Chapter 76 – Bear-san And The Shop’s Reconstruction
The next day, I went to the shop to prepare what was needed.
Still, it was really big, huh.
I had thought that if I had to make a shop, I would make something like a fast food place, so I couldn’t stop thinking about how big the mansion in front of me was.
Well, just thinking about it wouldn’t resolve anything now that I had already bought it.
The site’s condition left nothing to be desired.
It was big and near the orphanage. Even though it was a little far from the center of the town, it wasn’t a distance that would stop the customers from coming.
As soon as I entered the shop, I headed towards the kitchen.
First, I had to make the stone ovens that were vital for baking.
I placed the things that would’ve been a hindrance inside the Bear Box, so that there would be enough space in the kitchen.
I had prepared three stone ovens for baking bread and pizza.
I hoped that this would be good enough.
Well, I would just have to make more if it wasn’t.
Next, I thought about what I should do for the fridge.
I found a small storehouse next to the kitchen and entered it.
Although I said it was a small storehouse, it was around 10 tatami mats wide.
Was this the pantry? There weren’t any windows.
Once I pressed a switch on the wall, a light magic stone lit up the storehouse.
There was absolutely nothing inside.
This was probably a good spot.
I insulated the walls with my earth magic so that no heat could enter.
Then I placed ice magic stones in different places and transformed it into a big, refrigerated storehouse.
Was there anything else we needed?
I thought about it, but nothing came to mind.
I would have to consult Morin-san about this.
(Editor’s Note: 10 tatami mats is about 16.53 meters squared or 177.91 square feet)
Next were the shop’s decorations.
Originally, it was a noble’s home, but...
Had no one cleaned this place for a long time? Even the carpets and wallpaper were all dirty.
Mylene-san said that she would take care of the cleaning and renovation. Since it was included in the price, I decided to let them do it.
I went to the second floor.
There were rooms kept for guests, but wouldn’t they be too big for couples?
Wouldn’t it be better to use them to hold events like birthday parties?
Still, would anybody use them?
Well, we’ll think about what to do about the second floor once the shop opens.
Then I went to the garden.
However, it was also quite messy.
Since no one was living here, the vegetation had grown wild.
I wondered, did the cleaning and renovation include the garden as well?
If it didn’t, we would have to do it ourselves.
However, could we create a café terrace once it was cleaned?
Well, that would depend on the number of customers though.
It would be great if we could make it, but it would be meaningless if no one used it.
I decided to hold onto this idea for now.
For a few days after this, I went to the orphanage to teach the children how to cook.
During that time, I left the renovations to Mylene-san.
I assembled various ingredients for the pizza and made some different types of pudding as well. I modified the taste and used different toppings to increase the menu choices.
Making such a big menu was not necessarily a good thing, so I asked for impressions from Helen, Mylene, and Helena to narrow it down.
As the preparations for the shop progressed steadily, Morin-san and her daughter finally arrived from the capital.
After arriving, Morin-san went to the orphanage we promised to meet at.
「Yuna-san, so you’re already here, huh.」
I couldn’t tell them that I came back through the Bear Transfer Gate.
「Yes, I arrived a little earlier than you.」
The two of them seemed to be really tired after their long trip. Their fatigue was clearly visible.
「What will you be doing after this today?」
「We are really tired, so we were thinking of finding an inn.」
「Don’t worry, I have already prepared a place for you to stay.」
「That would help us a lot. We are exhausted after the long journey.」
I led the two of them outside of the orphanage.
「So, Yuna-san, where are we going?」
「Ah, Morin-san, you can stop addressing me so formally.」
I was really unaccustomed to being addressed with ‘‐san’ by older people.
「Then is it okay to call you Yuna-chan?」
「Yes, please go with that instead. We are going to the place where Morin-san will be working. There are a lot of spare rooms in the shop, so I thought about letting you live there.」
「No problem, I’ve unreasonably made you come here after all.」
We arrived at the shop (?).
Morin-san and Karin-san froze.
