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(Walson)

"Thank you for your patronage! Welcome and please let me know what you would like. Our signature items..." The golden-haired girl bid farewell to the customers with a brilliant smile and swiftly attended to the next group of guests.

The red-haired girl with purple fish fin-like ears moved smoothly and skillfully within the shop, busy attending to various tasks.

As I watched Barella and Melon working inside the shop, I couldn't help but feel deeply impressed.

"...Aure is amazing too," Grace, who was helping me prepare a special sandwich, said from the side.

Yes, she really is remarkable.

With the conclusion of the school festival, the girls entered a period of idle time... In other words, the equivalent of summer and winter vacations in my previous life, three breaks throughout the year.

However, this time the vacation was extended to a whopping five months.

The reason being the [Aqua Titanus] summoned by that foolish noble caused significant damage to the eastern side of the academy. Since it happened during the middle of the semester, the academy borrowed various venues and made temporary arrangements to get through the term. As a result, the repairs to the academy were prolonged, hence the extended vacation.

Originally, I thought that since this world has magic, the repairs should be easy. But then I realized that many parts of the academy were constructed using complex magic formations. Perhaps the reason for the delayed repairs lies in the time-consuming process of rebuilding these magical arrays.

Yes, upon closer examination, it becomes clear. If these magic formations are highly specialized and only certain magicians can complete them, then it would be troublesome to recruit these magicians and manage the procedures.

In that case, five months might even be considered short.

"Goodbye, thank you for your patronage."

"Thank you for your patronage."

"Thank you for visiting, please take care."

"Goodbye, and we look forward to your next visit to the [Dog House]."

As we sent off the last group of customers and closed the door, Barella's face, which had been angelic-like moments ago, suddenly turned hysterical as she collapsed onto the sofa.

Grace immediately headed upstairs, presumably to take a shower, while Melon rotated her wrists to relieve fatigue.

"You've worked hard. How does it feel to work on the first day?" I asked.

"Ah, it's so tiring! There were way too many customers! It was fine when I was helping out before, but it's really stressful when it's an official job!" she replied.

"Don't say that. You've been a great help. Hiring you was a fantastic decision," I said.

And it's true. Since it was the vacation period, I allowed Barella to intern... and I have to admit, this elven girl is truly clever and capable!

For some reason, she really excels in cooking, she also works quickly and skillfully, and her greatest strength lies in her ability to interact with customers.

Honestly, although [Dog House] has always been doing well in terms of business, there was one drawback... Yes, it was the fact that the business was too good. We only sold 200 portions per day, and there was always a long line outside. Once we sold out, many customers would leave with disappointed expressions.

Some of them would even cause trouble due to their bad temper, and although I'm not afraid... it pains me to see them being "expelled" by Melon...

On the other hand, Barella drew a red line outside the shop. Customers beyond the red line would be politely asked to leave in advance, so there wouldn't be situations where customers waited for a long time only to leave empty-handed. Even for those in the queue, although they might have to wait a bit longer, she would serve them drinks to appease them.

Originally, only Melon and I were managing the tasks at [Dog House]. We couldn't spare any extra hands, but Barrel immediately broke through that limitation. I couldn't help but think that she is really clever and has a modern mindset.

...Although for me personally, it's a bit embarrassing to admit, but she's actually quite beautiful. She's almost becoming the second mascot of the shop, You can even hear customers outside shouting her name.

I wonder if that guy she likes has come by? If he does, if she tells me, I'll make sure to treat him well. I'm a loyal boss, you know.

"Huh... Is that so? Thank you... thank you," she blushed as she stammered.

She's so easily embarrassed. It was just a small compliment.

"Alright, then, here's your salary." I took out nine gold coins from my inventory.

I handed six of them to Melon and Grace, who were standing nearby, and threw the remaining three over to Barrel.

"Eh!? So, so much!?" She looked shocked at the three gold coins in her hand.

Well, it's not surprising. One gold coin is roughly equivalent to a thousand Taiwanese dollars from my previous life. Getting three coins for two hours of work can be considered generous.

When she helped out a bit before, I only gave her five silver coins.

"It's fine. It's up to you how you want to spend it, whether it's on food or saving up to buy some nice clothes." I yawned and said.

"Wow... You're really generous... But then again, it's you, so I'm not surprised." Barrel looked at me with eyes that resembled those of a peculiar creature.

Hey, hey, that's quite impolite, you know.

Melon silently put the three gold coins into her pouch.

Initially, she actually refused when I offered her money. It took a lot of coaxing to finally get her to agree... But when it comes to spending, she would only go out to eat. She's very thrifty, and it makes me feel a bit bad. I feel like I haven't been good enough to her...

I closed my eyes and rested.

...What should I do during this five-month-long vacation? Do Grace and Melon have any places they want to go?

In my previous life, during vacations, I would go back to my hometown if I had enough money for it...

Hmmm.... Hometown...

The church, when I thought about my hometown, I thought about the church... It appeared in my memories. That slightly run-down, systemically messed-up orphanage, and the few quiet houses hidden in the bamboo forest.

Maybe I should go back to Sadin Village and take a look...?