Chapter 12
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"What a tiring day…"
Jake sat on his bed as he thought about today's event, especially the matter about Kazuko and Akiko. In the end, he accepted them as a guild member and worker for his shop. As for the matter of master and disciple, he told them that he could only give them some pointers for the sake of his shop.
Fortunately, the duo didn't make things any more awkward for him and accepted the conditions. They went through the membership procedure and was prepared to go out of the shop. However, Jake stopped them.
"Do you have anywhere to stay?"
The siblings turned around, sorrow filled their eyes as they shook their heads. They were not surprised since they didn't fill in their address in the application form. It was only a matter of time before Jake found out that they were homeless.
"Come inside, I have an empty room upstairs. It was supposed to be my sister's room if she ever decided to move here, but you can stay there for the time being. I hope you don't mind sharing the room."
The siblings glanced at each other. Tears started forming from the corner of their eyes as they nodded their heads and bowed in gratitude.
"Thank you, Master!"
Jake noticed their expression and gave a bitter smile. Luckily, he turned around to not let the siblings notice it. An unpleasant thought sprawled out of his head. He imagined them to be him and his sister if their mother abandoned them. He quickly shook his head to dismiss the thoughts.
Jake decided to call it a day.
*
Morning came, Jake woke up feeling in great spirits. It was finally the grand opening of his shop. He opened the door to his room and was greeted by the Watanabes.
"Good morning, Master."
"Good morning, Master."
Jake was a bit speechless at the way they addressed him. He almost forgot about their existence due to the opening.
Soon, a smile was formed on his face. The siblings were standing with a huge smile on their face, totally different from his first encounter. They also changed their clothes, giving them a fresh look. The clothes came as a package with the buildings.
"Yeah, good morning. Have you guys eaten?"
"Um… we don't know how to cook."
"Oh right, I'll cook us some breakfast. Just sit tight on the dining room."
Jake checked the clock as he entered the kitchen. He still had some time before the others came for the opening. They must be surprised to see Kazuko and Akiko inside the shop.
Jake moved out of habit and took some eggs from within the fridge. Soon, he realized something and felt a bit embarrassed. It feels a bit bad to give them another portion of omelet. In the end, he put back the eggs and decided to order a delivery for today.
"Um… I've ordered some breakfast from the nearby dinner. Let's go down and prepare for the day… Hahaha"
Although confused as to what changed Jake's mind, Kazuko and Akiko followed him downstairs. The trio started their preparation for the day while waiting for their breakfast to arrive.
Soon, they finished their preparation and breakfast. The first one to arrived was Kana and Mari, followed by Adam and then finally, Lee. They were surprised to see two new faces within the crowd.
"Hello, my name is Watanabe Kazuko. I am the future Alchemy King."
"Hello, my name is Watanabe Akiko. I am the newly hired tailor and waitress."
It was Jake's decision to let Akiko help out with the cafeteria since he still didn't have any tailoring recipes and equipment yet.
The two blended in quite nicely with the group. At first, it felt a bit awkward due to the age gap between them. However, Mari managed to salvage the situation with her cheerful personality. It was a great sight for Jake.
"So? What are we waiting for? Let's open the shop. We will have a special price, 50% off for all product for the first week."
The shop was officially opened and the group started to move to their own position. Lee and Mari moved to the first floor, tending to the shop. While Akiko and Adam were on standby on the second floor.
Adam had an awkward smile on his face due to a certain problem. Jake only put on one recipe on the menu, the Fluffy Omelet. He felt that it was weird and raised a question to Jake but only received a vague answer and an awkward laugh. As such, he decided to just do his job. More importantly, he felt a bit happy to be with Kana on the second floor, although not talking with him.
Kazuko was waiting for Jake inside the workshop to learn more about alchemy. However, he didn't do nothing and was concocting some <Basic Mana Potion>, the only recipe Jake taught him last night. He could complete the process without flaw after the third attempt, which astounded Jake. Since it was late, Jake decided to teach him the rest of the recipe today.
Jake and Kana were talking on the second floor, trying to plan the future of the shop. However, as expected, he needed money, a lot of it, to continue with the development of the shop. The variety inside his shop was his main problem.
