Volume 3 - CH 92

After several days of business, the ice cream shop is closed today.

But there was no time to relax. Alme finished stocking up on ingredients first thing in the morning and left the house again in a flurry.

The place she is headed to is the house of Julio’s uncle – Darnell Beatos.

Alme is going to consult about the second ice cream shop. The content of the consultation was about the signboard of the shop and the design of Yuru-chara.

The Beatos family has always been in the business of book restoration. Restoration work involves removing damaged bindings and rebuilding the entire book.

In the process, it is sometimes necessary to redraw the picture on the cover and make it new. That’s why the Beatos family has a connection with the painter’s studio.

Since Alme did not know any painters and had no knowledge of the area, she decided to consult Darnell for the time being.

She’d like to get some good information about making a signboard and Yuru-chara.

With that in mind, it was just a short while ago that she visited the house and was shown to the drawing room.

Now Alme is sitting on the sofa, looking austere.

Before she could start discussing matters, Darnell had handed her a book of ‘fiancé candidates’ – a collection of profiles.

She had asked Darnell to take care of the matchmaking, which she was grateful for…but she had other plans for today.

She had sent a letter in advance and told him about the consultation. However, Darnell started talking about matchmaking in high spirits, without regarding the purpose of Alme’s visit.

“Well, Miss Alme. I have gathered three people to be your potential partner, but what do you think? Each person has their own strengths and weaknesses, but well, marriage requires some compromises.”

“I appreciate it very much, but I have something else to discuss with you today.”

“Well, first of all, please take a look at the profile book.”

“Sigh…”

Pressured by the flippant Darnell, Alme turned to the book in her hands for now. She read the profiles of three people.

“Umm, the first gentleman is… thirty-eight years old, huh?”

“He’s a little older, but he’s quite financially strong.”

“About 20 years of age difference… umm…”

The first was an older man. The portrait that accompanies the book depicts a dignified bearded man.

“The second one is, uh, how should I say it, a ‘well-rounded’ gentleman.”

“He’s a son of a good family. He comes from a wealthy family, so of course he has an ample appearance.”

The second man is quite large in width. With such an ample body, it seemed like it would put a lot of strain on his knees…Alme was starting to worry about her prospects.

“The third one is–oh, my, a gallant gentleman.”

“That’s right! This one is a personal favorite of mine. He has a good family background, handsome, and he is a filial son. He and his mother get along wonderfully well, and they always enjoy playing around town together on their days off.”

“…wow…”

Alme had some prejudice towards the third gentleman, because he seems to be quite attached to his mother.

Seeing a mother and son on good terms would be a heartwarming spectacle from the outside, but it is expected that the woman who would become his wife would suffer greatly.

After looking it over, she returned the book to Darnell.

“Thank you. Well, I’ll take the matter of matchmaking home for the time being, think about it, and then reply…”

“Oh, you don’t like any of them? Well then, the next five candidates…”

“No! Please wait, Mr. Darnell!”

Darnell got up from the couch and went to bring in an additional profile book.

As she had somehow come to understand, Darnell is apparently the type of person who enjoys being a matchmaker.

He is a good-natured old man, but seems to have a bit of a meddling nature.

Alme also rushed to her feet and grabbed his arm to stop him. Alme’s necklace shimmered around her neck.

Darnell looked at Alme’s neck and suddenly stopped moving.

He asked while blinking.

“Well, Miss Alme, excuse me, but did you purchase that necklace for yourself?”

“Huh? No, it’s a gift from a friend. What is it?”

“Your friend, from ……?”

“Yes… Oh, maybe it doesn’t match my outfit today? Should I choose accessories that match the outfit a little more…?”

Alme touched the sparkling white glass necklace around her neck with her fingertips.

It’s white, so she thought it goes well with any kind of clothes… but it seems that something caught Darnell’s eye.

Looking at her like that, Darnell broke into a cold sweat on his back.

He just noticed it when he looked closer. The sparkling white stone around her neck is definitely a jewel. It looks like a white diamond.

Book restorers often deal with magic books. The bindings of grimoires are particularly elaborate, and many are decorated with magic stones, gems, and rare metals.

In his line of work, he also checks the state of such decorations, so he’s fairly familiar with jewelry, but… he was glad he noticed her necklace early.

The ornamentation of such expensive gifts is most likely intended to repel insects, nine times out of ten.

(The person who applied insect repellent is…)

Darnell thought about it, and it occurred to him at once.

The name of Shirotaka was attached to Alme’s signature when they exchanged the compensation agreement and this white gem decorates her neck.

Guessing, she must have been given Shirotaka’s insect repellent.

As a playmate? As a friend? Is it a donation to a favorite shop?

He didn’t know what Shirotaka’s feelings are, but… if he did something poorly, the falcon’s claws would turn towards him.

The excitement of taking care of the matchmaking quickly subsided.

Darnell returned to the sofa, regained his composure, and faced Alme.

“I think the necklace is very nice! Yes, very! So, um, yes, let’s talk about matchmaking another time, shall we? Miss Alme, you had something you wanted to discuss with me, didn’t you?”

“Ah, yes! As I told you in my letter, I have decided to open a second ice cream shop. I am thinking of hiring a painting studio to help me with the signage and design. I was wondering if I could speak with you about this.”

Finally, she could get down to business. Alme exhaled with relief and began to speak.

“Is it possible for an individual to make a request to a painting studio? Is it possible to have them start from the design?”

“It depends on the studio, but there are artists who design shop logos, family crests, and letter shapes.  However, be careful when you ask for help. There are many cases where the client gets into trouble because they say the finished product is different from their image. It would be better to have a long discussion and make a decision after actually seeing the pictures and the work.”

“I see…”

“For the time being, would you like me to introduce you to a painting studio that I have a connection with? They do a lot more than just cover art for books.”

Darnell took out his notebook, tore out a page and wrote the name of the studio. He also drew a simple map. The painting studio is within walking distance from here.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you very much. Would it be an inconvenience if I visited the studio later today?”

“I’m sure it will be fine. Please tell the painter in charge of the studio that I’m your introduction.”

Unexpectedly, her schedule for the rest of the day was set. She was glad to hear that, because she wanted to move as fast as possible without wasting time.

Alme took a notebook out of her bag and clipped in the map she had been given. Darnell turned to the page of the notebook that had been opened.

On that page is a rough design proposal for the sign.

“Is that the signboard design?”

“I drew a rough image of what I wanted. I was thinking of having a picture of our ice cream shop’s signature menu item drawn next to the words “Titty’s Shop. Shirotaka-chan ice cream.”

“Shirotaka-chan…”

“My friend suggested it. I think it would be more impressive to the people of the city if it had a mascot painted on it.”

Darnell looked at the picture on the signboard and his mouth twitched. Then he thought too much.

In the world, there are times when family names are lined up at the time of marriage.

Shirotaka’s name lined up on the Titty’s signboard, he wondered if there was any intention behind this.

No, he should stop thinking so deeply. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“It’s a nice design. I hope they can make a good sign for you.”

He smiled cautiously and said a few innocuous words to stay on the safe side.