Chapter 26: Sophia-chan

　For the past few days, I have been looking after a three-year-old child from 7:30 in the morning until noon.

The three-year-old’s name is Sophia-chan. Her father, Mr. Dion, brings her along. He is a young father who I like to call Mr. Dion.

　Even though it was winter, he was wearing short sleeves and had well-developed muscles in his arms and upper body. He was a charming young man with a sweet face.

“Can you do it again today?　I’m sorry.”

“I’ll take care of her. Please don’t apologize. Sophia is not so difficult to take care of.”

Mr. Dion is a plasterer who commutes to a nearby construction site. When I first saw him, he was working with Sophia on his back. "I'm getting off! I’m coming down!” She cried.

It must have been extremely painful for a toddler who wants to move around and can’t get off the back. When I thought about it, I couldn’t bear it any longer. That’s when I ran up to Dion and said, “I’ll take care of her.”

　I look after Sophia until around noon, when Dion’s mother comes to pick her up. Dion’s mother works at the market from dawn to noon, and then comes to pick up Sophia.

“I know I should just let her stay at home, but she doesn’t understand what I’m saying yet. I’m in trouble too.”

“You mustn’t leave Sophia alone at home. It is dangerous. I will take care of her anytime. Don’t worry.”

“I’m sorry. I really appreciate it.”

　His wife became ill after giving birth to Sophia and passed away. Sophia’s grandmother took care of her until she was out of diapers, and Dion had been working with the child for some time now.

“My dad and mom have been pretty strict on us, too.”

People die easily in this world. I haven’t experienced this with anyone close to me yet, but I know it from listening to the stories of those around me. Children die from illness. Adults die during childbirth, from injuries, from the flu. A world where many people give birth and many die.

There is no healing magic in my magic drawer. If there were, I could heal them to the best of my ability. I can make potions, but I don’t know how effective they are. When I learned that I could use magic, I was excited, but now I realize that wizards are not all-powerful.

“Sophia, let’s play dolls until the guests arrive.”

“Yeah!”

“Then go to work, Mr. Dion. I’ll call you if anything happens."

“I appreciate it. I’ll be sure to return the favor.”

"It's fine, it's fine. I’ll thank you for letting me play with Sophia."

Mr. Dion bowed his head several times before going to work.

I gave Sophia a rabbit doll. I held a stuffed cat. Both are handmade by me, no magic. Sophia loves to play with them.

“Where shall we go today, bunny?”

“We’re going to the river with the cat!”

“Shall we do laundry? Is the river close?”

“Yes, it’s close. The river is right next to our house!”

“Okay, then, let’s wash everything!　The sheets and curtains too!　I’ll do my best to wash them! Yeah!”

 　

Sophia laughs aloud. She is in a good mood.

　After playing a lot, it was almost noon, and when guests arrive, Sophia sits quietly in a chair. She is an easy child to care for, looking at the picture books I have bought and collected. I serve the guests their meals, and also serve Sophia a loaf of bread bun.

“Delicious!”

“It’s delicious, isn’t it? It’s raisin bread. And have some stew, too.”

“You sure?”

“It’s fine. Eat as much as you want.”　

“I love this stew.”

Around noon, Sophia’s grandmother comes to pick her up. Her grandmother, Karin, is too young to be called a grandmother.

 “Thank you for taking care of Sophia. I brought you some greens. Please try them.”

“Thank you as always. I’m sorry.”

“Mai-san takes care of her so Dion and I can work. Thank you so much.”

After thanking her many times, Karin-san took Sophia’s hand and leaves.

“Grandma, let’s go home!”

“Yeah, let’s go home.”

I watch their backs as they leave. I’m a little jealous.

I want a child like that too. But in this world, …… In this world, it is enough to live with a smile on your face. Just being alive and not hurting anywhere is a wonderful thing. I won’t ask for anything more extravagant than that. Besides, I don’t want to lose anyone again.

Customers came in one after another. Orders for the daily lunch come in one after another. Today’s daily lunch is beef shank stew. Stew is a treat in winter.

