¯t find much of an appetite to eat anything. Even during the day, she simply spaced out, lost in her thoughts. In the end, she fainted in the middle of the market for all the world to see. ¡­ I wonder if Zeke and Helena are okay¡­ She felt another wave of guilt coming as she thought about the two people most affected by her collapse. The caf¨¦ had only just managed to stay afloat with all three of them. It would be incredibly difficult to keep it running smoothly with just two people. When Zeke came to visit, he said Angelica had come by to help, but it must have been difficult even with her. Alone with her spiraling thoughts, Risa decided it was about time to get up and slowly propped herself up. Just then, Basil, who she hadn¡¯t seen in a few days, suddenly appeared and dived into her chest. ¡°Master!¡± ¡°Hm, Basil? Where have you been?¡± ¡°I went to find something to help Master feel better! I got Mister Zeke to help and he¡¯ll bring it over soon!¡± Basil stood on top of Risa¡¯s open palm, gesturing wildly and trying her best to explain. Risa didn¡¯t really understand, but she kind of understood the gist of it. ¡°Is Zeke coming today?¡± ¡°Yes, he said he¡¯ll come first thing in the morning!¡± ¡°What?! First thing in the morning?!¡± That meant he could be coming any moment now. Risa jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom to clean herself up. After a while, Mary came to tell Risa in a faltering voice that she had a guest. Risa asked her to let him in and sat on the sofa to wait. Shortly after, there was a knock on the door. Risa opened it to see Zeke standing at the other side. ¡°Come in.¡± Zeke gave a slight bow to Mary, who led him here, and entered the room. Risa had been on the bed the other day, but today they sat across each other on the sofa. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°I¡¯m slowly getting better.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Zeke sighed in relief and slowly took out something from his hemp bag. It was a lidded tupperware with a bit of depth to it. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s what Basil, ah¡­ My spirit asked you to make?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Risa looked at the tupperware, then at Zeke, then at Basil. They both nodded, so she opened the lid. ¡°This is¡­ Risotto?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Rubell would make Master feel better, so I went and got a few leaves in the forest. Then I brought it to Mister Zeke, who made the food!¡± So that was why they had disappeared for the past few days, Risa thought. They went to the forest themselves to get the plant. ¡°You two made this just for me¡­¡± She took the spoon Zeke offered her and, urged by both of them, took a bite. It had cooled a bit from the trip here, but it was still warm. First came the cheese, then a light bitterness, followed by the flavor of milk. The risotto¡¯s smooth texture was combined with the interesting crunch of nuts. She slowly swallowed the bite. ¡°It¡¯s a little bitter but it¡¯s delicious. Thank you, both of you.¡± She said, smiling, and the two of them visibly relaxed in relief. Risa suddenly found all of her appetite, and the serving of risotto that was a bit much for one person quickly disappeared into her belly. Risa sighed in satisfaction and her eyes met Zeke¡¯s, who had quietly watched her eat. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry, I lost myself in the food.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Risa realized she had not even made tea for Zeke, a guest, and she quickly made it now. She returned to her seat across from him. Basil must have been exhausted from their round trip to forage rubell, as they lay down on Risa¡¯s lap and was quietly snoring. ¡°It must have been really troublesome for you. I¡¯m sorry, Zeke.¡± ¡°I was worried about you, Miss Risa, but I was never troubled.¡± ¡°But wasn¡¯t it really hard to keep the caf¨¦ running?¡± ¡°On the contrary, I asked Head Chef McKinnies to lend me one of the royal chefs.¡± ¡°Eh, really?!¡± ¡°Yes. Mister Keith has been coming since yesterday.¡± ¡°Keith¡­¡± It was a surprise to hear that the two who would start fighting as soon as they saw each other had worked for at least a day in the caf¨¦ kitchen, side by side. ¡°But it didn¡¯t go smoothly at all for me¡­ Yesterday, only one of the lunch sets was leftover, and overwhelmingly so. When he saw the menu I made, Mister Keith had foreseen that would happen, but I never noticed until he told me¡­¡± Unlike before, he was accepting Keith¡¯s constructive criticism honestly, reflecting deeply on his mistakes. ¡°I thought I had grown in my own way under your tutelage. I really believed I could protect the caf¨¦ and keep it running when I visited you a few days ago¡­ But I was too arrogant. Compared to Mister Keith, I have too little experience, and I miss so many little details¡­ I wanted to at least be someone you could rely on during work even if I¡¯m younger than you.¡± Zeke revealed his thoughts, surprisingly eloquent considering his lack of words on a daily basis. There was a twist in Risa¡¯s chest as Zeke laughed at himself, and she confessed her thoughts as well. ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know, given the commotion about it, but there are talks of marriage between His Highness Edgar and I. While I¡¯m still confused about why they would pick me, if I marry His Highness, I thought I would be set free from various things. The culinary department was heavy on my shoulders, and I had to hire new employees, too¡­ I was worried whether I could continue the caf¨¦ the way things were going.¡± She said, and looked at Zeke across from her to see his surprised face. ¡°I never really told you about this, but there are two reasons why I opened the caf¨¦. One, to spread the recipes for the delicious food I know of, and two, to eat the new food that other people have invented. Once you start making your own food, you can pretty much predict what the flavor will be, so I¡¯m never moved by my flavors. Of course, I do love to cook, but I haven¡¯t had other people¡¯s food ever since I got here, so I think I was getting tired of my own food¡­ Above all else, the pressure of the customers¡¯ expectations was so great, I felt like I couldn¡¯t move¡­ Like I said when we talked about the culinary department, I¡¯m really just a Nobody, not a Somebody.¡± The more she talked about it, the more she was caught up in her emotions, and her eyes grew glassy with tears. Unable to face Zeke, she covered her face with both hands. ¡°¡­ Sorry to pile all of this on you¡­ Seriously, just who do I think I am? The customers even pay me for the food¡­ they all say it¡¯s so tasty, and they eat it so happily¡­¡± Despite being the one to want to open a caf¨¦, her resolve was half-baked if it even existed in many areas, even beyond the caf¨¦ to her troubles with the culinary department and His Highness Edgar. She kept all of them as possible choices, but in the end she couldn¡¯t pick any of them. While she talked, she realized how uncomfortable Zeke must be to hear all of this. She sighed and looked up to see Zeke watching her with a serious face. ¡°Miss Risa, what about me? Am I no good? I know I¡¯m still an amateur and I lack so much in skill. But I¡¯d like to become someone who would satisfy your wants and needs, as a chef and as a man¡­ No, I will become that person. So please, pick me, not His Highness Edgar.¡± Zeke said as he leaned forward towards Risa. Risa was astonished by his extremely rare passion. Once he finished speaking, though, Zeke widened his eyes in surprise as well and his cheeks turned pink. He quickly mumbled, ¡°Anyways I have to do food prep at the caf¨¦,¡± and left the room and the stiffened Risa. After a while, Risa finally processed his words and immediately flushed a bright red. ¡­ W-w-w-what, do I do, I¡­ was I just confessed to?! Twenty-three year old Risa thought, all flustered like a young girl in puberty. She was so caught up in her thoughts, she failed to notice that her spirit, Basil, rolled off her lap where they had been sleeping soundly. Volume 2, 18: Risa takes a detour. Volume 2, Chapter 18: Risa takes a detour. The light began to filter into the room from the crack in the curtain. It was early morning. Risa opened her eyes, but she didn¡¯t move from her bed. ¡­ What am I doing¡­ Two days after Zeke¡¯s pseudo-confession. Risa told Zeke and Helena she decided to return to work at the caf¨¦ starting the next day. Before that, she visited the royal palace in order to solve a lot of her own problems. Fortunately, she received a letter from His Highness Edgar the day before, detailing that he wanted to meet with her to talk before the engagement was made official. As she was meeting with nobility, she wore a dress and headed to the royal palace slightly earlier than the agreed upon time. She had somewhere to go before she met with His Highness Edgar¡ªthe royal kitchen. She wanted to thank them for lending the caf¨¦ Keith. ¡°Hm, Lady Risa? What¡¯s up with the makeup?¡± Keith raised his hand in greeting from his leaning position against the wall right outside the kitchen, probably taking a break. It was the regular holiday for the caf¨¦ today, so he was back in the royal palace as usual. ¡°Keith! Ah¡­ Well¡­ Anyways, thank you so much for helping out at the caf¨¦.¡± ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry about it. It was a new and enlightening experience for me, too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s great that you got something out of it. Still, I¡¯m sorry we had to bother you for help.¡± ¡°Hey, you scratch my back, I scratch yours, yeah? We were saved by your cooking during the royal conference, so it¡¯s only fair I repay the debt. Moreover, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay now. Thank you for asking.¡± ¡°What a relief. Zeke was probably the most worried about you, too.¡± The second his name was mentioned, Risa¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she shivered. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong Lady Risa? ¡­ Ohh, I know. He finally confessed, eh?¡± ¡°C-c-c-conf-f-fess?¡± She panicked at his hitting the mark and frantically looked elsewhere to feign innocence. ¡°So he did. He¡¯s an open book, Zeke.¡± ¡°Eh, no way¡­ I never noticed¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way you couldn¡¯t have not noticed. You know, that¡¯s probably why he was so hostile towards me. So, what¡¯s going on? Are you going out with him now?¡± ¡°U-uh, that¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m thinking about that¡­¡± Risa squeezed out, to which Keith sighed. ¡°Well, do what you want but don¡¯t overthink it. Can¡¯t have you collapsing on us again.¡± He said worriedly and patted Risa¡¯s head. ¡°Speaking of which, what are you up to Lady Risa?¡± ¡°Oh, right! I have to go. Ah, could you please send Head Chef McKinnies my regards and thanks?¡± ¡°Sure. Take care,¡± Keith said as he waved, and Risa left the kitchen. _______________________________________________________________ Risa thought about Zeke while she walked. Honestly, she was happy to hear him ask her to pick him instead of His Highness the crown prince. For the first time, she saw Zeke as a man. On the other hand, she couldn¡¯t figure out the meaning behind Zeke¡¯s words. When he implored her to pick him, did he mean as a man? After all, Zeke had nothing but respect and admiration for Risa, who could make food and desserts never seen before¡­ right? What if Risa wasn¡¯t able to cook? It was difficult to think that Zeke would like her as a woman, regardless of whether she could cook. Risa¡¯s culinary skill was only slightly above the average amateur in her previous world. There were droves of professional chefs with better skills than her. Not only that, Risa was an exceptionally normal woman if one looked past her culinary skill. As someone with no unique quirks, she couldn¡¯t believe a talented and handsome hunk like Zeke would like her. But, if he really did like her¡­ She slowly began to hope, and her heartbeat quickened. Volume 2, 19: Zeke coaches the newbie. Volume 2, Chapter 19: Zeke coaches the newbie. ¡°Hm? Miss Risa isn¡¯t in?¡± Meanwhile, Zeke was visiting the Claude mansion. He highly regretted saying things that could be interpreted as a confession to Risa before leaving like he was running away. Not only did he run his mouth at a weakened Risa, he ran away right afterward¡­ Without knowing whether his feelings had reached her, he had stewed and grilled himself for the past two days. However, now that he knew Risa would be returning to work at the caf¨¦ tomorrow, he visited the Claude mansion in order to speak with her about his feelings. ¡°Yes. Milady has gone out on some errands.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Stopped even before the starting line, Zeke could only return the way he came in disappointment. It was the caf¨¦¡¯s regular holiday, so he had no plans. He decided to thank Head Chef McKinnies for helping the caf¨¦, and Keith while he was at it, and set out for the royal palace. _______________________________________________________________ At the royal kitchen he recently visited a few days ago. It was right before noon, so the chefs were bustling around preparing lunch. Zeke realized he came at the wrong time and was about to turn and leave when he was stopped by a familiar voice. ¡°Hm, Zeke?¡± ¡°¡­ Mister Keith.¡± He turned to see Keith dressed in the royal chef uniform. ¡°What¡¯s up? Ah, did you come chasing after Lady Risa?¡± ¡°Huh? Miss Risa?¡± ¡°Hm? You didn¡¯t know? Lady Risa¡¯s here in the palace today, dressed up and all pretty. Judging from her clothes, she¡¯s probably meeting His Highness the crown prince.¡± ¡°Miss Risa is¡­?¡± ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll just get married.¡± Risa, marry His Highness the crown prince¡­? Zeke vaguely expected Risa to reject the marriage talks, but now that he thought about it, she had never said she would do so. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse m-¡± ¡°Hold up!¡± Keith grabbed Zeke¡¯s shoulder just as he was going to look for Risa. ¡°We¡¯re super busy right now, so help us before you go.¡± ¡°What? I¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. I helped the caf¨¦, didn¡¯t I?¡± Keith said with a sneer. Zeke sent him a sideways glance, sensing a bad feeling about his secretive smile. He couldn¡¯t deny that Keith helped the caf¨¦ though, and unable to reject now that Keith had mentioned it, he went back into the kitchen. ¡°Head chef, I¡¯ve found a helper~¡± ¡°Helper? Who? You¡¯re from the caf¨¦¡­¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Head Chef McKinnies took one look at Zeke, who stood behind Keith, and made a face as if to ask ¡°why are you here?