A boy nearby was quietly staring at the fish skewer I was holding.

About fifteen years old? Saliva dripped from the corners of the boy’s mouth, which still had his baby fat.

He was clearly eyeing my fish skewer.

“Hey! Want to eat this?”

Well, I’m in a good mood, so why not be generous?

I bought it on impulse anyway, and I was too full to even take a bite.

The boy’s face instantly brightened at my call. He came running over, nodding his head vigorously.

“Yes! Can I really eat it? Hehe.”

With deeply tanned skin and curly hair from frequent visits to the beach, the boy’s dark eyes looking at me held no malice.

He looked like an innocent country boy.

He was completely different from the vicious men I met in the capital.

“Of course. Go ahead and eat.”

“Thank you!”

The boy took the fish skewer and took a big bite. Almost simultaneously, his face was filled with happiness.

“It’s so delicious! Thank you so much. My sister is sick, and I haven’t been able to eat properly lately because of her medicine costs…”

“That’s unfortunate.”

At that moment, I suddenly thought of my younger brother whom I left behind in my original world.

Like most siblings, we weren’t particularly close and only checked if each other was alive, but now that I couldn’t see him, I missed him sometimes.

I wondered if that pig was living well, if there was still no food left in the house, if he still yelled at our parents…

Why am I thinking about that pig of all things?

But once the longing surfaced, I couldn’t ignore the boy.

“So, kid, what’s your name?”

“I’m Marco.”

“I’m Anya.”

“Yes! Hehe.”

“Since we’ve met like this, shall we be friends? I just moved here and don’t know anyone.”

“Sure! I’ll tell you everything about the Philia Islands.”

“Then can you tell me about the most famous and delicious restaurant here?”

Marco blurted out a restaurant name without even thinking.

“I work there. If you come this evening, I’ll make sure to prepare something special for you! Even though I’m just a mere server…”

“Thanks. Then I’ll have dinner there tonight.”

“Yes! I’ll be waiting!”

Soon after, Marco left, saying he needed to go to the restaurant early.

I wondered how delicious the food at that restaurant would be. I licked my lips in anticipation.

***

The restaurant Marco recommended was excellent beyond measure. Not only was the food delicious, but I really liked that it was located by the shore where you could see the night sea.

However, my mood wasn’t particularly good, regardless of that.

It was because of Marco.

While Marco seemed pure-hearted, kind, and friendly, he didn’t seem to have any work skills.

He was bad at serving; he stumbled, and he even dropped plates.

Fortunately, the plates were quite sturdy and didn’t break.

A burly man followed Marco around, scolding him for his constant mistakes. He must be the restaurant’s manager.

I watched Marco getting scolded while resting my chin on the table.

I wanted to help, but as an outsider and customer, I couldn’t interfere. Moreover, Marco’s mistakes were obvious.

When Marco dropped a plate for the third time, the manager grabbed him by the collar.

Marco’s short feet dangled in the air. His face crumpled as if he was about to cry.

“I-I’m sorry, Manager! If you forgive me just this once, I’ll never make a mistake again.”

“Shut up! You’re fired from now on. Get lost!”

The manager threw Marco, whom he had lifted easily, outside the restaurant. Fortunately, he landed on sand, so he just fell on his bottom and didn’t seem hurt.

Only then did I approach Marco.

“Marco, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. More than that, I invited you but ended up showing you something unsightly. I’m sorry.”

“Marco…”

Even if he wasn’t skilled, how could they throw out such a young kid like this?

“Um, Miss Anya. I’m sorry, but can we meet again later? I need to go back inside and beg them to reconsider. I need to earn money for my sister’s medicine.”

If it were my brother, he would quit this job right away, not caring whether I lived or died.

Despite being so different, the more I looked at Marco, the more I thought of my brother. Perhaps that’s why I wanted to help this child.

Maybe this was unnecessary meddling, like when I treated Lambert who was between life and death in the forest. Even knowing this, I couldn’t leave the child alone.

“Stop this. Quit this kind of work right now! I’ll get you a job.”

“…What?”

I pointed to my branch building that looked like a dot in the distance.

“See that building? I’m planning to start my business there. I’ll hire you as my first employee.”

“M-Miss Anya, is that really okay? Really?”

“Of course it is.”

Marco seemed deeply moved. He didn’t even doubt me, practically a stranger. What if I were a con artist?

He looked like he would burst into tears at the slightest touch.

Though I’m not particularly wealthy, I should be able to take care of one boy.

If things get tight, I could always get help from my sponsor, Honey. Though that help would come at a price, of course.

Besides, having at least one employee would make it feel more like a real company, wouldn’t it?

“Marco, go home for now. The sea breeze is getting a bit chilly.”

“Thank you, really. T-truly thank you.”

I hadn’t even told him how much his salary would be, but Marco bowed so low it looked like he might hit his head on the sandy ground, as if he had received some great favor.

I suddenly felt like I had become Marco’s savior.

The goodwill earned with just a few coins felt both pleasant and awkward.

On the other hand, I wondered if Olivia felt the same way, having become the savior of three ruffians just because she looked like Diana.

“I understand how you feel, but ‘thank you’ is now forbidden. It’s late today, so go home and rest, and come to the building I told you about tomorrow. I’ll be waiting.”

Marco nodded his head vigorously.

I gently patted his curly hair.

***

The next day, though I thought I had left the inn early, Marco was already there to greet me in front of my building, having arrived who knows when.

“Boss!”

The impressive title was a bonus.

To think that I, who used to be in debt, would be called boss… I was deeply moved.

Bless, who came with me, settled on Marco’s head.

―Kyuuuu!

‘It’s like a comfortable nest here!’

Bless’s bean-like eyes started to droop, apparently finding the fluffy head quite cozy and comfortable.

I had no doubt that Marco would make a good nest for Bless.

‘I’m glad Bless doesn’t hate Marco like he hates the Guildmaster.’

If he did, he would have pecked at Marco mercilessly.

“Marco, could you call me Master instead of Boss?”

This absolutely wasn’t because I was envious of the Guildmaster being called Master.

It’s just that Master seemed a bit more dignified than Boss.

“Yes, Master!”

While Marco might lack work skills, he seemed to have good social skills.

“Employee Number One, shall we go in together?”

I joked as I entered the newly completed branch building.

The inside was similar to my office in the capital.

In the simple and clean spacious area, there was my desk, a small desk for Bless, and some furniture added for appearance’s sake.

Among them, I spotted a spare desk that would be suitable for Marco.

Among the appropriate furniture, there was also something that felt very out of place.

It was a banner that seemed to have been hung on the Guildmaster’s orders.

「Honey, congratulations on your first branch ^0^」

This person was problematically consistent.

Marco also noticed the banner and looked at me questioningly.

“Master, are you married?”

“Ah, no. I’m not married. That’s…”

“….”

“You see, there’s this man who follows me around, probably because I’m so pretty? He just calls me that on his own.”

“Ah! So that’s why you wear a hood! To avoid the stalker!”

I had continued wearing a hood even after coming to the Philia Islands out of habit. It was just in case.

Marco, who knew nothing of my circumstances, seemed to have come to his own interpretation.