by Funa
Of course, Lafia had already noticed this. She cooked all of the food herself, so there was no way that she couldn’t have noticed.
“Hmm… I think you’re right, but this business always has its ups and downs, doesn’t it? I don’t think it’s anything we need to worry about.”
Meliza, the eldest, tended to worry and fret over every little thing, perhaps because she carried the burden of the inn passed down in their family for generations and of caring for her sisters.
This was the inevitable result of the position she had been put in, and every day it made her little chest ache… (This was not metaphorical—in relation to her age, she literally had a small chest.)
Meliza was sixteen years old. She was beautiful and personable. To put it gently, she was slender; to put it less gently, she was flat as a board. She served as waitress, bookkeeper, and receptionist. Her cooking ability could be scored in the negative digits.
The second sister, Lafia, ran the kitchen all by herself at the age of only thirteen. That said, her cooking ability was nothing beyond the reach of any typical thirteen-year-old girl. That was perfectly fine as far as many of their male customers were concerned. Those men probably went elsewhere when they wanted to eat some particularly good food—but when they wanted to delude themselves into thinking that they were being served a meal by their lover or daughter, they came here. If you considered it from that angle, then Lafia’s cooking was perfect—even on the occasions when a dish came out entirely wrong.
Up until her parents died, Lafia had been an energetic, lively girl, but these days she was rather gloomy. She was of normal build and stature for her age, which was to say, she was around Reina’s height. Naturally, her bust was larger than Reina’s—and her elder sister’s as well.
Because they were a bit worried about having Alile, the third sister, who was currently napping in their personal quarters, do things like carrying plates full of food, she was left in charge of collecting the dishes and cleaning the tables once the customers were done eating. In truth, although she had mainly been allowed to do so by her sisters so as not to feel left out, the task allowed her to unleash her true potential in drawing the sympathies of their customers. In fact, she played a key part in their scheme.
The three sisters of the House of the Maiden’s Prayer were a perfect fighting unit. Indeed, like the Kisaki Sisters or the Yagisawa Sisters or the Kashimashi Girls, they were an indomitable trio.
***
And then, the following evening…
“Something is definitely going on. We’ve hardly had any customers come in for dinner and barely any overnight guests at all. Even the visitors who told us that they would be staying for a while have been checking out early… There is most certainly something afoot!”
Those who stand in the way of the House of the Maiden’s Prayer will not be forgiven!
Meliza, who trusted no one since the events surrounding their father’s passing, and would stop at nothing to defend her sisters and their inn, stood, her eyes flashing.
“Lafia, mind the place. I’m going out for a bit.”
“Huh? Oh, yes, okay.”
Lafia was startled at her sister’s sudden change in demeanor, but since they had few customers at the moment, she and Alile would be more than able to manage the inn in her absence. Alile was eight years old, so at the very least she could tend to the finances, and of course, no one who came expressly to a place where the prices were so high would ever try to swindle them when it came to payment. Anyone who would bother with that would have gone to a cheaper, better establishment in the first place.
The thought should have been comforting, but it left Lafia a bit depressed…
The moment Meliza stepped outside, she headed straight across the street to the Wild Bear Lodge. There were of course other pubs and eateries around, but the Wild Bear was their number-one rival. As far as Meliza was concerned, that designation was an official one. Plus, given that they had been losing both their evening diners and their overnight guests, the Wild Bear was immediately suspect.
It took her all of twenty seconds to cross the way. Meliza stood in front of the entrance of the Wild Bear and carefully put her ear to the door.
“Yes, they wanted to force me into an unwanted engagement, so I flew from my home with nothing but the pocket change I had saved up, a single sword for my own protection, and the clothes on my back…”
“I was abused by my stepmother and her daughter, who were certain to kill me in order to get me out of the way, so I fled, as quickly as I could…”
“My father, a peddler, was killed by bandits, and the hunters who took me in afterwards were all wiped out while on escort duty, leaving me completely alone…”
“Bandits murdered my father, and then the clerk who had hired those thieves stole my father’s shop…”
“You’ve all been through such tragedy! But it’s all right now! For as long as you’re in this town, we’ll protect you, so you don’t have to worry anymore!”
“That’s right! You can take it easy and keep working here for as long as you like!”
“But I mean, not forever, though! Just until they find themselves a good husband, right?”
“Y’ain’t wrong! Wahahaha!”
“Ahahahahahaha!”
Raucous laughter exploded throughout the room.
Wh-what is going oooon?!?!
Meliza was certain that the male voices she heard from within were the regulars who, up until a few days ago, had come to the House of the Maiden’s Prayer to eat almost every day.
Th-those traitors…
Stewing, Meliza carefully pushed at the door, opening it a crack so she could peek inside. What she spied there were the four girls who had stayed at the Maiden’s Prayer just a few nights ago.
Th-those harpies… Grrrnngh…
They were using their own misfortunes as some kind of marketing stunt—could they sink any lower? Yet as Meliza ground her teeth in anger, something suddenly occurred to her.
