And so, the signboard has been made and we are open for business!
However, the store opened quietly because we didnât do any advertisement in particular.
Yup, I donât plan to advertise that much. It will be troubling if there are so many customers coming to the store and itâs not like we sell unusual things either. A small shop where customers come once in a while. That is ăConvenience Store Bellă.
This store is only a disguise that has an atmosphere of ăpersistently earning money to make a livingă. The people will look at me strangely and it will have a bad influence on searching for my marriage partner if Iâm exposed that Iâm troubled with carrying a huge amount of money. I donât need a man who aims for my assets.
In any case, if I donât do anything either, I wonât have the opportunity to interact with people and my search wonât progress at all.
The mistake that I made last time was, ăbecause weâre going to open a store, we need to have earnings!ă. Thus, I was only selling commodities that are equal with effective medicine at that time.
Thereâs no need to earn profit at the store to search for a marriage partner. I just need to have customers by managing the store somehow. In fact, the thing that is actually a deficitâŠâŠis probably our living expense that is smoothly decreasing, hence, itâs all right if we got a little surplus. Thereâs no need to make so much money.
Ah, I wonder if Edâs deposit fee could be paid out now.. I guess itâs not a problem if I take out my savings from the item box, huh?
Emile and Bell are going to the hunter guild. Perhaps today will only be a face-to-face greeting and information gathering. Receiving a request seems to be scheduled from tomorrow.
Francette and Roland are laid-back in their own room on the second floor. When something happens, ring the doorbell, call out loud, or pull the string under the counter and they will appear in a few seconds. Therefore, Francette can also take a break. Itâs a heaven-and-earth difference compared to last time when ăthey need to stick around all day along the wayă.
âŠâŠerr.. Iâm sorry. Iâm really sorryâŠ.
Essentially, Iâm the store owner. However, I will ask Francette to take care of the store when itâs my break time. Otherwise, there wonât be any point in starting a store. Ah, of course, Riette-chan is also with me.
Three hours each, two times in the morning and evening. A total of six hours work, close during the day. Thereâs neither night preparation nor early morning work. Every few days will be enough to restock the spare goods if they are stored in large quantities in the item box.
Aaah~ compared to a lunch vendor and my corporate slave era, this life is like a dream!
Moreover, even if I have an unhealthy lifestyle such as a poor diet, I wonât have to worry about adult disease as long as I have potions!
This is it! This life is what I was looking forrrrrr!!
âŠâŠNo, wait a second.
If I get married, wonât this dream-like life will be lost..? Wonât I have to make my husbandâs lunch every day..? If I will be burdened with such troubles, I would ratherâŠâŠ
No no no no! Donât think about it! Just feel and donât think!
***************
Even if we didnât advertise publicly, the people will still come and see when thereâs a new store. Nobody came in the first morning hour as expected but there were neighbors and people who came back from work when it comes to the evening hour.
After that, though there were only a few, the number of customers was increasing little by little in the morning and evening hour.
(Customer) ăConvenience store? Itâs just selling the stuffs that can be found anywhere else, huhâŠ..ă
I explained it to the customer who said so.
(Kaoru) ăCertainly, they are also sold in other stores. Water bottles in the tool store, knives in the cutlery, preserved food in the food store, cloaks in the clothing store, and suchâŠâŠ
But, at the time when I suddenly have to leave for a long time, I would have to go through a number of shops if I need to buy them all, right? In addition, even if I have to leave in a hurry in the early morning, all of the shops will open between the second morning chime and the first afternoon chime, right? Thatâs why, when it comes to this store, you will only need to do a one trip only, wonât you? Moreover, it will be at the same time as the first morning chime.
âŠâŠhow is it? Donât you think itâs a ăconvenience storeă?ă
(Customer) ăUhh.. T-that is trueâŠâŠă
Most of the customers were convinced when they heard my explanation. The prices are neither cheap nor expensive. Some of the goods that came from our hobbies are quite cheap thoughâŠâŠ Cookies made by me, bamboo works made by Bell, wood carvings made by Emile, and such.
Thus, the not-so-popular but not deserted, a very ordinary shop, ăConvenience Store Bellă was quietly opened.
***************
(Kaoru)Â ăOld man, did you receive any strange things?ă
(Store Owner) ăA strange thing, huhâŠâŠă
The store is closed from the second morning chime (9 am) to the second afternoon chime (3 pm). Therefore, Iâm free during that timeâŠâŠis how it should be, but I canât go back to sleep or take a short nap because I had slept for 8 hours from around 9 pm until 5 am last night. Hence, I tried to visit a supplier. Taking Riette-chan and Francette with me.
