AN OLDER-LOOKING ESTABLISHMENT WOULD BE MORE TRUSTWORTHY THAN A NEWER-LOOKING ONE, RIGHT?
“Nutri-Spirits truly is delicious! It’s a huge hit within the province of Hrant already! We bottle and seal it for a long shelf life, and your unsold product will not go bad! Your establishment can make a great profit with none of the risk!”
“Miss Halkara, you sure talk a lot, don’t you…?”
The man from the other company recoiled a bit, but it’s proper to be this energetic about one’s business. You must be aggressive if you want a potential partner to remember you.
My name is Halkara, and I’m the president of a company called Halkara Pharmaceuticals.
I was born an elf, and I started up my business several years ago as I studied plants and medicine.
Thanks to that, I built up a favorable reputation in Wellbranch Marquessate, where many of us elves lived, and throughout the larger province of Hrant.
With an eye on expanding sales, I ventured all the way to a different province today to do business.
I’ll make this sale and earn lots of money!
“I thought elves were daintier and stuffier, but you’re nothing like that…”
“I’m sorry~ I am simply confident in my Nutri-Spirits, if I do say so myself. I suppose I got a little overexcited. Oh, and most elves are like this. I think the stuffy ones live farther north~”
I was going to take a more aggressive approach with my business this time.
My product was lined up on the table.
“Please take a sip,” I said. “I believe that is the best way to understand its value!”
He would have to once I made the suggestion, and sure enough, he did.
“Hey! I’m not sure why, but it feels like I can take another crack at my job now!”
“Right?! Nutri-Spirits uses a mix of around thirty-six to forty-five different plants, put together in one super-drinkable blend!”
“Around thirty-six to forty-five? Do you not know anything more precise than that…?”
“Well… What plants and mushrooms I’m able to procure changes depending on the season… That’s what that means…”
Momentum can carry you over the little details. That is a steadfast rule of business. The person negotiating with you would not understand a detailed explanation of minutia… Part of business is communicating with people who aren’t interested in your product, after all.
“But do you know all those thirty-six to forty-five plants?”
Oh, the question was for me this time.
“Ha-ha-ha! I am the president! Of course I don’t know!”
“You sound very defiant!”
“You see…if you read this document, you can see a list of all the plants! Understand that we are adding improvements every day, so memorizing them all is…too difficult! Yes!”
I upped my momentum to breeze past that. Business talks during business hours also changed depending on who was I was talking to.
The man nodded slowly. “You’re a funny one, so I’ll give it a try. I’ll stock about two cases for a trial.”
“Thank you very much!”
Success!
“My~ The city looks much prettier than when I arrived~”
I made my way through the unfamiliar town with lighthearted skips.
This was my first time trying out this new system—the company let me put my product in their building, and I would get paid based solely on how much their employees used.
Generally, I put my product in stores, but since more people usually meant more sales, the idea struck me to place it in a corporation with many employees.
The employees would get tired working and reach for a drink to combat their exhaustion. Not only that, but other employees would see them drinking it and want to try it themselves!
“Yes, this will work, this will work! I am such a genius! I think this will go swimmingly—and then maybe my profits will soar, too!”
But.
—Despite my good mood…a tragedy befell my body!
“I’m………hungry.”
Having business negotiations in a faraway land would make anyone tense. Even I got nervous sometimes.
Once negotiations were over, I instantly felt how hungry I was.
My appointment was finished, and the only thing left was to return home by carriage. It was still a little early for lunch, so I could probably just take one first then eat at my destination—
But I was here, so I would search for a restaurant!
What should I have? I wanted to use this occasion to be a little adventurous.
I walked down a street lined with many eateries.
AUTHENTIC ELF CUISINE
Nope, definitely not that. I could eat that at home. And there was no such thing as elf cuisine. Our dishes were regional—no one would ever advertise “human cuisine.”
ADD UNLIMITED SPICES TO YOUR SPAGHETTI!
