The capital of the Archlesian Empire. A small coffee shop that stands quietly at the end of the main street.
　There are only a counter and two tables, and the owner and one customer are the only ones inside the store, which isn't a very spacious place to be flattered.

　A man with shaggy black hair and stubble, wrinkled and disheveled gray trench coat.......Ozma was sitting at the counter, leisurely sipping his coffee.

''.........hmmm......after all, the coffee here is always delicious~''
'Thank you.........and that's fine, uncle?　Why don't you at least shave your beard?
No, hahaha, my uncle is a pain in the ass.
...more.

　
　Hearing those words, Ozma lazily replies while ruffling her hair as if she were battling a bummer.

''No~ By the way, you've really improved your skills.
I'm not quite as good as my father yet, though.
'Hmmm. There's a lot of goodness in the former owner's and the girl's in the former owner's and the girl's in the girl's.
Do you really have a taste for it, Uncle?
No, hahaha you've got one.

　It would be rude to speak to a normal customer, but for a girl who has known Ozma for a long time, it's business as usual.
　You'll be able to find a lot more than just a handful of people in the store.

''........management, is it hard?''
Well, I can't say I'm making money even if I'm lying, but I'm not in the red. There are also regular customers who like things like my uncle.
Oh, I see...
What?

　The girl replies with a bright smile as she tells Ozma that she's worried about the girl who lost her parents early and is running the store in her small body.
　Ozma is about to smile kindly at those words, but soon afterwards she senses a hint of something and turns her gaze to the door of the entrance.
　Almost at the same time as the girl moved her gaze in response, the door of the store was opened wildly and several bad-looking men entered the store.

''........It's you guys again.......''
Heh, I'm here to negotiate. Hey, owner?
'No matter how many times I come back, I'm not going to let this place go!　This is a very important store that I inherited from my father!
That's not the case, but hey, a woman's got a lot of work to do.　"You never know what's going to happen,
What?

　Seeing the man with a lowly smile on his face, the girl backed away, looking a little frightened, but still turned her snappy, strong eyes to the men.
　

''Oops!
'Uncle!　Is everything okay?
Oh no, it's spilled...
'Wait!　I'm just getting a towel...

　Ozma drops his cup of coffee and looks at his coat, which has a large stain on it, and a pathetic expression on his face.
　

''Tch ... I'll be back.

　The man walked out of the store with what appeared to be his minions along with a few spiteful words.
　While wiping the stain with the towel he received from the girl, Ozma stared at his back with his usual expression.

'Moo!　Uncle, you have to be careful, don't you.......
'Haha, no - sorry, sorry.
''Well he's a 'landlord' hired by a trade association that has a bad reputation. He wants this land.
Hmmm. They're all around us, aren't they... are you okay?
'I'm fine!　This is a store that your father treasured, and I'm not going to let it go, no matter who comes in.

　The girl acted stoutly in her small body, but her shoulders trembled in a small way.
　However, while pretending not to notice it, Ozma takes out a coin from her pocket and places it on the counter.

'I see, I know it's a lot of work, but good luck. If you need help, you turn to an adult, okay?
Don't babysit me, sir!　I'm fine!
Ha, ha, yeah?　That was none of your business.
"...thanks--, uncle!　Wait!　Isn't this a gold coin!　The change.....
Oh, that's for the cup I broke. Don't worry about it, take it...
No, no, that's too many for that!
I'll be back.
Oh, what?

　Ignoring the girl's protests, Ozma left the shop with a loose wave of her hand.







　The sun had completely set, and the back alleyway was illuminated by the moonlight. In that place not far from the usual coffee shop, the landscaper and his men who visited the coffee shop this morning had gathered there.

''........Hehehe, are you really going to do it?''
Yeah, I can't spend a lot of time in that little shop.
So you're going to negotiate with your body and it's going to be fun.
'What?　You want a girl with a body like that, with a body like that of a kid?　Well, do what you want. She's going to be 'missing' from now on, so if you want to take it home with you, take it home with you if you want to but make sure you handle it properly when you throw it away, okay?
Hehehe, I know that.

　The man also grins while answering his minions who speak to him with a disgusting smile.
　Yes, they decided to take that coffee shop by force. The owner of the shop is a single dwarven girl, and for them, it's an opponent they can do anything they want....
　That idea in itself is not a mistake. Certainly that girl has no way to resist the men's violence........yes, that girl.......

