In the Dungeon City, a new restaurant was built. People talked about it, calling it a weird, but fresh-themed eatery where they could be served by young maids and their distinct personalities.
Some disliked it, saying that they didn't respect their customers as they should be.
While some had started to grow fond of it. For them, the Maids' quirky personalities were not something unpleasant, but something new and genuine. And more importantly, fair. Like a new wind—a new love.
The restaurant name is Tiz & Roosts.
Day by day, the place grew. Its customers increased. At first, it was filled with only commoners, but as time passed, one or two high-class people, like rich merchants and well-known Dungeon Divers.
And currently, inside the very place people of the Dungeon City talked about, the founder of the restaurant, Theo Roost, stated: "We will participate in the Deep-Lore Delve Festival!"
It was the time for Launch break.
When they heard his statement, one particular girl who always had a book with her at any time and any moment immediately raised her hand, her expressionless face suddenly glowed up.
"Yessssss!!!" She cheered, which surprised everyone, who were eating their launch at the time.
Her enthusiasm was understandable considering how much she loved books. The Deep-Lore Delve Festival had another name, and that was The Knowledge Exhibition Festival, after all. Scholars who possessed wide knowledge about Dungeon and other thing would show off their invention here. But since most of them were poor people who hadn't been found by the world, they would very likely just compile their findings into books, and during the Festival, it would be free for all to read!
"Mwehehehe..." Thinking about it alone was enough to make Gerena's mouth to water.
She only calmed down after Carole pushed her back down to her chair and forced her to continue eating her launch.
Once the table was quiet again, Theo coughed to clear his throat and attract everyone's attention back to him.
"The festival starts in 11 days, and will be held for 3 days. I planned to open our restaurant from the first day to the second day. In the first day, we will use Dungeon as our theme, and in the second day, we Will change the theme to knowledge."
Theo had been planning to participate in the festival even before the scholars started to giving people pamphlets. So he already had a well-thought plan in his mind. The only problem left was how to implement his idea to their restaurant realistically. He needed other's opinions for that.
"I think it's a good idea," Said his Mother, Calary, with a nod. "It will be fun to change from the usual uniforms to monster costumes! Ah, yes, that surely will be great!"
She seemed to think of something when she landed her eyes on Tizmilly, and that made her very enthusiastic about the festival.
Being under Calary's hungry eyes overwhelmed Tizmilly a little. She blushed when she raised her hand.
"Is it a must to separate it? I think it will be simpler to combines the theme, following how The Festival had been working until now."
To acknowledge her opinion, Theo gave her a nod. But he didn't agree with her.
"That's right. However, combining two different theme and applied it into a restaurant is hard. Many failed in the process. So I thought rather than force ourselves to present two theme at the same time, separates them will make it more manageable and professional. After all, our customers were not limited only to commoners."
"But it will increase our expense," Tizmilly argued.
"Don't worry about expense. We had the money from Professor Golmind, remember?" Theo asked her, reminding her about the time when Professor Golmind insisted to give them 10 gold coins no matter how much they told him not to.
"Oh..." Tizmilly finally agreed with him and nodded.
Theo grinned toward them.
"Rather than that, I want to hear how you guys will decorates the restaurant. I am having a hard time determining it."
With that, they began to discuss about the decoration of the restaurant.
Carole propped her cheeks with both hands and leaned toward the table.
"Can't we just use monster as our decoration for the first day? Like, you know, putting a big, monster head on the wall?" Carole suggested without much enthusiasm, which received a lot of opposition from others.
"Too awful. What kind of person who able to eat in peace with a big monster head staring at them?" Calary asked her back, crossing her hands under her chest. Carole could only laugh in response.
Amongst all, unexpectedly, it were Sirry and Timmy who had a good idea.
"D-Dungeon is a dangerous place, right? I-I think color the restaurant with dark color will be good for that..." Sirry suggested while fidgeting with her apron.
