Volume 3 - CH 97

While preparing for the festival, the second ice cream shop is also steadily working on its opening.

At the same time as they secured the property, they started construction around the counter, and that work was completed a few days ago.

The previous tenant’s wooden café counter was removed and a new ice cream counter was installed.

The ice cream inside is clearly visible through the glass wall. Here, the customer chooses the ice cream and the clerk scoops it up.

The only major renovation was around this counter. After that, Alme decided to use the facilities from the previous café as they were.

The interior has not been altered much for this reason. However, due in part to the original stylish construction, the second shop has a more sophisticated atmosphere than the one at the back of the alley, which is currently in business.

Alme checked the construction while cleaning the ice cream counter that has been installed.

Today she planned to spend the entire day setting up the inside of the second shop. Ena is helping her, and Jayla will join in later.

At the storefront, Tania is now finishing the signboard. She glanced at the scene and called out to her as she held her brush.

“Miss Tania, is the sign going to be ready by the end of the day?”

“Yes, I just need to apply some more waterproofing fluid, let it dry, and it’s done.”

The sign is so large that it can be seen from a distance. It is wider than Alme’s height. As soon as it is completed, she will ask a carpenter to install it on the roof of the shop.

Titty’s shop is written in white letters on a sky blue background. And next to it is the shop’s mascot—Shirotaka-chan.

For the white falcon, they decided on a design with tiny wings. It is a round and cute yuru-chara.

Looking at the signboard that was being finished at the storefront, a child passing by pointed their finger excitedly.

“Look, Mama! White chick!”

“Oh, my, it’s adorable.”

Alme overheard the conversation. For the time being, it seems to be very popular with children. It was a good thing that they adopted a yuru-chara mascot.

Alme smiled but Tania looked uneasy.

“This chick…well, it’s a chick no matter how you look at it. If people find out that this yuru-chara is Mr. Shirotaka, won’t the people of the city say that we are being disrespectful! I’m a little worried about it…”

“The white falcon on the sign, Shirotaka is the one who started it. In that case, if the public makes a fuss about disrespect, wouldn’t he be the first one to get arrested?”

“What?”

Alme muttered in thought, but Tania looked confused.

While they were chatting and looking at the sign, someone came out of the shop next door. The neighbor is also preparing to open a new shop right now.

To Alme’s surprise, the property next door is under construction for Sergio’s sister’s cake shop. Sergio had been considering this property when he had visited the south area for a preview. It seems that he decided to go with it.

An acquaintance—it might be too familiar to call out to someone, but being next to each other with someone she had a connection with is somewhat reassuring.

Mixed in with the craftsmen working on the construction, the owner next door – Sergio’s sister – came out and approached Alme.

Her name is Rito Sergio.

Her curly black hair and short bangs are adorable. Her blue eyes are gentle, and she has the atmosphere of a gentle older sister.

“Hello, Miss Alme. How is the work going?”

“Good. We finally got our new counter in the other day.”

“Well, that’s lovely. It’s going to take a little while for ours to open. Let’s work hard for the opening, and I’ve brought some goodies for you! Ta-da!

“Wow, thank you!”

While talking softly, Rito held out the cake box that was hidden behind her back.

“It’s a raspberry tart. I’m sorry if you don’t like fruit.”

“Thank you for your kindness. I’ll bring some ice cream next time.”

“Thank you. I’m looking forward to it.”

Alme gratefully accepted the tart. It’s just the right time to take a break.

She decided to call Tania from the front of the shop and Ena who was cleaning in the back to take a snack break.

Alme made herself at home at the round table in the shop, feeling like a customer. She made a pot of tea and put the tart she had been given on a plate.

Ena said happily as she pecked at the tart.

“The atmosphere of the shop somehow makes me feel elegant!”

“Wouldn’t it be better to style the ice cream to match this atmosphere?”

“Come to think of it, we were talking about putting an illustration of the ice cream on the menu, but if you want the illustration to look good, maybe a glamorous arrangement would be better.”

Tania gave her opinion and Alme nodded.

