423 - - 421 words.

I thought of a different way to solve the problem that Martha had given me. Whether it will work or not remains to be seen, but I'll use Gina's daughter power to keep Mr. Pete busy.

So I took Gina and Sylphy to Gina's parents' house. In the morning, we had Martha's class and lunch time was over, when the busyness of the cafeteria was lessening. Now they would have some time to talk. By the way, the Bells are staying at home because it would be bad for their education if they meet Mr. Pete. Sheba is with Gina. .......

"Gina. Do you remember what I said this morning?"

"Yeah, if my dad tries to refuse my master's request, I can ask him to do it with me, right?"

"Yeah. Well, something like that. ...... are you okay with your jerky movements?"

"It hurts in a lot of places, but I can't move, so I'm fine."

Apparently, Mr. Lee's training yesterday was quite hard. Gina usually exercises and her muscles are sore even though her level has been raised, I wonder how hard the training was?　...... hmm?

"Gina. Aside from Marco and Kikka, who had been trained before, this was the first time for Sarah too, right?　Why doesn't Sarah have sore muscles?"

We parted after lunch, but he must have been full of energy. Were early teens and late teens that different in their recovery?

"The training was different. He said that I was so fit that I could handle a little more recklessness."

I see, I thought Marco and Kikka's training was tough, but there was more to it.

"If the training is too tough, shall I tell Lee-san to slow down?"

"No, I'm fine. No, it's okay. I don't want to look pathetic in front of Sara and the others.

Gina is talking like a spoiled brat. She has a passionate personality by nature, so perhaps training in the physical arts is in her nature. I hope she doesn't turn out to be a brainiac. ......Now that the meeting is over, let's go into the cafeteria.

****

"Gina. Do you remember Mr. Tulls, the shoemaker?"

Hm?　Yeah, we used to play together when we were little. What about it?"

"Yes. I saw him the other day for the first time in a long time, and he's grown into a fine young man. He told me that he's apprenticed himself to his father and that he's training every day to take over the store."

I knew that ...... would be repulsed, but I did not expect to be ignored. And this is an attempt to arrange a marriage for his daughter.

"Wow. You're doing a good job. That's all well and good, but my master came here today to talk to me. Don't talk to me all the time. Listen to what he has to say.

"Well, listen to me!　As Gina knows, his store is a long-established business. He has a solid business and solid assets!

Mr. Pete ignores Gina's words and continues talking. It's 100 percent an arranged marriage now. He wants Gina to marry him and keep her close to him.

"Why is my dad talking so much about Tuls. It's disgusting."

Gina does not seem to understand what is being said. I think she lacks the feeling of love in her heart.　Also, since Mr. Pete is holding back his heart after being told he's disgusting, you might want to be a little gentler on him.

"...... or so he says, he wants to get married soon, and he has always had a soft spot for Gina. I think it's a great idea.　No, why don't you get married?　Your father is getting old, and it would be nice to have Gina by his side."

Since no one could understand his roundabout words, he came straight to the point. A story about a marriage with a childhood friend, a pretty royal pattern among romance stories. ......　Are you in a pinch to lose an apprentice?

This is not the time for leisurely conversation. Childhood friend is the strongest flag in any galgae game.

Um..."

"You keep your mouth shut!　This is a family matter!"

I tried to intervene, but I was shut out. He came out of the blue to visit me in the diner, but he had his wedding partner ready, and he seemed to have made a lot of preparations. Does that mean I was a stupid bug to jump into the fire?　

"What are you talking about, Dad? If you want to get married, you should marry my brother first. Besides, Tuls said he hates ugly, crass women like me. Well, my dad's no help, and I'm glad my brother isn't here, but I wish my mom was."

"What!　He said that to Gina!"

Mr. Pete is pissed off at Mr. Tulse and the others. He had just praised him for being a nice young man, but he shouldn't have said "that guy. And Shiva is barking out waffle-waffle like she can't take it anymore. Oh, Sylphy. Thanks for holding Sheba back.

"Oh, it was about 3 years ago, wasn't it?　It was quite a shock when he told me out of the blue."

Yeah, Gina's unfamiliarity with romance and such may be due to Tulsu's heartless words. It must be a shock to hear such a thing from a close childhood friend.

It's just my imagination, but I think that when Mr. Tuls said he didn't like her, it's just the adolescent's characteristic inability to be honest with a man. Gina is a very pretty girl and she is very kind despite her crass attitude. Unless you have a very bad taste, you won't dislike her.

Pete seems to be in a rage and doesn't realize it, but as a fellow man, should I tell him about those delicate male feelings?

I don't have ....... As a man, I sympathize with the uncontrollable failures of adolescence, but that doesn't mean I'm going to cheer for them and let them take away my disciples.

