The time that followed was a slow, leisurely period, just like any other day.
Through the assignments I received, I often wondered if this job was truly suited to my skills.
Yet, I never found it difficult.
Of course, it wasn’t as if there were never any troublesome customers, nor was I entirely free of customers who subtly tried to ask for my number.
But, how should I put it? Perhaps it sounds a bit rude, but their attempts seemed… amusing.
During the first few weeks, I was utterly flustered by such customers.
But not anymore.
The more people you interact with, the clearer certain patterns become.
Once you understand those patterns and respond appropriately, the other person often retreats with their metaphorical tail between their legs.
…Well, I may have used a little hint of determination to ensure my sister didn’t notice anything unusual.
What’s the use of learning skills if not for moments like these? I often wondered if this was what people meant when they said the techniques learned in school would come in handy someday.
Then again, probably not in this sense.
Anyway, by the time the morning customers had come and gone, and I was putting out freshly baked bread for the afternoon, the small bell on the shop’s door jingled softly.
Turning my gaze toward the door, I saw a small girl standing there.
Her long hair reached just below her neck. She had gentle, somewhat timid eyes, fair skin, and a delicate presence.
While she was undeniably pretty, her impression was faint, as if she might easily blend into a crowd. She was also quite petite no, rather, she seemed young.
Yet, given that she was wearing a school uniform, she couldn’t have been that young.
I wasn’t familiar with which school’s uniform it was, but it definitely wasn’t from the school the students here typically attended in the mornings.
Clutching a small note in her hand, she hesitated at the entrance. The moment our eyes met, she quickly stuffed the note into her uniform pocket.
“Welcome!” I greeted her warmly.
“Ah, um, I… uh…!”
The girl stammered, seemingly trying to say something, but then her eyes met my sister’s as she emerged from behind the counter.
And she froze on the spot.
My sister tilted her head slightly, puzzled, before breaking into a kind smile.
Come to think of it, I reacted the same way when I first came here.
Of course, I had my reasons I’d been completely taken aback to meet my sister, someone I wasn’t sure how to approach, at this very shop.
Whether it was by coincidence or divine intervention, the encounter had left me so surprised that I’d forgotten what I even wanted to say.
But this girl… well, at least outwardly, she didn’t seem particularly strange.
Her demeanor was a bit off, yes, but her uniform was neatly worn, her shoes and bag clean. Judging by her appearance alone, she seemed like an ordinary child raised in a regular household.
Had the note in her hand earlier perhaps had this shop’s name written on it?
“Welcome,” my sister greeted her with the same kindness I had.
“Ah, yes! Uh, hello!”
The girl finally responded, her voice too loud for the quiet shop. Realizing this, she blushed deeply, her face reddening even more.
…..
Hmm.
Thinking back, I must have looked just like that back then. The thought made me feel a bit embarrassed. Fortunately, my sister didn’t seem to recall my earlier awkwardness.
“Take your time to look around.”
That voice had given me courage back then… but it didn’t seem to have the same effect on this girl.
“Ah, uh, well, I, um…”
The girl hesitated for a while before blurting out,
“I-I’ll come back tomorrow.”
Then, before we had the chance to stop her, she quickly turned and dashed out of the shop.
“…Huh?”
My sister let out a delayed sound of confusion.
“Why did she do that? Did I do something wrong?”
“No, I don’t think it’s anything like that,”
“Hmm…”
Despite my response, my sister still seemed uneasy. It made sense—when someone you’re interacting with reacts like that, it’s natural to wonder if you might have done something to cause it.
I was curious, too.
That girl had definitely been holding some sort of note when she walked in. It felt as though she had come here deliberately.
Come to think of it, there was no real reason to use a note to find this place.
If she was looking for a good bakery or something similar, wouldn’t a smartphone have been far more convenient? Opening a map app and searching for nearby bakeries would yield plenty of results.
Unless someone had written it down for her, there wasn’t much reason to carry a note like that.