Sylphy didn't allow him to sell any other product that he hasn't mastered. She claimed that it was the system's ironclad rule and must be kept no matter what.
"The plan is great, but I need some time before implementing it. I guess we can only hope for the best."
"Yeah, I really hope we sell something today."
Kana was honestly worried about this. For some reason, Jake insisted on selling the product for more than their market price, which placed some pressure to her. She could only come up with a special discount as a way to attract the customer. If it failed, she planned to play the <Buy 2 get 1> policy.
"Trust me, we will."
The confidence in Jake's words managed to ease Kana's worries a little.
The time moved slowly for Kana as she used her laptop to browse the internet at the corner of the second floor. She bought a portion of omelet and some drinks as a form of support for Jake. The screen of the laptop showed multiple windows, which were changed occasionally. Sometimes, Kana read something and frown or smiled.
The only reassuring voice was the sound of customers, coming from downstairs to confirm their purchase. It seems that her strategy worked quite well. In comparison to the first floor, the second floor was more or less empty due to the lack of variety on the menu. It saddened Adam and Akiko a little.
Jake, on the other hand, was busy teaching Kazuko to concoct the potions while making some <Short Dagger> for the shop.
CLING CLANG
The bell to the second floor rang, filling the whole room. Taking the attention of the bored Akiko. She turned her head and saw a beautiful woman, standing at the entrance of the cafeteria.
"Welcome, how many tables would you like?"
The woman was about to say something when Kana shouted from the corner.
"Sis! Over here! I'm glad you came"
The person who entered was Jake's sister, Ethel. She had a stunned look on her face when she was called out by Kana. Akiko didn't know the relationship between Kana and Ethel as she retreated to her seat.
"Kana? You're here?"
"Yeah, did Jake not tell you anything about us?"
" 'Us'? Is Lee also here? He didn't say anything to me"
Ethel's expression turned a bit cold, clearly mad that Jake didn't tell her about Kana and Lee helping him out at the shop.
"Yes, Lee is downstairs helping out with the cashier."
Kana noticed the change in Ethel as she added.
"Don't be too harsh at Jake. He probably thinks of giving you a surprise."
"Hn… Where is he?"
"Oh, he's in the workshop, helping out the new kid. I'll ask someone to call him. Do you want some snacks? The omelets are the best here."
"Sure, I was planning to eat here anyway."
Kana gestured to Akiko and Adam to come closer and introduce themselves to Ethel. Ethel gave a warm smile towards them as she asked them to look after Jake.
Soon, Jake came downstairs after being called by Akiko, informing him of Ethel's arrival. He had a large grin on his face.
"Sis! You came! I was worried that you didn't make it today."
"You rascal! Why didn't you tell me that Lee and Kana are helping you out."
Jake froze on the spot. He forgot to tell her about that matter.
"Uh…I was planning on surprising you! Hehehe"
"See? I was right."
Ethel wasn't quite convinced by Jake's excuse. She caught on Jake's slight hesitation in answering.
"You… really just forgot, right?" She glared at him.
"E— eh… No no no. I really plan to surprise you!"
Kana also noticed Jake's weird behavior and sighed. 'This guy… really'
"A-anyway, Sis. What do you think about the shop? Isn't it great?"
Jake glanced at Kana after hearing her words, meeting each other's gaze.
'You should repay me for this, okay?'
'Really! Thanks a lot!'
Those were the words they caught from each other's gaze. However, Jake's relieve only lasted for a short while.
"Hm... It's really great. I wonder where this guy got the money to decorate this building…"
Ethel's sharp gaze fall onto Jake once again. However, Kana was not spared from the glare this time as they both felt the pressure. Jake tried his best to come up with an excuse and barely made it past the question.
At this time, Lee's voice came from the stairs.
"Sis! Long time no see~! *Gulp*"
Lee finally noticed the tensed atmosphere between the three and swallowed his saliva. Thoughts of regret came to him as he tried to return downstairs.
"Where are you going, Lee?"
Kana and Jake said at the exact same time while smiling. Their smile was so wide and cold at the same time, scaring Lee out of his wits.
As such, another victim was added to the very… fun(?) conversation.
*
"Be careful on your way home, Sis. I'll come home this weekend and cook you something delicious. Hehe, look forward to it."
