Chapter 53: Employees and Compensation

The restaurant’s opening day had ended with…exactly two customers.

Honestly, it hadn’t been much of a shock.

I’d never expected the place to become an instant sensation the moment we unlocked the doors. Building a reputation took time, and I’d gone into this fully prepared for a slow start.

Those two customers had been a pair of mid-ranked adventurers.

They’d heard the rumors circulating around the Adventurers’ Guild that “meals at this restaurant are completely free.”

Naturally, they’d assumed it was too good to be true.

Curiosity had won out over skepticism, however, and they’d cautiously stepped inside to see for themselves.

By the time they left…

They were grinning from ear to ear after polishing off every last bite of the orc ginger pork.

I’d counted that as a successful first day.

But…

“THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY CUSTOMERS!!”

The second day of business.

Apparently…

Every adventurer currently staying in Papel Village had decided to visit.

The restaurant was overflowing.

Every seat was occupied.

The entrance never stayed empty for more than a few seconds before another customer walked in.

I barely had enough time to breathe.

“Eight,” Raphiel called out while calmly surveying the increasingly chaotic dining room. “Do you require assistance? I anticipated something like this might happen, so I studied several slice-of-life anime. I should be capable of imitating a part-time waitress.”

“PLEASE!!”

“I shall help as well.”

“You’re lifesavers!!”

Without another word, the three of us naturally fell into our respective roles.

Raphiel moved gracefully from table to table, taking orders with surprising efficiency.

Grana carried the finished dishes from the kitchen to the customers with the strength and speed only a knight could manage.

Meanwhile…

I remained trapped behind the stove.

Pan after pan.

Plate after plate.

Rice.

Meat.

Soup.

Again. And again. And again.

Had those two not volunteered…

I was certain the hungry adventurers would’ve buried me beneath an avalanche of complaints before lunchtime.

“Whoa…!”

One burly adventurer nearly shouted after taking his first bite.

“What the heck is this?!“

“It’s called Orc Ginger Pork!”

His companion stuffed another mouthful into his face before answering for me.

“The spicy kick from the ginger mixed with the meat juices is incredible! I seriously can’t stop eating!”

“I’ve never liked orc meat much,” another admitted.

“It’s usually too tough. But this? I could eat this every day!”

“I heard showing your Adventurer’s License made everything free…”

“…I seriously thought someone was pulling my leg.”

Another adventurer glanced toward the menu board near the entrance.

“So breakfast is from seven to nine…”

“Lunch from eleven to one…”

“Dinner from six until nine…”

“And the menu changes every day?”

He grinned.

“That’s actually exciting.”

Judging by everyone’s reactions…

The restaurant had been a complete success.

Unfortunately…

That success created an entirely new problem.

Looking at their satisfied faces, there wasn’t the slightest doubt in my mind.

They were all coming back tomorrow.

And the day after that.

And probably every day after that.

We were catastrophically understaffed.

“I’m hiring employees.”

After closing time on the second day, I spoke to Raphiel with complete seriousness.

Business had exceeded every prediction I’d made.

Originally, I’d planned to wait until the restaurant stabilized before bringing on additional staff.

That luxury no longer existed.

Raphiel nodded immediately.

“Although we did have breaks between service periods…even I’m utterly exhausted.”

“I agree. We should increase our staff and establish proper work rotations.”

Grana folded her arms.

“That’s sensible. But… Who exactly do you intend to hire?”

“I thought I’d ask around the village and see if anyone would be willing to help.”

The words had barely left my mouth.

“Then you’ve come to the right place!!”

“We’ve already heard everything!!”

“Eight-niisan!!”

The restaurant doors burst open.

“Luka? Nor? Rio? …Why are all three of you here?”

The village’s usual trio came charging inside with mischievous grins plastered across their faces.

Standing behind them…

Were three adults.

One of them, naturally, was Rio’s mother.

Tifana smiled warmly.

“Hehe. We heard you were short-handed. So we thought we’d lend a hand.”

“I really appreciate that…”

My gaze shifted toward the remaining two women.

The first had sun-kissed bronze skin much like Luka’s and short, dark-brown hair.

She possessed an undeniably glamorous figure that was impossible not to notice, made all the more dangerous by the sleeveless tank top and short shorts she wore with complete confidence.

Trying not to stare was practically an athletic event.

Her name was Sabine.

She was the village chief’s daughter…

Luka’s mother…

And someone everyone in the village relied upon.

Back in her younger days she’d been an adventurer herself, and even now she carried herself with the straightforward confidence of a seasoned veteran.

She despised dishonesty more than anything.

“Oh, come on, Eight!”

She slapped me hard on the shoulder with enough force to nearly knock me forward.

“Haven’t I told you? If you’re ever in trouble, just ask!”

“Haha… well…”

“Hmm?”

She leaned forward with a teasing grin.

“What? You think a woman whose future husband ran off on her can’t cook? Is that it?”

“N-No! Of course not!”

Sabine had…

A rather unfortunate history.

During her adventuring days, she’d fallen deeply in love with another adventurer.

Eventually…

She became pregnant with Luka.

They’d intended to marry.

Instead…

The man apparently eloped with a prostitute before the wedding.

