Chapter 11: Do you want some maids today?

- "Jingle Bell"

Hearing this voice, I, who had been leaning over the counter to raise my spirits, suddenly came to my senses. It was a wind chime that was turned over in an old cargo box by accident, and with this, I was able to be as lazy as I wanted without worrying about missing out on guests.

"Welcome. What are you going to buy? ”

This is my second guest since the opening of the High School! If you talk about turnover alone, maybe it will be a breakthrough of zero now! I looked up hopefully at the ......

"Boss, do you have any lighter tea?"

"It's you, Sakiya. Tea, usually not many people come to buy it...... I'll look for it. ”

The person who came was Miss Remilia's maid, the all-powerful housekeeper Sixteen Nightsaki. Today's business went smoothly as expected, and I am very happy, even the shadow caused by the blow in the morning seems to be gone.

For tea, there is a box in the large pot next to the counter. But it's a variety that Reimu usually likes to drink - it's not like that, it's just a special convenience for long-term customers. As a formal product, of course, it is necessary to take out the complete body with exquisite packaging.

"I remember being here...... Huh? ”

I lifted the cardboard box, and the tea bag that was supposed to be sealed had already been opened, and when I got closer, I could still ask about the smell of moisture, maybe it was all moldy...... It's really unlucky. Frustrated, I picked up the bag and stumbled upon a note underneath it that read "It's not tasty." It's Marisa's handwriting, and I'll educate her the next time she comes to the store - I forgot that she lives next to me right now.

"Sorry, now it's only in bulk."

I had no choice but to take out the reserves under the counter. Sakiya picked up a little tea with her slender fingertips and sniffed it, with a puzzled look between her eyebrows. By the way, since it's for the Western lady, I guess I want black tea. It's a pity.,Neither Reimu nor the students of the school are customers who want to drink black tea.,So there's no inventory.。

"It's a relatively novel breed. This is just right when you want a light taste. ”

Well, I'm not lying, I'm not lying, although I'm hiding some of the facts. As a businessman, integrity and scheming are indispensable. Sure enough, Sakuya not only nodded and paid the bill, but also thanked him politely. I suddenly felt like the big group of people on the top floor.

I bowed my head and deposited my hard-earned income that had condensed my wisdom into the counter. Sakiya has disappeared from my sight. I was about to take a little smug when I heard the door knock behind me. Wait, isn't that my back room over there, why ......?

"Saki, Saki, you're ...... over there"

"Ah, because it's near. What's wrong? ”

When I looked closely, I realized that it wasn't the door of the back room that made the sound. Speaking of which, is there still a door there?

“…… It's nothing. ”

What you can see through the crack in the door is the scene of the stairwell. It's no wonder that Sakiya will say that it is close to ...... No, I'm torn by the fact that I've been here for days and haven't noticed that there's a door behind it. However, I only had a headache for a while, and I was easily relieved at the thought of being able to throw the pot to Zi's incomprehensible mind and ability.

I glanced behind me again to confirm that Sakiya had indeed left. Now my heart is full of emotion! It's a new era since it opened! I took out a brand new ledger, wrote down this transaction seriously with the hope of a prosperous business, and then continued to close my eyes and recuperate.

"Goo......

It backfired, and when it was almost noon, Xianglin Hall was still full of people. My stomach protested, and I yawned as I walked to the kitchen, ready to cook whatever I wanted. I guess no one will come to the lunch break. Marisa must have prepared her bento well, and Reimu will probably go to the cafeteria to solve it. I've always dealt with food on my own, and of course I can't talk about craftsmanship or anything, let alone use it to attract people. Speaking of which, what is Sakiya doing now? I suddenly had a thought that I couldn't suppress.

- "Pong Pong"

I knocked on the door that said "Red Devil Pavilion". Originally, the door in the floor was a little bigger, but it was forcibly transformed into the main entrance of the castle by Sakuya. This kind of pocket-sized antique is actually unexpected. From this otherworldly style, Sakiya came out to greet guests with perfect maid etiquette. I felt my heart shrink and swell. Faced with this picture scroll that has traveled through time and space, I mustered up my courage.

And then

"Sakiya! Please teach me how to cook! ”

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"Even if you let me teach you ......"

Sakiya said with a little annoyance, and I followed her, down the hall to the kitchen. As I expected, a hard-working girl like Sakiya is often very helpless to kindly requests. I feel a little guilty about taking advantage of this, but I have a more important purpose to achieve. What's more, I also promised a permanent discount, and if she was a budget-conscious housekeeper, I would have paid a great price.

"Well, if you're feeling embarrassed, I'll just watch. The process of cooking is not a shameful thing. ”

“…… It's good. ”

There was about an hour before school ended, and Sakiya really ignored my presence and started getting ready to cook. I hung on the sidelines, feeling that the atmosphere was so awkward that it was dripping, but Sakuya was still unhurriedly taking the ingredients from the pantry. What should I say, or is this concentration the key to becoming so powerful?

"Well, I'll help you a little bit with that hard work or something......"

That said, I can't just stand and watch. Simple handling, washing vegetables, etc., as a man, you can still be competent. After a little thought, Sakiya replied.

"Wait a minute."

The almighty maid said so. I looked over and saw Sakiya writing something on a piece of paper. When I got closer, I could barely tell that there were rows of numbers and letters, arranged like ghost drawings...... What's that? Is it the magic of cooking, something called a magic technique?

"—what is this, is it magic?"

Oh no, I accidentally asked it. Sakiya turned her head, her eyebrows filled with doubt. Then she looked at me, then at the pen and paper in her hand, and suddenly burst out laughing. Well, it's like seeing a baka who doesn't have common sense-oh, I'm such a stupid guy right now.

