Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 77
77. Mari-nee and meeting with someone.
On another day, after consulting with Letya, I decided to operate a dining establishment… Behind the scenes, there’s a cafeteria called the “Little Saint Cafeteria” which, despite my wishes, has already spread throughout the city and couldn’t be easily changed.
Yeah, I’m only going to refer to it as “dining hall” from now on, okay?
I didn’t come up with the name, and I really wish they’d stop calling it that, but it’s already spread throughout the city and there’s nothing I can do about it.
Hmm, maybe it’s really time to do something about how I treat those guys, Graham-san and co.
It’s not just them, though, it’s complicated when it involves both citizens and the folks from the city.
…Alright, let’s switch gears and focus on the plan!
First, I’ll make a large amount of casseroles for the customers for a few days in the batch.
The casseroles I make will be stored in the clan’s shared item box.
I’ll also give Letya permission to open that box, set a limit on the number of servings per day in advance, and have her close the cafeteria once we’ve reached the limit.
Ryle will help with serving, and cleaning up afterward will be part of the job.
We’re setting the hours from 10am to 4pm, but apparently, we’re usually sold out by noon.
By the way, Letya and Ryle are on a monthly salary, not hourly.
When Letya heard the amount I proposed, she exclaimed, “That’s too much!”
But considering she’s handling all the shopping for ingredients and the money we’re saving, plus the daily sales, I think it’s a fair amount.
I don’t really understand, but it seems to be about 1.5 times the average monthly income of the people living in this city?
Plus, I’ve asked Letya to regularly take care of three big kids, so that’s also part of the deal.
So, for the past few days, everything has been peaceful, and I’ve been having relaxing days.
Thanks to that, I’ve been able to do daily quests when I log in, and after the shop closes early, I call Nero and Kuuga and enjoy their fluffiness while taking a nap in the sunny spot, or play tag in the vacant lot next to the home.
Ah, this is what peace feels like.
I thought the peace that I thought had disappeared, or rather, had gone far away somewhere, but it was still there.
It seems like I can finally say goodbye to the unrest, which is a relief.
While I’m reveling in my joy, Letya, who has finished cleaning, arrives.
“Maria-san, I went to check on those kids, but it seems they haven’t touched their meals.”
“Huh? They always made sure to eat their meals, didn’t they?”
By the way, when Letya says “those kids,” she’s referring to Mareus, Kanna, and Roulette.
They may be treated like children, but since Letya takes care of everything for them, it’s not surprising.
Thanks to that, my burden has been greatly reduced.
I’m really glad Letya came.
Next time, I think I’ll secretly double her salary.
“Yes, for the past few days, we’ve been told to leave the meals by the door of the annex and not to go inside. But when I went to collect the dishes today, there were no signs of them having been eaten. However, it’s troublesome if they eat something that might make them sick, so I had to bring them down anyway.”
“Hmm… considering those three, I think they’re probably doing more important work right now than eating. It wouldn’t be nice to disturb them, so it’s okay to leave them alone.”
“Is that so? Then shall we have some pumpkin cake and tea?”
“That sounds good. The sweets you bring from the market, Letya, are always delicious.”
In the city, there are mostly baked goods available for sale, likely considering their shelf life.
Among them, all the sweets Letya chooses and brings back were outstandingly delicious.
As I watched Letya’s back as she went to make tea, I couldn’t help but smile as I imagined the taste of the pumpkin cake she had chosen.
And then, at that moment…
The door leading to the annex creaked open with a sound.
There, or rather, collapsed, came the usual three.
Wait, are they really collapsed!?
“Hey, are you alright, Mareus-san, Kanna-san, Roulette-san!”
As I hurried over and called out to them, Mareus said a single word.
“Hu- hungry…”
If there were such a thing as temperature in the gaze, I think the temperature of my gaze towards the three dropped by about 20 degrees.
Not only did they not listen to Letya, but now they’re…!
“Letya, forget about preparing tea for now and could you give these three some pumpkin cake to eat?”
Stopping Letya, who was about to come over here, I said so.
“Maria-san… Are you sure about this?”
In Letya’s words, slightly tinged with anger, there are two meanings, right?
The first is that there aren’t enough cakes, so if I give them to the three, I won’t have any left for myself.
The second is whether it’s okay to spoil these big kids who didn’t listen.
“Yes, they’re hopeless cases, but I’m their big sister after all.”
