The Little Manager's Menu
As they approached the restaurant entrance, something they hadn't noticed earlier caught their eye.
[Today's Menu]
[Crispy panko-crusted direct-cut sirloin loin, lightly fried tonkatsu]
More words were misspelled than correct, yet the errors felt oddly endearing rather than bothersome.
They knew exactly who was inside.
Imagining those small hands carefully scrawling out each character brought an involuntary smile to their lips.
"Looks like someone was making tonkatsu earlier. So that's today's special."
This wasn't merely a place to share memories with someone of similar age. It was somewhere that could summon the warmth of happier times.
"Shall we go in?"
With the elderly man, they stepped inside.
The bright smile the child had been directing at the young owner shifted instantly at the sound of the bell.
"Oh! Grandpa?"
Seia beamed upon recognizing the old man, who returned the smile and waved warmly in kind.
"We meet again."
"Welcome! You're back again?"
"It was about dinnertime, and I thought I'd introduce this friend of mine."
At the guild leader's introduction, both Jungwoo and Seia turned their gazes toward the newcomer.
The situation had suddenly turned into an impromptu self-introduction.
"Ah, hello."
"Welcome."
"Welcome!"
Seia seemed to genuinely enjoy the arrival of any guest.
A new person.
That meant a new experience.
She was happy the grandfather had returned, and even happier that he'd brought someone new along.
"So, where should we sit? Little manager?"
"Hmm…"
After a moment's thought, Seia led them toward the window seats.
"Oh my, the window. Why this spot?"
Seia pointed outside with her finger.
"Because it's pretty over there."
She was pointing at nothing but the sky.
The evening sky, painted in hues of crimson sunset.
It was a sky they had seen countless times before.
Nothing particularly special about it.
Yet the moment Seia pointed at it, that ordinary sky became something extraordinary.
"You're right. The sky is beautiful, just like the little manager said."
"See? Hehe."
"I was planning to try something else, but I couldn't walk past the menu board out front. Tonkatsu for everyone sound good?"
"Yes."
The secretary answered promptly, but one person remained silent.
"What about you, Seong Ye-eun, hun—"
The old man caught himself before saying "hunter."
Is this the guild leader's new hobby?
The voice echoed not in his ears, but directly in his mind.
A new hobby, was it?
One could see it that way.
After all, the guild leader was an S-rank hunter who could obtain anything he desired.
A hobby? Doesn't that make it sound rather trivial?
If it's not a hobby, then what is it?
After a brief hesitation, the guild leader replied.
A refuge, perhaps.
A… refuge?
It was not the answer she had expected.
A refuge. From what?
From someone who stood above others, one of the strongest hunters alive.
Ye-eun's expression showed her difficulty in understanding, but when she glanced at Seia—those round, sparkling eyes watching them—she felt she understood, at least a little.
Those eyes, free of worry or anxiety, seemed to belong to an ideal world.
A gaze so pure it felt as though it shouldn't exist in this reality.
It wasn't a bad thing.
Like a paradise that existed only in illusion, she possessed eyes that could never be seen in ordinary life.
Even at a young age, one isn't without worries.
What if there's no meat for dinner tonight?
What if I can't play my favorite game?
The scale of concerns may differ, but everyone carries their own thoughts they can't easily set aside.
Not until they're resolved.
Seia's eyes were filled with gratitude for everything.
Gratitude that a guest had come.
Gratitude that even if there was no meat tonight, she could enjoy it even more next time.
And above all, those eyes held something familiar yet painfully nostalgic to Ye-eun.
Suddenly, she remembered the day she first awakened her ability.
Unlike others who had paid large sums to measure their hunter rank after gaining power, Ye-eun had not.
She had been an ordinary person. Just an ordinary woman.
One raising her younger sister alone.
That day, too, she had been heading to the market with her sister.
The streets were filled with the usual mix of hunters and civilians when an overflow erupted from a newly formed gate.
Magic beasts poured out.
They began destroying everything in sight—objects, buildings, and people alike.
Weak hunters fled. Those with some strength died.
If even those hunters perished, what chance did Ye-eun and her powerless sister have?
Ye-eun had tried to protect her sister, but in the end, she couldn't.
That was the story.
And that day, Ye-eun awakened her power.
She gained enough strength to wipe out the beasts that had caused the overflow in an instant, yet she felt no joy.
If she had obtained that power even a little sooner, her sister wouldn't have died.
She had gained so much, yet lost everything.
From that day on, Ye-eun had set many things aside.
After all, what was the point of great power when there was nothing left to protect?
Yet today, in Seia's eyes, she saw remnants of her past.
She had wanted so desperately to forget.
But perhaps that wasn't true after all.
Looking into those eyes, she wondered if it wasn't that she wanted to forget, but that she couldn't bear to forget.
