Menu no. 5 - First day of Work

I stood in front of the mirror. I tightened the strings of my barista apron—the same one I used back in my old world—and set my familiar cap neatly on my head. The reflection that stared back at me was… a little out of place in this medieval guild, yet strangely comforting. I raised a thumb toward the mirror with a wry smile.

“Yosha!,” I murmured to myself. 

“Let’s do this.”

When I pushed open the door and stepped upstairs into the guild hall, the place was utterly silent. No adventurers, no chatter, not even the faint scrape of boots across the floor. Only the pale light of dawn seeped through the windows, spilling long shadows across empty tables.

I was the first one here.

Something about that felt empowering.

With a spring in my step, I went behind the counter, grabbed a cloth, and began arranging the glassware. Tall glasses in neat rows, mugs lined up at exact angles—just as I used to do at the café back home. I even adjusted them twice, smiling to myself at how natural it felt.

Then my eyes drifted to the shelves behind me. Rows of bottles lined the wall, each filled with amber, ruby, and emerald liquids. Some had labels—intricate, curling script etched onto parchment—but I couldn’t read a single word. This world’s writing was neither Japanese nor English.

I squinted, tilted my head, even traced the unfamiliar characters with my finger. “I . . . never saw this kind of language, . . . oh no, . . . how am I supposed to know which one’s wine and which one’s poison???”

Just as I was sighing in frustration, the front door creaked open. A soft voice called out, 

“Good morning!”

It was Alisa. She stepped into the hall with her usual elegance, beige pale hair reflecting the morning light.

“Morning Alisa!” I replied quickly, hiding my confusion with the bottles.

Her smile brightened. “How was your first night in Drachenfall Guild? Did you sleep well?”

I thought back to the muffled laughter and clinking mugs I had heard last night above my room. 

“Louder than I expected,” I admitted. “The guild gets busier at night than in the afternoon.”

“Of course.” Alisa walked gracefully behind the counter to join me. “The guild is most alive during mornings and evenings. Adventurers come to collect quests at dawn, then return for their pay and meals after dusk. Midday is quieter. That’s why the hall seemed emptier yesterday.”

Oh so that's . . . make sense. 

“Before the adventurers arrive, . . . ” she continued, “help me with these.” 

She handed me a stack of parchment posters. Each was stamped with crests and descriptions written in that same unreadable script.

“This is???” 

"It’s a new quest notice. Adventurers usually search and pick their jobs from these sheets. This sheet mostly posted around the town or in every guild by the society or special request. Come on, help me put this one up."

She led me to the towering wooden board that dominated the hall. With a small brush, we spread glue across the back of the parchments. Using a long stick, we pressed them against the board until they stuck firmly alongside dozens of others. My arms ached by the time we finished.

Alisa dusted off her hands, then moved toward the entrance. With a practiced motion, she flipped the sign hanging on the door. The carved word shifted from Closed to Open.

The guild was ready.

“Here,” she said, passing me a stack of mugs. “Wipe these down while we wait.”

I nodded and began polishing the glassware.

It didn’t take long before the quiet was broken. The heavy front doors opened again and again, and adventurers trickled in. Some wore light armor, their leather pauldrons creaking as they moved. Others wore robes, carrying staves that glowed faintly with runes. I even caught glimpses of non-human races—slender elves with sharp eyes, sturdy dwarves with braided beards, and even a half-orc whose tusks protruded just slightly from his lip.

The air filled with murmurs as they gathered around the quest board, discussing which jobs to take. Old friends clasped each other’s shoulders, newcomers nervously lingered on the edges, and laughter echoed in the hall.

I paused in my glass polishing, taking it all in. This is like i am in RPG'S  game.

But my daydream ended quickly when a voice called out.

“Hey, you there!”

I looked up. An adventurer in light armor waved from his seat at a table. His sword leaned casually against the wall. “Bring me a cup of grengar wine and some toasted bread!”

My heart jumped. This was my first order.

“Yes, right away!” I said, perhaps too enthusiastically. I rushed over to Alisa. “Where’s the kitchen? And who do I give the order to?”

Her eyes widened. “Wait—Gustav isn’t here yet?”

I blinked. “Who’s Gustav?”

“The guild’s chef.” She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Aww, . . . why he doens't inform me if he is going to late.” Then she glanced at me. “Can you handle it Mika? Yesterday you said you can cook right?”

Mi-Mika?! She call me MIKA!

I hesitated. A kitchen I could handle—but drinks? With bottles I couldn’t even read?

Still, . . . I nodded. “I’ll try my best.”

I hurried into the back kitchen. The stove was already warm, logs crackling gently beneath the iron grate. I grabbed a loaf of bread, sliced it, and laid the pieces to toast over the fire. That part was easy.

