Ren released a sigh as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He couldn't help but smile as he continued kneading the dough in his hands.
It had been a few weeks since Ren arrived in Orario. At first, he was extremely excited by the prospect of becoming an extremely strong adventure. However, he quickly faced a problem.
He didn't have anywhere to stay.
Luckily for him, an old man offered him a place to stay if he could help out in his shop.
At first Ren thought it was a kidnapping attempt, but with no better alternatives, he decided to bet on the old man. Fortunately, his bet paid off.
The old man owned a bakery in the Northeast Side of Orario, not far from the clothing stores. Ren felt like he had used up all his past life's luck meeting the old man.
The old man basically treated him like his grandchild. Even though Ren work hard every day, he received a place to live, food and an 'allowance'.
Ren smiled as he tossed the dough to the side. He would let it rise for a bit before baking it.
Ren washed his hands and got the shop ready for business. He had already gotten used to this routine.
He finally flipped the sign to open as he waited for customers.
The business has been improving day by day since he arrived here, at least that's what he heard from Ojichan (A\N: grandpa in Japanese) and the other shopkeepers around here.
That filled him with pride since had always believed his cooking skills were decent in his past life.
Ren smiled as the first customer of the day arrived. "Raul, why are you out so early today?" Ren said as he automatically grabbed one of the freshly made buns.
Raul smiled as he sat down. "What, no hello today?" Raul said as he heaved a sigh.
"What's the matter?" Ren asked as brought the bun and a cup of tea to the table Raul was sitting by. He figured that he might as well keep his friend busy for a while since there weren't going to be customers anytime soon.
"I just found out that we're going on a dungeon expedition in half a month. We'll be heading to the 59th floor."
Ren gave Raul a look of surprise. Not because of the dangers of the lower floor, but because he remembered the danmachi timeline.
If it was only half a month before Loki Familia goes on an expedition to the 59th floor, then Bell should be arriving in Orario in a few days.
Ren couldn't help but sigh when he thought of this. He knew Bell would become an adventurer soon after he arrived, but what was he doing?
Ren had narrowed down the last of Familias he wished to join during these few weeks. He had begun training his body and learning how to use a sword.
Now that he knew that Bell was arriving soon, he knew he had to bump up his schedule. He didn't want to be left out of the main events of the series.
Raul saw Ren's dejected look and thought that he was worried about him. "Don't worry about me. While I may act like this, don't forget that I'm also a Level 4 Adventurer. My Familia has plenty of First Class Adventures too, so cheer up." Raul said as he ate the bun with a smile.
Ren turned to him a smiled. While he wasn't that worried about Raul, it was a good reminder that he was in safe hands.
"Why would I be worried about the High Novice? Still, you haven't paid for the bun yet." Ren gave a cheeky grin to Raul.
Raul looked at Ren's face for a moment and sighed. He had been thinking about where this handsome youth had come from.
Although he claimed to be the old man's grandchild, he knew that wasn't the case at all. He didn't bother to ask after that, since he knew they weren't close enough yet.
He took out 60 Valis and handed them to Ren. Now that he thought about it, 60 Valis was a bit much for a bun. But then again, they were the best buns in the area.
Ren put the money away and smiled. He had already made up his mind on which Familia he would join.
Even though he wished to join the Takemikazuchi Familia so he could properly learn to use the sword, he knew the chances of joining them were low due to the bonds they share.
The only Familia left in his option was the Miach Familia. With a large debt and only two members, it wouldn't be hard to convince them.