And then there was her reaction. She had acted differently toward me than she had toward my sister. When I spoke to her, she didn’t immediately run away.
But the moment my sister addressed her, she bolted.
I didn’t think either of us had a particularly intimidating appearance.
“Have you ever seen that girl before?”
“Hm? No, I haven’t”
Hmm.
Well, at least the girl didn’t seem dangerous or anything from what I could tell.
She said she’d come back tomorrow, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
*
After finishing work, I walked my older sister to her house and returned to my neighborhood.
Even though it was already late enough to be considered nighttime, there were still quite a few people walking along the streets. Some of them were already faintly smelling of alcohol.
Still, it wasn’t late enough to call it an ungodly hour. If I hurried and took my companions out now, there should still be enough time to buy a few outfits.
“Ah, you’re back.”
Following my request to stay at home today, the party members were all faithfully waiting at my place without exception.
They were wearing the gym clothes I had handed out for now. Kalia and I were about the same height, and although Arna was a bit taller than me, she was thinner than my build, so the clothes fit her reasonably well.
Fia and Dana, on the other hand, were swimming in the oversized outfits, but since they were used to wearing somewhat loose, flowing clothing, they didn’t seem too bothered by it.
“Looks like everyone managed to order food just fine.”
Disposable containers were neatly stacked in a pile.
Honestly, I had been slightly worried, thinking, ‘What if they ignored my request and wandered around outside?’
Of course, even if they did, it might not have led to anything seriously dangerous, but… they still had so much to learn about the social norms of this world.
Even without malicious intent, if they jaywalked and got caught by the police, it could turn into a complicated mess from there.
Though visiting the church and speaking to the pastor might help resolve their identity issues to some extent, that was still something for later.
“Hmm, the food was satisfactory overall. However, some dishes seemed to use far more spices compared to Irellexia.”
“Oh, that’s true” .Spices like pepper were far rarer in their world than here so much so that even nobles couldn’t afford to use them liberally.
It reminded me of how, in old Europe, nobles would overuse pepper in their dishes to flaunt their wealth.
But in Irellexia, spices were distributed in such minuscule quantities that even this kind of extravagance was impossible.
The trade mostly revolved around royals, who sold limited quantities to nobles while reserving most spices as ornamental resources, like assets that could be quickly liquidated when necessary.
“Maybe things will improve for the kingdom soon. If they develop the demon territory, overland distribution will become possible.”
Though most trade would still be maritime, the overall safety and accessibility would improve.
“Even so, I still prefer simpler flavors,” she added with a smile, crossing her legs gracefully on the sofa.
Dana was sitting on the floor, engrossed in my smartphone, while Fia lounged on another part of the sofa with a carefree expression. Near the window stood Arna, gazing at the cityscape.
“You can barely see the stars here.”
“That’s because the air isn’t as clean as in Irellexia, and the city lights are too bright,”
“At least there are many distinctive buildings here, so it wouldn’t be hard to find your way,” she added.
“Yeah, that’s true,” I agreed. Though honestly, Arna’s natural sense of direction was so sharp that she’d probably find her way faster using her instincts than relying on something like a smartphone.
…Come to think of it, since returning here, I’d been relying on similar instincts more often than not.
“Alright then,” I said, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was just past 9:15 p.m. The discount store was about a 10-minute walk away, and it closed at 11:30 p.m., so we had plenty of time.
“Let’s head out and buy some clothes first.”
At my words, Dana sprang to her feet.
“Can we grab a few books while we’re at it?”
“There’s a small book section in the discount store, but I’m not sure how much they’ll have,” I replied.
“That’s fine. I just need a few books that can help with language learning.”
….Would a discount store even have those kinds of books? Maybe, since they sold clothes, but it wasn’t guaranteed.
“Let’s check when we get there. If we think of anything else you need, we’ll grab it,” I said. Everyone nodded and got up to leave.
….
But as I looked at them, I couldn’t help but notice how odd it felt with everyone wearing the exact same gym clothes. Maybe I should have them each pick out something different to suit their styles.