Chapter 41

Tap, tap, ding, ding♪

Tap, tap♪

Tap!

A light, almost airborne rhythm entered my still sleepy ears.

The sound, which made me want to start dancing, was produced by "Rhythm Workshop." This is the store that Iku told me about yesterday, which specializes in furniture and signs made from "magic wood." It's located at the edge of the main street, and a small child was watching the work being done with evident enjoyment. The open workspace next to the store also drew the attention of passersby, who seemed to be enjoying the scene. I, too, was captivated by the light and lively work scene.

The person working held something... What was it? It looked like a hammer, but it seemed to be made of wood rather than stone.

“Hey, customer? Welcome!”

“Ah, good morning.”

The worker seemed to have noticed me and stopped working to come over. Even though there were other people watching, he somehow knew I was a customer. I told the young man that I had come to order a sign.

“Sign, huh? Sure thing! Let’s go inside and talk about it. Pipika, I’ll leave it to you!”

“Okay!”

I was invited into the store, where I found a cat-eared lady.

The wooden interior of the store, though not newly built, was filled with a pleasant scent of wood.

“Welcome, customer. I’m Pipika, in charge of design. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Hinami.”

“Nice to meet you. So, you want to make a sign?”

I sat down, and Pipika prepared tea for me. She then brought a few sheets of paper from the shelf and handed them to me. They were various designs. I thought they might be templates, but since the store’s name was clearly written on them, I assumed they were past works.

There were many cute and stylish designs, and the descriptions mentioned how the magic wood would grow. For example, flowers would bloom in spring, and leaves would turn orange in autumn.

“Cute and stylish signs... of course, simple ones are also possible. What’s the name of your store?”

“My store is called ‘Hinami’s Box Garden.’ I plan to open it after the preparations are complete tomorrow.”

“Oh, what a cute name. What kind of store is it?”

“I sell recovery potions.”

Pipika skillfully took notes on the paper as she listened to me. Nodding thoughtfully, she went back to the shelf and brought out a few more designs to show me.

“I recommend this one. Otherwise, it’s up to your imagination, Hinami.”

“Hmm... Oh, this one is cute!”

“Let me see... Oh, yes, this is definitely a good recommendation.”

The sign I held had a small branch with a bird’s nest on it. I didn’t expect that not only would it grow, but I could also keep a bird. This fantasy world is truly amazing.

“However, you need to be careful. Since birds live there, droppings might fall, so you’ll need to clean regularly. Also, if you’re in the city, you need to feed them properly. If they accidentally eat other stores’ products, it could be a big problem...”

“Oh, I see...”

Even though it’s just a bird on the sign, it seems to require a lot of care. Considering the future, there will be days when I can’t open the store... so I might have to give up on the bird. But it’s so cute.

“Well, we have Maro, so maybe a bird is fine?”

“Iku... You’re right, we have Maro!”

That’s right, ‘Hinami’s Box Garden’ already has a mascot named Maro. Taking Iku’s advice, I decided to give up on the bird smoothly.

“Then... I recommend this type. It’s 15,000 ril, which is quite reasonable.”

“Oh, this one is also cute and good!”

“Since you’re selling recovery potions, we can also change the flowers according to the season.”

Wow, it can even do that. Magic wood is amazing.

The design Pipika showed me had a large flower in the upper left corner and many small flowers blooming in the lower right, with vines hanging down, creating a floral object. The sign itself was made of wood, with the store name in the center.

“I really like this one. What do you think!?”

“If you like it, that’s fine. I’m not very good at this kind of thing...”

“Okay... Then I’ll go with this one.”

Maybe girls are just better at this kind of thing.

As I talked with Pipika and finalized the design, we also decided on the flowers that would bloom in different seasons. It didn’t take long, maybe about 30 minutes. It was quick.

With the design decided, all that’s left is to have the sign made. It will take about 3 days to complete, so I paid in advance. Since the sign will be heavy, they will bring it to the store and install it for me, which is a relief. I definitely couldn’t install it myself.

“Next... I’ll look at decorations and miscellaneous items... Oh, I need to make flyers.”

“Right. If the sign will be ready in 3 days, let’s go to the market tomorrow morning.”

I agreed with Iku’s suggestion, and we left Rhythm Workshop.

◇ ◇ ◇

“You don’t have much sense...?”

“Ugh...”

Using the open space of the Merchant Guild, I’m working hard on making flyers.

