CH 50

The mysterious old man walks up to the counter, and sits on the chair like he’s pouncing on it. He’s surprisingly agile and nimble for someone who walks around with a curved back.

“Old man, did you just say you own this place?”

The old man glances at me and gives me a small nod, shaking his big beard.

“Indeed… Fuuka, can you give me the usual?”

“Ah, yes! Right away!”

Fuuka feels like she’s trying to catch up with this situation, and starts pouring the man his drink like he asked.

Those movements are ingrained in her body, and her skillful hands run opposite to her gentle demeanor.

“H-here you go.”

“Thank you.”

The old man brings the glass up to his mouth, and for some reason his wrinkled face becomes even more creased. Is he happy or…?

“Fuuka, you have become great at this. At this point, you are at least as good as him.”

“No, not yet… But thank you very much.”

Fuuka looks embarrassed as she bows slightly.

“…”

I feel like an outsider like me should stay quiet, but at the same time I’m in this too deep to turn back now. And I want to pry a little.

“Old man, what was that about earlier?”

“Fuofuo… Don’t be in such a rush, young man. I know.”

I look at Fuuka, and see her fidgeting too. But the old man doesn’t seem too concerned with that, as he takes his time emptying the glass.

“Ahh… So, about this place. The name that Fuuka saw was mine.”

“Was it… Hum, then…”

Fuuka is having trouble forming words.

She was scared that the person in the ledger would find out about how the bar is now. I’m sure learning that person is actually one of her regulars has put her mind into a frenzy.

I’m observing this old man closely, and I don’t sense enmity from him, but… Fuuka’s head definitely isn’t cool right now.

“How are you related to Fuuka’s father?”

It’s hard to tell an elf’s age just by looking.

If Fuuka was human, she’d definitely be around my age, but my discerning eye tells me she’s far older. Her father should be pretty old too, but this old man has to be even older than him.

I’d say based on that assumption that their relationship has to be something like boss and subordinate, or master and pupil. Or maybe this old man is just rich, and loans out land and property.

“…He was my number one pupil. I taught him most of the magic he knows.”

“I see.”

It’s just as I thought, so I can pretty much fill in the rest in my mind.

“I think I get most of it, but do you know what happened to her father? He disappeared all of a sudden.”

“I don’t… But I cannot imagine him being done in by someone. I am very proud of him as a pupil.”

“I see… So he went away somewhere?”

“Well, he is the sort of man to suddenly give up on being a sorcerer and start talking about owning a bar. I’m sure he is off somewhere following another idea of his.”

“He sounds pretty irresponsible.”

Who am I to talk?”

“Hum… And me… What’s going to happen to this bar…?”

Fuuka interjects while raising her hand.

I see a tiny glint deep inside that wrinkled face, as the old man looks directly at Fuuka.

“…Do you want to keep running it? It has fallen into a pitiful situation lately, but…”

“…Yes. I thought about quitting, but I want to continue.”

Fuuka and the old man look directly at each other. Fuuka with a serious expression, and the old man with one that I don’t really understand.

This silence goes on for a few seconds more, before the old man’s shrill laugh echoes throughout the bar.

“Fuofuo! That is good to hear. Then the ledger is now yours. Do as you wish ”

“Eh, but…”

“Don’t worry about it. I never intended to take it back anyway. Although it would be different if you wanted to close it. As for my payment… If you can not charge me for today’s drinks, that would be enough.”

Says the old man while raising his glass, asking for another drink. Fuuka looks perplexed, but gives the old man a new glass with a fulfilled look on her face.

I want to say this case is closed… But I still have one question, and I ask it directly.

“Shouldn’t you have helped her? I’m sure you could have.”

I’m sensing a lot of magic energy from this old man. It should have been really easy for him to drive those guys that were here before away from here.

I’ve lived in Zenith for too long, so this doesn’t really match my way of thinking, but I know that in the capital and Anheim it’s normal for people to help each other out of a sense of duty or empathy.

But the old man laughs at my words full of warmth.

“What would happen if I fought them off? I know I sound harsh, but if you can’t handle something like that on your own, you are not fit to be behind the counter of a bar. People like them are part and parcel of a bar. Of course, if things really did get dangerous, I would have intervened.”

What he says makes enough sense that I can’t say anything back. I feel the same way.

He can’t be here all the time, and he’s not going to live forever either.

If Fuuka can’t handle things by herself at least to a certain degree, that’s just going to come back to bite her eventually.

He was probably testing her to see how she would take care of that.

“…But Weiss ended up helping me…”

Fuuka says dejectedly as her shoulders drop, but the old man shakes his head.

“That is part of your strength. You should rely on others when you feel you alone are not enough.”

That deviates a little from how I view things, but that’s normal in this world. It looks like Fuuka agrees too, as she gives him a strong nod.

“Thank you very much, sir. You too, Weiss. If it weren’t for you, I would still be in the middle of that darkness.”

Says Fuuka as she gives me her best smile of the day.

Fuuka didn’t have the strength to throw out ruffians, and the bar became battered because of it.

There are still a lot of things to work on, but… It feels like both Fuuka and this place are finally moving forward. I’m guessing Ririi can sense the mood has become lighter too, as she lets out a big yawn. Usually she’d be taking a nap right around this time.

“It wasn’t a big deal. In fact, thanks for talking to me. I just got here in Anheim and I don’t know left from right.”

“Oh, that’s right. Weiss is human. It’s probably my first time talking to a human. Are you moving to Anheim?”

It’s a good pass from Fuuka. I don’t think it’s going to score a goal, but I have to shoot.

“No, I came from the capital to look for a hat for Ririi. I heard there’s a great hat maker here in Anheim.”

I say as I pat Ririi’s head. She groans a little, as she’s off to dreamland.

“I see. A hat maker… I haven’t heard of that person, but what about you?”

Asks Fuuka, and we both turn to the old man. I can tell his face is serious even through all those wrinkles.

“…I do… I know… But it is not someone that will give you the time of day, young man.”.”