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A few days passed quietly, and the Breeding House finally welcomed a long-awaited weekend.
Compared to the previous days where he was so busy his feet barely touched the ground, Lucas could finally lie down in the rest area and slack off for the first time in a while.
Lying there like a salted fish, Lucas held Ninetales' tail in his arms and couldn't help but voice his regrets.
"In my next life, I really don't want to work in the food industry anymore—"
Gengar, who was sitting nearby watching TV, glanced at Lucas before turning its attention back to the screen.
He says he won't do it every time, yet he does it every single time.
During the weekend, due to a decrease in orders, Gothitelle didn't need to stay at the Breeding House to help, so she headed to the Cottage early in the morning.
Lucas continued to lie on his chair and complain.
The Pokémon at the Breeding House were already used to this and went about their own tasks.
Whenever a Pokémon returned from a delivery, they would come over to Lucas and hand him the money from their bags. On the first day, Lucas thought about letting them keep the money, but they said they had no way to spend it. After thinking it over, Lucas took it to save for them, planning to use it later to buy them treats or cook them a feast.
They nodded in agreement.
After taking the money from Staraptor's backpack and saying it had worked hard, Staraptor waited for Mrs. Fujino to pack fresh food into its bag before flying back toward Twinleaf Town.
Staraptor had always been the fastest Pokémon at the Breeding House for delivery tasks.
In old terms, it was definitely the Breeding House's top delivery ace.
"I'm back, Uncle!"
Shauna climbed down from Rapidash and ran into the Breeding House.
Since it was the weekend, Shauna had volunteered to go on deliveries with Rapidash.
Considering her experience delivering herbal tea and her extreme familiarity with Twinleaf Town, Lucas agreed. So, early this morning, she had been riding Rapidash, wearing her hat and carrying her small crossbody bag, running back and forth between Twinleaf Town and the Breeding House.
"Good work, little Shauna."
Lucas sat up and opened his arms.
"No time for you, I have to get back to work."
Shauna nimbly dodged Lucas's embrace and went straight to Mrs. Fujino. "Mom, are there any more delivery services needed?"
Mrs. Fujino pinched her little nose. "Everything's been arranged, but one just came in. Shall I pack it for you?"
"Okay."
Shauna went to the rest area, sat next to Lucas, and skillfully picked up Lucas's teapot to pour herself a cup of hot tea.
She took a sip.
Her little brow furrowed.
"Ugh~ it's still so bitter, it doesn't taste good."
After saying that, she put down the teacup, ran into the Breeding House to make herself a cup of honey water, and then returned to sit with Chingling and watch cartoons with Gengar while holding her honey water.
Lucas shook his head and smiled at the sight.
"Lucas."
Officer Jenny's voice drifted in from the door. Before Lucas could even stand up, she had already walked into the Breeding House.
She immediately saw Lucas slacking off in the rest area. "So leisurely today? You actually have time to lie down."
Lucas sighed. "I finally made it to the weekend. If I didn't rest, I'd collapse."
Officer Jenny came over to the rest area and sat down. She picked up the teapot, chose a clean cup for herself, poured some tea, and downed it in one gulp.
"Only the weekends are this relaxed."
Officer Jenny let out a breath of relief.
Lucas nodded. "Yeah."
It was strange to say, but here, no matter what the service was, Monday through Friday were the busiest, while weekends were the most relaxed.
This was the opposite of the catering services he knew before; in the past, weekends were the busiest, but here, they were the quietest.
Maybe it's because most of them have two-day weekends.
Lucas thought to himself.
After taking a sip of tea, Lucas rocked in his rocking chair.
"Isn't this place a Breeding House? Why is there never any business for teaching moves, boarding Pokémon, or buying pokémon eggs? Instead, the services that aren't our main focus are so popular."
Lucas began to grumble to Officer Jenny.
Business at the Breeding House was truly sparse in winter. From the day it started snowing until now, his Breeding House had only sold two pokémon eggs, and there hadn't been a single customer for boarding or move tutoring.
On the contrary, the food-related business had become the Breeding House's main source of revenue.
Although business at the Canteen had cooled down a bit with the arrival of winter, there were still some passing Trainers or Coordinators who would eat there every day.
Then there was the Cottage; while business wasn't as booming as in autumn, many people still went there to buy desserts, with herbal tea and herbal medicine making up the majority of sales.
The revenue from these businesses was barely enough to support the Breeding House through the winter.
Now that the Breeding House had delivery services, the financial situation was trending upward. After deducting costs, daily maintenance, and expenses, there was actually a large sum left over to save.
Lucas was stunned when he did the statistics.
As expected, catering is where the money is.
If this continues, I feel like I shouldn't call this place a Breeding House anymore; I might as well turn it into a restaurant.
Listening to Lucas's grumbling, Officer Jenny couldn't help but laugh. "The people of Twinleaf Town really like you now, and they're very grateful to you."
Lucas thought back to the kindness the residents of Twinleaf Town showed him and the Breeding House's Pokémon, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
They had now made it a habit to keep some snacks at home, and every time a delivery arrived, they would take out some snacks to give to the delivery Pokémon. This resulted in a massive pile of snacks at the Breeding House.
"I feel that most clearly,"
Lucas said. "The supermarket owner has already given me a permanent 50% discount."
"Now, whenever someone from the Breeding House goes to buy ingredients, they get a 50% discount."
Lucas recalled the supermarket owner, who had recently bought a new car and expanded his store. He had smiled and told Lucas that Breeding House purchases would enjoy a permanent 50% discount. Although it was a huge discount, why did he feel so uneasy inside?
It definitely wasn't because of the new car or the three-story expansion of the supermarket.
Not jealous at all.
Lucas looked at Gengar nearby. The world says I have a huge appetite, but it just so happens that I eat the most.
Fine, fine, money is earned to be spent; as long as the spending makes one happy, it's fine.
Lucas comforted himself.
"I heard the supermarket owner is planning to have his younger brother come to Twinleaf Town to work too. I heard he's planning to open a slaughterhouse?"
Lucas sat up instantly.
Damn it, they're already starting to move the raw materials directly over here?!
So cold, literally shaking!
Lucas lay back down, resigned to his fate.
"By the way, Sister Reese, did you come here for something today? Or are you just resting?"
Hearing Lucas's words, Officer Jenny slapped her forehead. "Oh, I almost forgot."
Officer Jenny said, "The rewards from the League have arrived. I brought them for you; they're right outside the door."
Lucas sat up straight again. "Really? What is it? Was my suggestion adopted?"
Officer Jenny looked at Lucas.
"Guess?"
Lucas: ————