"Ah, that was delicious. Thanks for the meal!"

"I'm stuffed. This dish you call 'karaage' is dangerously addictive."

"Fia is full too! I've never had meat this tasty before."

Despite preparing a large amount of karaage, all of it—except for the portion set aside for Lea—was gone. I learned something new today: not only does Lange eat a lot, but so do Lilia and Fia.

I, too, ended up eating more than usual. Having this familiar dish from my old world made me realize how much I missed it. Trying out new foods in this otherworld is fun, but there’s something comforting about a taste of home.

"I'm glad everyone enjoyed the food from my homeland. I know plenty of other dishes too, so I'll cook something else next time. And thanks for the drink, Lange. I haven’t enjoyed a good drink like this in ages."

"Don't mention it. I had a blast sharing a meal with everyone. My stomach’s full, and I'm totally satisfied."

"Now, about the main topic—I’d like to ask if you’d be willing to take on a regular job for us. According to Guild Master Rizac, you can use storage magic and are a B-rank adventurer.

"I'm opening a shop here soon, but the products I’ll be selling are quite special and come from unique sources. That's why I need someone with storage magic to handle the procurement. The guild recommended you for the job."

"Yeah, Rizac told me about this. Also, I bought one of those compasses you supplied to the guild—wow, that thing is amazing! It's not just adventurers who'll find it useful; wanderers like me and merchants will love it too."

Lange pulled a compass from his pocket, clearly impressed. It seems he picked one up from the batch I delivered yesterday.

"One more thing: because these items are unique, people might try to cause trouble for us outside the city. This will likely make the job more dangerous than usual. I'll pay above the standard rate—will you take the job?"

"Sure, I'll do it!"

"...Huh?"

Wait, what? Did I hear that right? Isn’t this where we’re supposed to start negotiating?

"Um... you do realize I haven’t even told you the details or the payment yet, right?"

"Yeah, that’s fine. I already know your request is interesting enough to accept. I usually take jobs that catch my interest. Of course, I won’t take on anything impossible or something that’ll put me in the red—but this one’s perfect.

"To be honest, I’d already decided to take the job when Rizac first told me about it. It's too intriguing to pass up! A new guy suddenly arrives in town, starts selling amazing tools no one’s ever seen before, and then opens a shop that even hires someone like Lilia? I mean, how could I not take this job?"

"...You're as odd as ever."

"..."

I had my suspicions, but now I’m certain—Lange is a little... no, very eccentric. Prioritizing excitement over money for a job? That’s definitely not the norm.

That said, his lack of greed works to my advantage. It means he’s less likely to betray me or sell out the shop’s secrets for cash.

"By the way, the food you made was incredible. If the payment includes meals like this, I’m totally in! Just make me something like that karaage every now and then, and we’re good."

"Sure, I can cook lots of dishes like that. But, Lange, this job might involve serious danger. As you saw with the compass, the items we’re selling are exclusive to our shop. People may try to mess with us to uncover our supply routes."

"Ah, don’t worry about that. Running and hiding are my specialties. If I focus solely on escaping, I can outrun even A-rank adventurers, let alone thieves."

"Wow, that's impressive!"

"Indeed. Knowing Lange’ agility, he’d easily evade any attackers—even an A-rank adventurer."

If Lilia is saying that, it must be true. That explains why Lange prefers to work solo.

To be honest, I was initially worried about entrusting someone as carefree as Lange with the shop's secrets. However, his lack of greed, combined with the trust he’s earned from Rizac and Lilia, makes him a good fit for the role.

Also, on a personal note, I have a gut feeling I can trust him. If he does betray me, well, that’s just life. But having someone to share meals with—someone who enjoys my cooking and drinks with me—is something I’ve really missed.