Red Beans and Renovation Noise
Two workers muttered, “What the hell, these are red beans…?” Red beans rolled across their palms. The large, glossy grains looked strangely familiar. I’d been wondering why they seemed so familiar—this was definitely adzuki beans. I must have gotten my hopes up for nothing when they called it something rare. The anticipation drained out of me in an instant. Even if it had been something valuable, there was nowhere to use it at the Academy anyway.
“Tch… That damn Ramsey probably just dumped this on me.” Handing me red beans… They might be common on the eastern continent, but they seemed fairly precious here. The climate and growing conditions must be quite different.
Rustle…! I shrugged and poured the bright red beans back into the fist-sized pouch, then tucked it safely into my inner pocket. It wasn’t exactly a welcome ingredient, but I figured it might come in handy later. Even so, adzuki beans were surprisingly versatile. The real problem was that they were a love-it-or-hate-it food. Especially for people trying them for the first time or those with Westernized palates, they could easily trigger aversion.
‘Whoa, that’s not what’s important right now.’ I decided to think about it later. I wanted to be free from work during my day off. Lately, whenever I saw ingredients, I automatically started thinking about what I could make. It was like a survival instinct that had been drilled into me over the past week. Now wasn’t the time for that. I should head over early and wait, just in case. If I left now, I wouldn’t be late at least.
Thud, thud, thud! I quickly left the cafeteria and turned toward the dormitory. It was almost noon. I was supposed to meet Sonya, the one I’d promised a conditional contract with. Originally, I’d planned to enjoy a leisurely walk and some coffee after breakfast, savoring my free time. But thanks to an unexpected detour helping Ramsey, I’d ended up spending nearly two hours teaching him recipes. If it hadn’t been for Sofia’s request, I would’ve ignored him completely.
Drip, drip…! Sweat trickled down my chin. The heat from the pot still lingered. I hadn’t noticed earlier, but I was sweating quite a bit. Now that I looked, my shirt was soaked through. The damp fabric felt gross. Why did I even bother showering this morning? Maybe I should stop by the duty room and wash up first. ‘There’s still some time, so I should have enough to clean up…’
Just as I reached the dormitory entrance while muttering about how badly I wanted to wash up—
Clang! Clang-clang-clang…! Kaang! Kang! Kang…!!! Rumble-rumble-rumble!!
“Huh? What’s that noise?” Sharp metallic sounds and crashes echoed from behind the dormitory. It sounded like someone was smashing and hammering something. The Rest Lounge was located right back there—my main workplace, and it was making quite a racket. On a day when everyone was supposed to be resting, no less. My curiosity got the better of me and I turned my feet toward the sound. Normally, that area should be quiet since it was reserved for the young ladies. Plus, it was a holiday this week, so there shouldn’t have been anyone around…
“Aaaah?” Drawn by curiosity, I stepped behind the dormitory and was met with an unfamiliar sight. People were swarming around the Rest Lounge building. ‘What the—? Why are there so many people?’ Surprisingly, a huge crowd had surrounded the Rest Lounge. They were all wearing short overalls and carrying tools.
Clang-clang-clang-clang…!!! Every single one of them was clinging to the Rest Lounge, smashing the walls with heavy hammers. They were demolishing everything from the outer walls to the kitchen equipment inside. At first I thought they were some kind of hired thugs. Who just starts wrecking someone else’s business like that? But they were all unusually short—most of them were small like dwarves. Just like Johnson…
“Hey! Breeder~! Long time no see!”
“Ah? Johnson?”
Sure enough, they were dwarves. All the supply department dwarves had gathered here. Johnson was even leading the charge. These guys, who usually sat at desks pushing abacuses and wearing magnifying glasses, were now out in the field doing manual labor. Johnson stood out like a foreman, directing his subordinates. It seemed the supply department had taken over the entire remodeling project.
“Haven’t seen your face in a while! I was just missing that special coffee of yours.” Johnson wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve as he walked over.
“Ah, is that so? Last time you acted like you’d never come back after trying my cake…”
“Come on, man! That just means the cake wasn’t great, not that your coffee was bad!”
“Haha, I see. By the way, you’re working even on the weekend?”
“Yeah, it’s the vice principal’s orders. We’re gonna make this place sleek and classy in just two days.”
“Two days? Is that even possible?”
