The beastman and his wife, Olli and Enni, who had managed to deal with a large number of customers, looked around the restaurant and exhaled deeply.

　The Queen is said to have been very fond of the jade oil in a small pot.
　As the only place where she could eat it, the Golden Bear Pavilion had become so famous that no one in the downtown area knew about it.

　However, the main dish was sold out quickly, and it was really difficult to find a place to eat after that.
　Customers came to the shop one after another after hearing the rumor, and competitors were constantly inquiring about the source.
　And then there were the rich people who tried to get me to cook for them.

　Most of them left with a disappointed look on their faces, but the other half had no choice but to order a different dish, which turned out to be quite spectacular.
　Nino, who knows the world differently, has always been impressed by Olli's cooking skills.
　The fact that we didn't expect much from him probably made it easier for us to exceed our expectations.

　Thanks to this, the number of customers (repeat customers) has been increasing even though the restaurant cannot serve its specialty dishes.
　Then, this morning, an unknown deliveryman brought in a letter with a large barrel full of jade oil.

　It was the end of their luck that they had inadvertently put up a sign announcing the arrival.
　All that was left was to cook and serve endlessly to the endless queue.
　Before they knew it, the sun had set.

"I'm tired!　Oh, I can't do it anymore. I'm too hungry to move.
"............, that was hard work.

　We've been so busy that neither of us has eaten anything since breakfast.
　Looking for something to satisfy his hunger, Enni's gaze was drawn to a large empty barrel behind the counter.

I never thought we'd run out of barrels in a day. I'm sure you'll agree that Nino's oil is really amazing.
"............ Oh, yeah.

　The chef, who looked around the unusually spacious restaurant, was silent for a while and then muttered to himself.

............ More people?
Yes. We're not going to last much longer at this rate.

　The children were helping out, but there were still not enough hands.
　The store is so busy that the inn is half closed.

But if she finds out about the oil, she'll be in trouble. That's a tough one.
............ Oh, that's difficult.

　It would have been nice if they could have hired someone with a good mouth, but unfortunately, the couple did not have that in mind.
　Since they grew up in an orphanage, they had no relatives they could turn to in a situation like this.

　Unable to come up with a good solution to the problem, they kept silent, but suddenly Enni's triangular beast ears twitched.
　The proprietress, hearing the banging on the door, turned around with a sigh.

"Hey, why don't you make the closing sign a little bigger?　Too many people don't see it.
I'm with ............. And not that way.
What?



　The cook stared at the door on the kitchen floor as he held his wife back from the entrance.
　The knock came from the cellar.

　As they gently peered in, they heard a subdued sound again from a small wooden door on the far wall.
　What lay beyond was a sewer, and the only person who knew the way out was...

"No way?
"............ Hmm, who is it?

　The two of them immediately thought of the face of their childhood friend, but they asked him out of precaution.
　The voice that came back was a familiar one.

"Good evening, Mr. Olli, Mr. Enni. How are you?
Hans, by any chance?
Yes, it's been a while. I'm sorry to bother you, but my hands are full at the moment and I was wondering if you could open the door for me.

　It's late at night, and he's coming from the basement.
　A visit from the basement, at this time of night, and from a friend of Nino's. It was suspicious, but he was a dear friend.

　Olli hurriedly opened the door and a tired-looking merchant came in, carrying a bundle on his shoulders.

Thank you, sir. I'm sorry, I'm going to have to leave it.

　Hans slowly dropped the large bag he was carrying on the floor.
　A small cry went up and at the same time the contents of the bag shook back and forth.

"What? You're alive?
............ Did you take someone?
"Yes, it was a disaster.

　Answering matter-of-factly, Hans set down the bag he was carrying.
　This one seemed to be a bit bigger.
　He also called out behind the door.

Come on, it's this way. Come on in.

　The couple was stunned, unable to comprehend the situation, when a group of beastly children appeared before them.
　They looked to be about five or six years old. All of them had cute cat ears sticking out from the top of their heads.
　The three shabbily dressed young children lifted their noses and their eyes immediately lit up.

"It smells like food!　You're not a liar, are you, old man?
"Food?　"Food? My food!
"No, the sooner the better!
Oh, no!　Let's say hello.

　Hans grabbed the children by the collar in the nick of time as they tried to disperse at once.
　In the event that you've got a lot of time, you'll be able to take a look at the most effective way to get the most out of your time.



Whenever I take my eyes off him, he tries to go away. If I show him food, he'll be quiet for a while. ....... Oh, no, you can't!

　I wonder if he felt sorry for her.
　Hans hurried to stop him, but Enni opened the mouth of the bag rolling on the floor.

　A child with small cat ears popped out from inside.
　The child stares up at Enni, but the next moment, his face contorts into a crumpled mess and a loud voice comes out of his mouth.

"Nyaaaaahhhhh!
"What's wrong?
"Hey nyaa!　Hey nya!
Oh, he's crying again.
He cries easily when it's not dark. It's best to keep him in the bag.

　Another bag came crashing down on Enni's panicked feet.
　A child about the same age as the crying infant popped out of the bag with great force.
　This child also has cat ears.

　Enni and the new child stare at each other for a while.
　The next moment, while still in the bag, the child began to laugh out loud.

"Meow, meow, meow, meow!
"What?

　Laughing wildly, the child began to roll violently with the bag.
　He hit the cupboard, shook the barrel, and ran up the pile of flour in one breath.

"Nya-ya-ya-ya!
"Nay nay nay nay!
"Gohan!　Gohan!
"I'm hungry. Come on, give me some food.
"Where am I, old man?　Can I eat that?
"Mmm, mmm, mmm.
"So that's it. Please take care of it.

　Hans bowed deeply behind the children who were making a lot of noise.
　The beastman and his wife looked at each other with round eyes, and then let out a silly voice.

"Huh?
"Huh?　I thought I informed you of this in a letter beforehand.
............ Wait a minute. I'll read it now.

　Olli finally remembered that he had left the letter that had accompanied the large barrel of jade oil in the pocket of his apron.


　I was too busy to read through it.

　The contents of the letter were as follows.
　Nino and his friends are currently working with a beast girl in a remote village, and the girl's sisters are in the capital, so they want you to take care of them for a while.
　In exchange, he will deliver plenty of jade oil for the time being.

　Remembering the empty barrel, Olli and Enni looked at each other again.
　At their feet, a child cried out and a child laughed.
　The three animals had somehow slipped out of Hans's hands and were freely sticking their faces and hands into the shelves where the food was stored.
　Only one of them was quietly sleeping in the bag.

　Hans seemed to have understood what was going on when he saw them confused.

I'm sorry for being so abrupt. What should I do? ......?

　It must have been really hard to get through the dangerous sewer with those naughty children.
　The couple was silent for a while as Hans could not hide his exhaustion.
　But suddenly they smiled and nodded at each other.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that we've already taken care of about three children, so a little extra won't be a problem.
"............ Oh, yes.

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.

There's only one thing I can say to you, .............

　I'm not going to tell you what to do.

It's much better to cook it than to eat it as is. Follow me. I'm going to make you the best meal of your life.

　Olli turned on his heel, and the cat-eared children obediently followed him with shouts of joy.