''Thank you very much!

Lettie and Ricotta see the last customer off, and the diners are gone.

It is quiet as if it had been noisy for a long time.

There is still some noise in the street, but the inn is not open late at night, so we close at a reasonable place.

I'm so tired!

Letty sat down on a nearby chair and let out a sigh as she plopped down.

'Me too.

''Big brother, didn't you just cook in the kitchen?''

I sit down on a chair and Letty says something rude to me.

'I don't move around as flamboyantly as Lettie and Ricotta, but I have to work with my father in the small kitchen to be efficient.

If you make the dishes in the wrong order, you lose a lot of time, and you have to do a lot of things at once to keep the kitchen running.

The kitchen is a battlefield, too, despite appearances.

Well, it is usually easier than in the hall, but I don't dare to tell you that.

Well, well, it's tough everywhere. Maybe because we served seafood, the number of customers was extraordinary.

As we were arguing, Ricotta said something to quiet us down.

Ricotta, who was physically strong, was in charge not only of the kitchen but also of the hall.

It was obvious that the kitchen had become more spacious since Ricotta had joined, which meant that she worked much more efficiently than we did.

It's hard to fight about who worked harder when Ricotta is talking to me.

After a while of resting on the table without talking to each other, suddenly there is a clapping sound.

I look up with slow movements and see my mother standing there.

'Yes, yes, I know you want to take a break, but we're almost done. Let's finish cleaning up and then we can rest to our heart's content.

''Yes~''

I really don't want to move a bit, but I also feel a little uncomfortable taking a break with all the work left to do. I want to finish all the remaining work before I take a rest anyway.

Mom had a good point, so Letty and I had no choice but to get up and start cleaning up.



We had no choice but to get up and start cleaning up the mess.



'Well, I guess we're done cleaning up now!

My mother looks around the clean dining room and says with a satisfied look on her face.

The floor is polished without a single speck of food or stain.

'Well then, this time I'm going to ......'.

'Yes, I guess we're done for the day.

I looked at her expectantly, and she nodded firmly.

Nothing in the world could make me happier than to hear her say that.

Letty and I were feeling tired from the day, but at this moment we were so elated that we forgot about it.

Thank you for the ricotta. Thanks to you I feel much better after the first part of the day. I've added a little extra to your pay for your hard work today.

'Wow! Is this so good! Thank you very much!

Out of the corner of my eye, I see my mother paying Ricotta.

I don't know how much, but it seems to be a good amount, judging from Ricotta's surprise.

People who work hard deserve to be paid for their hard work.

Ricotta is a great asset to our inn. I hope we can pay her well and keep her working.

Dinner is ready! You can have some ricotta if you'd like.

'Eh? But it's that bad.

Ricotta looks puzzled when she hears her father's voice shouting from the kitchen.

Ricotta works until the night, but rarely eats dinner with us.

In times like this, it would be easier for me and Letty to invite her to dinner than for the grownups like Mom and Dad to invite her.

We have some seafood that Michal brought in today, you know? It would be a shame to hold back, wouldn't it?

'Ugh ...... that's for sure'.

''And they have a white wine called Rubani!

'Hey, Letty! You don't have to mention it!

Hearing Letty's invitation, my father in the kitchen hurriedly raises his index finger.

Ha-ha-ha-ha! Well then, may I have a treat?''

Ricotta must have been curious about the seafood dishes, too. She seemed happy to hear that, although she tended to be reserved.

Yes, let's eat together with Ricotta.

'Yes, you can have it.

We couldn't refuse him, and we set the table with the food he had cooked for us.

Usually we eat in the living room on the fourth floor when we eat together as a family, but it was too much work to bring up the chairs for Ricotta and to carry all the food up to the dining room, so we decided to eat in the dining room.

On the table were mebbar meuniere, swordfish with herbs, fried river shrimp and small goby, shellfish soup, garlic baked funnel clams, bone crackers, and most of the menu items served today.

What? Why are there river shrimp and small goby that were supposed to be sold out? I made sure I left enough for the family to eat.
Of course.

No matter how much it is for sales, it is meaningless if we can't enjoy the food ourselves.

Looking at it this way, today's menu was really gorgeous.

Ricotta looks at the food with amazement.

Seafood filled the table.

Not something you can do in a city not facing the sea. And even if we could, we would have to pay a lot of money for it.

'I'm glad that Michal has provided us with something we can't normally get'.

I want you to make a dish that goes well with Rubani's white wine. He is a true aristocrat who offers such expensive ingredients for such a reason.

If I become a rich man like Michal, I would like him to gather the best craftsmen in the country and have them build me a house perfect for lazing around in.

Well, well, let's have some fun!

While everyone is sitting on chairs, Dad opens a bottle of Rubani white wine that Michal gave him.

The cork comes off the bottle and a pleasant clinking sound is heard.

Mom brings a glass and Dad pours a glass full of white wine into it.

A thin amber liquid fills the clear glass.

It was so clear that it seemed to be a complete work of art in the glass.

He poured one for Mom and one for Ricotta and looked at me.

'Tori, would you like some?

'No, thanks. I'm just a kid and I'll be satisfied with a little higher juice.

''I see.''

If I drink alone, Letty might feel left out and alienated.

I took the bottle of orange juice that my mother had thoughtfully bought and poured it into my and Lettie's glasses.

'Alright, then, eat to your heart's content. Cheers!

''Cheers.''

We clinked our glasses as my father led the way.



Oh, this is Rubani's white wine. It has a full-bodied taste, yet it's refreshing and easy to drink.

It's true. It has just the right balance of acidity and sweetness.

Even people who don't like alcohol can drink this!

It must have been delicious. The adults who drank the white wine were very excited from the start.

My father, who is usually in a bad mood when he drinks strange wines, was not in such a mood at all.

A fine white wine is not a mere luxury.

'Big brother, you don't have to be concerned about me, do you? I don't mind if I'm the only one with juice.'

As I was admiring the orange juice, Lettie said something like that, perhaps having given me the wrong idea.

The way she says emphatically that she doesn't mind shows that she does mind, but let's not go into that.

Let's not go into that. I'm not that interested in alcohol.

''Really?''

'Because if you drink too much, you will not be able to sleep well and you will have a headache the next day, right? If that happens, you can't even enjoy a second sleep.

I don't want to drink something that will affect my important sleep and the next day, no matter how delicious it is.

I don't want to be strangely bright-eyed or suddenly sleepy because of alcohol. ...... I want to be able to decide whether or not to sleep at my own will.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not, but it's a good idea. You're not shaky as usual, big brother!

I guess my answer was satisfactory. Letty laughed as if she had just blown it.

'Hey, big brother...' she said. Which fish dish do you recommend?

'Hmm, mebbal meuniere, I think.

'Well, get that one!

'I can't help it.



Today had been a really hard day because of Michal, but the parade of rarely eaten seafood dishes had successfully wiped out all my fatigue and resentment.