After finishing the test in the morning, we all headed to the commercial district around noon. The reason being that Reck had secretly planned a celebration for our classmates. With the help of Roeck’s father, Mr. Rakku, they managed to reserve one of the shops owned by the Dursley Company free of charge, and we all gratefully agreed to participate.

Guided by Roeck, we arrived at the destination without knowing where we were going, and we were astonished when we saw the upscale shop that we had arrived at.

Kagura, in disbelief, was the first to speak up, “…Roeck-san, is this the most popular restaurant in the capital’s commercial district?”

“Yeah, recently there was talk about Lark’s shop, so the number of customers dropped a bit for a while. But it has picked up again.”

“I-I see…,” Kagura forced a smile in response to Roeck’s casual remark.

Even I knew about the reputation of the shop Roeck brought us to, called “Ravalin.” It was said to be so popular that reservations were filled weeks in advance. To think that they easily reserved the entire place…

As I hesitated, wondering if it was really okay to enter, a man who seemed to be a chef came out of the shop.

“Well, well, if it isn’t young master Roeck. Long time no see.”

“It’s been a while, Lonri-san.”

After exchanging friendly greetings, Roeck introduced us to the man named Lonri, who seemed to be a chef.

Finally, when it was my turn to be introduced, Lonri happily reached out for a handshake, “So, you must be the rumored Lark. I am Lonri Ravalin, the head chef of ‘Ravalin.’ Today, I will put my heart and soul into cooking for you all, so please look forward to it.”

After he finished his self-introduction, we were led into the shop.

The interior of the shop was filled with luxurious decorations, reminiscent of a grand hall in a castle. It definitely had the atmosphere of a high-end establishment. As we sat at the table prepared for us, Lonri gracefully bowed and left the room.

Feeling a bit nervous, I noticed that Lia, who was sitting to my left, looked at me curiously, “What’s wrong, Lark-kun?”

“Ah… I’ve never been to such a fancy restaurant before, so I’m a little nervous.”

Then, Roeck, who was sitting to my right, joined in the conversation, “Although this place looks like a super high-end restaurant just by looking at the building and interior, the prices are set so that even the townspeople can afford to eat here.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.” Surprised, I took a look at the menu. While slightly more expensive than a typical diner, as Roeck had said, all the dishes were priced within reach of the middle class. It seemed that the restaurant’s splendor was based on Lonri’s belief that visual impression was more important than anything else.

As we chatted lively, a delicious aroma filled the air. Soon after, Lonri and a few other chefs entered the room, carrying the dishes.

“Wow!”

Seeing the dishes arranged on the table, I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

It had been over two years since I reincarnated into this world, but I had never seen such appetizing dishes. It was clear that Lonri’s philosophy was thoroughly reflected here as well.

As I carefully observed the dishes, Roeck nudged my side, “Lark-kun, let’s eat soon. It would be a shame if it gets cold.”

“Ah, sorry, everyone!” I apologized for keeping everyone waiting and moved my face away from the dish.

“Well then, shall we start eating?”

“Ittadakimasu!”

My classmates started eating their favorite dishes all at once.

I also reached for the salad in front of me and served it on a small plate. It was a fresh mix of colorful vegetables with thinly sliced smoked meat on top, accompanied by a mysteriously fragrant dressing.

I took a bite and widened my eyes at its incredible deliciousness.

The vegetables were lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, which paired well with the light dressing. When eaten together with the thinly sliced smoked meat, the savory aroma and richness of the meat were enhanced by the vegetables, making it even more delicious.

I also had Red Boa sauté and a rich corn potage, among other dishes, and they were all unbelievably tasty.

While savoring the food, Roeck spoke up, “What do you think, Lark-kun? Does the cuisine of ‘Ravalin’ suit your taste as a skilled cook?”

“Oh, it’s incredibly delicious!”

“That’s good to hear. I’ll let Lonri-san know later.”

Afterward, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal while discussing our test results and other topics.

Having finished all the dishes and feeling full, we thanked Roeck and dispersed.

On the way home, I unexpectedly ran into someone. It was Forno, the blacksmith who made my equipment.

“Oh, Lark. Long time no see.”

“Forno-san, it’s been a while.”

“How have you been? Have you been going on adventures lately?”

When asked by him, I shook my head and replied, “Well, for about a month now, I haven’t been going outside the town. My shop has been keeping me busy… But I do take care of my equipment every day.”

“Speaking of which, I’ve heard rumors about your shop… Well, as long as you’re maintaining it, it’s fine. Although I do want you to use it, if you’re busy, there’s no helping it.”

“I’m sorry…”

As I apologized and lowered my head, he placed his hand on my head and ruffled my hair, “No need to apologize. I’m not angry or anything… By the way, since the time is convenient, there’s something I wanted to ask you, Lark. Do you know where Guldo is right now? I peeked into the reception, but I couldn’t find him there.”

“Well… at this time, I think he;s working behind the scenes at the guild, so you should ask the other receptionist to call my father.”

