After preparing the burgers, Letty and I leave the inn for the market.
The sun had just risen over the city of Lubera, and it was still a little dim. Even the usually busy main street is sparsely populated.
But it's nice to be able to walk leisurely through the streets that are usually crowded with people.
I really wanted to sleep a little longer, but it's not so bad to be able to walk around the city like this once in a while.
What's wrong? Not Tori and Letty.'
As I was looking around feeling the cool morning air, a familiar voice called out to me.
I turned my head and saw Natalia.
She was wearing a woven robe over her shoulders and a dress that emphasized her bosom underneath. Her whole body was full of color, and she seemed to be floating a little on this waking morning.
Next to Natalia is a woman with a bright dress and pink hair. Unlike Natalia, this woman is not bewitching, but rather pretty.
She must be a colleague of Natalia's, since there is a big guard who always comes to pick her up.
Good morning, Natalia.
'Did you come home from work today?'
'Yes, I am. I just finished and I'm on my way home now.
Natalia answered, and then she looked sleepy, clamping her mouth shut and sighing.
As she works at night, this is probably the most sleepy time of the day for her.
'Hey, is this the boy from the inn that Natalia is always talking about?
As I was thinking this, the woman next to Natalia came forward.
She looks at me curiously with her cat-like eyes.
What do you mean I always say that? I'm a little curious about what Natalia was saying about me.
'Yes, Tori.
'Hi.'
Natalia introduces me in passing, and I bow lightly.
'Wow, she's not at all what I imagined she'd be like. I thought he was more of a pretty boy since Natalia loves him so much.
You are a woman with a pretty face and a very clear statement.
'Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't expect that. I don't choose men by their faces like Lilith does.
'...... you both talk about me too much.
I'm not a pretty boy, I'm a pretty boy. Compared to Letty, I have a rather plain face.
I have inherited my parents' genes in my face, but I don't know why it didn't work out.
Natalia, perhaps noticing my na vet , bends down and pats my head.
It's okay. Tori's charm is not in her face.
'...... Natalia, I'm not going to fall off my rocker if you lower it like that and then comfort me, okay?'
'Oh, that's a shame.
'Amazing! She's more mature than most adults! Most guys would fall for this method!
I'm afraid of the two prostitutes who easily call this a trick.
Of course, most men would fall for such a move by two such beauties.
I think I would have fallen easily too, if Natalia hadn't been teasing me on a regular basis, or if I hadn't had the experience in my previous life.
I think I understand why Natalia likes you so much, Tori. Maybe I'll stay at your place too...' she said.
'Fine, but you're not allowed to bring men in here unannounced, are you?'
'Oh, that's no good then.
The two of them talk to each other casually, as if they were having an everyday conversation.
The conversation is a little inappropriate for the fresh morning air, so I cough to interrupt them.
'...... well, it's still morning and Letty is here too.
'Oh, I'm sorry. Letty.
'No, it's okay! I'm not such a child!
How can you say that, when you were turning red this morning just because I was teasing you?
Lettie's bravado must have been felt by Natalia and Lilith, who are smiling and laughing at her.
''So you two are going out in the morning, are you going to have hamburgers at the food stall today?
'Yeah, it's a little early, but I'm going to the market now.
'Hamburger is that breaded dish Natalia was talking about, right? The other girls said it was delicious, and I might want to try it too!
Lilith's face lights up when she hears what I'm saying.
Natalia sometimes brings her co-workers and others to the store to buy them as souvenirs, so it seems that the awareness of this product is gradually growing within the whorehouse. I'm very happy about that.
'Oh, is now a good time? Can't I take it next time?
I want it now!
Lilith, who also works at night and should be at the peak of her sleepiness right now, also insisted on starting in the morning.
'I'd love to, but I have to go to the market and prepare the food stalls, so it's not like I can do it right away, you know?
'Yes, that's fine. I'll just take a walk with Natalia and we'll be on our way! Come on, Natalia, let's take a walk.
'I can't help it! Okay, Tori. I'm going to eat later.
Lilith puts her arms around Natalia and she lets out a sigh before walking away.
The two of them walk arm in arm, talking, like sisters in a normal family.
Natalia is probably the big sister in the store.
Well, in the inn, she is the most difficult adult to deal with and she is like a younger sister.
It was interesting to see a side of Natalia that we don't see in the inn.
I was very interested to see a side of Natalia that I did not see at the inn.
After leaving Natalia, Letty and I went straight to the city.
We arrived at the reception desk without waiting in line, probably because it was earlier than usual.
We were met by the unfriendly man and processed.
'Please open a hamburger stand, please!
'...... seems to be selling pretty well.'
The market is selling out day after day, and the man in charge of the market seems to know what he's doing.
Yes, thanks to the rarity and the fact that people I know are buying them.
'............'
I respond in such a way, but he does not reply in particular and recommends me to go through the procedure.
It seemed that he was simply curious.
After paying for the place and two silver coins for renting the stall, I was given a wooden ticket to rent the stall.
Where are we going?
'That's the place where the number on the back of the wooden tag matches the number on the map.
As we pushed our way through the stalls, I looked at a map of the nearby stall area and saw that our location was at the end of the street closest to here.
Oh, it's just around the corner.
'Yes, it's good that we don't have to move around so much.
It is not easy to roll a stall with materials and equipment on it. If you are close to the city, you can get there quickly and when you return the goods, you don't have to go through the crowded stall area.
Maybe the city's uncle knew about this situation and placed them close to the city.
We roll the cart together and soon arrive at our assigned place.
We take out the cooking utensils from the crates and place them on the stalls.
There is one new item among them today.
It is a griddle.
He lights the stove embedded in the stall and places the iron plate on top of it.
Wow, that's amazing! When did you buy that?'
'With the money I've made so far. I got a nice one that's light and easy to cook.
If it's too thick, it won't be cooked well, and it's inconvenient to carry around.
Dusty and the others agreed that this was a necessary expense.
Well, the more we can make and sell, the more we can distribute to them, so in the long run, it's not a bad thing.
I guess.
With an ordinary frying pan, you can cook four patties at most, but with this pan, you can cook more than twenty at the same time. Moreover, it is possible to reheat the bread at the edge of the pan.
I would definitely prefer to have them baked on a big griddle than on a home frying pan, because they look so much better.
If you want to steam them, just put a lid on them.
Now, that's all we have to do.
Are you finished already?
They probably thought it would take a little more time to prepare. Lettie looks a little disappointed.
The good thing about hamburgers is that they're easy to make. All we have to do is wait for the customers to arrive.
We have meat and vegetables from Carlo and Hurt, and the bread Dusty gave us has been baking in the inn's stove since this morning, so it's hot.
All that's left to do now is to bake the p t in anticipation of the guests' arrival.
I hope the guests will come soon.
You're right, I'm early. We're the only ones around.
Perhaps I arrived too early, but I looked around the street and saw no stalls. We have quite a bit of time left.
However, Letty seemed to be asking for it even under such circumstances. She was waiting for us with a somewhat excited look on her face.
'......Why are you so excited?
'Because this little stall is ours and we can do what we want with it, right? Isn't it fun to think about that?''
Well, we usually work through the innkeeper's store, but here we are on our own turf.
We are free to sell whatever we want and behave however we want. It is just like having your own store.
When Letty said this, I felt I understood why she seemed to be enjoying herself more than usual.
'Well, I'd rather be a cog in the wheel and take it easy than run the store freely.
'You say that again, big brother. You can't slack off, you know.
There are times when one person's labor must be used to its fullest in order to work with a small group of people in a food stall. In that sense, working at a food stall is not quite my ideal way of working.