Chapter 28

*The curtain was pulled aside with a swift sound from afar.*

“Yuri, wake up. It’s morning.”

At Dillnan’s voice, I gradually awoke from a comfortable doze. When I opened my eyes, Dillnan was smiling right next to the bed.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“...Yeah, good morning.”

My hair was tousled by Dillnan’s large, calloused hand, and I felt his presence nearby. Just that made me incredibly happy. Without thinking, I rubbed against Dillnan’s hand.

“First, change into your cook’s uniform. The sink and washbasin are your size in the kitchen team’s area, so we’ll go there.”

...I was so happy, but Dillnan’s next words made me look up at him hesitantly. Dillnan was grinning!

“Apparently, you almost fell in the toilet yesterday.”

“Eh?!”

“Vincent got Elyes’ permission after you fell asleep, and the equipment team came to do the work.”

Vincent!

Hold on. From what I just heard, it seems Elyes and the equipment team also know about it (crying).

I froze, and then Vincent appeared, laughing.

“Haha, you’re as red as a Pomul. Good morning, Yuri.”

“...Good morning, sir.”

If there was a hole, I would have crawled into it. Since there wasn’t, I hid under the blanket, but Dillnan easily pulled me out.

“Do you plan to be late?”

“The clothes for changing are in the cabinet next to you.”

Following Vincent’s words, Dillnan took out the clothes from the cabinet. A cook’s uniform, a waist pouch, and socks. Along with them, there was a cute floral bag. It must be Kalaf’s taste.

With no place to hide and nothing to say to these two, I silently changed. Dillnan folded the pajamas I took off and put them in the bag. It was very considerate of him.

Dillnan and Vincent were grinning at me (crying).

After changing, I put on the waist pouch and held the bag with the pajamas. I thanked Vincent and said goodbye, then Dillnan led me out of the infirmary.

We walked for about ten minutes, a considerable distance. We passed the familiar cafeteria and stopped in front of a wooden sliding door.

“This is the kitchen team’s toilet area. Go inside.”

Following Dillnan’s words, I opened the sliding door and saw a familiar sight of women’s toilet facilities. There was also a spacious private room in the back.

“That’s your personal toilet. There’s also a washbasin inside.”

As Dillnan said, the spacious private room had a small toilet and washbasin, a mirror, a small shelf, and a towel rack, all sized for me. The shelf had a comb, a toothbrush, and a cup. There was a trash can on the floor, and even a changing platform...?

“To flush the toilet, place your hand on the magic stone on the right. It will react to your magic and flush. When you’re done, come to the cafeteria.”

“Okay.”

Dillnan explained how to use the toilet and then left. ...He’s a gentleman.

I quickly finished my business, got ready, and went to the cafeteria.

After finishing my preparations and entering the cafeteria, Dillnan immediately noticed and came over.

“You need to wear an apron in the cafeteria. From now on, call me Captain.”

“Okay, Captain.”

Following Dillnan’s instructions, I took out the salon apron from the waist pouch and put it on.

“Alright. I’ll introduce you to the kitchen team, so let’s go inside.”

Seeing me in the apron, Dillnan took my hand and led me into the kitchen. I was a bit nervous. Oh, no, I need to greet them.

“Good morning!”

Before entering the kitchen, I greeted them energetically.

I raised my voice a bit, and Dillnan looked down at me with a surprised expression. Then, he smiled. ...That smile suits him. He looks like a villain.

My greeting made the people working inside turn around and greet me back. One, two, three... including Dillnan, there were ten people.

“Everyone, listen up. This is Yuri, who will be working in the kitchen team from today, specializing in preparation. You won’t remember all at once, so each of you should introduce yourselves to her.

Shonas, Old Man, come here first.”

Dillnan called out to the kitchen, and everyone responded. Then, two people approached from the back.

“Yuri, remember these two. The younger one is the kitchen team’s deputy captain, Shonas, and the older one is the most experienced, Old Man.”

“Deputy Captain and Old Man?”

Repeating Dillnan’s introduction, Deputy Captain Shonas roughly patted my head. He had a similar build to Dillnan, with reddish-brown hair and slanted, copper-colored eyes. He looked somewhat like a playboy but was still handsome.

“Good to have you, little one.”

“Okay.”

“...‘Okay’ is cute, isn’t it?”

I was happy to have my head patted, but I had just combed my hair nicely.

“What are you doing? If Yuri hurts her neck, what will you do?”

Ah, Shonas’ hand was pushed away by Old Man. He was a strong-looking, well-built man who seemed like a craftsman, just like I saw him at dinner last night. He gently fixed my tousled hair, which was surprising given his appearance.

“Thank you, Old Man.”

“...It’s hard to say. Just call me ‘Old Man’.”

“Okay, Old Man.”

He’s such a kind old man. The contrast between his appearance and personality is wonderful.

“If anyone does anything strange, tell Old Man immediately.”

“Okay.”

What a supportive statement. I really like this “Old Man.”

“Hey, Old Man, you’re going soft.”

“Why should I treat them like the brats who lack respect?”

“Wow, you’re really being honest.”

Everyone seems to get along well. That’s good, that’s good.

*Gurgle*

...And, as usual, my stomach is in top form today. It’s making a lot of noise even though I haven’t done anything.

I could feel everyone’s gaze in the kitchen again, and I was blushing for the second time today.

“Hehe…”

I tried to laugh it off, but I’m not sure if it worked.

【Supplementary Explanation】

Pomul: A giant apple the size of an adult’s palm, characterized by its red skin. Earth-sized apples are called Pom. They have yellow skin.