“Of course! Don’t underestimate a dwarf’s skills. Plus, we’re bringing in all those brand-new appliances you asked for last time. Already placed the orders properly.” Johnson puffed out his small, muscular chest as if he’d done all the work himself and thumped it proudly.
“Really? But why is the supply department handling the remodeling in the first place…?”
“You should know by now, right? Academy procedures aren’t exactly normal.” At my question, Johnson’s confident expression wilted slightly. It was like all the air had been let out of his burly chest.
“Still, isn’t this usually the management department’s jurisdiction?”
“Well, yeah, but… those idiots! Their tool skills are so terrible I couldn’t stand it. Of course, the management department will help with the finishing touches.” Johnson tried to play it cool, but his face clearly showed his dissatisfaction with the Academy. No one would be in a good mood doing manual labor on their day off.
“You’re working hard. I should at least treat the supply department folks to some iced coffee…”
“It’s fine. Once everything’s finished, we’ll all drop by together. So just make us some good coffee and desserts then. I heard you came up with another new dessert yesterday?”
“Ah, has word already gotten around?”
“Of course! There’s not a single staff member at the Academy who doesn’t know about your skills.”
“What? What do you mean? I haven’t even seen most of the other staff since the semester started…”
Suddenly I was confused. Why would there be rumors about me among the staff? I knew rumors were spreading among the young ladies, but…
“Why? Because the vice principal took a liking to you, obviously.”
“The vice principal?”
“When she gave the remodeling orders this morning, she couldn’t stop praising you. Anyway, your reputation has already spread to the other professors too.”
“Damn…”
“Once this is done, the professors might all come swarming in.”
‘Shit…’ I almost cursed out loud at Johnson’s last remark.
“You really didn’t know, huh. A servant favored by the professors, huhuhu…” Johnson stroked his fluffy chin with a look that said “How could you not know this?” This was seriously bad. Dealing with the young ladies was already overwhelming enough, and now all the professors were planning to visit? I should’ve realized something was up when Benetric offered to support the Rest Lounge so generously. So that was her angle… Did I have to deal with professors on top of the young ladies from now on?
“Haha, don’t be too discouraged. At least with the latest equipment, making desserts will be pretty fun—huh…?!”
“Huh? Johnson? What’s wrong?”
Johnson’s face, which had been offering half-hearted comfort, suddenly turned pale. His already dark complexion took on an ashen hue.
Thud…! He even bowed deeply at the waist. And for good reason…
“Sigh… Breeder? Where have you been all this time?”
“Aah?” Someone suddenly tapped my back and spoke in a cold voice. It was so chilling that I felt a shiver even in the middle of the day. Thanks to that icy tone, my sweat-soaked body felt instantly refreshed.
“…S-Sonya? When did you get here?”
“Honestly… Do you know what time it is?! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!!”
When I turned around, the pink-haired Sonya stood there with a stiff expression. Dark shadows already hung over half her face. She must have wandered around quite a bit looking for me. More importantly, this was the first time I’d seen her in this outfit. Not her uniform or casual clothes, but combat gear meant for duty. Light armor consisting of pauldrons and a breastplate. The pink decorations and patterns were striking. Seeing her dressed like this gave off a completely different impression.
“H-Has it really gotten that late already?”
“It has! It’s exactly noon right now! We need to report for duty immediately!!”
“Ah, I’m sorry. Let’s head out right away then.”
This was the first time I’d seen Sonya angry. Yesterday she’d only shown a shy face… So she could raise her voice like this too?
“…Phew, it’s fine. We’ll probably need to wait a little longer anyway.”
“What? But you just said we need to report for duty right away—”
“Ironically, there’s someone even later than you.”
“Huh? There’s another person joining us for duty?”
Sonya let out a cold sigh and relaxed her expression slightly. She pouted her lips with a sulky look and grumbled. Then she turned her back, as if waiting for someone who hadn’t arrived yet. What? Did she find a substitute for Raylin? Or was it originally a three-person team? Ah, right. I think she mentioned there was one more person besides Sonya…?
Just as I was recalling the memory of Sonya asking me for the conditional contract yesterday—
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud…!!! Loud footsteps and a cloud of dust suddenly rose from the direction Sonya was looking. Someone was running toward us at full speed.
‘Ah, of course.’ I didn’t even need to see who it was. ‘…I completely forgot there was someone who came as a set with Sonya.’