by Funa
Meliza hung her head.
“It’s true…”
Just as the owner had said, the girl no longer had faith in others. She had no problem dealing with them as customers—as marks who she could squeeze for all they were worth—but she could not trust them with the shop’s money. Plus, for the three sisters, whose memories still smarted at the near-assault by their former chef, being alone at the inn with a strange adult when all of the overnight guests were away was, understandably, out of the question.
“Is there not a single person who you all could trust enough to work alongside you?” Reina asked.
Meliza thought for a while, and then replied. “Hmm, well, I guess there’s the people here, and Miss Celila from the marketplace, and Lisaphy from the blacksmith’s shop…”
Obviously, there was no way that either the owner or his wife could abandon this establishment. Running an inn and restaurant all alone was impossible, so naturally, they had to decline.
“Well then, what about Celila or Lisaphy?” asked Mile, but the owner interrupted.
“That’s impossible.”
“Auntie Celila is the chief of the marketplace. You’d never find her working at a place like this. Plus, I dunno what you would expect a lady who’s already in her eighties to be able to do… And Lisaphy, on the other hand, is Alile’s playmate—she’s only eight years old. If we tried to drag her over there and make her work, her mother and father, the smiths, would have a fit. Plus it ain’t like she can cook, either.”
“………”
They were at a standstill. Everyone racked their brains, but nothing promising came to mind. The Crimson Vow were silent, but then, Meliza offered a proposal.
“U-um! You all seem good at cooking! How about you all come to the Maiden’s Prayer?”
“Huh?”
Their confusion was resounding.
“Come on! I mean, you can make that fried rock lizard that the customers love so much, right?!” Meliza gestured at Mile, talking wildly. “If you came and worked in our kitchen and did the cooking, with Lafia helping you out, then that would solve everything… Yes, that’s it! That’s the only way!”
Mile stared blankly.
“I mean, it is a good plan…” The owner, his wife, and Mavis all nodded in admiration.
Even for ones as wary as the sisters, a girl of twelve or thirteen like Mile would be no problem. Plus, they wouldn’t have to have Mile involved in anything regarding money—as long as she stayed absorbed in her cooking, the sisters’ suspicions and anxieties would be eased.
“That would be perfect,” said Reina decisively, “if Mile were free to simply cut off all ties with the rest of us like that.”
A reasonable reply. It would not be an impossibility to stay for two or three weeks, perhaps, but who knew how many years it could take to raise a thirteen-year-old girl into a full-blown chef.
She could not stick around that long.
Plus, Mile was merely recreating the food of Earth via magic, something that could only be replicated through the most incredibly advanced methods of cooking in this world. She did not herself possess the skills to perfectly pare vegetables, nor slice radishes into thin circles, or perfectly fillet a fish so as not to disrupt the molecular structures.
Mile also tended to use a generous helping of all the spices and seasonings she had stored away in her inventory—without considering things like profit margins. That alone was reason enough to disqualify her from cooking as a profession.
In other words, if they were looking for a master chef to teach Lafia, Mile was not the one.
“Out of the question! I invoke my veto!” Mile immediately refused, not even stopping to entertain the thought. Obviously, she knew herself and her limitations.
“B-but…”
Just as Meliza began to sink into despair, the front door of the inn swung open.
“Father, we’re home!!”
Two young men of around fifteen or sixteen walked in.
“Who are they?” the Crimson Vow asked.
The owner replied, “My sons. They’ve been off in the capital training as chefs since they were twelve years old. Learnin’ a trade like cooking just by apprenticing at your parents’ place ain’t much of an education, so we usually send our kids off to work at other places to study. We told ’em, you boys work hard out there and don’t come back ’til yer fifteen. I guess that was three years ago…”
“You suck, Papa Bear! Did you seriously forget your own sons’ birthday? I bet you forgot you even had sons!”
“Well, that’s our father for you… My, what are Meliza and these four lovely ladies doing here?”
The two brothers, who appeared to be fraternal twins, were both tall, handsome, and of stalwart build. Indeed, exactly the sort who would be quite popular amongst the girls of this world. The Vows glanced at Meliza to see her staring at the two, mouth hanging open.
And suddenly, Mile screamed, “Is this a deus ex machinaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!”
“Uh, day-oos… eggs… monkey-nah? What is that?” Reina repeated. Honestly, she was accustomed to hearing this sort of thing out of Mile, so she did not appear all that surprised. Mavis and Pauline were no different.
“It’s deus ex machina! It’s like in a play or something, when it’s getting to the climax, and it looks like the heroes are never going to survive and suddenly some contraption representing a god gets lowered down from the ceiling on a rope, and the ‘voice of god’ magically settles everything!
“When a story’s done right, it should be carefully plotted, progressing with the inevitability of cause and effect, with the conclusion being derived from the intentions and efforts of the cast of characters. You can’t just have all the problems fixed by some ‘convenient solution’ just appearing out of nowhere without any build-up! That’s heresy! It’s garbage writing! Lord Tezuka would never allow such a thing!!!”
The other three desperately tried to soothe Mile, who was seething with anger.
