I Was Reincarnated as a Commoner. I Can’t Stand Living Like This, so I’ll Become an Aristocrat! C179

179, Anne's son

The day after we decided on the employee dormitory. 

I'm heading to the dormitory with Roger in a horse-drawn carriage. Anne and Evan moved in early in the morning and are already in the dormitory, so they are not together at the moment. I plan to talk to Anne's son in the dormitory. After we talked, we had lunch. 

Actually, after that yesterday, I heard a little more about Anne's son, and it seems that he not only likes to observe people eating everything, but also likes to come up with strange dishes. 

It seems like he's a good cook and can make normal dishes, but he's been developing strange dishes as a hobby. 

It is said that the dish is not something that will become popular because it takes a lot of effort, the appearance is not generally acceptable, the taste is delicious but unfamiliar, or it is just plain bad. 

However, it seems that there are some delicious dishes that are popular among family members and friends. I don't think such dishes would be served at restaurants, but they generally take a lot of effort and seem to be something that only a certain number of people would enjoy. 

I was really worried when he said that, so today I decided to have him serve me the dish he was most proud of. I'm really looking forward to it now. I wonder what kind of food it is? 

Then, after a while of being rocked by the carriage, I arrived at the dormitory. 

When I got off the carriage with Roger, three people had come to greet me in front of the entrance. The person on the far right appears to be Anne's son. He's small, with yellow-green hair and eyes of the same color...he doesn't look like he's eighteen years old. It's partly because he's short, but his face also looks baby-faced and young. 

...Get a short friend. I was secretly pleased. 

As I approached the three of them, Anne's son seemed to be staring at me. She seems curious, but I wonder if she just likes observing people, not just people eating?　

...Certainly, in this state, it might not be suitable for a servant of a noble. Thinking of this, I smiled bitterly and called out to everyone. 

"Thank you everyone for coming. Are you Anne's son?"

"Yes! My name is Tino. Thank you."

Tino bowed his head in a beautiful manner while greeting me. This kind of thing is well taught. He is, as expected, Anne's son. 

However, after I finished greeting her, she started looking at me again with a curious look on her face. I wonder what that face is when a child looks at a procession of ants with sparkling eyes. 

This expression may be making Tino look even younger. 

　

While I was thinking about that and observing Tino without giving in, Anne who was next to me grabbed Tino's head firmly and forced him to look down. 

“Leon-sama, thank you for visiting.Also, I’m really sorry for my son.I don’t mind if you stop hiring me from now on…”

That's what Anne said, apologizing as if she were sorry. From my point of view, Tino's behavior isn't something to be blamed for, but for Anne, who worked as a maid at the duke's house, it was probably an unacceptable behavior. 

"Anne, it's fine, so don't worry too much. Let's go inside for now."

"I got it"

Then we moved to the dining room and sat facing Tino. Tino is sitting in front of me, Anne and Evan are a little further away, and Roger is behind me. 

"Again, I'm Leon. I'm the chairman of Japanis Shokai, and I'm planning to open a sweets specialty store. I'll have Anne work there as an employee. Tino will work here as a cook in the store's employee dormitory. I'd like you to do that, but what do you think?"

When I asked that, Tino nodded enthusiastically. 

“Yes! Thank you very much for offering me a job this time. I would definitely like to work here. However, I like seeing people eating the food I made. I also like creating food...and I've been fired from many jobs because of it.Is that okay? 

Even though Tino said he wanted to work, he asked with a slightly anxious look on his face. 

Maybe because he's Anne's son, he speaks and behaves very well. But since he's been fired, I guess he's going out of control when it comes to cooking. 

``My job here is to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so I don't mind if you leave the rest of the time free.So, when I cook, I can eat with everyone, and I don't mind watching them eat.'' There's nothing wrong with it. But if there are people who don't like it, please be considerate."

"I'll take that into consideration! I like seeing people happy when they eat my food, so I don't really mean for people to dislike it."

"That would be great.Also, I don't mind if you cook as much as you like during your time outside of work.I mean, I'll set an upper limit, but I'll pay for the ingredients, so I want you to be proactive about it."

In fact, anyone who just loves researching cooking is welcome. Right now I'm just researching sweets, but I also want to further develop my cooking skills. 