UPGRADE TO LARGE FOR FREE!
That place was for boys who ate a lot. I suppose it was rather unique, but I felt like having something a little more ordinary right now.
PASTRIES & TEA
RESTIA
That was a café, but I wanted something a bit heavier…
AFFORDABLE EATS
MARRONIE
The atmosphere was quiet but fancy, which wasn’t bad. The locals trusted it, at any rate.
Should I eat here? It seemed safe enough. From outside the windows, I could see the seats were well filled. There were already so many people, even though it was still a little early for a lunch break! I could not go wrong with this restaurant.
I shook my head, however.
“I may as well be a little more adventurous… I came here to expand my business. I can’t turn around and play it safe with lunch.”
I walked farther down the road, and a trim establishment caught my eye.
THE FIRST TAYATART ISLE RESTAURANT IN THE PROVINCE!
CORAL REEF
“What is this? I’ve never heard of this before…”
There was an explanation on the sign placed in front of the restaurant.
So it was a place that served dishes from the tropical lands to the south. I could scarcely imagine what they were like. Oh, there was an illustration and explanation on the sign. I had to take a close look at the visual information as well.
The illustration suggested this goyan champloon set came with some bread, soup, and about three small entrées. That was reasonable for nine hundred gold. The restaurant had seemingly been built recently as well, and I liked the style.
“All right! I’ll eat here!”
I slowly opened the door.
Not a single customer was inside.
Before me were rows of empty tables and counter seats.
I have a bad feeling about this. I may have chosen wrong… Is no one here because it isn’t good…? Maybe I should leave…
“Hey there, welcome!” the young, bearded manager called out to me.
Aaaaah! I can’t leave now! Plus, the manager is wearing an attractive bandana over his head! I approve.
Oh well. I sat down at a table. I would look on the bright side. It probably only recently opened, so maybe they just didn’t have any regulars. Sure. It was a little early to be eating lunch, too. Most places wouldn’t be full at this hour.
“One goyan champloon set, please.”
“Comin’ right up!”
The manager was in great spirits, apparently cooking behind the counter. I could see pots and whatnot from my table seat.
And…there were two others in the kitchen besides the manager.
A young man and a woman, both human and both tanned from the sun, were standing in the corner.
“Lianne, let’s take the cart to go fishing the next time we’re off~”
“Oh gosh, really~? Are you trying to pick me up~? ”
“You could bring other people along if you want~”
Pick her up? He was definitely flirting!
It didn’t matter too much right now, and he was free to pick up whomever he wanted—
But that was the cooking area, right? Don’t stand there chatting and drawing my attention!
Shouldn’t they be flirting in a back room or somewhere else instead? Plus, there was a strange sense of pressure when there was just one customer and three staff members at the counter… If they weren’t going to work, then I wished they would go somewhere I couldn’t see them.
The inside of the restaurant may be stylish, but I still feel weird! I don’t like it here!
The manager seemed to be around the same age as them, so perhaps he’d just hired friends after starting the business. Maybe that was why he had a hard time reprimanding them.
“Hey, Lianne, look at that customer. Her bazongas are huge!”
Hey! You’re not supposed to talk about your customers! I mean, I can’t stop you, but please do it somewhere I can’t hear! And don’t make Lianne listen to you!
“Oh gosh, you’re right~ That’s amazing~ Boobies shouldn’t get that big~”
Lianne was agreeing with him!
I put a hand to my temple.
Was this a failure? Had I chosen a restaurant that was tidy and new and nothing else? Had they forgotten the basics?
The decorations on the inside were not terrible.
I had never been, but it had a tropical island feel. Pictures of what I assumed was Tayatart Isle hung on the walls. It seemed like the sea there was emerald-green.
Also, I didn’t know much about the ocean, so I was not entirely sure, but boards used for riding on waves also hung on the wall. I had a feeling going out to sea on those was suicidal. One would get stranded on a strange desert island at best…
What I did understand was that the bearded owner yearned for life on tropical islands like Tayatart Isle—but I had a feeling he had started with appearances only.