“So, who’s this Lord Tayzooka, anyway?”
While Mile continued to rage, Meliza popped back over to the Maiden’s Prayer and retrieved Lafia and Alile. All of the previous night’s guests had already left for the day, and they hadn’t yet taken on any new customers for the evening, so it would be fine to lock the door and leave the place unattended for a bit.
For Mile, whose primary entertainment in her past life had been stories in the form of books and motion pictures, seeing a narrative resolved with something akin to a deus ex machina—including “it was all a dream”-type resolutions—was completely unforgivable. She continued to rant and rave the whole time until Meliza returned with her two sisters in tow.
“I… this can’t…”
By the time Reina finally calmed Mile down, the three girls had already taken their seats.
“It really is unusual to see you get so worked up like this, Mile,” said Reina.
“S-sorry. It’s just, it feels like all the work we put in up until now was for nothing—like the universe is mocking us. It plunged my heart into an inky darkness… It’s just like when Pauline realizes that she’s a single gold coin short.”
“This has nothing to do with me!” Pauline shouted.
“So… Are we all good, then?” asked Mavis.
The other three nodded.
Mile however, was still in a sour mood, and demanded, “Why did you all neglect to mention this important of a detail?!”
The owner scratched his head and replied, “Well, I mean, you never actually asked us about our sons, so…”
“There were no signs of them! We figured that maybe you couldn’t have kids, or they had all died or something. We didn’t press the issue! That’s not a subject that you could expect us to bring up! Whatever. Come on and tell us about your sons, then.”
Meliza and the two sons sat quietly, not daring to speak.
“Well, as you can see,” the owner explained, “we’ve got two boys. They grew up alongside Meliza and h
er sisters, and when they turned ten, they took up work as chefs, or at least, as sous-chefs to learn the ropes. A guy we knew who was setting up a restaurant in the capital asked for them to come help once they turned twelve, so I let ’em go off to learn as apprentices. It wouldn’t do ’em much good for us to send in two boys who didn’t have anything to contribute, so those two year I taught them at least the minimum in terms of skills. We figured that once they’d gone off and mastered the basics, they could come back and I’d teach them all my special techniques. So, what’s the deal then, you two? Learned everything you could? Yer tutors give you passing marks?”
“Obviously they did if we came back here! We’ll show you the certificate from our master later. There’s a letter for you too, Pops. But it’s all the way at the bottom of my bag, so I’m not gettin’ it out right now.”
Hearing this, the owner nodded, the corners of his lips turning up into a smile. Truly, he would have liked to show a bit more joy at his sons’ return, but now did not seem the appropriate time, so he restrained himself.
Then, Mile, who had been deep in thought about something or the other, suddenly screamed, “That’s it, that’s it, that’s it! It’s clobberin’ time!”
The innkeepers on both sides appeared completely perplexed by this sudden interjection of unclear meaning, but the other three Vows simply looked tired, as though they were completely used to this sort of thing.
“Mile! What have we told you about saying weird, confusing things that only make sense in your head when there are other people around?!”
However, at this point, Mile was so worked up that she could not be swayed by Reina’s words and turned to the owner, saying, “You need to explain to your sons everything that’s been going on here. From the beginning.”
It was true; his sons needed to know the details of the situation, and if they had any hope of proving to Meliza and her sisters that they bore no ill will towards them, it made more sense to do it while the girls were present.
Even if hearing their story told all over again might be a bit unpleasant for them.
At Mile’s behest, the owner explained to his sons everything that had been going on. His sons’ expressions at hearing this were ones of sadness and regret. It was a natural reaction—this was the first that they were learning of the death of the girls’ father, who was like a second father to them, as well as all the hardships that the girls had gone through just to keep themselves and the inn alive, while the two sons were away, unknowing, unable to have done a single thing to help.
Still, they did not press their father as to why he never contacted them about the matter. Even if they had known, there was little that two young boys such as themselves could have done about it at the time. What good would two young men who had abandoned their training and their work prospects be to anyone? The two knew this, so they could not bring themselves to berate their father for keeping them in the dark, not wishing to put unrest into the hearts of his only sons.
“All right, now that you are all aware of the circumstances, it’s time to start making some plans for the future!”
Finally, Mile began to unveil her scheme.
“Including the apprentices, all of the cooking staff is currently present, and I have an idea for a way we can utilize you all. Here is my plan: For the times of day when the dining halls are open, from preparation to close of kitchen, how about a staff exchange?”
“Huh?”
Voices of confusion rose throughout the room.
“What I’m saying is, you will take turns. During the times when the kitchen is active, the matron here and one of her sons will be in charge of cooking at the House of the Maiden’s Prayer, with Meliza and Alile in charge of waitressing and bookkeeping. Meanwhile, Lafia will work at the Wild Bear Lodge, along with the owner and the other son. Both sons and Lafia can work as assistants to the matron and the owner respectively, while furthering the study of their craft. That way, both of the establishments will have proper food, as well as a young girl helping them out. This should lead to an even split amongst the customers, allowing both inns to thrive! And furthermore, both the sons and Miss Lafia will grow to be full-fledged chefs along the way…”
“Whooooooooaa!!!”