Distributing flyers in the market is a good idea, but I need to make them first. It’s difficult. I’m not good at this kind of design work... Just writing the text is hard enough, and I can’t even arrange it properly. Maybe I’m trying to cram too much information into a B6-sized paper. I should keep it simple.

“Why don’t you draw a picture of the recovery potion too?”

“That’s a high bar...”

The flyer is in black and white, so I can’t use color to hide any flaws. Making a color flyer would cost more, so I went with black and white. But it’s not going well.

Maybe I’m trying to fit too much information. I’ve written quite a lot of text, including the types of products. I should keep it simple.

“Is this better?”

“...It’s better than the last one.”

“Okay, then this one!”

The final flyer I wrote was:

- - - - - - -

‘Hinami’s Box Garden’

We sell recovery potions, antidotes, and other essentials for adventurers.

Please stop by!

Opening soon

Location: ×××

- - - - - - -

It’s a very simple design. I wanted to add an illustration, but my attempt wasn’t good, so I gave up. Iku approved it, so I left the Merchant Guild and went to the magic item store to get the flyers duplicated. I prepared about 50 copies, as I have 100 recovery potions in total, 20 of each type.

The preparations are going well, so it’s no wonder my face is slightly smiling.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Phew. Shopping all day is tiring.”

“Yeah. We’ll go to the market tomorrow... We need to leave a bit early. Adventurers go hunting early in the morning.”

I nodded at Iku’s words, feeling a bit gloomy about getting up early but also excited.

As I walked down the main street to return to the inn, I saw a familiar face walking towards me. It was Milu, and next to her was Tact, who was limping and leaning on her shoulder. ...Is he injured?

I ran over to them quickly.

“Milu!”

“Oh... Hinami! Tact has been injured.”

“...!”

Looking closely, I could see blood seeping through Tact’s pants, which looked very painful. Iku, who had followed behind me, said, “It looks painful,” but he didn’t seem flustered, which is typical of him, though his comment was a bit insensitive.

“Can you help me carry him to the room?”

“Of course!”

I tried to help Tact by lending him my shoulder, but I was blocked by Iku, who supported Tact instead. “Thank you,” Milu said, and we carried Tact up the stairs to a room on the second floor.

“I can’t heal his injury with my healing magic, so I’ll go buy recovery potions. Can you watch over him while I’m gone?”

“Oh, I have crimson recovery potions...!”

Before Milu could say anything, I applied the potion to Tact’s leg. The wound healed quickly, and the cut closed up. I felt relieved and told them, “He’s fine now.”

“Oh, thank you...! Hinami!”

Milu, who was expressing her gratitude, had her neatly tied honey-colored hair coming loose and her clothes stained with Tact’s blood. It was clear that she had been in a hurry to bring him here.

Tact, who had fainted from the shock of the injury, was now unconscious. His wounds were healed, so he would probably wake up soon... but I was still worried.

“He must have fainted from the shock. If we had been a bit later, he might have lost his leg.”

“What!? It was that bad...!?”

“Pretty bad. What kind of monster did he encounter?”

I was surprised by Iku’s matter-of-fact words, but I was glad we were there in time. If we had been a bit later, Tact might have lost his leg... I couldn’t believe it, and the thought was unbearable. I was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Milu, who was asked by Iku, looked down. What kind of monster could have done this... I could only guess it was a Hard Wolf.

“It was... a slime.”

““What?””

The answer we least expected made both Iku and me speak in unison. I was surprised that a slime could be so strong. When I fought one, Iku easily stopped it, and I thought of it as a standard, weak monster. It seems I can’t assume the strength of monsters in this world based on the game.

“I told you, Tact is extremely weak...!”

“...Really a slime?”

“Yes.”

Iku sighed and said, “Unbelievable.” So, my assumption that slimes are the weakest monsters was correct. Milu, with a gloomy expression, looked at Tact, her eyes slightly disappointed.

“Right, I almost forgot. Hinami, I need to pay for the garnet. How much is it?”

“Oh... Well, you don’t have to...”

“No, that’s not right. I need to pay you properly!”

I was hesitant to charge for the potion I used without permission, and it’s quite expensive... I was at a loss. Iku, seeing my dilemma, offered to help.

“Just charge the market price. About 1,000 ril.”

“Oh, right... Okay.”

I see, the market price is convenient. I took 1,000 ril from Milu and put it in my pouch. She thanked me again, and I left her room. Even though Tact was healed, it wouldn’t be right to stay too long in a room with an injured person.

Iku and I went to the dining hall, had dinner, and decided to rest for the night.