¡± Zeke bowed slightly to the head chef before taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. ¡°Well, I¡¯m grateful for any extra hands we can get. Good luck.¡± McKinnies managed to say before he was summoned by his subordinates off somewhere else. Meanwhile, Keith had already abandoned Zeke to work at his table on the other side of the kitchen. Zeke was all alone without any orders on what he should do in an unfamiliar kitchen. What am I doing here¡­ He really wanted to run to Risa¡¯s side right now, but he couldn¡¯t run away now that he had accepted Keith¡¯s request for help. There was no one here who would give him kind orders like Risa. He had to find his own work. Zeke looked around the kitchen, looking for something he could do. The royal kitchen catered not only to royalty but to everyone who worked at the palace. The stations were largely separated into soup, main dish, and side dish; all stations were very busy. Just then, he spotted a chef whose movements were slow and hesitant in the corner. The chef stuck out like a sore thumb as everyone around him moved quickly and efficiently. Zeke walked over to see that he was decorating a sponge cake with whipped cream. It looked like a half assembled shortcake, but the cream was spread unevenly. The chef was trying to fix that, but he only pushed the problem further down the cake, making it worse. Zeke couldn¡¯t bear standing aside and took the palette knife from him. ¡°Ah, what are you-¡± ¡°Give me that.¡± Ignoring the chef who just had his tool taken from him, Zeke scooped up all the cream on the sponge cake back in a bowl and began to whisk it. ¡°Uh, why are you¡­¡± ¡°The cream isn¡¯t whipped enough. No matter how hard you try, you won¡¯t be able to spread it evenly like this.¡± After whipping the cream for a while, Zeke turned his whisk right side up to see the cream form a peak with the tip slightly curling down¡ªit was a soft peak. He scooped the whipped cream back onto the sponge cake. ¡°First, spread it out so most of the cake is covered, then even it out with the angle of the knife. It¡¯s easier to do if you run through the whole length in one motion.¡± Zeke said while he spread out the cream efficiently. Once the top was covered, he moved to the sides, turning the plate to change the angle between the sponge cake and the knife as he continued to spread cream. The chef¡¯s surprised stare turned into that of fascination. However, the second he finished, Zeke scooped all the cream up and returned it to the bowl. He handed the palette knife back to the astonished chef. ¡°You try it.¡± At Zeke¡¯s words, the chef nodded and took the palette knife and began to spread the cream as Zeke had. As he watched the chef, Zeke remembered the times when he just started to work at the caf¨¦. He tried to decorate a cake, thinking it a piece of cake, and was sorely crushed for underestimating how difficult it actually was. Then Risa showed him how to do it. First, she put an eyeballed amount of cream onto the circular sponge, flattening the pile and spreading it. She scooped extra cream at an angle and returned it to the bowl a few times, and the cream was evened out perfectly. Then, she added some cream on the sides where it was needed, and, placing the knife at an angle, spun the plate twice. The sides of the sponge were immediately hidden by an even layer of cream. Finally, she fixed some sharp edges of cream here and there, and the beautiful base was finished. Zeke admired her work, to which Risa laughed and chalked it up to experience, but it took a long time before Zeke obtained said experience. Now, around a year later, he could finally decorate as easily as he breathed air. However, Zeke had also struggled in the beginning, just like the frustrated chef in front of him. The chef somehow managed to finish the base, so the next task was to decorate. Zeke piled cream into a piping bag. ¡°What is the design for the decoration?¡± ¡°Design¡­?¡± The chef tilted his head, clearly out of his element. ¡°What is this cake for?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s for Her Majesty¡¯s tea party. One of the older chefs was going to make it, but he¡¯s on vacation today¡­ I was suddenly put here this morning¡­¡± So that was why he moved so slowly¡­ But why did they let an amateur chef take care of the cake for Her Majesty? Zeke glanced at him, who watched Zeke work with sparkling eyes. Ahh, I see now. Keith probably enlisted in Zeke¡¯s help specifically for this chef. Zeke put down the piping bag and spread cream on a spare sponge cake. He made a base prettier than the chef and picked up the piping bag again. He shook the bag so the cream would slide towards the hole at the end and twisted the other end. After piping out a bit of cream into the bowl, he began to pipe out decorations on the base. Starting from the upper left corner of the ten by twenty centimeter rectangular base, he piped out wavy lines along the edges and round swirls where fruit would be set. Once he finished, he handed the piping bag to the chef and told him to pipe as Zeke did. The chef responded with a bright ¡°yes, chef!¡± and took the piping bag. Piping cream is harder than spreading, and requires some amount of strength put out in a rhythmic manner to pipe uniform decorations. Despite not being as good as Zeke¡¯s piping, the chef¡¯s piping managed to form some sort of shape and they moved to placing fruit on the cake. There was the standard meichi and rugberry, a small purple berry. To make the cake look luxurious, there were also edible flowers. Zeke looked at the chef to find him waiting with bated breath to see Zeke¡¯s work. Zeke gave a wry smile and placed the pink edible flowers on the upper right and bottom left corners of the cake. He placed meichi on the other two corners to form a symmetrical decoration. Then he scattered the rugberries in the middle of the cake, taking care not to touch the wavy edges, and placed a small green leaf in the center as an accent. The chef watched in amazement, but his face paled when Zeke told him to decorate however he wanted, so Zeke let the chef copy the spare cake. His eyes flitted between his own cake and Zeke¡¯s as he decorated in the same order, all the while listening to Zeke¡¯s advice. He finally placed the green leaf on top and let out the breath he had been holding. Zeke also sighed in relief as he watched over the chef¡¯s work patiently. ¡°I did it!¡± The chef joyfully did a little dance in front of the cake. ¡°Nice! Good job.¡± Keith patted Zeke¡¯s shoulder, and Zeke turned to face him. ¡°Ah, Sous Chef! Look, look, I made this!¡± The chef stopped dancing and proudly showed Keith his cake. ¡°Wow, that looks good.¡± Keith replied honestly. Zeke looked around the kitchen and found that there were only a few chefs left in the kitchen. He had been so engrossed in teaching the cake decoration that he had forgotten about time. Just then, he remembered Risa. He took one step towards the kitchen¡¯s exit when someone grabbed his shoulder, again. He didn¡¯t need to look to know it was Keith. ¡°Hey, where are you going? There¡¯s still some time before Her Majesty¡¯s tea party. Why do you think I made you make this cake that you have to cut to eat? Bring it out and cut some slices for them.¡± ¡°This is no time for me to b-¡± ¡°You really are denser than a brick wall. I¡¯m saying Lady Risa¡¯s there.¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why you should hang out with me for a little longer.¡± Keith ordered the chef to put Zeke¡¯s cake in the fridge and walked towards the exit with Zeke right behind him. Volume 2, 20: I find out His Highness’s true feelings. Volume 2, Chapter 20: I find out His Highness¡¯s true feelings. While Zeke was helping out in the kitchen, Risa managed to reach the area in the palace where royalty resided without too much wandering. She showed the letter from His Highness the crown prince to the register clerk. He looked at her suspiciously at first but completely changed upon seeing the letter and treated her nicely. A maid came and led her to a room guarded by two knights after they walked for a while. The maid knocked and informed the person inside of the situation before letting Risa in. ¡°Thank you for coming, Lady Risa.¡± ¡°Long time no see, Your Highness.¡± Prince Edgar was working at a large office desk as she entered. He put down the pen in his hand and smiled at Risa, then waved her into a sofa while he sat across from her. He had messy blond hair and sky blue eyes. His skin and his face shone like diamonds in the afternoon sun. A maid came in and poured the two of them tea before leaving the room. Prince Edgar asked, ¡°How are you feeling?¡± and they made small talk. After a while, Prince Edgar said, ¡°Regarding the marriage talks between you and I, Lady Risa¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but please forget about it.¡± He lowered his head apologetically. ¡°I heard that Lucius, the Grand Chamberlain, visited the Claude mansion. I am perfectly aware that it is incredibly uncouth of me to ask you to forget the event as my side was the one who proposed. However, I had no knowledge of it as it was all done by my mother and the Grand Chamberlain.¡± ¡°What?! Really?!¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I was unaware until I caught wind of the rumors. Even so, it is quite despicable of me, the next in line to the throne, for not keeping tabs on my own mother. There was a commotion at your shop due to the talks as well, yes? I¡¯m sorry for causing you trouble.¡± ¡°Gi- ah, my stepfather came to my rescue, so¡­¡± ¡°I did hear the specifics from Gilford. The troublemaker was apparently a viscount. More importantly, are you all right, Lady Risa?¡± ¡°Yes. I was very surprised back then, but I am fine now. Actually, I came here today to turn down the proposal.¡± ¡°I see. If it is not too much, may I ask the reason why?¡± ¡°At first I was overthinking everything, what with the honor of the Claude family and some troubles at work, so I thought I would be free from all of that if I married you at one point. Now I know that I still want to keep the caf¨¦ open. I want more and more people to eat delicious food, and I want them to spread it internationally.¡± ¡°Hmm, the caf¨¦, I see¡­I mean no offense, but wouldn¡¯t it be easier to spread cuisine if you quit the caf¨¦ and become royalty?¡± ¡°On the contrary, my dream is only possible through the caf¨¦. It is where I belong.¡± ¡°I see. Your determination is very commendable.¡± Prince Edgar smiled after returning Risa¡¯s determined stare. ¡°I had thought you had someone else in mind.¡± A certain man¡¯s face popped up in Risa¡¯s mind upon hearing Prince Edgar¡¯s words. Silver hair, icy blue eyes, a blank face. Zeke¡¯s face¡­ Risa flushed red. ¡°Oh? So you do have someone in mind.¡± ¡°No, he really isn¡¯t that kind of¡­¡± ¡°You thought of him, yes?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°All¡¯s well that ends well, then. I also have someone I like already.¡± ¡°Oh, what wonderful news, Your Highness!¡± ¡°Thank you. Unfortunately, there are many hurdles to overcome before I can marry her.¡± ¡°Is Your Highness going to give up?¡± ¡°Hahaha, not a chance. I¡¯m working hard to overcome them all.¡± ¡°I hope Your Highness¡¯s efforts are rewarded.¡± ¡°I hope so, too.¡± The woman in question must be a wonderful person for Prince Edgar to go so far for her¡­ Risa thought as she watched Prince Edgar calmly talk about the woman. They reached an agreement, and Prince Edgar said, ¡°I should return to work.¡± Risa got up to leave, when he asked her if she was free to chat with his mother for a bit. And so he brought Risa to his mother, Queen Adelisia. ¡°My, Risa! Welcome!¡± ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty.¡± The queen was having tea on a wooden deck in the garden. Her hair was of a darker blonde than her son Prince Edgar¡¯s, and it swayed in the wind. Her purple eyes smiled along with her bright smile and she welcomed Risa. ¡°Come, come! Have a seat next to me!¡± A maid set a chair down next to the queen, and Risa sat down on it. In front of her was a beautiful garden bursting with vibrant flowers. ¡°What a beautiful garden.¡± ¡°Right? This is my favorite place to sit in the garden. The view is the best, especially now during early summer when the flowers and I are both bathing in the warm sunlight.¡± Queen Adele laughed and took a sip from her teacup in one graceful movement. She put it back on the table and sadly began to speak. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about the talks with Edgar. I¡¯m sure he has told you this too, but something I said as a joke was taken seriously by the servants¡­ Before I knew it, they blew up the whole thing, and my son got so terribly mad at me. You must have been so, so troubled by it all.¡± Queen Adele drooped her shoulders sadly, still crushed that Prince Edgar got mad at her. ¡°I¡¯ve reflected on some things with this incident as well, so please, don¡¯t think too much of it.¡± ¡°I feel a bit better now that you say so. I shall write a letter to Anastasia after this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she will be happy about it.¡± They smiled at each other and enjoyed the tea. Queen Adele recounted memories of Anastasia, some of them which included Gilford as well. Risa listened with great interest and happily passed the time with Queen Adele. They talked so much that Risa stayed for lunch with Queen Adele. They moved to the dining hall reserved for royalty and enjoyed the meal while they chatted. The royal chefs had improved on their cooking since last Risa had tried it. The entree was pasta with fish, garnished with colorful green and yellow vegetables. Despite being an oil pasta, it was slightly sour and a refreshing meal. If she had to nitpick, the pasta was slightly overcooked. Everything else was perfect, so the pasta was a bit of a pity. Next was salad and cold soup akin to gazpacho. Then came a fruit plate, and just when Risa finished that, Queen Adele smiled happily. ¡°I asked for a special dessert today!