“A-are you a genius?!?!”
Meliza was overjoyed. In their youths, the two sons of the Wild Bear, Elethen and Beist, had been the constant companions of the Maiden’s Prayer sisters. And so, Meliza, who knew them as youthful but honest and hard-working, as well as kind and gentlemanly to each of the sisters, found their tall but boyish appearances rather charming. Up until the age of twelve, girls tend to grow faster than boys, so Meliza, who was a year their senior, had always been a fair bit taller than the boys until the day they left for the capital. Back in those days, she never saw them as anything more than two younger boys from the neighborhood of whom she and her sisters were fond. She certainly never acknowledged them as men.
Now, however, in the three years that they had been away, the two had grown tall, and their faces, though still childish, had taken on a rugged edge—in short, they were incredibly handsome.
They had appeared.
They had finally appeared.
The genuine article, two paragons, leagues beyond men like hunters, who were rarely so bright and might perish any day.
Furthermore, they were chefs, something that the Maiden’s Prayer so desperately needed—chefs who would be honing their craft under the watchful eye of their skilled father and further polishing their skills by both of their parents’ sides.
Finally.
Finallyfinallyfinallyfinallyfinallyfinallyfinally!!!
Meliza had grown so accustomed to a life of pessimism, but now her heart was singing.
“Hm, sounds like a pretty good idea to me. So then, I suppose I’ll go to the Maiden’s Prayer, while you stay here, brother?”
“Yeah. I am the older one, so I guess that makes sense… Works for me. That fine with you two? Mom, Pops?”
Suddenly on the spot, the owner thought for a moment, and then swiftly replied, “Yeah, I think that’s for the best. This might actually be better than trying to teach you both at the same time, anyway… Lilieze and I can probably even switch places now and then. If that’s good with you three girls, then I’ve got no complaints. What’cha think, Lilieze?”
The three girls and the owner’s wife all nodded happily in agreement.
“All right then. It’s a plan! We’ll figure out the details of this all tomorrow, but tonight, we celebrate! After all of the evenin’ diners have gone home, we’re throwing you boys a proper welcome home party! Of course, you and your sisters are invited, too, Meliza!”
“Thank you!!” the three sisters replied in chorus, smiles on all their faces.
My, but which to choose…? Meliza pondered. Elethen, the older, is rather rough around the edges, but he’s strong and reliable. Beist, the younger, is slight and delicate, but so conscientious and ever so kind… Oh, but if I were to marry Elethen, I suppose that would make the Wild Bear Lodge our inheritance, which would leave Lafia the House of the Maiden’s Prayer…
As the sails of Meliza’s dreams began to unfurl, she suddenly noticed something that poked a hole in them.
“Do you still remember our promise?” asked Lafia.
“Come on, how could I forget? Even if it was an accident, I saw what I saw, and I’m prepared to take responsibility,” said Elethen.
“Ahaha…”
Their manner was most definitely a flirtatious one.
“Wh-what is going on?!”
Meliza was stunned at the pair. There seemed to already be some kind of deeper connection between them. And exactly what was it he had “seen”?!
She was shaken, but her sister appeared to be happy, so Meliza steeled herself and said nothing.
Well, that’s fine, there’s always Beist… I’ll just take the second son as my husband! I mean, if you really think about it, between a wild child like Elethen and som
eone as gentle and thoughtful as Beist, there’s only one obvious choice. Plus, Beist is the one who I’m going to be working alongside from now on. Indeed, Beist is th—
“Big brother, you were gone for so looong!! I thought I was gonna have to wait forever!” said Alile, clinging to Beist’s leg.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Will this make it up to you?” asked Beist, pulling a pendant from his pocket and draping it around Alile’s neck.
Alile’s cheeks went red.
“J…just what is going on heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere?!?!”
Meliza’s scream echoed throughout the building.
“Wh-wh-wh-whawhawhawhawha…?”
Meliza was trembling, her eyes bloodshot. The Wild Bear family was perplexed, but the Crimson Vow understood everything.
“Um,” Mile asked the owner, “Do you have any other children?”
Meliza’s expression was crystal clear, and Mile could easily guess at the circumstances.
“Well,” said the owner, “We do have a daughter, but she’s already married. As for sons, it’s just these two.”
“Ah…”
It was all over. This poor girl’s dreams had been demolished in a matter of seconds. However, when one considered that Meliza had done everything she had done for the sake of her sisters’ happiness—and that that dream looked as though it was about to come true—she ought to be a bit happier… So thought the Crimson Vow, though not a one of them would have been brave enough to say so to her face.
The two couples sidled up to one another.
The owner and his wife looked on obliviously.
And Meliza was frozen, seething with white-hot rage.
We gotta get outta heeeeere!!!!
***
The second evening bell rang, and all the diners went home, the overnight guests heading up to their respective rooms.
“We’re here!”
Lafia entered, calling out in a cheerful voice, as Alile followed behind with a smile on her face. Meliza wobbled in third, a mask of death still on hers.