Chapter 48
This food cart is usable.
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It’s not like we’re going to make ramen, so there’s no need for that much functionality and strength. There’s no need to withstand the weight of a pot filled with hot water or soup, no need for the s.p.a.ce to house a large amount of tableware and ingredients, and no need to endure the weight that comes from the pouring of the soup or a customer’s elbow. There’s no need to pull it at high speed. It would be sufficient if the food cart had enough strength to not self-destruct. Unlike ramen stalls(yatai).
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No, ramen stalls are works of art. I lately often use light motor vehicles, but the quality of ramen stalls are out of this world…
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Anyway, I was thinking whether to buy it from somewhere or ask Kunz-san to make it, but just as I was considering how starting make it now would take time, there’s this happy happening. Fortunately, the product is popcorn which is sold by hand because it’s light and doesn’t require much strength from the food cart. In this case we can start selling immediately.
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Un, alright. Let’s use a ca.s.sette stove!
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A ca.s.sette stove is light and takes less s.p.a.ce, the risk of children getting burned is also lower.
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Even if I suddenly die, at that point it would be enough to switch to a regular wood burning stove and at that time the shipment of the explosive species will be normally delivered from the Viscounty, so the orphanage will not suddenly lose this way to earn income.
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And while the cart will be useful, this boy will also be useful!
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“Hey, do you want to work for me?”
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The words of recruitment finally restarted the boy and the director.
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“W, what, d…….”
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The boy is confused.
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“U…m, that would be for the himemiko’s store, would it not?”
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As expected of an old man’s wisdom, the director completely returned to business mode.
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“No, not as a salesperson, I mean working as an engineer. For my Viscounty”
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I turn my line of sight to the food cart as I say that.
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The director has an “Ah” sort of convinced face.
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Un, if you are a well-versed person, you would understand this child’s talent right.
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“Leuk, what do you want to do?”
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From the director’s words, the boy who seems to be called Leuk appeared to be thinking about something.
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Ah, I thought that the two’s reply would be to jump at it
because of the usual behavior of the children.
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After thinking for a while, that boy, Leuk finally answered.
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“Ah, um, if Manon and Nelly can come together…”
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Are you a riajū from somewhere!!
(tl note: Riajū is slang for a person who is satisfied with his or her offline life but is often used to refer to anyone who has a good amount of affection from the opposite s.e.x.)
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When asked about them, the 10-year-old girl named Manon is a close friend of Leuk boy, she seems have been an a.s.sistant in the making of the food cart. She has dexterous hands, most of the few metal parts that were used were handmade by her alone.
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No, like patiently beating at gathered iron sc.r.a.ps continuously for how long to give them form, how the… While crooked, for the most part, they’re fulfilling the role of a nail wonderfully, that part as well…
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The wood around the wheel was cut out with a broken knife picked up in the garbage dump? No no no no! What kind of patient do you have!
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Ah~, maybe she can become Randy-san’s disciple? Thinking about it now, no matter how much Randy-san learns, if Randy-san gets into an accident or gets sick, everything will go back to square one… As expected a disciple is needed. Also, someone likely to live longer than Randy-san, a strong and young child…
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The other one, a girl named Nelly, seems to be Leuk boy’s sister.
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That’s a relief, it seems unlikely that the children will get swallowed up in a muddy love triangle.
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Since she seems to like to help cook, maybe she could be considered in the frame of cooking personal already.
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She seems to be 9 years old, but westerners look older in my j.a.panese eyes. If she’s already at this age, she’ll soon be able to make some dishes by herself. Anyway, the chef who couldn’t rest can take a break if there’s something that can be done by someone else alone. If there are instructions on the work, she can also have the maids help her with the preparations. (作業の指示さえ出来れば、下拵え等はメイドさんにも手伝わせるしね。)
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Alright, good!
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“I understood. I’ll look after the three of you together in my Yamano Viscounty!”
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A very happy Leuk boy and director.
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I was worried that they would be troubled with the pair that’s good with their hands gone, but there are the adults on the management side so there’s no problem it seems. Looks like there’s not only the women who always take
take care of the children but also a man who occasionally comes to help. I never met him, so I didn’t know.
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“And, besides that, it’s much more important that the orphans can get a proper job and their independence.”
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I would have thought that Leuk boy would be able to become the pupil of a craftsmen, but because the employees in the shop, people in the same trade without a shop, people they owe some favors, and relatives among others would push their own children into the openings to become a pupil, it seems to be an obstacle to enter for the orphans without some middleman. Well, such is life……
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Hearing about what happened, Nelly-chan and Manon-chan were also very happy to gain their independence early. While thinking, “it’s because they’ll be able to eat to their heart’s content and won’t need to feel hungry anymore,” t wasn’t only that it seems.
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The super yearned for place of employment called a Viscount household, what’s more, at the living legend, the great hero that saved the country, the Princess Miko of Thunder’s place. “It’s fine if I die”……. No, I would be in trouble if you die as soon I hired you…
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Well, considering the reactions in Colette-chan’s village when they didn’t know about himemiko and so on, and during the maid recruitment, if asked if this was normal then this was a normal thing. (当たり前と言えば当たり前のことか。)
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The director has a beaming happily face because the cost of food has been reduced and they can expect a concession from the children becoming independent.
