Chapter 21: Fried Rice

Chapter 21:
Fried Rice

The Red Queen raised her face from the now-empty pot of beef stew that she had spent the entire day enjoying from atop her blisteringly hot, golden bed.

Hm?

In the back of her mind, she saw the image of a demon living in a human city. It was a female with golden blonde hair and two black horns. The Red Queen had no memory of such a creature.

Unlike White, who bred and took care of hundreds of thousands of humans, or Black, who was the weakest of the six ancient dragons but smart and skilled in controlling magical energies, the Red Queen had trouble discerning the differences between the humanoid races. All she knew for sure was that the creatures with long, pointy ears were crafty little bastards.

I see.

Nonetheless, the reason the female appeared in the Red Queen’s mind was because she had something to do with the thing the Red Queen treasured most.

When the Red Queen first visited that mysterious place and partook of the beef stew, she loved it so much that she cast the same spell on the Restaurant to Another World and its master as she had on her own personal treasures. It was a powerful spell indeed. This magic allowed the Red Queen to see any and all beings who encountered her treasure, regardless of whether they were from this world or the other. Should they do anything to endanger her property, they would be on the receiving end of her rage and vengeance.

Years ago, a human who possessed the power of a god (the result of White dispersing their blood throughout the world) once attempted to make the Restaurant to Another World’s master their own. At that time, the Red Queen was alerted to this danger and immediately visited the otherworldly restaurant. It was then that she formed a covenant with the other great dragons: “The six ancient dragons must never take or destroy each other’s lives or treasures.” While fatal bloodshed was avoided that day, she made sure to punish the human in question so they would never think to try something so foolish ever again.

Thanks to the Red Queen’s magic, she would be made aware of any being who stayed at the Restaurant to Another World. She could see everything.

Hm, perhaps she wandered in?

Seeing how today wasn’t the Day of Satur, the girl likely wandered into the restaurant the previous day and stayed overnight.

The magic that bound the two worlds together was complicated. It was incredibly difficult moving from the Red Queen’s world to the master’s, but returning to one’s own world was extremely simple. A person could just leave whenever they wanted to. This was something the Red Queen had learned from the human who worked to connect the two worlds together once upon a time, long before she first visited the Restaurant to Another World.

In that case, I could do with a bit of a stroll.

Now that she understood what was going on and had also finished her helping of beef stew, the Red Queen had some free time on her hands. She spread her massive wings and let out a bellowing roar. Her trusty balrog butler immediately came to her, and she briefly informed him of her plans.

I’m going out for a bit. Fear not. I’m only taking a look.

The Red Queen flew off into the sky.

***

It was Sunday morning, just after the master had fed the young, horned girl who wandered into the restaurant on Saturday night. The master decided to prep for the next week of work.

Normally, Sundays were the one day of the week in which the master could relax, especially because of special business days. He was unmarried, which meant he was fairly laid back most of the time. On Sundays, he’d take the opportunity to check out highly reviewed restaurants for both work and pleasure or spend time on the third floor testing out new recipes and dishes. He was rarely in the basement.

But today was different. The master decided to spend his entire Sunday in Nekoya. He was going to use this time to help train his brand-new hire.

The young woman apparently had experience working as a waitress, but things in the other world were probably different than they were here. He’d have to teach her the ins and outs of the job, just to be sure.

“So today I’m gonna have you learn everything you need to know about the job. You’ll be getting paid for today, so make sure you pay attention.”

It appeared as though Aletta didn’t expect to be paid for this time period. After looking positively shocked, she replied in a loud voice, “Huh? O-oh, okay! I’ll do my best!”

The master broke into a smile after hearing the young woman’s response. “Excellent answer. Now, let’s see. First…” He looked her up and down and quickly decided on the first order of business.

“First thing’s first. I’ll show you how to use it, so how about taking a shower and washing yourself off? After that, I’ll get you some fresh clothes and shoes.”

While the master understood that Aletta was from the other world, it still didn’t quite explain how dirty and tattered her clothes were. They were unbefitting of a young woman her age. If she was going to work as a waitress at Nekoya, her outfit simply would not do. That’s why the first order of business was to get her cleaned up.

