I rested my elbows on the table and slumped. The combination of moderate fatigue and full stomach made me sleepy. She feels groggy, careful not to fall into deep sleep.
I surrendered to the comfort for a while and continued to rest. She doesn’t know how long she took a break, but somehow she feels like it’s about to end. When I opened my eyes and looked at the clock, there were only five minutes left. Perfect for waking up.
“Hmm, I took a good rest.”
While sitting on a chair, stretch your arms and stretch your back. After stretching, relax your body and exhale. Yeah, let’s do our best this afternoon too.
When I got up and went to the reception desk, I found Retom-san resting his elbows on the counter in a daze.
“Thank you for the break, Retom-san.”
“Hmm, is that enough?”
“Yes, I have had enough rest.”
“I see. In that case, I’m making bread in the back. The rest will only be sold in the evening.”
“What kind of bread will you have in the evening?”
“Round bread, nut bread, and cheese bread. Please sell me the cheese bread for 200 ruta.”
“Understood”
It would be great with cheese bread or as an accompaniment to dinner. This time, the smell of cheese will make your stomach growl.
I switched places with Retom-san and returned to the reception desk. When she looked at the shelves, she found that there were only a handful of breads left, and she was in a lonely situation.
I grabbed tongs and started organizing the bread. 4 pieces of nut bread left. Only 5 pieces of berry bread left. There are 8 honey breads left. Well, why is the popular honey bread the most left?
I guess sales weren’t good today. Or maybe it will sell soon?
While I was sitting on a chair waiting, a customer came to solve the mystery.
“Hello, can I have some honey bread?”
“Me too honey bread”
Four children gathered around. I grab the honey bread with tongs, transfer it to the board, and begin paying the bill.
“One piece costs 180 Ruta.”
“Um, 1, 2, 3 copper coins…”
“I’m a small silver coin.”
“Me too, a small silver coin.”
“Me too”
One person began counting the copper coins, and the other three produced small silver coins. Well, we both eat the same bread. Ah, that’s why the shape of honey bread was two round breads stacked on top of each other so that they could be separated.
I handed the copper coin change to the child with the small silver coin, and received nine copper coins from the child with the copper coin. I see, it’s also popular as a snack for children.
“Yes, knead half.”
“which is good?”
The children shred the bread and hand it to another child. Then, as I was leaving the store, I started stuffing my face with sweet honey bread. This bread is popular as a snack.
Even after the children left, other children soon came and asked for honey bread. There were only 8 honey buns left, but the number gradually decreased and they disappeared from stores in an instant.
And even after it disappears from store shelves, children still come asking for honey bread.
“Wow, there’s no honey bread today.”
“What should I do? Should I try a different bread?”
“Let’s stop buying today.”
“Let’s come early tomorrow.”
When I learned that they didn’t have any honey bread, I left the store with a heavy heart. Just as Mr. Retom said, honey bread was a popular bread. People who bought it during the lunch time may have bought it as a snack. I felt a little envious of the fun that ordinary people had.
“Riru, the round bread and nut bread are baked.”
As the sun began to set, Mr. Retom brought me new bread. I pick up the iron plates at the center stand and begin arranging them on the shelves. Customers started showing up, perhaps attracted by the smell of the bread.
“Do you have any berry bread left?”
“Yes, there are five left.”
“Then give me four round breads and two belly breads.”
The number of orders in the evening was a little high. I’ll probably buy some for dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast. I handled the money carefully so as not to make any mistakes, and served customers courteously.
“Cheese bread is burnt.”
Finally, the cheese bread arrived. It was the same shape as a round bread, but it smelled really good. The aroma of fragrant cheese wafts outside the store. Perhaps because of this, the number of customers increases.
“Three cheese breads, please.”
“Yes, please wait.”
“I’d like four pieces of cheese bread, please.”
“Yes, I understand”
When cheese bread was served, customers all asked for cheese bread. I don’t know how much I’ll eat for dinner, but I think I’ll be able to make it in time even if I just eat cheese bread. The cheese bread was so heavy.
“The last round bread and nut bread are baked. Thank you.”
While serving customers, the last piece of bread was baked in the blink of an eye. I quickly put the bread on the shelf and put the griddle away to the back of the store.
Okay, let’s do our best on the last task. If you keep your spirits up, customers will start coming in soon.
“Welcome, which bread would you like?”
◇
Since then, customers have taken turns coming and buying bread. The many breads lined up are disappearing one after another, and the most expensive cheese bread is quickly gone.
Even after cheese bread was sold out, many customers still wanted to buy cheese bread. Each time, I apologize politely and offer her the leftover bread. Everyone looked disappointed, but they didn’t make any fuss and just bought replacement bread and left the store.
By the time the sun was setting on the other side of the door, I could count the amount of bread left on one hand. By that time, the number of customers had completely died down, and I had some free time to sit in a chair and doze off.
“Riru, that’s all for today.”
Mr. Retom appeared from behind and said the final words.
“Please put the leftover bread on the board. After that, I want you to wipe the shelves clean. Please use this special cloth to wipe the shelves. When you are done, please come to me at the back of the store. Talk to me.”
“Understood”
I did as I was told and used tongs to place the rest of the bread on the board. Leaving it on the counter, I wet a cloth with the bucket provided and wring it out. Holding a dustpan in your hand, use a cloth to collect the crumbs that had fallen onto the shelf and drop them into the dustpan.
Wipe down all the shelves, wash the dish towels, and put the garbage in the dustbin. Yeah, it’s done now.
“Retom-san, it’s finished.”
“Ah, thank you.”
When I called out to the back of the store, I found Retom-san who was also cleaning.
“how was it?”
“It was busy, but it seems to be okay. As long as I served customers calmly, I wouldn’t have made a mistake.”
“Yeah. From what I heard and saw, it seemed to be fine. I think I was able to handle both customer service and accounting without any problems. I look forward to working with you in the future.”
“Yes, please.”
Apparently it was a passing score. Well, I’m glad you did your best.
Retom-san then goes to the reception desk and takes out a take-out bag from the shelf behind the counter. He put a round bread and a nut bread in it and handed it to me.
“As I wrote in the quest content, I’m going to take the leftover bread home.”
“Thank you. I’ve been curious about it ever since I saw it on the quest.”
“I see, now you can do your best tomorrow. We’ll be home before it gets dark.”
“Yes. Thank you for today.”
I took off my apron, handed it to him, and bowed deeply. I’m really glad I got this job, I got dinner.
When I left the store, the area was dyed bright red, and it was only a matter of time before it got dark. I trotted down the street.
I’ll do my best starting tomorrow!
(7/8)
-Lirsa
arscanTL 