The second day was also a great success for the stall. Not only those who couldn’t buy yesterday, but also repeat customers and people who had heard the rumors gathered.

“Lark-kun, do you think we’ll be okay?”

“I’m sure we will. Today, taking into account the lessons from yesterday, I prepared a large quantity of grilled rice balls!”

Confidently, I responded to Leticia, who seemed anxious while looking at the crowd.

…However, as we continued to sell for an hour or two, the stock was once again running dangerously low. It was terrifying how well it was selling…

Nevertheless, we still had a bit of leeway, so I hurriedly made additional grilled rice balls. My tendons were almost inflamed, but my efforts paid off, and I managed to keep the stock until early afternoon without running out.

“L-Lark-kun, we had more people than yesterday.”

“You’re right. I never thought we would become this popular…”

After noon, the number of people naturally started to decrease. I asked Leticia to take a break, and I began replenishing the stock for the evening sales. While diligently making rice balls, I sensed the presence of someone in front of the shop.

When I looked up, it was Mr. Dursley.

“Lark-kun, I’ve heard the rumors, but it seems to be going well.”

“Yes, for now, I feel relieved. Currently, I’m in the middle of preparing the stock for the evening sales.”

“I see, I see. That’s good to hear. However, honestly, I never expected it to sell this well. The people in this town adapted quickly to this unfamiliar food called rice, more so than I anticipated.”

“I think the effect of the delicious smell when it’s grilled with sauce played a big role.”

“Haha, right, that’s true. Even I couldn’t help but be drawn to this smell at first.”

With a final word of encouragement, Mr. Dursley left.

Suddenly, I noticed that Leticia, who had returned from her break, had been standing silently beside me.

“W-What’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking how amazing Lark-kun is, being able to talk so casually with the head of the Dursley Company. I would get nervous if it were me.”

“Hahaha…”

She’s praising me… or so I think?

Eventually, evening arrived, and adventurers returning from outside the city and people finishing their work gathered in the commercial district. Even during this time, many people came to buy grilled rice balls, but Leticia and I, who had become more efficient through our previous experiences, managed to get through by dividing our roles properly.

When it was closing time, the two of us cleaned up together.

“Phew… I’m tired…”

“We managed to sell everything today without closing the store in the middle.”

“Yes, now we just need to get used to it. Well, considering it’s our first time and there are a lot of people, I think it will only be this busy for a few more days.”

After having such a conversation, Leticia and I finished preparing to go home and left the commercial district.

I escorted Leticia to her house and returned to my own home. Father, who had come home earlier, told me that the topic at the guild was all about my food stall, which made me feel a little happy.

After that, while preparing and eating dinner, Shafal came out as usual. However, today he seemed to be in a particularly bad mood for some reason.

“What’s wrong?”

“You made me endure not being able to eat those grilled rice balls. I held back during the day, you know.”

It seemed that he was just frustrated because he couldn’t eat the grilled rice balls. I handed him some leftover grilled rice balls, and Shafal’s mood suddenly improved.

After dinner, I took a bath and returned to my room, where I stood in front of the statue as usual and prayed to the gods. Then, suddenly, I heard Samady’s voice in my mind.

(Lark-sama, Lark-sama)

“Oh, whoa! That surprised me… What’s the matter, Samady-san? By the way, even though I haven’t gone to the divine realm, I can have a conversation?”

(If you are in the middle of praying, I can communicate with you from here. Well, I have a request for Lark-sama…)

“A request? Ah, before that… Samady-san is higher ranked, so you don’t have to use honorifics with me. I’ve been curious about it for a while.”

After I said that, there was a moment of silence, and then Samady answered, (If you say so… Lark-kun. If it’s alright, could you give me one of the leftover grilled rice balls? I suddenly felt like trying it too.)

“A grilled rice ball…? It’s not a problem, but… how should I give it to you?”

(Just put it in front of the statue where you are praying.)

As I was told, I put the grilled rice ball on a plate and placed it in front of the statue for the time being. The next moment, the grilled rice ball disappeared in an instant. What kind of principle is that?