''Hmmm. Uncle doesn't like that kind of thing very much, does he?
What?

　A voice echoed quietly in the back alley.

'Uncle, I don't like bad endings, like a girl who's trying her best and ends up getting beaten up by violence.... After all, a happy, happy ending is good~
Who the f*ck are you?
''Umm, hmm. 　High spirits?　Am I still lacking in supremacy?
"...f*ck you!　Get rid of that obnoxious old man, and get rid of him.　If there's any trouble, we're in trouble.

　The man clicked his tongue in irritation as Ozma spoke in an aloof manner and sent instructions to his minions.
　Of course, the man had no intention of letting Ozma off the hook. Now that he'd been seen, we'll take care of him... it was a really... stupid choice.

''Die!''
Hey, hey, hey, don't tell me to die so casually...
'What?　Haha!

　One of his minions swings a curved sword at Ozma, but Ozma deflects his body with a slow movement and avoids the blow with ease.
　And that's not all.
　With just that, the minion's body rotated vertically and slammed into the ground from his back.

　The technique is called aiki in otherworldly Japan. That flowing blow, using the opponent's power, was even beautiful.
　Ozma took one look at the man's minion who was writhing with his back struck hard and exhaled cigarette smoke from his mouth.

''Well I guess I shouldn't do that.　Uncle, you're pretty strong....
"d*mn it!　What the hell do you think you're doing?　Why don't you get rid of it?
"Hey, let's hear it for our elders...

　With the man's angry voice, several minions head towards Ozma at once. Curved swords wielded simultaneously from the right and left, Ozma fingers the swords and lightly pulls them back.
　Then, as his stance collapses, he lightly drops his sword on the necks of the two men who have fallen forward, depriving them of their consciousness, and continues to flick the belly of the approaching blade with his palm to catch it away.

　While lazily watching the men's minions approach one after another, Ozma put a small smile on her mouth.
　To the untrained eye, it is too reckless a sight. The man's men are at most a dozen or so...........................that won't help.








''Hee, ah........''
You know, my uncle is a pretty sweet guy, despite his appearance.　I'm not going to kill you, so I want you to be comfortable with that.

　The man stared at Ozma with a frightened expression as he looked at his dozen or so subordinates lying on the ground unconscious.
　Ozma's gentle smile remained on his face, but his gray eyes radiated a deep and sharp menace.

''But, yes. I wonder if you could do me one favor, Uncle.''
Please....
Yeah. No, it's nothing. My uncle would like to have a word with the person who asked you to do this. So, you know?　Can you show me around?
"...ahhhhh....

　In a dimly lit alleyway with only moonlight, the man has an overwhelmingly strong man in front of him...no choice was ever prepared for him.









　A coffee shop where the morning sunshine shines through the window. At that counter seat, Ozma was there as usual.

''........or is it uncle?''
Yeah?
How come you've got a new coat and it's still wrinkled?
''Ah, haha... no~ I guess it was a bad idea to throw it all together...''
Oh, you're still a little sloppy.
Ha-ha, tough guy.

　While enjoying the relaxed and peaceful conversation, Ozma took out a cigarette and lit it.
　The girl, who had been watching the scene with dismay, suddenly opened her mouth with a reminiscent expression on her face.

''Speaking of which, uncle. Thanks to that, the landowner who used to come to our house also stopped coming.
Really?　Well, if you do something backwards, that's what you're going to do one day.
Yes, I'm relieved.
'Yeah, that's good. After all, luck is on the side of a girl who's working hard.
'I mean, why are you patting your head?　Please don't treat me like a child!　I'm twenty years old already!
Haha, I'm still just a kid in my uncle's eyes.......more coffee.
Shit.....

　Ozma watches the girl with a gentle smile on her face as she puffs out her cheeks adorably like a squirrel and goes to make a cup of coffee.

　Ozma doesn't say anything. She doesn't talk about the end of the landlord's men, or the subsequent negotiations with the Chamber of Commerce, she doesn't talk about her achievements in a patronizing manner.
　Because..........

'Yes, more coffee, sir.
Thank you. Yeah, I love your coffee.
''Fufu, of course. Because I brewed it with all my heart and soul........so!　Please don't pat me on the head!

　This taste of coffee, the same as always, is the best reward for him....