Chapter 04 Chapter 4
At three o'clock in the afternoon, a most ordinary furniture factory in the capital suddenly welcomed a secretary from the royal family. The managers were frightened and cooperated with the other party's "investigation" tremblingly.
Especially the factory manager, after seeing the small back picture presented by the other party, the first thing he thought of was the boy named Yumi and the prince Joseph who came here to record the variety show before!
Yumi's first day at work was the last day of recording the episode about Prince Joseph. But he remembered that Yumi's work had nothing to do with the prince... No, Yumi had just arrived at that time and didn't know the way, so she seemed to have walked into the wrong workshop!
The factory manager was terrified because he knew that Yumi came from a deserted village and there was no way she could have any connection with the royal family.
People from the royal family suddenly came to investigate him. It was very likely that the little guy knew nothing and accidentally offended the prince!
As expected, the other party came straight to the point and asked only about Yumi's whereabouts.
The factory manager wiped his sweat and said, "He has already been fired. He is not from the capital and cannot find a job. Maybe he has already left the main city..."
Hearing this, Anxius' secretary Carl frowned instantly: "Why fire him? Did he make a mistake?"
"That's not the case!" Another manager waved his hands hurriedly, "That kid is very obedient and works seriously. He is very motivated at work, but he is weak and only 1.7 meters tall... The fact that he can't do heavy work is secondary. What if he is trampled to death by other employees one day, we..." But we will have to pay a lot of money!
Karl understood, and asked calmly, “Does he have any friends here?”
"No, he is so young, has never seen the world, and knows nothing. No one should be willing to make friends with him, right?" The manager naturally knew that Lin En and Yumi had a good relationship, but he didn't want his employees to be implicated.
Carl knew that these guys were all old hands and he couldn't get the information he wanted from them, so he sneered and simply checked the surveillance.
He patiently screened Yumi's figure in the surveillance. This little guy was very serious during work hours and never even slacked off when talking to people! Therefore, just looking at the surveillance in the workplace, it is really hard to tell who he has a good relationship with... There is no surveillance in the employee rest area, and the surveillance outside the factory has a limited viewing angle. Yumi is small, so there are only a few videos about him.
On the day he was fired, it was working hours, and Yumi left alone pushing a cart that the furniture factory no longer wanted.
Carl continued to retrieve surveillance footage from the surrounding area through his optical computer.
After leaving the factory, Yumi worked in a milk tea shop for half a day, but was fired again. That evening, the little guy pushed his cart and left the main city...
Are you really going back to your hometown?
Not every place in the capital city has surveillance cameras. Since the Sna people have two forms, and he doesn't know Yumi's monster body, he may not know if Yumi turns back into a monster and walks in front of him.
Trying to find this little guy is like looking for a needle in a haystack!
Carl immediately contacted the local government.
They quickly found all the information about the Sna people named Yumi...but found nothing except those with the same name whose height didn't match at all.
Carl had a headache.
It seems that the factory director did not lie. Yumi did come from a wilderness outside the main urban area. There is no household registration for him here, and there is not even any information on the optical computer, so his location cannot be tracked at all.
This should be a spur of the moment decision by His Highness Ansius, but in any case, it was the only request made by the other party after he was injured. It was just to see a civilian, so they could only try their best.
However, what was thought to be an extremely easy matter turned out to be so difficult.
We cannot go looking for him in a high-profile manner, and issuing a bounty is out of the question. If everyone knows about it, it will definitely affect the prince's reputation.
In the eyes of all the Sna people, Crown Prince Ansius is still the most powerful glory of the empire. The fact that he cannot transform into a human after being seriously injured is the biggest secret of the entire royal family.
Karl walked out of the furniture factory with sorrow. Thinking of Anxius's terrible look when he was dissatisfied, his heart went cold. He murmured, "Forget it, let's send someone to the Black Miasma Wasteland to look for him..."
At the same time, Lin En, who had no idea that a "distinguished guest" had come to the furniture factory, was using his optical computer in the bathroom to connect to a call from the phone booth:
"You passed the interview? Great! I'm about to get off work, why don't we meet at the new fast food restaurant near your house!"
Half an hour later.
At the entrance of the fast food restaurant, Yumi frowned. He was only concerned about finding someone to celebrate with and suddenly forgot one thing: he couldn't eat with Lin En because his mouth would be exposed.
When Lin En rode over, he saw the small figure at the door with a sad face. He asked in confusion, "Why are you waiting for someone outside? You can sit inside."
Yumi held her stomach and shook her head.
Lin En saw it and immediately jumped off the bike: "What's wrong with you? Are you sick?"
Yumi shook her head guiltily and stared at the ground. "It's okay. Maybe I have an upset stomach... But I've always wanted to eat this restaurant's signature set meal. How about we pack it up and take it home? I'll eat it later when I feel better."
Lin En didn't think twice: "Okay, I'll take you back and buy some medicine on the way."
Yumi didn't say anything for a while.