Illustration (By Mitemin)

The stew is served in a deep dish, with a drizzle of cream on top. The dish is finished with broccoli, which has been boiled to a nice color while retaining its crunchy texture, and pickles.

　All the customers are impressed, saying, “The meat is so tender!” and “This must have been simmered for a long time.” I think beef stew will become a standard menu item outside of the summer.

　I'm planning to try making minced meat dishes in the near future. Ground meat is not sold in this country. To make minced meat dishes, you have to beat the meat with two knives. So I'm thinking of making a mincing machine with magic. I bought four iron pots for that purpose. 

Dion came into the restaurant after the lunch rush had died down.

“Oh, Mr. Dion.”

“I’d like the daily lunch special, please.”

Usually his mother, Karin, would buy lunch for him at the market. I wondered if it was her way of thanking me for taking care of Sophia. As if seeing through this thought, Dion smiled at me.

“I just wanted to have lunch here once in a while too.”

“Good then. I’ll have it ready right away. Is Sophia at home?”

“Yes, she is. I think she is taking a nap. I’m always relying on my mother, and I can’t thank her enough.”

Mr. Dion was smiling wryly with a pretty face. As I brought the beef stew to his table, his face broke into a smile. I was able to see many smiling faces today. Seeing the smiles on people’s faces like this is the best part of working in the food business.

“What kind of work did your parents do?”

“My father was an office worker. My mother helped out at a restaurant that my grandmother started, and I worked there when I was growing up.”

“Oh really”

Yes, “Café Riyo” was started by my grandmother. It is a restaurant with a warm atmosphere and gentle flavors. My grandmother was good at meat dishes and my mother was good at desserts. My mother and father went shopping together in the car and got into an accident.

　I was ten years old and I couldn't quite comprehend the sudden death of my parents. I don’t remember much from that time. What I do remember clearly is that my grandmother, who was usually so mild-mannered, was wailing openly in front of everyone. That was the bigger shock to me at ten years old.

I wondered how she’s doing. When I remembered my grandma, tears started to come to my eyes. I quickly went back behind the counter and pretended to be wiping the floor.

Before my illness was discovered, she had told me that  “My purpose in life is to one day hold the baby you give birth to, Mai.” But my grandmother sent me out into this world, saying, “If you go to that world, you can start over with a healthy body.”

So the only way to cure my illness was to send me here.

From the day I found out I could use magic, I searched my mind hundreds of times, thousands of times. I was not given the knowledge to send people to a different world. So I can never go back to the world I came from.

It’s okay. I’m absolutely fine. I can live here smiling. I will smile.

I heard the chirping of the doorbell. I hurriedly got up and said, “Welcome!” I called out. It was Mr. Henry. He usually comes around 2:00 p.m. when no one is around, but today he came a little early.

Mr. Henry glanced at Mr. Dion and then sat down at his usual seat at the counter.

　

“Daily ……”

　He said that much and looked at my face intently. Damn. Did he notice that I was crying?

“What’s wrong? Is something wrong?”

“No. I was just remembering something that happened a while ago.”

I hurriedly wiped my eyes and smiled. Mr. Henry said nothing and began to eat his daily lunch.

Mr. Dion spoke to me, his eyes fixed on the pasted paper on the wall.

”Mai-san, what does this say? I can’t read.”

"We're pleased to announce a new dish: fried fish with sweet and sour sauce. I had a fish dish in the Couloue district that was really delicious, so I decided to copy it."

Mr. Dion looked surprised.

“The coulou district?　Um, if you ever want to go to the coulou district again, please let me know. I'm confident in my strength. Even if something happens, I won’t put you in danger. You should never go there alone.”

“Thank you very much. But I have someone who knows the area well, so I’ll be fine.”

“I see. But if that person is unable to go then I’ll show you around.”

Mr. Henry, who was seated at the counter, spun around and looked back at Mr. Dion.

“I will certainly accompany her, don’t worry.”

“Ah, is that so? My apologies.”

　I was relieved when Dion-san smiled and retreated. I was surprised and scared when I saw Henry-san's face, thinking, (I can't believe Henry-san behaved like this.)

　Henry’s pupils are perfect vertical lines.

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