Ethel simply nodded to Jake's words as she exited the cafeteria. Her face contained a small smile when she left. It seems that her worry was unnecessary as Jake and the other did a great job at managing the shop.
Soon, the rough day finally ended. Jake had a large smile on his face as he saw the money inside the cashier. Kana's special sale idea was very effective. He started to plan on choosing which recipe to buy.
"Good work for today. Thank you very much on staying for the whole day."
The others were looking very tired but had a large, satisfied smile on their face with the exception of Adam. He was a bit disappointed by the result of his sales.
The group went home one by one, leaving Jake alone with the Watanabe siblings. He told them to take a good rest for tomorrow's work. Jake himself stayed on the second-floor cafeteria, sitting on a chair behind the counter.
Honestly, Jake wanted to go up and rest as quickly as possible but was stopped by Sylphy's appearance.
"Master, the cafeteria must be maintained for 24 hours. At least, one of the guild members must be present on this floor."
"Can't today be an exception? I'm really tired of today's work…"
"I'm sorry… It's the rule."
Sylphy looks at her tired master and felt a bit sorry. However, she couldn't refuse the will of the system.
"Alright…"
Jake dragged his tired body to the counter and rested his head on the table, trying to get a little rest. Fortunately, Sylphy didn't raise a complaint. The lit room was, once again, filled with silence.
"Master, please wake up. There's a customer entering the cafeteria."
Jake lifted his head up, still feeling drowsy. The first action he did was to check for the time. The shorthand of the clock was pointing towards the number 3 on the clock.
'Who the hell came at this hour…?'
The drowsiness made Jake feel a bit pissed at the unwelcomed customer. However, it was soon replaced by surprise and interest.
The person who visited the cafeteria was a small girl. Her tiny figure made the door look a lot larger than it was supposed to be. The thing that interest Jake was the prideful expression on the girl's face.
Jake checked the entrance for a potential figure who might come to accompany the small girl but failed to see any. It seems that this girl came on her own.
"Hello there, what would you like to eat? As of now, we only have a <Fluffy Omelet> for sale."
"Then I'll have that… and a glass of water."
"Okay, please wait a moment."
The girl scanned the entire cafeteria with a quick glance and picked a seat at the kitchen's bar, watching Jake prepare her order patiently.
"Here's your order, a plate of <Fluffy Omelet>"
"Um… Thank you."
The small girl took the spoon, provided by Jake, and swallowed a mouthful of omelet. The first bite was all it took for her to continue eating the omelet with delightful expression.
Jake returned to his seat and look at the small girl with interest. Her condition was actually a lot worse than Kazuko and Akiko when they first met. Her clothes were damaged by some kind of explosion as Jake could see a burnt mark accompanying a small hole.
The tiny face of the little girl also showed a great sign of fatigue. However, Jake felt some kind of pressure surrounding the girl. It was the most definitive proof that the girl was not simple.
"Thank you for the meal."
The girl turned her attention toward Jake as she took a sip of her water.
"Are you the boss here?"
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"What a tiring day…"
Jake sat on his bed as he thought about today's event, especially the matter about Kazuko and Akiko. In the end, he accepted them as a guild member and worker for his shop. As for the matter of master and disciple, he told them that he could only give them some pointers for the sake of his shop.
Fortunately, the duo didn't make things any more awkward for him and accepted the conditions. They went through the membership procedure and was prepared to go out of the shop. However, Jake stopped them.
"Do you have anywhere to stay?"
The siblings turned around, sorrow filled their eyes as they shook their heads. They were not surprised since they didn't fill in their address in the application form. It was only a matter of time before Jake found out that they were homeless.
"Come inside, I have an empty room upstairs. It was supposed to be my sister's room if she ever decided to move here, but you can stay there for the time being. I hope you don't mind sharing the room."
The siblings glanced at each other. Tears started forming from the corner of their eyes as they nodded their heads and bowed in gratitude.
"Thank you, Master!"
Jake noticed their expression and gave a bitter smile. Luckily, he turned around to not let the siblings notice it. An unpleasant thought sprawled out of his head. He imagined them to be him and his sister if their mother abandoned them. He quickly shook his head to dismiss the thoughts.
Jake decided to call it a day.