Things got busy from there on out. While Aletta bashfully cleaned herself off in the shower, the master had to go about readying her uniform.

I have no clue what her shoe size is… For now, I’ll just roll with twenty-four centimeters, I guess. Ah, crap. She probably doesn’t have underwear, does she?

The master quickly made his way out the back exit and dropped by the closest convenience store in the area. He grabbed the cheapest stuff he could find, went back to Nekoya, and passed her the goods through the door. It ultimately took about two hours to get everything ready for Aletta.

“U-um, I’m finished changing…” she said.

Aletta emerged in her uniform, her cheeks still red from the hot shower, but her body clean and her hair nice and dry.

She wore a short-sleeved white blouse and a black vest over the white underwear the master bought for her, and a black flared skirt that rested just above her knees. Over that she wore a white apron with a black cat appliqued on it. Completing the look were a pair of white socks and black shoes.

Nekoya’s uniform was traditionally black and white, which went quite nicely with Aletta’s red hair tie and thick blonde hair. Even her tiny black horns, proof she was a demon, looked like strange but charming hair decorations. He had to admit, she was adorable.

“H-how do I look?” she asked.

Due to her poor lifestyle, Aletta was thinner than most. She’d never worn clothes like this before, never mind those from another world. This was the very first time in the young demon girl’s life that she had ever worn completely fresh, clean clothes, and she felt both bad for it and slightly embarrassed. Her eyes quivered in fear as she sought the master’s opinion. Her cheeks were red, the rest of her face turning pale from a mix of terror and nervousness.

As a man running a business, the master made sure to carefully inspect the young woman’s appearance to confirm that she’d be all right to be out in front of customers. He nodded affirmatively.

Everything looked in order. Whether she’d be able to do the work properly or not was a different problem altogether, but she looked as respectable as any of his regular student part-timers. He’d have to teach her all sorts of things about waitressing, but in terms of cleanliness, she passed with flying colors.

“Perfect. You pass. How do the shoes feel? Do they fit? And did you make sure to clean yourself up real good?”

“Y-yes! The shoes also fit perfectly! I washed myself just as you instructed!” Aletta answered, her body still tense.

O-oh my gosh, what if this is the kind of place that nobles frequent?! she thought, feeling a wave of anxiety wash over her.

Even when she had worked at the inn, she never cleaned herself as thoroughly as this. Of course, she made sure to wash to prevent herself from smelling, but her old boss never had her wear a set of completely fresh clothes.

According to the master, everyone working at the restaurant had to make sure to keep themselves clean. If anyone were to bring filth or sickness into Nekoya, they could potentially pass it along to the customers, which would be a big problem. For someone like Aletta, who could barely find food to eat in the capital, never mind clean herself, perhaps it was inevitable that the master would find her too dirty. He ordered her to use the magic tool in the other room to clean herself, and even taught her how to use it.

Of course, Aletta knew how to wash with regular water. But this being another world and all, there were all sorts of bizarre magical tools she’d never seen before. The master explained how to use most of them, but it still took some time before she would do so herself.

There was something called a “shower room” with a strange device that rained down hot water. Apparently, it was a tool specifically designed for cleaning one’s body. The master taught her how to use it and gave her permission to use the “shampoo” and “body soap” in the room to clean her body and hair. They were both scented oils of some kind that Aletta had never used before. She used a strange towel to spread the oil across her body, stunned by the amount of suds generated by the sticky fluid. Even the most expensive of bar soaps didn’t bubble like this.

Aletta was embarrassed to find that she was much filthier than she realized. She washed herself under the hot water until there wasn’t a speck of dirt left on her. She was stunned as she looked at her own beautiful skin and shiny hair. It was almost as if she were looking at a different person entirely.

Next, the young demon girl used the towel the master prepared for her to dry her body off and moved on to the strange magic tool that spit out hot air to dry her golden blonde hair. Aletta’s dirty clothes were tossed into a device that could automatically clean them (they’d apparently be ready by nightfall). Meanwhile, she put on the strange, stretchy, white underwear the master bought for her, and then slipped on the somewhat suggestive waitress uniform.