I was certain this restaurant wasn’t run by Tayatart Islanders. They should have had some sort of accent but sounded like locals.
Maybe I should’ve gone to Affordable Eats Marronie instead…?
Was this because I had mistaken foolhardiness for bravery as many young and inexperienced people do…?
No, this battle was not over.
The illustration of the goyan champloon set at the front of the store did look delicious.
This restaurant had just opened and served unusual food on top of that, so they simply didn’t have any regular customers. Yes, I was certain that was it!
Perhaps this was my chance to encounter an unknown dish that was truly delicious!
Even the establishment of a stubborn old man could flourish if it tasted good! What was important was the flavor! You might miss out if you judged a restaurant on the atmosphere alone!
“Here you go, one goyan champloon set coming right up.”
The owner brought me my meal on a tray.
By the way, those other two were still chatting. They clearly were not cooking, so why were they here? Well, that didn’t matter. It was time to e—
Oh?
Something was off.
I could sense it before I even took a bite.
My elven instincts were warning me. It felt like the forest was speaking to me. Mother Forest was telling me, This is strange; this is much too strange.
But what about a dish I had never tasted or even seen before could give me such a feeling?
Yes…
This set meal looked nothing like the illustration out front!
What was really awful were the sides!
There were three small dishes in the picture, but in reality, the three dishes had been put on one larger plate together!
Yes, it was the same number of sides, but the amount was certainly different! Plus, one was just your run-of-the-mill pickled cabbage. Some restaurants offered all-you-could-eat on pickled cabbages…
And the main course, the goyan champloon, was also completely different.
First, it was a different color.
The green goyan was still green, not burned black or anything like that, but the overall color of the dish was white.
That was because it was mostly made of bean sprouts!
There were barely any bean sprouts in the image outside. There was just a smattering among all the goyans, supporting the rest of the food as they should. Bean sprouts were white, so visually, they had not made much of an impact in the picture.
But the dish in front of me had way more bean sprouts than goyans! This was bean-sprout dilution!
He was clearly trying to save money on the goyans, the more expensive and unusual ingredient, and making up the difference with something cheap!
And that still wasn’t all.
This goyan champloon itself was watery and full of liquid pooling at the bottom of the plate. It was practically a soup!
This was odd. In the illustration, it was like all the liquidy parts were drained. It wasn’t supposed to be watery.
I knew exactly the culprit responsible.
The bean sprouts!
By overwhelming the dish with bean sprouts, it was literally diluted and got all watery!
Even if I didn’t know what the genuine dish was like, I could tell. This goyan champloon was not good…
I was almost impressed… My experience with this dish was already bitter, and I hadn’t even taken my first bite…
Either way, it was time to dig in. I stuck my fork into the goyan champloon.
It tasted bitter, too.
Goyans were bitter to begin with, and we elves often ate bitter herbs. However, this dish wasn’t supposed to be this watery… It was practically a bean-sprout stir-fry at this point… The bitterness overpowered the rest. It served an excellent role as a supporting flavor, but once it came to the limelight, it destroyed everything. Even in a bean-sprout stir-fry, you’re supposed to boil away in the water…
I mentally screamed.
I ssscccrrreeewwweddd uuuuuuuuppp!
*The above may be unpronounceable aloud, but since this is internal screaming, it’s exactly what I said.
As I silently whittled down the goyan champloon, the other two who weren’t the manager were talking the entire time. How bored were they?
The girl did not seem entirely bothered by being hit on, but she was playing hard to get so as to not let him think she was too easy.
The boy was straightforward and open—or rather, he was taking the head-on approach. He didn’t try to play coy but just invited her to holiday spots. In a way, he was taking a very purehearted approach. He might do well as a knight.
He probably simply thought that playing coy was too much work, but his honest approach was working surprisingly well.
