第１６７４堀：人が集まり始める港町 (Part1)
Chapter 1674: The Port Town Begins to Teem with Life
Side: Yayui
I have arrived at the developing port town in my capacity as secretary and bodyguard to Yuki-sama.
The reason it is me, specifically, is that among our group, I am the only one who can pilot a ship—or rather, I am the professional. Everyone else has been given the knowledge required to operate a vessel, but for some reason, they are all less skilled than I am. Is this what they call a natural talent for driving?
While I was lost in such thoughts, I noticed a change in the town.
"Oh? Is the population increasing?"
"Ah, now that you mention it, there are more people here than just the government office staff. Is it starting to feel like they’re preparing for grand openings?"
Now that he mentions it, that is exactly what it is. The shopping district, which had been desolate until now, is bustling with people busily making preparations.
"Does this mean Ratz-sama has gathered the merchants?"
"Yeah, that’s likely it. She must have discussed it with Sisua and Sona and brought them here. If that’s the case, then Canary’s shop might be thriving as well."
"It is a bento shop, after all."
With that in mind, we decided to stop by Canary-san’s bento shop before heading to the government office. It’s located at the very end of this street, right in front of the office, so it’s not exactly a detour; it’s quite convenient.
Thinking this, I arrived at the bento shop, "Ohana."
"Thank you very much~"
"I’ll be back again."
"See you later, big sister! Karaage, karaage!"
I watched as a mother and child walked out, holding hands and carrying what looked like a bento. The child seemed particularly fond of the karaage and looked delighted. It is delicious, after all.
"It’s well past noon, yet there are still customers."
"Usually, it would be empty by now, wouldn't it?"
Once the lunch rush passes, restaurants are typically devoid of customers. That is only natural, as those who are working cannot come to buy food. Of course, if this were a place like the commercial district where tourists visit from outside, they would still come to shop, but since this area hasn't even been opened to the public yet, the number of people coming to buy things should be extremely low. And yet, they are here.
"Well, let’s head inside."
"Yes."
There was no point in standing in front of the shop, so as Yuki-sama suggested, we stepped inside.
"Welcome."
Canary-san greeted us with a smile.
"..."
We stood frozen in shock at the sight.
"Oh? Canary, you have customers? Wait, Yuki-san and Yayui? What are you doing here?"
Ria-sama poked her head out and looked at us with a puzzled expression.
"No, I had business with Sisua and Sona, and since I happened to be nearby, I thought I’d drop by, but..."
"Um, well, Canary-san was smiling, so..."
I honestly voiced what Yuki-sama couldn't bring himself to say. Ria-sama seemed to catch on and turned her gaze toward Canary-san.
"Ah, come to think of it, is this the first time you’ve seen her smile?"
"Yeah, excuse me for saying so, but I was surprised."
"Yes. I was quite startled."
After all, Canary-san, whose expression never used to change, was actually smiling. Though, she has already returned to her usual, stoic expression.
"My apologies. Ria-sama, Kirika-sama, as well as Sisua-sama, Sona-sama, and Ratz-sama told me that since I am in the service industry, I should be able to smile, so I did my best."
"Mm-hmm. Smiling is important. A stoic face is useful for keeping others from reading your thoughts, but it also makes it impossible for them to know what you’re thinking. A smile, on the other hand, lets them know you have a favorable impression of them. More importantly, the child from earlier was happy, wasn’t he?"
"Yes. I believe a smile is best for children."
I see. What she says is certainly not wrong, but I’m fairly certain that child was just happy because of the karaage...
As I was thinking this, the conversation continued.
"Well, there’s no doubt that a smile is good for business, but be careful of troublesome customers."
"I understand that."
"Yes. If such a customer arrives, I will handle it properly."
"Right. And regarding the customers from earlier—or rather, seeing the shopping district, I assume the migration of merchants has begun?"
"Yes. Sisua, Sona, and Ratz discussed it, and it started about three days ago, I believe. They are currently preparing to open, and those people are the ones coming to shop."
"I see."
So that’s how it is. That explains why there are customers even at this hour.
"How is the workload?"
"Well, since new people are arriving, it is quite busy."
"Yes. As Ria-sama said, since more people other than the government office staff are coming to buy food, we have had to make more bentos and side dishes, so the workload has increased."
That is only natural. If the population increases, the number of shoppers will increase unless something extraordinary happens. And since they are selling food, the consumption rate is likely higher than in other types of shops.
"Well, it might decrease once other food-related shops open, but until then, it’s important to capture regular customers."
"That’s true. Ratz said the same thing."
"I’m just happy that everyone says the bentos we make are delicious, so I will do my best."
"Is that so."
Canary-san says this with a stoic face, but I can feel the joy seeping through. Recently, I—along with Orelia, Hobis, and Ryushi—have begun to understand Canary-san’s emotions, albeit vaguely. Well, I’m not sure if I’m right, but still.
"Ria, Canary, I’ve said this before, but since you have an Item Box, you can store the extra food you make. Not having to throw anything away is convenient and is one of our shop's selling points."
"We know. If we make a surplus, we can take some time off, too."
"Yes, we can also give our employees time off."
Haha, the employees at "Ohana" are Kirika-sama’s subordinates, so I wonder if giving them time off would actually be a problem for gathering information?
"That’s something to discuss. But you are rotating shifts for time off, right? Including you, Canary, and Ria, who manage the shop?"
"Ria-sama and I are both taking our time off properly."
"Yes, we are definitely taking our breaks."
"In that case, try not to overwork yourselves, and I hope you get more time off. Anyway, I’m heading to the government office now."
"Yes, please take care."
"Yuki-san, Yayui, take care. Wait, did you two eat lunch?"
"We did, but, well, give me two pieces of karaage."
"Thank you very much."
And so, we bought some freshly made karaage from the bento shop "Ohana" and headed toward the government office while eating.