Legend

"Oh, look, Ray, you. Let's just drop by the other store."

Instead of an apology for making a scene in front of the store, Ray and Kenny were walking around the city after a little shopping at the trinket store.

Everyone would think it was a date if they saw Kenny walking with a laugh of fun.

It is also a time of many returnees to work, and many of them turn their jealous gaze to Ray, who is dating beauties like Kenny.

We're tired of doing our job, but we're dating... that kind of gaze.

But Kenny doesn't have to worry about what's going on around him. When he walks into various stores with Ray, he goes shopping.

Ray, the adventurer, and Kenny, the guild's receptionist.

There are a lot of contacts, but for some reason, Ray is often busy, and there's not much Kenny can date Ray.

Or a lot of things like Kenny being busy as a receptionist even when Ray is free......

In that sense, I guess it was a delightful miscalculation for Kenny that the two of us accidentally had free time together today.

For this reason, it shows how it has become more difficult than usual.

"Is the restaurant for the meal good? We talked about a hidden shop, but still, when the store was full..."

"Um, yeah.... If it's true, Ray, I wanted to take a look around a little bit more with you. So it's time to go."

It was Kenny who thought only a little about Ray's words, but you got a little worried about the amount of people in the street, so I return the words.

That's how Ray walks around the city to be guided by Kenny.

Kenny enters a narrow path from the boulevard.

(I've been here a few times, did you have a store like that? No, I guess it's a hide-and-seek store because it's hard to find)

He was Ray watching what was going on around him, but Kenny smiles funny at how Ray looked like that.

"You didn't think there was a store like that around here, did you?... there it is."

A few minutes down the narrow road, Kenny shows one building.

It doesn't look like a normal house, especially since there's a sign that it's a dining room.

But following Kenny's gaze, there was no doubt that the building was the intended store.

(I meant a hide-and-seek shop, but if you haven't put out signs like this, you don't know at first glance how few customers. You mean you need someone to introduce you or something to get into this store? Or can you get in if you know this is the store, even without an introduction or something)

Ray had also seen several times that when he was in Japan, he could not enter a restaurant without introductions such as comics and cartoons.

I decided that this was probably the same kind of store, and went after Kenny as he... walked inside the building.

"Welcome"

As soon as we get inside the building, that's what we can call it.

What I've been hearing is a woman sitting on the counter, feeling calm.

He looked as neat as Kenny.

Most of all, the person who has spoken up has a quiet personality, and if you ask him which he prefers to Kenny, who has an active personality, I guess that depends on the person's taste.

"Good evening. Is the room empty?

"Yes. Are you two today?

"Yes."

"Okay."

Kenny and the woman interact in short words, but it seemed to Ray that we were communicating enough with each other.

No, I guess there's no problem with the willingness to communicate more than you haven't actually done anything like ask back or anything in particular.

When a woman rings the bell she had at hand, one woman in maid clothes shows up from the back of the building.

"Welcome, Master Kenny, Master Ray"

The maid does not particularly introduce herself, but nevertheless calls Ray's name without any particular confusion.

Most importantly, Ray is only a celebrity known to many in the Guild, and now he's also taking off his dragon robe hood, and he can make sure of his face.

I guess that's why I figured it out as soon as I saw Ray like this.

... Or maybe it's because I don't have to know Ray's face because he's with Kenny, so I expected it.

"I'll show you to your room"

"Thanks. Let's go, Ray."

Ray goes inside the building as the maid and Kenny invite him.

I didn't think it was that big of a building when I saw it from the outside, but when I walked around, I could see it had that much size - only compared to the outside look.

And the room was built at some distance, and soundproofing was solid enough that I could finally hear some voices in Ray's ear even as I passed in front of the room.

(Hidden, huh)

It was also easy for Ray to understand that some famous people would probably use this store when eating slowly, drinking alcohol, or having meetings that people didn't really want to see.

Ray doesn't care that much for attention from around him, but some people will find that annoying.

If they are, it is not strange to treasure this store.

(Well, if people really have power or something like that, I guess there's a better place than this)

The hallways and walls are also painted so that the user can calm down, but in the end this is only a short distance from the main street.

"This way, please."

The maid stops in front of one room and opens the door.

It's not like there's anything special in the room.

I had some hobby furniture, and some spring flowers were decorated on the table, but if you ask me, that's all.

Still feeling something strange and calming is probably a lot of concern in details that Ray doesn't understand.

"What do you do if you cook?

"Um, yeah. Ray, you can be light, right?

"Well, dinner's waiting for you later."

To Ray, who told him so, the maid only gives him a strange look for a moment.

This restaurant is classified as a restaurant, but after you come to this restaurant, you eat again? That's what I thought.

Most people who use this store will never have a reason to do so.

There was nothing more like a maid saying something against Ray than that.

"Well, please have a light dish appropriately"

"What shall we do with the drinks?

"Right. If you have any delicious alcohol, please. Ray, what about you?

