Saving 80,000 Gold in an Another World for Retirement - Chapter 302

When I explained what I had noticed to Rudina and Silua, they looked surprised for a moment and then seemed convinced.

Silua also seemed to be in a better mood when she realized that she had not lost because of the difference in girl power.

She looked like she didn’t care about that sort of thing, but then again, Silua was also a girl…

“The next time you see him, try telling him that ‘Rudina is an orphan and just a hired employee, you know?’ If he doesn’t believe you, you could ask the orphanage director to testify……

Oh, I think it would be a good idea to invite the orphanage director to dinner. It would be like an introduction to Rudina’s workplace, or that she is doing well in a proper workplace, or something like that……” (Mitsuha)

“Eh……” (Rudina)

That’s right. It would be nice to have the adults in the orphanage see that Rudina was doing well as the store manager.

I really wish we could invite all the kids, but this place was a bit small for all of them.

……Oh, couldn’t we just close the restaurant for the day, remove the small tables, and put in long tables and folding chairs? It would be easy to transport them using transfer……

That’s right, we can do that regardless of that weird guy.

As for the man, if it comes down to it, I can ask the higher-ups… to do something about him.

Rather, the status report for Rudina’s orphanage would be much more important.

“All right, it’s decided!” (Mitsuha)

“E e e e eh ~!” (Rudina)

=====

Then, a few days later.

On a weekend, which was a holiday, the orphanage director, some hired adults, and orphans were seated in [Gold coin], and a “reserved” sign was hung on the entrance to prevent the general public from entering.

The usual tables have been removed, a cheap long desk has been put in, and chairs have been added.

I have explained to the people at the orphanage that today we are using long tables due to space limitations, but that we usually have proper, stylish tables.

……No, there were no cafés that operated using long tables, you know.

(TN: Oh you’d be surprised FUNA-sensei.)

It would be very difficult for Rudina’s workplace image to be tarnished.

And inside the counter, Rudina looked nervous, Silua had the same expressionless face as usual, and I am a waitress.

As expected, Rudina and Silua were not enough for the staff today, and I, the owner, would be in the way if I were there since Rudina was the star of the show.

It would not be safe for my name and appearance as the owner to be spread around.

So today, I am just a temporary helper.

I’ve explained that part to Rudina and Silua as well. As to not show any unnatural attitude…

“Welcome to our store today. Thanks to the kindness of the shop owner. Today, I would like to take this chance to thank the orphanage for taking care of me and to introduce my workplace.

We would really like you to order freely, but due to a shortage of staff, we had no choice but to decide on the dishes ourselves.

……Now then, everyone, please enjoy…….” (Rudina)

Rudina, who I thought was quite brazen, seemed to be quite agitated about something.

But he managed to do it without biting her tongue.

There was crackling applause, and with that as a signal, the three of us started carrying the food all at once.

Of course, the food was prepared in advance and we just had to reheat them over the fire in the cooking area in the back, or just arrange them on the table.

The selected dishes were roughly divided into two.

On one side, was a dish that was never served at the orphanage.

The ones that were elaborate or a little expensive in terms of ingredients used.

And the other was a dish often served in the orphanage.

……However, we made various changes such as raising the quality of ingredients, adding more ingredients, etc.

Yeah, it’s Rudina’s “This is the kind of food I’ve always wanted to eat” series and the “Even this kind of food can be delicious if you work a little harder” series.

Not to mention the latter, the former was not that expensive. But at the orphanage though, they can’t afford it because of the hassle and cost savings.

It’s somewhat understandable why Rudina decided on such a menu.

With Rudina’s current salary, she could have fed everyone a steak, but I guess that’s not what Rudina wanted to serve everyone at the orphanage.

It’s not a one-time, “luxury that they cannot afford“, but something that they could have if they work hard.

……Even so, the portions were generous. Probably more than enough for the kids, no matter how much they eat until they’re full.

Perhaps that was Rudina’s greatest dream when she was in the orphanage.

“Come on, everyone, dig in!” (Mitsuha)

I had no choice but to call out to the children since none of them would touch the food in front of them.

Rudina was back in the kitchen, doing some final touches of cooking, reheating dishes, and so on, and I couldn’t expect that kind of attention from Silua.

And then, wow, the children were gobbling up the food.

The adults chuckled as they watched, and slowly got to work on their food.

“Ara……”

The director was smiling and having her “fufu” moment.

That dish was the one that Rudina used to make at the orphanage.

However, the ingredients and seasonings she used were the ones that realized Rudina’s dream.

That difference may be the reason for the smile that overflows from her face.

She gets a sense of the many hours of thinking and passion that Rudina has put into this dish.

“Oh, this is delicious!”

And although the children were only eating the more unusual dishes, which were not the ones served at the orphanage, they felt bad for it, so they got their hands on the familiar ones…… and were amazed.