“Thank you, Lark-kun. Oh, it’s delicious.”

“Th-thank you very much.”

I was thanked… but it seems that even gods crave human food. The culture of making offerings doesn’t seem to be entirely wrong after all.

After finishing my communication with Samady, I decided to go to sleep for the day.

I was tired, so I was able to fall asleep immediately.

◇

The grilled onigiri food stall continued to thrive, and by the time there was one more week left of the school’s long vacation, it had become one of the most popular stalls in the capital city.

At first, it was just me and Leticia-san running the grilled onigiri stall, but after about a week had passed since we started, I began to feel that the staff was too few. So I consulted with Mr. Dursley, and he introduced me to Liliana, a salesperson, and Naraba, a middle-aged man in charge of cooking. Both of them were extremely capable, and they were a great help.

With the four of us working together, our sales continued to grow, and in just three weeks, we had already achieved the initial target amount.

Furthermore, our other goal, which was to promote rice consumption, was going well. Recently, customers started asking us to teach them how to cook grilled onigiri and other rice dishes, as well as where to buy rice.

However, Mr. Dursley warned us not to reveal too much information about these matters. The reason was that this year, it was expected that the supply of rice harvested by Mr. Kent and others would significantly fall short of the demand.

During the meeting about information disclosure, he told me: “It seems that even Kent-san didn’t expect us to become this popular. They are planning to expand cultivation on a larger scale next year, so we should also start actively sharing information from next year.”

“I understand. But if we don’t say anything, rice won’t become popular, right?”

When I asked, Mr. Dursley shook his head with a smile, “Haha, that’s not true. The original purpose of the food stall was to let people know about rice, and it has already fulfilled its role quite well. Besides, it’s better to stay silent. People love rumors, you know.”

At that time, I didn’t understand what he meant. But just yesterday, I finally understood the meaning. I don’t know how they found out, but it seems that people flocked to Taldora’s shop, the main supplier of rice. Apparently, the rumor that I buy rice at Taldora’s shop had spread.

As a result, the rice intended for sale at the stall sold out immediately. However, customers who were still looking for rice kept coming to the shop every day. This led to Taldora posting an apology note saying, “We will inform you when the imported rice is available, so please bear with Lark Voltoris’ grilled onigiri for now.” As a result, the number of people crowding Taldora’s shop disappeared, but the sign became a form of advertisement, and the number of customers coming to my shop increased even more.

So, leading a busy life every day, I worked energetically today as well and was now cleaning up.

“Phew, thank you for today. Please take care of me again tomorrow.”

I thanked Liliana, who was in charge of sales, and Naraba, who helped with cooking, and said goodbye to them. Then I sent Leticia home and headed back to my house.

“I’m home, Father… Wait, is that…?”

When I entered the living room, I saw Father eating the grilled onigiri from the shop. I didn’t notice at all, but it seems he came to the shop and bought some.

“When did you buy it?” I asked, and Father answered while munching on the grilled onigiri, “Today, I finished work before evening, so I stopped by on my way back. I didn’t call out to you because you seemed busy cooking.”

“Oh, is that so? But even so, you don’t have to come all the way to buy… I can make it for you anytime, Father.”

“Well, that’s true, but it’s a parent’s heart to want to see their son working.”

After Father finished the last bite, it turned out that he was still hungry, so I decided to make dinner.

As I laid out the completed dishes in the living room, Shafal appeared as usual. Looking at Shafal, I suddenly noticed that a certain part of him was unnaturally swollen.

“…Hey, Shafal. I’ve been a little concerned about it before… Is your stomach sticking out?”

“What!”

Shafal seemed so startled that you could almost hear the onomatopoeic “shock,” and he glanced at his own stomach.

“…I didn’t even notice,” looking at his flabby belly, Shafal muttered to himself.

“…”

Feeling disappointed, neither I nor Father said anything. Although he needs to replenish his magical power to mature, if he lives a life of just eating and sleeping, of course, he’ll gain weight.