"Tea...... no, that way if you have fruit water"

Spring means that temperatures are gradually rising.

Sometimes I sweat at noon, and fruit water kinds were recently put up for sale.

... Most of them are warm fruit water because it is necessary to use magic items or magic to prepare cold fruit water.

And magic items were expensive, and magic items for cooling were expensive substitutes.

Still, a little bit of people sell fruit water in the street... No, Ray's word for judging that it's not strange to have a store like this, beyond being priced to the point of being able to buy it if it's quite impossible.

"Yes, I did. Okay, just a moment."

The maid bows her head and leaves the room.

That's how Kenny proudly opens his mouth to Ray when we're alone in the room.

"What do you say? Pretty good store, huh?

"Right. I don't know what makes this room different from a normal room, but it feels like it's gonna calm down somewhere."

Kenny gives a slightly surprising look as to whether Ray's words were surprising.

"Huh? He said he doesn't know what's different... and he's pretty concerned about the interior of the room, too, right? Look, maybe with that wallpaper over there."

Even if they said that and looked at the walls, the wallpaper there was certainly something I hadn't seen much of, but I don't know exactly how it would be different from a regular wallpaper if I tried it on the lay.

"I know it's not like a normal wallpaper... is it that good stuff?

"Um... Ray, you have no complaints about magic items or weapons eyewitness, so I wonder why this is not a good idea.... okay? That wallpaper, too, this table, chairs, that and the couch over there. It's not all that easy for normal people to buy."

"... I see"

That's what they say, and Ray looks around the room again.

Nevertheless, while returning that to Kenny, Ray didn't think the furniture placed here was that special.

That's also true that Ray doesn't have the knowledge of that hand, but other than that, usually sleeping in a dusk wheat pavilion classified as a luxury inn, or eating dinner is a marina mansion in the aristocratic district. Such reasons are greater.

I mean, Ray usually sees a lot of what he calls fancy furniture before he even knows it.

"Excuse me. I brought you food."

When they knock and give permission for Kenny to come in, the earlier maid returns.

No, besides the maids earlier, there were many maids there with dishes.

Every maid has an appetite-stimulating smell from the plate.

Also, the dishes served beautifully, not just with appetite, were enough to entertain them with the eyes.

When Kenny is light, there are a lot of small amounts of dishes that he used to say, or the dishes are more like enjoying a little bit of flavor than being full.

Most importantly, because of the large number of items, even if one dish was small, it would not be strange to get a full stomach if you ate all of them.

Did you adjust around here at the store that you know Ray is a big eater, or is this normal?

Ray didn't even know that there, but the fact that many dishes of cooking were arranged in front of him was definitely something to welcome for Ray as well.

"Let's eat. The food in the corner doesn't get cold."

After confirming that the maid has left, Ray and Kenny start eating.

… Before that, Ray remembered to hold each glass of wine and toast the cold fruit water.

"Cheers"

Whether the glass is also a commensurately good one, the pleasant sounds echo around you when you hit each other lightly.

Ray moisturizes his throat with fruit water, enjoying the remnants of that sound still in his ear.

As expected, the fruit water was properly cold.

Is it a magic item or are you hiring a wizard? Ray didn't even know about that area, but he's still cold enough to moisten his throat.

Slight sweetness and quite strong acidity.

Ordinary fruit water would give preference to sweetness over acidity.

However, Ray preferred this one, which has a strong acidity.

(Is this what fruit water in this store was originally like, or did you know my taste and match it that way... which one is it?)

With that question in mind, Ray enjoys cooking quickly.

The first dish I ate was a dish seasoned with a sauce made with sour fruit after steaming oak meat.

Similar dishes have been eaten by Ray many times before.

But that dish, served in a bite size, also had a slight spiciness in the acidity, which was the accent and made me want to eat a little more.

Still, I just have to carry my next dish to my mouth with a slight shortage, beyond the fact that it's only available in one bite size.

"The cook at this shop used to work at some duke's house."

"... I see. Is that why you get such delicious food? But isn't it unusual for a cook who worked in a place like that to cook all over the city?

When it comes to the Duke, he is the highest among the titles of nobility, second only to the royalty.

So it didn't seem like Ray would honestly snort if people hired were also naturally highly prided and asked if they would do a cook in shops all over the city.

"Um, normally, yes, but I hear that cook was a pretty weird guy, huh? Rumor has it, the aristocratic kid made a dish he wanted to eat, and he left it behind."

"Is that why you stopped being a cook? But it's not uncommon or irrelevant for a nobleman to leave food behind, is it?

"Yeah. The cook forced the kid to eat the dish, so he pissed the duke off and got his neck."

"It's..."

That's all Ray could return to the unexpected words out of Kenny's mouth.

Should I be happy to imitate forcing my aristocratic children to eat the dishes and just be necked, or should I be surprised that I abandoned so lightly my position as a Duke's cook?

Anyway, Ray and Kenny enjoyed their meals while talking about cooks like that.