Our Cafe is Open as Usual - Chapter 44

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 44

 

‘Damn, this is driving me crazy….’

 

I squeezed my eyes shut as I looked at the Quest window that appeared before me. After seeing complete darkness, I opened my eyes again to check the contents of the Quest window.

 

The result was the same.

 

There wasn’t a single thing that had changed! The Quest window contents had been changing diligently whenever I did anything, but this time it was ridiculously simple.

 

‘No wait, maybe it’s because I haven’t said anything yet?’

 

Right, it could still change…!

 

I glanced at him. Eldora was looking up at me with his head slightly leaning against my shoulder.

 

Perhaps noticing my gaze, his golden fox ears twitched.

 

Eldora smiled brightly with his eyes.

 

“You’ll grant my request, right? Lailah, you said you would.”

 

“I did say that, but if the content is like this, it’s a bit troublesome.”

 

“Why? Why is it troublesome? Don’t you want to raise me? I’m this pretty and cute?”

 

As if he had made up his mind, he wrapped his tail around my waist.

 

He even rubbed his nose against my shoulder as if asking me to grant his request.

 

When I didn’t react much to just this, he ended up hugging me completely.

 

He earnestly squirmed his body, trying to somehow squeeze himself into my arms.

 

Thanks to that, only I ended up frozen stiff.

 

It wasn’t because Eldora was hugging me.

 

My body just stiffened because I couldn’t keep up with this situation mentally or physically.

 

This was also my first time being hugged by someone like this… Just before my mind became hazy, Eldora spoke in a sorrowful voice.

 

“Would it be okay if I were in fox form? Is it troublesome because I’m in this form now?”

 

“That’s not it….”

 

“You raise a hamster, so why not me?

 

“…The hamster is small.”

 

“I can become small too. What form would you like? A child?”

 

That’s not what I meant, you damn fox!

 

Thanks to Eldora’s absurd claims, my mind came back.

 

I pushed his shoulders away and frowned.

 

‘No, let me at least hear the reason.’

 

There was no such atmosphere at all, so why did he suddenly ask me to raise him?

 

At least before saying such things, there should have been some… atmosphere, right? There should have been some signal that he liked me from the beginning.

 

I bit my lips and retraced my memories.

 

Come to think of it, Hese had said something similar.

 

“How interesting. This is the first time I’ve seen Eldora like someone this much. He was acting really cute toward you. He doesn’t do that with me.”

 

‘Ah.’

 

There was a signal.

 

I had just brushed it off because I was thinking about making desserts with watermelon and melon.

 

‘If I had known it was this kind of request, I wouldn’t have agreed!’

 

So Quest greed was this scary…!

 

I felt it to my bones as I looked at Eldora.

 

Honestly, bringing him home wouldn’t be difficult. Persuading our picky Millen who lives with us would be hard, but… if I persuaded him with various reasons, he would accept it.

 

He’s someone who listens to me quite well, after all.

 

Hyu might even be happy to have a friend.

 

However, what he said bothered me.

 

“Raise me.”

 

I had never raised a living creature even once before.

 

Then what about Hyu?

 

Hyu isn’t someone I raise, but a companion in our shared destiny.

 

Besides, Hyu wasn’t a hamster that required as much care as I would need to raise him. He’s a wonderful hamster who does everything well on his own.

 

But Eldora asked me to raise him!

 

‘Living together would be different.’

 

I’m not confident about raising someone, and more than that, Eldora is too much of an adult.

 

‘Right, even if I get resentment, I should say no to this.

 

Even if our connection ends here, it can’t be helped.’

 

I could just move around a bit more to obtain equivalent ingredients.

 

I was getting along fine without modern ingredients anyway.

 

I nodded slightly and opened my mouth to state my conclusion. However, Eldora was faster than me.

 

He grabbed my hand that was pushing him away and rubbed his cheek against the back of my hand.

 

“I finally found someone I like…. If you won’t grant my request, Lailah, I’ll eliminate you from this place too. Being rejected is a sad thing….

 

It would be better if you died and couldn’t grant it at all….”

