Bell and I are standing in front of the Hostess of Fertility, the store we promised to meet at this morning.
"...Wow."
"Whoa..."
When I saw it this morning, I only glanced at it and thought everyone was wearing the same color clothes, but now I see that all the staff are waitresses.
"...Isn't the bar set too high here?"
"Y-yeah, I think so."
'Was this what my friend told me about those maid cafes in Japan?' Since it was the type of place I could never go to, I was seriously considering whether we should really enter, but
"Mr. Bell and Mr. Kai, you came!"
Unfortunately, Syru, who spotted Bell and me, approached us.
"Sy-Syru, we... came."
"...Excuse us."
"Yes, welcome!"
I wasn't sure if she was happy that Bell and I came to the store or if it was just a customer service smile, but it was a pretty cheerful smile, so I followed Syru into the store.
"Two customers!"
Syru guided Bell and me to counter seats facing the kitchen.
"Hoh~ So you're the customers Syru mentioned?"
As we sat down, a sturdy-built auntie spoke to Bell and me.
"Heh heh, both of you have cute faces for adventurers!"
"Leave them be..."
"Haha, unfortunately, yes."
Fortunately, it was one of the phrases I often heard at the store I used to work at as a day laborer, so I could respond naturally.
"Huh, I heard you're a huge eater! Spend lots of money!"
Bell, who suddenly became a big eater, looked at Syru in surprise, but Syru just turned her head and looked into the distance.
"Wait, since when did I become a big eater!?"
"...Ehehe!"
"'Ehehe' isn't an answer!? I absolutely won't eat a lot, okay!?"
"Ahh, because I didn't eat breakfast, I have no strength..."
"Ahh! That's cheating!?"
'Wow, this is really fun.'
I just watched that scene with a smile and didn't particularly help.
"So, what'll you have?"
"Ah, I'll have... pasta then."
While Syru was away for a moment, we were choosing from the menu, and seeing Bell order the cheapest item, I felt a bit mischievous.
"Really? I'm here to get a free meal, so I'll order something appropriately expensive~"
"Ah, tha... okay..."
At the mention of ordering something expensive, Bell immediately made a pained face, and I laughed at his reaction and said it was a joke.
"Just kidding, just kidding. Neither of us has a great wallet situation, right?"
"Ahaha..."
As we were trying to choose a reasonable menu,
"Here, the pasta you ordered!"
The auntie we were talking to earlier placed what looked like at least four servings of pasta in front of Bell.
"...Isn't this a bit much even by adventurer standards?"
"Ha! When you're your age, you should eat as much as you can when possible."
"That's true... Then I'll have today's recommended menu listed there."
"Sure!"
After I placed my order, Bell looked at the menu board hanging on the wall, saw the price of the food I ordered, and became very gloomy.
"Ei-eight hundred and fifty valis..."
"Don't worry and just eat. I'll pay for half, so it's fine."
"Ugh... okay..."
Since we came to an expensive place anyway, it felt a bit off to only order cheap things, so I ordered something that looked appropriately pricey, but
"Here, today's recommended menu!"
A dish came out that was a large whole fish fried, looking something like a catfish.
"...This is surprising in its own way."
Listening to the conversations of customers behind me, I heard that this store does business at high prices targeting adventurers with good earnings in the evening.
'It's definitely worth the high price...'
Since monsters that flow out from the dungeon inhabit the sea, fishing can't be done unless you have a permit, so fish is one of the damn expensive ingredients in Orario, and I didn't expect a dish using fish to come out.
"How is it?"
As Bell and I were each surprised for different reasons, Syru, who had been away for a while, had returned.
"I'm overwhelmed..."
"I'm thinking it's big enough for the price."
"Hehe, sorry. But thanks to you, I can look forward to my wages tonight."
"That's good."
"But our wallets will get lighter because of it."
Perhaps because of my honest answer, Syru smiled slightly and naturally sat next to Bell.
"This store gets all sorts of people, so it's fun, right?"
As Syru naturally took over the flow of conversation and talked with Bell, I listened to their conversation with one ear and let it go out the other as I savored the food I ordered.
'It tastes good, but after eating it continuously, it's a bit greasy... If only there was some sauce to eat it with.'
"...Huh? You have a dissatisfied look—is the taste off?"
I only frowned for a very brief moment, but whether the auntie caught it or not, she approached me and asked if there was a problem with the food.
"There's no problem with the food, it's just..."
"Just?"
"Since it's fried food, it gets a bit greasy as I eat, so I was just thinking it would be nice to have some sauce to eat it with."
"Hoh... You sound like you've done some cooking. Do you have a good sauce in mind?"
At the auntie's words, the sauce that best goes with fried fish came to mind instantly.
"...Can I borrow some pickles, boiled eggs, mayonnaise, and lemon?"
When I mentioned the ingredients, the auntie smiled slightly and brought the ingredients I mentioned in an instant.
"I can't have a customer make it, so explain how to make it from there."
"Making it is simpler than you think. First..."
While sitting in my seat, I explained to the auntie how to make tartar sauce.
"It's definitely simpler to make than I thought. And the taste is quite good too."
"Right?"