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…No, it’s probably just happiness at the children splendidly leaving the nest, un, maybe.
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Well, even if they’re trainees I would properly pay them.
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Maybe it’s impossible for the director to not be ecstatic, something like three people from an orphanage getting jobs at a n.o.ble’s home in one swoop, probably, hasn’t happened since the start of this country.
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It’s decided that the three will go to the Viscounty when this social season is over, Leuk’ll do the food cart’s final adjustments for the time being. I’ll be procuring a ca.s.sette stove including a spare and corn, I headed toward the store for the time being while thinking about popcorn.
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If I recall, the explosive species for business use should have been less than 500 yen per kilogram. I bought it several times before and made it.
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Line the corn tightly so it all entirely fits at the bottom of a deep pot, gently pour salad oil and sprinkle some salt. Then covered with a lid,
a lid, and simply shake the pot lightly over the gas range. Then when the “pan, pan”sound starts, it’ll gradually become “papapapapapapapa”, and then a continuous sound. If the sounds slow down even if you continue to shake it then you’re done. A pot of popcorn is completed. Even when there are large gaps between the sounds, it’ll burn if you persistently continue so it’s important to compromise to some degree and let several grains be.
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Don’t put so much the corn that it fills two layers. After all, it expands to about 40 times its size. They’ll push open the lid of the pan and overflow.
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It’s quite fun to make and you can eat them freshly made for very cheap, buying high-priced popcorn in a store is, ridiculous… No, no, I’m about to make a profit like this, so I can’t say that.
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Anyway, I will return to the store for the time being and then buy them in j.a.pan.
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……And when I returned to the store thinking that, a demon was waiting.
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“Mitsuha! Why didn’t you come to Earl Pasteur’s party!”
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Don’t ask me…….
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According to Earl Boses’ story, whatever I didn’t come to Pasteur’s party or something held last night seems to be rumored among n.o.bles. Like Pasteur family and the himemiko had some kind of discord, or did they have done something that made her have reservations……
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No, like I said, don’t ask me……
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“No, it isn’t that I didn’t come or anything, I’m wasn’t invited. Because I didn’t even know there was a party like that!”
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“Huh……”
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For some reason, the Earl was stunned. No, I really don’t know.
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Then, the Earl starts to look like he’s taken aback by something.
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“Could, could it be Mitsuha, you haven’t delivered to the royal palace your capital stay notification, it’s not something like that? Definitely, not……”
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The Earl says so with a praying face.
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I, of course, smiled and replied.
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“Eh, notification? What’s that……”
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The Earl pales.
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“I, impossible… weren’t you there with the princess! Didn’t you say you’ll be going to the royal palace!”
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“Yes, I did go to the royal palace though. I went to Sabine’s room and met with the king though….”
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“The, the notification! The stay notification!”
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“No, like I said, what is that…….”
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Oh, the Earl fell down…….
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Apparently, as told by the Earl, it seems that the n.o.bles are supposedn.o.bles are supposed to give notification to a department in the royal palace when they come to the capital. The reason is so that, when the king has some kind of business, they can know which n.o.bles are in the capital and which n.o.bles have returned to their territory. It appears that they are displayed on a wall.
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But, usually, it seems that it’s used for another purpose. Yes, to create a party invitation list. Like, removing from the guest list people who are not in the capital by looking at it.
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For the social season’s first party, it’ll be the first meeting after a long time and a lot of n.o.bles will partic.i.p.ate so a large-scale party will be elected. The woman of the hour Mitsuha will definitely be invited and the emerging n.o.ble Mitsuha can’t be expected to refuse.
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It seems that everyone thought so.
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And then, the unexpected absence.
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And, “isn’t this because something happened”, seems to be the result…
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The reality was merely she was absent from the list of n.o.bles staying in the capital, so she was removed from the invitation list. However, there were quite a few n.o.bles and servants who saw Mitsuha in the royal palace and the city, so there were many n.o.bles who knew about Mitsuha’s stay in the capital city. That seems to have spread a ridiculous speculation.
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No, like I said, don’t ask me……
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“Then, what about the day after tomorrow, Earl Lansen’s party…”
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“No, naturally, I didn’t know about that either though?”
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“………”
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And so leaving behind the words “you must absolutely come” the Earl hurried back. He is probably hurrying to Earl something’s place to inform them.
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Ah, how troublesome……
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But well, if asked why am I pretending to be staying in the capital the whole time, it’s because “it has become the social season” and since it’s the social season, there will be socializing right, of course.
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I wonder why I didn’t have any questions when there was no such thing…
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Well, I was an ordinary commoner student who’s unrelated to things like high society or parties, so it can not be helped, un!
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And that evening, Earl Lansen family’s butler brought the party’s invitation dripping with sweat and out of breath.
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Since he was very pitiful, I took cooled barley tea out of the refrigerator and when I did he was very surprised.
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Ah, come to think of it, that’s over-technology wasn’t it, because Sabine-chan always drinks it so naturally, I completely forgot.