“…I’ll go exercise in the garden,” Shafal said quietly and flew out of the window. By the way, he ate his dinner properly afterward, so it’s questionable whether he can actually lose weight or not.

“…Lark, make sure to exercise moderately so you don’t get fat.”

“…I understand.”

After Shafal left, Father and I had that conversation.

◇

Three days remained until the end of the vacation. When I came to the Dursley Trading Company as usual to pick up the food stalls, Mr. Dursley told me that he had something to discuss.

He then led me into a meeting room, and immediately got to the point, “Lark-kun, it was a close call, but we managed to finish the renovation. You can start anytime now.”

“Really!? Thank you so much!” I expressed my gratitude in an excited voice upon hearing the good news.

Mr. Dursley and I were discussing a plan to sell rice dishes, including grilled onigiri, in a proper shop rather than a food stall.

◈◈◈

Around two weeks after starting my business and even after the school started, Mr. Dursley suggested opening a shop so that we could consistently sell grilled onigiri. I was originally interested in opening a shop, so I immediately agreed. Initially, Father was somewhat against the business, but he supported it after evaluating the successful food stall and seeing my hard work.

Of course, I can only be present at the shop on holidays because I will be attending school after the break. However, it’s not a problem at the moment since we made an agreement that Liliana and Naraba would manage the shop mainly on weekdays.

However, since we still lacked manpower, Mr. Dursley introduced another female cook through him. She is scheduled to start working after the shop opens. When we interviewed her the other day, she mentioned that she knew Naraba, so I don’t think there will be any issues with their relationship.

Therefore, for the past few days, Mr. Dursley and I have been secretly working on opening the grilled onigiri stall. He searched for available store locations, while I went to the Commerce Guild to complete the necessary procedures for opening the shop.

Apparently, the grilled onigiri food stall is drawing attention even within the Commerce Guild, so my paperwork was smoothly approved. However, Mr. Dursley struggled with his part. As a result, I thought the opening of the grilled onigiri stall would be after the start of the new school term, but we finally found a promising location the other day. Since then, we have been working rapidly on the renovation, and today, all preparations seem to be in place.

“Although it’s a bit off the main street, it’s still a lively location. Since it’s a popular product, I think we can expect sufficient sales.”

“Thank you so much for everything.”

After chatting briefly with Mr. Dursley, we headed to the commercial district square, renting the food stall.

Leticia and the others were already waiting, so I immediately set up the stall and started grilling onigiri with Naraba. Since it would still take some time for customers to start lining up, I informed everyone that we had completed the preparations for the shop.

“By the way, Lark-san, you’re a student, right?” After finishing our conversation, Naraba asked him.

“With the ability to make such delicious food, have you considered becoming a chef in the future? Or maybe a merchant? I think both suit you well,” Liliana also chimed in, asking a question.

Well… to be honest, I haven’t thought much about my career path. Right now, my main focus is spreading rice, so I want to concentrate on that until I reach a certain point.

When I answered Liliana like that, she cheered me on, saying, “Do your best.”

It was already past noon, so we closed earlier than usual to visit the shop that had been renovated.

The destination was a place slightly off the main street in the commercial district. The road was narrow, and there was heavy foot traffic, naturally slowing down our walking speed. It could be considered a suitable street for business.

Eventually, the four of us stopped in front of a two-story, compact building. This was the shop that Mr. Dursley had prepared for us.

“Oh, it’s a nice building,” Naraba said admiringly, and I nodded in response.

“Yes, it’s an ideal size for operating with a small staff. Well, let’s take a look inside first.”

Taking out the key I had received from Mr. Dursley in advance, I opened the door and stepped inside.

Approximately 70% of the first floor is dedicated to the kitchen, while the remaining 30% serves as counter space. The second floor has several rooms that can be used as a break area or storage space. Since it has been renovated, the inside is very clean.

“Due to the structural design of the building, it seems difficult to open it as a dining hall. Are you planning to continue mainly selling grilled onigiri in the future?” Naraba asked after checking the counter area and the second floor.

