May 30th, 10:00 AM. Today was going to be the first day that Rein would work at Miriko's Cafe Inn.
After last night's sudden encounter with the criminal from the Star Kingdom, Yurastian Erastus, Ciel had immediately gone back to Rein.
The free ticket he was given also seemed to be legitimate, since nothing strange had happened during the time it was left in the Soul World, and neither Ciel nor Rein could sense any abnormalities from it.
Maybe the major criminal really just bought an extra ticket…
Even if that was not the case, and something fishy was going on in the background, on June 3rd, Ciel decided that he would be attending the orchestra concert.
There was just no time to waste. He couldn't wait around for opportunities to present themselves to him, and since Rein was now stuck being a citizen of the Floren Kingdom, he would need to create the opportunities by himself. .
Ciel needed a way to gain Spirit quickly so that he and Rein could reach Soul Tier 3 as soon as possible.
The orchestra concert would be a good place to start his future plans.
Also, the next Star Contract available would be on June 5th, which would be after the orchestra concert.
Sadly, the Star Contract couldn't be given and completed during the time of the upcoming concert.
Though, this wasn't much of an issue.
[ Are you ready for today? It might get hectic. ] Ciel mentally asked
[ I'm good. Today's probably going to be peaceful compared to whatever you plan to do on that concert day. ] Rein replied with a hint of curiosity
Even she didn't fully know what Ciel planned to do on that day.
Still, she now had something else to focus on.
Rein would need to work from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM for 5 days a week at Miriko's Cafe Inn.
Since the working hours were quite minimal, Rein would have plenty of free time. She would also be able to attend the upcoming concert.
As a shadow.
[ I'm gonna get some early practice and knowledge before the shift starts. ] Rein said, not knowing whether to look forward to her temporary job or not
Rein exited her room and went down to the kitchen on the first floor, quickly passing by all the seated customers.
She planned to watch the food preparation process while learning about the kitchen's layout before her first shift began.
Since she was working at a cafe, most of the menu was based upon drinks, so it wouldn't take too long to learn.
Her task in the kitchen was also going to be focusing on the drinks, while Miriko and Zhanix would handle the food.
Rein knocked on the kitchen door.
After a few seconds, it was opened by Miriko, who was wearing an apron.
"Come in." Miriko invited, as if already knowing why Rein was there
Rein nodded and entered the kitchen. She was in the favour of minimal social interactions.
The inside of the kitchen wasn't as large as she had imagined, being about 11 square metres.
The kitchen was smaller than the upstairs rooms, but still decently large.
There was enough comfortable walking space for three people to be working without any problems.
Everything necessary for a kitchen was also present, all arranged neatly.
On the left side of the kitchen was a long counter that had a sink meant for dish washing, an oven and stove. The counter almost touched two corners of the kitchen, only being blocked by a large fridge on the further corner.
In the centre of the kitchen was a work island with storage underneath for cooking utensils.
At the top right of the kitchen, opposite to the fridge, was a small corridor of around one metre leading into the storage room. There was also another sink here, meant simply for handwashing.
Combined with a few windows for sunlight, the kitchen felt quite cozy.
Compared to Earth, Rein knew that this interior design was high quality.
All the space was used wisely, with no room being wasted.
After learning the kitchen's layout, Rein observed how Miriko and Zhanix worked inside the kitchen.
To her amusement, Zhanix didn't even look at what he was making.
His full attention was focused on a book he was reading, so he only had one free hand.
Still, there was not a single mistake he made in any of his cooking.
It was like he had complete muscle memory over the entire menu, so he didn't even need to see what he was making. It would just be made.
All he needed was to know the name of what he was making.
[ He reads more than I did back on Earth… even I was never this engrossed in reading. ] Rein said, remembering her regular days on Earth
[ Maybe you should try reading the books that are written here. They'll surely be different from whatever you read on Earth. You might just get even more hooked than before. ] Ciel honestly suggested
[ I do wonder what a fantasy book would look like in a world with sorcerers. ]
[ Sadly, we just don't have the time to be reading right now. Else, I'd love to be checking out stuff like that. ] Rein said regretfully
'We do have free time, but she probably can't get herself to start reading again, no matter how much she previously enjoyed the hobby. It would remind her of her previous life…' Ciel thought, mentally noting Rein's emotional concerns
Rein slowly learnt the recipes and preparation process of all the basic drinks, which included coffees, tea, smoothies and milkshakes.
It was easier than expected, since Earth was much more complex in terms of its recipes.
Compared to Earth, Floren had a much more basic approach to food, which was to be expected for Rein.
As for Prisma, its technological advancements were between that of Earth and Lumos.
Ciel could also help Rein correct any mistakes he noticed, since he had nothing better to do.
Once the clock hit 12:00 PM, Rein started her first shift.
Since she learnt everything earlier, even if at a basic level of understanding, she wouldn't need Miriko or Zhanix's help with any of her orders.
Her first order was to make a few instant coffees.
It was simple enough to take her under 5 minutes to complete the task.
She placed a tray of four coffee mugs filled with instant coffee on the work island.
She wouldn't need to go out and serve the customers, since Zhanix was normally the waiter.
Inside, Rein felt slightly bad that she couldn't handle something like being a waiter since she could talk freely, unlike Zhanix.
But that didn't seem to bother him, and he continued on with his job wearing his usual smile.
After Zhanix left with the tray of coffee, Rein asked Miriko:
"Do you like reading as well? I've never seen anyone so engrossed in reading as much as Zhanix."
"Yeah… you'll probably never see anyone who reads as much as Zhanix."
"If you look at his room, you could mistake it for a library. Both of our rooms are in the basement, if I hadn't mentioned that before. The entry is in the storage room right here."
"I do personally read sometimes as well, but my room is nothing like Zhanix's." Miriko replied
"Yeah. I'd guess that your room is quite neat and well organized." Rein guessed
"You guessed that right. Anyways, what about Niko Rampancy? Do you know what he looks like or who he is?" Miriko asked, showing slight curiosity
"Yeah, I've seen his real face quite a bit. You can trust him as well. We know each other quite well, don't worry." Rein replied
"Well, Zhanix seems to trust you two more than even me, so I would be surprised if he was untrustworthy." Miriko sighed
Everything continued to flow smoothly, and Rein successfully made all the orders that were given to her.
Like that, Rein's first shift comfortably came to an end. She had learnt that she could make all sorts of drinks with ease on this first shift.
Rein exited the kitchen and went back to her room after thanking Miriko for making her shifts short.
It was a favour that wouldn't be found anywhere else.
[ Did you have fun? ] Ciel asked
[ It was good. I could probably work a job like this without any issues for the rest of my life. ]
[ Even the pay is not bad compared to how long I have to work. Miriko is quite generous. ] Rein replied
Her salary was 15 Copper an hour, but paid weekly, so she would earn 3 Silver and 75 Copper a week, since two days of the week would be free.
[ Glad you had a good time. If things go smoothly, we will probably stay in the Floren Kingdom for quite a long while. ]
[ It wouldn't be good if you didn't enjoy the work you were doing. ] Ciel explained
[ Even if it was really boring, at least I would have you to talk to. That wouldn't be possible for anyone else. ]
[ What about you? Do you feel bored constantly being a shadow? ] Rein asked
[ Not really. I would honestly feel more bored if I were in your position. At least I don't have to do anything as I am right now. ] Ciel said
[ You can only laze around for the next few days. Then, you'd probably wish to be in my position. ] Rein said with a soft sigh
[ True. Though you are also coming with me to that concert… so you'd also wish you could laze around at that time. ] Ciel said with a chuckle