Listening to this conversation was much more entertaining than my meal, so I concentrated on that. To be honest, I scarcely cared about my gustatory sensations.
“Seriously, let’s go to the lake. They say it’s the closest blue to Tayatart Isle around here!”
“Oh, have you ever been to Tayatart Isle before~?”
“Pfft, no, it’s too far.”
He hasn’t been!
Calm down… Take a sip of water and calm down… These people were likely just the manager’s friends. Maybe the bearded manager had a long history with Tayatart Isle—
“Hey, boss, why did you open up a Tayatart Isle restaurant?”
“I saw a Tayatart Isle musical performance at the public hall in town, and it really got to me. I want to go someday.”
The owner hasn’t been, either!
And music started all this!
I wish he’d at least been inspired by the island’s cuisine!
“I hear the blue sea stretches for miles down there. I’ve never seen the ocean before, but I started this restaurant because I wanted to be as magnificent as that one day.”
I’m sorry. I had scarcely any idea what that meant. And those surfboard-looking items were simply for show, weren’t they?
With the dead eyes of a fish, I finished the bitter bean-sprout stir-fry and the other dishes.
The smaller sides were dried out, and the soup was just broth.
“Thank you very much. I’d like to pay now.” I took out nine hundred gold exactly.
“Sorry, ma’am, but the price on the board is without tax, so the total is nine hundred and ninety gold.”
Frustrating, but I took out another ninety gold. They were fortunate I was not the demon king, or they would have paid. With their lives.
I exited the restaurant, stepped a little away, then looked blankly up at it.
“It will probably last another six months.”
As I made my way to the carriage station with tired steps, I murmured quietly to myself.
“I messed up…”
It was two weeks after I had Tayatart Isle cuisine.
I was in another province again for work, but this town was nothing like the last one.
It was more like a nodal point between towns. A rest area on the road.
Out front was a spot to tie the horses, and it had with toilets for travelers, just like any other rest area. Behind it—
EAST CORTA TEMPLE HIGHWAY
PRAYER SPRINGS REST AREA
—sat a calm, one-story building with that sign on it.
Inside, souvenirs and ingredients were sold, and there was also a food hall.
My underlying motive was to get them to stock my products.
The buyer and I had our business talks in the personnel building next to the rest area. He was in control of five total rest areas in the region.
There was a bit of white in his hair, but he seemed like a good-natured person—easy to do business with.
“I believe many travelers along this highway will be exhausted when they get here. It is times like that where Halkara Pharmaceuticals’ medicine and Nutri-Spirits will bring back their energy a hundredfold! I think it’s perfect for your rest area!”
“Oh-ho~! Indeed, all your products keep much longer in comparison to our foodstuffs.”
“That’s right! You’ll have little wasted product, so you can rest easy! And you can just try them on your shelves for a month and see how you like them!”
I made a proactive attack. I had to show how enthusiastic I was, just enough to make the buyer uncomfortable! And then, I would make him say Okay!
“If it’s just a month you propose, then we’ll go with that.”
Yes, there it is!
“Thank you so much! Also, this will help you sell more!”
I handed over a little sign that said WE RECOMMEND HALKARA PHARMACEUTICALS WITH CONFIDENCE!
Next to the writing was a picture of me with my arms folded and a face that said Looking for challengers!
Sales differed dramatically between locations displaying the sign versus those without. My homemade products were a bit more expensive per unit, so even the slightest increase in sales had a big effect.
“My, my, you are an elf passionate about her business. It’s difficult to ignore, especially since you are on the picture here.”
“Yes, recently, several restaurants have been including images of their meals, no? I learned from that.”
That goyan champloo restaurant…your death was not for naught. They weren’t dead, though. And I forgot the name of the establishment.
“While you’re here, why don’t you take a look at where we plan to set up the stall? I’m sure that will allow you to rest easier, Miss Halkara.”
“I would be glad to!”
And so I successfully managed to get my products in a corner spot that would most certainly catch the eye.