(TL note: the “?” was in the raw)
「Yuna-chan, isn’t this a mansion?」
In front of them stood a mansion that was going to be used as the shop.
「A former one. Now, it’s my shop and the place where Morin-san and everyone else will work.」
「A shop? Are you saying that we will sell bread here?」
「It’s still in the middle of renovations, though.」
There was no signboard or name for this shop either.
It was because I wanted to think about it with everybody.
A café, a tea house, a bakery, a pizzeria, or a pudding store, what would be good?
In this situation, I couldn’t decide by myself.
「In this sort of place, the bread...」
「I will be explaining about the shop tomorrow, so please rest for today.」
I brought the two of them into the shop.
「Mum, will we really be selling bread here?」
The two of them looked at the already cleaned floor.
「The first floor will be used for the shop, so please use the rooms on the second floor.」
They went to look at the second floor.
Past the big staircase, there were plenty of rooms.
「I don’t mind, but will we really be living here?」
「It’s great because the workplace is near, right?」
I took them into the farthest rooms on the second floor.
There weren’t any conspicuous ornaments that stood out, but it was a pretty room.
Was it because it used to be the room of a noble? The window frame made the room look very stylish.
「For now, I will bring out the luggage that I’ve brought from the capital. Please let me know if you have any requests for the arrangement.」
I arranged the beds, the closets, and the drawers.
「It doesn’t seem to go well with the room, huh...」
The wallpapers, the floor, and the curtains were beautiful...
However, the beds and other things that I brought out were for commoners.
The bed was small, and the closet was dirty.
Also, the small desk stood out in the big room.
It created a strange sense of discomfort.
「Do you want me to buy some furniture meant for nobles?」
「More importantly, will I be able to sleep in such a large room?」
Karin-san muttered with a small voice.
「There’s also a bath, so please feel free to use it. It has been cleaned, so you can use it whenever you feel like. Let me know if you need anything else.」
「There’s nothing in particular, it’s already amazing.」
「It’s the same for me.」
「Then I’ll bring the children that will be helping with the shop tomorrow, so please take your time to rest today.」
The next day, I went to the orphanage and brought the six children that would be working at the shop.
The children had already come to the shop several times.
They were the ones who took care of the weeds in the garden, and trimmed the branches.
The rooms on the second floor were also cleaned by them.
When we arrived at the shop, the delicious scent of freshly baked bread was already drifting in the air.
We entered the shop and went into the kitchen. There, we saw Morin-san and Karin-san already baking bread.
If I knew that they were making it now, I wouldn’t have eaten breakfast before coming here...
「Yuna-san, good morning.」
Karin-san came to greet me.
Morin-san was taking care of baking bread.
「Did you sleep well?」
「Yes, I was really tired, so I fell asleep the moment I got in bed.」
Morin-san also came over.
「Yuna-chan, good morning.」
「You’re already making bread?」
「I wanted to see how to adjust the stone oven. I had some ingredients to make bread, so I practiced a little during the night.」
In the end, she examined everything as soon as I left?
「So, how was the stone oven? If there is anything wrong with it, please let me know.」
「There are no problems. It’s a great stone oven. After this, I just have to bake bread, figure out the quirks of the oven, and gain some experience.」
「The quirks of the stone oven?」
「How the heat is distributed, or how much time it takes to heat up the oven. There are lots of quirks depending on the stone oven, and it changes how the bread is baked.」
That’s what a pro artisan is like.
Compared to me, I didn’t pay attention to anything when I was baking pizza.
Everything was so random in comparison.
So that’s why she could bake delicious bread.
「So are those the children that will be helping me with the store?」
She saw the children standing behind me.
The children went to the front and greeted them.
「Can you teach these children how to make bread? It’s okay if you don’t want to.」
「There’s no problem. You taught me how to make pudding, so I won’t do something as rude as refusing to teach them.」
「Then, you’ll all learn how to make bread in the mornings, and you can then take the bread you’ve made back to the orphanage.」
The children energetically responded.