¡± Under her invitation, Risa proceeded to the drawing room, with no clue who she would bump into there¡­ Volume 2, 21: Resolve? I have that. Volume 2, Chapter 21: Resolve? I have that. Keith brought Zeke to the dining hall reserved for chefs, apparently to eat lunch. Zeke was peckish too, so he also picked something to eat and sat down next to Keith. Keith picked a lunch set with sandwiches, salad, soup, and fruits. Zeke felt it was a lunch set that would be popular with the girls, but he decided not to comment. Zeke went with the lunch set with pan fried meat and vegetables with soup and bread. He got hungrier when he saw the food, and he set to filling his stomach regardless of what Keith had to say. Keith also focused on his food, and they ate in silence. The two men ate quickly and their plates were soon empty. ¡°I heard you confessed to Lady Risa?¡± Keith said as they sipped their water. Zeke almost spit his water out. ¡°How do you know about that?!¡± ¡°Ah well, Lady Risa was acting strangely this morning, and I hit the nail on the head on a wild guess.¡± Keith smirked as he stabbed one of the remaining pieces of fruit on his plate with a fork. ¡°So, what are you going to do when you run to where Lady Risa and His Highness the crown prince is? Steal Lady Risa away? Do you even have that authority?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zeke did not know either. Although he did express his feelings to Risa, he hadn¡¯t heard her reply yet. If he had to watch her become someone else¡¯s, however, he would rather steal her away. ¡°Man, it must be good to be young, honestly. Seriously though, you¡¯re not thinking I¡¯m trying to stop you like this? What if I were one of the people who wanted Lady Risa and His Highness the crown prince to be together?¡± ¡°Wha-¡­!¡± Zeke gasped. It wouldn¡¯t be strange to think of Keith¡¯s actions as keeping Zeke away from them. However, Keith laughed upon seeing Zeke¡¯s pale face. ¡°Ahaha, I¡¯m kidding, I¡¯m kidding. That would require too much effort on my part.¡± Zeke grunted in response, as Keith¡¯s attitude could swing either way. ¡°C¡¯mon, don¡¯t make such a scary face. You¡¯re so easy to tease.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°See, you¡¯re such a goody two shoes; you¡¯re so different from me. To be honest, when I first heard of your experience as a chef, I really didn¡¯t like you.¡± Keith flashed a genuine smile as he propped his face up, but his words clearly had an edge to it. ¡°I mean, a knight who had breezed through the academy and was groomed to be the next captain suddenly jumped ship into the culinary world? Not only that, but you were working side by side with Lady Risa. I was jealous. You had a proper family and no worries about money. There¡¯s no way you could understand someone who can only cook¡­¡± The smile on Keith¡¯s face vanished. ¡°I have nothing else. It was pure luck that Head Chef McKinnies led me on this path, and I clawed my way up with my own power. That¡¯s why I thought I¡¯d reach for Lady Risa sooner or later, too.¡± ¡°Wha¡­?!¡± ¡°Must be nice to have the culinary knowledge, skills and intuition that she has. I¡¯d always thought Head Chef McKinnies stood at the peak of the culinary world, so I was shocked when I met her. Besides, she¡¯s a cute girl.¡± ¡°Miss Risa is-¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know what you¡¯re thinking. But those marriage talks with the crown prince might not be because of her personality or character. It might be because of her talent or upbringing, you know?¡± Zeke glared at Keith and wondered how he could possibly have respected Keith, no matter how short lived that respect was. He somehow restrained himself as they were in a public area, but if they were alone he would have already punched Keith once or twice. ¡°So anyways, I¡¯d thought to make Lady Risa mine, but I quit!¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Keith suddenly changed his tone and smiled brightly. ¡°I mean, she¡¯s a lady with a proper upbringing, and she has a watchdog like you. If I really wanted to make her mine, I¡¯d have to go through you, right? That¡¯s way too much effort. No thanks.¡± ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t you just say you liked Miss Risa-¡± ¡°Oh geez. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d have such bittersweet feelings of love and crushes that are so full of hormones like you two. Wow it must be so great to be young. I¡¯m already a wasted old man.¡± Keith roared in laughter. Zeke stared at him blankly. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. I just wanted to tease this spoiled little boy sitting in front of me right now, maybe slide in a bit of life advice too. Take it as a warning from an elder. If you really want to protect Lady Risa, you¡¯ll have to shed that honest to a fault, goody-two-shoes act of yours.¡± Keith said, his gaze piercing Zeke. His tone had changed again, and his words sat heavily in Zeke¡¯s chest. ¡°I believe the marriage talks with the crown prince are probably motivated by an attempt to chain Lady Risa to this country. Her name was spread internationally over the royal conference after all. Anyone with their head screwed on straight can see that she¡¯s a gold egg waiting to be hatched. There will be people who will stop at nothing to get their hands on her. You especially should harden your resolve if you want to be in a relationship with her.¡± The resolve to protect Risa. When we just met, she had some trouble with a drunkard¡­ Zeke suddenly remembered Risa the frail woman from back then instead of Risa the chef. ¡°Mister Keith. I¡¯ve always had resolve.¡± Zeke said with his usual blank expression. ¡°Oh really?¡± ¡°I decided to protect Miss Risa ever since I began working at Caf¨¦ Omusubi.¡± ¡°¡­sigh, and this is why¡­ oh, thanks for the meal.¡± Keith waved his right hand despairingly and looked away, spotting someone as he did so and made a sign in that direction. ¡°Your guide is finally here.¡± He said, standing up and bringing his tray to the return shelf before walking towards the entrance of the dining hall. Confused, Zeke followed him. A young maid stood at the entrance. She looked like she just came of age, and she bowed to Zeke. ¡°This girl waits on Her Majesty the queen. If you follow her, you¡¯ll meet Lady Risa.¡± Apparently Keith had put in some effort for Zeke. They followed the maid back to the kitchen, where Zeke loaded a trolley with cake, utensils, and plates. Albeit very late, he asked Keith, ¡°Is it okay if I appear in front of Her Majesty the queen in casual clothes?¡± Keith answered, ¡°It¡¯s fine, you¡¯re wearing a jacket.¡± Volume 2, 22: Her food tastes of a gentle happiness. Volume 2, Chapter 22: Her food tastes of a gentle happiness. Zeke walked down a corridor with the maid and eventually stopped in front of a room. A knight stood on either side of the door. Zeke resisted the urge to salute to them; old habits die hard. The maid knocked and entered the room, followed by Zeke. ¡°My, the dessert is here! I requested a shortcake today.¡± The woman who exclaimed joyfully was probably Her Majesty the queen. She leaned forward from the sofa and followed the maid with her eyes. On the sofa to the left sat Risa. She wore a light blue dress and was smiling at the queen, but she looked towards the entrance and her eyes met Zeke¡¯s. ¡°Wha¡­Zeke? Why¡­¡± Risa blinked, surprised, and she stood up. ¡°Risa, you know this person?¡± ¡°He is an employee at the caf¨¦¡­¡± ¡°My, is that so?¡± ¡°Zeke, why are you here?¡± ¡°Mister Keith told me to help out¡­ the person usually in charge of cake is on vacation.¡± ¡°Oh, does that mean you made the cake today?¡± The queen said, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh my! That means this is a shortcake from Caf¨¦ Omusubi! I¡¯m so happy, I don¡¯t get the chance to eat it often!¡± ¡°The sponge cake was baked by a royal chef, but I did the decoration.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still happy to try it. Show me, show me!¡± Zeke hesitated in front of the queen, who chittered over the cake like a young schoolgirl. He looked over at Risa, who smiled wryly. Zeke picked up the cake from the trolley and placed it in front of the table in between the two. ¡°It¡¯s so gorgeous! So beautiful!¡± ¡°Zeke, you decorated this?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Cute¡­¡± Risa looked at the cake and smiled. The queen fidgeted with excitement, to which Zeke said, ¡°Your Majesty, please pick a slice on the cake and I will cut it out for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have this part, with the flower and the fruit! Would that be too much to ask?¡± ¡°No. I shall plate it for you, then.¡± The maid handed Zeke the cutting knife, and he cut out and offered the slice to the queen. The queen smiled happily. ¡°These flowers are also used in tea, so they are edible, but they are used as a decoration today. Please avoid them while you partake.¡± He said, just in case, then looked at Risa, asking with his eyes which part she wanted. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have this part.¡± Risa pointed at a part opposite of the queen, and Zeke plated it. He placed the cake in front of Risa while the queen let out a ¡°Mmmmm~¡± sound as she already started eating. His Highness the crown prince was not with them. Zeke looked around the room, but the only men here were the knights on duty outside the room. Risa¡¯s meeting with the crown prince might have already ended. Zeke thought about what to do next. His job was done, now that he had finished cutting the cake. ¡°I would like another slice!¡± Despite having given her a bigger slice, the queen was already demanding another with her plate licked clean. Her keen eyes urged Zeke to hurry up. Zeke wiped the knife clean with a cloth and walked back to the cake on the table. The queen pointed at the part she wanted before he could ask, so he quickly cut and plated the slice and placed it in front of the queen. He looked towards Risa to see if she also wanted seconds, but she still had more than half of her slice. For now, Zeke moved back to retreat to the trolley when he was stopped by the queen. ¡°Zeke, yes?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit next to Risa?¡± He was caught off guard by her words and glanced at Risa, who made a small motion towards herself. So Zeke sat down next to her. The queen took a bite of her cake and set her fork down, determined to enjoy her cake at a more leisurely pace. Then she said, ¡°I see Risa is not to be underestimated. You have such a wonderful person working by your side!¡± ¡°No, I-¡± ¡°Fufu, maybe you turned down my son¡¯s proposal because of him?¡± ¡°N-no, uhm-¡± She turned down the marriage proposal? Zeke was taken aback by the queen¡¯s words. ¡°Well, my son wasn¡¯t interested in the first place, so it would have been impossible anyway. He was so angry at me, even when it wasn¡¯t just my fault¡­ Anyway, I¡¯m really really sorry. I¡¯ve caused quite the commotion¡­¡± ¡°No, no, please do not lower your head like that, Your Majesty.¡± Her son¡­by which she means the crown prince? The crown prince never wanted to have marriage talks with Risa? Unable to piece the puzzle together with the smattering of information he was getting from their conversation, Zeke butted in and said, ¡°Uhm, about the marriage talks between Miss RIsa and His Highness¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s been canceled. Erased. Something I said in jest was taken seriously by the servants¡­ I caused so much trouble for you, Risa.¡± Canceled¡­ Zeke couldn¡¯t help but let out the breath he had been holding, when the queen proclaimed loudly, ¡°Let me make it up to you by introducing a perfect partner for you!¡± ¡°Wh-what?! I-¡± ¡°No, thank you!¡± Before Risa could say anything, Zeke turned down the queen¡¯s offer. ¡°What¡­ Zeke?¡± He couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and he faced Risa on his left and took Risa¡¯s right hand. Risa flinched at his sudden touch. Zeke ignored that and kneeled on the ground before taking Risa¡¯s other hand and looking up at her. ¡°Miss Risa¡­No. Lady Risa Kurokawa Claude.¡± ¡°¡­Y-yes?¡± Incredibly shaken by the suddenness, Risa squeezed out a squeak. Zeke flung all care to the wind and continued. ¡°¡­I like you. Please go out with me.¡± He held Risa¡¯s hands tighter so she couldn¡¯t escape. ¡°Oh me, oh my!¡± The queen chittered excitedly, but her voice did not reach Zeke, who only looked at Risa. Risa looked down at her lap, her cheeks flushed red. Zeke waited with bated breath for her answer as his heartbeat grew louder and louder in his own head, so much that he worried whether she had heard his confession. After a while Risa suddenly looked at him and shook her head. Zeke stiffened, thinking he was rejected, when she asked, ¡°Do you really like me?¡± ¡°¡­Whatever do you mean?¡± He said in a low voice. Risa shook at his unusually low pitch, but Zeke didn¡¯t have the energy to analyze her reaction. He simply gazed at her and awaited her answer. Meanwhile Risa slowly pieced her words together while her eyes flitted to and fro, clearly anxious. ¡°¡­What Zeke likes, is¡­ not me¡­ but¡­ the sweets I make, right?¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡± ¡°So that, that is to say¡­ you might be confusing that¡­ for feelings towards me, right?¡± She said, finally looking away from him. His hands fell away from hers. ¡°In other words, because I like the sweets you make, I¡¯ve confused that with liking you as a person? ¡­Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°What if I couldn¡¯t cook at all? What if I couldn¡¯t make a single dessert? Even then, would you be able to say you like me?¡± Risa said in a hoarse voice, as if her feelings could no longer be contained. She turned back to face Zeke, but her eyes were wet with tears threatening to fall. If I back down now, she will never be mine. Zeke¡¯s gut told him he couldn¡¯t let this chance go to waste. ¡°Miss Risa,¡± he called her name in a gentle voice. ¡°It¡¯s true that I like the sweets and the food that you make. That¡¯s because you put your heart into your food.¡± Risa¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°I cannot make the same flavor even if I try. Of course, my skills are nowhere near yours, but your food shows your personality and your feelings. It tastes of a kind and gentle happiness. That is why I like your food. Besides, it¡¯s pointless to think about what would happen if you couldn¡¯t cook. Your culinary skill is one of the many facets that make you Miss Risa; it is just as important as your appearance and your personality. I like all of you.¡± Zeke elaborated fervently as he gently took Risa¡¯s hands, those hands with short nails, again and gazed up at her. Please, let my feelings reach her. Let her tearful face shine with a smile. Risa flushed a deeper red, and she made a complicated face mixed with joy and uncertainty. She asked Zeke, ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yes, really. Will you accept these feelings of mine?