If Gina loves Mr. Tuls and wants to marry him, I will support her with tears in my eyes, but she seems to have shaken it off already, so I guess it's okay. Besides, Pete told me to keep my mouth shut because it's a family matter, and I can't help it. I can't interfere in family matters.

But I'll tell Martha about it later. She will tell me that Gina is not ugly, but very beautiful.

"Oh, Dad, Master wants to talk to you. Where are you going?

"...... talk later. I'm going to go and choke the son of a b*tc* out."

Oh, I thought you'd gone quiet all of a sudden, Pete, but you've got the look of a man who's ready to go. The words he says quietly, not wildly, show how serious he really is.

"Dad, don't pick up that knife. Master!　Don't look at me like you're interested, Master.

Oh, no. I felt like I was watching a chivalrous movie. It's not nice to make the father of an apprentice a criminal.

（Sensei, please.)

"Why do you call me sir?"

It's a beauty of style.

"Well, okay. I can knock him out, can't I?"

Well, he won't give up even if we block his movements, so the quickest way is to knock him out. Once he's unconscious, he'll calm down.

（Please don't hurt him.)

Sylphy waved her right hand and Mr. Pete fell to the floor unconscious. He must have had the wind in his hair, because he fell down without making a sound, and I don't think he was hurt at all.

"Master. Mr. Sylphy. Thank you."

Gina takes the knife from Mr. Pete, who has fallen down, and thanks me and Sylphy. I guess she understands what has happened because she and Gina have thanked me and Sylphy for the help.

"It's okay. I don't want to leave him on the floor...let's move him. Where should I carry him?"

"No, it'll be noisy again when he wakes up, so I'll leave him here so he'll think about it. I'll be back in a minute."

Gina pulls out a rope from her magic bag and quickly ties Mr. Pete's hands and feet together. She doesn't just leave him lying on the floor, but restrains him so that he can't move. Gina has no mercy on Mr. Pete, does she?

I can understand Mr. Pete's feelings, but Gina must have to be very strict with him to keep herself safe from his intense love. It's kind of sad.

"Master. I'm sorry for bothering you.

"No problem."

The reasons were not what I expected, but I knew that Mr. Pete would go off the rails. Gina is going to make me a fresh pot of tea, so I'll take a break and wait for Mr. Pete to wake up.

"Robbery!"

"Oh, Mother. This isn't a robbery. My dad was going out to kill Tuls, so I just had to get him to calm down."

Daniela returned before Mr. Pete woke up. If she came home and found her husband tied up and lying on the floor, she would suspect a robbery, wouldn't she?

Gina is explaining the situation to Daniela. Daniela seems to be surprised about what Mr. Tallus said to her a long time ago.

Master. My mother is going to talk to you, please explain.

"Hmm?　Don't you have to wake up Mr. Pete?"

"Yeah, if your mother's okay with it, I'm sure Dad can handle it."

Is this world really a medieval European worldview?　In the old days, men must have had more power, but Mr. Pete makes me feel the sadness of a modern Japanese father.

Well, I don't care if he is sad or melancholy, as long as he can negotiate with Daniela who can talk to him. Now let's explain it to Mr. Pete before he wakes up.

****

"I see. That sounds quite interesting."

The last time I met Daniela, I thought she seemed to be a curious person, and I was right. She seems to have a good impression of me.

"That's very kind of you to say so. Then, will you help me?

"Yes. I don't mind, as long as you provide me with a sufficient amount of food. I also feel sorry for the children, not to mention the adults who are living in squalor in the slums, and preparing the food for the soup kitchen is not a problem if we combine it with preparing the food for the cafeteria. It's also a profit for the diner, so we're grateful."

The decision was made easily, with little negotiation. Pete is out cold and Gina's brother is gone, so that's a win-win situation.

"Do you need anything other than food, seasonings, and fuel?"

"If we are going to have a soup kitchen every day, we will need cooking utensils and tableware for it. Can you help us with that as well?

Well, you need dishes and utensils, too. I can get them for you, but I think it would be better to let Pete and the others choose the cookware and utensils, since they may have their own preferences.

I'll talk to Marie and ask her to buy them in bulk at the Pollius Trading Company. Then we can work out some other conditions, including vacations. Oh?　I've never heard of regular holidays in this world.

They don't have regular holidays. If the world were not black or if there were no cheats, I think my heart would be broken. Well, it's a good thing that Gina will be freed for that. Now we just have to talk to Marie and get home before Pete wakes up.

"Oh, hey."

As I was about to leave the restaurant after saying good-bye, Daniela stopped me and dragged me into the shadows of the cafeteria. What the hell?