/
Strawberry pie in the afternoon
After all the washing and other chores are done, the afternoon hours are very gradual.
The rooms have been cleaned and the washing has been done.
Only a few people come into the cafeteria to have a rest and a drink. If they order anything, we just serve them the leftovers from lunch.
Well, we already cleaned the garden and the entrance yesterday, so there is no need to do it every day.
Yes, this is the easiest time of the day at the inn.
All I do now is sit at the table as a receptionist.
It’s a very simple role, just dealing with the guests who come to stay at our inn. However, there are not many visitors in the middle of the day.
I was taking advantage of this and was napping along at the reception desk to my heart’s content.
“Ah! Tori is a receptionist, but he is skipping!”
While I was lying on the table asleep, I suddenly heard a high-pitched girl’s voice.
When I looked up at the familiar voice, there was a person as expected.
A girl with red hair tied up behind her.
The girl’s fiery red eyes and well-defined thin eyebrows give her a dignified look and a cheerful impression.
She is about the same height as me, about 150 centimeters. Ayla is a childhood friend who works in an inn, just like ours.
“I’m not slacking off. I’m just trying to make the most of my time. Is Ayla not working at the inn, are you?”
“I’m off today.”
She was wearing a white cutter shirt and a green skirt, not the apron she usually wore.
“Damn! I’m jealous that you have a day off when I’ve been working all morning.”
“Ehehe~, you must be jealous.”
Ayla laughs at me with a biting expression.
Ayla’s charm is that she looks good with such a cheerful laugh, not with a soft expression like her mother.
There is no complaint even if she is said to be the signboard girl.
“Oh, welcome, Ayla!”
When I was convinced that way, my mother, who came down from the 2nd floor, called out to Islay.
“Hello, Sierra-san. Sorry for being in the way.”
“That’s okay. As you can see, the inn is pretty quiet at the moment.”
You’re right. Thanks to that, I am allowed to take it easy.
“Oh, it’s you, Ayla-onee! You’ve come to visit us now?”
“Yes, I’ve come to visit you.”
“But you’re all dressed up, aren’t you?”
“Well, we dress differently at home than we do outside.”
It was morning when Letty went out to play.
When it comes to holiday mornings, even girls are usually off guard. It’s no wonder they look different when they’re at home and when they’re outside.
While I was pretending not to hear what Letty and Ayla had to say, a customer came in through the door.
They are all employees of the inn and even if it is a holiday, they are working slowly.
Ayla and his friends immediately stopped talking near the reception desk and moved to the edge of the room with a casual movement.
I say the standard words to the woman who comes to the reception.
“Welcome.”
“How much for the night?”
She is a serious-looking woman with a crisp face.
The tone of her voice suggests that she wants to get the job done quickly, so I try to make it easy for her.
“The price for a single room is 1,500 meril, including breakfast.”
“All right.”
The woman nodded her head and produced a silver coin and five copper coins from her pocket.
In this world, money is exchanged in the form of coins: platinum, gold, silver, copper, and … coins. (Yasu 貨=? I’ve got no idea what’s that!)
Prices in Japanese yen are, from the top, 100,000, 10,000, 1,000, 100, and 10. Here we do not call it yen, we call it Meril.
1500 Meril. This is the price for one night in our inn. If you add washing, cooking, hot water, candles, etc. to this, the price goes up.
Well, it is one of the cheapest prices in the inn.
My father’s food is good and our inn is not rundown.
I’d prefer to charge more, but my father was an adventurer once.
At that time, there were not many inns with good food and cheap prices, so my father set the prices so that even a novice adventurer could stay for a long time.
Thanks to that, our inn has been evaluated as cheap, delicious, and cozy, and it is very popular.
For my part, I think it would be better if we had fewer visitors. It’s very busy.
I took a silver and a bronze coin from the woman and hand her a piece of paper.
“Please write your name here. Do you want me to write it for you?”
“No, thanks. I can write it myself.”
The literacy rate is not so high in this world. There are a lot of people who can’t read or write. But there are quite a few people who can read and write their names.
When I think about it, I can feel that the education level of my previous life was very high and permeated.
While I was deep in thought, the woman wrote her name on the paper as Remilia.
After confirming that, I took the key from the drawer of the reception table.
“Then go up the back stairs to the 2nd floor, room 201.”
“Okay.”
The woman takes the key and goes up the stairs to the back.
It was as if I was talking to a knight.
When I look around the room, I see Ayla, Letty, and my mother sitting in their seats, talking happily with each other.
Then, Natalia, who was sleeping on the 2nd floor, also woke up and started talking with the women.
It was a complete girls’-only party. It was impossible for me, a man, to join in.
I sat at the reception desk in a daze, soothed by the conversation of the gorgeous girls.
I love this peaceful time. I’m not alone, but I can hear the joyful voices all around me.
I think I would have been happy in my previous life if I could have spent my time as slowly as I do now.
“Yes, I’ll share it with Tori!”
Thinking it was bleak, Ayla left a plate with a strawberry pie on it from the side.
The pie smelled delicious, and through the crust, I could see that it was filled with bright red strawberries.
“Oh, you’re giving me one too?”
“I’d feel sorry for you if we left out Tori!”
She smiled and walked towards the kitchen.
“There? Ayla, that’s the kitchen?”
“I know, I’ve been here many times. I’m going to get some juice!”
“Why Ayla? …… Oh, because when Ayla goes there, Dad treats her like a guest and uses the store’s food.”
“That’s right!”
It must have been my mother or Letty who told you. Looking towards the table, they are smiling with a wicked smile.
Ayla is kind enough to take a pie for Dad in the kitchen, despite his calculating thoughts.
I pick up the strawberry pie in front of me and bring it to my mouth.
When chewed, the pie crust’s fluffy and crispy texture spreads at the same time. The savory taste of the pie spreads in my mouth and the sweet syrup and strawberry taste spills out from inside.
Mmm, just the right amount of sweetness and tartness from the strawberries.
I don’t have a big sweet tooth, but I think I could eat a lot of this.
I gobbled up the strawberry pie. In no time at all, the pie was in my stomach, and it had disappeared completely from my plate.
“Here you go, Tori. Here’s your fruit juice— It’s already gone!”
“It was so good, that it’s gone. Thank you.”
“I’m glad.”
I thanked her, and she went back to Letty and the others, looking somewhat embarrassed.