Chapter 22 \nA few days after the journey that became a valuable experience.\n
No, I have been pretty busy these past few days. Consumers wanting shampoo, shampoo, and shampoo keep coming. I guess the rumor has got around considerably. The Maid Corps of Liner Viscountâs house did a good job! Maybe because Earl Bose-sama did something, there havenât been dealings with weird nobles since that time. Okey Dokey.
Chirin
Oh, itâs a customer. A little girl. Does this girl want shampoo too? Is it shampoo?!
ăUm, this is General Store Mitsuha, is it not?ă
Oh, come to think of it, I havenât put out a signboard. So thatâs why customer traffic hasnât grown. Give me advice on these things, Kunz-san!
Shoot, Iâll have him make it next time.
ăYes, thatâs right. Thank you for your considerationă(ăăăăăéĄăèŽăăŸă)
I bow with a bob of my head.
No, this girl seems noble-ish. About 10 years old, fluffy blonde hair coiling around, cute and elegant. Itâs a beautiful girl that screams âDefinitely a princess!â Somehow it seems the girls fated to come here are all beautiful ones⊠Well, a noble gets married to a beautiful woman, then a beautiful boy or girl is born, like the work of a top breeder? Itâs definitely not the work of the Freemasonry or the Nyantoro-ians(ăăŁăłăăæäșș). I think.
ăThen, Iâll have a little look aroundă
The girl went towards the display shelves while smiling. Jeez, the store manager will gush out a nosebleed if she saw her. But even with a nosebleed, the manager definitely wonât fall. Because she canât carve the image into her brain if she fell. Thatâs the store managerâs quality. On that, I donât scorn nor do I admire.(ăăă«ăŻçșăăȘăăăæ§ăăȘăă)
Oh, I received the edited Blu-ray Discs of Adelaide-chanâs debutant. The screenshot in a transparent sheet too. The quality was as expected. I wonder how much will it sell to the viscount. 1 piece could earn around 1 gold coinâŠ, no no, Iâm thinking like that maniac code of conduct I dislike!
(tl note: I discovered there is a forum called Confidence trick maniacs for victims and fans. I thought (ăăăąćæł) referred to an anime character but she could be referring to this instead.)
Somehow, she seems very happy, the little girl. She keeps putting things one after another into the shopping cart but itâs already quite a lot of money, in total. Ah, about time to check out.
ăThis, also, some shampoo please!ă
Yes, yes. The cloth shopping bag is free of charge. Oh, sheâs happy, sheâs happy. Un, character printed goods are rare, around here.
Ho ho, youâll pay in gold coins, huh. Really, shouldnât you have someone like a guard?
ăIt was fun-desuwa! Iâll come again!ă
ăThank you very much~!ă
Sheâs a guest of honor. I see her off until sheâs beyond the door. The girl smiles while walking.
âŠâŠHey.
Pikinen!(tl note: I think this is the metal gear solid discovered sfx)
That on the other side of the roadâŠ
A strange man that doesnât seem to be doing anything is standing at the entranceway to an alley, watching over here. A ăofficer, itâs this guy!ăstalker-ish dirty feeling young man thatâll definitely be reported if it was Japan. Is the target me, this store?
As I thought that, he starts walking, what a coinci⊠wait, in the direction of the girl from before!
Big trouble, if âthe lost young noblewoman was last heard going to General Store Mitsuhaâ becomes a rumor.
Mitsuha rushed into the store in a hurry and pulled out the interceptor bag from the hidden storage under the counter. An interception counter bag from the bottom of the counter, ah, shut up!
Wear the shoulder strap around the neck. Close the door and lock it. Taking a peek, walking even steps, the girl is not far away. That man doesnât look like an escortâŠâŠ, he crosses the street and went behind the girl. Mitsuha approaches with a fast pace quietly to avoid being noticed.
The moment the girl passed in front of the alleyway entrance, the man jumped at the girl from behind, seal her mouth and draws her into the alley. Bingo!\n
Mitsuha runs in a hurry. Sprints into the alleyway. The 2 figures disappear down a crossroad. After turning and going a little furtherâŠâŠ, thereâs a gagged girl, and 4 men tying her up. A large sack is laying around. Kidnapping by putting her in it? Thoroughly Prepared.