¡± Zeke asked again, to which Risa cast down her eyes in resignation. She whispered, ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± Volume 2, 23: We were blessed. Volume 2, Chapter 23: We were blessed. Zeke, overjoyed that his feelings were answered, pulled Risa¡¯s hands to embrace her, when¡­ ¡°Oh dear me! How wonderful!¡± Zeke completely forgot where he was and Risa was overwhelmed with his confession. They creaked their necks slowly towards the direction of the voice. ¡°U-uhm, did, were y-you watching¡­¡± Risa¡¯s flushed face only turned redder as she stammered. ¡°Of course!¡± Queen Adele smiled from ear to ear, clearly over the moon. Zeke immediately felt sorry for getting ahead of himself without picking the place, but it didn¡¯t dampen his satisfaction at hearing Risa¡¯s good response. He felt bad for RIsa, who seemed about to burst into tears from embarrassment, but he was glad that Queen Adele had become their witness, however involuntarily. Regardless of the situation, all that mattered to him was that Risa responded to his feelings favorably. Zeke gently let go of Risa¡¯s hands and bowed deeply to Queen Adele. ¡°My deepest apologies for doing this in front of Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all. In fact, thanks to you I¡¯ve had front row seats to a spectacle! Risa had such a good person like you right next to her.¡± Queen Adele chuckled as she urged him to stand. He stood and sat back down next to Risa, who was bashfully fiddling with her fingers. ¡°It¡¯s a little strange to say this when I was the one to trouble you with the marriage talks¡­ However, there may be more people who criticize you because of the rumors. When that happens, please don¡¯t hesitate to come to me. I won¡¯t let them get in your way.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± ¡°We are in your care.¡± The two replied and Queen Adele gave a big nod. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s call it a day, then!¡± Queen Adele¡¯s plate and teacup were both empty. She apparently continued to enjoy her dessert and tea while watching Zeke confess. Zeke, overwhelmed in various ways by Queen Adele, glanced at Risa sitting next to him. She was finally the same old Risa he knew, accepting that what was done had been done. Watched by the high-spirited Queen Adele, Zeke and Risa left the room. Zeke rode with Risa on the carriage that Queen Adele had prepared for her. _______________________________________________________________ When the carriage reached Risa¡¯s home, Zeke got off first and offered a hand to her. She hesitated before slowly placing her hand in his. Zeke was happy to see her use his hand as support despite her shyness. After all, she was finally relying on him a little bit, even though he was younger than her and still nowhere near her level at work. ¡°We can work together at the caf¨¦ again starting tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yeah. Sorry, I¡¯ve caused you so much trouble¡­¡± ¡°No, thanks to that I¡¯ve painfully understood how much more I can improve.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m glad I found out.¡± ¡°Zeke¡­¡± Risa looked at Zeke, concerned. Seeing her eyebrows scrunched up together in worry, Zeke laughed and kissed the middle of her forehead to Risa¡¯s surprise. Risa stared at him, speechless, before her cheeks flushed red. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°See you tomorrow, then.¡± Zeke said, ushering her into her house. Once he confirmed that she went in, he went back into the carriage. Finally, his long day came to an end. Volume 2, 24: I hired a new employee. Volume 2, Chapter 24: I hired a new employee. The next morning, Helena sighed in relief upon seeing Risa full of energy again. Then she immediately asked, ¡°Miss Risa, is it true you¡¯re going out with Mister Zeke now?!¡± ¡°Wha- why do you know, Helena?!¡± ¡°My father went to the royal palace with the daily bread today and you were all anyone talked about. You were even officially approved by Her Majesty?!¡± ¡°Queen Adele¡­¡± Was she spreading the word so she could fulfill her promise that she wouldn¡¯t let anyone get in their way? Risa wanted to hold her head in her hands. She had only just become aware of her feelings towards Zeke, and now everything else was rushing away from her. Risa tried to look at it positively. She was quite passive when it came to love, so maybe it would be good for the people around her to be excited for her. ¡°How did this happen?! Tell me more, tell me everything!¡± Helena leaned in towards Risa, curiosity written all over her face. ¡°Uhm, Helena¡­¡± Just when Risa held her at arm¡¯s length to stop her, the doorbell rang. Zeke, at this timing?! The two of them swung around, Risa in a panic and Helena honing in on her new target, only to see that it wasn¡¯t him. ¡°Excuse me~¡± A scrawny young man stood at the door. He had a head of curly, greenish brown hair and large, bright brown eyes. ¡°Uh, we haven¡¯t opened yet¡­¡± Risa said as she walked towards him, assuming he was a customer, when the young man suddenly bowed to her. ¡°Please make me your disciple!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Risa and Helena looked at each other. Risa had been asked every once in a while to teach someone how to cook, but this was the first time someone said it so straightforwardly. Although she had always turned them down, the caf¨¦ was looking for employees right now, so Risa decided to hear him out first. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Ah, Zeke.¡± Zeke peeked in from behind the young man, who was blocking the entrance. The young man straightened himself as suddenly as he had bowed and swiveled to face Zeke. ¡°Mister Zeke!¡± ¡°Huh? You¡¯re from the royal palace¡­¡± ¡°Yes! Thank you for all the pointers yesterday!¡± He happily thanked Zeke. Risa wondered if it was just her or if the young man looked like an excited dog that was greeting their master¡­ ¡°Zeke, do you know him?¡± ¡°Yes, we worked together for a bit yesterday at the royal kitchen¡­ Why are you here?¡± ¡°I came to become your disciple, Mister Zeke!¡± ¡°¡­Hah?¡± ¡°I made sure to get the Head Chef¡¯s approval, too!¡± He said, taking out a piece of paper from his pocket to show Zeke. Risa went up to them and looked at it too. I hereby recommend Alan Trail as a novice chef at Caf¨¦ Omusubi. ¡ªFeliformia Kingdom Royal Head Chef Ian McKinnies So the young man¡¯s name was Alan Trail. Although it was short and concise, the recommendation from the head chef looked genuine. Risa looked up from the paper and spoke to the young man who was watching their reactions. ¡°Alan, was it? How old are you?¡± ¡°I just became eighteen this year!¡± Despite appearing to be younger than Helena, he was one year older than her. He wasn¡¯t short, but his scrawny stature didn¡¯t inspire much confidence, and he seemed much younger than Zeke¡­ perhaps because Zeke also looked incredibly mature for his age. Risa puzzled over what to do and glanced at Zeke, who readily nodded. ¡°I think he would be good.¡± He said, and Alan¡¯s face instantly shone. Risa couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened yesterday, but he really likes you. Alan, it might be a bit much to ask, but could you start working today then?¡± ¡°Yes! Please take care of me!¡± ¡°Zeke, why don¡¯t you show him the ropes?¡± ¡°Eh, me?¡± ¡°I mean¡­¡± Risa and Zeke looked at Alan and could almost see a wagging tail behind his back. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Great. Let¡¯s get ready to open then!¡± Risa said and clapped her hands together. On that signal, Risa, Zeke, Helena, and the new rookie, Alan, scattered to work. _______________________________________________________________ The work at the caf¨¦ was easier than Risa expected after her long vacation. Although Alan seemed unreliable at a glance, he moved quickly and efficiently and was good with his hands. No wonder Head Chef McKinnies recommended him. Helena also moved faster than before, helping Alan as he struggled in the hall on his first time serving customers. Above all else, Zeke was incredibly reliable as he gave orders to Alan while skillfully making food. He must have worked especially hard while Risa was out, as he noticed more details than before. Risa watched over her employees while leisurely making tea at the bar counter or catching up with their regulars. To be honest, she remembered the events with Zeke from yesterday before she went to work, and had been anxious about how to face him. However, her anxiety was blown away with Alan¡¯s sudden appearance. Even Helena, who had put her on the hot seat the second they met, seemed to have completely forgotten about it. At any rate, Caf¨¦ Omusubi ran smoothly again, this time with a new member on the team. Volume 2, 25: A sudden love scene… Volume 2, Chapter 25: A sudden love scene¡­ After cleaning up and closing up shop, Risa was left alone with Zeke in the caf¨¦. It had been a while since she last cooked, and Zeke also wanted to keep her company. Risa thought of making the syrup used on summer shaved ice. While she rinsed suis, a fruit similar to plums, under running water, she asked Zeke about Alan. ¡°How did Alan do today?¡± ¡°It was his first day, so there are still some parts that I can¡¯t comment on. However, he¡¯s fast on his feet and efficient, so I think he¡¯ll do fine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. He really respects you, Zeke. What exactly happened yesterday?¡± Risa said, startling herself with the word ¡°yesterday.¡± She faked nonchalance so Zeke wouldn¡¯t notice and began to clean and pick at scarred spots on the suis fruit with a toothpick. ¡°I taught him how to decorate cake with the cake you ate, Miss Risa.¡± ¡°Ohh, you taught him that?¡± ¡°He was so clumsy, I couldn¡¯t stand by and watch him¡­¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why he¡¯s so attached to you?¡± ¡°It appears so.¡± Risa chuckled as she thought back on Alan¡¯s actions. When Zeke gave him an order, he followed it with a ¡°yes chef!¡± When Zeke called him he came running with a ¡°yes chef!¡± Coupled with that curly head of hair, Risa thought he was just like a toy poodle. She fought the urge to reach out and ruffle that fluffy looking head. While she thought about that, a shadow cast over her hands that were busy with cleaning the plums. Hm? She thought and turned to see Zeke¡¯s face incredibly close. Risa jumped. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Miss Risa.¡± Zeke beat Risa to the punch. ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten yesterday, have you?¡± He said, closing the distance between them and placing his hands on the edge of the sink so he encircled Risa. So close!! Risa yelled in her heart while she frantically focused on the plums. She felt her long ponytail of raven hair get lifted from her back. Zeke began to play with her smooth, silky hair. My hair¡­ She knew it was being touched, but Risa had no courage in her to check what was going on with her hair. Risa¡¯s hair that reached her waist was brought up to the much taller Zeke¡¯s face. Zeke gently pressed her hair against his lips. W-what is he doing to my hair¡­? I want to turn around, but¡­ I can¡¯t! Flustered, Risa tried to continue her work, but she only succeeded in stabbing the plum with the toothpick repeatedly. ¡°¡­U-uhm, Zeke? I¡­I didn¡¯t f-f-forget¡­¡± Risa tried her best to answer his question, but her mouth wouldn¡¯t form the words properly. What are you, an innocent middle schooler?! She yelled at herself in her thoughts. Although Risa had some experience with love, she was in no way suited for love. Not only that, but she hadn¡¯t had the energy for love since she came to this world. She hadn¡¯t experienced love and had distanced herself from it for so long that she was thrown into a panic despite being older. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, her hands were shivering, and her face was probably a bright red. Just then, the fruit slipped out of Risa¡¯s hand and rolled into the sink. ¡°You¡¯re noticing me.¡± Risa immediately wrenched her hand back from reaching towards the fruit in the sink. She was embarrassed at how bright as day it was that she was shaken to Zeke. She gave up on the dropped fruit and picked up another fruit from the water. She heard a low chuckle right next to her ear and trembled. He must have watched her movements. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re looking at me.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ve always looked at you, though, Zeke?¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t notice that I liked you.¡± ¡°W-well¡­ That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± Zeke is hard to read! She couldn¡¯t read emotions from Zeke¡¯s default blank face. ¡°Helena found out.¡± ¡°No way?!¡± Shocked, Risa turned. ¡°¡­!¡± Zeke looked down at Risa, who looked up. Their eyes that were only ten centimeters away from each other stared. Risa instantly stiffened and flushed red, and Zeke slowly closed in. Risa squeezed her eyes shut. Zeke gently raised Risa¡¯s chin, which Risa had instinctively shrunk back into her neck. Their lips touched. There was a noise from the hall. Both of them returned to their senses. Risa removed herself from Zeke, who seemed a little disappointed, to go see what the sound was. However, Zeke stopped her with his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± He said, and he walked towards the hall. Volume 2, 26: I met the lady who saved me. Volume 2, Chapter 26: I met the lady who saved me. Risa followed Zeke to the hall and they heard a knocking sound from the door. Zeke raised the curtain over the glass window on the door to reveal a woman standing outside. Risa was hit with a strong sense of deja vu upon seeing her face. Judging that she wasn¡¯t a drunkard or a ruffian, Zeke opened the door. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to visit so late at night. I know I¡¯m being rude, but I saw the lights were still on, and¡­¡± She bowed to Zeke in apology, then noticed Risa behind him and smiled in relief. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve gotten better. I was really surprised when you collapsed so suddenly¡­¡± ¡°Oh! Are you the one who rushed to my side when I collapsed?!