Lin En became even more worried: "Are you really okay?"
"After I finish working in the restaurant, I can buy a laptop..." Yumi looked up at him slightly and said in a low voice.
Lin En: "Of course, you will have money by then and can buy a very good optical computer!" He did not hear the other meaning of Yumi's words: Before buying the optical computer, I must buy the horns, and then we can have dinner together.
After a while, Lynn hung the two packed meals in front of the car and rode to take Yumi home.
When they got there, Yumi picked up her packing box and said, "Lin, use your computer to give me the bill for the fare."
"……What?"
"The store manager said that my car expenses can be reimbursed starting today. I will take your car to and from get off work from now on."
Lin En was stunned, and it took him a while to react: "If your store manager knew... knew that the taxi fare you reimbursed was paid by a cyclist, he would definitely laugh his ass off. Hahahaha..." His body tilted sideways, and he himself couldn't stop laughing.
Seeing him laughing so hard that his tentacles were flying, Yumi also grinned.
After returning home, Yumi started using the bracelet projection after dinner, carefully watching the ballet dancers' postures and learning them seriously.
After practicing for a while inside the house, he walked out of his cabin and repeated the exercises on the wide wooden board outside.
After a while, there was a click and Lily upstairs took a picture of him with a camera: "Mimi is dancing, so amazing!"
Yumi moved on tiptoe and shook her head, "It's not dancing, it's work."
…
At seven in the morning, a music box with a real person standing in it appeared in the Garo restaurant in the city center.
Yumi was already wearing the snow-white ballet Tutu skirt provided by the store manager. The layered skirt did not reach above her knees, and it seemed as if a slender doll was caged inside, without any sense of incongruity.
The new white mask also has an extra layer of lace, which makes his overall decoration more unified.
Yumi's workday had begun, and he stood on the wooden floor inside the music box.
When the music box rotates, the ballet dancer on it seems to come alive, and her limbs change postures in time with the music. Although she can't do it like a professional ballet dancer, it still gives people the illusion that she is the dancer in the music box, rather than a staff member.
The staff of the "Exchange Lives" program team arrived not long ago. At first, almost everyone's attention was attracted by the little man in the music box. They were so surprised that they were about to get closer, but they were brought back to reality by the director's urging, and they had to busily set up the scene.
The guests had not arrived yet, so the director asked the photographer to start recording. In order to get more authentic footage, he smiled and said to the store manager, "It will start in half an hour, you guys get busy first."
The store manager was also on the show for the first time, so just in case, he went to remind the employees what to do one by one. Finally, he looked at the most eye-catching music box in the restaurant and walked up to him and whispered, "You remember all that, right?"
The exquisitely dressed boy on the music box stood motionless, like a puppet.
The store manager was immediately relieved.
Those actors who performed poorly in previous plays should really be shown what professionalism is!
Ten minutes later, a handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes pushed the door open. He was well-dressed and greeted the staff and waiters in a gentlemanly manner. When a waiter almost fell down due to nervousness, he reached out to support him in time and said with a smile: "The floor is so slippery, I almost fell down myself."
The waiter who was supported by him blushed slightly: "Thank you, Your Highness Joseph..." Compared with the cold and ruthless His Highness Ansius in the news, Prince Joseph was like a ray of spring sunshine.
"Just call me Joseph. From today on, I'm your colleague."
There was laughter and low cheers all around.
Joseph smiled as he walked through the staff and was about to walk towards the director when his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the music box with a person standing on it…
As a guest, he only knew the mission and location of this episode. Regarding the location, there was a music box with a person in it... After all, it had nothing to do with the mission, so he was completely unaware of it.
At first glance, it is obvious that this is a gimmick created by the restaurant to attract the audience's attention.
But even so, Joseph couldn't take his eyes off the small figure.
When I came to my senses, he had already walked over: "It's simply a work of art... Good morning, little beauty."
The little beauty on the music box didn't move at all, like a sculpture. Not to mention responding, she didn't even look at him.
Joseph thought he was nervous, so he turned to the camera and asked with a smile, "Is this really a doll?"
Photographer: "No, I saw him move."
Joseph looked at Yumi again. He chuckled, his magnetic voice carrying a comforting kindness: "This is not a live broadcast, you don't have to be nervous."
At this point, no one could ignore the care and greetings of this distinguished prince.
However, the little man on the music box did not move.
After a few seconds of embarrassment, the store manager hurried over to explain: "Your Highness Joseph, he is not targeting you on purpose. He is playing the role of a dancer in the music box and naturally cannot talk to people! As soon as he opens his mouth, people will subconsciously treat him as an actor... In fact, it is very simple to interact with him, just turn the spring!" As he said that, he immediately turned the spring under the music box.
The next moment, an ethereal melody sounded, the floor in the center of the music box began to rotate, and Yumi began to change her posture.
"Your Highness, look, this is it." The manager said, wiping his sweat.