It was now time for her to learn the ropes.

“All right. That’s enough cleaning up for now. On to the next matter at hand,” said the master, having concluded that it was about time to teach his new otherworldly worker how to do her job. “Let’s see. I’m thinking of teaching you all sorts of stuff, but…can you read?”

“Huh…? Um, I… I’m sorry…” Aletta lowered her head as she replied.

In her hometown, the only ones privileged enough to be taught how to read and write were the elder’s son and the priest’s children. Most of the other children were too busy battling day-to-day life and didn’t have the free time necessary to devote to studying. It went without saying that Aletta was in the latter group.

“Hm, well, I was gonna have you carry out food and take orders from the customers. You think you’ll be okay?”

“Yes! I most definitely will! I can remember ten orders, even twenty if you need me to!” Aletta loudly responded to the master’s question.

If nothing else, Aletta was confident in her ability to remember things. Not being able to read was a normal thing at the inn she used to work at, so having the ability to memorize a customer’s orders was an absolute necessity.

“All right, if you say so.”

The master knew this issue was going to pop up, but after seeing how determined the young woman was, decided to move forward without worrying too much about it.

“Then first, before we even talk about taking orders, let’s start with the cleaning. Before the restaurant opens and right after it closes, we have to make sure there’s no food on the floor. And since we’re doing this now, we may as well clean the places we normally don’t,” said the master.

“You got it!” Aletta nodded her head in response.

“Aye. That’s what I like to hear.” The master couldn’t help but smile in response, and the two began their first day of work together.

***

“Phew, that about wraps things up.”

Aletta finally finished cleaning, more exhausted than usual. Part of this could be blamed on the fact that there was no way to tell what time it was in the basement. It certainly didn’t help that she was still nervous about the whole job thing.

The master gave her a special rag just for cleaning the walls and floor, as well as a special liquid of some kind specifically for getting grime off surfaces. Aletta was amazed by how simple it was; she simply applied the liquid to the cloth and ran it over the dirty spots. She would then go back over it again with a separate, cleaner cloth, and just like that, no more stains. After wrapping that up, the master instructed her to clean the rooms outside of the dining hall and kitchen. These were places like the staff changing room that weren’t usually cleaned all that often. Aletta did her best to make the place nice and sparkly while also learning the layout of the restaurant.

After all that hard work, Aletta’s stomach was once again empty. She smiled happily, rubbing it through her uniform. “Mm… I’m definitely hungry,” she said.

The master had informed her that once she wrapped things up, they’d be taking a break for breakfast.

“Um, Master? I’m finished!” Aletta reported to the older man in the kitchen.

“Good work. Once we finish eating, I’m gonna teach you all about how to interact with customers. But first, go wash those hands of yours.” The master was standing in front of a magical device of some sort, holding a large black pot as he spoke to her. The device in question could create flames without firewood. How useful!

“Okay! I can wash them here, right?”

Aletta did just as she was taught, standing in front of the faucet and turning the golden handle to get the water running. After wetting her hands a bit, she applied some of the green cleaning liquid to them and rubbed them against each other, creating countless suds. She made sure to clean under her nails and the spaces between her fingers.

This other world is amazing, she thought as she rinsed her hands.

Aletta couldn’t help but think to herself about how strange this Restaurant to Another World was.

***

After that first magnificent breakfast, the master had explained the truth of Aletta’s circumstances to her. This strange place called “Western Cuisine Nekoya” was referred to by some customers as the Restaurant to Another World. The reason being that it was an eatery that existed in a world separate from the one Aletta lived in.

Once every seven days, doors connecting to the restaurant appeared across Aletta’s world. Specifically, this occurred on the Day of Satur. Inhabitants of her world used these doors to visit the restaurant.

When Aletta first heard the master’s explanation, she was surprised, but felt his explanation made sense. With all the strange contraptions and delicious food, it was only logical that this place wasn’t from her world.

I have to do my best, she thought. I’ll never find a job this good ever again!

