Adventurer's Guild Café: I Was Wrongfully Exiled by the Saint, So I Will Enjoy My Second Life with My Fluffy Friends-Chapter 2.3 - Café “Silver Ribbon” Pre-Opening!

“I thought tough adventurers wouldn’t be interested in something as stylish as a café...” Ruri said, resting her hand on her cheek with a perplexed look.

Right in front of her, heavily equipped adventurers, people who looked like guild staff, and townsfolk gathered for errands were all enjoying themselves, chatting happily at the tables inside Silver Ribbon.

Lulu was weaving between tables, charming everyone with her sweetness. With her cute little voice, she managed to captivate every guest, young and old alike. It seemed her plan was to win their affection and score some tasty treats. Sure enough, patrons were offering Lulu small bites from their orders. Oh, the guest with the raspberry pie—Lulu’s really got her sights set on them...

“Carbuncles are rare, and also...” Ruri looked over at me. “It’s definitely Kuu-chan, isn’t it?”

I’d been feeling quite a few eyes on me since earlier. People were glancing over and talking, though I couldn’t make out their words. From what I could tell, it seemed they weren’t used to seeing a beastkin like me.

Feeling nervous, I tensed up. I wasn’t actually serving guests, but since people at their tables could see into the counter area, their gazes had my heart racing.

◆

Today was the pre-opening day for the café Silver Ribbon.

We had been busy preparing since morning, checking over the menu and making sure everything was in order. Finally, we turned the sign to Open.

I wore an apron over my dress, ready for anything. Although, as of now, the café doesn’t have any uniforms. Since Ruri and Dan originally planned to run the place themselves, they hadn’t felt the need for uniforms. But Ruri mentioned that if the staff grows, she’d love to have matching aprons.

So for now, both Ruri and I are wearing loaner aprons over our dresses, each one different. I think it’d be nice if the three of us could go shopping together for matching aprons sometime.

With that thought in mind, we opened for business.

“Well, cafés are meant for people who want to relax, so there probably won’t be that many customers,” Ruri said absentmindedly.

But as soon as we flipped the sign to Open, it was as if people had been waiting for that exact moment—tons of customers showed up.

◆

“I’ve been curious for a while, you know. Dan said he was opening a shop,” said one of them.

“Idiot, what you were curious about was Kuu-chan, wasn’t it?”

“Wha—well, yeah, that too.”

At the counter, right in front of me as I worked, sat three intimidating men: one with a shaved head, one with an eye patch, and one with a scarred face.

Though they’d removed their weapons, they looked like... no, they were clearly formidable adventurers.

“Kuu-chan, I’m Gant, also known as Gant the Rockcrusher. Adventurer rank A. Nice to meet ya!”

“Oh, come on, you’re sneaking in an introduction already? Kuu-chan, I’m Maluga the Wise Eagle. Adventurer rank almost S!”

“This guy failed the S-rank test three times. Unlike him, I’ve already reached S-rank. Name’s Ritz Aldorod. Known as Aldorod the Flame Dragon—pretty famous in this country, you know.”

Wow... they’re really strong adventurers.

The first people to come into the café after we opened were this trio of adventurers, who apparently work as a team. They headed straight for the counter and each ordered a drink.

Since I was in charge of preparing simple drinks, I took their orders. Nervously, I managed to prepare their drinks and serve them, and they each accepted them happily.

And so, they all gave me their introductions.

“Ah… I’m Kuna. Pleased to meet you,” I said, bowing my head slightly.

I was so nervous I couldn’t speak well. As I fumbled, Dan came to my rescue.

“Kuna is still getting used to the work. Please be patient and watch over her.”

“Of course,” they all said.

“Wow, the tea you made is really delicious, Kuna-chan,” Aldorod and the others nodded in agreement.

“Somehow, I was feeling exhausted just a moment ago, but after drinking this tea you made, all my fatigue just disappeared!”

“Oh, um… that’s...”

Were they really complimenting me? It felt a bit exaggerated, but it made me happy.

—Delicious.

Hearing someone say that... it feels like being told, “You’re helpful, you belong here.” That’s how it feels.

Even though I was nervous and busy, I realized how much I enjoyed this job. Well, calling it a job might be a stretch—I’m just preparing simple drinks, doing dishes, and helping Dan with whatever he needs.

Still, being appreciated is such a wonderful feeling.

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“Kuna-chan! Two hot lemonades, please!”

“Yes!”

Hearing the order from Ruri, I picked up the jar with honey-soaked fruit. As the day went on, more and more customers kept coming in.

◆

“Kuna-chan♪”

It was past noon.

As the lunch rush finally began to settle down and I was getting more comfortable with the work, Kiril-san arrived.

He took a seat at the counter, and after placing his order, he greeted me with a friendly smile.

“The folks from the guild here were really curious about you, weren’t they, Kuna-chan?”

“Y-Yes, they were...”

In one way or another, I ended up talking with many of the female adventurers and guild staff. Everyone seemed interested in Lulu, and in me, a White Wolf Tribe member, asking questions like, “Where are you from?” and more. Between making drinks and answering questions, it had been really busy, but I was gradually getting the hang of it.

—Not a single person judged me just because I’m a beastkin.

Honestly, I’d been pretty nervous.

I worried that it might not be okay for a beastkin to work in a shop.

In the country of Aluda, there are limited places where demi-humans can work. Only demi-humans with strong magical abilities could become “Honorary Humans,” who are treated as equals to humans and could work in decent jobs.

—It’s unpleasant to have a demi-human serve you.

That’s something I’d often heard from the nobles...

But here, no one was bothered by anything like that.