*
Morning came, Jake woke up feeling in great spirits. It was finally the grand opening of his shop. He opened the door to his room and was greeted by the Watanabes.
"Good morning, Master."
"Good morning, Master."
Jake was a bit speechless at the way they addressed him. He almost forgot about their existence due to the opening.
Soon, a smile was formed on his face. The siblings were standing with a huge smile on their face, totally different from his first encounter. They also changed their clothes, giving them a fresh look. The clothes came as a package with the buildings.
"Yeah, good morning. Have you guys eaten?"
"Um… we don't know how to cook."
"Oh right, I'll cook us some breakfast. Just sit tight on the dining room."
Jake checked the clock as he entered the kitchen. He still had some time before the others came for the opening. They must be surprised to see Kazuko and Akiko inside the shop.
Jake moved out of habit and took some eggs from within the fridge. Soon, he realized something and felt a bit embarrassed. It feels a bit bad to give them another portion of omelet. In the end, he put back the eggs and decided to order a delivery for today.
"Um… I've ordered some breakfast from the nearby dinner. Let's go down and prepare for the day… Hahaha"
Although confused as to what changed Jake's mind, Kazuko and Akiko followed him downstairs. The trio started their preparation for the day while waiting for their breakfast to arrive.
Soon, they finished their preparation and breakfast. The first one to arrived was Kana and Mari, followed by Adam and then finally, Lee. They were surprised to see two new faces within the crowd.
"Hello, my name is Watanabe Kazuko. I am the future Alchemy King."
"Hello, my name is Watanabe Akiko. I am the newly hired tailor and waitress."
It was Jake's decision to let Akiko help out with the cafeteria since he still didn't have any tailoring recipes and equipment yet.
The two blended in quite nicely with the group. At first, it felt a bit awkward due to the age gap between them. However, Mari managed to salvage the situation with her cheerful personality. It was a great sight for Jake.
"So? What are we waiting for? Let's open the shop. We will have a special price, 50% off for all product for the first week."
The shop was officially opened and the group started to move to their own position. Lee and Mari moved to the first floor, tending to the shop. While Akiko and Adam were on standby on the second floor.
Adam had an awkward smile on his face due to a certain problem. Jake only put on one recipe on the menu, the Fluffy Omelet. He felt that it was weird and raised a question to Jake but only received a vague answer and an awkward laugh. As such, he decided to just do his job. More importantly, he felt a bit happy to be with Kana on the second floor, although not talking with him.
Kazuko was waiting for Jake inside the workshop to learn more about alchemy. However, he didn't do nothing and was concocting some <Basic Mana Potion>, the only recipe Jake taught him last night. He could complete the process without flaw after the third attempt, which astounded Jake. Since it was late, Jake decided to teach him the rest of the recipe today.
Jake and Kana were talking on the second floor, trying to plan the future of the shop. However, as expected, he needed money, a lot of it, to continue with the development of the shop. The variety inside his shop was his main problem.
Sylphy didn't allow him to sell any other product that he hasn't mastered. She claimed that it was the system's ironclad rule and must be kept no matter what.
"The plan is great, but I need some time before implementing it. I guess we can only hope for the best."
"Yeah, I really hope we sell something today."
Kana was honestly worried about this. For some reason, Jake insisted on selling the product for more than their market price, which placed some pressure to her. She could only come up with a special discount as a way to attract the customer. If it failed, she planned to play the <Buy 2 get 1> policy.
"Trust me, we will."
The confidence in Jake's words managed to ease Kana's worries a little.
The time moved slowly for Kana as she used her laptop to browse the internet at the corner of the second floor. She bought a portion of omelet and some drinks as a form of support for Jake. The screen of the laptop showed multiple windows, which were changed occasionally. Sometimes, Kana read something and frown or smiled.
The only reassuring voice was the sound of customers, coming from downstairs to confirm their purchase. It seems that her strategy worked quite well. In comparison to the first floor, the second floor was more or less empty due to the lack of variety on the menu. It saddened Adam and Akiko a little.
Jake, on the other hand, was busy teaching Kazuko to concoct the potions while making some <Short Dagger> for the shop.
CLING CLANG
The bell to the second floor rang, filling the whole room. Taking the attention of the bored Akiko. She turned her head and saw a beautiful woman, standing at the entrance of the cafeteria.
