<Chapter 01>
#1. This Contract Is Somehow Wrong
Melty sat down weakly on the chair with a gloomy expression, looking around the empty shop. When he first opened it, he had been full of confidence that he would make money, but now only dejection remained. If he had known it would turn out like this, he should have listened when his family tried to stop him. With his shoulders slumping even more at the thought, he stared blankly at the paper on the table.
“One circle, two circles, three circles…”
Tilting his head from side to side as he counted the numbers on the paper backwards, Melty only gave up on any false hope after repeating this action three times. His shop, or more precisely his ‘restaurant,’ had failed. Not just failed, but failed ‘completely.’
This was the result of his first venture into the outside world, determined to try living on his own despite the opposition from his brothers, sisters, and parents. It seemed impossible to pay off his debts, let alone pay the rent, even if he sold everything he owned. The warning notice in his hand was urging him to pay his debt immediately. As Melty let out another deep sigh, he heard a knock at regular intervals.
‘Could the debt collector be here already?’
Since it was a shop where even getting one customer a day was difficult, it was obvious to anyone that it had failed. In other words, although it was much earlier than the due date, someone might come earlier to extort money.
Swallowing nervously, Melty firmly grasped a frying pan. It was the only weapon he had at his disposal. He had heard countless times from his brothers about how scary the world could be, with people who would force others into debt, then subject them to forced labor or send them to dangerous places to work.
“Melty, the world is dangerous, so you shouldn’t carelessly trust people even if they seem kind.”
The face of his second oldest brother, full of worry and concern as he spoke those words, flashed in his mind. With his body trembling, Melty carefully approached the door where the knocking continued. Perhaps due to the tense atmosphere, Melty’s ears stood straight up, showing his wariness without restraint.
“W-who is it?”
“Ah! Are you there? I have something to discuss with you. Could we perhaps talk face-to-face?”
The young man’s voice was bright and polite. Above all, it was a voice he had never heard before. There was no sense that he might break down the door or any hint of hostility. Thanks to that, Melty inched forward, put down the frying pan in the corner, and opened the door slightly.
The man standing outside the door smiled as soon as his eyes met Melty’s. With his brown hair tied back, he had a friendly, amiable appearance.
“Hello. My name is Angel. Is the shop own…”
“Uh, umm…”
“…owner inside?”
Melty’s lips firmly closed as he realized what the man was about to say. Noticing this reaction, the man hurriedly lowered his posture to meet Melty’s eyes, as if he had anticipated something.
“Are you the owner?”
“Yes. I’m the owner.”
He had held back earlier, but it was too much to hold back again. Melty’s lips pushed forward slightly, bearing a slight dissatisfaction. Seeing Melty trying hard to hide his annoyed expression, the man awkwardly scratched between his eyebrows.
“Ah~ I see! But you know, if you’re the shop owner, then… you’re an adult, right?”
Melty’s head drooped down at the man’s manner, which seemed considerate yet still said exactly what he wanted to say. The reason he couldn’t get too angry at the man was because he could guess why he was acting that way.
Like the man in front of him, people of other races in this area were all two or three heads taller than Melty. In contrast, Melty’s height was only about 150cm. He wanted to insist that it was because hamster people were naturally petite and different from other races, but he was much shorter than the average height of 163cm for his race.
“I am an adult.”
At Melty’s firm answer, despite his small stature and fair skin making him look young, the man sighed in relief, stroking his chest. Then, to cheer up Melty, who couldn’t completely hide his displeasure, he deployed his charm.
“Ah~ I see! That’s really fortunate~.”
What did he mean by ‘fortunate’? Was he trying to tease him further?
With a sulky expression, Melty rolled his eyes, and then heard the man’s voice again, full of cheerfulness.
“I came to make an official contract with the shop owner.”
“An… official contract?”
All traces of his previous annoyance seemingly gone, Melty looked up at him with a puzzled expression and blinked. Seeing Melty like this, the man placed his right hand over his left chest and bowed politely.
“Hello. My name is Angel. I’ve come to request a contract with the owner… that is, with Melty-nim, to become my master’s exclusive chef.”
Melty’s shoulders flinched at the formal and polite greeting. His eyes, full of wariness, rolled around. He couldn’t keep someone who greeted him so respectfully standing outside. After sticking his head out and looking left and right to confirm that the man was alone, Melty slowly opened the door.
“Please come in first.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
With exaggerated movements, Angel entered cheerfully. After telling Angel to sit in a comfortable seat and wait, Melty quickly went into the kitchen. As soon as Melty’s back disappeared inside, Angel examined the interior of the shop. The small shop was neatly arranged. The strange point was, of course, that there was no menu board anywhere, which should be the first thing visible in a restaurant. It wasn’t hard for him to find the warning notice placed on the table as he peeked around here and there.
