Chapter 54: The Shop’s Name and the Morning Set
The following morning.
Since we still hadn’t decided on a name for the restaurant, I gathered everyone together first thing in the morning and asked Raphiel and the others to pitch their ideas.
After giving each suggestion the utmost consideration—or at least pretending to—I finally made my announcement.
“After a rigorous and completely impartial review process, I’ve reached a decision. The restaurant will officially be named Dining House ‘Tsurugi Hachi’, based on Kirara’s suggestion.”
“Ehhh?!”
A chorus of indignant protests erupted from Raphiel and the others.
“My idea, ‘Restaurant Eight,’ was obviously better!!” Raphiel insisted.
“No way! ‘Meshiya Muteki’ was clearly the best!!” Eve argued.
“I named it ‘Sukiya’ because it’s full of all my favorite foods! What’s wrong with that?!” Nor complained.
“My ‘Uma-Meshi’ sounds delicious the moment you hear it!!” Luka protested loudly.
“Order! Order in the court!” I shouted, raising both hands. “Everyone, calm down! Please!”
It took some effort, but I somehow managed to quiet the increasingly noisy crowd before explaining, one by one, exactly why each proposal had been rejected.
I started with Raphiel.
“Raphiel-san, ‘Restaurant Eight’ is… just too simple. It doesn’t leave much of an impression.”
“Ggh…”
She clenched her teeth in frustration.
“Next, Miss Eve. The reason ‘Meshiya Muteki’ didn’t make it is…”
I paused for dramatic effect.
“…because it sounds kind of lame.”
“My naming sense is lame?!“
Eve looked as though she’d just suffered a critical hit.
Then it was Nor’s turn.
“As for ‘Sukiya’…”
“…”
“…there’s already a famous beef bowl chain with almost that exact name back in my world.”
“Whaaat?!”
Finally, I turned toward Luka.
“As for ‘Uma-Meshi’…”
She leaned forward expectantly.
“…to be honest, I actually think it’s a really good name.”
“Then why’d you reject it?!”
“Because Kirara’s ‘Tsurugi Hachi’ sounded even more stylish.”
The name had a nice ring to it.
“Tsurugi” came from my family name, while “Hachi” represented my given name, Eito—since both eito and hachi mean eight—and the character 捌, which also carries the meaning of “to handle” or “to manage.”
It felt elegant, memorable, and just unique enough.
…Though, in the end, the biggest reason was simply that I liked it best.
With the name finally decided, I asked Dyke to carve us a proper wooden signboard.
Not long afterward, the freshly finished sign reading Dining House Tsurugi Hachi stood proudly outside the storefront.
And before long…
Opening time arrived once again.
“Whoa… There are already so many adventurers gathered outside, and it’s not even that late in the morning…”
“Hehe, looks like business is booming,” Raphiel said with a pleased smile.
“It’s exciting… though also kind of intimidating,” Kirara admitted. “Still… seeing everyone waiting like this really motivates me!”
Before unlocking the doors, I gathered the three women I’d hired—Tifana, Sabine, and Reina—for a quick staff meeting.
A proper morning briefing.
“Alright then! Starting today, I’m counting on all of you!”
“Of course,” Tifana replied with a graceful nod. “We’ll do our best.”
“Leave it to me!!” Sabine declared confidently, thumping her chest.
“…Honestly, I still can’t believe I’m working as a waitress,” Reina muttered with an exhausted sigh.
The moment I opened the doors…
The customers poured inside like a tidal wave.
Orders started flying from every direction.
“Miss! Two Morning Sets over here!”
“Coming right up! Two Morning Sets! Just hang tight!”
“Ah, one Morning Set for me too. And while you’re at it, how about giving me your contact—”
“One Morning Set. Certainly.”
“…Eh? Ah… y-yes.”
Sabine and Tifana skillfully handled the orders while I remained stationed in the kitchen, preparing everything as fast as my hands could move.
First, thick slices of premium white bread—made from flour remarkably similar to the famous Honjikomi brand back in Japan—went into the toaster.
After setting the timer, I immediately moved on to the next task instead of standing around waiting.
I cracked several eggs into a mixing bowl.
Whisk.
Whisk.
I beat them thoroughly until the whites completely blended into the yolks before adding milk, a pinch of salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Once the mixture became silky smooth, I melted a generous knob of butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
The moment the butter began bubbling and releasing its rich aroma, I poured the egg mixture in all at once.
Using a wooden spatula, I gently stirred the eggs in large, sweeping motions from the outside toward the center.
Slowly…
Carefully…
Soft curds formed, creamy and fluffy without becoming dry.
Perfect scrambled eggs.
“Now for the finishing touches…”
The freshly toasted bread popped up with a satisfying click.
I spread a thick layer of butter over each golden slice while it was still piping hot, letting it melt deep into the crisp surface.
Next came a generous helping of fresh vegetables harvested from Papel Village, torn by hand into bite-sized pieces before arranging them neatly on the plate.
A drizzle of Caesar dressing completed the salad.
And with that…
The Morning Set was complete!
Of course, I wasn’t planning to serve scrambled eggs every day.
On some mornings, I’d swap them out for crispy bacon instead.
At the moment, I was in the middle of curing bacon made from orc meat.
If everything went well, it should be ready to serve before long.
