Chapter 48

KAREN led me to the town hall.

When we entered the reception room, a man and a woman were waiting.

As soon as the door closed behind us, the two stood up.

One was a middle-aged man exuding an aura of a seasoned veteran.

The other was a beastgirl with rabbit ears sprouting from her head.

It felt incredibly fantastical.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. This is Shiro Amata, the proud owner of Shiro's Store in our town."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Shiro Nida, running a store in this town."

I bowed slightly as KAREN introduced me.

By the way, KAREN, when did the store's name become 'Shiro's Store'?

Sure, I didn't decide on a name and just kept putting it off, but I wanted something cooler.

"I'm Bash Bartewus, the new Guild Master of the NinoRich branch of the Silver Moon's Apostles. You must be the famous store owner. I heard you're quite capable, but you're much younger than I expected. How old are you?"

"25 years old. I don't know what KAREN told you, but I'm just a beginner merchant."

I said this and shook hands with the middle-aged man—Bash.

Next was the rabbit-eared girl's turn.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Shiro. I'm Emiyu, the receptionist. Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too."

I shook hands with Emiyu, the rabbit-eared girl.

After the introductions, we sat down.

I had only intended to greet them, but before I knew it, we were discussing the future of the town and the guild.

The Adventurer's Guild 'Silver Moon's Apostles NinoRich Branch' was about to open.

Apparently, skilled adventurers were flocking to NinoRich.

I learned the approximate number of adventurers coming and started thinking about how many items, like matches and other useful things for adventurers, I should stock.

◇◆◇◆◇

Ten days later.

"Mr. Shiro, I think it's about time we open. How's your store coming along?"

Emiyu asked excitedly.

We were inside the newly built guild home.

I had rented a corner of the guild to prepare for the opening of Shiro's Store 2nd Branch.

The opening day is crucial for a store.

To ensure the success of the 2nd Branch, I temporarily closed the original store (1st Branch).

Aina, Stella, and I were all set to open the 2nd Branch.

"Everything's ready on my end. Aina, Stella, are you ready?"

When I asked Aina and Stella,

"Yep, Aina's all set."

"I, I'm ready too."

Aina answered confidently, while Stella seemed a bit nervous.

"Don't be so tense, Stella. Try to relax. This store is like a bonus for the guild."

"I know, but I can't help it..."

Stella smiled, looking a bit troubled.

"Don't worry, Aina and I will help. And Shiro will be there too."

"That's right! If anything goes wrong, I'll cover for you. So just take it easy."

"Right, Aina. Take it easy?"

Aina mimicked my words.

Stella chuckled at this.

"Thank you, Aina, Shiro. I was getting too serious because the store will be for adventurers. But I'm okay now."

Stella nodded confidently.

I nodded back and gave a thumbs up to Emiyu.

"Shiro's Store, all set!"

"Alright, let's open the Silver Moon's Apostles NinoRich Branch!"

Emiyu opened the guild doors with a cheer.

Adventurers immediately flooded in.

From then on, it was a bustling scene like a festival.

Adventurers grabbed the materials on monsters, herbs, and mushrooms in the forest (which I copied from KAREN's work at a convenience store), and they scrutinized the boards with posted quests, more so than I had imagined for an adventurer's guild.

Emiyu at the reception was also busy,

"Next, please!"

She was assigning quests to adventurers and explaining to those transferring to the guild.

Of course, the same went for Shiro's Store 2nd Branch.

"What's this item, miss?"

"Is this the famous match...?"

"I heard there are sweet treats. Which one is it?"

"Look at this knife! It's a top-notch item!"

"Whoa, they even have healing potions here."

And so on.

They all came in a rush and bombarded us with questions.

I'm glad we all worked together.

Thanks to that, the store was a huge success.

No matter how many items I sold, adventurers kept buying them, and no matter how many I restocked, I couldn't keep up.

Before I knew it, it was evening.

Adventurers had started drinking at the bar attached to the guild.

"Shiro, it's great that you sold so much."

Aina smiled happily.

Despite working so hard, she could still manage such a beautiful smile. She's truly amazing.

I need to learn from her.

"It's thanks to Aina and Stella. Thank you, Aina."

"Hehe."

Blushing, Aina hid behind Stella.

She's become so comfortable with being pampered.

"Shiro, we should be the ones thanking you for letting us work here."

These mother and daughter really don't accept my gratitude.

"What are you talking about? I can't do anything alone. I'm the one who should be grateful."

"Still, thank you, Shiro."

"Hey, kid, sorry to interrupt, but can you sell us some items too?"

A voice came from behind, and I turned around to see—

"Y-Yes! Sorry for the wait... Wait, Riairu!? What are you doing here?"

The four with the blue flash were standing there, grinning.