Roland was writing a letter to his family to inform that he had a safe trip andâŠâŠwait! Is it for the king!? Thatâs definitely a situation report about me!!
Apart from me, it doesnât mean that everyone can create all the products with their ability. Rather than that, they will create something that is limited only to the items that they really want but cannot be found. Yup, the general items are usually bought at shops and wholesalers. I have a lot of money which I have earn in Balmore Kingdom and I donât want to disturb ăthis worldâs logică that much.
Anyway, this is one of the shops where I buy miscellaneous goods. Itâs a wholesale store rather than a retail store and sometimes they will have some interesting things, thus I need to visit frequently.
(Store Owner) ăHowâs this? A specialty of a distant kingdom, Arigo Empire, ăAn angel doll who has a sinister lookă is what itâs calledâŠâŠă
(Kaoru)Â ăWho needs thaaaaaaaaaatttt!?ă
(Store Owner) ăWhen all six types are collected, you will be blessed by the angel herselfâŠâŠă
(Kaoru)Â ăShut uuuppppp!!ă
(Kaoru)Â ăIs there anything interesting?ă
Next, we visited the commerce guild. As a merchant, I always need to get the latest updates.
(Irene) ăKaoru-san, didnât you come yesterday as wellâŠ. merchants donât usually come every day, you know?
If thereâs an urgent need or information that has a major impact on the business, a messenger will come to each of the guild memberâs store⊠ă
âCause Iâm free! I have too much time to spare so I donât know what to do!
Didnât I say that itâs okay to be not that busy..? My corporate slaveâs soul hasnât left my body yet even after nearly five years have passed! DammitâŠâŠ.
Even when I was living with everyone from ăGoddessâ Eyesă in Balmore Kingdom and stayed at home with nothing to do, I was still quiet busy because I was waiting in another kingdom for the development of new potions cooperating with Abilâs company and technically providing sailing ships to Arigo EmpireâŠâŠ
Then comes to the evening business.
ăIâm bored every day, I wonder if I have failed, huh~ă kind of thinking came in a flash
Even though I was looking for a peaceful and safe life, itâs somehow boring when I have experienced it by myself.
To be honest, I am not in a hurry for searching a marriage partner. If I donât age, I may enjoy watching the world for a while. Iâm trying to do something a bit moreâŠ.
Composing myself somewhere and even after that, stillâŠâŠ
Yup, Iâm thinking aimlessly.
(Customer)Â ăUmm, excuse me, Is there any Hemalt seeds here?ă
Hemalt? Iâve never heard of it, but because itâs a seed, itâs probably a plant.
A girl about 16-17 years old, with a face which looks like she has already given up and is at her witâs end. Sheâs supposed to be an adult already when I saw her face while still being a little absentminded. ăItâs a disgrace for a store if they donât give the product to the people in need while claiming to be a ăconvenience storeă themselvesă.
My head still doesnât work that much because I had been absentminded for a while. Thus, letâs hand over the product.
(âŠâŠ.In a container with a two-tiered structure, the recovery potions on the bottom, the Hemalt seeds on the top!)
The container appeared in my hidden hand and I gently put it on top of the counter.
(Kaoru)Â ăHereâs the Hemalt seedsă
I donât know a plant called Hemalt, but itâs probably fine. Letâs believe in Goddessâ Workshop.
The seeds are somewhat like soybeans, but of course they are completely different. There are about 20 grains. Because I can not hand over the potion, I separated the container and handed the upper side only to the girl.
The girl were dumbfounded. No, that, didnât you want it?
(Customer) ăI-I didnât think, there really areâŠâŠă
As expected, it feels like she wasnât expecting that much. Donât underestimate a ăconvenience storeă. If itâs only vegetable seedsâŠ.. No, we didnât put it in the first place though.
Well, itâs going to be the first night chime and other stores have already closed a long time ago. Sheâs probably the farmerâs daughter, who will go back to the countryside tonight or tomorrow early morning.
(Customer) ăT-then, how about Maltger fruits and Kurkol leavesâŠ..?ă
Hmm, as one would expect, taking out everything from under the counter is unnatural, huhâŠ
(Kaoru)Â ăPlease waită
Having said so, I entered the modest warehouse, or should I say our storage roomâŠ.
(Kaoru)Â ăIn each two-tiered structure, the bottom is a recovery potion, the top is filled with a Maltger fruit and Kurkol leaves respectively!ă
Ah.., if the Maltger fruit is like a watermelon or coconut fruit, or even durian fruitâŠâŠ.eh.. itâs just about the size of a gummy! Safe!
Then I removed only the upper side of each and returned to the counter.
(Kaoru)Â ăHereâs Maltger fruit and, Kurkol leaves.ă