“The menu doesn’t seem to have changed much either,” Rachel said, re-examining the menu board despite having already checked it once. However, there was nothing that particularly caught her eye.
“Maybe the customer service is really good?”
“Kent, you’re so close! I’ll give you this cute doll,” Margaret said, placing a mysterious doll in front of Kent.
“Auntie, can I get something if I collect a few of these dolls?” Kent asked.
“I hadn’t really thought about it, but…” Margaret mused.
While not exactly the kind of doll given for witty remarks or near-correct answers on a variety show, Margaret seemed enthusiastic about Rachel’s proposal.
“Then, how about the right to be my adopted child?”
“We refuse!” Kent and Rachel, content with their current lives, immediately responded to Margaret’s beaming smile.
“Oh, what a shame,” Margaret said with evident disappointment.
“I was just saying it, so don’t overthink it. I’m satisfied just being treated to a meal,” Rachel amended her statement to prevent Margaret from elaborating further.
“Understood. Then let’s get back to the topic. I think the customer service here is quite different from other shops.”
“Is the old woman at the counter that amazing?”
Hearing Margaret’s words, Kent and Rachel turned their gaze towards the elderly woman cooking in the kitchen behind the counter seats.
“Skewered meat, coming right up!”
“Oh, here it comes. Thanks!”
“It’s pretty standard,” the customer seated at the counter said.
Just as the food was ready, they witnessed the delivery to a man sitting at the counter. Though the service was efficient, there was nothing particularly unusual or impressive. Kent and Rachel were puzzled.
“Well, you’ll understand once you order something yourself. Have you two decided?”
“I have,” Kent said.
“I have as well,” I replied.
The three of them decided on their orders.
“Then I’ll call her,” Margaret said.
“Call her?” Kent and Rachel wondered.
Normally, one would simply go to the counter to place an order, but Margaret’s words piqued their curiosity.
“Excuse me. May we order?” Margaret called out.
“Sure. Could you take the order for the table seats?” the old woman called back towards the kitchen.
“Understood.”
“Eh?” Kent and Rachel were surprised when the old woman called out to someone in the back. A cute voice was heard from the kitchen, astonishing them.
“Sorry to keep you… Huh? You’re back, old lady?”
“I’m back,” the shop clerk said, appearing before Kent and his companions with a full, professional smile. However, the moment she saw Margaret, her demeanor abruptly changed to a rough and uncaring one. Margaret, seemingly unfazed, replied with a smile.
“Now, Lookmi, you shouldn’t treat customers like that. She’s usually a good child, I’m sorry for her usual conduct.”
“Shopkeeper, I like this kind of service, so you don’t need to worry about it,” Margaret added.
The clerk’s name was apparently Lookmi. The old woman, seemingly the shopkeeper, apologized to Margaret. Margaret, however, didn’t seem bothered by the clerk’s poor attitude.
“How is it? Isn’t she amazing?” Margaret asked, proudly presenting Lookmi to Kent and his companions as if it were her own achievement. Lookmi was a young-looking woman with a slightly short stature and dark purple hair. Her figure was less voluptuous, resembling Caro’s build. While that was one thing, what truly caught Kent and Rachel’s attention were the wings growing from her back. They were purple and shimmered brilliantly depending on the light. The winged people they were familiar with usually had wings that were somewhat colored but transparent. These wings, however, lacked much transparency, and the color was much more prominent.
“What is it? Are you three staring at me? It’s creepy. Hurry up and place your order,” Lookmi, unable to bear their gazes, gruffly urged them to order.
“Then, for me…” Margaret began, followed by Kent and Rachel, who placed their orders with Lookmi.
“Yes, yes, thank you for your orders. Please wait a moment until they are ready,” Lookmi said, taking their orders in a tone and manner far from professional, before turning and relaying them to the shopkeeper.
“See? Just looking at her, you could eat about three loaves of bread, right?” Margaret said, her breath slightly ragged with excitement, as she watched Lookmi disappear into the kitchen after passing the counter.
“Setting aside the bread, that’s a type of wing I’ve never seen before. Unlike the others, it’s more like a butterfly’s wing, isn’t it?” Kent remarked.
“Exactly! I thought the same thing. It looks like the purple part of a Great Purple Emperor butterfly,” Carol said.
“By the way, only males have purple wings on the Great Purple Emperor. The females have brownish-red wings,” Rachel said.
“There goes my brother’s weird trivia. But I didn’t know that. Wow, so only the males have that color,” Carol replied.
Reminiscing about the Great Purple Emperor butterflies they could no longer see, Kent and Rachel continued their conversation.
“Hey! I started the topic, but don’t get lost in your own world. What exactly is this Great Purple Emperor you were talking about?” Margaret interjected, slightly displeased at being ignored.
“It’s easier to explain with a picture… ah, here it is,” Kent said, pulling out his terminal and searching for information. He then placed an order. “Mine is slightly different in color, but it’s a butterfly like this. Oh, and I’ll give you this brooch.” Kent had recalled that a brooch featuring the Great Purple Emperor was available through the terminal and had ordered it. He presented it to Margaret, who accepted it with delight.
“Wow, Auntie, that’s unfair! I want something too!” Carol exclaimed.
“You always secretly order your own stuff when you place orders for the shop,” Rachel pointed out.
“Ugh, you knew? But I pay for it properly! I want a present from my brother!” Carol persisted, clinging to Kent.
“I guess I have no choice. It’s Christmas, so I’ll get you a present,” Kent relented.
“Yay!” Carol cheered, hugging Kent to express her joy.
“That being said, this terminal can only order items sold at the Home Center, so a thoughtful Christmas present…” Kent trailed off.
“It doesn’t have to be from the terminal. Just stop by a shop on the way home and buy me something,” Carol suggested.
“Alright. I’ll stop by on the way home then,” Kent agreed. Carol had skillfully maneuvered him into agreeing to stop by a shop on their way back.
“Fufu, you two are so close,” Margaret watched the scene with a smile.
“Here are your orders. I’ll leave them here. Eat up and go home already,” Lookmi said a while later, bringing their ordered food. She slammed the dishes onto the table and quickly retreated to the back.
“Auntie, it seems like she really dislikes you. What did you do?” Rachel asked Margaret.
“Her wings are so healing to look at, so I couldn’t help but keep staring. The first time I saw them, I was so shocked. I’ve been to this shop several times since then, but she started to feel uncomfortable with my gaze, and eventually told me not to look. But I never gave in and kept coming back to see her wings,” Margaret explained passionately.
“Whoa,” Kent and Rachel were dumbfounded by Margaret’s story.
“But still, the existence of shop-attached fairies can’t be publicly revealed at this point. So, I pretended to look at her face while actually looking at her wings,” Margaret continued.
“That’s even worse.”
“I wouldn’t like it if someone did the same to me,” Carol added.
Kent and Rachel, who were actually involved in customer service, thought that if such a customer came repeatedly, they wouldn’t feel good about it either.