"Welcome, how many tables would you like?"
The woman was about to say something when Kana shouted from the corner.
"Sis! Over here! I'm glad you came"
The person who entered was Jake's sister, Ethel. She had a stunned look on her face when she was called out by Kana. Akiko didn't know the relationship between Kana and Ethel as she retreated to her seat.
"Kana? You're here?"
"Yeah, did Jake not tell you anything about us?"
" 'Us'? Is Lee also here? He didn't say anything to me"
Ethel's expression turned a bit cold, clearly mad that Jake didn't tell her about Kana and Lee helping him out at the shop.
"Yes, Lee is downstairs helping out with the cashier."
Kana noticed the change in Ethel as she added.
"Don't be too harsh at Jake. He probably thinks of giving you a surprise."
"Hn… Where is he?"
"Oh, he's in the workshop, helping out the new kid. I'll ask someone to call him. Do you want some snacks? The omelets are the best here."
"Sure, I was planning to eat here anyway."
Kana gestured to Akiko and Adam to come closer and introduce themselves to Ethel. Ethel gave a warm smile towards them as she asked them to look after Jake.
Soon, Jake came downstairs after being called by Akiko, informing him of Ethel's arrival. He had a large grin on his face.
"Sis! You came! I was worried that you didn't make it today."
"You rascal! Why didn't you tell me that Lee and Kana are helping you out."
Jake froze on the spot. He forgot to tell her about that matter.
"Uh…I was planning on surprising you! Hehehe"
"See? I was right."
Ethel wasn't quite convinced by Jake's excuse. She caught on Jake's slight hesitation in answering.
"You… really just forgot, right?" She glared at him.
"E— eh… No no no. I really plan to surprise you!"
Kana also noticed Jake's weird behavior and sighed. 'This guy… really'
"A-anyway, Sis. What do you think about the shop? Isn't it great?"
Jake glanced at Kana after hearing her words, meeting each other's gaze.
'You should repay me for this, okay?'
'Really! Thanks a lot!'
Those were the words they caught from each other's gaze. However, Jake's relieve only lasted for a short while.
"Hm... It's really great. I wonder where this guy got the money to decorate this building…"
Ethel's sharp gaze fall onto Jake once again. However, Kana was not spared from the glare this time as they both felt the pressure. Jake tried his best to come up with an excuse and barely made it past the question.
At this time, Lee's voice came from the stairs.
"Sis! Long time no see~! *Gulp*"
Lee finally noticed the tensed atmosphere between the three and swallowed his saliva. Thoughts of regret came to him as he tried to return downstairs.
"Where are you going, Lee?"
Kana and Jake said at the exact same time while smiling. Their smile was so wide and cold at the same time, scaring Lee out of his wits.
As such, another victim was added to the very… fun(?) conversation.
*
"Be careful on your way home, Sis. I'll come home this weekend and cook you something delicious. Hehe, look forward to it."
Ethel simply nodded to Jake's words as she exited the cafeteria. Her face contained a small smile when she left. It seems that her worry was unnecessary as Jake and the other did a great job at managing the shop.
Soon, the rough day finally ended. Jake had a large smile on his face as he saw the money inside the cashier. Kana's special sale idea was very effective. He started to plan on choosing which recipe to buy.
"Good work for today. Thank you very much on staying for the whole day."
The others were looking very tired but had a large, satisfied smile on their face with the exception of Adam. He was a bit disappointed by the result of his sales.
The group went home one by one, leaving Jake alone with the Watanabe siblings. He told them to take a good rest for tomorrow's work. Jake himself stayed on the second-floor cafeteria, sitting on a chair behind the counter.
Honestly, Jake wanted to go up and rest as quickly as possible but was stopped by Sylphy's appearance.
"Master, the cafeteria must be maintained for 24 hours. At least, one of the guild members must be present on this floor."
"Can't today be an exception? I'm really tired of today's work…"
"I'm sorry… It's the rule."
Sylphy looks at her tired master and felt a bit sorry. However, she couldn't refuse the will of the system.
"Alright…"
Jake dragged his tired body to the counter and rested his head on the table, trying to get a little rest. Fortunately, Sylphy didn't raise a complaint. The lit room was, once again, filled with silence.
