Chapter 169
The next morning.
We'd finished breakfast and were sitting in the dining hall, facing the children Ronnie had recommended.
The other children seemed to be spending their time as they pleased, going to work, playing in the backyard, or studying.
Five children were sitting in front of me: two girls and three boys. One of the girls was Emma, whom I'd met first yesterday. I didn't know the others' names, but I remembered seeing all of them. One of the boys was the one I thought was incredibly big yesterday.
“Leon, I spoke to these five, and they all said they wanted to work at your shop.”
“Got it. Is it all right if I speak with them one at a time?”
“Sure. Please do.”
I decided to talk to them in order from one end, so I addressed the boy sitting at the far right first.
Since I was going to be their employer, I wanted to project as much authority as possible so they wouldn't take me lightly. I steeled myself and spoke to him.
“Nice to meet you. I'm Leon.”
“Nice to meet you. I'm Paul, and I'm fourteen. I like cooking and want to become a chef... The crepes we had yesterday were so delicious, I was amazed! I want to learn how to make delicious sweets, too!”
“So you want to be a chef, Paul?”
“Yes!”
I was planning to hire a chef at the shop so Yoan could spend more time on his research, but would it be better to hire a chef with experience working at another shop or one who'd never worked before?
An experienced chef would undoubtedly have the technical skills, but if we hired one, we might clash because we'd both have strong opinions.
...Maybe it would be better to train someone with no experience.
“Have you ever worked as a cook before?”
“I've worked in the orphanage kitchen, and I do odd jobs at a nearby diner.”
So he did have some experience working at a diner. Since he'd only done odd jobs, he probably understood what a chef did, but hadn't actually worked as one. Maybe someone with that level of experience would be best. Yeah, I think I could hire him.
“Would you be able to quit your job at the diner?”
“There are other kids who want to work there, too, so I think I could quit in about a week.”
“I see. All right, Paul. I'd like you to work at my shop. I look forward to working with you.”
When I said that, Paul happily stood up.
“R-really!? Thank you!”
“I haven't decided on the exact pay yet. Is that still okay?”
“Yes! I trust you because you're Ronnie's friend.”
Ronnie was really trusted by everyone. He'd helped me so much.
After that, I spoke with everyone in turn and decided to hire them one after another. They were all such earnest, good kids, and none of them wanted the same job, so I had no reason to turn any of them down. Ronnie had probably chosen them carefully.
I hired a boy named Doni for security and a girl named Kiara as a server.
I hadn't even considered hiring someone for security, but after that incident at the stall, and now that we'd started becoming well-known, we did need someone. Doni was thirteen. He wasn't very tall yet, but he was in good shape and looked strong. He'd be a sufficient deterrent. On top of that, his magic capacity for body-enhancement magic was four, so I thought he could become quite strong with training. He had a bright future ahead of him.
Kiara was a fourteen-year-old girl with cute red curls. She was cheerful and spoke clearly, so I thought she'd be suited to serving. She also spoke politely, so she could probably be an asset right away.
“Doni, Kiara, I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes. I'll make sure to protect the shop.”
“Yes! I'll do my very best!”
All right, next was the boy who was really big. He'd stood out since yesterday.
“Nice to meet you. I'm Leon.”
“I'm Livio. I'm confident in my strength, so I'd like to work in security.”
“Can I ask what your magic affinity and magic capacity are?”
“Fire affinity, and my magic capacity is five.”
Whoa, five was a lot. With training, this kid could become a pretty strong soldier. The downside was that he couldn't casually use fire magic in town.
Hmm, but he looked strong enough even with just his physical strength. He must have trained quite a bit.
I thought I was training, too, so why didn't I look like that? I compared myself to Livio. Even when I trained, I didn't look muscular or strong. If anything, I looked weak and easy to underestimate.
Why was that...? Well, I still had plenty of time to grow, so I had to look forward to the future.
Slightly envious of Livio's build, I continued the interview.
“Can you use a sword?”
“I can use one the same way Doni can, by teaching myself. We didn't have any swords, though, so I've only used ones carved out of wood.”
“I see. Then I'll have you learn the basics of swordsmanship with Doni. Can I ask you to help guard the shop?”
“Yes. I'll do my best.”
Doni seemed energetic, while Livio was quiet. He had the air of a calm warrior, even though he was only fifteen.
That made four. Emma was the only one left.
“Emma, I look forward to working with you, too.”
“Yes! Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Emma. I'm only ten, so I'm younger than the others, but I'll work as hard as I can. I'd like to be a server!”
“Yeah. I thought serving would suit you, with your gentle air. I'd love to have you work at the shop. I look forward to working with you.”
“Thank you! I look forward to it!”
And so I decided to hire all five children Ronnie had recommended.
When should I have them come to the central district? As soon as possible would be best, but I wouldn't be able to handle much while I was at my parents' house... Maybe they could come with Ronnie when he returned to the central district.
