Chapter 20

"Come and take a look at the weapons I ordered; they should arrive by tomorrow. I’ll make sure to get back all the money you paid today!"

Or something to that effect.

The words of Akane, who had been demoted, sounded like the last words of a gambler who had lost big.

It was certainly not the words of a shop clerk.

But that was what made it interesting.

It was direct and unique.

What kind of products would she bring to surprise us?

It was precisely because of her that I was drawn in.

However, it’s no wonder that someone like her would be disliked in a company.

After all, companies always love uniformity in their employees.

The next day, when I opened the door of the prefab with Karen, I saw the figure of Mr. Kito, our neighbor (a ten-minute walk away), inside the store.

It seemed they had been chatting. They were laughing together, kekeke.

Hey, hold on. When did they become so close?

As Haruki and Karen stood there, unsure of what to do, Akane finally seemed to notice us and opened her mouth, looking sideways at the entrance.

"Oh, sorry, grandpa. A customer has come, so I'll stop here."

"Alright. If you have any questions, just let me know."

"Thank you."

Once our neighbor left, Akane's previously cheerful expression suddenly turned sour.

"Why only you? Where’s the air?"

"...Right in front of you."

I had thought that maybe my presence had become more noticeable because I had been wearing a mask all this time...

But apparently, without the mask, my presence was still weak.

However, she must have noticed Haruki before...

It seemed she was more relaxed than I had imagined.

"Oh, you’re so invisible, it’s like you’re air."

Akane laughed, kusu kusu.

It was a laugh like a young girl enjoying a rendezvous with her lover.

But she wasn’t talking to Haruki; she was talking to her wallet.

Always...

"Alright, put all your money down—no, buy everything here!"

"...No, um..."

In the store, there were two orange crates that hadn’t been there yesterday, and a few weapons lined up on top of them.

Even if she said to buy everything, there were only seven weapons on the crates.

...I was at a loss for how to react.

When I gave her a sidelong glance, Akane quickly moved her hands.

"Well, it can’t be helped! I can’t order things that might not sell. The shipping costs are no joke, you know? Even if they don’t rot in inventory, if they don’t sell, I’ll be in the red because of the shipping costs!"

She started making excuses even though no one had asked.

But her seriousness was evident from the weapons in front of her.

Akane must have carefully considered and ordered only the things that would sell.

There were two types of boots and gloves, and one chest plate for women, which was quite limited.

Clearly, she had Haruki and Karen in mind.

The boots were the entry-level model 'One' from Ichibishi.

They were made of leather, probably from a monster, and had a safety shoe design with metal plates in some areas.

Despite this, they were very light.

When I tried them on, they fit my feet perfectly.

...When did she measure my foot size?

Noticing Haruki’s suspicious gaze, Akane raised the corners of her mouth smugly.

"I measured your footprints when you came in."

I see.

She’s smart.

I never would have guessed from her attitude.

The gloves—should I call them gauntlets?—were also the 'One' model.

The back of the hand was covered with very hard leather, while the fingers were made of softer material.

They were well-made, allowing for both movement and sensation.

When I gripped a dagger, the leather made a 'squeak' sound, sticking to my hand.

The grip seemed to be excellent.

When I walked around, Haruki noticed how amazing the boots were.

They had incredible grip, and the sound of footsteps was minimal.

"...Wow."

I had been planning to replace my gloves and boots at some point, so this was a very welcome suggestion.

But I didn’t expect her to hit the mark so precisely with what I wanted.

Akane must be quite capable.

It’s a mystery why she was sent here.

Karen tried them on as well, and it seemed she had the same impression.

She was moving her body lightly, her eyes wide.

"Then there’s the dagger and... a stick?"

There was a 45 cm dagger and a stick next to it.

The stick looked like a pilgrim’s staff.

"What’s this?"

"Who knows? It’s supposed to be a staff from the dungeon, right?"

Why are you asking me...

Even if you ask me, I wouldn’t know, Haruki frowned.

"So, why do you have these?"

"They were forced on me. Because they don’t sell."

Akane muttered resentfully.

I see. They were probably stored in the warehouse because they didn’t sell.

When I reached out to pick up the staff, it refused to move.

Like the expensive dagger from before, it didn’t budge at all.

"It’s a powerful weapon."

"I can’t tell. Some employees who haven’t been in the dungeon can use it, but others who are stronger than me can’t. Even the appraiser couldn’t figure it out."

"Even the appraiser?"

"Yes. Probably because our appraiser’s level isn’t high enough."

"I see."

It’s rumored that the details of an appraisal depend on the appraiser’s skill.

It’s likely that the inability to appraise is due to the skill level being insufficient for the item.

Whether it’s a magic tool or not is unknown, but it seems the staff is more about suitability than level.

