Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for my Retirement Vol. 2

“Man, what’s with all the noise?”

It was Mitsuha who walked out of the kitchen.

“What’s the meaning of this?!” Upon hearing Marcel’s shout, the restaurant owner’s sneer grew to Cheshire proportions.

Marcel directed his frustration toward Mitsuha. “Master!” he cried. “Why did you teach these people dishes you didn’t teach me?!”

“What was that?!”

“Hey, that was party food,” Mitsuha replied. “These dishes are for the general public. I couldn’t really teach them to you back then, could I?”

“B-But I would like to serve this to the Ryners too...”

“Uh, then how about you learn by helping out in this kitchen? Maybe you can even teach the staff here a thing or two. They’re your fellow students, after all.”

“Certainly!” Marcel ran off to the kitchen, leaving the restaurant owner slack-jawed and the guards unsure of what to do next.

“So, what do you want?” Mitsuha’s voice could be heard from all corners of the diner.

“Is this where you get to eat Mitsuha’s cooking?!” Suddenly, the tense atmosphere was broken by a girl violently dashing through the door. “Ah, it’s Mitsuha!” she exclaimed.

“Beatrice...”

The girl was soon joined by her family: Count Bozes, Lady Iris, Alexis, and Theodore.

Hey, you guys need to get in line! Oh, who am I kidding, Mitsuha thought as the family simply waltzed in. While the other nobles had tried to masquerade as commoners, the Bozes were as unabashed and gaudy as always. No one had the gall to complain about them cutting the line. The high society customers turned their faces in the other direction, hoping not to be recognized.

“Uhhh. Bernd, I know them and they know me. You won’t mind if I let them cut the line, right?”

Bernd nodded vigorously, unable to speak.

“Is this where my daughter works?”

The door had opened up once more, and the man who had spoken was none other than...

“Ah, Your Majesty.”

Upon hearing Mitsuha’s words, Bernd collapsed.

Careful with that broken arm, she thought.

Again, the diner had four waitresses: Stella, Gritt, Ilse... and Sabine.

The girl hadn’t been able to bear Mitsuha’s absence for an entire week, so she had come to the diner every day. Mitsuha had asked her to help with running food and other assorted tasks, and the girl seemed to enjoy it. She would even sit beside customers she liked, talk to them, and share their food. Essentially, Sabine did whatever she wanted, but the customers didn’t mind, and so neither did Mitsuha. However...

Of course they don’t mind; what kind of man would say no to this cutie fawning all over them? It’s the pretty face, isn’t it? Women are worthless without one, huh?!

And man, whenever she talks to those noble types, she always takes notes. I don’t know what that’s about, but it scares me!

Mitsuha was also feeling mildly impressed by the guards brought in by the restaurant owner. She had heard that the town guards were all commoners with little training or social standing, but they ran to the king’s side with fierce loyalty. The king was accompanied by the chancellor and the older palace guard; the two of them looked very pleased with the town guards’ performance.

I really hope this ups their reputation. Oh, and another thing...

“Hey, guys,” she said, addressing them directly. “Bernd was attacked by thugs recently, and I think there might be more to that... Think you can look into it?” Mitsuha shifted her gaze from the guards to the restaurant’s owner. The king looked at him, then the guards, and nodded in encouragement.

“Right away, Your Majesty!” the town guards replied rigidly.

Not like they could’ve said no, but it’s a chance to move forward in life! G’luck, guys!

The guards grabbed hold of both the restaurant owner and the ex-Paradise employee and took them away.

They aren’t going home, that’s for sure, Mitsuha thought. The king’s own guards were, by the aged man’s order, stationed outside the diner.

Also, as it turned out, the ex-Paradise employee had committed a grave sin. The culinary sphere in this world valued relationships, including seniors’ affection for junior workers, bonds between fellow chefs and cooks, and gratitude toward one’s instructors, with the third being the most important. Betraying this principle was so heinous that no reputable restaurant or noble kitchen in the capital would hire him now.

The local chef network is something else, Mitsuha mused.

After everything that had happened, Mitsuha was sure no one would ever interfere with Paradise again. Part of her was a little worried that the diner itself was now beyond belief.

Imagine telling somebody, “Hey, there’s a commoner diner that nobles love, the king pops into now and again, and has a princess among its waitresses!” Of course they’re gonna say you’re full of it. But I didn’t plan on any of this, I swear! Seriously, talk about overkill. And speaking of “kill”, I sure hope that restaurant owner doesn’t get snuffed out.

As service resumed, the three Bozes children insisted Mitsuha herself make them something to eat. Sabine dropped all pretense of working and joined her father to order something as a customer.

This is going on your tab, Your Majesty. Oh, well. Guess I’ll treat the princess to an improvised kids’ meal using a Hamburg steak and some omurice.

This turned out to be a mistake, however, since everyone else then wanted the same.

