Published: August 2, 2025
Today, five chapters posted simultaneously.
This is the third chapter in the story.
"Mr. Fay, one Ribbon Noodles and a vegetable stir-fry, please."
"...Shopkeeper, what's wrong? You look a bit tired after coming back."
"Well, there were quite a few things going on..."
After finding the lost child, Bell-san and I temporarily took them under our protection. We searched the area lightly but couldn't find the parents, so we decided to take the child to the security squad's branch office. However, a new problem arose there.
The lost child absolutely refused to be separated from Bell-san.
Originally on the verge of tears, the child was being comforted by Bell-san, who is used to dealing with children... and it was intense. Who knew kids could cry and scream that much? On top of that, the security officers at the branch office were mostly men without children, much like me, and everyone was at their wit's end.
In the end, we had to rely on Bell-san, who spent some time supporting by buying food and such... but after a while, she looked at her watch and started to look worried.
The church was hosting a bazaar selling dolls made by children and items donated by neighbors, and Bell-san was scheduled to take over the shop there soon. But at the same time, they couldn't leave the child alone, and they were uneasy leaving the child to us, who were inexperienced.
So, I took over the shop duty instead.
"How did it come to this?"
"They told me just to pass on messages, but I thought I could help a little. Then, for some reason, as soon as I started helping, it got busy, and some troublesome people showed up."
Most customers behaved politely while shopping, but there were exceptions. On top of that, a group who had gotten carried away with the festival's atmosphere and alcohol came in, shouting things like "Cheers to Lord Tekun!" and tried to enter the closed chapel... They're adults—unlike youths causing trouble at coming-of-age ceremonies—so I wish they'd drink responsibly.
Furthermore, the shop was mainly staffed by children being protected by the church. Of course, there were adult volunteers and security personnel, but a series of minor incidents led to a temporary shortage of staff. Since I looked like a child, to them I was also under protection, but for a young woman (clearly a civilian) to handle burly drunken men, it would be difficult without experience.
So, out of consideration not to embarrass the well-meaning and sensible women and security officers, I kept an eye on the situation while attending to customers at the front lines with the children. Occasionally, I ran to the storage room to restock items and returned to serving customers. When necessary, I would rush out to restrain troublemakers.
However, since this was right in front of the children, I restrained from rough behavior. Though it was troublesome, I couldn’t treat them like the attackers who came to me before.
Honestly, due to this consideration, I ended up spending more effort than usual.
Having lived a mostly stress-free life since coming here, the tiredness felt multiplied after a long time... Maybe it’s proof I’ve gotten complacent? If I were to regain that old feeling... I fear it might turn out badly.
"Anyway, thank you for your hard work. Here you go, Ribbon Noodles and vegetable stir-fry—sorry for the wait."
"Thank you."
For now, let's eat.
I exchanged money for a tray with plates on it and looked for a seat. The Semiroid troupe regularly performed on stage, so the food court was quite crowded. Unlike in the morning, it wasn't easy to find a seat quickly.
"Lord Ryoma!"
"Oh, Mr. Serge!"
Looking over, I spotted Serge raising his hand. He seemed to be eating among the regular customers.
"If you’re looking for a seat, please come this way."
"Thank you."
I accepted his kind offer to share a table.
"So, Mr. Serge, you’re having a meal too?"
"Yes. I also wanted to check on our booth, and the food here is good and affordable. Most of our employees have been eating here too."
"That's great to hear... It looks like your booth is doing well too."