OCOB 28

Chapter : 28

The Opening of Yonggari Café!

Anyone quick to catch news in the capital had already heard at least once about the café opened by the pink-haired woman.

That café people had been whispering about ever since the day the miracle happened!

The rumors that had quietly spread among those in the know turned into a massive wave on the day Yonggari Café officially opened.

As many people flocked there, just as many stories spread throughout the capital.

And the most common rumor was this:

Yonggari Café is worth visiting at least once!

Considering the cost of carriage fare and coffee… it was definitely a burden for commoners. Still, people said it was reasonable for what you got.

The taste, the café’s atmosphere,

and the breathtaking reed field at sunset that remained stunning no matter how many times you saw it.

So word quickly spread among commoners that it was a must-visit at least once.

Naturally, the rumor also reached nobles through the commoners who served them.

It started with nobles who had already heard of Yonggari Café—they treated it like interesting news and told others around them.

And the nobles’ reactions split into two groups.

One group found it intriguing.

They showed positive interest, wondering whether it could replace the tea houses and cafés that had disappeared. If they could once again enjoy the tea culture that had been part of noble society, they thought Yonggari Café might be worth a visit.

But the other group found it unpleasant.

A café run by a commoner.

Worse, it was outside the capital—meaning nobles themselves would have to travel there.

Even the fact that people said a god had praised it irritated them; they didn’t like the idea of invoking a god’s name for something as trivial as a café.

There was also resentment toward Farhan, who ignored all of their communications yet responded to the café owner’s messages.

And so, after a long while, the social circles of the Kingdom of Jenen grew noisy again.

The situation became difficult to move in any direction. The social world had already been closed-off as it was.

With opinions about Yonggari Café divided, the division grew even sharper.

Some even went so far as to say that nobles who associated with commoners were no better than commoners themselves.

“…Why on earth did you go there, Ashu?”

Baron Antonio Viola—the father of Ashu Viola, who had visited Yonggari Café on opening day—felt the blood drain from his body.

There would surely be talk in high society.

Ashu’s strange behavior that day would definitely become known!

And then his beloved youngest daughter could be socially ruined.

It would be as good as having her noble honor stripped away!

There was already this much gossip about a café that had been open for only a single day.

As more time passed, those impressions would deepen into bitter divisions.

Before that happened, the social circles’ reactions had to be unified somehow.

Gritting his teeth, Baron Antonio Viola began writing something down.

In elegant handwriting, he composed a polite request.

So focused was he that he failed to notice one thing:

Ashu—whom he had summoned to scold—was secretly listening to everything!

And so Ashu found herself pouting.

* * *

As night slowly deepened, Yonggari Café was preparing to close.

It opened at 10 a.m. and closed at 10 p.m.—a typical schedule now nearing its end.

Normally, closing procedures start about 30 minutes before shutting the doors.

That way, employees could finish without going over their scheduled work hours.

Sometimes… there were bosses who didn’t pay hourly wages for overtime spent closing the shop, so you had to be careful.

I had never personally experienced it, but it remained one of those workplace horror stories.

Of course, now that I was the owner, I could take my time…

“…Haah.”

Still, I wanted to send Illyana home as soon as possible. She looked completely drained, so I hurried the closing process a little.

Fortunately, only one or two customers remained in the café.

It had been full until sunset, but since it was late—and the carriages had already stopped running—that was only natural.

Back when I was a part-timer, I would have been thrilled thinking, Once those last customers leave, I’m off work! But as the owner, it felt different.

…I wish the café had stayed full until closing time.

People’s hearts really are fickle.

Shrugging, I started cleaning the coffee machine. Just then, I heard the remaining customers leave the café.

“Goodbye!”

Illyana’s farewell sounded distracted. I quickly stepped out to check on her.

“…Is there still work left?”

“No more. I’ll handle the cleaning, so you can go home now, Illyana.”

“…Thank you.”

“Thank you so much for today.”

I truly meant it. Without her, Yonggari Café wouldn’t have run properly.

Illyana hesitated before speaking.

“This is the hardest labor I’ve ever done in my life. Even if it was the opening day of a famous café, I didn’t expect it to be this intense.”

“Haha…”

“I’m only helping until this week because Lady Frisia asked me to. My real job is assisting her.”

You understand, right?

Every word had a sharp edge—but it was understandable. She had been dragged into work she never wanted.

I nodded eagerly.

“Of course. I’ll try to hire people as soon as possible. Like Frisia said, it really is too hard to handle alone.”

“Next time, prepare in advance. Lady Frisia won’t be able to bear seeing you struggle again.”

“Haha… Got it. I’ll be more thorough from now on!”

I learned for the first time how chilling a polite smile could be. I forced a grin and saw Illyana off.

She returned home in the carriage Frisia had prepared earlier.

After watching it fade into the distance, I turned and went back into the café.

Hugh was asleep on top of a table.

“So that’s why it got quiet… you fell asleep.”

He had been running around taking orders all day…

Smiling fondly, I gently picked him up.

Even when lifted into the air, he didn’t wake—he must have been completely exhausted. Instead, he kicked his short legs and talked in his sleep.

“Mmm… Hugh taking orders…”

Even in his dreams he was working. How could he be this cute… I should buy him some snacks later.

Carrying Hugh, I slowly went upstairs and placed him in his little house on the bedside table in my room.

He immediately started snoring softly, falling into a deep sleep.

“Good night, Hugh.”

After saying goodnight, I left the room to finish closing duties.

The moment I stepped out—

“Are you finally done?”

I ran into Millon, who seemed to have been waiting.

Maybe because it was late at night, he was dressed casually.

Since he usually wore extravagant clothes even before bed, this look felt unfamiliar.

Noticing my awkwardness, Millon smirked.

“Seems you prefer this look?”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t stutter pretending to be surprised. You’ve already been caught.”

“…Huh?”

The first time I was genuinely startled, but the second time I was just dumbfounded. Apparently he didn’t notice, because he crossed his arms with an arrogant expression.

After looking me up and down, he spoke again.

“Are you not finished with work yet?”

“No—the customers are gone, but I still have closing duties left. It’ll take… about an hour.”

“Closing duties… cleaning?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded, explaining that since I was cleaning alone it would take about an hour.

He thought for a moment, then nodded slowly.

“An hour… Layla, how many diamonds do you have right now?”

“Diamonds? Right now… one. Oh, wait! Eleven.”

There had been a quest completed when Yonggari Café opened today.

Namely—

Main Quest!
—The Path to Becoming a Beginner Owner 1, Complete!

Rewards have been granted.
(Reward: 1,000 Gold & 10 Diamonds)

That main quest!

Another one would probably appear tomorrow. This game never let me rest even for a day.

While I sighed inwardly, Millon smiled deeply.

“Would you like to buy something from me?”

You happen to have just the right number of diamonds.