¡± Risa found out afterwards that when she had fainted, a woman who happened to be nearby had rushed her to her house. The woman had already gone home by the time she woke up, so she wanted to thank her later. ¡°Thank you so much for helping me. I was going to visit you as thanks! Would you like to come in?¡± Risa asked her and looked at Zeke, who shifted from the entrance. ¡°Ah¡­well¡­ Maybe just for a bit.¡± The woman said after thinking about it, and she entered the caf¨¦. She slowly looked around the now dimly lit store. Her back looked overcome with emotion. Risa pulled back a chair for her to sit in and poured out a glass of iced tea from the jar in the small fridge under the counter. Before she brought it out, she peeked into the kitchen to see Zeke working on the syrup in her stead. She signed a ¡°sorry¡± to him before placing the iced tea on a tray and moving out to the woman. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± Risa ushered the woman, who was still standing, into the seat she had pulled out, and sat down across from her. ¡°Again, thank you so much. It¡¯s all thanks to you that I¡¯ve completely recovered now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you feel better.¡± She smiled, truly relieved, and her almond, purple eyes smiled with her. Her milk tea colored hair swayed softly as she tilted her head a little to the side. The woman was a few years older than Risa. Her name was¡­ ¡°Uhm, Miss Olivia, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You probably already know this, but I am Risa Claude. I¡¯m the owner of Caf¨¦ Omusubi.¡± ¡°Fufu, I¡¯ve actually come here as a customer before.¡± ¡°Eh?! Really?¡± ¡°It must have been more than half a year ago, though. I had suspected as much.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I came here on a rare date with my husband.¡± ¡°How wonderful!¡± ¡°I was very happy about it, since my husband invited me here. I¡¯d always wanted to come here at least once.¡± ¡°Ahh, was that why you looked around the caf¨¦ just now?¡± ¡°Yes. It was so busy when we came, and we were so focused on the food¡­ I didn¡¯t manage to look around the caf¨¦ properly.¡± ¡°The atmosphere is completely different when there are no customers, after all.¡± As women do, the conversation smoothly passed through many topics. Olivia sipped a bit of her tea and suddenly looked off into the distance. Risa wondered what was wrong and watched her quietly. ¡°Right after that, my husband passed away in an accident¡­¡± Risa could only look at the woman at her sudden confession. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry for turning to such a heavy topic. I felt like our visit to this shop was our last memory together. That¡¯s why I¡¯m glad we came that day. If only we brought our son with us, too¡­¡± She forced a smile as if to push her sadness back down. ¡°You have a son?¡± ¡°Yes, he turns four this year. What a troublemaker he is.¡± She said, shrugging. Risa wondered if she was like the single mothers back in her previous world. It was the first time she had met anyone with that kind of situation in this world. Then she realized something. ¡°Oh! I hope I didn¡¯t get in the way of your work when I collapsed!¡± As she was a single mother, she must have been working to support her son. ¡°Ah¡­ It was okay, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Olivia shook her hands back and forth. ¡°Really? You weren¡¯t late to work or anything?¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t affect my work. It¡¯s just¡­¡± Olivia sighed and began to speak of her troubles. ¡°I¡¯ve been working in the kitchen at a noble¡¯s mansion since last month. The work is good, but the time commitment¡­ It¡¯s always very late before I can go home, so I¡¯m not sure if I will keep at it.¡± ¡°Are you on your way home now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What about your son? What is he doing at this hour?¡± ¡°He is at the relief home.¡± ¡°The relief home?¡± Olivia explained to Risa that the relief home was a public-owned facility that was a combination of a hospital, senior care, orphanage and nursery. It provided services mostly to the poor or people born into disadvantageous circumstances in society. Widows and retired maids cared for children and the elderly there. Olivia had also wanted to work there, but the director stopped her as she was still young. They did not want her to be discriminated against by her occupation in the event that she remarried. She persisted, saying she did not see marriage in her future as she was still very much in love with her late husband, but was persuaded against it as there may come a day when her son would need a father. ¡°So you can only meet your son on your days off?¡± ¡°Yes. If only my work didn¡¯t end so late, I would be able to pick him up and have some time with him then¡­¡± She must have been her son¡¯s anchor since her husband passed away. Risa gazed at Olivia sadly as the woman talked. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry. Somehow this turned into a rant¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Uhm, Miss Olivia. Would you like to work here?¡± Risa offered. Although it wasn¡¯t without pity, Risa¡¯s decision was built upon Olivia¡¯s character. Her hands were rough from dishwashing. Unlike the ladies who came to the interviews, she knew the hardships of working to make a living. ¡°Work¡­here?¡± Olivia blinked, caught off guard by Risa¡¯s completely unexpected offer. ¡°You would be serving customers instead of working in the kitchen, though.¡± Risa offered the same waiting job as Helena to Olivia. Her work hours would be from 9AM to 7PM. For the first half year of the caf¨¦, they had stayed open until 8PM, but there was too much to do with not enough staff so the caf¨¦ now closed at 6PM. Food preparation for the next day took time, and Risa was also worried about Helena¡¯s commute home so late at night. Risa and Zeke usually stayed until 8PM for food preparation, but Olivia could go home at 7PM like Helena. That way she could pick up her son and they could go home together. So Risa explained to Olivia. ¡°That would be wonderful! I can even work at this caf¨¦, where my husband and I had such a good time¡­ I¡¯d love to accept right away, but I need to talk about it with my current job, so¡­¡± ¡°Of course. We are currently recruiting for employees, so it would be great for you to come earlier than later, but I don¡¯t mind waiting for you to wrap things up first.¡± Olivia sighed in relief. Risa was also thankful that she solved the caf¨¦¡¯s employee shortage without too much trouble. The night was growing old, so Olivia went home after promising to come by again. Risa brought the teacups into the kitchen to see that Zeke had finished making the syrup. She apologized to him for throwing the work onto his shoulders. ¡°Sorry Zeke, you had to do everything.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, this much is a walk in the park. Are you hiring her?¡± Zeke had overheard their conversation. ¡°Yeah. My gut tells me she¡¯s a good person. She might have gotten some extra points for being a mother.¡± Although Olivia looked clearly tired from her daily responsibilities and work, her determination clearly stemmed from a strong will to protect her child¡­or so Risa felt. ¡°I said we would wait for her to be ready to start working, but our problem with not enough people on the team is finally solved!¡± ¡°Yes. We also got Alan, after all.¡± ¡°Right? I hope he learns how to cook soon!¡± Risa thought of his excited wagging tail and chuckled. She quickly rinsed out the cup and handed it to Zeke, who held a drying cloth next to her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Risa said, her eyes meeting Zeke¡¯s. Her heart skipped a beat, and Zeke placed the cup on the counter before pulling her waist towards him and leaned in for a kiss. They parted and Risa blinked up at Zeke, stunned. ¡°Please don¡¯t forget about me.¡± Risa immediately remembered the events before Olivia came and her cheeks flushed red. She quietly nodded her head. Volume 2, 27: Let’s make a textbook. Volume 2, Chapter 27: Let¡¯s make a textbook. Olivia began working at the caf¨¦ a week after that. After finding someone to take her place at her job and talking with the relief home, she appeared on the caf¨¦¡¯s doorstep with a bright and hopeful expression. ¡°Starting today, I will be in your care.¡± ¡°Miss Olivia! You¡¯re here. The pleasure is mine.¡± Risa had already spoken to everyone about Olivia. Helena and Alan had never met her before, however, so Risa introduced her. Olivia smiled and greeted her new colleagues while Alan stared at her, smitten. ¡°Alan, just so you know, Miss Olivia is a mother with a four year old son.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Alan looked shocked before slumping in disappointment, failing to notice Helena glare at him unhappily. Oh? Risa thought, but she said nothing, content with watching the budding sprout grow on its own. _______________________________________________________________ Now that there were more employees at the caf¨¦, there was one more thing to do¡ªthe culinary department. Risa wondered whether she could still accept the offer after putting it on hold for so long. However, when she told Royce she would do it, he breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently if Risa hadn¡¯t accepted, all talks of establishing a culinary department would have fallen through. Royce was unable to find suitable candidates other than Risa and Head Chef McKinnies. He needed them on board before he could even obtain a budget. Hearing his explanation, Risa worried even more that she wasn¡¯t suited for the job. However Royce¡¯s proposal was the same as Risa¡¯s thoughts when she opened the caf¨¦. I want to spread good food and improve the food culture of this world. She had no reason to refuse. Before Risa knew it, the fog of her worry dissipated. How long would people wish for her cooking? She felt so stupid to have worried about that. Anyone would prefer good food over bad tasting food. As long as someone felt that way, a chef that could make better food than Risa would appear in the near future. To that end, she would invest in that future, in the children. With new resolve, Risa began to work on the structure of the culinary department. First, she began with the school facility. After all, construction would take a lot of time, so it was best started earlier. They would need lecture halls for lectures, dining rooms to try out new recipes, and changing rooms to change into chef uniforms. Most importantly, they needed kitchens. They required a set amount of space so multiple people could cook at the same time, on top of the space ovens and fridges took up. They would not need anything special, but she wanted them to have all the necessary equipment. Once she had the general idea, she went to all the experts. She presented to designers, magical tool smiths, furniture makers, and others. Her contact from the palace brought drafts to the caf¨¦, and her days of meetings in the storage room on the second floor continued. Sometimes she would ask her caf¨¦ employees for their opinions. Although they were all from different departments, like the chivalry department and the general education department, Zeke and Alan were familiar with the structure of the school as it was their alma mater. Helena and Olivia would also point out some interesting things only possible from their perspectives as women unfamiliar with the school. The blueprint was finished, and construction for the school facility began. _______________________________________________________________ Next was the textbook. She thought about a curriculum that would make children who were complete beginners to cooking masters in three years. This was the first time Risa would officially teach cooking, so she started with a general outline. She jotted down important skills while she reflected on what she did back in home economics class. As it was a curriculum, not only would they learn culinary skills, but they would also have to acquire all the knowledge behind them, like characteristics of ingredients and nutrition. There would have to be final exams as well, just like the other departments. To that end, some form of classroom learning would be necessary. These questions tortured Risa, as she had never learned anything of the sort. Not only that, but it had not even been two years since she had come to this world. She was unfamiliar with the ingredients and the regions they were produced. Every day she would go to the Ashley Company and the street markets to learn. She could only leave this to someone else more well versed in the matter. She asked the contact from the royal palace to find an expert in food and food culture. Meanwhile, she would think about culinary skills. She tried to think of easy recipes that would introduce skills in tiers and help with mastery. However, this was surprisingly difficult. First, a recipe that would not use a knife or fire. Next, a recipe that used a knife, a recipe that used fire, then there were recipes that would teach skills required to make desserts and bread. She spent a lot of time here as she simulated the recipes in her head. Even more troublesome than thinking up the recipes was articulating them with proportions and clear instructions. When she just started the caf¨¦, she had written down the recipes to sell at the Ashley Company, but she hadn¡¯t done that ever since the caf¨¦ got busier. As she stopped writing recipes, Risa eyeballed most things. She had some notes jotted down for cakes and other food that required strict ratios, but she didn¡¯t write notes for all of them. All the recipes she had eyeballed, she would have to use time and energy to figure out the specific measurements for. ¡°Hmm, so five tablespoons¡­ of miso¡­¡± She gave the food she made to record measurements to her employees as staff lunch. She made a simple vegetable and egg miso soup. This was the first time she had made the ever familiar miso soup with measurements. She dissolved the measured miso into a pot of pre-boiled water, reheated it, then turned off the heat before it boiled. She let out a sigh, tired by the extra energy she used. Just then, Alan, who had finished preparations for the caf¨¦ to open, peeked over at the notes Risa had jotted down. ¡°So it looks like this in numbers?