"That's what Mistress Patchouli taught me. Eat calories wisely. ”

“…… Heat? ”

"Hmm. Meals are calculated based on the consumption of usual activities. To keep in shape...... In good shape. ”

Sakiya returned to her usual serious look, and I don't know if it was an illusion, but I felt that the lines of her face had become softer than before. And then there's the subtle hesitation when it comes to figure...... Hah, that's what a girl should look like.

The calculator ran at high speed with the sound of clattering gears. The entries that were so dense that they made me dizzy, and Sakiya didn't go away for a while. Speaking of which, I used to use it when I was working in the village. Let's ask for one from the lotus another day. But I can't use it with my turnover at all – no, hopeful. Thinking like this, I sneaked a glance and happened to see the result of Sakiya's writing, and found an unexpected piece of data. I don't know exactly what the weight of this amount represents, but I can see that there is more to that than the others combined. Thinking from the point of view of consumption, it is easy to perceive. That's Sakiya's own data. If you consume as much as you want......

“？”

Probably my expression is a little strange, and Sakiya has seen it. It's no wonder that the thought of a maid like Sakiya, who is always elegant and serious, overeating in the face of the Manchu banquet, can't help but laugh out loud is already my limit.

"That...... There's nothing strange on my face, right? ”

"Nope."

I really checked it out! But that's all over it. I washed the lettuce by the sink and watched as Sakiya held a silver knife and delicately removed the fat from the beef. It's just an artistic knife work, which makes me, an inferior chef who can only wield a kitchen knife and chop and chop, feel deeply inferior.

"Sakiya! What is the secret of your possession of such a powerful knife work! ”

I didn't take into account the feelings of the other party at all, and I gave up on myself! If I continue like this, I can't imagine that I will have a full question of my life skills!

"Huh? …… To give. ”

I looked up a little confused and saw Sakiya handing over the knife in her hand. Do you want me to learn it too...... I was thinking about it when I suddenly saw Sakiya pull out another knife from under her skirt. Whether it was tied to the inside or outside of the thigh, I didn't see it clearly - no! In my heart, 10,000 grass and mud horses galloped by! I looked down at the willow-like blade in my hand, and I felt that I had been completely defeated.

"Mr. Linnosuke, is there anything that needs special attention when brewing this kind of tea?"

While I was trying to clear my head of the strange associations, Sakiya had already finished preparing the ingredients and came back with the tea. It's finally time to regain your dignity! This is a breed that I've been soaking for years and knows it all about! I gathered my attention and soaked it as hard as I could—

"If you soak this tea in warm water, the more you drink it, the more flavorful it becomes. Drink the rest and soak it again to make the taste longer......"

Perfect! I felt a little proud in my heart, and I even told such bad information about the business.

"Is that so?"

“——”

I'm speechless. Sakiya's movements are exactly the same as my previous score......

Advanced learning requires talent. Seven years later, I have reaffirmed this profound lesson.

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"Sakiya, we're back!"

Hongmisuzu's shout came in, and Sakuya answered lightly, picked up the black tea placed next to him and left the kitchen.

As a result, I didn't improve substantially under the teachings of this skilled maid. However, the goal that can be seen will always be achieved one day!

"Sakiya? This tea"

"Ah, Miss. Housewarming requires calm. I bought the tea from Mr. Rinnosuke. ”

"Clear tea? Isn't this black tea? ”

"Huh? Sorry, this wasn't the cup I brewed...... Because it's usually black tea. Wait a minute. ”

I hear conversations like this. What's the matter, did the tea I brew change color? I looked next to it, and it was true that the cup that Sakuya had brewed was on the table, because I took it, and I remember the location. I hurriedly picked up the teacup and rushed over.

"Well, it tastes good, too. You can stock up on some of these teas, Sakiya. ”

"Yes, Miss."

When I saw Remilia, she was sitting on the couch sipping tea elegantly. It's just a child's size, but he unexpectedly has a temperament. It's worthy of being called the eldest lady.

"Ah, Mr. Rinnosuke...... Sure enough, it was my tea skills that were not proficient. ”

"Huh? No, no, I usually ......? ”

I stopped talking unconsciously, because I was drawn to other events. That's when I [saw].

I have a sixth-sense perception that is attached to sight. With this, I was able to see the [power] of being a demon hunter, something that wrapped around its owner with a fog-like feeling. In that moment, the fog around Remilia, which was so large that it was beyond my imagination, seemed to have changed something. When I tried to take a closer look, it didn't seem to change. - I have to admit that the appearance of Western children is incredible. …… Belch! I'm not Lolicon!

"How about Rinnosuke stay and dine together? As a thank you gift. ”

"Ah, still...... It's good. That's disrespectful. ”

"Oops, is that Sakiya's knife in your hand? What a surprise. Your relationship is better than I expected. ”

"Huh?"

"Miss, it was you who told me to respect the teacher......

Well, I did forget to put it down. And it seems to have triggered some bad unfolding...... I'd better throw it on the stove quickly.

"Hiss......"

Since it was time to eat later, I washed my hands by the way. There was a sudden tingling pain when the finger touched the switch.

"...... wounds? When, accidentally scratched? ”

There was a little blood on my fingertips, but it wasn't bleeding now, so I didn't think about it anymore. I'm looking forward to tasting Sakiya's craftsmanship again. And the thought that I'm working hard with Sakiya as my goal, and that I might be able to make real food in the future, fills my body with the drive to defy the odds. As a first step, let's eat well.