It barely makes a profit, it’s a pain to make, and it’s not even on the menu, damn it!

“I guess you failed the request, huh?” Aneel huffed, back in the kitchen.

“Uh, what makes you say that?” asked Mitsuha, puzzled.

“You haven’t helped me... t-tie the knot with Anel!”

“Ah.” It had completely slipped her mind.

“Hey, Your Majesty, can you help me with some matchmaking?”

“NOOO!” Bernd cried out in desperation.

You’re a papa bear when it counts, huh, Bernd? Wait, what? You wouldn’t mind ’cause he’d marry into the family? You stopped me ’cause of “something way more important”? What the hell?

And so, Paradise continued to run as a relatively normal diner. Besides the fact that it sold Yamano Cuisine, had hidden nobles among its customers, was often visited by the king, and employed a princess as one of its waitresses. Each new day saw another full house, another line out front.

You guys should hurry up and hire more people before one of you keels over.

The whole Paradise ordeal had not been a profitable venture for Mitsuha. She had merely helped out a diner that wasn’t doing so well. Between the mercenaries’ wages and various other expenses, she was left with just over one gold in profit.

Well, at least I had fun, she thought. I’ll chuck this gold coin into one of my deep pockets. It’s got more significance than the gold I made selling glasses, after all.

Sabine had taken a liking to serving customers, so she sometimes went to Paradise to help out. She waitressed for free—unless you included her staff meals—but received enough tips from customers to put away a healthy amount of savings. The princess was extremely good at asking for things.

Additionally, she was always under the watchful eye of her guards during shifts. Some disguised themselves as customers, while others pretended to be random citizens walking or loitering outside the building.

Once their contract ended, the two female mercenaries returned to their party, having made a pretty penny from their tips and the job itself. They could have chosen a comfortable career as waitresses, but what would the poor men of their party do then?

It really is all about the face, huh?! Oh, what? I just didn’t get any tips ’cause I was in the kitchen the whole time? Okay, that’s a relief.

◇ ◇ ◇

“I see we still know next to nothing about her,” said the king.

“It appears so,” replied the chancellor.

The two of them were in the king’s office at the royal palace. Saar stood and listened attentively as the sovereign read a report.

“She appeared out of nowhere in the Bozes’ county. Soon after, she killed a pack of wolves unaided in order to save a village girl; this encounter left her with severe wounds from which she quickly recovered. She then became acquainted with the Bozes family and went on to open a curious shop in the capital.

“Furthermore, the wares she sells have unknown origins, her knowledge is outstanding, and she displayed exceptional talent as host of the Ryner girl’s debutante ball. I find it hard to believe she is merely a noble young lady from a small, faraway country.

“The Lightning Archpriestess, eh? Truly a character. She seems to mean the kingdom no harm, at least. We met through the dissolution of a human trafficking ring, and she helps people a great deal, from what I hear. She even saved Sabine, who has grown quite fond of her. You also have her to thank for those glasses.”

“True...”

“Anyway, I see no problem with her. We should even work to bring her closer to us. After all, she’s...”

“Very interesting, Your Majesty.”

“Indeed she is!”

Their laughter echoed throughout the office.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Huh? An invitation from the king?” Mitsuha asked.

“Yes.” Sabine nodded. “My older brother is returning from training for campaigns with the royal guard, and my sister’s coming back from her diplomatic mission in another country. He wants to introduce you to them over dinner.”

Man, talk about a royal pain in the neck.

Mitsuha had no idea why she had to be introduced to the other prince and princess. While she and Sabine were on good terms, the others were basically strangers to her; she didn’t understand why that had to change. Even the king himself was simply “a friend’s father” to her.

Dads who care too much about their daughter’s friends are weirdos. But he is the king... It’ll probably be way worse for me if I say no. Guess I’ve gotta go, then.

◇ ◇ ◇

“I’m heeere!”

“She’s heeere!”

Mitsuha arrived at the palace to find Sabine waiting for her right at the gate.

I guess she’s really excited to have a friend come and visit her place. Well, it’s better than being welcomed by some grim-looking soldiers. I like refined old men, not dirty old farts.

The princess led Mitsuha into a relatively simple room, and it took her a moment to realize that it was the same one as last time.

Maybe the palace has less rooms than I thought.

The king and his wife were already inside. The queen was beautiful, but her silence minimized her presence in the room.

Oh, I get it, thought Mitsuha. She’s just letting her husband have the spotlight. Well played, lady.

In addition to the two of them, there was a prince who was perhaps a little over twenty, and a princess who looked to be in her mid-twenties.

Wait, mid-twenties and still living with her parents? In this kind of world? Y’know, that pretty much makes her a spinst—uhh, nevermind. I didn’t mean it, all right, so don’t look at me like that! And did you just read my mind? Is Professor X your dad or something?!