"Master, please wake up. There's a customer entering the cafeteria."
Jake lifted his head up, still feeling drowsy. The first action he did was to check for the time. The shorthand of the clock was pointing towards the number 3 on the clock.
'Who the hell came at this hour…?'
The drowsiness made Jake feel a bit pissed at the unwelcomed customer. However, it was soon replaced by surprise and interest.
The person who visited the cafeteria was a small girl. Her tiny figure made the door look a lot larger than it was supposed to be. The thing that interest Jake was the prideful expression on the girl's face.
Jake checked the entrance for a potential figure who might come to accompany the small girl but failed to see any. It seems that this girl came on her own.
"Hello there, what would you like to eat? As of now, we only have a <Fluffy Omelet> for sale."
"Then I'll have that… and a glass of water."
"Okay, please wait a moment."
The girl scanned the entire cafeteria with a quick glance and picked a seat at the kitchen's bar, watching Jake prepare her order patiently.
"Here's your order, a plate of <Fluffy Omelet>"
"Um… Thank you."
The small girl took the spoon, provided by Jake, and swallowed a mouthful of omelet. The first bite was all it took for her to continue eating the omelet with delightful expression.
Jake returned to his seat and look at the small girl with interest. Her condition was actually a lot worse than Kazuko and Akiko when they first met. Her clothes were damaged by some kind of explosion as Jake could see a burnt mark accompanying a small hole.
The tiny face of the little girl also showed a great sign of fatigue. However, Jake felt some kind of pressure surrounding the girl. It was the most definitive proof that the girl was not simple.
"Thank you for the meal."
The girl turned her attention toward Jake as she took a sip of her water.
"Are you the boss here?"
"What a tiring day"Jake sat on his bed as he thought about today's event, especially the matter about Kazuko and Akiko. In the end, he accepted them as a guild member and worker for his shop. As for the matter of master and disciple, he told them that he could only give them some pointers for the sake of his shop.Fortunately, the duo didn't make things any more awkward for him and accepted the conditions. They went through the membership procedure and was prepared to go out of the shop. However, Jake stopped them."Do you have anywhere to stay?"The siblings turned around, sorrow filled their eyes as they shook their heads. They were not surprised since they didn't fill in their address in the application form. It was only a matter of time before Jake found out that they were homeless."Come inside, I have an empty room upstairs. It was supposed to be my sister's room if she ever decided to move here, but you can stay there for the time being. I hope you don't mind sharing the room."The siblings glanced at each other. Tears started forming from the corner of their eyes as they nodded their heads and bowed in gratitude."Thank you, Master!"Jake noticed their expression and gave a bitter smile. Luckily, he turned around to not let the siblings notice it. An unpleasant thought sprawled out of his head. He imagined them to be him and his sister if their mother abandoned them. He quickly shook his head to dismiss the thoughts.Jake decided to call it a day.*Morning came, Jake woke up feeling in great spirits. It was finally the grand opening of his shop. He opened the door to his room and was greeted by the Watanabes."Good morning, Master.""Good morning, Master."Jake was a bit speechless at the way they addressed him. He almost forgot about their existence due to the opening.Soon, a smile was formed on his face. The siblings were standing with a huge smile on their face, totally different from his first encounter. They also changed their clothes, giving them a fresh look. The clothes came as a package with the buildings."Yeah, good morning. Have you guys eaten?""Um we don't know how to cook.""Oh right, I'll cook us some breakfast. Just sit tight on the dining room."Jake checked the clock as he entered the kitchen. He still had some time before the others came for the opening. They must be surprised to see Kazuko and Akiko inside the shop.Jake moved out of habit and took some eggs from within the fridge. Soon, he realized something and felt a bit embarrassed. It feels a bit bad to give them another portion of omelet. In the end, he put back the eggs and decided to order a delivery for today."Um I've ordered some breakfast from the nearby dinner. Let's go down and prepare for the day Hahaha"Although confused as to what changed Jake's mind, Kazuko and Akiko followed him downstairs. The trio started their preparation for the day while waiting for their breakfast to arrive.Soon, they finished their preparation and breakfast. The first one to arrived was Kana and Mari, followed by Adam and