They were genuinely interested in the shop, Lulu, and in me, and just wanted to talk.

Up until now, thanks to Ruri and Dan, I’d mostly interacted with them, Simon, and the people at the dorm. So, I’d been really nervous about meeting others, but there was no reason to worry at all.

—The people of Grantania truly don’t discriminate against beastkin.

“Everyone here is truly wonderful,” I said with a warm smile, and Kiril-san chuckled.

“I’m glad to hear that. This big brother was worried about you, you know.”

“Huh?”

“Pretty scary-looking bunch, right?”

“Oh...”

Realizing he was talking about their appearances, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Adventurers do tend to look like villainous old men, don’t they?”

Kiril-san glanced around at the other tables as he murmured.

Then, from somewhere nearby—

“Who are you calling villainous?!”

A voice called out, scolding Kiril-san.

“That’d be you guys!”

Kiril-san stuck out his tongue with a playful “Bleh!” followed by laughter echoing around us. It seemed like everyone was on friendly terms.

“Kiril-san, aren’t you part of a party?”

“Hm? Me?”

From serving customers all morning, I’d noticed that most adventurers form parties. Nearly all of them do, to cover for each other’s weaknesses and as a way to venture deep into dungeons.

“I’m solo.”

“Solo… You go on adventures by yourself?”

“Yep. I’m strong enough to handle things alone. I used to pair up with another guy, but he took up a different profession.”

“A different profession?”

“Yeah, he was strong and super serious, so he became a staff knight. He’s even a captain now.”

With a grumble, Kiril-san pouted.

A staff knight? I wonder what that is...

“But I like adventuring more. I can make it all the way to the final floors on my own and take down dragons or whatever comes my way.”

“Really?! That’s amazing!”

When I told him that honestly, Kiril-san gave me a playful wink.

“Right? Impressive, huh? So, Kuna-chan, why don’t you go on a da— Ow!?”

“Hey! No hitting on my staff!”

With a quick swing of a silver tray, Ruri bopped Kiril-san on the head.

“Ouch! Hey, how on earth do you sense these things?”

“I have a built-in Kuna-chan Protection Sensor! Now, move it! Head over to a seat on the edge!”

“Why should I?”

“We’ve got a couple coming in! You don’t need to sit right in the middle!”

And with that, Kiril-san was shooed over to a corner. In his place came—

“Kuna-san! We’re here!”

“We’re here, nya~!”

“Oh!”

I couldn’t help but smile.

“Ellen-san! Kurona-san!”

It was Ellen-san and Kurona-san from the same women’s dorm. They’d managed to slip away during their break to come visit.

“Wow, it’s been crazy since this morning, huh? It’s finally calmed down a bit now, but everyone just can’t resist something new!”

“I think a lot of people have been curious for a while, nya. How’s everything going for you, Kuna-san?”

“Busy, but I’m really enjoying it.”

When I said that, both of them looked visibly relieved.

“That’s great! I mean, our guild members—aren’t most of them the scariest-looking people?”

“That’s what happens when you’re dealing with seasoned adventurers, nya.”

“Everyone’s been so kind.”

I briefly thought back to my time at the Leiria household. The tea I made was often thrown onto the floor because it “tasted bad”… If I went to clean it, they’d sometimes pour the rest on me, too.

I remember how painfully hot it was, and how hard that was to endure...

“Kuna-san, this tea is really delicious!”

While I was zoned out, Ellen-san praised the tea I had just brewed.

“The aroma is nice… Hmm, what’s this? Did you add something else to it?”

“No… but I did learn how to brew good tea from Dan, and I practiced.”

I learned from Dan that each tea leaf has its own ideal temperature to bring out the best flavor. However, when pouring the hot water into the cup, the temperature can drop slightly, causing it to not be at the perfect temperature. So, I intentionally brew it at a slightly higher temperature.

It’s the little things like these that come together to make a good cup of tea.

“My body feels so relaxed. Ah, this is a wonderful shop you’ve opened. I’ll definitely be coming here a lot from now on!”

Ellen-san said that with a smile.

But Kurona-san, still holding her cup, was quiet, lost in thought. Seeing that made me a little anxious.

“…Kuna-san.”

“Y-Yes?”

“This… It’s delicious, nya. It’s delicious, but…”

“But?”

“…No, never mind. I just thought maybe there was some secret ingredient you added.”

She smiled with a grin, and I felt relieved. It seemed like it wasn’t bad after all.

We were chatting warmly when suddenly a familiar white-haired man entered.

“Ah, Master!”

Ellen-san turned around and smiled.

“Hello. It’s bustling already on the first day, huh?”

He said that and sat down at the open seat.

When Ruri returned to take the orders and noticed Simon, she said with a troubled look:

“Hey, Simon. It seems like your idea of a peaceful café for meetings is going to be impossible for a while.”

“Ah, it’s fine, it’s fine. It’s like this at first. After a while, the customers will settle down.”

Come to think of it, Simon was the one who first suggested opening a café.

Simon, smiling as usual, was about to place his order, but was interrupted by people behind him.

“Master! Promote me to S rank!”

“You said you’d evaluate my skills the other day!”

“Hey, Simon, listen! I want to take on requests from the Fenderau region. They have a lot of magic stones over there! Get me some requests!”

“Simon!”

As expected of the guild master, it seems. When Simon shows up, everyone gathers around him, calling out “Master, Master.”

“Ah, yeah… I guess so…”

Simon mumbled, tears welling up in his eyes.

“My peaceful space…”

“Honestly, this guild isn’t the place for that. Everyone here is too energetic,” Kurona-san said with a somewhat exasperated tone.

I couldn’t help but find it amusing and ended up laughing.