"Only the strong could survive a Dungeon. I think... Presenting food with strong taste will suits the theme," Timmy suggested hesitatingly while checking at other's reactions.
And without a doubt, their suggestions were chosen by Theo. With some detail working, their idea would be able to be implemented onto their restaurant. And it wouldn't even cost that much, according to Tizmilly's calculation.
After they discussed some more things about the detail, Theo closed his small note book and ended their discussion. If he executed it well, Theo believe that their decoration at the first day of the festival would still be useable for the next day as well after some addition here and there. And that could be discussed with Tizmilly and Gerena later, since today's launch break had ended.
They opened the restaurant again. One after another customers visited the place and ordered their respective favorite menus. Theo noticed that the number of new faces was gradually increasing everyday.
"We also need to recruit more maid. And a guard, if possible..." He muttered under his breath while working behind the cashier table.
The restaurant grew faster than Theo's expectation. The combination of their uniqueness and the masterchef-level cookings of his mother was irresistible for the people of the Dungeon City, who from the beginning were gathered in this land and created this city solely for the purpose of finding the unknown and experiencing something new or fresh to fill their lives.
And it was without Theo had even introducing the dishes he knew from Earth. He planned to introduce some in the second day of the festival. However, would it really be a good idea?
Theo suddenly started to feel worried.
...
After a busy day, finally, they closed the restaurant.
"Sis... Are you okay?" Timmy asked Carole, who was lying on the floor. Alive, but spent.
"N-no problem..." She replied with tears flowing down her face.
Gerena and Sirry were not in a better shape. Sirry was only passed out once today, but she still tired after serving customer after customer almost without a break. While Gerena barely had a time to read book, and that's what made her sad.
While wiping the table, Theo looked at them and realized that they wouldn't be able to handle it anymore if they didn't increase the number of the maids.
He turned to look at Tizmilly and Calary, and they nodded to show him that they were thinking about the same thing.
Once the Deep-Lore Delve Festival started, they would surely receive even more customers than now, so before they truly face a hellish scene, they should act quickly.
Theo approached Carole and looked at her.
"Carole, tomorrow, call your friends to the restaurant
If they still needs a job," said Theo, smilling apologically toward her.
Theo's words also successfully drawn Sirry and Gerena's attention toward himself. They looked at him with hopeful eyes.
"Boss... Do you mean..." said Gerena, her face lighten up.
He nodded solemnly in response.
"That's right," Theo answered their hope and gave them the salvation they needed. "We will close the restaurant tomorrow. That's mean it was your day off!"
Sirry and Gerena, even Carole and Timmy, cheered over the statement. Tizmilly also sighed relievedly, since the work had became a bit too exhausting even for a trained fighter like her.
"And we will also hire one or two guards!"
Theo's statement ended everyone's day with a good ending. Today, they believe they would be able to sleep more peacefully than before.
Having a good superior truly was a blessing from God!
...
Meanwhile, somewhere else, at the dark alley of the Ghost District.
An bit burly, but innocent-looking young man met a woman who wore purple magic silk robe that reached the ground and a wide, pointy hat, which has the same color as her robe, but darker.
The woman's facial feature was unable to be deciphered. Not because she hid it, but because it was only the case she was born.
"Master, what's the matter, calling me to a place this dirty?" The young man, who had short-trimmed blonde hair, asked the woman curiously.
The woman pulled out a picture from her sleeve. Her lips opened and closed, conveying what she wanted to say.
The young man nodded understandingly even though there was no sound coming out of the woman's lips.
"I got it. So I only have to get close to them, right?" He asked, which the woman answered a smile.
The young man looked down to the picture. There, an image of a modestly decorated eatery was depicted, with its sign says: Tiz & Roosts.
"It's a piece of cake for someone as skilled as me, Master! I'll become their brother in no time, just see!" The young man bragged, but when he looked up, he couldn't find the woman anywhere and found only the dark, dirty alley, which filled with the smell of rat's secretion.
The young man could only sigh dejectedly and left.