After carefully reading the text on the paper, he pretended not to know and sat at another table as soon as he sensed movement. Melty, who had hurriedly brought juice and some simple snacks, carefully placed them on the table where Angel was sitting. Despite the sudden situation, he couldn’t not offer something to a guest who had entered the shop.
“Wow~ This looks delicious. I’ll enjoy it.”
Angel picked up a cookie and popped it into his mouth. Watching him intently while fidgeting with his own fingers, Melty cautiously asked.
“Um, about what you were saying earlier…”
“Ah, the contract? I believe it won’t be a bad deal for Melty-nim either.”
Looking at the man speaking so smoothly, Melty couldn’t hide his suspicious expression. Just a little way down the alley, there was a restaurant where people lined up to eat every day. And behind that was a cake shop whose products sold out as soon as they came out. In comparison, his shop was a complete failure, having gone bankrupt shortly after opening. Anyone could see it was a failed business. Although he hadn’t officially closed it yet, it was clear he would have to shut the doors as early as tomorrow.
If someone was referred to as ‘master,’ they must be a person of high status, so it was hard to understand why such a person would want to exclusively employ someone from a failing restaurant. Seeing that Melty hadn’t lowered his guard, Angel smiled leisurely and said,
“I’ve heard Melty-ssi’s cooking is special. I was told you can know what food someone wants without them saying it. Even if it’s a lost recipe.”
Melty gave an awkward smile at his words. This was the power of the ‘gift’ bestowed by the Beast God.
On the day of his coming-of-age ceremony, he was too shocked by the blessing to fully comprehend that he had also received a gift, and he couldn’t recall what kind of gift it was, almost missing the chance to use it. It was thanks to his second oldest brother that he was able to use it. When his family was curious about the blessing and he couldn’t say anything, staying cooped up in his room, his brother came to comfort him and silently hugged him. And in that brief moment, Melty used his gift.
“Could you know what food I want right now?”
To his question, Melty simply reached out his hand. Trying to imagine what food the person in front of him wanted to eat, he placed his hand on top of the man’s hand. And at the same moment, an unfamiliar dish flashed in his mind.
“Karu with plenty of sugar.”
Karu was a vegetable with a crisp texture. It was commonly used in salads, but Melty had never thought of preserving it in sugar. Unlike Melty, who was relieved that it was a simple dish, Angel’s eyes widened considerably.
“Karu, you say?”
“Yes. More precisely, Karu soaked in sugar.”
It was the same with his second brother. When he made the dish that appeared in his mind while hugging his brother tightly, his brother’s face was visibly happy. Even after demonstrating similar abilities with his family and neighbors, only then could Melty guess what kind of gift he had.
‘It seems like I have a gift that allows me to make the food someone desires most.’
Back then, he thought he could make a lot of money by opening a shop with this ability. If he could earn a lot of money, he wanted to use it freely for his family, just as he had prayed at the Beast God’s statue. It was only after he set up the shop here that he realized there were many variables in running a business.
First of all, the cooking method that came to mind was something only he would know as he started cooking.
For example, thoughts like ‘I should take the potatoes out now’ or ‘I should add this much seasoning.’ Since these were things that felt instinctual at each moment, it was impossible to write down and sell recipes. Above all, the foods people desired were incredibly diverse, and the ingredients needed to make them were endless. There was no way for him to obtain all the ingredients. There was no signature dish he could focus on selling, and ultimately the shop emptied out within a few months.
“It’s been verified.”
Melty raised his head slightly at his words spoken with a broad smile. Looking at the puzzled Melty, Angel gave a friendly smile.
“Usually, people steam Karu simply. Pressing it down in sugar is a special secret only my household knows. It’s also a food I particularly love.”
“Ah… I see.”
A document was placed in front of Melty, who was nodding obediently.
“Our master is so picky with his taste that there are few people who can satisfy him. In my opinion, I think Melty-ssi would be more than capable of matching his taste. He’s someone who always says, ‘There’s nothing in particular I want to eat.’ So, what do you say? About becoming our master’s exclusive chef.”
At his proposal, Melty fidgeted with his hands. If it was a master with a picky palate, he could understand why they would be looking for him. After all, he would be able to bring food that the master wouldn’t dislike, at the right time.
‘Anyway, if I close the shop like this, I’ll have no choice but to go back home…’
He had left home promising his family that he would earn a lot of money on his own. In his current state, even if he liquidated the entire shop, he would still be in debt. He didn’t want to ask his family for help again. Melty carefully examined Angel, who was in front of him.
It wasn’t difficult to notice what kind of beast-person he was. Although it was his first time seeing a bird beast-person up close, he knew their characteristics from what he had learned. Bird beast-people were generally known to be clever and intelligent. The person this man served as master was probably another bird beast-person, Melty thought vaguely. With this thought, Melty swallowed dryly.
“I’ll… look at the contract first.”
