Chapter 30: Lua’s Tears and the Rotten Fridge
After carefully feeding Lua the perfectly made omelet rice.
As I tried to return to the counter, the little guest ‘Lua’ suddenly grabbed me.
With a meaningful comment about giving me a ‘reward,’ she climbed onto my back.
And started tickling my shoulder with something sharp.
“Urk!? T-Tickles, my lady…!!”
“This… this isn’t supposed to happen…”
“My lady?”
Hearing Lua’s panicked voice as her attempt failed.
I turned to check what was tickling me.
“Don’t turn around, stay still!! That’s an order from your lady!!”
“Y-Yes…!?”
With strength surprising for her tiny hands, Lua forced my head forward again.
“No way, I’ll try again!”
“Try what exactly…?”
“Kyaa!!”
Chomp!
Chomp!!
Munch munch…!!
Every time Lua tried to give me her ‘reward,’ an unbearable tickling sensation hit my shoulder and neck.
“Pfft…!? T-Tickles…!!”
I held out for a few tries, but eventually burst into laughter.
“…Uuu.”
“Huh, my lady?”
“…Uuuu!!!”
“L-Lua!?”
The little lady Lua, perched on my back.
Tears like chicken droppings began streaming from her sparkling eyes.
‘I-I made her cry. Did I do this…??’
Her refined, elegant lady persona vanished.
“Uuu… Waaaa…!”
Sobbing on the floor, Lua looked every bit like a young child.
“L-Lua!? What’s wrong…!?”
Thrown off by her sudden tears, I dropped my gentlemanly butler act.
And switched to comforting-the-crying-Lua mode.
“What’s wrong… our Lua? What happened?”
“Uuu… Uuuu…”
Pat…
Pat…
Gently patting her delicate shoulders, comforting her like a precious daughter.
Lua’s sobs slowly calmed.
“There, there… Want me to wipe your tears?”
“Hic…”
I wiped her tears with a tissue.
“Now, let’s blow your nose. Honk!!”
“Honk…!!”
“Good girl.”
I also wiped the trickle of snot from her nose.
After two minutes of soothing the sobbing Lua.
Hug…
Exhausted from crying, Lua buried her face in my chest, nuzzling.
No longer speaking in her refined tone, she mumbled in a cute, childish voice.
“I… I like you, manager…”
“Hm?”
“I want you… to never die and stay by my side… hic…”
“…Hm!?”
Her wish that I ‘not die’ raised a brief question.
But I set aside complex thoughts.
And continued comforting her, patting her head.
Pat…
Pat…
Lua continued in an even more childish tone.
“You… don’t find me annoying… you feed me what I want… call me ‘my lady’… pat my head…”
“I see, I see, our Lua.”
“So… I have to protect you… hic…”
“Hm?”
“Before you go out to work, I need to ‘chomp’ you to keep you safe… but… uuu… it didn’t work…”
“…!!!”
“Don’t go outside… stay here… uuu… Lua doesn’t want you to die…”
Listening to the small animal-like guest Lua, nestled in my arms.
I finally understood why she was sobbing.
We’ve all had that experience, haven’t we?
As kids, watching our dad leave for work early in the morning.
Fearing that the most precious person in the world might never come home.
Crying with a pure child’s heart, clinging to him.
Yes, Lua, the little guest, was worried I’d get hurt and quit.
Afraid I’d stop calling her ‘my lady,’ stop making omelet rice, stop patting her head.
That’s why she was crying as if the world had ended.
‘She’s just a kid, so she’d think that way. I need to comfort her well…!’
With that thought, I patted Lua’s back and spoke.
“Our Lua, are you worried I might die?”
“Uuu…”
“Don’t worry, I may not look it, but… your manager is super strong!”
“Hic… B-But…”
“Exactly! I’m so, so strong, I can fend off anyone and stay safe!”
“…Really?”
“Of course!”
Sure, I might not be safe from every ‘incident’ or ‘phenomenon,’ but.
Right now, I need to comfort this cute little guest, so a little white lie should be forgiven.
“Manager… can you really beat anything…?”
“Yup!!”
“Even the bad ‘snake’… or the ‘lady with the red thread on her wrist’? You won’t get caught by the ‘creepy doll lady’ or trapped in a ‘nightmare,’ right?”
“Well… of course!”
The list of things to beat sounds odd, but.
I feel confident I can handle that much, so I assured her.
“Then that’s a relief. Lua can trust you.”
Finally calming down after my words.
She still clung to me, nuzzling like a spoiled child.
But such cute, harmless behavior was always welcome to my weary soul.
