COBU CH 09

Chapter 09
I had never seen anything like this in my life.
Millun took pride in being a merchant. He had learned at Basha’s side, and as a magic tool craftsman, he never did business at a loss.
He also traveled many countries to find materials and dealt with countless trading companies. He believed he had seen every kind of merchant there was.
But then—
“Oh my, little one! Want to try a bite? It’ll melt softly in your mouth. Your big sister made it herself, so go on and taste it.”
“Woooow! Big sister, what is this? I’ve never eaten anything like it! It’s sweet and cold and melts right away!”
“Right? If you want more, show this postcard to your mom and dad and tell them you want to visit my café.”
“Yeees!”
Leila’s actions were… completely impossible to understand.
“What… did this start yesterday when we left the restaurant?”
Sitting on the edge of the fountain in the central plaza in front of the temple, Millun watched Leila and recalled everything that had happened since yesterday.
***
It started in a very ordinary way.
After leaving the restaurant, Leila went straight to a grocery store.
There, she carefully looked around and bought large amounts of milk, sugar, and salt.
She looked very happy, saying she got everything cheaper than expected. Then she went to a lumber shop.
There, she bought several wooden boards and nails.
That was when things started to feel strange.
‘Why would she need wooden boards to prove her ability?’
Millun was confused but didn’t ask.
‘She said she’d prove it.’
So until then, he decided to pretend not to notice, even if he was curious. To be honest, he was already interested.
Leila Token was the only person who had ever confused him this much.
So he watched.
She returned to the café, sawed the boards, hammered nails, and built something. Then she gathered several bowls.
That alone would have been strange, but then she made many papers with the café’s location written on them, each stamped with Hugh’s paw print.
Even then, it was just confusing.
But confusion turned into amazement the next morning.
Leila woke up early and headed toward Noren with the boards and ingredients she had roughly prepared the day before.
Even early in the morning, the plaza in front of the temple was already crowded. Standing there, she smiled slyly and got to work.
“Millun, just sit there and watch.”
Telling him not to help, she skillfully built a stall. So that’s what the boards were for.
She placed a large basin on top and filled it with ice she somehow obtained.
“Alright, now watch carefully and don’t be surprised.”
She sprinkled salt over the ice, then placed milk and sugar into a glass bowl and buried it in the ice. Then she quickly whisked it.
And then—
“Wow, Master! What is this? It’s so soft and cold!”
“It’s called ice cream! Tasty, right?”
She created something completely new.
Even with all his travels, Millun had never seen anything like it.
It wasn’t whipped cream. It wasn’t meringue. It wasn’t even sorbet, which only royalty could enjoy.
More importantly, freezing something without magic was impossible in the mild climate of the Jenon Kingdom.
And yet she did it. Easily.
This alone was proof of real ability.
Just this would have been enough for him to give her his token. He was already curious what she might create with magical tools.
‘She asked for two days, so I thought it was just confidence. But it’s real.’
No, two days was more than enough.
If she showed this to nobles or royalty, she could earn a fortune immediately.
Millun watched her with deep interest. Then he thought about trying the ice cream himself.
But—
“Hm, looks like everything’s ready… Shall we start?”
She cleared her throat and suddenly shouted,
“Everyone, come try a bite! Yonggari Café’s special menu you can’t taste anywhere else! Free samples, so don’t hesitate!
We even have a cute hamster!”
She was giving something that valuable away for free?!
“…What on earth is that woman doing?”
Did she not understand the value of what she made?
No. Looking at her confident expression, she clearly knew its worth. She fully expected people to gather.
And just as she thought, people of all ages crowded around the stall.
Leila greeted them kindly while constantly promoting Yonggari Café.
Millun stood there, stunned, murmuring to himself. It felt like he’d been hit in the back of the head.
“She’s really… impossible to predict.”
Everything about her went against expectations. Even his first impression of her had been wrong.
Yes. She was completely unpredictable. And at the same time, she stirred his curiosity.
Staying near her would never be boring.
That reminded him of something Hugh had said.
“Master is amazing! She fixed the whole building in one day with your hammer!
I guarantee it, Millun! You’ll come to like Master. I’m sure of it!”
That cheeky hamster… truly like owner, like pet.
It hurt his pride, but he had to admit Hugh was right.
Millun touched his mouth, then burst out laughing.
His laughter was so loud that even Leila, buried among the crowd, could hear it.
***
“…Why is he laughing like that?”
Did he finally lose his mind?
Even while busy serving people, I glanced at Millun and muttered to myself. This wasn’t good. He was supposed to be impressed by my skills…
I shot him a look, then stretched my mouth into a long smile. Right after that, I scooped some ice cream onto a cracker and handed it to the next person.
“Here you go! If you have time later, please visit Yonggari Café. We’re opening soon! The location is on the postcards here, so take one if you’re interested!”
I delivered my lines smoothly, smiling warmly. The customer nodded eagerly, grabbed a postcard, and left.
Watching that, I smiled slyly to myself.
‘I knew this would work.’
“Free” works everywhere.
Of course, strictly speaking, it wasn’t really free.
I was gaining effective promotion for Yonggari Café, and people were becoming interested in it and remembering it.
It was a fair exchange.
You see this kind of thing all the time in supermarkets. They offer free samples so people get interested and end up buying.
And if you’ve tasted it, you’re more likely to listen to the salesperson.
‘And guess what—I worked at supermarket sampling booths too.’
Holiday pay was good, so I did it often. I really had done every part-time job imaginable.
Another job helped here too.
I once worked as an assistant at a children’s science festival.
That’s where I learned how to make ice cream.
You sprinkle salt on ice, it melts and absorbs heat, making things around it freeze. Or something like that.
I had explained it so many times back then that it stuck in my head. I never imagined I’d use it like this.
‘The ingredients were easier to get than expected, too.’
The most important thing, ice, was available in the game shop. The rest I bought cheaply by running around.
I was completely broke now, but I didn’t regret it.
I kept greeting people like a machine, promoting the café.
Then—
“Huh? You’re…?”
I saw a very familiar face.
I blinked slowly, then opened my eyes wide and clapped.
“Sir Walter! It is Sir Walter, right? You were the first customer at Yonggari Café!”
“Yes, that’s right. You remember me.”
“Of course! Didn’t I tell you back then? That you were our very first customer.”
“Ah… yes, you did.”
“It’s nice to see you again!”
Happy to see a familiar face, I smiled brightly and offered him ice cream too.
“Sir Walter, please try this as well.”
He stared at the ice cream, then suddenly grabbed my hand.
“By any chance… do you have coffee right now?”
His voice was desperate.