Lastly, there was a princess in her late teens—seventeen or eighteen, Mitsuha guessed—and the two little royals she already knew, Sabine and Leuhen.

The entire family was present, and their combined gazes made Mitsuha feel as though she was being evaluated all throughout dinner. The stares from the eldest brother and sister were particularly stern. They didn’t seem malicious or hostile, however, and so Mitsuha assumed they were merely sizing up the stranger their youngest sister had suddenly become so fond of.

Hey, now, it’s not like I meant for this to happen. Ahh, Sabine, don’t you dare mention the DVDs!

When the dinner finally came to an end, Mitsuha was glad to leave. Though she had initially been apprehensive about joining them, their discussions about specialties and economic states of the country’s separate territories had made the affair worthwhile. However, the king had also spoken with her about the surrounding countries. The eldest princess had even pried for her opinion.

Why?! I’m just a merchant! I don’t care if the neighbors are acting suspicious. And why does the prince talk about blades so much? Is he cut from the same cloth as Theodore?

◇ ◇ ◇

On one particular occasion, Mitsuha took the day off. She actually did so whenever she felt like it, but preferred to reserve such days for when she had business in Japan. This time, however, she had other arrangements.

She made her way to the forest she had camped in with Sven’s group not too long ago. Her goal, you ask? Well, the mercenary captain from Earth had invited her to a barbecue, and she wanted to hunt down a present for him and the rest of his crew.

Yeah, I actually became good friends with everyone in Wolfgang—not just the captain. There was a new drill instructor every time, and we’d always get to talking. Plus, they’re all from different countries, and I could speak everyone’s native language, so that helped me score some points with them.

Now that I think about it, Sven and his party are all mercenaries too. Crazy how I know mercs from two completely different worlds, and all of them are good people.

She shifted her focus to potential targets for her hunt. Firstly, a boar would be too much for her. Not because she couldn’t shoot one down, but simply because she couldn’t carry it. She opted to go after rabbits instead. Birds were also a viable option, but plucking off all the feathers would have been a tedious process.

If I had more time, I’d make a bird stuffed with veggies or herbs... Oh well.

In the end, she managed to get four rabbits. Wanting to get in some practice, she had chosen to use her slingshot instead of a crossbow.

I’ll just take two in each hand and—oh, man, they’re heavy. Ahh, ow ow ow! One of the horns just jabbed into my leg! Huh? Did I forget to mention that the rabbits here have horns? My brain just processes them as “rabbits”, not “horned rabbits” or whatever, so there’s that.

Having completed her goal, Mitsuha world-jumped to an empty part of the mercenary base. Flames were raging in the bodies of many makeshift barbecue grills, which the mercs had assembled using cut-up metal barrels.

She should be here soon, thought the captain. Seconds later, he saw her, as well as the strange objects in her hands.

“I’m heeere!” she said in a singsong voice.

“Uh, I see that,” the captain replied awkwardly. He was taken aback by her appearance.

The clothes she had on reminded him immediately of hobbits. In her belt, she had equipped a 93R, a revolver, a knife, a dagger, and a slingshot. A crossbow was slung across her back. Her entire ensemble, combined with her silky black hair and youthful face, made her look like some kind of elf or fairy.

That reminds me... She paid in yen the first time. Hotel workers and businessmen sometimes call Japanese people “fairies”, right? Makes sense, I guess. They’re small, polite creatures who’re always busy, wearin’ a smile, and makin’ places prosper. And if something bad happens to ’em, they don’t complain, they just disappear and never come back. Once one goes, the rest follow, and when all of ’em are gone, the place goes to shit. Or so I hear, anyway.

One of my boys said they were like some kinda critter called a... what was it, a “zashiki warashi”? That guy was always creamin’ himself over Japan, though. Who knows what the hell he was talking about.

Despite finding Mitsuha strange in many ways, the captain appreciated her as a business partner. She paid well, never caused trouble, and was generally just a fun and interesting—albeit tiny—girl.

He was, however, at a loss for what to make of the things she had brought along with her this time. You can keep sayin’ these’re rabbits all ya want, but rabbits don’t have horns, y’know? Yeah, I still ate ’em! And yeah, they were tasty as hell, damn it!

One of the younger men in the group uploaded some photos of Mitsuha and the strange animals on the internet, along with the following caption: “A princess came to our BBQ. Brought horned rabbits with her. #justmercthings”

C’mon, man, you ever hear of privacy? thought the captain.

Some days after their barbecue, they were visited by a number of eccentrics. One claimed to be a scholar and wanted to see the horned rabbits. The mercenaries informed him that they had already eaten them and buried the remains. In response, he promptly dug them out, handed them his business card, and left.

What the hell? And no, you numbskulls aren’t gonna see or take photos of the fairy! Get the fuck out and get yer own!

And so, the peaceful days continue for me, even if they don’t for anybody else, thought Mitsuha. Huh? That’s not real peace, then? Oops.