Currently, except for the Shirotaka-chan ice cream, the rest of the items are a bit plain in appearance. In the meantime, they intended to unveil a stylish parfait in time for the opening, but they may need to make some modifications to add a bit of flair.

If it’s a back alley shop for the common people, it doesn’t matter, but if it’s a shop on the main street, it seems necessary to add glamor to match the atmosphere.

“Let’s try to arrange the ice cream in a creative way. Such as making it more colorful, or for that matter, decorate it with flowers.”

“If it’s flowers, leave it to the florist. I have some pretty edible flowers. Shall I bring it to you sometime?”

“By all means, of course I will pay for it. I want to use a lot.”

“Haha, we have a new client!”

Ena made a mischievous face as she laughed.

Seeing such a lively exchange between Alme and Ena, Tania said something heartily.

“This is like a dream… I can’t believe I’m sitting around a table with a bunch of energetic girls and eating cake like this.”

“Miss Tania, you said something like a shriveled old lady.”

“That’s right, because I was shriveled… in the corner of the painting studio. Thanks to you, I remembered after a long time the pleasure of chatting with people of the same age…”

“Speaking of girls of the same age, Miss Tania hasn’t met Miss Jayla yet, right? After this, another female employee will be coming…”

While Alme was explaining that, the person she was talking about showed her face from the entrance of the shop.

“Oh, speaking of, Hello Miss Jayla.”

“Hi~ Oh, you’re eating something that looks delicious! I’m in too!”

Seeing that, Tania trembled.

Jayla approached them, clad in her usual revealing clothes and jingling earrings.

“Hic…a flashy person came!”

“Miss Jayla, this is Miss Tania. She is the artist who does all the illustrations for the shop.”

“Oh~ I’m Jayla, nice to meet you.”

“Likewise…”

Tania was understandably freaked out by Jayla’s appearance, demeanor, and languid manner of speaking.

Alme was also intimidated when she first met Jayla, so it’s not like she can’t understand her feelings.

“I’m sorry to bother you. Tania, you drew the mascot for the shop, didn’t you? Alme-chan told me about it. Do you have it now? Let me see, let me see!

“Um…yes, go ahead…”

Ignoring Tania, Jayla pulled a chair next to her and cut in.

Tania timidly presents her sketchbook and shrinks her body. Looking at Shirotaka-chan’s scribbles, which are rich in variation, Jayla burst into laughter.

Eating a tart and looking at the sketchbook. After taking a breather, Jayla raised her voice as if she had noticed.

“Ah, that’s right. Do you already have a poster for recruiting employees? I’ll put it up at our yakiniku restaurant.”

“Thank you very much, please!”

Alme picked up a poster she had put together on the counter and handed it to Jayla.

Recruitment posters are also pasted here on the front of the second shop. In addition, it is posted on Ena’s flower shop and on the town bulletin board that can be used freely. And of course, at the storefront in the back alley.

Unlike direct shop preparation such as interior decoration, preparation for the human resources portion of the project involves a large element of luck. Alme has been nervous as to whether or not they will be able to recruit enough employees.

“Whether or not a good person will come is what I’m most worried about right now…”

“It’s okay. People who want to work at a shop on the main street will gather just for that alone. If you say you’re working at a cozy and stylish sweets shop, the young people will come. And if the salary is reasonable, it’s perfect.”

Jayla said it without hesitation. It’s strange that she has a mysterious sense of conviction when she says it.

For now, let’s just take her word for it and wait for their applications.

That’s what she was thinking last week.

It’s been a little over a week since the job advertisement was posted, but recently, Alme has been feeling another kind of anxiety.

In the evening, she closed her home shop as usual and went upstairs.

When she glanced out the window of her house at the small plaza, she saw a man. He was a slender figure with long orange hair pulled back.

(That guy is here again…)

He walks up to the storefront, which has just closed, and stands there for a while.

He always stands there blankly and then leaves without doing anything. Today was no different.

…It’s not like he did anything to her, but it’s kind of creepy.

Alme was terrified because her home had been robbed before. Also, she never wanted something like that to happen again.

The next evening he visited the ice cream shop with a sword. He looked like a combatant who was going to strike down demons.