The shop bustled with activity after the sudden influx of students. I was puzzled to see Yulia greeting customers and handling payments, but for the moment, dealing with the crowded shop took priority.
Once things had settled down somewhat, I called Yulia outside for a moment and asked why on earth she was working here.
“I came to drink coffee, but you looked so busy that I helped out.”
“...But why did you go out of your way to help?”
“I want to work at your shop. I need money.”
I already knew that Yulia needed money. Her mother had cut off her financial support, so even if her tuition was covered by a scholarship, she would still have to earn her own living expenses from now on.
What I wanted to know was what had caused Yulia’s change of heart. When I had asked her before, had she not clearly acted as though she had no intention of working at our shop?
“At first, I didn’t really understand what some of the things on the hiring notice meant. So I asked the knight working here, and apparently the conditions are really good?”
“Conditions?”
“Paid weekly rest allowance, night-shift allowance, severance pay. I’d never heard of any of those in my life. The knight said that even if I worked the same amount, I’d get paid much more here than anywhere else....”
“I explained it to Isaac that way because it was easier for him to understand.”
None of those concepts existed in this era.
Naturally, other shops did not offer them.
However, as someone from the modern world who had once operated a large business, I believed that, at the very least, they were things my own employees deserved to have guaranteed.
“I’m good at working. If you teach me something, I’m confident I can do it well.”
“Ah, I know. I know that very well, but....”
“This might sound a little strange to say myself, but my mother actually runs an enormous merchant company. I’ve seen and learned all sorts of things since I was young, and I’ve dealt with customers plenty of times too.”
Yulia began rattling off one point after another.
Wait.
Was she trying to sell herself to me?
The situation was taking a peculiar turn.
It suddenly felt as though an interview had begun, but truthfully, everything Yulia was telling me was information I already knew.
‘At this point, I might know as much about Yulia as Yulia herself does.’
Yulia would certainly not be a bad choice as an employee.
I had already confirmed that she had a good head for work while watching her help in the shop earlier. And just as she said, she was the daughter of a great merchant, so she was more than capable of handling serving and payments.
Furthermore, considering that Yulia’s reputation had already drawn more student customers to the shop, the impact would be enormous if she actually began working here.
‘If I refuse, Yulia will probably follow the path I know and start cleaning academy buildings in the evenings after class.’
That was one of the reasons she had become such a homebody at the academy.
It was also why she lost valuable swordsmanship training time.
If she had not been a swordsmanship genius, there was no way she could have reached the level of Swordmaster before graduation with only early-morning and weekend training.
‘But what if Yulia works at our shop instead?’
For one thing, she would save time.
If I paid her a weekly rest allowance, night-shift allowance, and severance pay, she would only need to work about half the hours she would have spent cleaning academy buildings.
She would inevitably pour the time she saved into training.
That would increase the possibility of her becoming a Swordmaster far sooner than I remembered, and Yulia, who would one day save the world, would become that much stronger.
‘Now that I think about it, this is a complete win-win situation!’
I would essentially be raising one of the heroes destined to protect my safety.
And on top of that, I could use Yulia’s fame to attract customers.
If I could support a hero while increasing the shop’s sales at the same time....
“All right. You’re hired. Yulia, start working officially tomorrow.”
***
Yulia’s working hours would be from six to ten in the evening on weekdays.
For the next week, I would take primary responsibility for running the shop, while Isaac would handle Yulia’s training.
“Young Master, didn’t you say the night-shift allowance only applies from ten at night?”
“I did.”
“Then Yulia works only until ten, so it seems like she wouldn’t qualify for the night-shift allowance....”
Isaac asked with a puzzled expression while we were filling out the employment contract.
Just as a faint trace of disappointment appeared in Yulia’s eyes, I quickly covered Isaac’s mouth and said,
“Starting today, nighttime begins when the sun goes down.”
After all, this was Yulia, the woman who would save the world.
As her employer, I could afford to show her that much consideration.
“Lady Yulia. We’ll begin your training now.”
“I look forward to working with you.”
Once the employment contract was complete, Isaac began preparing her training.
Working at a café was not simply a matter of making coffee. There were many things to learn, from customer service to equipment maintenance and sanitation.
Of course, the training would be easier than at a modern café.
For one thing, we had fewer pieces of equipment and fewer menu items.
There were hardly any recipes to memorize, so that part would probably be the easiest.
“You can continue using the uniform you wore temporarily yesterday. And now that you’re an official employee, I’d like to give you a name tag....”
As though he had been waiting for this moment, Isaac took out a name tag.
Wearing his own silver name tag, he puffed out his chest for no particular reason before handing Yulia a bronze one.
“Oh? Mine is bronze, but yours is silver, Sir Isaac?”
“Ha ha ha! That would be because I’m the manager of this café. From now on, you may call me Manager.”
“Manager?”
“Hmm. To put it in terms that are easier to understand, within the café, you could say it is roughly equivalent to being a Sword Expert.”
I was certain I had once explained it to Isaac in exactly the same way.
And now he was repeating the explanation word for word to Yulia while proudly polishing his gleaming silver name tag.