Heartbroken, Sabine retired from adventuring and returned to Papel Village, where she’d raised Luka by herself ever since.

She certainly had the rough-and-tumble personality of an older sister who looked after everyone around her…

But honestly…

Looking at someone as beautiful as Sabine…

I couldn’t begin to understand what kind of man would abandon her for another woman.

…Was the prostitute really that gorgeous?

“You should stop making jokes like that.”

A weary female voice interrupted.

“It only makes everyone uncomfortable.”

“Oh, shut it, Reina.”

Sabine rolled her eyes.

“First time you’ve left your house in months and you’re already giving me attitude?”

A long sigh escaped the second woman’s lips.

“It’s not like I wanted to leave. Nor dragged me out by force.”

She shrugged lazily.

Her deep indigo hair framed a face beautiful enough to make anyone stop and stare.

Yet…

Her lifeless eyes resembled those of a dead fish.

Oversized clothes hung loosely from her slender body, giving her an oddly decadent, almost perpetually exhausted appearance.

Her name was Reina.

Nor’s mother.

Because she almost never left her house, I’d only met her a handful of times.

According to Nor…

She spent nearly every waking hour inside researching magic.

As for why she’d finally emerged today…

“My mom’s face is ridiculously pretty,” Nor had once bluntly declared. “And she’s got a body guys can’t resist. So she’d totally attract customers. My dad fell for it too… Though he got tired of how useless she was and left almost immediately.”

…Those had been Nor’s exact words.

People often said, “Use whatever resources you have.”

Apparently…

Nor interpreted that to include her own mother.

She was an impressively pragmatic child.

Also…

Could everyone please stop bringing up awkward family histories around me?

“I’m grateful that you’d help. But… Are you really sure?”

“Of course.”

Tifana smiled gently.

“After all… My daughter is always indebted to you.”

Sabine crossed her arms proudly. “My old man—the village chief—told me to help you whenever I could.”

Reina, meanwhile…

“Two helpers should be plenty. I’m going ho—”

Before she could finish…

Tifana and Sabine each grabbed one of her arms.

Firmly.

“Reina.”

Tifana smiled sweetly.

“It’s unhealthy to stay indoors all the time.”

“Exactly.”

Sabine nodded vigorously.

“When your childhood friends are giving advice… You should listen.”

“…I’d rather continue researching magic.”

Reina struggled.

Weakly.

Very weakly.

Within moments she was already panting for breath.

…Wow.

Her stamina was practically nonexistent.

“Well then…”

I clapped my hands together.

“Let’s discuss wages.”

“Oh?”

Tifana blinked.

“We don’t need to be paid.”

“No.”

I immediately shook my head.

“That’s not acceptable.”

“…You’re awfully serious.”

“My grandfather raised me to believe that honest labor deserves honest compensation.”

There was one complication.

My restaurant didn’t charge adventurers any money.

Cash flow wasn’t exactly part of the business model.

That meant…

I had to pay my employees in a way only I could.

“How about this? For every hour worked I’ll pay fifteen hundred points. You can choose anything you want. I’ll order it from my world and provide the actual items. And of course… Meals are included.”

Sabine’s eyes sparkled.

“Oh? So I can get booze from your world too? And snacks to go with it?”

Luka immediately frowned.

“Mom. Lay off the alcohol. Weren’t you just complaining that you’d gained weight?”

Smack!

Sabine’s palm landed squarely on Luka’s head.

The impact echoed through the room.

“Owwww!!”

Luka crouched down while clutching her head.

“Don’t say unnecessary things, you little brat.”

“Violence is bad!! If you keep acting like that, Eight-niisan won’t like you anymore!”

“W-What’s he got to do with this?!”

Sabine suddenly looked oddly flustered.

“A-Anyway… I only gained a little weight. My waist hasn’t changed at all… Right, Eight?”

“…Uh. Y-Yeah.”

I wisely decided not to ask…

Then where exactly did you gain weight?

Some questions simply weren’t worth asking.

“Hehe…”

Tifana covered her mouth with a smile.

“Sabine-san…”

Rio muttered.

“You never let your guard down around men, do you…”

For just a brief moment…

I could’ve sworn I saw a dark aura rising from both Tifana and Rio.

…Surely my imagination.

And so…

Tifana.

Sabine.

And Reina.

The three of them officially became employees of my restaurant.

If even that proved insufficient…

I’d probably have to ask Raphiel and Grana to work temporary shifts as well.

Just then…

Tifana tilted her head.

“By the way, Eight. What’s the name of this restaurant?”

“…The name?”

I never came up with one!!

◆ ◇ ◆

“So… So this is the village where that idiot Raphiel decided to settle.”

The following day…

A lone woman arrived at Papel Village.

As she walked through the village streets, the burly adventurers passing by caught sight of her face.

One after another…

They visibly paled.

Several even let out tiny, involuntary squeaks of fear before hurriedly stepping aside.

There was no mistaking the reaction.

Someone capable of making hardened adventurers instinctively recoil was now walking straight toward the heart of the village.

Raphiel’s greatest nemesis…

Had quietly—

Yet inexorably—

Entered the stage.