Chapter 26
“Mixing alcohol with alcohol. It’s like a witch brewing strange potions, isn’t it?”
“Just in case. Who knows? Maybe it really is a strange potion?”
Chris stopped in front of the table where the customers had been glancing over and snickering.
“Hey, fellas. You seem to have a lot to say while drinking.”
The customers shut their mouths in fright at his fierce gaze that looked like he could shoot them dead at any moment.
“What? I came over to hear since you seemed to have a lot to say. Go ahead and say it. I’ll listen however much you want.”
“No, it’s nothing…”
“Tch, boring.”
That’s why you’re not supposed to praise them. Chris often picked fights with customers like this.
Calling it picking a fight is a bit excessive though, since it was so one-sided.
“What happens if you say something to a customer?”
“Those weirdos over there kept slurping their drinks loudly enough for you to hear while saying it was delicious.”
“But they’re still customers…”
I said that, but truthfully I didn’t really mind.
If it was an issue with the drinks themselves, I could resolve it somehow. And if they openly picked a fight, I’d stand up to them. But these subtle jabs were awkward to deal with.
‘It’s nice to have someone get angry on my behalf.’
That was my honest feeling, but I couldn’t exactly praise Chris for picking a fight with a customer.
“Be more careful from now on.”
I handed Chris a piece of candy, even as I spoke gruffly, since I was still impressed.
“What’s this?”
“Can’t you see? It’s candy.”
“I mean why are you giving it to me?”
“Why else? For you to eat. If you don’t want it, give it back.”
He was dissatisfied even when I gave him something. As I narrowed my eyes and looked at him, Chris peeled the candy wrapper and cut the candy in half with a knife.
“Why did you cut…”
“Let’s eat it together.”
Splitting a single candy into two pieces was unexpected.
For some reason, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
I handled minor incidents and continued serving customers for a while.
Crash!
“Oops, my bad!”
The noisy atmosphere of the bar went quiet as if doused with cold water. The customer who had accidentally dropped their glass looked around awkwardly, unsure what to do.
Before I could step in, Chris dashed over swiftly and cleaned up the broken glass.
“I’m so sorry. What should I do about this?”
“Broken glass is dangerous. We can’t just leave it lying around.”
Chris carefully picked up the shattered glass. When one of the watching customers tried to help by picking up a shard, Chris’s gaze turned sharp.
“Don’t touch it.”
“Y-yes, of course…”
Taking the glass shard from the customer’s hand as if snatching it, Chris soon collected all the glass shards.
“Did you see that just now? That look…”
“Yeah, I saw it. Terrifyingly polite service here.”
Caught off guard, I burst into laughter.
With less to worry about, I could focus on work. Like talking to customers who seemed deep in thought.
“Phew…”
“Is something on your mind, by any chance?”
It was a customer who was sitting alone because no one wanted to sit next to him due to his intimidating appearance.
To be honest, I also found it difficult to approach him easily, but the way he kept sighing deeply had really been bothering me.
“No, it’s nothing.”
Ding!
<Notice> Quest Triggered!
You have encountered a customer lost in thought.
What could their story be? Listen to the customer’s story and help find a solution.
Reward: 300 coins, Party Request
Will you accept the quest?
[Y] [N]
A party?
I was planning to listen to their story anyway, but the added reward really boosted my motivation.
First, I accepted the quest and tried speaking to them again.
“Looks like you’ve got a lot on your mind.”
I smiled faintly as if I already knew, and the customer frowned in displeasure. As the atmosphere turned chilly, a customer at the next table got up and moved.
Was I being too nosy?
But there were 300 coins at stake. 300 coins would let me slack off for about a day.
“Sharing your worries while buzzing from the alcohol can be helpful. If it stays bottled up inside, it will just fester.”
“It’s a personal matter. Not something to be spilled to others.”
His guard is too strong? My previously boosted motivation deflated a bit. It wouldn’t be right to force someone to open up if they don’t want to.
But it’s too valuable to give up just like that…
“Well, if you ever need someone to confide in later, please let me know anytime. Unexpectedly, people often feel relieved after venting their troubles that are too difficult to share with those around them to a complete stranger.”
Just venting worries can be very refreshing.
Especially if they are the type who can’t open up to those close to them.
“Hmm…”
As I took a step back, the man pursed his lips in contemplation, then downed the rest of his drink and spoke.
“I have a daughter who is the apple of my eye.”
His stern face softened a bit as he mentioned his daughter.
“Oh, she must be beautiful.”
“Beautiful indeed. Irreplaceable by anything else.”
The man’s words trailed off, but he soon spewed out his anger in an aggrieved tone.
“But that child has become infatuated with some scruffy punk!”
“Oh dear… That’s certainly concerning.”
I made a sympathetic expression as if commiserating with him, while quickly scanning him.
‘He’s probably in his early to mid-thirties.’
His child must still be young for him to refer to her suitor as a ‘scruffy punk’. Both of them are likely quite young to be discussing such serious matters.
This was likely just him lashing out about someone getting close to his daughter.
