第９１３堀：子供たちのお店 (Part1)
**Chapter 913: The Children’s Shop**
**Side: Vilia**
"Alright! Let’s do our best again today! We’re going to show the world that Weed has the best doll-shaped manju!"
"““Yeah!””"
My rallying cry was met with enthusiastic shouts from everyone in the class. Good, everyone is full of energy today.
"Okay, let’s start our work according to the shift schedule: sales clerks, street vendors, the team making the manju in the back, and the cleanup crew!"
"““Yes!””"
And so, my day began. It was currently 6:00 AM. It was significantly earlier than the time I usually wake up for school—a time when I’d normally still be fast asleep. But these past two weeks have been different. This is the new normal.
The reason is that we’ve been entrusted with a shop in Wee Mall. It all started with a suggestion from Yuki-onii-sama: *"How about letting the children run a stall at Wee Mall?"*
With that single decree, all of us from the school in Weed were tasked with opening a shop in Wee Mall—a place where nations would pay a fortune just to secure a spot. Of course, this wasn't just a whim on Onii-sama’s part. He had a clear vision.
*"If children are the ones handling the sales and cleaning at Wee Mall, it creates a soothing atmosphere. It’s also the perfect way to weed out any adults who would dare raise a hand against them. Above all, it’s the best place to demonstrate that even children can accomplish great things if they are taught properly."*
Exactly. This is the place to prove the value of what we’ve learned at the Weed school. We are here to show the world the results of the education Onii-sama so generously provided us!
Thanks to that, we can calculate with ease, and since we’ve practiced in cooking class, making the sweets is no problem at all. As for the cleaning, we do that often at the Adventurer’s Guild, so no one is confused about their duties. Besides, even if we make a mistake, we can just help each other out. And today, I’m working hard for Onii-sama’s sake, just like always...
"Welcome! How about some freshly baked doll-shaped manju?"
"Hmm, this is delicious!"
*Sigh.* Hiiro is doing something foolish again. I’ll have to lecture her in the back of the shop later. Just as I thought that...
"Hiiro. Stop snacking on the merchandise."
"Okay."
Before I could even start my lecture, Dressa stepped in to warn her and stopped Hiiro. Dressa seems to have had a wonderful time during her last break, and she’s been working harder than ever at the shop today. She’s even been more proactive in scolding Hiiro, which is a huge help to me. I suspect she’s finally realizing what it means to become Onii-sama’s bride.
But anyway, I need to hand out samples so the passersby get to know us. We’re distributing samples of the doll-shaped manju in front of the shop. You can’t really know how good they are unless you taste them.
"We have samples available, so please, have one if you’d like!"
I held out the tray toward the people walking by. The manju came in various shapes: soldiers, commoners, animals, and even monsters. We had originally considered making manju shaped like Seraria-oneesama, but there was strong opposition to the idea of people eating them, so we scrapped it. The same went for manju shaped like Onii-sama. After all, if there were manju shaped like him, I don’t think I could ever bring myself to eat one.
As I was thinking about that, two figures suddenly appeared right in front of me.
"Oh, you’re handing out something interesting. I’ll take one."
"Ah, yes. Here you... go."
As I held out the tray, I saw...
"Ho-ho. You’ve got quite a variety. This is a spearman, this one’s a mage, and this is a monster! It’s fun just looking at them."
"Indeed, these are very well-made. Truly, as expected of you, Vilia, Hiiro, and Dressa."
For some reason, King Rocksten and Princess Lowell were holding the samples I had offered.
"...E-excuse me, King Rocksten..."
I was about to ask why they were here, but King Rocksten put a finger to his lips and made a "shh" gesture.
"I’m just a middle-aged uncle who is a relative of you girls. Right?"
"Yes, that’s right. We are just an uncle named Blade and an acquaintance of you girls."
"..."
"...Vilia, just endure it. Don’t point it out. For these two, this is their default state."
Dressa was right. I desperately wanted to ask why this specific pair was together, but we were sales clerks here to make this shop a success. I decided to report this to the proper authorities later and focus on the job at hand. Just then, Hiiro slid forward.
"Uncle Blade, Sister Lowell, eat first."
"“!?”"
She said something incredible. Princess Lowell has often interacted with Seraria-oneesama, and she’s been kind to us, so that’s one thing. But we don’t have much interaction with King Rocksten on a daily basis. If she uses such rude language, it could affect Weed’s reputation—and by extension, Onii-sama’s reputation! I nearly fainted from the sheer terror, but I managed to keep my composure and tried to offer an excuse...
"Ah, that’s true."
"Indeed, come to think of it, this is food."
Without a care for my internal panic, the two of them popped the manju into their mouths without a hint of anger.
*Wait a minute!* Where are the guards?! The King and Princess are carelessly eating things they picked up on the street! Don’t you care about being poisoned?!
While I was suppressing the urge to scream, they continued.
"Oh, this is actually pretty good. Quite delicious, in fact."
"Right? It’s my recommendation. Well, our country’s cream puffs are delicious too, though."
"Ah, those are good in their own way. But I like that these are enjoyable to look at, too."
"True. Should we look for something like this for our cream puffs? I’ll consult with Charl later. To that end, I’ll need some samples."
"Ah, good idea. I’ll take a set of ten as a souvenir, too."
"Coming right up!"
*Wait, the conversation is moving way too fast!* How am I supposed to stop this relentless, self-paced atmosphere?! Onii-sama, what should I do?!
As I was in the middle of this total chaos...
"Your... Majesty."
"Oh? Samantha?"
"Oh, Samantha. And Yuki is here too, I see."
Samantha-oneesama had rushed over, which meant... I turned to look in the direction she came from, and sure enough, Onii-sama was there! He had come to save me!
"Yo. That’s an unexpected combination."
"Is it? I see Princess Lowell quite often. Especially at ramen shops."
"Ah, Kiyu’s ramen is delicious, after all. Though the miso flavor at other shops is hard to pass up, too."
"I know, right? The salt, soy sauce, and spicy noodles are all great."
"Exactly. And the fried rice and chashu taste different at every place, too."
For some reason, the King and Princess were getting excited talking about their ramen shop tour. And their knowledge was surprisingly deep. The miso and spicy flavors had only recently been introduced, so they must be frequenting those shops quite often to know that much.