BXBX NOVEL Volume 5 4.2
Goivejon also nodded at what Foeldan had said. As both he and Foeldan had gone around eating in Wulls while they went about their peddling, they knew the market price of the majority of restaurants. It probably wasn’t the same in Rufeus, but prices in these kinds of cheap eating houses aimed at commoners didn’t have much of a drastic difference whether it was Wulls versus Darl, Wells versus Stiren, etc. With the currencies being the same and all, it was probably reasonable to assume that shops of the same rank were nearly identical.
Incidentally, the market price in Wulls was generally around 35 to 40 tirols. Darl, in which groceries were expensive, ranged from 2 to 3 tirols higher, and Forre was around 5 higher. Also, this cafeteria’s food was 30-50% larger in quantity than Wulls, so overall the price was comparatively cheap.
「Also, it sucks that we can’t get refills on bread, eh.」
「And we already had plans to allow people to bring their own bread, so we were thinking that would suffice for now.」
「Bring their own bread? That’s purty rare, eh. Can they bring in rice too?」
「I think so, as long as it’s onigiri. Then again, they don’t eat rice at all over here, and when we tried cooking some for them it got a pretty bad rating, so I doubt it’ll spread.」
Responding to Foeldan’s question, Haruna figured she might as well explain the current situation in the country, to which Goivejon responded…
「Well, we also have things we can’t eat too much of from other countries, so not eatin’ rice over here is to be somewhat expected, eh.」
…with a truly sensible statement.
「Depending on how you think about it, places like Farlane and Forre that casually accept flavors like miso sauce with peculiar flavors are probably the actual peculiar ones.」
「Aye aye.」
With change in scenery comes change in quality. Haruna and the others were beginning to get a thorough taste of how big the world was and how food palate changed depending on the region.
「Then after we take measures to ensure nobody takes anything out, I was thinking of lining up various tabletop condiments.」
「Tabletop condiments? Ye mean soy sauce and stuff?」
「Bingo. For now I was thinking of soy sauce, oyster sauce, mayonnaise, and ketchup.」
「And you’re just gonna advertise that, eh……」
「Yes, since we won’t be able to increase the variety of food in this cafeteria otherwise. If ketchup spreads around, we’ll be able to bring out tomato paste stew, which would be totally awesome. Ketchup is quite a bit cheaper than soy sauce, so the cost will also be a plus.」
So this wasn’t apparently the usual cultural invasion, but a sincere problem. As they couldn’t make food that took time like pie, Haruna was extremely grateful to have an increase in the varieties of condiments for widening the breadth in appearance and flavoring.
Also, the cheapest condiment amongst all the ones Hiroshi and the others had brought in was mayonnaise, which needless to say didn’t need fermentation, and the same went for tomato ketchup, which generally didn’t need to be fermented either, and it was cheap enough to even contend with mayonnaise. However, with its process a bit more complicated than mayonnaise, the price was slightly higher.
「Well, I intend to look at it in the long term. We can already make a lot with the ingredients on hand as it is.」
「Mm, that right. Well, do ye best, lass.」
Goivejon just grimaced at Haruna’s rather patient outlook. They seemed rather nonchalant for people trying to search for a way back to their country.
「Now then, we already came here, so we’re gonna take a look around Rufeus.」
「If we find any strange crops around, we’ll buy some, take ‘em home ‘n try cultivating ‘em.」
「Kaaay, have fun guys!」
After running out of things to discuss, Goivejon and Foeldan decided to do some brief sightseeing before going back. At this time, several of the vegetables they would take back to Ortem and Wulls’ experimental farms would go on in three years to attain the proper amount of harvest for shipping out, something that closely resembled that of a certain farming household somewhere else, but this is just between us.
「Now then…There are tons of people from different nations in Rufeus Academy, so I need to see if I can’t look into other culinary foods besides the Rufeus variety.」
Haruna murmured something that most cooks would tremble in fear at, considering the workload. Thanks to this woman, the cafeteria’s work would become a lot more difficult, but for better or for worse, this was an obscure bunch. No one said anything in particular, simply accepting this plan of action.
「Starting tomorrow, Hiroshi’s going to be free, so he’ll be able to help you, Tatsuya-san.」
The night before opening, Haruna finally announced this.
「I’m glad that’s the case, but are you sure it’s okay?」
「Mhm. Although it’s more of the fact that Hiroshi-kun doesn’t have much to do once the shop actually goes into business.」
「Really?」
Questioning Haruna’s words, Tatsuya confirmed this with Hiroshi himself, who gave him a small nod.
「Y’see, when we get down to business, dealin’ with the customers is gonna be the main focus, so there ain’t much else I can do. That’s why if ya want me to do somethin’ it’s gotta be after business hours in the night.」
「Also, other than for meal prototypes, entering the kitchen and cooking is a no-go for us two, so it’s perfectly fine just to have one of us here just in case.」
「Ah, ok.」
Tatsuya expressed understanding at Hiroshi and Haruna’s explanation. It was true that they couldn’t just stay at the shop indefinitely, so it wouldn’t be good for Hiroshi or Haruna to directly interact with customers or cook. Still, there was a good chance that when any trouble arose they would have to deal with the customer in question, and when that occurred, Hiroshi would be half useless probability-wise due to his gynophobia.
It was already ridiculous to ask Hiroshi to deal with customer complaints as it is. While it had all but halted recently, any lapse in security meant Hiroshi’s loser mode rearing its ugly head. The probability of going loser mode was never quite zero when it came to customers with fierce expressions and loud voices, regardless of gender.
In which case, it was unmistakable that Haruna, who was accustomed to dealing with customers and had high battle prowess, was the safest choice for being in charge. Besides, Haruna was a beauty with a tender nature that you rarely saw even in each royal household with all their beautiful features. There would not be many people continuing their grumbling even after Haruna apologized to them in all sincerity. Therefore, considering all this, Hiroshi would not play a part in looking after the shop.
「If that’s how it’s going to be, then I will gladly have you along to help me.」
「That bein’ said, I dunno how to git around the library, so I need ya to gimme proper directions, Bro.」
「Yeah yeah, I got you fam.」
Understanding the gist of the situation, Tatsuya solidified Hiroshi’s accompanying him to the library starting tomorrow.