Joseph's smile was a little stiff. "I am sorry for being rude, but I have exchanged lives with that waiter. I am now the waiter Joseph. Manager, please don't call me Your Highness anymore."
"Ah! Sorry, sorry..."
Joseph went straight to the staff lounge.
The remaining four guests arrived soon. They were a singing group, two men and two women.
Everything was ready, and the host came out to go through the process. He first interacted boldly with several guests, and made a few faces in front of Yumi who was motionless. After everyone laughed and the atmosphere was warm, he got to the point: "Welcome everyone! The word Garo must be familiar to everyone. Garo Restaurant has a long history in our Sna Star Capital. It is said that the original founder was a ballet dancer who lost her legs. After several despairs, she chose to open a restaurant and live a new life with the encouragement of her family..."
A red-haired singer couldn't help but interrupt: "I know! In order to continue her former ballet dream, did the restaurant put a music box with a ballet dancer on it? I didn't expect that her former dance career would help her succeed in her new career..."
The host smiled and shook his head: "Wrong answer. Due to the limited technology at the time, the founder's prosthetic limbs were not easy to use. The inconvenience in movement and various problems made the restaurant almost unable to survive in the beginning. Later, a girl who played a music box in the restaurant made everything turn around..."
"The founder noticed that day that the dancer on the music box would never leave the music box no matter what. Once it was wound up, the dancer would move to the music... She got inspiration from this and then personally modified the machine to create the only 'music box' fast food restaurant in the entire Snah Star - after ordering, customers only need to turn the table spring, and with the sound of beautiful music, their own food will appear through the rotating channel."
"Such a novel restaurant quickly became popular in the capital through word of mouth. Although many restaurants imitated it later, and with the advancement of technology, more fantastic and novel restaurants appeared, and the 'music box' fast food was gradually eliminated, and even now Garo no longer does fast food, there is no doubt that without the idea of the music box, the founder would not have earned the first pot of gold that changed his life, let alone the legendary changes that followed..."
Amid the sighs and shock of the guests, the host laughed loudly at the camera and said, "Whether it is the old restaurant model or the music box, they are no longer popular now, but the Garo headquarters still wants to show everyone the original concept - that is, no matter how much time has passed, how the world has changed, as long as you are willing to turn the spring, the dancers in the music box will always dance for you, just like us and the food, we will always be here waiting for you!"
The guests laughed and clapped, then received their tasks, began to entertain the guests, joked and played… Some told jokes to the camera like a show-off, some had conflicts with the chef in the kitchen, some broke dishes and chopsticks and kept shouting… Two guests deliberately tried to make the "dolls" on the music box laugh, sometimes telling jokes and sometimes making a fool of themselves, but when they found that the puppet actors didn't respond, they left with a wry smile…
The restaurant was very noisy.
The corner of the music box has always been quiet.
People who were initially very interested in Yumi gradually stopped paying attention to him after they realized that he could only follow the movement of the spring on the music box.
Until a little girl noticed something was wrong.
The little girl came with her mother to have dinner. After dinner, her mother ordered a dessert for her. She ate the strawberry cake happily, but after taking a few bites, she felt someone was watching her.
The little girl looked up, only to see the little figure on the music box quickly look away and stand in a graceful posture.
The little girl slowly opened her eyes.
She thought it was a dummy! So without thinking, she ran over with the cake and asked, "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat some?"
Yumi didn't move.
The little girl smiled and said, "I saw it!"
Yumi panicked.
The little girl wanted to say something, but her mother came over and said, "Don't disturb him, go back and eat."
The little girl returned to her seat, looking back every few steps. After finishing her cake, she pointed at Yumi and said to her mother, "I want a doll like that for my birthday present. I want to feed him cake..."
"If the baby doesn't eat cake," said the mother, "the baby won't be hungry."
Yumi will be hungry, but the unprofessional behavior of watching other people's small cakes not long ago was just because she hadn't had dessert for a long time.
Luckily, lunch included dessert.
The morning recording was over. The guests put away their professional smiles the moment the photographer stopped working and went back to the hotel to rest.
The director and staff also left with tired faces.
A guest turned the clockwork as he was leaving, and Yumi immediately began to pose and the board rotated to the music.
Joseph had injured his finger not long ago and was bandaging it in the staff lounge. He was the last one to come out and when he looked up he saw the restaurant's eye-catching music box still turning.
The little man above is also posing, his arms are slender and strong, and the only eyes exposed are still bright, as if he is full of longing for this world.
Joseph was stunned, and walked up to him and couldn't help saying, "There's no one here, just take a rest... Don't worry about the boss causing trouble, just say I allowed it."
Yumi seemed not to have heard anything. The manager had already said that his meal time would be in half an hour, and he had to go to the employee lounge from the back passage when the music box closed.
Not yet.
He was only a little hungry, but his mood grew better as he thought about how sumptuous the lunch was.
The melody stopped, and Yumi calmly and softly put away her posture.
This small body seems to contain countless springs, and within the track of the music box, it is always powerful.
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