The food stall “Kitsune no Kibure” (Fox’s Whim) had been in business for about a week since its opening, and word-of-mouth had spread so much that people were lining up by the time the stall opened.
By the way, the food stall is located next to the Temple Entrance.
At first, there were some voices questioning having a food stall near the temple, but as soon as it was explained that the stall operator had properly obtained permission, those concerns gradually disappeared.
Today, as the food stall was being moved to its usual spot and preparations to open began, people started appearing from out of nowhere and lining up in front of the stall.
Silvia, watching the scene, whispered to Floria, who stood beside her.
“Hey, Floria. Isn’t this situation becoming problematic?”
It was clear that demand far exceeded supply, with demand overflowing.
It seemed like it wouldn’t be long before a customer lost their temper. After all, even normally calm people could change drastically when it came to food. This situation arose precisely because rumors about the food stall had spread faster than Floria and the others had anticipated.
“……I am aware of that. But at least, unless we increase the number of people who can cook, it’s impossible to produce any more, isn’t it?”
Floria replied, not bothering to hide her troubled expression.
Currently, Mitsuki’s guidance had ended, and Eri was handling everything alone. However, it was obvious to everyone that there weren’t enough hands. Hiring new help would be ideal, but considering Kousuke and the others’ backgrounds, it wasn’t something they could do casually. Furthermore, hiring slaves for a food stall they weren’t sure how long would last felt wrong. They couldn’t just return them if they were no longer needed.
The two women pondered for a while, and then Floria’s face took on a look of determination.
“……It can’t be helped. Let’s go ask for a professional’s opinion.”
“A professional? ……Ah, indeed, that would be the best approach.”
Silvia didn’t immediately know who she was referring to, but as soon as she thought of the person, her face lit up with understanding.
***
The Crown Headquarters, a particularly large building at the center of the Fifth Floor city, had grown in scale as the city developed. The building housed various departmental counters, bustling with activity.
Floria and Silvia bypassed the counters and headed towards the employee entrance at the back of the building.
“Please show your passes.”
As expected, two guards stood at the back entrance. When they saw Floria and Silvia approaching, they immediately spoke up. However, upon seeing that the two possessed official passes, they nodded and quickly stepped aside.
“Thank you for your hard work. Please proceed.”
Having received permission from the guards, Floria and Silvia passed through the entrance, offering their thanks as well.
After being stopped by security several times and showing their passes each time, Floria and Silvia proceeded further into the building, eventually stopping in front of a certain door.
“Well, I wonder if they’re in?”
“We didn’t make an appointment, so it’s understandable if they aren’t.”
“That’s true. But if we had made an appointment, they might have forced themselves to make time anyway.”
At Floria’s words, Silvia instantly pictured it and gave a wry smile.
“You have a point there.”
If it were Kousuke, they certainly would have done that. As for Floria and Silvia, since they knew about the current situation, they believed that they would be able to make time for them. That was precisely why they had come to see them directly without an appointment.
When Floria knocked on the door, it opened, and a woman appeared from within.
“Yes. Who is it… Oh, no—”
The woman, noticing Floria and Silvia, was about to speak their names but then quickly covered her mouth with her right hand. While it might have been considered rude, she figured it was unavoidable given that they knew her true identity.
Floria said apologetically, “I’m sorry, but would you be able to connect us with Schmidt? We have something we need to discuss.”
“Y-Yes, of course. Please come in while I guide you.”
Perhaps having gotten over her surprise at Floria’s words, the woman awkwardly opened the door wider, inviting them in.
The woman who had greeted them—Schmidt’s secretary—guided them into a small antechamber, asked them to wait a moment, and then headed further inside. This was Schmidt’s office, where Schmidt herself was present.
While Floria and Silvia waited, sipping drinks prepared by another secretary, Schmidt arrived with her usual smile.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
“No, we came unannounced. Are you sure we’re not interrupting?”
“It’s alright. I don’t have any other appointments scheduled for today.”
“I see. That’s good to hear.”
Technically, there was paperwork to be done, but at Schmidt’s position, unexpected visitors were not uncommon. While not as abrupt as Floria and Silvia’s visit, spontaneous situations did arise.
Knowing that Schmidt was busy, Floria got straight to the point without any unnecessary preamble.
“—So, do you have any leads on good talent?”
“I see. It’s great that it’s so popular, but it’s certainly a troublesome problem.”
The issue with the current food stall was that if Kousuke’s involvement became known, it would be meaningless. If it became recognized as “food popularized by the Avatar,” its future development could be hampered. Therefore, they wanted to exclude Kousuke’s presence as much as possible. For the same reason, Floria and Silvia, who were already too famous, also wanted to avoid being in the spotlight. People with tight lips and trustworthy reputations were precisely the kind of individuals Floria and Silvia, who usually stayed within the management layer, had no chance of encountering.
Schmidt pondered for a moment, then suddenly snapped her fingers as if an idea had struck her.
“Oh, yes. How about using the Vampires or Igirid?”
Floria and Silvia exchanged surprised glances at the unexpected suggestion.
“That… we hadn’t considered that.”
“Perhaps it was right under our noses?”
As they said this with wry smiles, Schmidt’s expression turned apologetic.
“Is that… not a good idea? I just came up with it, but if it’s not suitable, I can look for alternatives…”
“No, that’s not it. It’s a great idea, we just hadn’t thought of it. We were simply surprised.”
“I see,” Schmidt replied, looking relieved by Floria’s explanation.
“…Hmm. That is indeed an interesting idea. I’ll sound them out. Thank you.”
Floria, already standing up, received Schmidt’s reply with a smile.
“No, no. If this much is helpful, I’ll always lend my strength.”
Back in the management layer, Floria immediately relayed the story from Schmidt to Kousuke and Shurein.
“I see. I hadn’t thought of that… I’ll speak to them myself.”
“Really? I’m sorry to trouble you.”
“Oh, it’s no big deal. Besides, it sounds like quite an interesting proposition.”
Shurein waved his right hand in response to Floria’s slight bow.
Ultimately, the day after Shurein mentioned it to the villagers, there was a rush of applicants. However, at this point, no one had anticipated this.
Vampires and Igirid, who were not originally planned for, will appear as stall assistants and cooks.
What will become of the food stall from here on! lol