…Actually, maybe I’d just include both on the same plate.
That sounded even better.
“Here’s your Morning Set.”
Reina placed the dishes on the tables with flawless elegance before adding in an icy voice,
“When you’re finished eating, leave immediately. If muscular meatheads like you linger around too long, the atmosphere of the restaurant deteriorates.”
It was customer service that absolutely no respectable waitress should ever provide.
Yet the adventurers responded in a way none of us expected.
“Y-Yes, ma’am!! We’ll leave as soon as we’re done eating!!”
“Damn… That waitress is terrifying…”
“She’s gorgeous… and that figure…”
“But more importantly…”
“…that look she gives us like we’re complete garbage…”
“…It’s incredible.”
“W-Well…”
I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
“If the customers don’t mind… I guess it’s fine?”
Moments later, voices of delight began erupting throughout the dining room.
“This bread is so unbelievably soft and chewy!”
“The butter is insanely rich! It’s amazing!”
“So these are scrambled eggs? They’re seriously good!”
“The salad’s incredibly fresh too! And whatever this ‘Caesar’ sauce is, I can’t stop eating!”
“Eating delicious food while beautiful women wait on us first thing in the morning…”
“…Is this village actually paradise?”
The Morning Set was a resounding success.
Every adventurer left with a satisfied smile and renewed energy before heading straight toward the forest to hunt monsters.
Once the breakfast rush finally ended, I told everyone to take a break and brewed fresh coffee for the staff.
“Great work, everyone. Here, have some coffee.”
“Oh my.”
Tifana accepted the cup with a gentle smile.
“Thank you, Eight.”
“I’d like to improve anything we can,” I said. “If there was anything difficult or inconvenient, please tell me.”
“Hmm…”
She considered it for a moment.
“Nothing in particular…”
Then she gave a slightly troubled smile.
“Although… being constantly approached by male adventurers trying to flirt was rather exhausting.”
Sabine and Reina immediately nodded in agreement.
“No kidding,” Sabine grumbled. “Every last one of those idiots kept staring at us with those filthy eyes.”
“Honestly,” Reina sighed. “The number of men who don’t know their place is astonishing.”
“Haha…”
I laughed awkwardly.
“I mean… that’s probably unavoidable.”
The three women looked toward me.
“Tifana, Sabine, Reina… All three of you’re beautiful. So it’s only natural that the adventurers would want to talk to you.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
An uncomfortable silence settled over the restaurant.
…Uh-oh.
Did I say something wrong?
Before I could figure it out, Sabine walked over…
Smack!
“…Ow!”
I grabbed my head.
“Huh? What was that for?”
“Because you keep saying things that tease older women like us.”
“Huh? I’m not teasing anybody.”
I looked at them in genuine confusion.
“And besides… aren’t all of you only in your mid-twenties?”
In the Kingdom of Elde, it was perfectly normal for women to marry in their teens and have children before turning twenty.
But from the perspective of someone raised in modern Japan…
Mid-twenties?
That was completely within the strike zone.
Especially when they were this beautiful.
“You all have amazing figures too,” I continued honestly. “I can understand why those adventurers couldn’t help trying to hit on you.”
“Hehe…”
Tifana’s lips curved into a seductive smile.
“I’m very happy to hear you say that, Eight.”
“Seriously…”
Sabine muttered, her cheeks faintly pink.
“You keep saying things that’ll charm a bunch of old ladies like us…”
“…Though I can’t say I dislike hearing it,” Reina admitted with a shrug.
Tifana smiled with mature elegance.
Sabine blushed openly.
Reina simply rolled her shoulders with an exasperated expression.
Then Tifana suddenly clasped her hands together.
“In that case… Why don’t all of us become your wives, Eight?”
“…Huh? …WHAT?!”
“As always, your train of thought makes absolutely no sense,” Reina deadpanned.
“Oh my, not real wives.”
Tifana giggled mischievously.
“It would only be a sham marriage. A convenient excuse.”
“If everyone believes we’re married women, those persistent adventurers should finally stop pestering us.”
“…I-I see.”
That… actually made sense.
The Kingdom of Elde permitted polygamy.
If people believed Tifana and the others were already married, the amount of unwanted flirting would probably decrease dramatically.
But still…
“I don’t know… I’d feel pretty uncomfortable pretending to be your husband. I mean…”
“I’m hardly worthy of playing that role for women like you.”
“My, my♡”
Tifana’s smile only deepened.
At that exact moment, the front door opened.
“Good morning, Eight.”
“Ah, Raphiel-san.”
I looked toward the clock.
“It’s almost noon, you know?”
“I stayed up until the middle of the night watching anime.”
She rubbed her sleepy eyes.
“More importantly… I’m hungry.”
“Alright, alright.”
I chuckled.
“I’ll make something right away. Just give me a minute.”
And then—
The bell above the entrance chimed once more.
Someone quietly stepped inside.
Without even glancing at anyone else, the woman fixed her gaze directly on Raphiel.
“…Hey.”
“Raphiel.”
“—!!”
“I see you’ve been living quite the lazy little life.”
The instant Raphiel saw the woman standing there…
The color drained from her face.
Her expression twisted into one of absolute horror—
Like the very image of The Scream brought to life.
…Huh?
Who in the world is she?