Chapter 12
Aim for a
Peaceful Life
Translator : PolterGlast
I placed the plates on
my head. No, I personally had no intention of doing that at all. I was trying
my best to hold them. But inside the restaurant, the muscles were so densely
packed that if I didn't assert myself like that, no one would let me through.
"Gu, guu,
gununuuu!"
I screamed along with
my effort. I slipped through and declared to the landlady, "Table one, one
fried rice, two servings of gyoza!" It was fortunate that the dish names
were the same as in Japan. Although it was not an immediate solution, I could
manage to do my best to fool them.
【Helper Skill Acquired】
No, that's not
important right now.
The announcement was
immediately drowned out by the boisterous voices of the men. I didn't care
anymore. I screamed with heavy breathing. A shadow appeared at the door.
Another new customer. "Welcome!" I shouted with all my might, and in
my enthusiasm, I opened the door myself. "Hmm? Oh, El. Yo." The
slanted-eyed older brother blinked in surprise. And then he lightly raised one
hand.
I quietly closed the
door.
"Hey, why are you
closing it?"
"I'm sorry! I did
it unconsciously, sorry!!"
Of course, it was
immediately opened again. While panting, I vigorously shook my head along with
my blonde hair. My body had been taken over by my mind. Lotus muttered "I
don't get it" and, with his arms crossed behind his head, strode in and
plopped down at a vacant table he found on his own.
"Bread and stew.
Hard bread."
"Yessir..."
He was a regular.
Undoubtedly a regular. It seemed that the spaghetti he had ordered for me the
other day was a consideration for my age (i.e., a child)). He always ordered
the same menu, came at the same time, soaked the hard bread in the stew and ate
it at an incredible speed, and then immediately disappeared. Busy. This is what
happens every day.
While seeing off the
back of Lotus's messy black hair, I sighed. No, I didn't have time for that.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" I shouted to the other customers,
wondering why things had turned out this way.
The time went back a
few days.
***
Looking at the notice
that said 『Help Wanted!』, I might have been a little strange back then. When
the thought of being able to work in a place like this became a reality, my
vision blurred and that was all I could think about.
"B-but, even so,
it's so sudden! I might be able to become something like a cat though!"
"I don't know. If
you're curious, why don't you just try asking?"
While I was
stammering, Lotus quickly called out, "Auntie!" Then, a portly woman,
presumably the landlady, appeared. "What is it!? I told you I'm busy! Just
put the money on the counter and leave!!" And then he got thoroughly
scolded.
While feeling a slight
pity for Lotus, who had lost his expression, he didn't give up. "That's
not it! I'm offering labor!" In an instant, the female employee fluttered
her triangular headscarf and stood before us with incredible speed. I suspected
she might have used some kind of skill, but unlike me, she should have been a
normal person.
Looking closely, she
widened her large brown eyes as much as she could and said, "Where is
it!?" Lotus nodded quietly. I couldn't help but flinch a little at the
gaze that looked down on me in passing.
"You, how old are
you?"
"I-I'm
eight..."
"Are you an
acquaintance of Lotus's?"
Lotus thought for a
while, then crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and nodded silently. He was
definitely starting to not care anymore. He was being too casual.
"Hired!!!" "What?!" Despite it being happy news, I was the
most surprised and bewildered. It was a little too fast. The employee,
presumably the landlady, shouted, "We're too busy to even have the leeway
to choose who we hire!" and forcefully slapped a piece of cloth she had in
her large apron pocket against my face.
"Wipe your face quickly
and change your clothes! I don't have the time to pamper you!"
"Eh, but, w-what
about the clothes?!"
"There should be
some of my daughter's old clothes somewhere! If you rummage around on the
second floor, you'll probably find something!"
"T-that's..."
I was all flustered,
wondering if this was really okay. But I jumped when she scolded, "Hurry
up!" I noticed Lotus trying to leave after paying, and I hurriedly moved
my mouth, thinking I had to say something. But before that, the landlady with
the headscarf said, "Hey, you, what's your name!?" Her vocabulary was
full of energy, probably because she was in a hurry. She probably didn't have
any ulterior motives.
"Um, El..."
Eldorado.