It’s probably something Haruki will never be able to equip.

So...

Haruki looked at Karen.

She seemed a bit restless with her new equipment.

If Haruki weren’t here, she might have run straight to the dungeon.

Her demeanor was like a puppy holding a leash, wagging its tail and saying, "Let’s go!"

"Karen, why don’t you try it?"

"Me, too...?"

"Yeah. You might be able to equip it."

"True. But if you can, I’d like to buy it."

"That depends on the price."

"I’ll study up on it."

While Haruki and Akane were bantering, Karen reached out to the staff.

To Haruki’s surprise, she lifted it effortlessly.

"Wow..."

To see her pick up something he couldn’t...

Haruki felt a mix of admiration and envy.

To see someone easily equip a weapon that’s hard to equip...

I’m so jealous!

"...This is good, isn’t it?"

"Sure. How much?"

"1,000,000 yen."

"Karen, put it down. We can’t afford that."

"Wait a minute!"

Akane protested, tears welling up at Haruki’s immediate decision.

"Since you can equip it, it’s fine to buy it! Please? Think of it as helping me."

It’s strange.

I don’t feel like helping her at all.

"How much did you buy it for?"

"..."

When asked, Akane’s eyes darted around.

"Let’s see... the boots, gloves, and weapons, let’s buy them in Sapporo."

"Aha-ha-ha! I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you the price, just don’t buy them in Sapporo!"

Akane clung to Haruki, tears streaming down her face.

She was completely different from her usual tough stance.

In this place with few customers, buyers are stronger than sellers.

I’ll take advantage of this.

"So, how much?"

"Just a staff, 10,000 yen."

"Then sell it to me for 20,000 yen."

"This is from the 30th floor of Chikaho? Plus, there are shipping costs! At least 50,000 yen!"

The price dropped from 1,000,000 to 50,000 yen.

Is that okay...

"Then 30,000 yen."

—While thinking this, Haruki pressed further.

Akane ground her teeth.

"40,000 yen!"

"Okay, 35,000 yen."

"Ugh..."

It’s a good profit.

Since I’m buying other weapons, just give up.

"Thank you. It feels like I’m letting you win."

"Yes, I lost. I lost... hehehe."

Akane’s eyes were glazed over.

Maybe I pushed too hard on the price.

Haruki scratched his head and reached for the remaining item—the dagger.

The dagger was a bit heavy, but it didn’t seem impossible to equip.

The blade was a dull silver, turning dark gray at certain angles.

When I touched the tip lightly, it didn’t cut at all.

"...Is this trash?"

"It’s not trash!"

"It is, though."

"No, it’s not!"

"Then why is it so dull?"

The silver wolf dagger I bought from Akane’s shop before would have cut my skin just from touching the blade.

Even a low-level weapon that Haruki could equip had good sharpness.

If this were a magic sword, touching the blade shouldn’t leave my skin intact.

"It’s a magic sword that gets sharper the more monsters you kill."

"...Is it a godly weapon?"

Haruki was taken aback.

From Akane’s explanation, it sounded like a godly weapon.

"Why is a godly weapon here?"

"Because it didn’t sell."

"But it should sell."

The more you use it, the stronger it gets.

There should be plenty of buyers.

"Sure, you’d think so, right? But it’s a dagger."

"...So what?"

"How many adventurers do you think use a dagger as their main weapon?"

"Very few."

Very few.

Probably less than 1% of adventurers.

It might be zero for mid-level adventurers and above.

"Even if it’s an amazing weapon, most people will buy it once. But they can’t equip it."

"Huh?"

"So they can’t cultivate it."

"...There are plenty of adventurers stronger than me, right?"

"You don’t get it, do you?"

When asked by Akane, Haruki didn’t understand.

He tilted his head.

"A dagger isn’t a weapon for killing monsters. At best, it’s a secondary weapon, maybe for throwing."

A magic sword needs to be cultivated to be usable.

With this sharpness, it would probably start from the upper floors.

Would a mid-level adventurer lower their appropriate floor just to cultivate a secondary weapon whose growth is uncertain?

—No, they wouldn’t.

If they had time to cultivate a weapon, they’d earn money from hunting in the middle floors and buy a more expensive weapon.

That’s more cost-effective.

And most importantly, they hardly use daggers, so they’ll eventually lose the ability to use a strong dagger.

The stronger the adventurer, the more likely they are to lose their equipment suitability.

It might be useful for weaker adventurers.

But no adventurer would choose an expensive magic sword as a secondary weapon.

That’s why it didn’t sell.

Akane explained.

But Haruki wasn’t convinced.

"Are there really no adventurers who use a dagger as their main weapon? Did it really not sell?"