'They say experience and age can't be ignored, huh?' The auntie completed the sauce in an instant, understanding two things for every one I explained.
"With this sauce, you could keep eating fried food without getting sick of it."
"Additionally, it's tasty with a little sugar and onion added. When adding onion, you have to chop it finely and soak it in water to remove the spiciness, which is a hassle."
"Hoh~ So there's a method like that too?"
Just as I was having a conversation with the auntie about cooking-related things,
"Nya~ The reserved customers have arrived nya~"
One of the store employees shouted loudly that customers had come.
'Aah... Has that time already come?'
Looking at the entrance, I started to see a red-haired goddess and familiar silhouettes of main characters.
"Looks like the regulars have come. I'll go do some more cooking."
"Yes~"
The auntie headed straight to the kitchen as the regulars arrived, and I looked at Bell while recalling the events that were about to unfold.
"..."
As expected, his face was completely red, and he was half out of his mind staring at Ais sitting far away.
"Mr. Bell? Mr. Bell~"
"Leave him be, he's in a good mood."
"...Huh? What does that..."
Syru kept calling Bell from beside him, but it had no particular effect.
"Thanks for the dungeon expedition today! It's a banquet~ Drink to your heart's content!!"
"""Woo!!"""
As Loki Familia's banquet was reaching its peak, Bete, who seemed drunk, suddenly slammed his cup down and began mentioning that incident from yesterday.
"Right, Ais! Tell us that story!"
"That story...?"
"That one! The few Minotaurs we missed on the way back!"
As expected, as the story progressed, Bell's expression grew darker.
"So that guy got covered in that filthy blood... and turned into a bright red tomato! At the end, he even screamed like a tomato and ran off somewhere... Pfft!"
As the mockery continued, Bell clenched his fists, but since it was all true, he just hung his head.
"He made the guy our princess helped run away!"
"Ahahahahahaha! That's a masterpiece! Ais-chan making an adventurer scared is really moe~~!"
"Heh, hehe... So-sorry, Ais, I can't hold back...!"
'When I saw it in the manga, it didn't hit me that much... but watching it right next to me, it's kinda pathetic...'
Unfortunately, knowing that I had to endure more of this mockery for it to end, I just quietly continued my meal.
"What's wrong with calling trash trash?"
"Hey Bete, stop it now. You're ruining the taste of the alcohol."
At the endless mockery, even Loki, who had been laughing from the start, now lost her smile, but it seemed invisible to the drunk Bete.
"A minnow doesn't suit Ais Wallenstein."
"Guh!?"
Bell finally couldn't withstand Bete's last words and ran out of the store.
"Huh!? Mr. Bell!?"
'Sigh... To know this would happen and still just have to watch...'
And after Bell ran out, left alone, I
"Huh? Dine and dash...? You?"
"You should sober up now."
Unable to hold back, I poured the drink I was having onto Bete's head.
"...Huh? Kai?!"
"That boy from before?"
The Loki Familia members who recognized me were all stunned by my action, just opening their mouths dumbfoundedly instead of stopping me.
"Pfft! Hey, you! You right now...!"
"And after mocking the victim so much, that's all you have to say?"
"...Huh?"
"The guy who just ran out is my friend and the very tomato guy you were mocking until a moment ago."
"...What?"
At my words, all the other Loki Familia members, including Bete, made surprised expressions.
"Looks like you're a bit sober now. So, how does it feel to mock and laugh at the victim?"
"Ah, no wait..."
"What, you must have felt good. Some of your other colleagues couldn't hold back and laughed happily, so how could you not?"
""...""
With each word I spat out, the Loki Familia members remained silent, unable to say anything, and especially a few who had laughed at Bete's story bowed their heads completely.
"To think that mid-to-high executives of the Loki Familia would mock someone harmed by their own mistake as a drinking snack—just because the Familia's prestige is high, does that make it okay?"
"W-we didn't mean it like that..."
"Shut up. Goddess Loki, you're the same perpetrator who laughed."
"...I'm sorry."
Perhaps not expecting me to come on this strong, even Loki, who was trying to calm the situation, silently stepped back.
"Sigh..."
The store's atmosphere had fallen from when I poured the drink on Bete's head to the point of scraping the bottom, so I decided to stop around here.
"...Honestly, I didn't want to say this to you all who saved me. But even considering the situation, I apologize for not being able to hold back and pushing my thoughts one-sidedly."
"...No, it's our fault for not stopping it, so we should be the ones apologizing."
"...Sorry, young man. I showed disgrace."
"...We haven't even compensated for that incident yet, and for things to turn out like this, I'm sorry."
"Apologize to the guy who ran out, not to me. Figure out who it is yourselves."
After getting proper apologies from the three top executives of Loki Familia, I approached the auntie to pay for the food.
"Sorry for ruining the atmosphere. The meal was delicious."
"...Sigh, come back later with that brat. I'll take the money then."
"...Huh?"
Unexpectedly, the auntie said she'd take the money later.
"Hurry up and go find your friend!"
"Ah, yes!"
I hurriedly left the store to find Bell...
"Ah, Syru, keep this for me until I come back."
"...Huh? W-wait a minute?!"
Before going, I left the weight bands that were weighing me down with Syru.