The next day. I woke up on my bed, completely used to it, and noticed a strangely appetizing smell wafting through the air.

　This restaurant is located far away from other houses, so the smell of breakfast from other houses doesn't reach me.

　I didn't think someone was camping out in the storefront - that would be ridiculous - as I left the bedroom and headed to the dining room.

'Oops. I'm taking the liberty of using the food that was left around.

　...... For some reason, Garnett was standing in the kitchen.
　And he appeared to be making a simple breakfast.

　As I watched the scene, wondering what the situation was, Garnett raised his eyebrows in disapproval.

'What's with that face? What's your problem?　I was hungry, so I don't blame you. Just consider yourself lucky you didn't wake him up and tell him to cook a meal.
'No, I'm not complaining about ......, but I honestly don't expect you to be surprised with .......
Every knight knows how to cook at least once in a while. Doesn't an adventurer know how to cook?

　Garnett is right, there are a rather large number of adventurers who learn to cook because they are tired of relying on preserved food and hard bread for their lives.

　Bigger parties sometimes hire a cook, but those places are in the minority on the whole.

I made one for you too, just in case. I don't want you to compare me to someone with skills like Sylvia, but it's enough to fill your stomach when you wake up in bed.
I'll take it with gratitude at ......

　After finishing the near-light breakfast that Garnett had made, he began to prepare for the day's work.

'Speaking of which, what happened to all that talk about adding more employees?
''I'm asking the Guildhouse to help me find one. I've also sent out a request to hire an adventurer for a short period of time, so we'll have to make do with that for the time being.
Requisition. I doubt they'll bite off more than they can chew after yesterday.

　It was right after dinner last night when I applied for the request to the receptionist, Marida.

　Marida told me that she was going to put out a call for help in a hurry, but even if I had been able to get it posted right after that, only about one night had passed.

　If it was posted early in the morning, like most requests, it means that my request has only been on the board a short time ago.

　As expected, it's best to assume that we won't be ready for today's opening.

''Excuse me!''

　Just as I thought ......, I heard a girl's voice from the doorway of the store.

　Standing in the doorway were a pair of boys and girls who looked like adventurers.

''We received a request from the Guild House, are you sure it's White Wolf Store?''

　The girl is slightly taller, with long, pale hair, long, round eyes and an amiable smile.

　The boy, on the other hand, is smaller than Garnett, and is a head taller than the girl.

　His hair is much darker than Ink's, and he has much shorter hair and a sardonic expression on his poorly-eyed face.

　What a contrast between the two of them.
　They are so opposite in every way that I'm conversely impressed.

''I'm surprised. You've already accepted my request. I've never seen both of you before, but I wonder if you're new to Green Hollow.''
'Yes, I did. I just arrived at midnight yesterday and my wallet was almost empty. So I was looking for a job that I could start right away today.

　The boy didn't even try to speak with his mouth closed while the girl spoke in a charming manner.

'Oh, my name is Melissa. This is Nagi.
...... says hello.

　Finally, the boy opened his mouth as well.
　His voice was a little low for his size.

'Melissa and Nagi, right. I'm Luke, the store manager, and that's Garnett, the employee over there. We're the only regular clerks in the store at the moment, so we've been too busy.
I'll take care of it!　When I was in a different town, I used to fund my activities in a tool shop, so I'm used to this kind of work!
That's a good one. I'm on a short-term contract until the next regular holiday.

　As we were talking, it was getting close to opening time, so I quickly asked Melissa and Nagi to get to work as well.

　As they said they were used to it, their work ethic was quite good.

　Melissa served the customers with a radiant affability, while Nagi carried the goods with quick and nimble movements, despite her brusque nature.

　They work so well that it's a shame they're on a short-term contract.

　However, they only came here to earn money to prepare for their quest, and they cannot be held for a long period of time.

　That's what adventurers are for.

"Melissa ...... is the right name, right? Your partner, Nagi, is he an Eastern man by any chance?

　In between jobs, Garnett offers Melissa a casual chat.

'Yes, but is there a problem or ......?'
No way. I just didn't expect to run into 'the second person', which is supposed to be so rare here.
'Second?　Are there other people from the East besides Nagi, by any chance?
Yeah, one of my friends. He helps me out in the shop a lot.

　Garnett is referring to Sakura.

　Eastern people are quite rare in this Westland Kingdom.
　There are few permanent residents, and most of the time they stay temporarily for some purpose, like Sakura.

　Sakura and Nagi ...... To see two people in a short period of time is certainly a rare case.

　As I was thinking about this, the person responsible for this topic of conversation came into the store.

''Good morning, Luke-dono. Work is going well--

　Sakura bumps into Nagi as soon as she opens the front door with a bang.

　Both of them stopped moving with straight faces, and both of them spoke out sharply at about the same time.

''Kirigakure!　How did you get here!
A Cacuen priestess!

　An unfamiliar word popped out of Nagi's mouth, but she understood that it was referring to Sakura.

　But how could Sakura, who was supposed to be a samurai (samurai), be called a miko?

Do you know ...... him?

　For now, I'll just ask a bland question.

　Sakura let out a small breath of air as if she was troubled, and explained in the most moderate manner possible, seemingly choosing the most moderate words possible.

'I'm an acquaintance from back home. Kirigakure (Kirigakure) Nagi. In the East, we put the last name first, so Kirigakure is the family name. I didn't expect you to be in Westland.
''That's the dialogue over here, Shiranui Sakura. I was wondering where you disappeared with the scarlet gold (hibiiro-kane), and now I can't believe you're here.

　I can sense that both of them are thinking, 'I've run into someone I don't want to run into.

　It doesn't seem to be a friendly relationship.
　In fact, it could even be called hostile.

''In the first place--''

　Nagi was about to say more words when Melissa interrupted them.

'Wow!　Stop, stop!　Come on, we got work to do!　Right?
......, I get it.

　Melissa pushed her back and Nagi reluctantly put the contraption away.

　And then they were about to go back to work together - but just before they did, Melissa turned her gaze to Sakura with a blatantly wary gaze.

　Sakura didn't seem to notice the gaze, but it was a distinctly different reaction from the affable demeanor she'd been showing since this morning.

'I see, that's easy to understand, then.'

　Garnett sneaked up next to me and chuckled.

'The guy I'm interested in has a girl I used to know that I don't know, and I'm wary of being side-tracked.
'No matter how you look at it in a patronizing way, the response was 'enemies of the truce have met in private', which is surprising, even for .......
Surprising. Just because you're affable doesn't mean you're all right inside.
No, I'm not talking about Melissa. I'm just curious how you could read the subtleties of love.

　Under the counter, a sharp low kick was unleashed on my leg, unseen.