¡± The royal kitchen, where Alan used to work, did not follow recipes either. After all, there was no person kind enough to teach him in the royal kitchen. Theirs was a society where knowledge was stolen with the five senses. He learned by watching his senior chefs cook, so Alan had a sharp eye for observing other chefs. Coupled with Risa and Zeke giving him constructive criticism, he grew remarkably fast. He was already in charge of most of the simpler items on the menu. As if soaking up all of Risa¡¯s knowledge like a sponge, Alan nodded to himself as he read the scrawled recipe of miso soup. Alan¡¯s most important characteristics were his love for eating and his curiosity for new things, which often translated into his fast speed as he moved across the kitchen. Lately Risa began to wonder whether small things like these were the source of his extraordinary growth, and therefore important qualities of a chef. Risa herself also had much to learn from him. ¡°Alan, could you move these to the second floor?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She pointed at the pot of miso soup and asked, and he pulled his eyes away from the recipe and replied brightly. He picked up the pot filled with five servings of miso soup with no effort at all. Despite not inspiring much in terms of masculinity, he was still a boy. So Risa thought as she watched Alan. Volume 2, 28: Snacks don’t have to be sweet. Volume 2, Chapter 28: Snacks don¡¯t have to be sweet. After she tried most of the entre¨¦ recipes, she began to work on desserts. It was no different from her usual process when it came to cake, but she made sure to try each one to confirm that the taste was the same. Risa and the other caf¨¦ employees liked sweets, but even they got sick of it after days of sweet foods. By the end of the week, everyone was utterly disgusted by sweets. ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m so sick of this¡­¡± Risa confessed as she stared at the cakes on the table. Nobody else said anything, but they all thought the same. Everyone had wry smiles on their faces. ¡°¡­Hmm, I believe some salty snacks are in order!¡± Risa said with an epiphany. The other four people stared at her in surprise. ¡°¡­ Salty snacks? That exists?¡± Alan said, tilting his head in confusion. The other three people made complicated faces. ¡°That¡¯s the only thing to break out of this disgustingly sweet vicious circle! Don¡¯t worry about it. Look forward to tomorrow!¡± Risa¡¯s sudden excitement was not contagious, as the other four who only believed snacks to be sweet simply nodded, nonplussed. _______________________________________________________________ The next day, Risa had a bounce in her step even in the bright and early morning. She was going to make potato chips. The key ingredient would be mume potatoes, a yellow-ish potato that was slightly larger than a russet potato with the texture of a sweet potato. It was a very common potato in this world. She had a slicer machine that she never used after ordering it from the neighboring hardware store. She took it out and sliced the skinned potatoes with it. Then she rinsed the potatoes and lined them out to dry. She went to make other snacks while she waited. The ingredients were wheat flour, a pinch of salt and sugar, Lintz oil, and water. She simply mixed everything together and kneaded it with her hand before separating it into quarters and adding different ingredients to each quarter. One had herb paste and cheese powder, one had crushed peppercorns, one had finely chopped bacon, and the last one had nothing in it. She rolled each out thinly with a roller, cut them into long thin strips, lined them up on a baking tray, then placed them in the oven to bake on low heat. Risa watched the dough lit up in orange from the small window on the oven and smiled to herself. She reached for the dried slices of potato. They felt a little damp, but most of the moisture was gone. She slid them into a frying pan full of heated lintz oil, and the potatoes sank with a sizzle before floating to the surface. She continued to fry them in a frying basket and stirred occasionally. Once they turned golden, she raised the tray part of the basket and shook the oil off the potatoes. She reached for another batch until she fried all the potato slices. Just then, the other employees who had all finished preparing for the store to open walked in. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Helena asked, picking up and staring at a chip that was just cooked. ¡°I fried some thinly sliced mume potatoes.¡± ¡°Whoa, and it turned into this?¡± Alan said, intrigued by the shape. ¡°Ah, Alan. If you¡¯re free, could you move the drained ones to a plate?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Alan took some tongs and began to move chips to another plate. ¡°Ah!¡± Risa turned at Alan¡¯s shout to see he had accidentally crushed some chips with his tongs. She laughed at his shocked face and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t worry about it. That¡¯s just how it is.¡± Once all the chips were finished, she went to check the oven, which had been baking for around thirty minutes. She peeked into the window to see a wonderful golden brown. They were pretty much done. She opened the oven and a delicious fragrance spread through the kitchen. She took out the baking tray and snapped one with a crispy crunch. Ignoring her manners, Risa munched on the piece she had snapped while moving the rest to another plate. After that, she quickly made the rest of the staff lunch and moved to the second floor. _______________________________________________________________ After everyone finished eating, they began to try out the ¡°salty snacks.¡± ¡°First, these are mume potato chips, made by frying sliced potatoes with oil. Feel free to make your own combinations of salt and pepper for it. These long and thin things are breadsticks. The flavors are plain, herb and cheese, pepper, and bacon. Enjoy!¡± Risa said and reached for some. She took a bite of a potato chip with a crunch. The other four followed her as they also reached for the chips. Everyone took a bite at the same time, and the room echoed with crunches. ¡°What an interesting texture! There isn¡¯t much flavor like this, so it would probably taste good with salt and pepper.¡± Alan said as he immediately seasoned his chip with some salt and pepper. Helena and Olivia immediately copied his movements. Meanwhile, Zeke reached for the breadsticks. In Risa¡¯s previous world, these were absolute necessities in supermarkets and convenience stores. They were long and thin like sticks and had salad variants and a butter flavor as well. Risa had created something slightly fatter and longer than that. ¡°This is good. It really is a dessert if you think about it.¡± ¡°Right? The plain ones are really good with chocolate or cream, too!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, that sounds like a good combination.¡± ¡°They are a little salty, so they seem to go well with wine.¡± Olivia was the oldest and she enjoyed alcohol, so she immediately thought of it. ¡°It seems like a great snack for when you¡¯re feeling a little peckish!¡± Helena said as she waved her bacon breadstick that was short one bite around. ¡°It won¡¯t go bad too fast, so we can sell this to go as well.¡± ¡°Right, we could do that, too. The chips might be a little difficult, though.¡± Risa agreed to Zeke¡¯s suggestion, but she squinted at the mume potato chip in her hand. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Alan asked. ¡°These sticks were dehydrated when they were baked in the oven so they would be fine, but the chips were fried with oil. They¡¯re still crunchy since I just fried them, but soon they¡¯ll go stale and the texture will go bad. The packaging we have for delivery would also be greasy with oil.¡± Alan nodded in understanding. ¡°It feels like a waste to not sell such delicious chips, though¡­¡± Helena muttered disappointedly, and she stuffed herself with more chips. Risa agreed, but there was no nylon or vinyl in this world, so it was incredibly difficult to sell food with moisture or oil in them for takeout. Cakes were placed in paper boxes partitioned with thick, smooth material similar to paraffin paper. Although they could try that with the chips, too, there was no way of avoiding the staleness after time passed. In her previous world, snacks like potato chips could be easily obtained only because of industrialization. So Risa thought as she stared at her homemade chips. ¡°So, what do you think of the salty snacks? Was it good?¡± Risa asked the other four people who were peacefully chatting away. ¡°It was super good!¡± ¡°Salty snacks are quite good.¡± ¡°It was delicious!¡± Alan, Olivia, and Helena said happily. ¡°Miss Risa is amazing as always.¡± Zeke said as he smiled and gazed at Risa. The other three were still eating, so they didn¡¯t notice anything. However, Risa saw his expression as he faced her, clear as day, and her heart skipped a beat. A blank expression and then this smile?! My heart¡­ Risa looked down so no one would see her red face and quietly wailed in agony inside. Volume 2, 29: Are good luck charms for love effective? Volume 2, Chapter 29: Are good luck charms for love effective? ¡°Mister Zeke, I¡¯m done with the tasks here!¡± Helena turned in response to the bright and energetic voice from the kitchen. She saw the owner of that voice turning towards Zeke happily. Alan Trail. Almost two months had passed since he became a chef at Caf¨¦ Omusubi. Before she noticed, Helena began to follow the enthusiastic man around the caf¨¦ with her eyes. At first, she thought he was childish even though he was one year older than her, especially when compared to the ever mature Zeke, who was two years older than her. However, Helena soon realized that Zeke was the exception, and it was normal for boys their age to act more like Alan. Alan, who had worked as an apprentice in the royal kitchen, but who had come to Caf¨¦ Omusubi of his own accord after receiving constructive criticism from Zeke. His respect for Zeke never changed¡­ In fact, it was only growing, as he loitered around Zeke, always asking for his opinion. If only he would look this way some more, Helena thought as she couldn¡¯t help envying Zeke. Well, it wasn¡¯t likely that Alan liked Zeke in that way, though. Besides, Zeke and Risa seemed to be doing well. They showed no sign that they were dating during work. The caf¨¦ was extremely busy as always despite Alan and Olivia joining staff, so one could say they didn¡¯t have the time to flirt. Risa was six years older than Helena, and Zeke wasn¡¯t one to show his emotions. For a while, Helena wondered maybe theirs was an extremely dry relationship. She was proven wrong when she doubled back to the store after discovering she had forgotten something on the way home. Risa and Zeke were still there when she left, but that was a long time ago so Helena thought no one was at the caf¨¦ anymore. However, she stopped in front of the store to see a sliver of light spilling from the closed curtains. Someone¡¯s still here at this hour? She thought as she entered the store to see the lights on in the kitchen. Helena forgot her things at the staff room on the second floor, and to get there she had to pass through the dining hall to the stairs at the back. Even so, she thought she would say hi to whoever was in the kitchen, if there was anyone there. She moved to the kitchen entrance and was shocked by what she saw. Then she quickly turned around and hid behind the wall, covering her mouth. T-t-t-they¡¯re totally kissing!!! She saw Zeke towering over Risa as if pushing her up against the sink, his back facing Helena. She could see one of Risa¡¯s hands circled around on his back, so it seemed mutual. Helena patted herself on the back for witnessing their love scene, ignoring how she accidentally walked in on them. What the heck, they¡¯re flirting like proper lovers then. The doorbell rang upon Helena¡¯s return, but they must have missed it, being so enamoured by each other. Helena gave up on picking up her things as she didn¡¯t want to bother them. She slipped out of the store without a sound. ¡­Phew. I had nothing to worry about. Helena was really happy that things were going well with them; she would even go as far to say that she hoped they would marry. But she was also really jealous of Risa as a woman. Although Zeke seemed like an ice cube, one quickly found that was not the case after talking to him. He took care of people and he worked hard. Helena believed he would carry his weight even in a romantic relationship. Compared to that¡­Helena looked at her crush. Alan¡¯s intense gaze was focused on Zeke, who was decorating cake with chocolate, as if soaking up each and every move he made. He had a serious expression on his face, completely different from his innocent smile just a few minutes ago. It was great that his skills were improving in leaps and bounds. Although he still had much to learn, as Risa would slowly focus more on the culinary department, he would have to take on more and more difficult recipes at the caf¨¦ every day. However, Alan¡¯s head was filled with two things at the moment¡ªcooking and Zeke. Helena was frustrated that he didn¡¯t even spare a glance her way, she almost wanted to complain. She sighed while she put the cleaned teacups back in the cupboard. ¡°Helena, is something wrong? Why are you sighing?¡± Olivia peered at Helena. Olivia Sharlane became an employee at Caf¨¦ Omusubi a week after Alan. She was a twenty-seven year old single mother with almond eyes and voluptuous breasts. A woman with all the appeal that Helena did not have. Helena was wary of her as Alan had looked smitten when she first came to work, but it was clear that Olivia was still very much in love with her late husband and the sweetest person there was. She gave off a gentle aura, so Helena had assumed her personality would also be warm and kind. However, a single mother raising her child alone had to put her foot down from time to time, so she was also adept at handling more difficult customers. ¡°Hmm¡­ is it about him?¡± Olivia said, glancing towards the kitchen. Olivia had known from pretty much the start that Helena was into Alan. Risa hadn¡¯t said anything, but she looked like she knew; she was so sharp when it came to others, yet so dense when it came to herself. This was why it is bad for women to be too sharp. No, Helena thought furiously, Alan should have noticed even a little by now. Even so, her feelings had nowhere to go, and she sighed again. Then she stared straight at Olivia, who was still peering at her. ¡°Hm?