then finally, Lee. They were surprised to see two new faces within the crowd."Hello, my name is Watanabe Kazuko. I am the future Alchemy King.""Hello, my name is Watanabe Akiko. I am the newly hired tailor and waitress."It was Jake's decision to let Akiko help out with the cafeteria since he still didn't have any tailoring recipes and equipment yet.The two blended in quite nicely with the group. At first, it felt a bit awkward due to the age gap between them. However, Mari managed to salvage the situation with her cheerful personality. It was a great sight for Jake."So? What are we waiting for? Let's open the shop. We will have a special price, 50% off for all product for the first week."The shop was officially opened and the group started to move to their own position. Lee and Mari moved to the first floor, tending to the shop. While Akiko and Adam were on standby on the second floor.Adam had an awkward smile on his face due to a certain problem. Jake only put on one recipe on the menu, the Fluffy Omelet. He felt that it was weird and raised a question to Jake but only received a vague answer and an awkward laugh. As such, he decided to just do his job. More importantly, he felt a bit happy to be with Kana on the second floor, although not talking with him.Kazuko was waiting for Jake inside the workshop to learn more about alchemy. However, he didn't do nothing and was concocting some Basic Mana Potion, the only recipe Jake taught him last night. He could complete the process without flaw after the third attempt, which astounded Jake. Since it was late, Jake decided to teach him the rest of the recipe today.Jake and Kana were talking on the second floor, trying to plan the future of the shop. However, as expected, he needed money, a lot of it, to continue with the development of the shop. The variety inside his shop was his main problem.Sylphy didn't allow him to sell any other product that he hasn't mastered. She claimed that it was the system's ironclad rule and must be kept no matter what."The plan is great, but I need some time before implementing it. I guess we can only hope for the best.""Yeah, I really hope we sell something today."Kana was honestly worried about this. For some reason, Jake insisted on selling the product for more than their market price, which placed some pressure to her. She could only come up with a special discount as a way to attract the customer. If it failed, she planned to play the Buy 2 get 1 policy."Trust me, we will."The confidence in Jake's words managed to ease Kana's worries a little.The time moved slowly for Kana as she used her laptop to browse the internet at the corner of the second floor. She bought a portion of omelet and some drinks as a form of support for Jake. The screen of the laptop showed multiple windows, which were changed occasionally. Sometimes, Kana read something and frown or smiled.The only reassuring voice was the sound of customers, coming from downstairs to confirm their purchase. It seems that her strategy worked quite well. In comparison to the first floor, the second floor was more or less empty due to the lack of variety on the menu. It saddened Adam and Akiko a little.Jake, on the other hand, was busy teaching Kazuko to concoct the potions while making some Short Dagger for the shop.CLING CLANGThe bell to the second floor rang, filling the whole room. Taking the attention of the bored Akiko. She turned her head and saw a beautiful woman, standing at the entrance of the cafeteria."Welcome, how many tables would you like?"The woman was about to say something when Kana shouted from the corner."Sis! Over here! I'm glad you came"The person who entered was Jake's sister, Ethel. She had a stunned look on her face when she was called out by Kana. Akiko didn't know the relationship between Kana and Ethel as she retreated to her seat."Kana? You're here?""Yeah, did Jake not tell you anything about us?"" 'Us'? Is Lee also here? He didn't say anything to me"Ethel's expression turned a bit cold, clearly mad that Jake didn't tell her about Kana and Lee helping him out at the shop."Yes, Lee is downstairs helping out with the cashier."Kana noticed the change in Ethel as she added."Don't be too harsh at Jake. He probably thinks of giving you a surprise.""Hn Where is he?""Oh, he's in the workshop, helping out the new kid. I'll ask someone to call him. Do you want some snacks? The omelets are the best here.""Sure, I was planning to eat here anyway."Kana gestured to Akiko and Adam to come closer and introduce themselves to Ethel. Ethel gave a warm smile towards them as she asked them to look after Jake.Soon, Jake came downstairs after being called by Akiko, informing him of Ethel's arrival. He had a large grin on his face."Sis! You came! I was worried that you didn't make it today.""You rascal! Why didn't you tell me that Lee and Kana are helping you out."Jake froze on the spot. He forgot to tell her about that matter."UhI was planning on surprising you! Hehehe""See? I was right."Ethel wasn't quite convinced by Jake's excuse. She caught on Jake's slight hesitation in answering."You really just forgot, right?" She glared at him."E eh No no no. I really plan to surprise you!"Kana also noticed Jake's weird behavior and sighed. 