That’s exactly what we’re doing.
The revelation stunned her.
They were cutting into the market share by doing the exact same thing that the Maiden’s Prayer was doing—far more efficiently and successfully, at that.
“Miss Mile, another of those fried rock lizard dishes you brought out earlier, please!”
“Idiot! If you order that, she’s gonna be stuck back in the kitchen!”
“Oh… But I mean, it’s so good I’m just dyin’ to eat more. Goes perfect with ale, don’t it?”
“It does… Well, guess we’ve got no choice, then. Everyone who wants some more rock lizard, get yer orders in now! That’ll make the prep easier for little Mile, yeah?”
“Ooh, then count me in!”
“Me two!”
“I want two servings!”
With the orders rolling in one after another, the girl called Mile, who looked even younger than Lafia, rushed back to the kitchen.
A girl who was younger than Lafia but a better chef.
A cheerful redhead the same age as Lafia, who was friendly with the guests.
A very…large-chested girl around the same age as her, who was carrying on complex exchanges with the customers who seemed to be merchants.
And a boyish beauty who was deep in conversation with the swordsmen hunters about the art of swordplay.
They didn’t stand a chance.
In shock, Meliza gently shut the door and stumbled back to the House of the Maiden’s Prayer, listlessly dragging her feet all the way.
She was still light-headed when she returned to the Maiden’s Prayer, but she was no wilting maiden. She was a valkyrie who swore on her father’s deathbed to manage this inn and protect her two sisters, even if it cost her her life. Her heart was not so fragile as to be broken by the likes of this.
She began to plan her counterattack at once.
***
“B-big sis! You can’t do this…”
As Meliza
moved to exit the inn later that evening, swearing to win back their customers, Lafia tried all that she could to dissuade her. Meliza would not be deterred.
“It’s of no consequence to me. I will win our customers back!”
What Meliza was currently wearing was a garment that most adult women in this world would consider a “devilish,” even “aberrant,” length, showing off her knees as well as her cleavage. In other words, it left nothing to the imagination.
Such a garment would not be at all strange for a child or a girl who was still underage—or for a female hunter for whom ease of movement was key, a dancer, a waitress, or other such person. However, for an adult woman who was none of those things, such dress would clearly be frowned upon. And yet for Meliza, who would do whatever it took to defend her dear sisters, such considerations were little more than a trifle.
As she placed her hand on the door, there was a moment’s hesitation, but it was no more than a second or two.
Then, she flung open the door, took a step outside, and immediately froze, her eyes wide.
“The last time! This is the last time I’m ever wearing this! I’m serious!”
Before her was the large-chested girl, red-faced and shouting.
On her top half, she wore a tight shirt, the hem pulled up by her bust so that her whole midriff was showing. From her in-seam down to her knees, her thighs were mostly bare. Meanwhile, the bottom garment dug in, leaving no mystery as to the shape of her rump.
Indeed, it was Pauline, along with her old friend: Mile’s old gym uniform.
Is she a pervert?!?!
She couldn’t do it.
No matter how firmly Meliza might have steeled herself, she could never bring herself to wear anything as scandalous as that.
She collapsed to the ground in defeat, cringing as the large-chested girl’s angry shouts echoed through the street.
“Keep it down!”
It seemed that her thoughts voiced themselves all on their own. Rather loudly.
She slunk back to the Maiden’s Prayer, gripping her skull. She was no match for a girl who would abandon all pride and dignity. Furthermore, setting such an example for her sisters was entirely out of the question. She would do literally anything to make her sisters happy, but dragging those same sisters’ reputations through the mud to achieve that would be a rather stark confusion of ends and means.
There were only a scant number of customers in the building, including the elderly couple who often looked after Alile. Lafia alone would be more than enough to handle that crowd, so Meliza took her seat at the front counter to think.
As she contemplated the way they were managing the inn, she began to worry. Was it right to be running the inn that her parents, her grandparents, and her great-grandparents had cherished in such a way?
That said, in the long hiatus they took after her father’s death, they had already used up most of his savings. Thanks to their former employee’s embezzlement, all their working capital had vanished as well. The Merchants’ Guild had extended them a loan, but saddled with debt, and understaffed with only a novice chef on hand, they had no choice but to stoop to underhanded means in order to compete with the Wild Bear Lodge.
As she thought about it now, Meliza had no idea if they had made the right decision. However, that was little more than hindsight at work. Back then, she’d assumed it was the best option.
In truth, this plan had served them quite well until now. They had paid back their loans and put away some savings in case of emergency, even if that amount was still modest. Upon reflection, she had no regrets. What she had to think about now was how to remediate things going forward.
Should they return their prices to the standard rates? Honestly, she had not expected to keep things as they were forever. Sooner or later, even the young men who were their regulars would get girlfriends and even get married. Her sisters would get older, and once they were of age, they would no longer be able to garner exorbitant sums merely out of sympathy.