“Hey, try the suiton and rice porridge! It’s really good!” (Rudina)

“Eh? Ru-chan, did you raise your skill?” (Kid)

“No, because I’m the cook here……. What am I saying! It’s delicious, you know, it’s so good!” (Rudina)

Umūmu. Rudina was by no means bad at cooking. Rather, her skill was good.

If the food Rudina prepared during her time at the orphanage was bad, it was because of the ingredients, seasonings, and equipment.

So now that those have been dramatically improved, Rudina was beginning to show her capabilities.

No wonder. Rudina was our great in-house chef and the flower of the store……

It’s only been a year since Rudina left the orphanage.

So all the adults were the same as they were back then, and only a couple of the children have been replaced, but most of them seem to be the same ones when Rudina was there.

That’s why, at first, the children were a little confused because they had not seen each other for a long time and because of the difference in their positions, then they settled down and started talking to Rudina, calling her “Ru-chan,” which seems to be her old nickname, and Rudina started to smile… Not a fake smile, but a real smile.

Rudina was probably a little nervous, too.

On one hand, she wanted to show that even those who came out of an orphanage can get a respectable job, but on the other hand, she knew very well that she had just won a tremendous lottery and that normally orphans cannot suddenly become store managers, so she could not say, “If you all work hard, you will become like me~,” and she was probably having trouble not knowing what to say.

Well, it’s no use thinking about it.

I guess we should just smile and say, “Sometimes good luck comes to orphans”.

Just the fact that there were people in the world who won the lottery, and the chance that it could be any one of them, was encouraging enough.

However, you will never win the lottery unless you buy a lottery ticket.

Rudina’s good fortune resulted from her culinary skills, her computational abilities, her diligent efforts to avoid criminal activity and easy prostitution, and her courage to apply for our employee recruitment.

If the children can see that, Rudina’s contribution to the orphans will be significant.

It would be a great accomplishment, far beyond simply filling their bellies……

=====

No matter how much fun it is, the time to end will always come.

When it was time to end the party, the children stood up from their seats reluctantly.

……No, it’s not like we’re saying goodbye forever, they can come back!

The cheapest meal on the menu was about 380 Japanese yen. Well, if you exchange that amount for Japanese yen, it will be very cheap, so it’s not a simple comparison, but if the price was proportional to the other food items, it’s about that much…… Which was a lot of money for an orphan. In this city, you can buy four radishes for that amount.

They can’t eat out until they leave the orphanage and are on their own……

No, no, no, they don’t have to come as a customer!

They can come to visit us when the store is closed, or conversely, Rudina can visit the orphanage.

Until now, Rudina has apparently not gone out for personal reasons at all on her days off, all she’s doing is studying, cooking, and cleaning up, but that’s not good enough. Children are supposed to play, too.

Besides, Rudina once told me that ‘once a month, the orphanage holds a birthday party for all those whose birthdays are in that month‘. It seems they just get one more dish and a handmade wooden doll or something…….

Also, why don’t you just go? Close the store that day.

Make a lot of food and bring it with you.

……The director was greeting Silua.

Please help her in various ways, or so I’d like to say……

Oh, they’re coming this way.

“Thank you for helping Rudina! I never thought that she would be able to find such happiness in her life……. Thank you, thank you very much……” (Director)

Then she bowed deeply.

……It’s completely different from the attitude towards Silua.

This is…….

Yeah, Valetera!*

They totally know I’m the owner.

As expected of the wisdom of the elderly!

The director of the orphanage, how terrifying! !!

=====

“Oh, owner. Thank you for the other day!” (Rudina)

A few days after that, I once again showed up at the store right after closing.

Somehow, Rudina seems brighter than before. Okay, that’s good…….

But I’m here today because of a matter of concern.

“Rudina, what’s the situation with that sticky guy?” (Mitsuha)

“Oh, that one, it’s over.

When I told him that I was from an orphanage and that I was broke because I donated part of my salary to the orphanage, he said I was lying and was very angry, so Silua grabbed a fork…… It became a fork song**.

Ah, no, I’ve actually saved up enough money, you know? I’m getting paid enough!” (Rudina)

Yes, yes, you sang the fork song and fought back, didn’t you?

And I’m already properly aware that the amount I’m giving for live-in and free food was too high because I didn’t know the market rate……

“And one of the customers at that time seemed to know about the orphanage, and said, ‘Oh, there she is! It’s you! I remember you from the orphanage!’……

Since then, that man hasn’t shown up.

Well, if you do a little investigation and ask the people near the orphanage, you’ll soon find out the truth.” (Rudina)

Did that person really know Rudina from her orphanage days, or did the regulars just lie to her to get her attention?……

Well, either way, it doesn’t matter because it’s true.

Ah, I hope they don’t get into any major trouble later on……

Anyways, this is a relief.

The worst-case scenario of someone getting ahead of a 13-year-old Rudina was averted…

“”Eh?””

“Hmm? What’s wrong?” (Mitsuha)

“…You were talking out loud… Just now…” (Rudina)

“……”

“””…………”””

“Gyā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā~~!!” (Mitsuha)