I was planning to return to the central district a little early to have tea with Martine and the others, and I wanted to have the rooms where everyone would live ready by then.
They could look for rooms on their own, but the cheap places were in unsafe areas. Since they were going to work at a restaurant, I wanted them to live somewhere clean.
I should set up a dormitory for the shop's employees. If rent and maintenance costs were deducted from their wages, it would be more convenient for everyone.
I'd like to buy a decent building near the shop or near the entrance to the central district. If I renovated it, I could turn it into a good dormitory.
“Then I'd like all of you to come to the central district with Ronnie when our summer break ends. That's about twelve weeks from now. Ronnie, could you bring everyone with you?”
“Sure. Would it be better to come sooner?”
“No, actually, I think it would be better to come closer to the end. I'll go back early and get a place ready for everyone, so if you come early, you might not have anywhere to stay. Oh, Ronnie, would you move there, too? I'm thinking of setting up an employee dormitory.”
“Really? Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
When I said that, Ronnie smiled happily. He was probably glad he could live with everyone again.
“I'll prepare a place for everyone to stay, so don't worry too much about coming to the central district. I'll make sure you have the basic things you need. Oh, and I'll provide your work clothes.”
“Thank you very much.”
Was there anything else we needed to discuss...? Oh, right. There was one thing I'd been thinking about. Liz hadn't been one of Ronnie's recommendations. Was that all right?
“Ronnie, aren't you going to recommend Liz?”
“I thought about it, but... she's shy, so I don't think she'd be suited to serving. And she's still too young.”
That was true, but this was a chance for Ronnie and Liz to live together again... After seeing how Liz had reacted when Ronnie came back, it seemed cruel to separate them again.
Could I hire Liz, too? She might not be able to contribute right away, but she'd grow just as Ronnie had. She'd handled the cooking pretty well earlier, so I thought she'd be suited to it.
It might be favoritism, and just something I wanted for my own sake, but if Liz wanted to work, I'd like to hire her. She could start out as a kitchen helper.
“If Liz wants to work, I'd like to hire her.”
“But that's because she's my little sister, isn't it...?”
“That's part of it, but she was good in the kitchen, and besides, as Ronnie's sister, I'm sure she's capable. Wouldn't it be sad to leave Liz behind again?”
“That's true, but...”
Ronnie seemed reluctant to hire Liz out of favoritism. But favoritism was everywhere in this world, and it seemed like people with connections always won, so I didn't think he needed to worry about it too much.
“Is something bothering you?”
“No, I was just wondering if it was okay when there are other kids who are more capable than Liz.”
“But being Ronnie's sister is an advantage, just like having talent. Having connections is a talent, too.”
“You're right... I see. Yeah. Then can I go get Liz?”
“Of course!”
Ronnie went to get Liz, and a few minutes later, he came back with her.
Liz seemed a little nervous, but she was walking on her own without hiding behind Ronnie.
“Um, my name is Liz. I'm not very good at serving, but I like cooking. Please let me work here. I look forward to working with you!”
“Of course. Liz, I look forward to working with you, too.”
“Yes! I'll do my very best! Thank you so much for helping me live with my big brother again.”
Liz said that with tears in her eyes and a beautiful smile. Wow... If she learned to smile like that naturally, she'd definitely be popular as a server. She might give Marie a run for her money. Though Marie would win, of course. As her big brother, I wouldn't concede that.
“That makes six of you, then. I look forward to working with you all. Does anyone have any questions?”
“Yes!”
Doni was the one who raised his hand energetically.
“Yes, Doni?”
“Should I call you Leon-san or Leon-sama?”
“Hmm...”
I didn't mind what they called me, but as their employer, maybe they should address me properly.
Yoan called me Leon-sama, so maybe I should have them all use that.
“Anything is fine, but let's standardize on Leon-sama. You don't need to worry about it when we're not working, though.”
“Understood. Leon-sama!”
“Yeah. I like how energetic you are, Doni. Any other questions?”
This time, no one raised their hand. It seemed there weren't any questions for now. Well, they didn't know anything yet, and would probably start to have questions as they worked.
“If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me or Ronnie anytime. There's also a head chef in the central district, so I'll introduce you to the head chef later.”
“Yes! We look forward to working with you.”
And with that, we wrapped things up for now.
I was glad we'd managed to hire employees. But it still wasn't enough. They were all young, and I wanted to hire someone who could lead them.
At the very least, I needed one person who could teach serving and one who could lead the security staff. But where could I look for them? Should I put up a notice at the church? Hmm, I couldn't just hire anyone; I'd want someone trustworthy...
Yeah, asking Richard-sama was probably the best option. That seemed better than handling it on my own.
Having reached that conclusion, I stopped thinking about it for now. I had a lot to do once I got back to the central district.