"Fresh fruit and vegetables harvested from King Asterium's garden!"
While Donkey tried to win over customers with his advertising, Lyra and I were inspecting the inventory.
Since this world had no refrigerators or anything else capable of keeping the produce fresh, we needed to inspect everything by sight and touch.
"Lyra, I want you to touch and smell the fruit and vegetables in this barrel so we can separate anything that's already too ripe or beginning to spoil."
"Yes!"
"Sniff, sniff!"
The inventory was enormous.
I doubted we would finish anytime soon.
"Lyra, while you inspect everything, I'm going to see what the others are doing."
"Don't worry, Kaela. I have plenty of experience because the place I come from is just like this one."
Was Lyra from the countryside?
She had mentioned living in a pigsty, so there shouldn't be any problem with leaving her alone.
"All right. I entrust this high-class position to you."
". . ."
"Did you clean the wooden table for the vegetables?"
I had asked Dorian and Seraphine to clean the produce tables and the empty barrels so we could fill them with vegetables.
"Kaela, I can't stand the smell of these rotten potatoes."
Hmm.
They really were spoiled.
We couldn't leave them here because they would drive away the customers.
"Where is Dorian?"
Was that bastard avoiding work?
"Old man, take this avocado to increase your libido. I know age can be cruel."
An elderly man using a cane bumped into Donkey.
"Th. . . thank you, my son."
I was deducting that avocado from Donkey's pay.
"Dorian went to the bathroom because Mortar was feeling sick from the smell."
"Hmm!"
"Seraphine, did you believe him?"
"I didn't believe Dorian because Mortar told me the truth."
The truth?
Had Cement appeared to take his wife home?
Shit.
Mortar should have warned me.
"Seraphine, do you still want to work at the barbershop in this city?"
She picked up the potatoes and threw them into the trash.
"I really want to work there, but I'm afraid I'll ruin everything."
She was always telling me that she wanted to cut men's hair.
"I come from a family of barbers."
That explained her skill at cutting lettuce.
"However. . ."
She dropped the lettuce.
Then she clenched her fists.
"My parents. . ."
Ah!
"Seraphine, you don't have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable."
A short girl with long purple hair who pretended to sleep to avoid helping.
She had cut the hair of every man in the Men's Tribe and survived to tell the tale.
"I'll go to the barbershop with you. Friends should help each other."
"Thank you, Kaela."
Please don't look at me with that tearful little face.
"You know, Kaela, I noticed how much you liked the clothes Xiu gave you."
To think I had entered a castle and knelt before the King while wearing this humiliating outfit.
"Well, it's better than walking around without clothes."
"I remember you showing up in nothing but panties and a bra. I thought you were insane."
Seraphine hugged me and stroked my hair.
"Me? Insane?"
I turned her face toward the outside of the shop.
"You're the one who was arguing with Donkey. I almost thought you were siblings."
"Ow! Don't pull my hair."
If only she knew that I had been completely naked before that.
". . ."
I left Seraphine to finish the work.
Dorian still hadn't returned from the bathroom.
Had someone taken him?
"Let go of me, Donkey! I haven't done anything wrong."
What was all that commotion outside?
"Kaela, this insolent man refuses to purchase produce from King Asterium Pegasus's garden."
Donkey had knocked the man onto the sidewalk.
"I came here for something else, but this animal tried to shove a banana into my mouth."
He was well dressed and appeared to be a member of the royal court.
"HEE-HAW! HEE-HAW! Be careful with your false accusations! Do you know who I am?"
Ow, my ears!
You quadruped, are you trying to deafen me again?
"I can't believe the owner of this produce shop hired a circus."
People were staring at us.
"Stop, Donkey. Let this man explain why he came here."
"Hmph! Peasants!"
Donkey raised his snout proudly.
"Please forgive me, sir. I still haven't learned how to train this creature."
I extended my hand and helped him to his feet.
"That's all right."
"What do you need, sir?"
He removed his tunic and dusted it off.
"I came to see whether you had received any new merchandise."
He wouldn't stop examining the surroundings.
"I don't know what you're talking about, sir. This shop only sells produce."
The itching had returned.
My stomach was prickling.
"Don't play dumb, girl. Everyone in this city knows what this shop sells."
He put his tunic back on and approached me.
"Hey! If you harass me, I'll scream."
"Kaela, if you want, I can put another banana in his mouth."
Donkey began peeling the banana.
"Don't scream. He's watching us."
I looked around to see who he meant, but I couldn't find anyone.
"What are you talking about?"
"Hey. . ."
He grabbed my left hand and dragged me into the shop.
"That was close."
He caught his breath.
"The Algorithm almost saw us."
The Algorithm?
I pulled my hand away.
At that moment, I saw a shadow through the window.