Then came the wine.

Rows upon rows of bottles stared back at me. Each one labeled in that strange, looping script.

I groaned. Why does it all look the same?

“Alisa?” I called nervously, carrying two bottles out. “Is this one wine? Or this?”

She blinked at me, stunned. “Isn't it  obvious? They are both wine."

"Ummm, yes . . . but can you be specific for which wine of grengar and the other?"

Alisa stared at me, half-dazed, as if wondering whether I was actually trying to make a joke.

"Hold on, wait a minute . . . You can’t read?”

Heat flushed to my face. “Ummmm, to be specific, i only know what i know.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line. Uh… I think I slipped up with my words.   

“You should have said something sooner!”

“I—I didn’t realize it would matter this quickly!”

She let out an exasperated sigh, grabbed a bottle, and shoved it into my hands. 

“This one. The others are for special orders. Don’t mix them up.”

“Ye-Yes, ma’am!”

By the time I returned to the customer, bread crisp and wine poured, his expression had soured.

“Took you long enough scrawny things,” he muttered, eyeing me as if I’d insulted him.

“Sorry,” I said quickly, bowing my head.

His glare lingered before he finally took a bite of bread. My chest tightened. First order of the day, and I’d already stumbled.

And that was only the beginning.

The day spiraled into chaos. More orders came. More drinks I couldn’t read. More adventurers giving me looks ranging from impatience to outright irritation.

By the time the sun dipped toward the horizon, I was slumped behind the counter, barely able to lift another mug.

So much for a fresh start. This is harder than back home . . . 

When i think about it, Alisa appeared then. Arms crossed, eyes sharp. “Come with me.”

I followed her into the kitchen, where she turned on me with a glare. 

“MIKA! What was that today? You told me you had experience in food service!”

“I-I did!” I protested. “But back home, I could read the labels! I knew the menu, the culture—everything was familiar. Here it’s all different!”

Her frustration flickered into weary sympathy. She rubbed her forehead. “Ahhh, I suppose that’s trueee. Still, . . . you should not be serving customers yet. You belong behind the scenes until you learn the basics. I will handle both for now.”

I lowered my head. “Sorry.”

She sighed. “Today was supposed to be Gustav and Arumi’s shift. But Gustav is late, and Arumi . . .” She trailed off.

“Arumi?” I asked. “Who’s—”

Suddenly, warm hands covered my eyes.

A husky voice, playful and teasing, whispered into my ear. 

“Ara~, ara~. Who’s this cute stranger in our kitchen?”

I froze, every nerve on fire. my heart suddenly race and my back head and ears feel something warm. My words tumbled out without thought. “I—I’m!”

“Arumi!” Alisa snapped, her voice sharp. “Don’t use your persuasion on him!”

The hands pulled away from my eyes, and I spun around.

a woman standing behind e with a sly smile, her eyes gleaming with mischief. Her face was close—far too close. My heart nearly leapt from my chest.

“Ara~ I was only curious Elisa-chan,” she said, brushing her hair back with a laugh. “who knows if he might have been a daywalker.”

Her name is Arumi. And she was breathtaking.

I stumbled back, cheeks burning.

“Enough!” Alisa barked. “Get back to the bar. We’ve had enough complaints today!”

Arumi chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, I’m going~,” 

She teased, her tone carrying that playful lilt. Then she drifted away with an easy grace, each step somehow deliberate yet unhurried. All she left behind was a faint little wave—just enough to linger in my mind, carrying the trace of her charm long after she was gone.

Alisa’s glare cut through me like a blade. “From now on Mika! You stay behind the counter. No exceptions, and tonight—you begin studying our language.”

"O-of course madam!"

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By the time night fell, the hall was empty again. I cleaned the last of the dirty glasses, exhaustion weighing on me like chains. I had dreamed of something grand, something magical . . . but Instead . . . I’d been scolded, glared, humiliated.

When the final mug clinked into place, Alisa approached. She held out a small book.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Language guide book for children” she replied. “To help you learn our language. Take care of it. No complain.”

Language guide book for children?!

I accepted it carefully. Bowing my head, even though my self-esteem is down 

“You’ll need to study hard if you want to survive here.”

I nodded.

“Also,” she added, “before you leave, dispose of the items left on the back table. Some adventurers brought junk we can’t keep.”

I agreed, too tired to question it.

But when I reached the corner table, I froze.

A burlap sack sat there, tied loosely at the top. I bent down, grabbed the knot, and lifted it.

A strange smell tickled my nose—sharp, familiar, unsettling.

My pulse quickened. Slowly, I untied the rope and peeked inside.

What I saw made my blood run cold.