第１０８７堀：本人の気持ちは大事 (Part2)
I could never imitate that. The obsession women have with sweets seems to hold a value so sublime, they would stake their very lives on it.
"Indeed. The sweets made by Alfin, the shop manager, are exquisite. For you not to have come to eat them until now, I think that's unacceptable for the master of Weed, don't you?"
"My apologies. I've been quite busy until now."
After all, I couldn't exactly face an 'unavoidable death'.
No one would want to die from eating too many sweets.
While I was thinking such things, Aslin and the others had already placed their orders.
"So, what will you have, Master?"
"Ah, let's see..."
Aslin handed me the menu, and I looked it over, but there was nothing particularly unusual.
No, wait. The selection here, even by Japanese cafe standards, would be considered rich in cakes, so it's probably far more extensive than a typical cafe.
...Oh, my, does this mean Weed has already surpassed Earth?
I never expected it to surpass it from this angle.
"Why the surprised look? Was there some unusual cake?"
"No, there shouldn't be anything like that. So, what was it?"
"No, I was just surprised by the sheer number of items on the menu. Let's see, I'll have the hot pancakes."
"Yes, certainly. Please wait a moment."
Upon receiving my order, Coral immediately headed towards the kitchen.
"She's really working as a waitress quite normally. There are no particular problems."
In other words, there's nothing to complain about.
What happened earlier was merely just a pervert being at fault.
"It's true, isn't it? To adapt to human society so easily, I honestly didn't expect it."
"It's surprising, isn't it?"
"Indeed. If she can learn so many things so quickly, it's not as if she's unintelligent, so why on earth was she deliberately living deep in the mountains?"
As Labyris, Shera, and Dressa voiced the same question I had, Queen Miyabi and Gaul, who were eating cake nearby, turned towards us.
"Ah, Coral doesn't particularly dislike people. It's more that she simply wasn't interested. Rather, as a dragon, she couldn't stay in one place for long."
"I've heard that, for a time, she even lived disguised among humans, but it inevitably cost money, and it wasn't a particularly good life either, so in the end, she decided to live in her dragon form."
Well, you can't really live luxuriously in a medieval-level civilization.
Even royalty and nobles probably wouldn't reach the standard of an average modern Japanese household.
Furthermore, there's the system where you can't earn your daily bread without working, a hellish system of endlessly earning money.
Considering all that, there's no particular reason to go out of your way to live in human society.
To take on the risk of being hunted if discovered as a dragon, you wouldn't want to live with humans.
"However, that was only until she came to Weed."
As she said that, Coral swiftly served the drinks she brought on a tray to us.
"Here in Weed, I learned that a 'true paradise' actually exists within human life. A world where there are no problems even if I'm known as a dragon, where I lack nothing for food or shelter. The labor here is commensurate with the reward. That's why I work."
"Indeed. That's a wonderful perspective."
She properly works and understands the meaning of earning wages.
To work with daily goals is truly wonderful.
Huh? Come to think of it, wasn't there something I wanted to ask?
Just as I was thinking that, Aslin posed a question.
"So, Coral-chan, you don't want to go back to that mine?"
"Hmm? No, I don't particularly want to go back. That was just a temporary dwelling, and besides, I caused trouble over the water there."
"In that case, will you stay here permanently?"
"Yes, I suppose so. If my Master and the others permit it, I would like to settle down. But I've only just started working, and I don't have any money. I can't even buy a house like this."
"Buy a house?"
"Yes. With air conditioning and heating. And I want to furnish my own home with a refrigerator, a warm futon, and various other things."
Truly, it's good to have goals.
Or rather, her not wanting to return to the Kingdom of Daffaios must be her true feeling.
Unexpectedly, hearing Coral's true feelings, I was satisfied.
Alright, now I'll just eat the pancakes and then we'll head back.
"Oh, it seems the cake is ready. Please wait a moment."
As she said that, I watched Coral's retreating back as she returned to the kitchen, and I felt relieved...
"What are you doing? For General Steve, of all people, to collapse just from eating cake, isn't that rude to your wife, the shop manager?"
"...S-sugar... no, sir."
Ah, right. Hang in there, Steve.
He himself doesn't seem to find any reason to leave Weed.
And so, Steve, as always, plunged into a sugar-filled hell.