"You really don’t understand anything..."

Akane gave him a sidelong glance and propped her cheek on her hand.

"There aren’t as many adventurers who use a dagger as their main weapon as you think. They’re reckless and eccentric."

"...Is that so?"

"So, are you buying it or not?"

"Do I have to?"

"Please, buy it."

Her attitude changed completely.

Akane’s eyes sparkled.

"How much?"

"1,000,000 yen."

"Joking, right?"

"Aha-ha-ha! I’ll lower the price, I’ll lower the price, just don’t leave!"

When Haruki threw the dagger and tried to leave, Akane immediately cried and held him back.

She’s so easy to manipulate...

A magic sword doesn’t dull.

So even with normal sharpness, a magic sword is worth at least 10,000,000 yen.

Even if it’s a dagger with a small user base, 1,000,000 yen for a magic sword is a bargain.

It seems this dagger didn’t sell at all.

"300,000 yen, and I’ll buy it."

"Really!?"

Akane’s eyes lit up.

...Hmm? Maybe I could have gotten a better deal?

It’s a bit disappointing, but I can buy a magic sword for 300,000 yen.

It’s not that bad.

Haruki put the dagger in his bag and paid for the equipment.

His card balance was now below 100,000 yen, but he could recover it quickly by selling materials.

I’ll get all the money I lost today back in a short time.

I’m looking forward to Akane’s face when that happens.

"By the way, does this shop accept orders for weapons and items?"

"I plan to make it mostly order-based. Otherwise, it’ll just become inventory."

"I see."

This time is special!

How about it? My observational skills, right?

You wanted everything, didn’t you? They fit perfectly, didn’t they?

Akane folded her arms and snorted, as if to say all that.

Haruki couldn’t help but chuckle.

She really has a great personality.

In a good way, not a bad way.

Thanks to her, I’m motivated to outdo her.

In this slow-moving rural area, someone like her is very welcome.

"I want a good knife for dissection."

From the experience of struggling to dissect centipedes, Haruki wanted a higher-grade dissection knife.

Of course, the struggle was mostly due to his lack of skill.

But a good knife would be necessary eventually.

It’s never too early to order one.

"Sure. What rank do you want for the knife?"

"Leave it to you."

"Got it."

Leave it to you.

It’s wonderful how everything can be conveyed with just those words.

Of course, I can trust her because she’s Akane.

She’ll definitely provide something that fits my needs better than what I would suggest.

"It’ll take about a month to make. The cost will be up to 500,000 yen."

"Really?"

"You’re leaving it to me, right? Then just nod. Hehehe!"

Hmm, I’m getting a bit worried now?

...Oh well.

I’m sure she’ll make it worth the cost, even if it’s expensive.

"I also want some chemicals."

"Isn’t there a pharmacy in town?"

"Not for adventurers."

The effects of medicines made from dungeon materials are dramatic.

Regular medicines are numbered from 1 to 2 based on their effectiveness.

But medicines made from dungeon materials are in a different category.

However, they are only sold to adventurers with IC cards because their effects and side effects haven’t been scientifically proven.

They’re almost like human sacrifices, but rapid recovery is essential for adventurers. No complaints.

The law won’t change unless dangerous side effects appear or unscrupulous people start profiting from them.

"Please stock up on adventurer medicines."

"Eh, I don’t want to."

"Hey, are you still a shop clerk?"

Akane’s temple twitched.

She’s really not motivated since her demotion.

"But medicines don’t keep well. I’d prefer to order the necessary amount when needed."

"I see. It depends on how long it takes for the order to arrive."

"About three days, I think."

That’s a pretty critical time.

It’s fine for minor injuries, but for serious ones, those three days could be fatal.

"In the future, we’ll be diving deeper, so it would be helpful to have a stock."

"Hmm..."

She looked at me sideways.

It seems she wants me to take care of the expired stock.

"Inventory management is a hassle when there are too many items. Hint, hint."

Please consider the customer’s situation!

But taking care of expired stock isn’t a big problem.

If it saves lives, I’m willing to invest.

Of course, it depends on my finances.

"By the way, how long do medicines last?"

"Depends on the type, but on average, about a year."

"I see. Got it. I’ll take the ones that are about to expire. Prepare ten cases of ointments for now."

"Thank you so much!"

Her smile was as bright as a cloudless sunny day, completely different from her previous reluctance.

"Let me know if you need anything else. I’ll accept orders anytime."

"Ah, okay."

"Let me know?"

"..."

"Say it."

"Ah, yes."

Pressed by her genuine smile, Haruki nodded.

While I don’t want to help make Akane’s previously empty shop successful, safety is more important.

Haruki filled out the necessary details on the customer order form and left the shop, where Akane was beaming.