I would be so happy if you could make soy sauce someday. It seems like you're making some strange dishes, so I wonder if you'll try your hand at fermentation sometime? 

"Is it true!? At my previous workplace, even though I was procuring the ingredients and cooking my own food, I was told that the smell was too strong, that it was a nuisance, that it looked disgusting, etc., so I ended up not being allowed to do it." I was forced to do so! Leon-sama is shining brightly. I can't look at him directly. Leon-sama was my god..."

Tino said that, clasping his hands together as if praying, and narrowed his eyes in a truly dazzling manner. When I saw Tino like that, I couldn't help but burst into laughter. 

"Hehe...hehehe...Tino, it's so funny, so funny."

The gap between when he is serious and when he is excited is amazing. He seemed like a perfect servant until just now, but now he's suddenly become a person who prays to God. 

I managed to hold back the laughter that was welling up in my mouth. I thought it would be rude to Tino if I suddenly started laughing. But it's painful, and my abdominal muscles are at their limit. Something clicked. This is a painful one. 

Tino looked at me and tilted his head in confusion. And he looks worried. 

"Leon-sama, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell...?"

It seems that Tino mistook the fact that I was holding my stomach and looking down to mean that I wasn't feeling well. But no, I'm in good health. It's just painful to hold back laughter. 

I managed to look up to tell her that. 

"No, it's okay, I just hit a spot, so I'm sorry. Wait a minute..."

When I hit a certain point, I find everything interesting. I've always admired the ability of aristocrats and those related to them to keep a poker face even when something makes them laugh. I don't have that ability. I'm trying my best, but I'm not good at laughing. 

――Haa, it's already painful so stop it! 

After a while, the laughter finally subsided. I'm tired, I'm so tired. 

"Tino, I'm really sorry. What were you talking about?"

"No, it's okay. Did I do something funny again? People often laugh at me when I talk. Why?"

Tino said strangely. 

“Yeah, because Tino is funny.”

"I don't think I'm saying anything interesting, but...should I improve it?"

"Well, Tino is good as he is. He's funny because he's talented. And it's not that he's saying something funny, it's that he's funny overall. I guess the gap is good? You might laugh at first. But once you get used to it, you'll start to feel like you're smiling and become a good character that brightens up the atmosphere."

Tino can be a mood maker. He's the type of person who brightens up the atmosphere when Tino is alone. People like that are valuable. 

“Is it okay to be happy about that?”

“Hmm, it might be a bit strange if you work in a nobleman’s mansion, but if you work here or in a commoner’s restaurant, wouldn’t that be a good ability?”

When I said that, Tino smiled happily. 

“In that case, I won’t worry about it.”

"Yeah, that's good. Well then, let's continue the conversation."

"I'm sorry. We were talking about the nature of the job earlier. As long as I cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I'll have free time for the rest. Also, I'd like you to pay for the materials used to create the dishes."

"Yes, that's what we were talking about. Now, let's get back to talking about work. I want you to cook food in the cafeteria here in the morning and at night, and at lunchtime, make it here and deliver it to the store. If you're okay with the job description, I'd like you to take Tino. I want to hire you. Will you work here?"

"Yes! Of course. I can't say no. Thank you so much!"

Tino said that and bowed his head again in a beautiful manner. The gap is really huge. 

"Then, good luck from now on. So, does Tino live here?"

"Thank you. Can I live here too?"

"Yeah. I guess it would be better if you lived here. I think breakfast will be pretty early."

"Okay. I'll come over here."

"Thank you. I would appreciate it if you could come as soon as possible."

"Then, I'll make preparations for moving today and be here tomorrow."

That's good, I don't have to worry about Anne and Evan's meals. 

"Thank you. Then, please start working tomorrow. You will be working every day, but if you want a day off, please let me know. When Tino is taking a break, we can eat out or have another cook do the cooking. Also, if there's anything you're missing or if you have any questions, let me know. Can I ask Anne for the time being? It wouldn't be a problem for Anne to come to the duke's house."

“Of course.”

"Then please take care of me. That's why, if you need anything, please leave a message to Anne."

"Thank you very much. Thank you for your continued support from tomorrow."

That's how we settled on hiring Tino. He was more polite than I expected, and more interesting than I expected, and I'm glad I hired such a good person.