Something Important
I returned to my room and flopped onto the bed.
“We’ve finished prepping, and tomorrow’s the mochi pounding... AAHH!! I forgot something really important.”
It hit me. We didn’t have a mochi-pounding machine, or a mallet and mortar here...
“Well, I wasn’t expecting a mochi machine, but... do we even have a mallet and mortar?”
(What’s a mallet and mortar?)
“Uh, we steam glutinous rice and mash it. Those are the tools used for mashing.”
(So, you can’t do it without them?)
“Hmm, I could maybe make do with a rolling pin instead of the mallet, but I’d really want the mortar. A bowl would only let me make small batches at a time...”
(Can’t you make one?)
“Oh, that’s true! Nice one, Pearl! Yeah, I should just make one. It’s made of wood anyway... That means I need to go see Daniel. Let’s go!”
(Yay! Outing time, go-go-go!!)
But of course, I couldn’t just go running off, so I made sure to get permission first.
＊＊＊＊＊
“Hello~”
“Hey there… Huh? Young lady Joan?”
“Long time no see, Daniel.”
Daniel runs the woodworking workshop. He’s the same age as Brother Noel and the older brother of Gan from the Private Guard Juniors.
“You’ve grown so much since I last saw you.”
“Yes, I turned ten the other day.”
“Wow, time really flies. You’ll be starting school this spring, huh? So, what brings you here today?”
“I have a little favor to ask…”
“Then let’s go over to the living quarters. My dad and younger brothers aren’t around, but my mom will be happy to see you.”
“Thank you. Oh, is it okay if this little one comes too? Her name’s Pearl.”
“Sure, no problem. She’s adorable—so fluffy… This is the best…”
“Hehe, would you like to pet her later?”
“Eh? Really? But… I don’t want to do anything she’d dislike… but if I can touch her… maybe…”
Daniel seemed to be a fan of fluffy things, leading us while struggling with his inner conflict. Somehow, Pearl looked happy too.
“My, my, Joan! You’ve grown up—and gotten even cuter, haven’t you?”
“Thank you, Mrs. Grace. It’s been a while.”
“So, what’s the occasion?”
I explained about the mochi—how it’s made, how it requires a mallet and mortar—and drew illustrations to help describe the parts that were hard to explain verbally.
“Wow, so there’s a food like that? I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s a dish from the eastern lands. Oh, would you like to try some? Here you go.”
““Huh?””
I opened my little hands, and atop them appeared a dish of food.
“Where did that come from?”
“Ah, recently I’ve been able to bring out things from storage just by visualizing them.”
“Wow… Young lady Joan, you’re as outrageous as ever.”
“Yum!” “This is very good!”
“I’m glad it suited your tastes.”
“So, to make this, you need what you just explained?”
“Yes! Could you make them for me?”
“Sure. I don’t have any urgent projects right now. I should be able to finish it by tomorrow. I’ll deliver it once it’s done.”
“Yay! Thank you! I’ll bring you some kusamochi once it’s ready.”
“Oh, I’m looking forward to that. Come on, Daniel, get moving!”
“Okay, Mom... I got it.”
I said goodbye to the two at the workshop and headed to the Jo Company.
I wanted to thank Kate and Gregg.
＊＊＊＊＊
“Hello~”
“Oh? Young lady Joan. Are you alone today?”
“Yes. I just came from the woodworking workshop. Oh, and thank you for yesterday.”
“Huh? Oh no, we were just making up the numbers. We’re not strong like my sister.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, my husband and I are both registered adventurers with the Lampail Guild, but... right?”
“Yeah, neither of us are really suited for combat~ We both ended up stuck at Rank B.”
Even though they say they’re not strong, if they’re Rank B around here, I think that’s plenty strong...
But Kate’s parents and older sister are just *too* strong.
“Actually, Young lady Joan, we had something we wanted to consult you about.”
“Something to consult me about?”
“Yes. Right now, the company is offering tea and honey limon for the season. But recently, an adventurer asked if we had any other warm drinks.”
“Hmm, warm drinks... By the way, adventurers usually don’t carry tumblers, do they?”
“No. That time, they drank from eat-in cups on the terrace.”
“If it’s for eat-in, then maybe something like soup would work?”
“Oh, you’re right!”
“In that case... Tonjiru with shongar might be warming and also satisfying. We could do a set with bread or rice balls. Or make it a daily soup special with a different one each day—”
““That sounds great!!””
Before I could finish, both Kate and Gregg jumped on the idea enthusiastically.
“Umm… I’ll ask my mother about it first. If she agrees, I’ll get back to you.”
““Yes, please! We’d be very grateful!!””
Currently, the company sells stretch-knit hair ties, lunch bags, vegetable-dyed accessories, clothing items made by Megan, and other miscellaneous goods. On the food side, they offer cookies, pound cake, candied sweet potato croquettes for on-the-go eating, sports drinks, and honey lemon.
“But if you add any more products, won’t it be hard for just the two of you to manage? Your belly’s starting to show now, too… How far along are you?”
“I’m around seven months now.”
“Then I’ll have to talk to your mother about the staff situation as well.”
“I’m really sorry to ask you to handle even that, Young lady Joan.”
“Don’t worry about it. Right now, what matters most is the baby.”
““Thank you so much.””
Afterward, I consulted with my mother...
She approved the daily soup special, but said no to the bread and rice balls. Bread, because it would take business away from the bakery, and rice balls because rice was still not being supplied widely enough. So, we gave up on rice balls and decided to have the bakery supply bread to the company for set sales.
As for extra staff, surprisingly, Gan’s and Martin’s mothers—Mrs. Grace and Mrs. Michelle—agreed to help.
Gregg also said it was a huge relief because as experienced moms, they could give Kate good advice and support her too.
What do you think about this chapter?