Not only was she getting ten silver coins just for one day of work, she was even getting fed. If the previous meal was any indication, this would be nothing like the partially rotten vegetables, old soup, or hard bread she used to get from her old job.

I wonder if it’ll be anything like that amazing breakfast from earlier…

Aletta gulped. She’d had breakfast at the Restaurant to Another World earlier in the morning, and it was incredibly delicious. In fact, it was the first time in her life she’d ever eaten something that good before. Just thinking back on it was enough to make her mouth water all over again.

“Heeey, Aletta!” the master called, with impeccable timing. “It’s time to eat, so grab a seat in the dining room.”

“Okay!” she energetically responded.

“Here we go. This is today’s lunch.” He set a plate in front of her.

“Wow…” She sighed at the sight.

The dish in front of Aletta caused her eyes to sparkle. Obviously, she’d never seen the food before, so she had no clue what it tasted like, but it looked amazing nonetheless. The aroma wafting up from it was more than enough to tickle her taste buds.

The meal in question was best described as “golden.” Sitting on the large plate was a mound of small white grains dressed in egg. Its delicious smell filled the air around it, and she could see small bits of chopped meat and green vegetables mixed inside of it. Next to that dish was a small bowl filled with a brown soup of some sort and then a transparent glass filled with ice and a type of brown tea.

“It’s a rice dish,” the master said. “Is that okay with you?”

The master sat down at the same table as Aletta, placing down his own dish. He’d used the leftover rice and ingredients from Saturday, as well as the remaining wild boar meat he’d received from a hunter of the other world. While it wasn’t something he’d feel comfortable serving customers, it was the perfect dish for him and his employees.

“No problem at all! By the way, what is this called?” Aletta’s eyes sparkled.

“Ah, this is called fried rice,” the master replied, a smile on his face. He explained that it was a dish he frequently made for himself on Sundays.

When he was still in high school, he worked part-time at a local Chinese restaurant as part of his training. Even after that, he continued to polish his wok techniques. He was secretly confident in his ability to make fried rice.

“C’mon. Eat up before it gets cold. Fried rice tastes best while it’s still hot!” The master grabbed a spoon from off the table and put his hands together. “Let’s eat.”

And just like that, the older man began digging in to the fried rice in front of him.

“Oh, um… Thank you, oh god of demons, for this, my daily bread. I offer you my gratitude.”

Aletta followed in the master’s stead, offering a quick prayer before beginning her journey into the golden hills of deliciousness in front of her. She dug her spoon into the mountain of fried rice and brought some up to her mouth.

And then there was silence. The two coworkers quietly continued eating.

Th-this is delicious!

Those three words were the only things to pop into the young demon’s head. She continued filling her mouth with the hot fried rice, letting none of its warmth escape.

Aletta had never eaten a rice-based dish before. Its flavor utterly charmed her. The grains of rice had absorbed the flavors of the aromatic grease, sweet and sour meat that still had a touch of its gamey taste, and the uniquely sweet vegetables. All these combined to make the rice taste incredible.

Each spoonful unraveled in her mouth, its savory quality exploding as though it were dancing across her tongue. Every bite she took only brought out its flavor even further. And then there was the golden egg that gently wrapped itself around that flavor, bringing together the entire dish.

Meat, vegetables, rice, and eggs. Every spoonful was an absolute delight.

Her hand wouldn’t stop. She would swallow down some fried rice, occasionally stop to take a sip of her soup, and then wash it all down with cold tea. Despite how well she’d eaten that morning, she could feel her now-empty stomach filling up all over again.

Aletta spent her lunch time quietly eating her fried rice alongside the master. The young demon finished her meal, and just as she washed it all down with some cold tea, she let out the simplest of opinions on the dish.

“Wow… That really was amazing!”

They were simple words, but they came from the bottom of her heart. That much was clear.

“Really? Well I’m dang glad to hear that.” As far as the master was concerned, having a young lady such as Aletta say something like that felt pretty good. He flashed her a smile.

“All right. Once you’ve finished resting for a little bit, we can start your afternoon training. First thing’s gonna be…handling the dishes.”

“Okay!” Aletta answered, her eyes filled with determination.