It feels like it’s been a while since I said something like this, but I never expected to use it on these three.
Ah, I think I said it to Roulette once during an event.
But the situation was different then.
After eating the pumpkin cake and temporarily satisfying their hunger, the three seemed to relax as they sat down and drank the tea Letya had brewed.
“Why did this happen? Can you explain?”
I was about to say something, but Letya, who was standing behind me, spoke first.
And with a smile on her face that seemed to represent my feelings, she clearly exuded an atmosphere of anger.
I wonder if this is something like a skill unique to mothers?
I wondered if it would be useful if I learned it, but then I thought about using it on the Graham-san and co and realized I didn’t need such a skill.
They would probably say something like ‘It’s a reward’ with a blissful expression.
I don’t even want to think about why it would be considered a ‘reward.’
Although the three were intimidated by Letya’s pressure, in the end, Mareus was tasked with explaining what happened.
“That thing we’ve been working on continuously lately seemed like it was finally going to be finished. So…”
“So, that’s why it turned out like this, and you’ve worried Maria-san, haven’t you?”
“No, it’s just…”
“H-av-e-n’-t y-o-u?”
As those words were spoken, Letya stepped forward from behind me.
“…Yes.”
Wow, Mareus is surprisingly obedient.
As expected, mothers are strong.
“Now, there’s something you need to say to Maria-san, right?”
Unable to withstand the increasing pressure, Mareus sought help, looking back at Kanna and Roulette.
And it seemed that the three of them reached the same conclusion.
“””We are sorry…”””
They all bowed deeply, and I wondered just how intense Letya’s pressure must have been…
After witnessing the apologies from the three, Letya took a step back and stood behind me again.
Letya is too capable for her own good.
She said she used to work as a server at a tavern, but maybe she was a maid instead?
I took a deep breath and then spoke to the three.
“It’s okay. So, did that thing you’ve been working on finally get finished?”
“Yeah, just a moment ago.”
“And you came over here to call Maria-chan for that reason, right?”
“Huh, why does it concern me?”
“Well, it’s a surprise for you to find out.”
The way the three avoided giving specifics was so much like siblings planning a surprise.
I guess I’ll just have to go along with it.
With a wry smile in my heart, I asked Letya to take care of the cleanup, then headed to the annex with the three.
Entering the annex after a long time, surprisingly, the tools and items were neatly arranged.
Instead, something covered with cloth was sitting in the center of the room.
“Is this the finished thing?”
“Yeah. It’s the culmination of our efforts, the Puppet for Maria-chan.”
As if taking over Maleus’s words, Roulette removed the cloth.
What appeared was… a person sitting on a chair? Wait, a person?
“It’s a humanoid doll, a kind of puppet, life-sized. It doesn’t have a name yet, but it will be a new member of Maria-chan’s family.”
“So, this is a doll…”
With beautiful silver hair and skin as white as snow.
The clothes it wore were a gray shirt with a black vest and pants.
The figure seems slim? Since it’s sitting in a chair, it’s hard to gauge its height accurately, but it definitely seems taller than me.
Because it’s currently bowed, I can’t see its facial features, but it unmistakably looks human, just like us.
“We’ll give you detailed explanations later, but remember the Catastrophic Spirit you received during the event? Try fitting it into this one. And when you use your skill, it should breathe life into it.”
Not knowing what to call it, for now, I’ll refer to him as “him.” Kanna unbuttoned his shirt and exposed his chest.
There, there was a hole just big enough to accommodate the Catastrophic Spirit I have.
With the three of them looking at me expectantly, almost urging me on, I swallowed nervously and carefully inserted the Catastrophic Spirit into the hole in his chest.
After Kanna fastened the buttons on his shirt, she and the others left, leaving just him and me behind.
It felt like they were leaving us alone to welcome the birth of a new family member.
With my companions watching over me, I activated the Moirai’s Blessing on him.
At first, there was a twitch of his fingertips, then slowly his head lifted.
His eyes were still closed, but he had a very well-defined face.
As I reached out to touch his cheek, suddenly…
“Guaah!”
I was hit by an incredible force and slammed into the wall.
Falling to the floor as if sliding down from the wall, in my fading consciousness, I felt like I heard his groaning voice.
He seemed to have said something like this:
“Don’t touch me, adventurer.”
And then my consciousness completely faded away.
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