“Th-Then that means I’m not even at the level of a Sword Expert here....”
Yulia repeated the words as though she could not believe them.
Probably because she herself had already reached the level of Sword Expert at the age of fifteen.
‘Wow. She looks like she just lost everything in the world.’
Yulia’s expression had gone beyond stiff and was approaching outright despair.
Then again, because Isaac had happened to compare the rank to swordsmanship, the significance of the bronze name tag must have struck her far more deeply.
“M-Manager. Is there any way I could wear a silver name tag too?”
“Oh dear. I’m sorry, Lady Yulia. Personally, I would love to give you a silver name tag right this instant, but as I mentioned earlier, it is a mark reserved exclusively for the café’s manager, so I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
“Ah....”
“It is unfortunate. However, those are the rules of our café, so I hope you understand.”
Was Yulia not Isaac’s first junior in his entire life?
Even so, he had a strange talent for teasing people.
I could almost imagine how his seniors must have tormented him during his years as a knight.
“Is there truly no way, Manager?”
Isaac nodded with an expression that suggested he was beside himself with sympathy.
For some reason, the sight reminded me of myself, which gave me an oddly complicated feeling.
‘...Will Yulia and Isaac really be all right together?’
This time, Yulia turned her gaze toward me.
But staring at an innocent bystander like me would not change the situation immediately.
Just as Isaac had said, this was a workplace, not a school, and our shop had proper rules of its own.
Still, there were always exceptions.
For the sake of boosting Yulia’s morale, I added,
“Work hard. If you do well, you can get a different name tag.”
“R-Really?”
“If you work well enough to be promoted to manager, that solves the problem.”
“I’ll work really hard! Just like I said in the interview, I’m confident I can do a great job!”
This time, Isaac hurried over to me.
He looked deeply dissatisfied, and the fact that he dragged me into a corner of the kitchen made it seem as though he might even draw his sword for the first time in a while.
“N-No, Young Master. How can you do this to me?”
“What?”
“You told me before that I would always be the manager of our shop. If you suddenly change your mind now, I’ll be genuinely hurt. I handled all the interior construction myself, and I’ve endured all sorts of hardships while serving you....”
“Isaac, listen carefully. Managing the shop is one thing, but managing and training people is also part of your job. Just as I told Yulia she could be promoted if she did well, the same applies to you. If you perform your responsibilities well, you can be promoted again.”
“To a position above manager?”
“That’s right. Then you’ll become the store manager.”
Isaac’s face immediately brightened into a grin.
Judging by his triumphant expression, the title of store manager might have sounded equivalent to Swordmaster to him.
“All right, all right! Lady Yulia, let’s hurry and begin your training! Let’s both work hard from now on.”
“Yes, Manager! I’ll do my best!”
Unlike before, the two of them were now brimming with motivation.
As their employer, it was truly a wonderful sight to behold.
***
A week passed.
I found myself realizing anew just how powerful titles and name tags could be.
Isaac devoted himself wholeheartedly to training Yulia, while Yulia threw everything she had into absorbing what Isaac taught her and making it her own.
‘The shop is running beautifully!’
That was not sarcasm.
After watching the shop from a distance, I saw that Isaac and Yulia were handling one of the busiest periods of the day, the evening rush, entirely without my help.
Considering they had achieved this in only a single week, I was extremely satisfied.
It was only possible during the hours Yulia worked, but since this was the first time the shop had ever run without me, I could not help feeling moved.
‘At least on weekday evenings while Yulia is working, I can focus entirely on roasting and blending.’
I could also attend to other tasks I had been forced to postpone because I always had to work in the shop.
It was the first real breathing room I had gained since opening, and I considered that more than satisfactory.
Then, a few days later.
Another piece of good news arrived that promised to give me even more freedom.
.
.
.
.
.
.
“Lord Maxiiim!”
“You’re finally here.”
Lily came running into the shop.
Judging by the large object in her arms covered with a white cloth, it seemed the semi-automatic grinder I had commissioned was finally complete.
Truthfully, it had taken a little longer than I had expected.
Since she had completed the Glowstone logo in a single day, I had expected her to finish the semi-automatic grinder just as quickly.
“I’m sorry. It took much longer than I expected, didn’t it? Hehe.”
“I imagine there was a good reason for that....”
Even so, I had not lowered my expectations of Lily.
She was apologizing, but her face was full of smiles.
I was certain the delay in completing the equipment had not been caused by anything bad.
“Of course! I told you, didn’t I? I said I’d repay your kindness for the rest of my life, even after death. How could I delay your commission for no reason?”
Lily placed the cloth-covered equipment on the table.
Then, before pulling away the white cloth, she spoke while struggling to suppress how proudly her shoulders were rising.
“About the semi-automatic grinder. I upgraded it during the manufacturing process! I think you’re going to be surprised when you see it.”
“...Upgraded?”
Suddenly, I was curious.
Just how much would this genius surprise me this time?
“Ta-da!”
The moment the white cloth was pulled away and the equipment was revealed,
I could not hide the satisfied smile spreading across my face.