I pondered for a moment before answering that question. “Well… for example, I have some ideas for rice-based hearty meals like donburi, but as Naraba-san mentioned, it would be difficult to offer such dishes here. That’s why in this shop, we will focus on expanding the menu with light snacks that can be quickly eaten when you’re a little hungry, starting with grilled onigiri.”

“I see, that’s a good idea. Some people might hesitate to go to a dining hall just because they’re a little peckish,” Naraba said, expressing agreement.

“I think it’s a good idea too!” Lilliana chimed in.

Naraba, Lilliana, and I all agreed on the approach.

Afterward, we headed to the kitchen together. As requested in advance, the kitchen had been renovated with top-of-the-line equipment, just as Mr. Dursley had promised. There were magical tools for producing fire, water, and even tools that generated wind to instantly dry dishes.

“I feel truly honored to be able to work in a place like this,” Naraba said, looking impressed as he surveyed the kitchen.

Lilliana and Leticia were looking around in astonishment.

“It must have required a lot of money to prepare such equipment. I don’t think it could have been done with just the revenue from the food cart,” Lilliana said, looking puzzled. I decided to answer her honestly.

“Well, yes… but Mr. Dursley kindly provided the magical tools at a discounted price, and I also dipped into my savings, so I managed to make it work.”

Indeed, the revenue from the food cart alone wasn’t enough to cover the expenses of setting up this equipment. I had also used a portion of the money I had saved from previous jobs and private tutoring.

I had no regrets about that. I had no other use for the money, and it was for the sake of spreading rice.

“However, it’s a waste to have such a spacious kitchen for just one person,” Naraba said, still overwhelmed by the situation.

Ah… right. I hadn’t mentioned to Naraba-san yet that I had hired a new cook. Maybe I should inform him now.

“Speaking of that… actually, I got a new person recommended by Mr. Dursley as a cook. It’s a sudden announcement, I apologize. From now on, I’d like to entrust the cooking to that person along with you. Is that okay?”

“Yes, of course. I don’t intend to interfere with Lark’s management… Ah, but before we start working together, I would like to have a meeting with that new person,” Naraba said, correcting himself.

“Oh, when I interviewed her, she mentioned that she already knows you. Her name is Sonia, a woman…-”

“She’s coming?!”

Naraba suddenly raised his voice. I, I was surprised…

Regaining my composure, I asked the question that came to mind, “U-umm, what is your relationship with her?”

“… She is my disciple. Craftsmen like chefs and blacksmiths who belong to a guild like the Dursley Trading Company usually study under a master until they become fully qualified. As a proper chef myself, I took on an apprentice, and that apprentice is Sonia. However, she was supposed to have left me and been working in the Kingdom of Leblanc…”

Come to think of it, I remember her mentioning something like that during the interview. She didn’t say she was Naraba-san’s disciple, though.

“Um… I believe she said she wanted to change jobs because she wanted to work with Naraba-san.”

“…I thought she had finally grown enough to leave her master, but well…,” Naraba murmured, looking sad but somewhat happy.

Anyway, Naraba-san should be satisfied now. I’ve already promised Liliana-san to continue working.

There’s one more thing I need to confirm…

“So, what about Leticia-san?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

When I asked, Leticia replied with surprise.

“Well, from now on, we’ll be running a proper shop instead of a food stall. It wouldn’t be fair to keep asking Leticia-san for help since she’s an adventurer, so I wanted to know what she plans to do from now on.”

In response to my words, Leticia puffed up her cheeks, saying, “I only have Lark-kun as a party member, so I’ll help with the shop until Lark-kun can fully focus on his adventures!”

“Are you sure? We don’t know when things will settle down.”

“It’s fine! I’ve been enjoying talking with the people in town recently, and I can train even while helping out.”

“Thank you. Well then, let’s continue to do our best from now on!” I said loudly, making sure everyone present could hear, and proceeded with the preparations for the opening of the new shop.