The name that flashed
through my mind. I was also called El in the village. But that was because they
knew my real name was Eldorado; it was just a nickname. I remembered the scene
of being chased as a demon and falling off the cliff. Slowly, the sky became
distant, and for just a moment, the clouds parted. Quiet light shone down from
the dull leaden sky. The wind that should have been whistling and hitting my
cheeks was very quiet at that moment, like something new had been born.
I was.
"Uh, El, that's
me!"
I'm not Eldorado
anymore. I would never become Eldorado. I had thought that many times, but this
was the first time I had clearly said it to someone. After all, the forest was
full of monsters, and it had been a long time since I had spoken properly with
a person.
When I said the words,
it really felt like I had been reborn as something else. I had become something
new. But the busy landlady and Lotus wouldn't know that, and I was the only one
who was excited.
While rubbing my
loosened mouth with my palm to cover up the awkwardness and embarrassment, I
noticed Lotus turning around and looking at me. Maybe it was because I had
raised my voice too loudly even though he was about to leave, but it seemed to
have reached his ears clearly. He still had a displeased look on his face. Just
as I thought that, he showed a slight glimpse of his canine tooth and smiled.
"See ya,
El."
He also said
"Later."
The light sound of the
doorbell rang. When I realized that was the first time I had been called by the
name El, my heart pounded so loudly I was surprised myself. But it was only for
a moment, so I put my hand on my chest and tilted my head. I was immediately
scolded by the landlady. She slapped my butt and told me to hurry up.
***
And so, I ended up
working at this restaurant as El. I was grateful to Lotus, but he was a
romanceable character in [The Tale of the Five-Leafed Country]. Getting
involved with him meant there was a possibility, even if not absolute, of
meeting the heroine, Yuko. That wasn't very good. I definitely didn't want to
get involved in the original story. These countries, like leaves growing on a
large tree, were going to go through terrible times, but that didn't matter. I
didn't think it was my responsibility to do anything about it.
I was Eldorado, the
enemy of humanity, the most terrifying witch. That was a story for three years
from now. I would forget about being Eldorado and live peacefully. The story
would probably work itself out. Or so I wanted to think, but as long as this
was a stage set up for them, I couldn't let my guard down. That's why Lotus was
a bad omen. I didn't want to meet him. But he would come. This was his regular
restaurant.
"Ah, aaaaah,
aaaaaah~..."
I lay on my bed,
holding my head. I thought I wouldn't become Eldorado, so why had I ended up
staying close to someone who could potentially lead to that?
I would probably be
told that if I was worried, I should just disappear from this restaurant
quickly, but aside from Lotus, this was the best workplace. They even hired a
child like me. They shared leftover food with me, and surprisingly, they had
spare rooms, so I got a contract that included accommodation. Moreover, it
wasn't a day job, but continuous employment, even if it was for a limited time.
I didn't think I could find better conditions than this now.
Recalling the days when
I had slept on hard ground and tree branches, I groaned on the bed. This was
the best. First of all, being indoors was the best. For now, let's think.
Lotus's presence was certainly a problem, but the original story was still
three years away. Maybe I didn't need to be so tense about it, I thought
optimistically. My goal was simply "to grow up." To graduate from
this child's body and become able to live on my own.
Even after three
years, I would still be a child, but this wasn't Japan. By the time I was
eleven, I would be allowed a certain degree of freedom. It should be much
better than now.
"I will grow up
peacefully here."
I rolled over on the
bed and looked at the ceiling. And I decided. If that was the case, I
absolutely couldn't let them find out I was a demon. It was obvious, but I had
to be careful no matter what. For example, making slimes pile up when I was
strolling through the forest, or flying in the sky. Of course, those were also
no-gos. "I will definitely be careful," I vowed.
Knock, knock, a knock
sounded. The slightly rough way of knocking made me panic and jump out of bed.
"My eye color is okay," I confirmed, pressing the area around my eyes
with my palm, and reaching for the doorknob. It was probably time for morning
preparations. I was a little too relaxed.
"Sorry, Landlady,
I'm coming no――――"
Sway... sway, sway...
There were three
slimes there, swaying while stacked on top of each other. They had apparently
worked hard to headbutt the door. They were trembling, as if trying to convey
something to me. No, I vaguely understood. I just understood.
Here they comes...
(heart)
"…………Was it
herrrrrr!!!!"
I retorted with all my
might.
My peaceful life still
seemed far away.
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