ăWhat are you doing!ă
Although the kidnappers momentarily panicked at Mitsuhaâs angry voice, they smirk with a relieved looking face when they notice the other party was a lone little girl.
ăHoohoo, that was brave. However, our financial sources have only increased by one. You are welcomed here.ă
One of the men walks towards Mitsuha. Mitsuha removed the sheathed knife from the bag and inserted it into the belt on her left waist.
ăHee, you intend to resist? However, no matter how strong you are, girl, can you kill a person? You see, killing a person,ă
Retrieving something from the bag once more, Mitsuha sticks it out in the approaching manâs direction.
Pang!
A light tone sounded, and when the man falls to the ground in convulsions.
ăCan you kill? Is there a reason not to kill trash?ă
ăWha!ă
Handgun type taser. A high voltage current flows using electrodes that fly while pulling a thin cord. In order to prevent it from being used for crimes, hundreds of small pieces of paper with the serial number sealed in the cartridge are scattered at the time of the shooting.
Of course, the case of illegal acquisition does not mean anything in another world.
Sale and possession were prohibited immediately after release in Japan but as something that can be purchased normally in foreign countries, I got it through the mercenary corps. For now, I donât want to kill as much as possible.
ăYou, what are you!ă
Un, well asked! I need momentum and bluffs to get through this situation!! Revive, my dark history!!
ăMe? IâmâŠ, a himemiko(princess shrine maiden)ă
The respected Kurizuka Asahi-sama, I speak in a low voice thinking of his bitter voice. In my head âhimemikoâ changed to âbodyguardâ(tl note: Kurizuka Asahi is an actor who specializes in jidaigeki or Edo period dramas)
ăHaa?ă
The men have âI donât understand at allâ faces. Un, I donât understand anything either. Right now, Iâm full of anticipation that I might be able to burn through my ăI want to say someday lines collectionă.
(tl note: Focus, Mitsuha!)
ăI am the princess shrine maiden of thunder. Relentless towards those who oppose meă
This time I take out Beretta 93R and 3 round bursted at a broken pot left in the alley. No, itâs not cool to operate the selecting lever.
Papapan!.
Gunfire echoes, pot fragments cracks, burst and fly.
ăăăU, uwaaaaah!ăăă
The moment the screaming men were about to run out, a somewhat showy soldier-ish group from the other side of the alleyâŠ
ăHime-sama, are you safe?ă
Oh, she really was a princess, is that so?
While the soldiersâ men and womenâŠ, gather to the princess, slowly and quietly draw back, turn around and escapeâŠâŠ\năPlease wait, Himemiko-samaă
Gyaaa~!!
There was a person on the other side too! Moreover, an elderly man who feels a little bit higher up than the general soldiers. Oh, a bit awkward.
ăUm~, from when did you start hearing?ă
To me whoâs fearfully listening, it was todayâs saddest news.
ăWould be around, âWhat are you doingâ..ă
From the beginning is it, is that so. Thank you very much.
Mitsuha crumbles down miserably and places her hands on the ground. (OTL)
ăHimemiko-sama?ă
Please forgive me. Iâm sorry, I got ahead of myselfâŠ
ăI would like it for you to come to the castleă
Itâs like that~. My true colors are exposed to the princess, I canât get away huh.
Do not look at me with such sparkling eyes, princess.
ăBefore that, please let me properly close up the storeâŠă
I have not closed the counter yet(ăŸă äŒèšç· ăăŠăȘăă), the curtains are not closed, and the security system has not switched to closed mode. I have to briefly return to the store.
And so the princess went to the castle with the soldiers. I went to the shop with a bitter uncle and two young soldiers. No, I wonât run so you donât have to be so cautious.
Well, what to doâŠ
I finished the closing process of the shop, but I wonder how should I go to the castleâŠ
A dress? No, itâs still early for that setting. There is also the equilibrium with Earl-sama. As a mere shopkeeper to the end for now.
