The Silver Oven, Kougas current lodgings, was an inn-cum-restaurant that you could find anywhere. It was an old establishnt, but it was well-kept and the food wasnt bad. While it was of a lower class compared to the Stardrop Inn, Noels current lodgings, the lodging costs were lower because of that, so he had no complaints.
In addition, not just the lodging costs, the prices of their food was also easy on the wallet. Despite that, the portions were big and it tasted good, so it was bustling with many regulars when lunchti ca.
The store was extrely busy today as well.
Kouga, please serve this dish to the custor!
Understood, right away!
Ursula, the proprietress of the inn, instructed Kouga, who was wearing an apron, to carry the dish that she had just cooked to the custor. Ursula, who was both the owner and cook of the Silver Oven, was a portly middle-aged woman. Standing in the kitchen, she wielded her iron pans with her thick arms, and kept on cooking new dishes without pause.
After Kouga had carried the dish to the custor, Ursula's loud voice, which carried well, rang out.
Kouga, serve this dish too!
O, okay! Understood!
Dishes were being cooked one after another. Kouga had to serve the freshly-cooked food right away, but that was not all he had to do.
Bro, take my order. Ummm, first, ale--
Hey, check please
Hang on, how long are you going to make wait outside? Hurry up and seat already!
I, Im coming right away, so please wait!
He had to take orders, settle the check after the custors had finished their als, and had to clear the tables. In order to do everything well, he had to constantly use his head while he moved about.
It had been almost a month since Kouga started working at his lodgings in the spare ti from his main profession as a Seeker. He had gotten used to this job for the most part, but he still felt like his head was spinning when things got busy. This job might be more difficult than his work as a Seeker.
But working like this as a waiter was fun. It didnt an that he hated his work as a Seeker, but for Kouga, who had lived his entire life with a blade beside him, working a job without bloodshed was a fresh experience.
A notepad and pen that took orders instead of a blade, an apron instead of armor. Just being here in this outfit made him feel as if he had been reborn as another person.
Bro, youre getting the hang of this, arent you?
A middle-aged regular laughed with a mug of ale in his hand.
Look at you! You couldnt even take an order properly in the beginning
Is that so? Thank you so much
It didnt feel bad to get praised. Kouga smiled, feeling happy. But if Noel heard about this, he would probably blow his top.
A Seeker shouldnt be feeling happy about getting praised as a waiter!!! You big idiot!!!
--He could clearly see himself being yelled at like that.
Noel was scary when he got angry. Despite having cute girl-like features, he would yell at you like a Yakuza in an intimidating voice. Even Kouga, who was accustod to those kinds of people, would lose control of his bladder if he was careless.
Like when Noel was directing their performance for the subjugation of Garm, his heart felt like it had almost broke under that storm of harsh criticisms. Even Leon, their elder, had hid himself and wept, so Noels scariness was the real deal. It was so scary that, just by rembering it, Kouga went pale and his body started trembling.
Excuse , youre in the way
Uwaa, I, Im sorry!
Kouga, who had stopped his feet, jumped back at that cold, chanical-sounding voice. A young girl wearing a waitress outfit--his colleague, Nina, quietly passed through where he had been standing.
Nina was Ursula's daughter. However, they didnt look alike. In contrast to Ursula, who was large both vertically and horizontally, Nina was petite and slender. Her features were delicate and elegant. She had big almond-shaped eyes, and her white, clear skin lend more charm to her red lips. Her white hair, that stretched to her waist, was tied up with a ribbon, so as to not hinder her work. It swayed like a tail each ti Nina moved.
She was a very beautiful and cool girl. However, she was the type to not show much emotions on her face, and wouldnt smile even when dealing with custors. According to what Ursula said, she seed to have given up because Nina wouldnt change even after scolding her. Nina had argued that good service wasnt their selling point, so there was probably no need to fixate on the quality of their custor service.
But her work itself was quick and accurate. She calculated the change much faster than Kouga, and Nina was also in charge of the store's accounts.
For that reason, Kouga felt that it was a little bit of a waste. She was pretty and she could work well, so it was probably possible for her to flourish in a wider world. However, that wasnt sothing that a complete stranger like Kouga should stick his nose into.
As he desperately worked, the peak of the lunchti rush passed. The number of custors in the store dwindled, and it seed almost unreal how hectic they had been. They were open for lunch till 2 pm, which ant that his shift was not yet over, but it would be a piece of cake from now on.