'This guy really'"A-anyway, Sis. What do you think about the shop? Isn't it great?"Jake glanced at Kana after hearing her words, meeting each other's gaze.'You should repay me for this, okay?''Really! Thanks a lot!'Those were the words they caught from each other's gaze. However, Jake's relieve only lasted for a short while."Hm... It's really great. I wonder where this guy got the money to decorate this building"Ethel's sharp gaze fall onto Jake once again. However, Kana was not spared from the glare this time as they both felt the pressure. Jake tried his best to come up with an excuse and barely made it past the question.At this time, Lee's voice came from the stairs."Sis! Long time no see~! *Gulp*"Lee finally noticed the tensed atmosphere between the three and swallowed his saliva. Thoughts of regret came to him as he tried to return downstairs."Where are you going, Lee?"Kana and Jake said at the exact same time while smiling. Their smile was so wide and cold at the same time, scaring Lee out of his wits.As such, another victim was added to the very fun? conversation.*"Be careful on your way home, Sis. I'll come home this weekend and cook you something delicious. Hehe, look forward to it."Ethel simply nodded to Jake's words as she exited the cafeteria. Her face contained a small smile when she left. It seems that her worry was unnecessary as Jake and the other did a great job at managing the shop.Soon, the rough day finally ended. Jake had a large smile on his face as he saw the money inside the cashier. Kana's special sale idea was very effective. He started to plan on choosing which recipe to buy."Good work for today. Thank you very much on staying for the whole day."The others were looking very tired but had a large, satisfied smile on their face with the exception of Adam. He was a bit disappointed by the result of his sales.The group went home one by one, leaving Jake alone with the Watanabe siblings. He told them to take a good rest for tomorrow's work. Jake himself stayed on the second-floor cafeteria, sitting on a chair behind the counter.Honestly, Jake wanted to go up and rest as quickly as possible but was stopped by Sylphy's appearance."Master, the cafeteria must be maintained for 24 hours. At least, one of the guild members must be present on this floor.""Can't today be an exception? I'm really tired of today's work""I'm sorry It's the rule."Sylphy looks at her tired master and felt a bit sorry. However, she couldn't refuse the will of the system."Alright"Jake dragged his tired body to the counter and rested his head on the table, trying to get a little rest. Fortunately, Sylphy didn't raise a complaint. The lit room was, once again, filled with silence."Master, please wake up. There's a customer entering the cafeteria."Jake lifted his head up, still feeling drowsy. The first action he did was to check for the time. The shorthand of the clock was pointing towards the number 3 on the clock.'Who the hell came at this hour?'The drowsiness made Jake feel a bit pissed at the unwelcomed customer. However, it was soon replaced by surprise and interest.The person who visited the cafeteria was a small girl. Her tiny figure made the door look a lot larger than it was supposed to be. The thing that interest Jake was the prideful expression on the girl's face.Jake checked the entrance for a potential figure who might come to accompany the small girl but failed to see any. It seems that this girl came on her own."Hello there, what would you like to eat? As of now, we only have a Fluffy Omelet for sale.""Then I'll have that and a glass of water.""Okay, please wait a moment."The girl scanned the entire cafeteria with a quick glance and picked a seat at the kitchen's bar, watching Jake prepare her order patiently."Here's your order, a plate of Fluffy Omelet""Um Thank you."The small girl took the spoon, provided by Jake, and swallowed a mouthful of omelet. The first bite was all it took for her to continue eating the omelet with delightful expression.Jake returned to his seat and look at the small girl with interest. Her condition was actually a lot worse than Kazuko and Akiko when they first met. Her clothes were damaged by some kind of explosion as Jake could see a burnt mark accompanying a small hole.The tiny face of the little girl also showed a great sign of fatigue. However, Jake felt some kind of pressure surrounding the girl. It was the most definitive proof that the girl was not simple."Thank you for the meal."The girl turned her attention toward Jake as she took a sip of her water."Are you the boss here?"