“I see. I should have asked another receptionist from the beginning. I was being careless… Well, never mind. I’ll go there again. Thanks, Lark.”

Forno walked towards the guild.

Adventure, huh… Until Forno-san mentioned it, I had completely forgotten about adventurer activities. For now, I plan to concentrate on my shop, but I should actively look for opportunities to go outside the town.

With that in mind, I returned home, and Shafal suddenly appeared, “Make me a delicious meal too! I couldn’t resist at that restaurant, but I’ve reached my limit!” shouting near my ear. It was admirable that he had kept his promise to keep his existence a secret and hadn’t come outside. However, it seemed that he had accumulated frustration as a result.

“I understand, I understand…” I said soothingly and went to the kitchen to make Shafal’s lunch.

◇

A few days had passed since the tests were over, and it was a holiday at school. Instead of lazing around in my room on my day off, I decided to go to the shop early in the morning. Lately, I hadn’t been able to show up there much because of studying for the tests.

When I arrived at the shop and entered, even though it was before opening hours, I sensed someone’s presence from the kitchen.

When I peeked inside, I saw Naraba doing preparations. I approached the man and greeted him, “Good morning, Naraba-san.”

“Lark-san, long time no see. Is today a holiday for the school?”

“Yes, that’s right. Thank you for doing the preparations all by yourself so early in the morning.”

“Oh, not at all. I’m used to it by now. Besides, there have been customers who buy onigiri every day recently, so I do it for their sake as well.”

As he said this, he skillfully transferred the cooked rice to another pot for heat preservation. Then, with practiced movements, he began preparing to cook a new batch of rice.

“I’ll help too.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

While helping Naraba with the preparations, Leticia and a woman with a gentle atmosphere entered the kitchen. That gentle young woman is Sona, the new cook. She started working right after the shop opened, but since I couldn’t come at all, this is the first time I’m meeting her at the shop.

The two of them walked over to us, and first Leticia spoke to me, “Lark-kun, long time no see. How were the tests?”

“Long time no see, Leticia-san. I’m quite confident this time. I had study sessions with my classmates.”

“Oh, that’s exciting. I had a hard time when I was a student…”

After Leticia-san said that, Sona stepped forward. “Oh, thank you, Manager. I appreciate your help during the interview. Um, this is our first meeting at the shop, right? I apologize for the late introduction,” she introduced while bowing slightly.

I quicky gestured, “Oh, please raise your head. There’s no need for you to apologize! It was my fault for not being able to come to the shop.”

As instructed, Sona lifted her face—somehow, she continued to stare at me without looking away.

“What’s… what’s the matter?”

“Well… Can I ask you something?”

“Uh, sure, go ahead.”

“Um… By the way, how old is the Manager-san?”

Ah, age, huh… I got a little defensive, wondering what she was going to ask.

“Twelve years old. I’ll be turning thirteen soon, though.”

When I answered, Sonna let out a sigh for some reason. “Twelve years old… That’s the age I was still in my apprenticeship… I guess age doesn’t matter for talented people, after all.”

At that moment, Naraba, who seemed to have overheard our conversation while working, called out to Sonna with an exasperated tone, “Sonna, you’re good too, so don’t be jealous of Lark-san.”

“But, Master… A twelve-year-old, um… I’m sorry, I couldn’t think of any other words. A twelve-year-old kid making such popular dishes? It’s only natural to feel jealous,” Sonna replied sullenly.

Then, Naraba stopped his preparations, approached Sonna, and knocked her on the head.

“Ouch! Master, what are you doing?”

“Sonna… Tell them about your background.”

“Well, when I turned ten, I was doing live-in apprenticeship at the most popular restaurant in the Leblacn Kingdom… Then, when I was thirteen, I was called to the castle and worked as an exclusive chef until I was sixteen. After leaving the castle and before coming here, I returned to the restaurant where I trained and worked there as a way of repaying my debt.”

“Try saying that in front of other chefs. You’ll definitely be envied.”

“Ugh…” Sonna puffed out her cheeks, about to retort, but then the receptionist Liliana entered the kitchen.

“Oh, Lark-kun is here too. Long time no see. By the way, there are already customers lined up outside the shop, so we need to finish preparations quickly or it’ll be a problem.”

With Liliana’s words, we returned to our stations and hurriedly continued with the preparations. We finished the busy preparations and opened the shop. I entrusted the kitchen to Naraba and Sonna for now and decided to be the receptionist.

I handed the grilled onigiri that had been ordered to the old lady at the front of the line. She had been coming to buy them every day since the days when I had a food stall.

“Oh my, Lark-kun. You’re here at the shop today,” the old lady spoke kindly to me as I handed her the onigiri.

So, I answered with a smile, “Yes, my school is on vacation starting today.”

“I see, I see. So Lark-kun goes to school, huh? Study hard.”

Saying that, the old lady went outside the shop.

The shop was doing well, so I didn’t have to worry for a while. In that case, I really want to go on an adventure again.