Hey! Don't you have anything to say!?
Unexpectedly, he heard a threatening voice. When he turned to see what was going on, he found Nina mixed up with a pair of hoodlums.
Theres a cockroach in this dish, you know!? Isnt apologizing the reasonable thing to do!? And yet, why arent you saying anything!?
With an annoyed expression, Nina spoke to the enraged man.
Then let tell you that in our store, we check the dishes painstakingly before we serve them to our custors. Therefore, its impossible for there to be cockroaches in them
What did you say!? Are you saying that were lying!?
Yes, that's right
I'll kill you!
At the sa ti the man stood up in indignation, Kouga cut in between them.
Wh, what do you want!?
Im also an employee of this store. I overheard what you said, but it seems like there was a cockroach in the dish you ordered, right?
Th, that's right! And yet, this woman called us liars! How are you going to take responsibility for that!? It's too late even if you apologize now!
Compensation! Pay us compensation!
His companion joined in and shouted.
Kouga looked at the dish that they said had a cockroach in it. Sure enough, there was a black bug in it. But, as Nina had said, the Silver Oven would never neglect to check the dishes, no matter how busy they were, in order to prevent the food from being contaminated.
Of course, that didnt an that they would definitely not make any mistakes. But these guys were clearly lying. Judging from their dishonest-looking appearance, and the way they threatened with the aim of getting money from the beginning, there was no doubt that these n were from a non-Yakuza criminal gang, and blackmailed others for a living. They had probably prepared the cockroach, and put it in the food themselves.
The area that the Silver Oven was located in wasnt one with good public safety, so ill-natured hoodlums like these ca in from ti to ti. The gutsy Ursula was undaunted, but such custors were definitely troubleso. All of her previous employees had apparently quit because of this kind of custor. So Ursula went to Kouga with a request.
I want you to be the bouncer for the Silver Oven, she said
Dear custors, was the cockroach really inside the dish from the beginning?
Like I said, it--
Was, the cockroach, really, inside the dish, from the beginning?
Kouga interrupted the man and asked the sa question again. Then, he glared at the man. Overwheld by Kouga's spirit, the man fell back in his chair.
Dear custors, were in the service industry, so we want to take good care of our custors. But if you want to take advantage of that and deceive us, theres no way I can forgive you for that
A, are you threatening us?
The man said with a trembling voice. Despite the fact that they were the ones who had threatened others first, they played the victims once things beca inconvenient. They were the type that Kouga hated the most.
If you guys think that your intimidation will work all the ti, youre greatly mistaken
H, hiii!
When he added a small amount of killing intent into his intimidation, it was enough to make the two n start trembling pitifully. Then, their gaze fell on the brooch pinned to Kouga's chest.
Th, that brooch Are you a mber ofSnake?
Snake--in other words, Wild Tempest, which was the clan Kouga was in. Clan nas often got aliases on the streets, and, in the case of Wild Tempest, their emblem, theSnake, had beco their street na.
Certainly, I'm a mber of Wild Tempest, but
When Kouga admitted it, the n turned pale and their teeth started chattering.
W, w, were so sorry! We didn't know that you were a mber of Snake! S, so, forgive us! Well never co near this store again!
P, p, please! Please dont kill us! Well not only pay for the dish, well pay compensation too! H, here, heres all the money we have!
The two hoodlums removed their purses from their pockets and placed them on the table.
Kill I didnt an..not to that extent
He wasnt going to let them off the hook easily if they were unreasonable, but he wasnt going to go so far as to kill them. The difference in strength between Kouga and n was obvious. He could deal with them without needing to break a sweat.
Th, then, are you going to cut off our noses as an example to others!? Ive heard that mbers of Snake go around cutting off the noses of people they dont like!
N, no, thats
He was about to deny it, but he couldn't. Fresh in Kouga's mind was the scene where Noel, his clan master, had done just that with a big smile all over his face.
W, well, that did indeed happen, but--
Its true after all!?
Cer, certainly, it's true, but I didnt say--
UWAAAAAA!!! PLEASE FORGIVE USSSsssss~~!!!
The mont Kouga tried to explain himself, the n scread and fell off their chairs. And perhaps they had gone weak in their knees and couldnt stand up properly, but they scrambled away and escaped on all fours. Kouga was stunned by the abject terror that they showed.
