In Toriko With A Chat Group

Inside the shop.

"Let me explain what you need to do."

"First, most of the ingredients we sell are by reservation. I'll give you a list in a bit."

"People will come to pick up their orders, and all you need to do is hand the items over to them."

Binchotan listened carefully, her small head nodding as she paid attention. Occasionally, when she didn't understand something, she would raise her hand to ask a question.

"Apart from that, you only need to answer the phone, note down the name of the person making the reservation, their ingredient requirements, the date, and other details."

"By the way, Binchotan, where do you live?"

"I live in the mountains far away, but I always wake up early, so it won't delay my work."

Binchotan replied.

"Hmm, do you have anyone else at home?"

"No... I used to have Grandma, but she left recently."

Binchotan's tone became a little sad when she mentioned this, but she quickly returned to her cheerful demeanor. She had promised her Grandma to live well.

She couldn't stay sad forever!

"In that case, you can temporarily stay at the shop. There are plenty of ingredients here, and you can cook for yourself."

"Consider that my little employee benefit."

Kei said with a smile.

"As for payment, since you only want food, I'll pay you with equivalent ingredients."

"I'll give you a bag of rice. Do you want to take some of it now or receive it all at the end?"

"After the work is done... And... and I only need some rice. I don't need any other ingredients."

Binchotan knew that the ingredients in this shop were very expensive. Though she was poor, she wouldn't take something that didn't belong to her.

"Alright, one bag of rice it is."

Kei didn't say more. He simply reached out and patted her head. While doing so, he noticed that her ribbon was crooked.

"Your ribbon is crooked. Let me fix it."

Kei reached out and adjusted the pink ribbon behind Binchotan, making it symmetrical. It looked much better this way.

Binchotan looked up at Kei, her mouth opened and closed a few times before she finally managed to say, "T-Thank you."

Ever since her Grandma died, Binchotan's ribbon had been crooked. But now, her ribbon was properly fixed.

...

While Binchotan was familiarizing herself with the shop, Tina began chatting with Kei.

"Boss, why would you hire such a little kid as a temporary worker? Don't tell me it's to exploit child labor!"

"What nonsense are you thinking about?"

Kei knocked on Tina's head to shake off her bizarre thoughts before explaining why he chose Binchotan.

"First of all, she meets my requirements."

"Look at her clothes. They're shabby, but they're very clean. There are some scratches on her hands and feet, but no dirt."

"That shows she's diligent even if she's living in poverty."

Tina looked at Binchotan again. Sure enough, the little girl had already started sweeping the floor.

"Second, she's all alone. But even so, she didn't choose to beg or act pitiful."

"Instead, she earnestly went to the employment agency to exchange her labor for a meager reward. This child is a good kid."

"I can leave the shop in her hands without worrying about her stealing or running away with my things."

Tina, recalling the elegant woman from earlier, realized Binchotan certainly seemed much more reliable in comparison.

"And lastly, this child isn't greedy. She knows she can't do much, can't earn much, so her payment request is just a little rice to fill her stomach."

"Also, my personal reason... I heard her stomach growling, and I thought I'd at least help her eat properly, so I hired her."

Kei chuckled. Although he gave many reasons, the truth was he simply wanted to do it.

"Boss, I finally understand why you're so popular."

Tina realized Kei's charm wasn't just about his culinary skills. This man himself was truly admirable.

No wonder Toriko spoke so highly of him.

"Huh? Did I say something weird?"

Kei looked confused. His answer should've been fine, so why did she say that?

Did he do something special? Not really, right? It was just a normal thing to do.

That night, Kei had Binchotan stay at the shop. Tina also stayed over, and the three of them sat around to eat together.

"Is it okay for me to stay and eat? This doesn't seem right."

Tina hesitated, but her chopsticks moved fast, and she had already eaten half a bowl of rice.

"You certainly don't act embarrassed. But hey, the rice Binchotan cooked has a unique fragrance. It's really delicious."

Kei took a bite of rice, showing a surprised expression. He used the same rice as always, but today it tasted particularly good.

"Grandma taught me to add Binchotan charcoal when cooking. It makes the rice taste much better."

Binchotan shyly explained.

"Alright, stop talking and eat up. By the way, Boss, your cooking isn't bad at all. It's on par with some professional chefs."

Tina commented while gobbling down her food.

...

The next morning, Tomu arrived and called Kei to inform him of his arrival.

"Binchotan, I'm leaving the shop in your hands. Work hard, okay?"

"Yes, I will do my best."

"Alright, we're off. Wait a minute, your ribbon is crooked again. Why is it always tilted?"

Kei reached out and adjusted the ribbon behind Binchotan once more, before heading out with the fully armed Tina to board the ship bound for the Baron Islands.

Now, only Binchotan was left in the shop.

"Hmm... It's so quiet."

Binchotan sat in the shop, looking at the empty space. For some reason, it felt so lonely. Even though she used to be alone all the time.

But this time, the feeling of loneliness was overwhelming.

"When will Boss come back? Oh, right, I should clean the shop. He'll be really happy when he returns."

Binchotan suddenly stood up. While cleaning the shop yesterday, she had noticed that many corners were covered with dust.

It seemed like the Boss found it troublesome and didn't bother cleaning those spots.

"Hmph hmph, time to clean up!"

Binchotan rolled up her sleeves, soaked a cloth in water, and started diligently wiping every corner.

Under the cabinets, the edges of the shelves, the windows, and even under the bed—she cleaned everywhere thoroughly.

Time flew by, and soon the entire morning had passed.

It was now time for lunch.

(End of Chapter)

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