¡± Olivia said, tilting her head. A tuft of hair escaped from behind her ear. Her uniform¡¯s design was slightly different from Helena¡¯s. After all, there was a giant difference between the goods they carried on their chests. Olivia had a laced blouse with some specific handiwork done to avoid her buttons from popping off and prevent shortness of breath. Olivia was overjoyed, as she had always had a lot of trouble choosing clothes. It was a first-world problem that Helena could not understand. Would Alan look my way if mine were a bit bigger? After placing her hands on her flat chest, Helena grabbed Olivia¡¯s defenseless pair with both hands. ¡°W-what?!¡± Helena squished those soft, bouncy boobs twice before placing her hands back on her chest. ¡°A good luck charm I¡¯m starting today in the hopes that my chest will become as big as yours, Miss Olivia.¡± ¡°Whaaat? What kind of good luck charm is that?! Wait, by starting, do you mean you¡¯re doing this tomorrow too?!¡± ¡°There is power in perseverance. The path to big boobs is one filled with massaging.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that before.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I just made it,¡± Helena chuckled. Although she was joking about the boobs, she knew that it would take a long time when it came to Alan. Until then, she wanted to get along with the other four people on the team. ¡°Excuse me~¡± One of the seated customers raised their hand and called for them. ¡°Yes, right away.¡± Helena cast a sidelong glance at Olivia as she left the counter. Olivia stared at her own chest in confusion and muttered, ¡°they get bigger if you massage them?¡± Volume 2, 30: I want to grow up faster. Volume 2, Chapter 30: I want to grow up faster. A few months after the culinary department project was set into motion, the days were slowly growing colder as they entered winter. ¡°Miss Risa, is it true there will be a culinary department in the near future?!¡± A small customer burst into the store and asked Risa as soon as Caf¨¦ Omusubi opened. The news hadn¡¯t been released to the public yet, so Risa wondered where he had heard it. ¡°Ruto, where did you hear about that?!¡± The small customer was Rutobias Ashley Mathias, a student from the National Academy¡¯s elementary department. His smart wits caused him to be jaded at a young age, and he often skipped class because the material was too simple for him, but somehow he passed his classes and became a second year student. Risa decided it must have been thanks to the efforts of his nagging childhood friend. ¡°My father told me about it this morning.¡± Oh right, Risa thought, his father was a member of the parliament at the royal palace. It wasn¡¯t strange at all for him to know about it, then. ¡°So it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still a secret! Classes won¡¯t begin until two years later.¡± ¡°That¡¯s perfect, since that¡¯s the year I graduate from the elementary department!¡± Rutobias yelled in excitement. There was still a long time until then, but he looked like he couldn¡¯t wait any longer. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll be the first year to have the culinary department then.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll definitely get into the culinary department!¡± Rutobias declared. Risa thought to herself, slow down, you still have two years to decide¡­ as she gazed at Rutobias from beyond the counter. ¡°Ruto, how is school?¡± He should have had class today, but did he ditch or did he not even go? ¡°I¡¯m going in the afternoon today.¡± Looks like it was the latter. ¡°¡­ You skipped class, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You could say that.¡± He sipped the hot chocolate Risa made for him with no sign of remorse. ¡°If you skip class too much, you might be held back a grade and be kept from being the first class of the culinary department, you know?¡± Zeke muttered as he passed behind Risa to place sliced cake in the showcase near the entrance. He had overheard their conversation. Risa turned from Zeke to look back at Rutobias, only to discover his face pale with worry and anxiety. He fell into deep thought. After a while, he looked up. ¡°What are the prerequisites for entering the culinary department?! Are there tests? If it¡¯s just my unofficial transcript, I¡¯m worried I won¡¯t be able to get in¡­¡± Risa slumped, disappointed that it was his transcript he was so worried about. ¡°Listen carefully Ruto, I can¡¯t tell you that. However, this will be the first class of the culinary department. In order to attract talented students of higher caliber for subsequent years, wouldn¡¯t it be best for the department to accept diligent students who have a higher chance of advancing their career?¡± Risa answered him slightly harshly. She had heard about the academy from Rutobias. He was so smart that often his classes were too boring, or he couldn¡¯t get along with his classmates. It was too complicated a problem to have a simple solution such as forcing him to go to school, so she didn¡¯t. However, she believed she should at least make him aware of the dangers in skipping class as his senior in life. The mature boy heard Risa¡¯s words, which implied there was a possibility that his transcript would be considered as well, and immediately began to get his things together. ¡°I¡¯ll go to school now.¡± Rutobias said as he jumped down from the bar stool and ran to the front desk. Risa laughed wryly and followed him. ¡°Huh? Are you leaving, Ruto?¡± Helena stared at Ruto as she served other customers their food. ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯ll come back in the evening! Leave a slice of shortcake for me!¡± ¡°Shortca-¡­he¡¯s gone.¡± Before Helena could reply, the boy ran out of the caf¨¦ with a ¡°bye!¡± _______________________________________________________________ True to his word, Rutobias returned to the caf¨¦ in the evening. ¡°Why are you coming, too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it? I want cake, too!¡± This time, a girl was with him. ¡°Ruto, welcome back. Welcome to you too, Amelia.¡± ¡°Hello!¡± The girl who sat at the counter next to Rutobias was Amelia Idyll. She was Rutobias¡¯s childhood friend, and sometimes she would follow him to the caf¨¦. Unlike Rutobias, she acted just like the other girls of her age. As always, her orange hair was tied up in twin tails. Rutobias held other children his age at arm¡¯s length, but she was the exception. He allowed her to stay with him, voicing his complaints the whole time. According to Rutobias, she came of her own accord, but judging from how he listened to the chatty Amelia talk away, he didn¡¯t seem too dissatisfied with her company. ¡°You¡¯re here again.¡± Zeke peeked his head out of the kitchen and called out to Rutobias. Rutobias shouted joyfully, ¡°Ah, Mister Zeke!¡± Rutobias apparently had nothing but respect for Zeke, and thought of him as a leader figure. ¡°Mister Ze-¡± ¡°Mister Zeke, I¡¯ve baked the dough~¡± Just as Rutobias began to speak, another man came out of the kitchen and spoke to Zeke. Rutobias immediately prickled up and glared at him. The man in question¡ªAlan¡ªfinally noticed Rutobias. ¡°Ruto, you¡¯re here!¡± Alan called out to Rutobias as he smiled a bright and innocent smile. Rutobias¡¯s face only grew darker. He did not seem to like Alan, who acted as if he was Zeke¡¯s apprentice, one bit. Perhaps he felt like his leader had been suddenly stolen from him. Alan, on the other hand, showed no hostility towards Rutobias, and he spoke to Rutobias with his usual smile, incurring further anger from the child. However, Rutobias only made such childish expressions when he interacted with Alan, so Risa simply watched them as the small child barked and growled at Alan like a small dog. _______________________________________________________________ ¡°Geez¡­¡± Rutobias pouted while he stuffed his face with a shortcake. While Rutobias had been growling at Alan, Zeke had returned to the kitchen. As a result, Alan had no more reason to stay, as he was only outside because of Zeke. Risa, who had been chatting with Amelia, had also disappeared. Rutobias sighed heavily and took another bite of shortcake. The sweetness of the rich whipped cream spread through his mouth, and slowly healed his wounded heart. He immediately popped a meichi fruit into his mouth, and enjoyed the refreshing sweet, yet sour taste. By the time he chewed and swallowed, Rutobias had completely forgotten about the previous events. ¡°Mmmmm, sooo good!¡± Next to Rutobias sat Amelia, who sang praises of the lir pie as she ate. Lir fruit was in season, and Rutobias had tried the lir pie the last time he came to the caf¨¦. The lir had been cooked until soft, but it kept its texture, and the pie that surrounded it was flaky. When eaten with the whipped cream on the side, the sourness of the lir proved a perfect match to the cream. Watching her enjoy her pie, Rutobias began to crave it as well. He stared at her pie for a while, and Amelia eventually noticed. She thrust out her plate towards him and said, ¡°Switch!¡± Rutobias offered his plate with the shortcake on it to her too, and she happily took it with a smile. They each took a bite and switched back, and Amelia suddenly said, ¡°So you¡¯re aiming for the culinary department, Ruto?¡± He had told Amelia about the culinary department. Although his father and Risa told him to keep it a secret, Amelia had interrogated him on his tardiness until he explained. He cautioned her time and time again not to tell anyone, but he couldn¡¯t trust her loose lips. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I guess I¡¯ll do that, too.¡± ¡°¡­Haah? Why?!¡± Rutobias stared at her surprisedly. Unlike him, Amelia had never said a word about intending to specialize into the culinary department. He assumed she would be going into the general education department. After all, Amelia constantly talked about how she would become the best maid there ever was, be noticed by a cool and rich man, then marry him. Students who wanted to become maids or butlers usually specialized into the general education department. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to become the best maid there ever was?¡± ¡°I changed my mind! I¡¯m going to become a female chef like Miss Risa!¡± ¡°You?!¡± ¡°What, you got a problem with that?!¡± Rutobias couldn¡¯t help but say harshly, to which Amelia raised her voice in turn. ¡°¡­No, uh¡­ I don¡¯t, but¡­¡± Rutobias tried to smooth things over by laughing dryly and reaching for his now cold tea. ¡°I mean, isn¡¯t it so wonderful? I would have my own store like Miss Risa, make delicious food. She has a hand in the making of the culinary department too, right?¡± ¡°According to my father, Miss Risa is supervising all of it.¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if Risa will be teaching, but it would be great if she did.¡± Rutobias held his cup and stared into nothing in particular. It was great that Risa was supervising. If he joined the culinary department, he would be able to experience a tiny corner of Risa¡¯s world of cooking. However, his desire to learn cooking directly from Risa had not changed. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be teaching.¡± Risa said as she appeared in Rutobias¡¯s vision. Rutobias jumped, and the tea in his cup splashed. Fortunately, only it was only half full, so none of the tea spilled. Rutobias frantically put down the cup onto the saucer and looked up at Risa. ¡°Is that true? But what will happen to this store?¡± ¡°There is still a year and a half until then, so I¡¯ll probably hire more employees and bring Alan up to speed so he can take care of most things. Of course, I still plan on being the owner, and I have no plans of closing the store.¡± Rutobias was relieved that the store would not close, and a wave of happiness washed over him. Risa will be teaching! Though a regular at the caf¨¦, that was all Rutobias was. He could only eat the food Risa made. Even though he could talk to her all the time, he was only a customer. That was why he was envious and jealous of Alan, who had skipped past him and gotten hired as an employee. Upon hearing that Risa would teach cooking at the culinary department, however, his future immediately looked brighter. ¡°Wow¡­ I can¡¯t wait to get into the culinary department!¡± He wanted to experience a corner of her world while he was still passionate about it. Meanwhile, Risa smiled wryly at the fidgeting, starry-eyed Rutobais. ¡°Ruto, it isn¡¯t until next next year. The school buildings aren¡¯t even constructed yet.¡± Rutobias calmed down at Risa¡¯s words and immediately felt his face burn with embarrassment. ¡°Fufu, I¡¯m really happy that you¡¯re looking forward to it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also entering the culinary department!¡± ¡°My, you too, Amelia?¡± ¡°Yes! I want to become a chef like Miss Risa!¡± ¡°Whoa, really?! I¡¯m so flattered, mostly embarrassed, but I¡¯m happy you want to do that.¡± Rutobias pouted as he watched Amelia take Risa away from him. However, he remembered his embarrassment quickly, and quietly listened to their conversation. ¡°I was worried that no students would come even if we made the culinary department. I¡¯m glad that we at least have two prospective students now!¡± Risa said, smiling happily. However Rutobias felt like it would have been better if there were only the two of them. He knew that didn¡¯t make sense as a school, but he didn¡¯t like the concept of other children receiving Risa¡¯s teachings as well. He forced himself to accept that as long as he had good grades to stand out among them, none of that mattered. He looked up. ¡°Miss Risa.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is there anything we should do until we enter the culinary department?¡± Rutobias asked seriously, and Amelia also waited for her answer with bated breath. Risa tapped her chin in thought. ¡°Hmm, something you should do? ¡­Eat well, sleep well, and be healthy?¡± ¡°¡­What? That¡¯s it?¡± Rutobias stared blankly in surprise while Amelia asked anxiously. ¡°If you¡¯re really looking for something to do, yes, that¡¯s it. I think it¡¯s very important. When you become a chef, you have to stand for the whole day, and the kitchen will be very hot when you use fire to cook. You need both your head and your body when you cook. The most important thing you need to keep in mind when you work as a chef in the future is staying healthy.¡± Rutobias and Amelia nodded in understanding at Risa¡¯s words. They never really paid attention to it, but the caf¨¦ employees were always standing. Working hours only included seven hours, but they also had preparation time before and cleanup time afterwards. Rutobias didn¡¯t expect himself to be able to stand for so long and still be cooking. ¡°That¡¯s why something you guys can do now would be watching your health and increasing your stamina.