New World with Four Husbands

"That's quite a big batch." Mrs. Tani commented, eyeing the basket on Coco's shoulders and the extra two baskets she's carrying on her hands.

Coco sent the merchant an apologetic smile. "Well, I need to get extra money as much as I can.. Sorry."

"It's fine, it's fine." Mrs. Tani chuckled out and waved her hand dismissively, then she gestured for Coco to follow her, "Come, put them here at the back of the shop."

"Pardon the intrusion." Coco said, following behind the merchant.

The two of them walked for a bit and were quiet, at least until they walked through the doorway leading to the other room.

"You know, you should stop saying that." Mrs. Tani stated, a playful lilt on her voice as she stepped out of Coco's way, "This place is practically your workshop, too, you know? Because you had to drop off the fruits you harvested on a daily basis."

"It just comes out." Coco hummed, absentmindedly.

She moved to the usual corner where she always put the basket down and carefully set the two baskets in her hands, the soft sound of the bottom thumping against the tiled floor hitting her ears.

"I see." Mrs. Tani mumbled, walking across the room and moving closer to the drawers on the other side of the room, "But again, you need to get used to this by now."

"I'll do my best, boss." Coco said, a teasing tone dripping from her voice, and laughed quietly under her breath, infecting Mrs. Tani and making her laugh as well, breathy and worry free.

Coco set down the basket, the weight of it light in her hands, and placed it gently on the floor, the woven material of the basket making a soft rustling sound as it hit the tiles.

She lifted off the lid and looked at the variety of fruits, each one unique in color and shape, the smell of sweet fruits wafted toward her nostrils, their fragrance fruity and pleasant.

As she took a step back, she took a moment to marvel at the assortment of fruits, their colors and textures blending together in a vibrant display— red apples, oranges, bananas, and dragon fruits spilled out in a beautiful mixture of color.

The vibrant tones of the fruit stood out against the dull color of the floor, their freshness evident even after being transported in the basket.

"They smell divine." Mrs. Tani commented, her voice too close to Coco's ears.

Coco jumped to the side in surprise, her eyes wide in shock and heart pounding in her chest, whipping her head to look at the merchant who was standing by her side with a big pouch on both hands.

Mrs. Tani raised an eyebrow, a smile on her lips. "Did I surprise you?"

".. Yes." Coco breathed out, shooting the merchant a playful glare that made the white haired woman laugh under her breath.

"Do forgive me." Mrs. Tani apologized, but it didn't sound like it came from the bottom of her heart, "You were so engrossed with the fruits that you failed to notice that I was calling for you."

"You were? I'm so sorry." Coco, on the other hand, apologized sincerely.

"No worries." The merchant brushed her worry off and handed her the big pouch without warning, making Coco flinch and accept the pouch with one hand, taken aback once again.

"Strong." Mrs. Tani smiled, noting to herself that Coco carried the big pouch of gold coins like it was nothing.

She always knew that Coco was strong— stronger than the hunters she had partnered up with in terms of business, and as the days passed, she could tell that Coco was getting stronger, probably even more so because there were days that she came with two monsters.

She also could tell that Coco before was anything, but ordinary. Oh, no, normal farmers could only harvest for a couple of months or so, but Coco?

Coco has been harvesting the same fruits for almost three months now, and from the looks of it, it seems like wherever she gets the fruits from, it still has more to offer, but who is Mrs. Tani to know?

She's not as strong as Coco, not as durable as her, and obviously not as magical as her, but she could tell that Coco was special.

However, just because Coco was different from others doesn't mean that she will be treating her any less and if she were asked to voice out her thoughts, she knows that Coco is a different person.

Well, she doesn't have proof, but her intuition told her that she's just someone.. Else, someone different.

She will open up about it when the time comes. Mrs. Tani thought, smiling softly as she watched Coco exit the shop, anticipating when that time would come.

Joachim came to her Coco first stepped up and told him that she would pay for her debts, even introducing a new method to slowly pay off everything, on her own pace, slowly, but surely.

She remembered Joachim brightening up when he first mentioned that he found Coco genuinely interesting and came the second time Coco's name slipped from Joachim's mouth, saying that she seems sincere on changing her old ways.

Then, the third and the last push was the time when Joachim told her that he wants to become Coco's friend.

At first, she was skeptical because Coco was the notorious village trash, but the more time she spent with Coco as one of her main— probably the best— suppliers in the kingdom, she realized where her husband was coming from.

Coco is indeed a sincere person, thoughtful and caring, too.

She was very different from whom she used to be and that was enough to draw people in.

Mrs. Tani turned, her gaze softening as she looked away from the front door of the shop, and walked to the back of the shop.

"She'll eventually come around." The merchant hums, eyeing the fresh fruits on the corner.