Resourceful Victoria ~Former Operative Rebuilds Her Life~

Chapter 19 Tavern owner Zaharro

Translator: Tseirp

Zaharro is the owner of the small bar ‘Black Thrush’ in the royal capital.

Forty years old with short black hair, dark pupils, and a beard. With a slightly villainous look, he’s very popular with women.

Recently, a certain woman started visiting Zaharro’s bar. The first time she drank two cups of strong liquor and went home quickly, and the second time she enjoyed drinking alone in a calm atmosphere. The third time, tonight, she was drinking a cup of each different type of liquor. He’s glad that she seems to like his bar.

However, a young man has been persistently hassling the female customer since a while ago. The man was a first-time visitor. He didn’t want such a man to get in the way of his business or his female customer’s relaxation.

“Customer, you are bothering that lady.”

He politely called out to him, but the young man ignored him and refused to back down. He persistently solicited the female customer. Just when he thought she was about to hit him, the woman put money on the table, stood up, and left the bar. The young man also immediately placed money for his alcohol and left.

(This is dangerous)

With that in mind, Zaharro hurriedly left the store. Right or left. When he looked around the dimly illuminated road looking for the two, the man from earlier came running back from the right. He seemed to have lost sight of the woman.

When the man noticed Zaharro, he left with an ugly look on his face.

(That customer seems to be safe.) He patted his chest but stopped as he was about to turn back to his bar. He heard a shrill cry of a cat from behind him as he passed by.

“A cat fight?”

Just as he thought, it was not their mating season, he heard it hiss again.

“You’re pretty angry.”

He heard the cat’s hiss from above. When he turned his gaze upwards to see if there was a fight on the roof, he saw that female customer on the eaves of the roof of the house next to his bar. She was on her hands and knees to keep a low profile to not be seen. Only her eyes were looking in his direction.

A white cat arched its back high toward the female customer, its fur stood on end, and its tail puffed out like a brush to intimidate the woman. It looked like she was trying to appease the cat.

“Ah.”

When Zaharro’s eyes met the female customer’s eyes, she uttered a single sound and stood up, held the hem of her skirt, and jumped down in front of Zaharro lightly. Then, she put her index finger in front of her lips and smiled shyly, turned back, and left.

Zaharro was taken aback as he saw her off. The cat on the eaves seemed satisfied and disappeared along the roof. Apparently, the female customer was blocking the cat’s territorial circuit.

“Hahaha”

He returned to the bar with a slight smile.

The female customer’s movements were soft, as if a cat had transformed into a human. Her awkward face was cute like a child who was caught pulling a prank.

He returned to his bar and thought.

He didn’t recognize that young man, but if he was a town thug, he could help. He would not allow such actions to continue in the future.

In the early afternoon of the next day, Zaharro showed his face at a bar deep in the back alley, where no honest person would approach.

He headed for the innermost seat between the men who were drinking from noon. Seated in that seat was the boss of the ruffians around these parts.

“Yo, Zaharro. It’s been a while.”

“Hector, do you have a young man with curly brown hair and light blue eyes? He has a mole on the right side of his neck.”

The man called Hector smoked a cigarette and looked a little thoughtful.

“Maybe, maybe not. What’s wrong with him?”

“He tried to accost an important customer of mine last night. I’ll deal with him if he interferes with my business but I wanted to check with you if he was someone under you.”

Hector raised his hand to signal to the man at the bar, and a glass of amber liquor was placed in front of Zaharro.

“And that important customer is a woman?”

“An important customer is an important customer. Their gender doesn’t matter.”

“Hmph. I see. Don’t worry. I won’t let him get in the way of a legitimate business. You and I are on good terms, aren’t we?”

Zaharro picked up the glass that was placed in front of him and drank it all at once while standing.

“That’ll be great. It’s a hassle to dispose of trash. Well then.”

“Come and visit us once in a while.”

“I’ve already washed my hands. I paid the price.”

Zaharro placed the money for the liquor on the table and left the bar. Many men followed him with their eyes until he walked out the door of the bar. He pretended not to notice, but he was on guard against attacks.

But it seemed there was no need to worry.

“That customer may not come again.”

Not because of the man involved, but because he saw her.

She was a customer he had never talked to, but he was a little disappointed thinking that she might not come again.

However, some time later, Zaharro saw that woman in the shopping district. She was walking leisurely, holding hands with a girl with a vegetable bag hanging from her shoulder.

“Customer?”

When he called out to her unintentionally, the woman seemed to realize who he was as soon as she saw him.

“Mr. manager. Hello. Are you shopping?”

“That’s right. Are you shopping too?”

“Well, yes.”

“Miss customer, please do come by my store again.”

She seemed to be at a loss for an answer, so I pointed ahead.

“If you have time, how about something sweet there? My treat.”

When I suggested that, the female customer spoke to the girl.

“Nonna, is that okay with you?”

“Yup, okay.”

“Then, please allow us presume on your goodwill.”

“Please call me Zaharro.”

As he walked off and gave his name, the female customer walked diagonally behind him.

“Then, call me Vicky.”

She kindly answered.

The place he guided them to was a confectionery shop with a calm atmosphere. You could also eat inside the shop. It is a favorite shop of his, as a sweet tooth.

“Everything is delicious here.”

After saying that, he handed her the menu.

The female customer ordered tea and cookies, the girl ordered apple pie and fruit water, and Zaharro ordered chestnut cake in syrup and tea.

“This cookie is crunchy. It’s delicious.”

“Vicky, the apple pie is also delicious.”

“Delicious right? Would you like to have a taste of mine too?”

“Yeah! … Wow, it’s delicious!”

The customer named Vicky smiled as the girl tasted Zaharro’s cake. They didn’t look alike as parent and child, and they were too old to be sisters, but Zaharro tries not to pry into other people’s circumstances.

All three of them were concentrating on eating for a while, before

“I don’t think that man will come again.”

Zaharro said.

“Why?”

“Just to be sure, I checked with the man in charge of this area, and he seems to be his underling. So I told him that I have my business to consider if he continues to hinder it.”

“If you do that, won’t they take revenge?”

“The man in charge and I are old acquaintances.”

“Ah, sorry to have inconvenienced you.”

“No problem. Will you come again?”

“Yes. Although I can only stay for a little while.”

“That’s more than enough.”

After drinking the tea, the female customer looked straight at Zaharro’s face.

“You don’t have anything to ask me?”

“Do you want me to ask?”

There, she changed her tone.

“No.”

“Then I won’t ask. I’m the owner of a bar and you’re an important customer. That’s enough. More importantly …”

Zaharro’s mouth began to twitch, and he laughed uncontrollably. The female customer also seemed to remember that scene and blushed.

“That was the first time I have seen a cat get so angry with a person. Getting hissed at for interrupting a cat’s route… hahaha.”

“That’s! That was unintentional … pff.”

The female customer also laughed. Since they were inside the store, the two held their stomachs, muffled their voices, wipe away their tears, and laughed for a long time. Laughter welled up again when the girl asked ‘What happened?’ and they remembered that scene again. The two of them repeatedly took deep breaths and struggled to suppress their laughter.

“I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve laughed this much,” said the female customer, pressing her abs, which seemed to hurt from laughing so much, and they parted ways for that day.

After that, the female customer named Vicky started dropping by more often. About once a week, she drank two or three cups in a short time as usual and went home quickly.

The young man did not show his face again. Hector seemed to have listened to his request.