 

The guy said something chilling as if it was nothing. His beast-like eyes flashed sharply.

 

Right now he looked like a cute fox acting spoiled, but the moment I voiced my rejection, he would turn back into a terrifying predator.

 

A weak human like me would be killed easily.

 

‘…It’s better than dying.

 

What am I supposed to do if resentment manifests like this, you crazy game?’

 

If the choice is ‘die OR raise him,’ then I only have one option.

 

“…Fine, I’ll raise you.”

 

I’m just granting the request.

 

Running Yonggari Cafe now is also to escape from the one-year death sentence.

 

It would be too unfair to die before that.

 

As soon as my permission was given.

 

Eldora’s request! Complete!

 

-Reward will be given immediately.

 

Reward: Eldora

 

A system window appeared as if to engrave this fact.

 

At the same time, Eldora hugged me tightly again. As if that wasn’t enough, he lifted me up.

 

My feet, separated from the ground, swayed pitifully.

 

“Great, Lailah! From now on, you’re my master, got it?”

 

“….”

 

“Got it? Hm? Answer me quickly~.”

 

“…Right.”

 

“I’m so happy right now~.”

 

He spun around in place while holding me. Seeing his expression that looked extremely happy, I swallowed a sigh.

 

‘He’s this happy about it….

 

Right, the water’s already spilled.’

 

I gently patted his head. Then Eldora stopped right there and put me down on the ground. His eyes widened in surprise as they looked at me.

 

He soon bent down and pushed his head toward me.

 

“Do it more. Do it more.”

 

“Uh….”

 

“If it’s Lailah, I’ll even let you touch my ears~.”

 

His fox ears fluttered as if asking to be touched. Since his already large fox ears were fluttering, it felt like a warm breeze was blowing.

 

“Alright, alright….”

 

I closed my eyes tightly while stroking his silky hair.

 

One person, no, one fox had been added to the cafe.

 

* * *

 

I loaded all the watermelons and melons into the cart that Eldora had brought me and returned to the kitchen.

 

‘Thank goodness Eldora didn’t follow me all the way here.

 

He seemed to not like people that much, didn’t he?’

 

Watching me pull the cart, he drooped his fox ears down. His tail had been facing the ground for a while now.

 

Then he clung to me and whispered.

 

“I want to follow Lailah inside too, but there are too many people in that mansion. So I’ll wait. When it’s time to finish, call me with this.

 

Then I’ll appear right away, Lailah.”

 

What he gave me was a small grass flute. He said it was a tool used for communication among fox folk and urged me to remember.

 

“If you leave me behind, I’ll resent you all day long. You know a fox’s curse is ominous, right?”

 

No, he threatened me.

 

Eldora knew that I had something important tomorrow.

 

So he must think that threat would work on me…

 

That impudent fox. Next time, I’ll have to educate him so he can never make threats like that again.

 

I burned with determination and began preparing for the tea party that would be held the next day.

 

I had to trim the watermelon and melon to make them easy to eat, and also decorate them.

 

‘I’m… pretty good at trimming fruit.’

 

Every time the crazy summer came, watermelon juice also came to the cafe where I worked part-time…

 

The watermelons I trimmed like that every year would be about 1,000 if I added a little exaggeration. There were insanely many people looking for watermelon juice every summer.

 

I picked up the fruit knife with wistful eyes. It sparkled whenever light hit it, showing how sharp the blade was.

 

“Let’s finish quickly and go.”

 

Because I woke up early today, my energy was also precarious. I absolutely had to maintain 8 hours of sleep to get through the day without trouble.

 

If I woke up even a little early, my energy wouldn’t fully recover and it would become a bit troublesome.

 

‘Still, if I sleep a full 8 hours, it gets replenished again.

 

At least the fatigue doesn’t accumulate.’

 

I hurriedly moved my hands. As my hands moved, the watermelon was cut up.

 

* * *

 

And the next day.

 

The day when the tea party I had been preparing for so long would be held.

 

“…Ah, damn it.”

 

I had to greet the rising sun with haggard eyes.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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