***

That night…

“Ahh… That was delicious.”

How to handle the plates, the best way to carry food to customers, how to hand over menus, and even what words to use. Aletta learned all manner of things from the master, and after finally going over all there was to go over, it was dinnertime. This time, it was a dish of meat fried in breadcrumbs.

“That minced meat cutlet stuff was wonderful…” Aletta simply let herself stew in the aftertaste of the dish while she waited for the master to return from the back.

She was stunned when she found out she’d be getting paid for today’s job training. The idea of getting paid to learn seemed bonkers. In fact, it almost seemed too good to be true. Part of her wondered if maybe she was being tricked.

“Yo, sorry for the wait.” And then the master returned, bag in hand.

“N-no, not at all! Thank you very much!”

Aletta abruptly stood up and bowed deeply to the master, an expression of gratitude that he had taught her earlier in the day. No matter how much she thanked the man, it would never be enough.

“Now, now,” he said, waving it off. “No need to get all stiff on me. Here, this is today’s pay. If I remember correctly, you wanted three silver coins’ worth to be in copper, yeah?”

“That’s right! Thank you very much!” Aletta’s tone was light compared to the heavy bag the master handed her. Her stomach was full and her body warm. The horned demon girl couldn’t have been happier.

“All right then, be careful now. I’ll see you next week! Remember, the morning six days from now.”

“Okay!”

The master watched the young woman as she passed through the door and back into the slums of the capital. The black door shut behind her and vanished.

Wow… she thought. So that really was another world.

Seeing the door vanish behind her hammered in just how mysterious the past day had been. But while the door may have disappeared, she knew it was real and not a dream. She had proof.

She was still wearing the brand-new uniform the master gave her, while in her hands she held her old battered clothes, now cleaner than they had ever been. Even her hair was still tied up neatly with the mysterious, stretchy string he gave her. In her pouch were seven silver coins and thirty copper coins. Just as promised, the master paid her a grand total of ten silver coins. If her experience had been a dream, she wouldn’t have any of this.

Ah, that’s right. I have to be careful.

Aletta immediately took the silver coins out of the pouch and began hiding them in her clothes and shoes. She was alone here in the capital, but she had long since learned how to live in the slums. She laid out her rough blanket and thought about the day’s happenings while getting ready for bed.

Today sure was incredible…

She’d been treated to not one, not two, but three wonderful meals in a single day. She even got paid more money than she’d ever received in her entire life. Her life up until yesterday seemed like a strange dream.

“I’ll have to work even harder starting tomorrow.”

Overwhelmed with exhaustion from such a fulfilling but tiring day, Aletta wrapped herself up in her old blanket.

Starting tomorrow, I’m gonna start looking for more work… If possible, something other than waitressing.

After having such an incredible experience in the other world, she couldn’t imagine herself being able to go back to waitressing in the capital again. It’d probably just be terribly disappointing by comparison.

As those thoughts raced through her mind, Aletta quietly drifted off to sleep, her soft breathing the only sound audible in the old ruins…

***

The young demon had no way of knowing. She had no way of knowing that the Restaurant to Another World had a special protective spell cast over it by a certain regular customer.

Aletta had no way of knowing that this specific spell would alert that regular customer whenever something happened to her treasured restaurant. No way of knowing that through the contract she made with the master, the girl was now considered a part of that treasure.

***

Three days later, the capital was faced with an unprecedented incident. Moving like some sort of massive, living castle, the great crimson dragon of legend crossed through the sky directly above the capital. Legend had it that on the day the great beast showed itself to the world, it would mean the destruction of the country. The great dragon would burn the nation to the ground.

The king, nobles, knights, and sorcerers fell into panic for a time. (Among them, only the legendary sage, Altorius, remained calm. “She’s not going to do anything. She’s just here to look is all,” he said, calm as always.)

Fortunately for all, the great dragon simply cut across the sky. It launched no attacks against the Kingdom, and by nightfall, calm had settled throughout the city. Things eventually went back to normal. Not a single person had noticed what happened.

As the great dragon cut across the sky, it glanced down at a weak demon girl, who stared up at the sky in return.