Sustaining a Thriving Business

"Thank you for your patronage!"

We saw off the last customer.

Meal service for inn guests had already ended, so we were closing up for the day.

In the end, customers had kept coming nonstop from the moment we opened.

Stocking up on extra ingredients had been the right call.

"I'm beat… My legs feel like logs."

"I can't walk anymore."

Elza and Finn sat back-to-back on the floor.

It had been a while since we'd been this busy. They'd been on their feet the whole time, so the fatigue was considerable.

Azu and Orleans, who had worked tirelessly in the kitchen, had passed out the moment the last dish went out.

We still had cleanup to do, but I'd let them rest for now.

The ones still going were Alexia and Kazusa.

"It was hectic, but compared to a battlefield, not that bad."

"I've been doing this already, so I'm used to it… though it's never been this busy before."

Compared to a battlefield where you could be pushed to your absolute limits, huh.

They say hardship builds tolerance. That was it exactly.

Anyway, the three of us still standing started cleaning up.

I left the kitchen to Kazusa while Alexia and I wiped down tables and flipped chairs onto them.

We gathered the trash from the floor and threw it out, then mopped everything with water.

Running a food service meant being meticulous about hygiene.

To finish, Alexia dried the floor with her magic.

"Since becoming a slave, I feel like I use magic more for things like this than for fighting."

"Isn't that nice and peaceful? It's not like you were bloodthirsty."

"Well… I can't say I mind."

Alexia was competitive and strong-willed, but she had no violent urge to cast magic at people.

I figured magic had far more applications when used peacefully.

It helped people and was good all around.

When we went to help in the kitchen, it was quite a mess.

After washing our hands and making sure we were clean, we split up to gather scattered utensils and do the dishes.

By the stove, Alexia was diligently scraping off burnt residue.

Kazusa had the most important job to do, so I'd handle the rest for now.

That job was counting the money, doing the books, and checking what ingredients we needed for tomorrow.

As the owner, I absolutely wouldn't let her neglect this.

It wouldn't do Kazusa any good either.

When Kazusa had tried to help with cleanup, I'd told her to finish this first.

"… Okay, done. The numbers match!"

The amount received matched the value of meals served.

It was tedious work, but the satisfaction when it balanced was irreplaceable.

"Wow, that's an incredible number of copper and silver coins."

"Right? Surprising, isn't it? All of this goes toward paying various expenses."

Azu had recovered and come over, marveling at the coins on the table.

Not quite a mountain, but enough that a bag of them would be hard to lift.

The cheapest menu item was five copper coins. Large portions and the most expensive item were one silver coin each.

There had to be at least two hundred silver coins here.

I'd hoped for enough customers to avoid a loss, but this was substantial.

The light meals might become the main business rather than a side venture for the inn.

Copper coins were also used for making change, but silver coins weren't.

So those two hundred-plus represented at least two hundred servings.

With plenty of cheap items sold too, the actual count probably exceeded three hundred.

Even accounting for the opening-day boost, that was impressive.

For the record, anyone using gold coins in a place like this would be frowned upon.

They'd just be passing off the hassle of paying the money changer's fee.

As for costs, it was just fuel and ingredients.

The inn covered the rent on the premise that the lodging business would pay for it, and the cooking equipment was either already there and repaired or brought by Kazusa.

Labor costs went without saying.

The profit margin had to be over sixty percent.

Even if the sales fell short of bigger establishments, the profits might be comparable.

But this couldn't last forever.

"I'll help out until things settle down, but you should hire someone soon."

"Right. I didn't expect it to be this busy."

I actually already knew why it had taken off.

There were plenty of places to eat in Kassad, including food stalls, but the recent population growth had concentrated the stalls along the main street.

This area was a bit removed from that, so it had been underserved.

Kazusa's menu was priced well for the portions, and the seasoning was good.

But the biggest factor was probably Azu and the others' service.

That was precisely why I'd approved the light meals in the first place…

"You don't have any leads, do you?"

"No. I haven't been in this city long enough to even have acquaintances yet."

"I know. So don't look like you're about to cry."

I'd taken responsibility for Kazusa knowing this kind of support would be needed.

This was her moment to push through.

Paying decent wages would attract people, but whether they'd be trustworthy was another matter.

That was something I knew all too well.

… Come to think of it, Kaimol's sister had worked at a restaurant.

She was valuable at the shop, so I couldn't move her, but maybe she knew someone?

"I'm going to leave things here for a bit. Make some staff meals with the leftovers."

"Got it. I'll place the orders too. With a reliable supplier this time!"

Feeling a pleasant sort of fatigue, I left Cat's Paw Inn and headed back to the shop.

The sun was still up, but dawdling would bring nightfall quickly.