‘If I had to sum up this man in one phrase…’
The overprotective dad trope!
“Did you perhaps warn your daughter not to see that man?”
“Of course I did. It bothers me to see that punk acting all smug in front of my daughter, so I told her not to see him. And then…”
“She started seeing him more frequently and took his side?”
“How did you know that?”
The man narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“That’s just human nature. When someone tells you not to do something, you want to do it even more.”
“So it’s better to just let them hang out as much as they want.”
“I can’t do that. She even called him her ‘boyfriend’! Now she’s spending more time with that punk than with me…”
The man clutched his head in despair with both hands.
A textbook overprotective dad reaction.
“Pardon me for asking, but how old is your daughter? I get the sense she’s quite young.”
“She’s seven years old.”
Seven? Younger than I expected, making me momentarily flustered.
But showing any sign of surprise now would be awkward.
“Your daughter is at an age where she should be actively socializing with peers. How wonderful for her? They share common interests and can play together at the same level.”
“So…does that mean she doesn’t need me anymore?”
The man’s face drained of color at my words. I lightly shook my head.
“No, you still play the role of her father. But at this age, your daughter also needs relationships with friends her own age—it’s a natural part of growth.”
I continued calmly.
“Instead of interfering, how about supporting her and occasionally offering advice?”
“Supporting her on instead of interfering…”
“Yes. Playing with friends is fun, but your daughter will also face difficulties as she just starting to learn about human relationships. You can be the supportive father she relies on.”
“I see.”
“With a bowl of hearty stew to clear your mind, buy a gift your daughter would like, and have a pleasant chat with her.”
“You’re right. In fact, I just had a good idea.”
The dark cloud had lifted from the man’s face.
After deftly selling him another bowl of stew, I silently smiled at his stern expression.
‘To think he adores his daughter so much.’
He seems strict and intimidating at first glance, yet he’s fretting over his daughter.
<Notice> Quest Complete!
The customer’s heart has found a river of peace.
Rewards: 300 coins, Daughter’s Birthday Party Host
Wait, was the mentioned party actually his daughter’s birthday party?
‘A cocktail bar for a seven-year-old lady’s birthday party?’
Excuse me, Mister. That doesn’t sound like a great idea…
Regardless of those thoughts, a good idea occurred to me as well.
Coincidentally, I still have those jewel ice creams left from last time.
“That hit the spot. Say, is it possible to rent out this place?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
“Then I’d like to request a rental. Let’s say one week from now. It won’t be over ten people. I’ll come back with the details…hmm, yes, I’ll visit again.”
“Understood.”
The man was terse, but the reward gave me an idea of the situation.
“Well, I hope you had a pleasant time.”
“Thank you.”
The man paid and left, his face now brighter than before.
<Notice> You have gained 350 coins!
<Notice> The reputation of the cocktail bar ‘I don’t know. Stuff like that’ has increased by 500. (Total 3,950)
Huh?
I was about to dismiss the notification window without much thought when I was slightly taken aback. A 500-point reputation increase is usually what happens when a protagonist from a different dimension first visits!
“Are there parenting stories with dads as protagonists these days?”
There really are all sorts of dimensions popping up.
As the surroundings gradually darkened, the customers left one by one.
It was getting close to the time to close for the day.
‘Today was a fulfilling day too.’
I gazed at the slowly ticking second hand of the clock.
3 seconds, 2 seconds, 1 second…
The moment the second hand hit the hour mark.
“Done!”
I called out to signal the end of business hours and plopped down right where I stood.
My plan from then on was just to lie here and breathe.
“What about the dishes?”
“That’s what the part-timer is for.”
Chris, who had been looking down at me, let out an exaggerated sigh and started washing the dishes.
I could feel the blatant disdain in his eyes as he watched me lying down the moment we closed.
So what. I remained lying there until Chris finished cleaning up. I was exhausted and drained. Like a machine with its batteries depleted.
“You were so hardworking earlier. Are you really the same person?”
Chris leaned against the bar counter, looking down at me.
“How can a person stay hardworking all day long?”
“The upstairs was an absolute mess by the way.”
“As long as I have space to stand, what does it matter…”
Feeling a bit guilty, I averted my gaze and muttered.
While I kept the customer area on the first floor meticulously clean, the upstairs living area was a bit cluttered.
‘Maybe more than a bit?’
Even if I cleaned once a week, dust would get trodden into the floors and garbage was strewn about within days. The clothes I had worn days ago were also haphazardly lying around.
But hey, isn’t everyone like that? After work, nobody feels like doing anything. Cleaning is inherently a bothersome task.
“I can’t comprehend it. You have a safe dwelling but don’t properly maintain it. And you even bring outsiders in at random.”
Chris kept shaking his head and went up to the second floor.
There was a lot of noise, as if he was doing something up there.
I considered asking but gave up. He wouldn’t hear me from here anyway, and I currently lacked the energy to go upstairs.
‘I envy his abundant energy and drive…’
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Thank you for reading! ♡
