TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 94
On the way to the Tteokbokki Shop that opened in the Capital City.
The Young Lady, sitting sullenly on Fairy Unit 1, had her head lowered.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine.”
“Because of me, you spent all the money Ricardo worked so hard to earn.”
“It’s okay because it wasn’t difficult to earn. Besides, it wasn’t really my money anyway.”
“Still…”
The Young Lady was depressed.
She blamed herself, thinking that if she had just held back a little, this wouldn’t have happened, and she could have even bought Father’s gift.
I glanced at the sullen Young Lady and pulled out a palm-sized Black Box from my pocket to show her.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a Necktie Pin.”
“Huh…?”
The Young Lady looked at me with startled eyes.
I scratched my head awkwardly and murmured.
“I thought we might not have enough money, but it turned out to be sufficient.”
“…Huh?”
“While you were in the restroom, I finished talking with the clerk.”
It was a Lie, though.
I had made a difficult request to the clerk.
-Excuse me, I’m really sorry, but could you also put the Necktie Pin on credit? It’s something we absolutely need to buy….
-Ah… Yes, that’s possible.
-I’m really sorry for the trouble. I’ll make sure to pay it back as soon as possible, so please bear with us for a bit.
-Ah… It’s fine. The money you’ve already given should be enough to cover the repairs.
Thanks to the successful conversation with the clerk, I was able to take the Necktie Pin from the chaotic store.
Fortunately, the clerk at the store happened to be a high-ranking employee, and the Proprietress wasn’t a strict person, so we were able to communicate well.
It turned out that the Group of Female Students who had picked a fight with the Young Lady were already notorious as Troublesome Guests at the Boutique…. The clerk even thanked me instead.
-Thanks to you, I feel like a weight has been lifted for the first time in a while. I’ll explain everything to the Proprietress, so don’t worry and go on your way.
With the money earned from the Casino, I repaid 90% of the damages, so the remaining amount wasn’t a significant burden. Moreover, the perceptive Young Lady hadn’t damaged any Dresses or expensive items, so the compensation amount was relatively small.
It was an amount that could easily be repaid by catching a few wanted criminals who would appear later in the middle of the Novel, so it wasn’t much of a concern.
I firmly placed the Black Box containing the Necktie Pin into the Young Lady’s hand, conveying that her worries were unfounded.
“A Birthday Gift for the Head of the Household. You should be the one to give it to him.”
“Ricardo…”
The Young Lady lowered her head and fell silent.
“If I had just held back a little, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Holding back anger can make you sick. You once told me, didn’t you? That you can endure hunger but not anger.”
“…That’s right.”
The Young Lady had a terrible temper.
Whether in the past or now, she was consistently fiery and sharp-tongued.
In front of me, she acted like a docile Cat, but in front of others, she might appear like the Villainess in the Novel.
The Young Lady in the Novel was much more malicious and wicked than she is now.
Perhaps because I knew sides of her that even she wasn’t aware of, I reacted with a bit more leniency.
Even though others cursed her as a Crazy Woman, she strangely seemed kind to me, and I thought she was practically a fairy in comparison.
‘You all don’t know what a real Villainess looks like.’ That’s probably the feeling I had.
I carefully adjusted the Young Lady’s Scarf and wrapped her coat around her. Even if her mood wasn’t great, her health was important.
“You’ll catch a Cold. Dress warmly.”
“Sniff… Okay.”
The Young Lady spoke to me in a Small Voice.
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
After walking for a bit.
I cautiously asked the Young Lady about the reason for the fight. Asking directly didn’t seem polite, so I waited for a calmer moment to carefully broach the topic.
“Why did you fight with them?”
“Ah.”
The Young Lady spoke to me with a voice tinged with slight anger.
“They called me a cripple.”
Pause.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Where?”
“It seems they didn’t get enough of a beating.”
The Young Lady grabbed my collar to stop me as I was about to head back to the store. Her ears, perhaps reddened from the Cold, showed a faint Blush as she kept her head down.
“Don’t go. I scolded them enough.”
“I refuse. I’ll go back and smack each of their heads with a triangular ruler.”
“It’s fine.”
I silently recalled the faces of the Female Students who had been lying on the floor.
Orc Shaped Like a Triangle.
Female Student Who Looks Like a Goblin.
Husk Shaped Like Bamboo.
I resolved to spend a month’s Allowance if I ever saw them on the Street again, but for now, I pretended to be subdued and stopped in my tracks.
“Are you really okay?”
“Yeah. I’m hungry now.”
“Sigh…”
Wishing for their lives to be thorny paths, I followed the Young Lady’s lead and turned back.
“It can’t be helped. Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“I’ll try to hold back more next time.”
“Don’t hold back. Just take it out on me instead.”
“Then I’ll only get a little angry.”
We slowly moved toward our destination. The cold wind somehow felt a little warmer.
