Buying Out a Restaurant
Once my thoughts were organized, the plan became clear.
I would go to Alizée to confirm the feasibility.
After checking everything was alright, I sought out the permission from the Marquis and then went to convince Elsa’s parents.
“Huh, you want to buy my shop?”
“More precisely, I want to buy the shop and have you folks work here, teaching the children how to cook.”
“Teaching cooking, you say… Most likely, the other party would be the kids from the orphanage, right? Wouldn’t you need permission from the Marquis for that?”
“Oh, I already got that. If I persuade you well, we can have kids interested in cooking work at this shop.”
“You’re quick at work, Miss. But, hey, couldn’t I stay as the shop owner in that case?”
“That’s fine, but probably, at least for a few months, there will be losses. During that time, I can’t guarantee the salaries for you. Since I initiated this, I wanted to take financial responsibility first.”
“I get it if it doesn’t make a profit. What about if it does?”
“The remaining money after deducting everyone’s salary will be accumulated. It will be placed under the supervision of the orphanage. If the funds exceed the amount I paid to purchase this shop, then they could buy the shop back from me using that money. This way, the orphanage could have its own dining facility.”
“I see, you have it well thought out. But, you know, they’re orphans, total strangers to you. Why would a new clothing shop’s owner go to such lengths to spend money on them?”
Yeah, originally, I had no reason to go that far.
But when I was born into this world, I grew up under the protection of the Goddess, even if I was alone.
After I started my journey, Talat joined me immediately, so I never truly understood the feeling of being alone.
That’s why I want to support the orphans, and if possible, create a place for a few of them who graduate from the orphanage as a temporary refuge.
I explained this to the man and tried to persuade him.
Of course, I only hinted at the Goddess, calling her my mentor.
After hearing the story, the man seemed moved and spoke with teary eyes.
“… I also wanted to be a refuge for orphans if I could. Well, if you look around the city, there are probably many others with the same thoughts. But, you know, as long as we have our own lives, we can’t reach out to help. It’s truly heartwarming that someone like you, with such determination and initiative, has appeared. I’m on board with this story.”
“Thank you! So, about the purchase price for the shop…”
“No need for that. I’ll donate the store to the orphanage. In return, bring me some capable kids who can learn the flavor of my food.”
“I can’t let you do that, I’m a merchant, I have to at least buy the storefront part of the building off of you. I heard from my Trade Guild contact that it should be at least half of the market price, 15 million Rubies. How about that?”
“I don’t need that. The store is a donation to the orphanage.”
“No, you have to take it. Even if it’s a donation to the orphanage, you’ll still incur fees at the Trade Guild. To make up for that, please accept the money.”
“Fool. I still have some savings left. More than that, for the kids…”
“No, you can teach the kids about business…”
The debate with the uncle continued, and in the end, we settled on a sum that included a bit more than the fees from various places.
It amounted to 3 million Rubies.
Now, the preparations were perfect.
All that was left was to persuade the orphanage!