“There, there, good job, our Lua.”
“Mm. I’ve stopped crying now. I can be alone without you.”
“Good girl. Shall we get up now?”
“…But you have to promise to come back. If you promise Lua you’ll return, I’ll get up.”
“I promise I’ll be back soon, and I’ll bring tasty ice cream. How’s that?”
“Okay. Lua won’t cry and will stay alone.”
The conversation sounds like a tearful farewell between a father and daughter who might never meet again.
But secretly, I’ll be back in about 15 minutes to feed her ice cream per the schedule.
Still, whatever the truth, this scene.
Lua purring like a kitten in my arms—isn’t it adorable?
So it’s all good. If it’s cute, everything’s fine.
After calming Lua and setting her down in the room.
Patting her head a few more times, I finally left and headed back to the kitchen.
Maybe because it’s day two, it feels like a lot of incidents are happening.
But having resolved many of my worries.
Or maybe because I met an adorable creature like Lua.
I felt no trace of fatigue.
‘Is it just me, or does my shoulder, where Lua tickled me, feel oddly refreshed…?’
Anyway, with the slight shoulder stiffness from cooking gone.
I hurried to the kitchen to clean up the wok and tools in the remaining 15 minutes.
Opening the kitchen door.
“Urk…!?”
A grotesque stench of something rotting from the refrigerator hit me first.
The kitchen, clean until just moments ago, was now filled with an indescribable stench.
“Ugh…”
I rushed in and opened the refrigerator, the source of the smell.
What I saw were ingredients, fresh when I cooked earlier, now completely rotted.
Vegetables, fruits, even the milk—all spoiled.
The beef, especially, was so decayed it was unrecognizable.
The thick, oozing blood from the meat looked like bodily fluids from a rotting corpse.
‘Did… did I cook with these ingredients…!?’
Checking the state of the ingredients, I quickly tasted the leftover omelet rice.
Thankfully, the ingredients were fresh when I used them, and the omelet rice tasted normal.
That means in the few minutes I was with Lua, all the ingredients rotted like this.
‘…’
As an apartment chef and a cook.
I started to feel rage toward the previous owner for using such a ‘refrigerator.’
‘…How.’
“How cheap was this fridge that fresh ingredients rotted in just a few minutes…!!”
A fridge that spoils ingredients in minutes has no place in my kitchen.
No, in my motel.
The manual said something about disposing of spoiled food in the waste bin, but that’s not my job.
I’m going to throw out this entire fridge that failed to keep ingredients fresh for my guests.
“Phew…”
Taking a deep breath.
Grab…
I gripped the bottom of the refrigerator with one hand.
Crunch…
And lifted it like a shopping bag.
It wasn’t heavy or difficult, so no effort was needed.
Step.
Step.
Carrying the fridge full of rotten food, I stepped outside the motel.
Unable to dispose of it immediately.
I placed the fridge in the ‘dump’ and returned to the motel.
After 15 minutes of cleaning, ventilating, and washing dishes in the kitchen.
“Why am I so tired all of a sudden…?”
A sudden wave of fatigue hit me.
Plus, having thrown out the fridge, I couldn’t bring Lua the promised ice cream, making me even more exhausted.
But I couldn’t disappoint Lua, who was waiting for me and her ice cream.
‘Alright, I’ll apologize and explain.’
To avoid disappointing Lua, I grabbed a bunch of snacks and headed to Room 105.
“Phew…”
Before I could knock or call her name at the door.
Creak!!
Clunk!!
“You’re late!! I was waiting!!”
Switching from ‘baby’ mode back to ‘lady’ mode, Lua flung open the door and burst out.
“Wait… things took a bit, haha…”
“Really, how can you be so slow? Truly a pathetic manager.”
She spoke sulkily, but whether she was happy to see me or excited for the cool, sweet ice cream.
Lua’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
Seems she was more excited for the latter.
“Sorry, Lua.”
I quickly apologized and handed her the assorted snacks.
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I promised ice cream, but the fridge broke, so can you make do with these today?”
“…Oh, right. I forgot I asked for ice cream.”
Staring at the snacks I offered, muttering as if ice cream didn’t matter.
Lua flashed a bold smile, poking my stomach and saying.
“Hmph! Did you think these could replace ice cream?”
“What…!? Then what should I do…!!”
Seeing my flustered reaction, Lua smirked seductively and whispered.
“Today… if you pat me extra hard, I’ll let it slide. Consider it an honor, pathetic manager.”
And so, I patted Lua’s head as she munched on cookies and gummies.
As much as she wanted ice cream, before I could return to my duties.