Yes, this would sell~!
I had more wits for working in management than working as an employee.
Or perhaps companies were too illogical for me, and I didn’t fit in.
In the company where I used to work, we had a weekly morning assembly, but that did nothing for our results. It was just a waste of time.
A company that couldn’t do away with something so pointless because they’d “always done it like that before” would not be successful in anything they did. It was just a ritual, and rituals were for priests. You’re in business, so seek out profits.
“You truly seem like you’re enjoying yourself, Miss Halkara,” the buyer at the rest area said to me.
“Is that so~? If you say that, then perhaps you’re right. My hard work translates straight into sales, so I always see the fruit of it~”
“Adventurers also talk about how fighting monsters makes their stats go up and encourages them. It is nice to see that efforts bring about results.”
Yes, that was it.
It’s hard to keep going without feeling rewarded. Employees generally received regular pay. That was why during work hours, the conditions for rest were constantly moving, and that was not good.
On the other hand, working with impossible quotas was also tough…
—Then a tragedy befell my body once again!
Guuurrrrrggglllle~~~~
All of a sudden, my stomach made a silly-sounding noise.
“My, it seems you’re hungry.”
“Indeed. I always make sure to eat light the day before doing business in order to keep myself healthy.”
One could not conduct business in poor health, after all. People might worry about you if you showed up with a sickly expression, but that did not necessarily mean it would lead to a contract.
My stomach was begging for food.
Now I wanted to stuff myself full. A bit of alcohol to help it go down might be nice, too. Since we were by the road, there were plenty of public carriages as well.
“Well then, Miss Halkara, you can grab a meal before you go right over there, so please use our facilities.”
The buyer pointed to a food hall annexed to the rest area—a food court, really.
One ordered at the counter, secured a seat at any table they liked, then ate there. Once the meal was finished, one took the silverware to the return space.
However, I felt a little bad for the buyer.
It didn’t look very good…
Recently, some roadside rest stops had started to evolve, and I knew of some examples where well-known restaurants were opening. This rest stop seemed old-fashioned, though, somewhere likely to serve commonplace dishes.
I could tell because the place looked completely worn out. So did the workers.
Those who had jobs that constantly put them on the road might simply want to eat anything to fill their bellies, but I rarely ever frequented pit stops like this.
I wanted to eat something better! Time to find a shop!
“Oh, since I am here, I wanted to be a little adventurous and find somewhere local to eat. Is there anywhere nearby? Preferably someplace that has been around a while, one representative of the region.”
Last time, my gamble earned me an eatery that was new and nothing else, so I wanted to choose a traditional, long-established restaurant this time.
They say many restaurants scarcely last five years. One could therefore conclude that if it’d been open for decades, it must be trustworthy.
Of course, it was difficult to judge on outside appearances alone—renovations could make an establishment look new.
“Hmm, a restaurant…” The buyer thought deeply. “Not many people live in this area, so there aren’t a lot. I can’t say there are none at all, but…I apologize for not being much help.”
I suppose that was inevitable. Rest areas were not for locals.
“Oh, that’s all right. Walking around unfamiliar regions is important for my job! I’ll just wander!”
I left the rest area and began walking along the highway.
Of course, there were a few roadside shops near the rest stop.
First was a used clothing shop. That was not a restaurant, so it was out.
Then came a shop that sold “sandwiches”—vegetables or meat or whatnot between pieces of bread. It was a familiar sight on the road. It was the Witch Sandwich chain, and there was a picture of a witch. I could eat this anywhere, so it was out.
In front of a minicasino, there was a big banner that read NEW DARTBOARDS ARE HERE! This was also not a restaurant, so it was out.
There was an establishment with pink walls and a sign that read TAKE A REST—ONE STAY: 1500 GOLD… This was a different kind of rest stop, so that was out.
“I suppose there’s no point walking along the highway… There wouldn’t be any long-established shops in a place with lots of development, would there?”
