CH 10

What awaited me when I returned to the store entrance was an unexpected sight.

“It’s so light, so light! This cart wheel is so smooth, too! Wow, amazing Aion Mall!”

Chloe was excitedly hustling next to the asphalt path that connects the store entrance to the dirt road.

She digs up dirt with the shovel I gave her, throws it into the cart wheel, and then dashes to push the cart.

The dirt she digs up seems to be piled up next to the fountain.

It was a big pile of soil.

“Ch, Chloe? Chloe-san?”

“Oh, Naoya! I’m almost done with one side of the lawn! How deep should I sow the lawn seed?

“Uh, I think a shallow area would have been fine if the soil had been softened. I mean, it’s not necessary to remove the soil.”

“Well, I guess I’ll have to backfill it then!”

“No, you are too excited. You’re in too good a mood after all the soil you dug out was wasted.”

Chloe heard my words and immediately started to work.

I can feel how tense my face is.

Planting a lawn next to asphalt is like an experiment to see if it will grow, and I didn’t intend to make such a big deal of it.

“Well, she has a lot of fun. Dirt-covered elves, huh?”

I wonder what an elf is.

Well, I have an image of elves living in the forest, so I guess it’s not surprising that they play with soil.

“Naoya! Can we sell this shovel and the wheelbarrow? I’m sure these will sell!”

“Eh? We have a shovel, we saw the cart yesterday, I tought this world already have these kind of tools too. Is it really going to sell?”

” Yeah, you’re right, we have both of them! But this one that Naoya brought will sell! We have neither a light and strong shovel nor a cart wheel that goes so smoothly!”

“Ah, I get it. I wonder if that’s the difference in the level of our basic technology.”

Even if they have the same thing, the quality of the material of the shovel is probably different, and the precision of the tires, bearings, etc., of the cart wheel is very different.

“I wonder if pickaxes and other gardening tools would sell as well. I wish the home depot next to the Aion Mall Kasugano store had been located here, because we wouldn’t have been able to make any sales!”

“Naoya, you don’t mind if we sell these, do you? I’m sure the aunties would love it!”

“Well, it’s an improved version of a product that exists in the world, so why don’t we sell it? We don’t have a lot of stock though!”

We are not able to continuously stock Japanese products, and we don’t know what will happen or what it will lead to if we sell products that don’t exist in this world.

But if we don’t do this, 100 million yen in monthly sales is a pipedream.

“Chloe, we’re going to sell only one item per person, as we’re going to run out of product! Oh, and it’s OK for one person to buy several kinds of each item!”

“Whoa! Hey Naoya, do you have anything else like this? I’m sure the merchants will buy them!”

“No, we are not a home depot store. We only have a small pickaxe and a small shovel.”

“What? You have the small one too? Damn, if only I had noticed this product! I’m used to seeing these things, but I didn’t realize how different they are!”

“Okay, well, I’ll just go and get the stuff out. I have to decide what price I’m going to sell it for.”

I left Chloe with the shovel who started to put the dirt back in the ground at a tremendous pace, and I decided to start preparing for the upcoming sales.

The stock is so small that even if it all sells, it won’t be much of a sale. ……

I’m the only Japanese person who knows how to do business in Aion Mall in this place, so I’ll just have to take it one thing at a time and not rush things.

“Hey, Auntie! This shovel is amazing! Here, try it, try it, try it!”

“What’s wrong, Chloe-chan? Oh, it’s so light.”

“And the cart wheels, too! Push it and you’ll see the difference!”

“Oh, my gosh, this is amazing! But one wheel is not so comfortable, you know. I’m afraid I’ll tip it over.”

“Ughh!”

Aion Mall opened its doors for the second time since I arrived in the other world.

Unlike yesterday, there was a lot of activity in front of the store entrance.

On the occasion of selling gardening equipment that we had in stock, a boisterous Chloe is demonstrating how to sell it.

I didn’t tell her to do it, but she seemed to be enjoying it.

“Hey the escort adventurer over there! How about these pickaxes and shovels to accompany you on your adventures? Unlike the ones sold in town, they’re lightweight, easy to carry, and sturdy!”

“Is that so? Can I try it?”.

“I recommend this shovel for the merchants! You can carry one on the wagon in case when you have to go over rough roads, right?”

“There are some bad roads in some places, weren’t there? Shall I give it a try?”

The customers who bought gourd-type vegetables yesterday were the same people who used the watering holes and restrooms.

They are different today, but the customers’ reaction is good.

“Oh, I’ll buy this pickaxe and shovel as the price is okay with you.”

“Thank you! Naoya, this adventurer want to pay the bill!”.

“Roger that, I’m on my way.”

Not only is the place lively.

Many customers who bought gardening tools brought in from Japan would say, [The Price is Right!]

Even now, one “adventurer,” as Chloe calls him, is buying a small pickaxe and shovel.

I set the price at 3,000 Japanese yen so as not to disrupt the price in this world.

I may be wrong about the Japanese yen conversion. Or is the original price too low for Japanese technology?

“Hey, what are you mumbling about?”

“Oh, no no, excuse my rudeness. Thank you for your purchase.”

I receive some silver and copper coins.

I’m still not familiar with it, but it seems to be the currency of this country.

I have to convert them into Japanese yen in my head and give them the change after calculating the amount.

“Kukuku- Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Naoya, business is fun, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes, talk later, Chloe. Look, here comes the next customer.”

“Ah, I’m on it, Naoya!”

Chloe was not only chatting with the customers, but also encouraging them to purchase the produce they wanted, not just pushing to buy it.

Chloe did all of that naturally  and she was just happy to do it.

Chloe must have struggled in her own way up until now.

In the first place, I pitied her too much for being a store manager when none of the locally hired staff had any knowledge of the Aion Mall.

But that doesn’t mean they should just send me off to another world out of the blue!

“It’s not like you can just let me take care of everything! Aion is scary!”

We have guests, so I’m going to keep my voice down today.

My self-talk fades away without anyone hearing me.

The second day since I became manager of the Aion Mall Otherworld Store.

The number of customers today, 38.

Today’s sales: 81,000 yen.