CH 28

Episode 4-10

“Welcome back, Naoya-san.”

“I’m sorry I’m late. Is everything fine?”

Before the sun went down, Chloe and I returned to Aion Mall’s Otherworldly Store.

It was almost getting dark, though, and customers rarely came in at this hour.

During the past three days that I have worked as the store manager, only one customer has come in after 5:00 p.m.

Just before the store closed at 6:00 p.m., as expected, no customers showed up at the Aion Mall Otherworld Store.

“Yes, it was fine.”

“I see, that’s great. …… Isn’t that great that two employees can handle that many customers?”

While Chloe and I went on an inspection visit to the otherworldly city, Anna and Barbera were left in charge of our absence.

The skeleton squad and ghosts are in charge of guarding the surrounding area, monitoring the store, and keeping it clean.

Only two people can serve customers, or maybe just Anna-san, since I’ve never seen Barbera working the cash register.

Maybe she’s doing the hard work in the backyard, but I never see Barbera there.

“Ah, I’ll take care of the closing work, so please move out, Anna-san.”

“Ufufu. I’ll take care of the closing work. I’m a tireless undead, Naoya-san. Then I will go and check the magic circle at each facility.”

“Naoya, I’ll be in charge of locking up then! We are about to close!”

“Chloe, let me take care of the locking, okay? Shouldn’t you be heading back to the city? I remember that it’s almost time for the city gates to close. Didn’t Chloe always go home after closing time?”

“Because I am a knight sent to Aiwon Mall by the country’s instructions! Due to the convenience of my job, I can enter the city through the side entrance even after the gates are closed!”

“They’ve taken that into consideration. So are you going home at the end of the day?”

“No, it’s an opportunity for me! I won’t be going home today, you know?”

“Eh? I have my own living space, but I only have one bed, so it’s not like we’ve grown closer just because you’ve talked a little bit about the past.”

“Oh my gosh, Naoya-san, did you get Chloe’s heart?”

I’m shocked at Chloe’s statement that she’s not going home today.

Anna-san is giggling with her hand over her mouth.

“W- what are you talking about, Naoya! Didn’t we get some rabbit meat today? We’re going to eat it with Anna, Barbera, as well as with Naoya! D-don’t tell me, you’re planning to force your meat on us! Kuh- Kill me!”

“…… meat?”

Her face is red as she says something.

Barbera popped out from the back yard doorway.

“A-anyway! I’ve stayed here before! I camped near where Barbera lives!

“I- is that so? Ah, and if you’re serving meat, I’ve got some galette to bring to you, and if it’s okay with everyone else, can I join too?”

“Oh my! Fufufu, then it won’t be a girls’ night out! But you’re welcomed, Naoya!”

“A girls’ night out, is it?”

As I look at the self-appointed girls, I wonder if such a concept and word exists in other worlds, or if it’s just a word that’s been translated through a translation ring into something more appropriate.

Chloe is 18 years old and an elf, well she is a girl. Anna-san is Lich and undead, but she looks like 2 1 years old and ……21, and also a ‘girl’ too. Barbera is …….”

“……140 years old. I’m not a child.”

‘I wonder what a girl is. A dragon that looks 10 years old but is 140 years old is considered a ‘girl’ too? Is it even worth thinking about?”

I pat Barbera’s head as she toddles up to me and cuddle up to me.

Even though I know she’s not what she looks like, I can’t help but treat her like a child.

Barbera says, “I’m not a child,” and squints her eyes pleasantly.

“Oh well, when we close, let’s have a dinner party, not a girls’ night out though! The place is …….”

“The usual rooftop! It’s safe to use the fire there!”

“Heeey yo! You can’t go up there! It’s not ‘safe to use fire’! The rooftop is fire-proof!”

“Is that so? But Naoya, if we use fire on the ground, it might attract monsters and beasts, you know?”

“…… for second helping?”

“I see, you lure them in on a daring attempt to replenish our meat supply! Monsters and beasts are a piece of cake for me, Anna and Barbera! As expected of Naoya!”

“Your ideas are too carnivalesque! I know, Barbera is a dragon and Chloe is a meat-maniac elf! Also, I don’t think ‘as expected’ means anything to me.”

For the first time in almost a day, my lament echoes through the empty space.

Apparently, the reason they use the fire on the roof instead of the parking lot space is so that the monsters and beasts on the ground won’t see it.

It makes me realize that this is a different world.

That’s why–

“Oh well, it’s another world, and guests are not allowed on the rooftop. Chloe, everyone. You can’t use fire on the rooftop in Aion Mall in Japan, okay Don’t ever do that, okay?”

“You can’t use fire on the rooftop, ……? H-how are we going to eat the meat then?”

“You can’t use fire on the rooftop. You can also eat pre-cooked products. Get a steak or a hamburger or something to take out.”

“…… raw?”

That doesn’t mean you can eat meat if it’s raw. It depends on the food, but the “raw meat” that Barbera imagines is wrong. It’s definitely fresh meat, you know?”

“Fufu. Then, Naoya-san, I’ll go to the rooftop to prepare the food after I go through the facilities, okay?

“Thank you, Anna. The [Lord of the Dead] is the most sane in here, the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store is in trouble.”

With a smile on her face, Anna-san returns to her work.

Barbera is pulled away by Anna-san’s hand, and Chloe is also pulled away.

A ghost like a black blur floating in the air also followed the three of them.

“Now the ghost doesn’t want to hide from me. It would be a problem if there were ghosts in the store, no, it’s a different world so wouldn’t it be a problem?”

I muttered to myself.

I decided to ask Anna about it later and headed back to the cash register.

“The number of customers and sales were the same as always until before noon. I wonder what happened today.”

I fiddle with the register and pull up the POS data.

Looking at the number of customers and sales, I let out another sigh.

“I saw the state of the city, and I said that to Chloe.

It has been three days since we started selling gardening supplies.

The farmers got what they wanted, and the adventurers who came to the store had made their rounds.

Sales of gardening supplies were dropping.

“We don’t have enough products or stock. In the first place, we are Aion mall. We’re not home centers.”

Besides, Chloe happened to notice the gardening supplies, so they were just a random chance sale.

This was not a well-thought-out plan to achieve the goal of 100 million yen in monthly sales.

“I’ve seen the atmosphere of the city, and I’m just getting started! Now, what kind of strategy will we use?　How will we make 3.34 million yen a day! ……This is a tough one.”

It was my fourth day as manager of the Aion Mall Otherworld Store.

The number of customers today, 36.

Revenue: 44,000 yen.

Customer spend, which had been rising since we started selling gardening supplies, is steadily declining. Sigh.