I turned off the main road and entered the side roads. It was instantly quieter here, with no carts or people passing by at all.
“Hmm… This is more in the middle of nowhere than I thought… Might this be a zone with no restaurants at all…? But I do see houses here and there, so there can’t be absolutely zero…”
I continued walking down the street uneasily. It felt like my stomach was going to start screaming for food.
I was so hungry! So hungry that I almost wanted to start nibbling on the nearby trees!
There were some kind of leaves sprouting from the fields. I wanted to dig them up and devour them… No, I would not do that, no matter what happened.
I then entered a side road off the side road—
ALMAR DINING
—and there was an establishment. The sign had the name and nothing more.
It was well-aged. The paint was peeling off nicely, and there was a wooden sign in front of the door that only had an image of soup and a spoon. I suppose with that outside, that meant they were open for business…
…but it seemed very quiet…
I could feel no life coming from the streets or the buildings.
Think of how food is often more delicious during a festival or fair—this was the opposite.
The only thing beyond this point were endless farming fields.
My sole options now were to turn back or go in.
“What a choice…”
Wait, if they managed to stay open this long in such a remote area, then it was entirely possible it was a quality establishment! Plus, if I didn’t go in now, I would never get another chance!
Company president was a job that meant I had to take these challenges!
I summoned my pioneering spirit and opened the door.
The outside might have seemed cold and dead, but inside—it was exactly the same.
Again, no one was here.
There were several tables laid out, so it was probably a restaurant, but it was rather dim.
Not only that, but I didn’t even see any staff…
“Um, hellooo…,” I first decided to call out. “Hello? Hellooo~!”
To be blunt, that was a mistake.
If there was no one here to greet me, I should have quickly shut the door and retreated.
Yet for some reason, I was calling out for a staff member like I had been conditioned to do. It was a mistake, I knew.
I was aware of my inner voice yelling at me, This isn’t a place to venture in too deep! Let’s go a little farther is a thought that kills adventurers! Pull back now, and you can come back later! However, I was losing out to my common sense that told me, No one’s here; let’s call for them!
After a little while—
—a feeble old woman slowly appeared from the back.
“Welcome… Take a seat anywhere you like…”
I already knew.
This was a failure of a restaurant!
“Here you go… Some water…”
The old woman placed a cup in front of me, so I took a sip as I reviewed the menu. The water was lukewarm.
“…Then I will have the ‘A Lunch,’ please.”
“Yes, of course… Sit tight for a moment. My, you’re our first customer today…”
“Oh, is that so…?”
“And you have a great body, young lady. It must be nice to be young.”
“Um…I suppose so…”
I was probably older than this old woman, though…
Since the old lady was doing the cooking, it took a long while for the food to come out, but it wasn’t inedible. It tasted like the cooking of a friend’s untalented mom.
It wasn’t too expensive, but this wasn’t something I would pay money to eat…
The flavor was not well-thought-out—bland, really. There was almost no flavor, in fact. Perhaps because she was doing everything. I wish she had put a little more salt on the chicken. Maybe it’s healthier for you this way, though…
I left the restaurant and slowly gazed up at the building.
“This is definitely a remodeled house.”
It wasn’t an aged, long-established restaurant!
They didn’t need profits because they were not paying rental fees—it was just a shop she opened for fun!
My shoulders drooped, and I returned to the highway with heavy steps.
Then, in an empty, nearby neighborhood, I faced the farming fields and yelled:
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I messed up agaaaaain!”
Afterward, I went into the Witch Sandwich chain shop and ordered a sandwich and tea set (six hundred gold).
“Ahhh, this tastes the same no matter where you eat it. That is a huge relief right now…”
I was reminded of the wonders of chain shops.
“This is the flavor of civilization…”
By the way, six months later, I passed by the Tayatart Isle restaurant while on another business trip, but there was a sign out front that said FOR LEASE.
Perhaps they moved elsewhere in search of island life.
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