Chapter 115 - Owner

Once Yuki had finished eating all the food he was given, he began to get ready to leave. He had been sitting on one of the stools at the side of the cashier stand while he ate the food that was given to him by the owner of the diner. 

"I can't believe that even though he's a level 2 player, he chooses to use his ability to make food. I can't blame him though. His business is good and his food is even better," Yuki thought to himself as he stood up from his seat. 

"Thank you for your kindness," Yuki said as he bowed to show gratitude. 

"Don't even worry about it. I'm happy to help those in need. By the way, since you said you're traveling with your dad and he's in a dungeon right now, I'm assuming you don't have a place to stay," the owner of the store said. 

"Jackpot," Yuki said to himself. Yuki tried to stutter to make himself look embarrassed. The more helpless he looked, the better. 

"At the moment that would be correct. Could you direct me to an inn or hotel where I could spend the night?" Yuki asked in a soft tone. 

"Nonsense. You can live with me for free for the time being. It hasn't been that long since we were brought into this world. The way we can continue to survive is by helping each other. You can stay at my place for the time being, no fees required," the store owner said. 

"Well... this wasn't what I was looking for but it'll do," Yuki thought to himself. 

"I'll have to refuse. There's no way I could leach off of you after you've shown me such kindness," said Yuki. It was better for Yuki to refuse the offer first to see if the owner really did mean what he said. If he was telling the truth, then it would be fine. If he were to retract his offer, Yuki could just ask directions for a nearby hotel or inn. It was a win-win situation for Yuki. 

"Don't be ridiculous. What kind of person would I be if I were to leave a kid to wander all alone in this unknown world. Plus, it's only until your father gets out of the dungeons right? So it's fine," the owner replied to Yuki. 

"How can I replay you mister? I feel guilty practically stealing from you," said Yuki.

"That's enough out of you kid. When someone offers to help you, you don't reject it. You just simply say thank you," the owner of the diner said in a slightly angry tome. 

"T-thank you," said Yuki as he continued to play into the act he had set up. 

"But if you really would like to help, I would appreciate it if you helped me out with all the dirty dishes in the back," the owner suggested. 

"I would be happy to help," said Yuki as he headed to the side of the cashier table. There was a small door made of soft dark oak wood which the owner opened to let Yuki pass through. Behind the owner had a door which led to a back section of the store which was closed off from the rest of the store. Since the owner could create meals with his ability, a kitchen wasn't necessary for cooking but only for cleaning dishes.

Once Yuki walked through the door, he was greeted with a mountain of dishes. There had to be at least 12 stacks of plates of all different sizes. It would be impossible for a single person to clean this in a day.

"Has he been leaving these plates here? I mean I understand because he's working alone and he has to tend to the customers but seriously, with the money he's making, he could hire at least 2 other employees," Yuki said to himself as he made his way to the sink. 

"Well, let's see... it should take only 1-2 hours for me to finish this if I were to use my ability. I can't let anyone see me using it though since they'll get suspicious that I'm lying about who I really am. From their perspective I should be only a level 1 player. At that stage, with my ability, a large fireball should be all I could do without fainting from over exhaustion. Using complex techniques would damage my image which I've built up for these people," Yuki thought to himself.

"Activate ability: Fire Control"

Yuki created multiple fire hands which worked simultaneously to wash and dry the dishes. Yuki had greater control over his ability due to him leveling up so much. Due to that, Yuki was able to make it so that the flames didn't burn the plates and bowls which he was assigned to wash. 

Just to insure that no one would walk in on him as he did this, Yuki stood at the door and blocked off the door just so that no one could intrude on him. Yuki needed to hide for the time being, not because he was scared but to have fun. Him being so over leveled didn't make any sense to most and they would assume he did the worst of actions which in fact he did do. Hiding his identity was the best way for him to enjoy his made up life for a while. 

"Being a dishwasher doesn't seem so bad. At least I can try to make some new friends while I'm here as well," Yuki thought to himself. 

After about an hour, Yuki had completely finished washing the dishes. It had taken him almost no time to finish the task he was given. He had underestimated himself due to him not realizing how much power and control over his ability he had due to him reaching past level 20. 

As Yuki sat on the island table while playing with small fireballs which he had created with his ability, the owner of the store walked in. The owner wore an ordinary chief's clothes. His most distinguishable characteristic was his pointed brown moustache and his silky brown hair. He walked into the kitchen with a stack of dirty dishes-expecting Yuki to have cleared at max 1 out of the many piles that were there. To his surprise, not only were the plates and bowls completely cleaned, the kitchen itself was spotless.