Why am I being treated like a monster because of Noel
Kouga sighed deeply, then turned back to Nina.
Are you okay?
Yes
Kouga scratched his head as Nina nodded without expression.
Young lady, I can understand getting angry because they picked a fight with you, but you should choose your words a little better. If I weren't here, they might have gotten violent
Because Kouga is here, I determined that there would be no problem
At her imdiate answer, Kouga frowned.
Thats not what Im talking about
Thank you very much for your help. I'll get back to work
Nina bowed courteously, then left. Unable to stop her, Kouga sighed yet again.
What a difficult girl
Shes a cute girl, isnt she?
Uwaa!?
Kouga was got a shock when he suddenly heard a voice. Seated on a nearby chair was Alma, who was also a mber of Wild Tempest. Alma, who had erased her presence completely and appeared without a sign, had a nasty smile on her face.
Wh, what are you doing here?
I ca here to eat lunch, of course
Did you really co to just to eat lunch?
Sorry, thats a lie. I only ca because I was free and wanted to dig up dirt on Kouga
Youve got a really bad personality!
Alma and Kouga were allies, but their relationship wasnt that good. It seed like the fact that Alma and Kouga had been unable to settle their fight had left so ill feelings. Because of that, she would say an-spirited things to Kouga and spite him at every turn, so he was really fed up with it.
I was right to co. To think that the reason you said you wanted a side job was because you had set your sights on a girl. Ill tell on you to Noel
Dont co up with arbitrary delusions! That girl is just a colleague!
Kouga hurriedly denied it, but the nasty smile remained on Almas face.
Hmmm~. So you have a perfectly clear conscience?
Of course. Don't lump in with a perverted woman like you
Swear to Noel?
O, of, of course
He proclaid his innocence once more, but his voice unknowingly shook.
Noel was scary when he got angry. Even though Kouga didnt have a guilty conscience, just by bringing up that na, he imdiately felt uneasy. He was a trustworthy clan master, but precisely because Kouga knew how relentless his personality was, Noel was definitely the last person he would want to see him when he was being frivolous.
You took a side job because you set your sights on a woman!? You big idiot!!! Spineless guys like you should all be castrated right away!!!
--He could clearly see himself being yelled at like that.
Kouga, youre as white as a sheet, you know?
I, it, it, its just your imagination
Kouga, who had imagined the worst possible scenario, couldnt stop his cold sweat from pouring out. Seeing Kouga in that state, Alma hugged her belly and laughed.
Ahahaha, no matter how you look at it, youre far too scared
Its nothing to joke about You should know how scary Noel is
Noel is certainly scary, but hes kind at heart. Even if he finds out that Kouga has a girl he likes, he wont get angry just for that. Probably
But Ive already said that my conscience is clear
Yes yes, okay, I got it
I get the feeling that you dont get it at all
Certainly, Nina was a beautiful girl, but that didnt an that he had romantic feelings for her just because of that. Kouga also had his own preferences, and above all, he had a duty that was more important than love right now. So long as he had pledged to live for the sake of the man that he had fallen for, he didnt have the ti to beco infatuated with won.
In the first place, is it alright for you to be ssing around? You're Noel's partner for the fund-raising party that he's throwing, aren't you?
Regrettably, I'm not a dummy like Kouga and Leon. I learned everything I that needed imdiately after being taught. Capability-wise, this part is different
Kouga scowled at Alma, who was pointing at her head smugly.
However, it was true that Alma's mory was very good. Not only that, she was very good at acting. Even during that ti when Noel was directing them, she was the only person who didn't get yelled at. She had quickly finished the preparations for her role, then roared with laughter as she watched Kouga and Leon get yelled at.
But it's also tough being so talented. If only I was an idiot like Kouga, then I would have been able to get verbally abused while being taught by a younger pretty boy
Alma said so profoundly unfortunate things.
To be liked by a perverted and idiotic woman like you, Noel is so pitiful......
From the bottom of his heart, Kouga pitied Noel. Noel would probably also fall in love with soone, but at least there was no way it was going to be Alma.
Haha, looks like Kouga is not shipping Noel x Alma. But, what exactly is Kougas preference
Not much happening this chapter, just a peek into the life of Kouga and the reputation of Snakes. One more chapter to go before the start of said party. Who are we catching up with next ti? Noel is in it this ti, so stay tuned!
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