Equipment? I was seen firing. Leaving my flank one for self-defense as is, will the 93R be necessary? I wonât be using it⊠Escaping the castle in a firefight, no, there will be no such thing. In the first place, I would teleport if it comes to that. But then, the shop and noble connectionsâŠ
In the end, my flankâs Walther and bagâs 93R. I shot three shots, but thereâs no time to reload. Keeping it this way. No knives. Even if guns can be insisted to be ăritual articlesă, knives in front of the royal family is a nope~.
Also, struck with an idea I took a minute to pick something from the shelf to place in the bag. The shelves are always full of products!
No, itâs because I properly replace them. Besides, itâs our policy to sell 1 for 10 silver coins instead of selling 10 for 1 silver coin. Wouldnât I be busy if they sell quickly? Well, I will compromise a bit if itâs for the happiness of women.
Ah, maybe Iâll sell sanitary napkins next time. My items not being cheap is one thing, but they arenât sold at all because no one understands their usage or convenience. If I could get a walking signboard(someone influential) to advertise it with a real sample like shampoo, itâll be done in 1 shot.
However, because I would be busy, as expected I wonât go out of my way to advertise.
In the end, while still in clerk clothes, I had only put the souvenirs and the 93R in another bag and Iâm ready.
Oh, young guards, itâs dangerous to walk in the store while in closed mode. itâs not my fault if lightning strikes you.
Oh, they turned pale and hardened. Un, straight ahead as you were, absolutely do not touch the shelves, un.
Itâs a âshiroroâ ceiling. No, Castle(shiro), White(shiro), partway unfamiliar(shiranai), wait, enough of that. Anyway, I arrived at the castle. Not exactly by a carriage drawn with white horses, I walked normally. Walking is plenty for commoners, is that so. Going on footâŠâŠ
Even in stop-over the waiting room, that bitter uncle is still keeping his eyes me. Un, bitter uncle is good. Like Earl-sama or the butler Stefan-san. Liner Viscount is still a little immature. After about ten yearsâŠâŠ.\n\nThe king says, ăPlease get along with my daughters from now onă, thereâs nothing I can do while stared at by Princess Sabine with a big smile. I answered, ăY, Yesă with a stiff face.
Eh, king, what did you just say?
Daughterăsă? King, what are you plotting?
Ah, thatâs right.
ăKing, have your eyes become less visible compared to when they were young?ă
ăAh, ahh, itâs true that it became a bit difficult to read the little letters on the documents from a short while agoâŠ.ă
ăCan you give this a try, please?ă
Mitsuha took glasses from his bag. The amount: 5 of them.
ăPlease put it on like this. Because each is different, try to find one that the look bestă
ăn, like this? E, ohh!ă
The king is changing glasses one after another.
ăHey Saar, come over here! Put this onă
The old man behind called Saar going âwhatâ as he approaches and tests the glasses as told.
ăOh, ohhhhh!ă
ăHow is it, you have been troubled because couldnât read the paperwork anymore. How is it now?ă
ăI see, I can see! If this is the case, I can still be useful to you the king!ă
The old man seems filled with emotion. It seems that it was more useful for this old man than the king. Well, thereâs no loss in selling a favor to the grand chamberlain. The king will be pleased too.
ăWith this, this Saar still has some ways to go before retiring from the seat of Prime Ministeră
Oh, it was not the chief chamberlain but the prime minister, is that so.
Mitsuha collects the 3 remaining glasses and returns them to the bag. Un, I caught a billboard! If the other partyâs a minister or great noble, then I can ask for an outrageous price.
Eh, Maniac code of conduct? What are you talking about? Donât be so negative(è¶łć èŠăăăăăȘăă), itâs just thată the selling price is very highă.
ăMitsuha, is there anything else? If you have something good, show me! Of course, Iâll properly pay moneyă
ăThatâs what business is. General Store Mitsuhaâll sells you anything if we receive the money. But, other than girls, that isă
ăGirls are no good huhă
ăNo goodă
ăIs that right. Hahahaă
ăăAhahahahaăă
No, even if it sounds like weâre about the princessâs kidnapping, weâre not because we mean,ăNo matter how much money you have, you canât use me as you likeă. Of course, the king knows. The Prime Minister also. The Queen may not understand, probably.
The return was also a walk. Even if you like me, you wonât send me in a carriage, king.
Well, Iâll be embarrassed if a wagon with the royal emblem was sent to my shop in an alley.