"……"
It was a story she had never shared with anyone.
Not even Park Geon-su, the guild leader standing before her now.
Memories she thought she could never long for—yet seeing their traces before her eyes made her miss them after all.
"Ye-eun, my dear."
This was a place where nothing changed whether one was a hunter or not.
Almost the only such place. Yet Park Geon-su chose not to reveal that fact.
After all, they weren't ordinary hunters.
"Ah, yes."
"Is tonkatsu all right with you?"
"…Yes."
"Little manager."
"Yes!"
"Three tonkatsus, please."
"Yes! Three tonkatsus!"
Seia accepted the order with vigor and dashed off to the kitchen, promptly relaying it to Jungwoo.
"Daddy! Three tonkatsus!"
"Did Seia recommend it?"
"No. Seia only recommended the seat. That pretty one over there."
"Well done, our Seia."
"Then Seia will bring water for everyone!"
"Haha, all right. Thanks."
Jungwoo didn't realize it, but three guests was a new experience for Seia as well.
Though she hadn't served many customers before, this was the largest group yet.
"Umm… three people, so three cups…"
Watching Seia count on her fingers, Jungwoo found it difficult to focus on frying the tonkatsu.
Seia approached the table carrying a cup in each hand.
Normally, serving was done with a large tray, but for Seia, even lifting a single plate was at the limit of her strength.
"Here are the cups."
"Ho ho, not too heavy?"
"Not heavy at all. It's fun!"
"Fun is the best part."
Seia raised one hand high and placed a cup on the table.
The table was nearly as tall as she was.
When she stood right against it, only her head peeked over the edge.
Like an adorable mole, she plopped down two cups, then scurried off and returned with the third.
Finally, she brought over a large water pitcher and set it on the table with great care.
"Hoo-ah."
Seia exhaled with a proud expression, and Park Geon-su smiled warmly.
"I was just feeling thirsty. Thank you."
"Hehe. Enjoy!"
Seia bowed politely and returned to her own little seat.
At S-rank, a hunter's throat never truly grew parched.
They could use the magic power flowing through their bodies to satisfy even hunger.
His words revealed exactly how Park Geon-su felt about Seia.
And why he called this place a refuge.
It wasn't an escape from hardship.
It was simply a place where he could feel emotions he no longer experienced elsewhere.
"Well? Not a bad place, is it?"
"…It's all right, I suppose."
Though Ye-eun's reply was rather curt, Park Geon-su knew full well it was approval.
It was strange.
This was a restaurant, and she hadn't even tasted the food yet, but she already thought it was nice.
Still, one question lingered.
Why open a restaurant here, of all places?
This area had quite a few gates appearing nearby.
Many gates meant the possibility of overflows.
If even one overflow occurred, it was easy to imagine the damage this restaurant could suffer.
"Is this place safe?"
"What does it matter?"
"……?"
For a moment, Ye-eun doubted her ears.
He seemed to treasure this place, yet his reaction and words suggested otherwise.
But when she saw his expression, she realized her interpretation had been completely wrong.
Saying it didn't matter even if an overflow happened wasn't the same as saying the restaurant didn't matter.
It meant there was no danger to begin with.
"Is the taste… all right?"
The moment Ye-eun finished speaking, the savory aroma of freshly fried tonkatsu filled the restaurant.
The atmosphere was wonderful, but a restaurant still needed good food above all.
Atmosphere wasn't something you sold.
It was merely a tool to make selling other things easier.
In answer to her question, Park Geon-su smiled.
"You'll know once you try it."
The finished tonkatsu was plated neatly and served at the table.
Since the plates and portions were too heavy for Seia to carry, Jungwoo brought them himself.
"Enjoy your meal."
"It smells wonderful. Has the little manager tried it too?"
"Of course. She loves it. Right, Seia?"
"Yes! Daddy's tonkatsu is the best!"
Though calling it the most reliable review was difficult given that she was his daughter, Seia's expression was one of pure happiness—the look of someone reminiscing about the most delicious tonkatsu they'd ever eaten.
Even though she'd already had some earlier.
"High praise from a daughter. That's an evaluation I can trust."
"Surprisingly, Seia won't eat it if it doesn't taste good."
"So her name is Seia."
"Ah, Lee Seia."
"A lovely name."
It was a name his wife had chosen.
When they first learned they were having a daughter, she'd said she'd decided on the name long ago and insisted it had to be this one.
Even when he'd asked what if it was a son, his wife had been firm.
It absolutely had to be Seia.
"Is it good?!"
While Park Geon-su and Jungwoo were talking, Ye-eun had already taken a bite of tonkatsu, and Seia was now staring at her with expectant eyes.
And then—
"…Yeah. It's really good."
Ye-eun answered with a faint smile.