That said, could they really compete with the Wild Bear on a level playing field, what with their amateur cooking? Especially now that their rivals had that shameless cow of a girl, that dreamy beauty, and those two girls around Lafia’s age, who were maybe, sort of, just a little adorable? It would be a reckless battle, one with only the slimmest chance of victory…
Those girls, who seemed to be rookie hunters, even had a leg up when it came to making conversation with other hunters.
It was impossible. They were invincible in every way.
But if she did not do something, at this rate they were going to be facing poverty again. Though they had dutifully paid off all their debts, they could not expect to be offered another loan. The Merchants’ Guild did not look favorably upon how they had been running the business, and the way things were, it was uncertain whether or not they would be able to repay another loan in full. If they got anything at all, it would never be at the low interest rate and with the lax terms that they had received previously. There was no doubt that had been a special case, granted to them out of compassion.
After the small handful of diners went home for the evening, Meliza locked up the doors and headed up to bed where she passed a tumultuous, sleepless night.
***
The next morning, past breakfast time, the last of the morning diners had vacated. After cleaning rooms and making beds, there would be nothing to do until it was time to begin the preparations for dinner.
And of course, when it was off hours at the House of the Maiden’s Prayer, it would be off hours at the Wild Bear Lodge as well.
After thinking the whole night through, Meliza had come to a decision that morning, around dawn. Now, she resolved to do what she must.
Aside from the shopping, all of the preparations for meals were generally left to Lafia. Even if Meliza were to step in here, she would be of little help. Still, Lafia had plenty to do, and when Meliza told her sister that she was going out for a bit, Lafia thought little of it.
And so, Meliza arrived at the Wild Bear Lodge.
Naturally, the door was not locked, so she flung it open easily and burst inside.
“Huh…?”
The owner, his wife, and the Crimson Vow, who were all assembled in the empty dining hall, were stunned by her sudden entrance.
Glaring at them all, Meliza screamed, “I’m sorry! Please, have mercy on uuuuuuusss!!!”
And with that, she leapt into a practiced and splendid jumping dogeza.
Oh, thought Mile—frivolous as usual—it looks like they do extreme apologies in this world, too…
“Wh…?”
Though they were all surprised, the most shaken amongst them were the owner and Pauline.
“P-please stop that! Even if it was just to force you to listen to us, we were the ones who were using underhanded means!”
“Guh…” Meliza groaned. The man had no idea that his own words had just condemned the Maiden’s Prayer’s methods as “underhanded means,” but she could see this clearly.
“P-please stop!” Pauline continued in turn. “We’d already prepared secondary and tertiary attack measures! You can’t be surrendering already!”
Her plans had been spoiled.
Thank goodness! Thank goodness I decided to give up and surrender noooooow!!!
Though it was not warm inside, Meliza felt herself breaking into a sweat.
***
“Now then, why don’t we go ahead and discuss this. Sound good, Miss Meliza?” asked Mile from her seat.
Meliza nodded.
Initially, Pauline was meant to be the moderator for this conference, but the moment she started talking, Meliza seemed to flinch, so it was decided that a change of plans was in order. Given their past relationship, and the strain that had been placed upon it these past months, they thought that it might be difficult for Meliza to talk to the owner and his wife one-on-one, so from the three remaining members of the Crimson Vow, who had no past connection with either si
de, they chose an intermediary. Of course, Mavis was clearly not suited to this sort of talk, and if Reina was in charge, then nothing would ever get settled. Pauline was already out, so by process of elimination that left Mile, who seemed as though she wouldn’t hurt a fly, to serve as the chairman-slash-facilitator.
“Now then, Miss Meliza, what do you think of how the House of the Maiden’s Prayer is being operated currently?”
Mile, who had little in the way of delicacy, cut straight to the chase.
“Y-yes, well, it’s easy and profitable work, so I’d say it’s going rather… Oh, who am I kidding? It’s rather hopeless.”
Seeing the looks of sorrow upon the owner and his wife’s faces, and how Pauline’s expression twisted in unease and scorn, Meliza quickly changed her tune. Even she herself had finally come to the realization that their current way of doing things was not an infinitely sustainable one. However, they were swiftly running out of time to return to a standard business model, and as it stood, if they were to drop their victim act and all that came with it now, they could never hope to compete with the Wild Bear with their amateurish cooking. Outside of the men who came in with their eyes set on the three sisters, they would lose all of their customers to the Wild Bear Lodge, and then they would only be three maidens, left without a prayer.
“So then, what do you intend to do from now on?” asked Mile.
“……”
Meliza was hard-pressed to answer. If there were an easy solution to this, she would already have found it.
It was then that Mavis cut in. “The problem is your food, isn’t it? None of the other jobs at the inn should be a problem for you. In fact, it’s work that should be easy for three young girls to do. So, hire a chef. Isn’t that the obvious solution?”
“……”
Meliza was silent.
Just as the owner’s story had suggested, Meliza was still opposed to the idea of hiring outsiders on.
“The owner here told us everything. You really don’t trust anyone else with a part of your business, do you?” asked Mile.