Maybe it was because of the anger, or maybe because of the warmth—I wasn’t sure, but I thought this kind of cold wasn’t so bad.
*
In front of the bustling Tteokbokki Restaurant.
I looked at the long line of people with trembling eyes and said.
“What is this?”
“A line.”
“I know that, but isn’t it way too long?”
A huge crowd had gathered.
It was an overwhelming number of people, to the point where it was hard to believe they were all here just to eat Tteokbokki. To the Young Lady and me, who were from the countryside, it was quite a sight.
“Wow. This is no joke.”
“Are we not going to get to eat?”
The Young Lady asked with a troubled look. Already hungry from her earlier anger, she muttered that she’d be upset if she couldn’t eat on top of it.
I wanted to offer some hopeful words, but the crowd in front of us didn’t seem to be thinning anytime soon, so I gave a vague answer to ease her worries.
“Yeah, there are just too many people….”
“But I’m hungry…”
The Tteokbokki Shop in the Capital City was smaller than I had expected. A small building about 15 pyeong in size with a Red Background Signboard.
It didn’t have any space for dining inside. It was designed as a Street Food Cart-style shop, where you could only take out food or eat at the tables placed outside.
It was smaller than I had imagined, and it had taken us some Time to find it. I didn’t expect it to be built like this.
When I had casually mentioned it while discussing business with Malik at the Estate, I hadn’t thought they’d actually take my words to heart.
-Brother.
-Don’t call me Brother. It’s too familiar.
-Then Proprietress.
-…Just call me Malik.
-Do you know the best way to enjoy Tteokbokki?
-Isn’t it just about using good ingredients?
-No.
Malik had listened to my words with a serious voice. I remember him focusing on the conversation more intensely than when we talked about Aura.
-It’s about the atmosphere.
-The atmosphere?
-A cold winter. Warm broth and Tteokbokki.
-…
-It’s more delicious to eat outside the store than inside.
-Wouldn’t it be cold?
-Isn’t that romantic?
-Certainly…
At that time, I even remember him busily jotting it down in his pocket notebook, but I didn’t think he’d actually put it into practice.
The result of Malik’s exceptional execution of ideas was proven by the long procession of people standing before us.
To think I’d see such a familiar scene from my previous life in Another World. While silently immersed in memories of the nostalgic sight.
-Growling Stomach Sound.
A strange noise came from beside me.
I looked at the Young Lady with a questioning gaze, and she was staring at the Tteokbokki Restaurant ahead, drooling at the corner of her mouth.
“Hungry.”
“It seems you’re hungry because you exerted yourself after a long time.”
“That’s right. But the line is too long.”
“…”
I nodded as I looked at the long line. It was indeed a very long line. In my previous life, I would’ve questioned whether it was worth it just to eat Tteokbokki, but this was the only place in the Empire that sold Tteokbokki.
I hadn’t expected it to sell so well. Although I had the arrogant thought of starting a store myself, I knew I couldn’t do it like Malik, so I shook my head, dismissing the rude idea.
I glanced at the Young Lady and asked.
“Shall we line up?”
“Yes. Let’s hurry before more people come.”
The Young Lady didn’t suggest any other food.
It seemed she really wanted to eat Tteokbokki right now.
I carefully pushed the Young Lady’s wheelchair forward, and as I heard the familiar voice of The Man from behind us, I cautiously turned around.
“Ricardo.”
Graceful Looks.
A shining patron.
The Man who suits a kitchen knife better than a sword.
Malik shouted as he looked at us.
“Where are you going? You’re supposed to go this way.”
Malik pointed toward the back door of the store and said.
“It’s a free pass.”
Truly, he was a Splendid Man.
***
At the same time.
To lift her gloomy mood, Yuria went on a rare outing with Ruin and Mikhail as they strolled through the streets.
The three, who had all been suspended together, walked along the streets. Among them, Ruin, dissatisfied with the disciplinary action, complained about the unfairness as they wandered. Suddenly, they stopped in front of a store spreading a spicy aroma.
“Huh…?”
A familiar smell.
Yuria turned her head toward the familiar scent of food she hadn’t smelled in a long time.
[Friends of Forest – Tteokbokki Shop]
-Created using a recipe obtained from a monster hidden in the outskirts.
Ruin, seeing Yuria stop, asked.
“Do you want to eat?”
“Huh?”
“You seem like you want to.”
At Ruin’s probing question, Yuria nodded.
“Yes.”
She had wanted to eat it for a long time.
When she felt down, she missed the food Ricardo used to make for her at the Academy.
And so, they lined up.
When it was almost their turn.
“Huh?”
Yuria’s eyes caught sight of a familiar face wearing a white chef’s uniform.
“Oh?”
“Huh? We meet again, Miss Yuria.”
In an unexpected place, Yuria encountered Ricardo.