Upon returning to the guild, I headed straight for Reina-san's counter.
"Welcome back. Finished with your job already?"
"Yes. Here's the report."
I handed over the report Marina-san had filled out for me.
Reina-san reviewed the contents of the document.
"It says here you were paid an extra two silver coins..."
She pointed out the note stating I had received an additional reward.
"Yes. She handed it to me directly. Should I turn it over to the guild in cases like this?"
"No, I was only checking because it was noted on the form. Extra rewards are entirely at the client's discretion. The guild won't confiscate them from you."
Hearing Reina-san's explanation, I breathed a sigh of relief.
With that, I received my original reward of one silver coin, bringing my very first quest to a close.
"You mentioned earlier that you wanted more work. What would you like to do?"
"I did get a bit of extra income, but it's not even noon yet, so I'd like to take on another job."
At my words, Reina-san produced several quest sheets, almost as if she had already set them aside for me.
From the selection, I chose one helping out at a diner.
They were only hiring for the afternoon rush.
The pay was ten copper coins, plus a free set meal.
"Hello, I'm Erik from the Adventurer's Guild."
It was a three-minute walk from the guild.
Specializing in meat and vegetable dishes, the diner was located even closer than my inn.
The place was fairly spacious and currently in the middle of pre-opening prep.
"Oh! You took the helper quest? That's a huge lifesaver!"
The restaurant was called the Sparrow Diner.
The owner was a large, plump man named Frank-san.
"Someone called out at the last minute, and I was worried sick about how we'd get through today. Kid, do you have any experience working in food service?"
"Not at a restaurant, but I know how to prep ingredients and cook from helping out at home and around the village."
"Oh, really? Well, that's leagues better than someone with zero experience! For now, head to the back and help with prep."
Following Frank-san's instructions, I headed into the kitchen and learned the ropes.
Shortly after, two of the diner's staff arrived, and we opened for business immediately.
The moment the doors unlocked, a flood of customers poured in. Frank-san manned the kitchen while the other two bustled about, frantically taking orders.
"...Is it just me, or does the meat taste better than usual today?"
"The veggies seem way crispier and more flavorful than usual, too, don't they?"
"Hey, check it out. Normally the vegetables are cut all uneven and hard to chew, but there's none of that in these greens today!"
"So good! It's twice as delicious as usual!"
Listening to the chatter of the dining room, I quietly focused on my work.
"Huh, is it over already?"
Five hours had passed.
Having opened right at the start of lunch, the diner had seen a relentless stream of customers from the moment the doors opened.
Though stationed in the back, I had occasionally peeked out to check on the dining area.
There were so many people that the place couldn't seat them all, at times even forming a line outside.
I had assumed that was just their normal daily rush.
Reality, however, proved quite different.
Once we closed and the last customer left, Frank-san and his staff collapsed into their seats, utterly spent.
"B-Boss... Why were there so many people today...?"
"Beats me. I'd like to know that myself. The only thing different was having Erik working prep in the back, but..."
Saying that, Frank-san suddenly glanced over at a plate of prepped vegetables.
"T-This is it! This is why we were so packed today!"
"Huh? What did you figure out?"
"Look at this, you two! See how every single vegetable Erik cut is perfectly uniform? And he didn't just chop them haphazardly—he sliced cleanly along the grain. That's why the food turned out so much better than usual!"
Frank-san shouted as if he had just cracked a grand mystery.
"Erik. Who taught you how to cut vegetables like this?"
"I learned from all sorts of people. How to grip the knife, where to place your hands, how to prep vegetables to bring out their flavor, and lots of other things."
I hadn't learned from just one person.
Whenever I ran errands around the village, I ended up helping out in many different households.
Each time, the people who were skilled at cooking shared their tricks with me.
Thanks to that, even without the [Cooking] skill, I had picked up the techniques needed to make reasonably tasty meals.
"If I remember right, you said you were a novice adventurer, yeah? Does that mean you only recently had your ceremony?"
"Yes. I underwent the ceremony in my village the other day, then came straight to the royal capital."
"Which means you're only ten years old, right? And you've already got this level of skill...? Even with the [Cooking] skill, I can't chop things this neatly."
"Same here..."
The two employees stared in astonishment at the chopped vegetables.
"...Phew. Well, let's eat for now. We worked several times harder than usual so I'm completely wiped out, but this is part of your pay. Erik, is there anything in particular you'd like?"
"In that case, could I please have the meat and vegetable set? Would it be possible to get an extra-large serving?"
"Haha! After how much you boosted our sales today? I'll heap it high for you!"
True to his word, Frank-san whipped up a colossal meat and vegetable set meal just for me.
It was piled with a mountain of meat that completely ignored profit margins, and my eyes lit up at the sight.
"I-Is it really all right for me to eat all this?"
"Sure is! We made good money today thanks to you, Erik. Eat up and grow big and strong!"
"Thank you very much!"
Thrilled with my late lunch, I thanked Frank-san and happily dug in.