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Risa smiled, satisfied by Rutobias and Amelia¡¯s energetic replies. Volume 2, 31: Girls are weak to limited things. Volume 2, Chapter 31: Girls are weak to limited things. It was soon to be a new year at the Feliformia Kingdom. In this world, the Goddess nourished the world with water when she created it. The water fluttered down onto the lands as snow, and the year began during winter, just like in Risa¡¯s previous world. This would be the second time Risa would welcome the new year in this world. On the last night of the year, people usually stayed up to welcome the new year by holding festivals here and there in the cold. It was her first year last year, so she didn¡¯t do anything, but this year she wondered if she could make something for the caf¨¦. ¡°Osechi, ozouni, or kagami mochi? But hmmm¡­¡± She thought about food she made for the new year in her previous world, but nothing really stood out to her. In the first place, she wouldn¡¯t be able to make most of them since she didn¡¯t have the ingredients for them anyway. Osechi food were types of lucky charms that had specific meanings to each of them, though, so she didn¡¯t think they would be appropriate for this world. ¡°Ah¡­ there¡¯s also Christmas?¡± There was no Christmas in this world. The religion mainly worshipped the Goddess, and there was no savior or saints. Of course, the jolly man in red with a white beard also did not exist. ¡°Ah, I know! Let¡¯s sell a cake! Mhm, that would be great to do, with limited quantities!¡± ¡°Limited¡± items were popular in this world among the female population as well. There were only two weeks left until the new year, but she would make it somehow. The second she decided, she began to plan. Thirty cakes on a first come, first serve basis. What to do with the design? Something celebratory would be nice. Risa smiled from ear to ear as she wrote her plan down in bullet points on paper, huddled in a corner of the kitchen. She muttered under her breath from time to time and nodded to herself. The other employees of the caf¨¦ stared at her from a distance. They could not see Risa¡¯s spirit, Basil, sitting on her shoulder and looking at her notes. _______________________________________________________________ ¡°To welcome the new year, we are going to have a limited sale of cake!¡± After spending the whole day fleshing out her idea, Risa presented her plan to everyone with a ¡°babam!¡± In her hands were flyers that would be put up around the store starting today. ¡°Celebrate the new year with a special cake!¡± Under the standard catchline was an illustration of a cake and the words ¡°First come first serve, limited 30!¡± jumping out of the paper. ¡°Whoa, that looks interesting!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! The words ¡®special¡¯ and ¡®limited¡¯ really pull you in.¡± ¡°Right? Right?¡± As she expected, the first to bite were Olivia and Helena. Their perspectives as women were extremely important, as the main target audience of the caf¨¦ was women. ¡°Are you going with this design?¡± Zeke and Alan stared intently at the decorations on the cake in the flyer. ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Is this a spirit?¡± Alan asked as he pointed at the doll figure sitting atop the stump-like cake. ¡°Yes! When the Goddess created the world, she also created spirits, right? That¡¯s why I made a cake with the forest and spirits in mind. Of course, the model for this little one is my spirit, Basil!¡± Risa said as she thrust out her hands towards them, where Basil was sitting. Basil got up and twirled in a circle. However, the other four people could not see spirits, so they did not react much. They knew there was probably a spirit there, but they could not see it. ¡°Hm, I agree that a cake is a good idea, but are we not going to make something for dine-in customers?¡± Alan said as he read the small text, ¡°all cakes are to go only,¡± on the flyer. Risa had prepared an answer for that. ¡°We are making chawanmushi only on New Year¡¯s and New Year¡¯s Eve!¡± ¡°Chawanmushi?¡± The four employees stared at Risa blankly, unfamiliar with the word. ¡°Chawanmushi is¡­ well¡­ a kind of pudding that isn¡¯t sweet and has a lot of ingredients in it?¡± The four employees only looked even more confused by the images in their head with Risa¡¯s vague explanation. _______________________________________________________________ The next day was the regular holiday. All Caf¨¦ Omusubi employees were at the store, watching Risa make chawanmushi. Based on her tests at home, Risa combined the perfect ratio of dashi and eggs and filtered it so the egg mixture in the bowls was smooth with no clumps. The dashi was made by stewing chicken bones. The ingredients for the chawanmushi included mushrooms, chicken, and chestnut-like candied puprons. In her previous world, it was more common to use gingko nuts than chestnuts, but Risa¡¯s mother used chestnuts, so that¡¯s what Risa did. She readied a leaf of Japanese parsley to place on top, as was convention. Unfortunately, this world did not have any paste products, and she did not have any time to make naruto or kamaboko, so there weren¡¯t any in the chawanmushi. ¡°I¡¯m going to steam this now~¡± ¡°Steam?¡± Question marks were written all over the four employee¡¯s faces, and Risa laughed. She put some water in a wide pot, turned on the heat under it and covered it with a lid. Soon, the water began to boil. She turned off the heat and began to place the bowls with the raw chawanmushi into the pot. ¡°You¡¯re boiling the bowls, too?¡± Zeke asked after watching Risa in silence. ¡°Actually, you need the bowls to be in the pot so you can heat the chawanmushi with vapor.¡± Risa explained, and the four employees murmured their astonishment and understanding. After she placed all the bowls in, she placed a cloth on top of the bowls so water precipitating on the lid would not drop onto the egg, covered everything with the lid again, and turned the heat on, at weak heat this time. ¡°And now we wait!¡± Risa said, turning to the four employees, and Zeke and Alan immediately began to ask their twenty questions¡ªwhat was the meaning of the cloth, how long did they have to wait, could the included ingredients be changed¡­ The two of them expressed their curiosity as chefs towards a new recipe very clearly. In comparison, the female employees were discussing the wrapping decoration for the cakes as asked by Risa. While she joined in their conversation every so often, ten minutes passed and she turned off the heat. After two or three more minutes, she took out the bowls. While she did test the recipe before, this was the first time she made chawanmushi at the caf¨¦. However, her worries were unfounded, and the surfaces of the chawanmushi were wonderfully smooth without any bubbles or defects. She placed the parsley from before in the middle of the bowls, and the chawanmushi were finished. ¡°This is chawanmushi¡­¡± ¡°It really does look like pudding.¡± The four employees stared at the chawanmushi lined up on the worktable. Zeke took out spoons, and each person picked up a bowl to try. Alan immediately took a bite of the still steaming chawanmushi and almost fainted in agony from the burn. The others watched him and blew on the chawanmushi before putting the cooled down bites in their mouth. ¡°The texture is very similar to pudding, but the flavor is completely different. Mm, this is good.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so fun to discover ingredients as you eat! This pudding-like texture is really great!¡± ¡°Hot hot hot hot¡­ but it¡¯s really good!¡± ¡°Small children would be able to eat this too. It seems good for baby food, too. What a kind and gentle flavor.¡± They all gave their thoughts, and Risa told them how good it was cold as well. ¡°It seems really easy to make. We won¡¯t be adding this to our usual menu?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I already made the egg mixture beforehand today, but it actually takes a lot of time, especially when you make the dashi. Filtering the mixture also takes a lot of effort. Besides, it won¡¯t be special anymore if we put it on the usual menu.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s much more attractive if you can only order it for those two days.¡± As representatives of the female population who love uniqueness, Olivia agreed to Risa, and Helena was also nodding. While they talked about this and that, they quickly ate through the chawanmushi. Everyone really liked the candied puprons sitting at the bottom, and they finished their bowls with great satisfaction. Almost half of Risa¡¯s chawanmushi was stolen by egg-loving Basil, but she was happy that it received praises. She felt some form of nostalgia for the chawanmushi that her mother used to make, and it hit her that she was welcoming another new year. This would be the second new year she was welcoming in this world, but she hadn¡¯t done anything special last year, nor did she know anything of the culture here. She felt this year was special as she was making plans to welcome the new year. She watched the two new employees as they worked and reflected on how they joined the team. Then there was Zeke. A year ago, she would not have even imagined dating him. She was still being teased left and right by him despite being older, but she found their relationship fun. Just like the chawanmushi filled with ingredients, this year was full of events and happenings. There would be a lot of events next year too, Risa thought as she let her mind run away with the possibilities. Volume 2, Epilogue Volume 2, Epilogue ¡°Whoa~¡± The box was opened to reveal a chocolate cream cake shaped like a log stump. Atop the stump stood a small spirit figure in green, playing with butterflies and flowers. The girl who came to pick it up with her mother saw the cake that looked like a scene in a play, and their eyes sparkled with anticipation. The mother smiled at her daughter and handed money to Helena. Helena closed the box that the girl was peeking into, swiftly wrapped it, and handed it to the girl in a paper bag. ¡°I¡¯ll hold the cake!¡± ¡°What?!¡± The girl exclaimed, and her mother and Helena stared at her in shock. Not only was the weight too much for a four or five year old girl, but neither Helena nor the girl¡¯s mother could fathom letting the small girl carry such a delicately decorated cake by herself. They tried to persuade her to give up, but the girl stood her ground stubbornly, pouting and sulking in silence and troubling the two adults. Risa, who had been watching them, ran out of the store with a small paper bag in hand. She turned to face the showcase at the storefront, and took out the decorative flowers lining the cake box, putting them into the paper bag. She squatted down to the little girl¡¯s height. ¡°The cake is really heavy, so why don¡¯t you hold these?¡± ¡°These?¡± ¡°Once you get home, you can decorate the cake box with them. Can we count on you to do that, miss?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Feeling her responsibility grow from being called miss, the girl nodded firmly. Risa glanced at Helena and the girl¡¯s mother, who were both sighing in relief. Risa watched the girl hold her mother¡¯s hand in one hand and the paper bag in another leave, then she flipped the sign on the door before going back into the store. She was closing up early for her employees¡¯ sake as well. The mother and daughter were the last customers for the day. They quickly cleaned up and began getting ready to go home. Olivia was planning on spending time with her son, and Helena and Alan were going to hang out with their families for the new year. ¡°We are heading out then.¡± ¡°Thanks for all your hard work!¡± After the three people went home, Risa and Zeke changed out of their uniforms and headed upstairs. They had a date tonight. Risa¡¯s spirit, Basil, read the mood and disappeared off somewhere. The two of them cooked side by side in the small kitchen on the second floor. It was much smaller than the caf¨¦ kitchen, and they brushed each other every time one of them moved. ¡°Mm, this is good!¡± Risa exclaimed as she tried the finished soup. ¡°Eh, really?¡± Zeke stopped working on the salad he was making and moved near her. Thinking he wanted to taste it too, Risa spooned a spoonful of soup from the pot. ¡°Here, a sip for you too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just have it here.¡± Zeke pushed away Risa¡¯s hand that held the spoon and circled his other hand behind Risa¡¯s head, pulling her close. ¡°Eh, mmm!¡± Risa¡¯s yelp was silenced by Zeke¡¯s lips and his tongue invaded her inadvertently opened mouth. Risa lost all strength in her as Zeke¡¯s tongue searched for traces of the soup in her mouth, and the spoon in her hand fell into the pot of soup. Zeke¡¯s hand that had pushed hers away circled around her waist, which Risa relied on to stay standing. After a while, Zeke released Risa¡¯s lips and murmured satisfyingly, ¡°Mm. It¡¯s good.¡± Risa¡¯s foggy vision snapped back into focus with his words. ¡°D-d-didn¡¯t you want a taste?¡± ¡°Yeah, and I got a taste of both you and the soup.¡± ¡°!!¡± Zeke said boldly, even sealing it with an extra kiss. Although it had already been half a year since they began dating, Risa was still being teased left and right. Zeke in love wore his emotions on his sleeve, completely the opposite of Zeke at work. Risa stewed in her heart, both happy and frustrated by his honesty. Embarrassed, she rescued the dropped spoon from the bottom of the pot while Zeke chuckled. ¡°Geez, don¡¯t laugh!¡± She glared at Zeke as she placed the soupy spoon in the sink. He only laughed harder. ¡°Ah, I just thought you¡¯re so cute.¡± He said as he again circled his hands around Risa¡¯s waist and pulled her in. Risa didn¡¯t struggle and quietly fit herself in between Zeke¡¯s arms. Zeke leaned over a little and gazed at Risa. ¡°Did you hate it?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t¡­hate it, but that was mean.¡± Risa said, looking away in embarrassment. She rested her head on Zeke¡¯s chest, and Zeke¡¯s arms squeezed her slightly in a hug. ¡°Even if I¡¯m mean, I want to see all the different faces you can make.¡± ¡°Ughh¡­¡± Risa groaned. Zeke laughed and leaned forward to speak in her ear. ¡°I like you, Miss Risa.¡± ¡°¡­Me too.¡± Zeke¡¯s eyes widened as he did not expect such an honest answer, and he smiled happily. He raised Risa¡¯s chin and they kissed.