AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 101
Episode 10-3
“Wow, amazing, Naoya! There’s water as far as the eye can see! Hahaha!”
“You’re too excited, Chloe. Well, I guess that’s normal if it’s your first time seeing it.”
The sunrise ended, and the sun began to illuminate the surroundings.
Chloe was frolicking by the water’s edge.
“I can’t believe there’s such a huge spring! So this is the sea!”
Her white skin glistened in the morning sun as she played in the waves in a bikini.
She has an amazing figure—not that it matters. If I stare at an employee like that, it could be considered harassment, and I’d get a strict reprimand from headquarters. The giant sign? It’s an advertisement. There’s a reason for it, so please forgive me.
Today is the 25th day since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
I was away from the Aion Mall, at the sea.
This is the first time since coming to this world that I’ve had a day off, but it’s not really a day off.
“This sandy beach makes it hard to walk! It seems good for training! Hahaha!”
“An elf swinging a wooden sword in a bikini. What even is this?”
“Hehe, Chloe-san looks like she’s having fun. I’m glad we brought swimsuits.”
“We’re not here to play, you know. But we’ve been working nonstop, so a little break should be fine.”
“…Been a while. Swim.”
“Okay, take care, Barbera-chan. Don’t go too far out today, okay?”
“…Got it.”
With Anna-san’s motherly caution, Barbera started walking along the beach.
She was ready to swim, already in her school swimsuit. Her tail was out, but I wondered how it worked from behind.
Anna-san, who brought swimsuits for everyone, is like a real mom. Even though she’s undead.
Anna-san set up a tarp to create shade, prepared drinks, and light snacks. She’s a real mom. Even though she’s a lich. And her one-piece swimsuit, with an opening from the chest to the navel, is unnecessarily sexy. What’s inside, I wonder?
“Naoya-san, no filming today, okay? You didn’t bring a camera, did you?”
“Haha, of course not, Anna-san. That was just for advertising, only because we had to. I didn’t bring a camera, haha.”
But I have my smartphone.
Neither Chloe nor Anna-san nor Barbera knows that you can take pictures with a smartphone, just like with a camera.
The reason we came to the sea is not to enjoy a day off, not to play, not to see or take pictures of the three in their swimsuits.
Our goal is to investigate seafood suppliers and distribution routes.
It will still take a while for the Aion Mall in this otherworld to fully open, but at least I want the supermarket section to operate properly.
“You can’t do everything at once. Step by step, one step at a time.”
“Is something wrong, Naoya-san?”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing.”
The nearest town to the Aion Mall in this otherworld is about two weeks by carriage to the sea.
There are roads, and we have magic tools like the ‘Item Pouch’ that can “preserve things from spoiling” and “store more than they appear,” but even so, they say you can’t get fresh seafood.
If we can secure suppliers and distribution routes, there’s a business opportunity.
“Well, we used Anna-san’s ‘Illusion’ to disguise Barbera in her dragon form and flew here at night. Even if it only took two or three hours, making this a regular delivery method is another matter.”
I looked at Barbera, who had flown us here, carrying me, Chloe, and Anna-san on her back.
In her human form, she still looks about ten years old, and her school swimsuit suits her well—she jumped into the sea with a big splash.
“Whoa…? She just jumped like five meters in the air despite the sand underfoot. That’s quite something.”
“Hehe, even in her human form, Barbera-chan is still a dragon.”
“Yeah, she did fly us all the way here. Jumping like that is no big deal for a dragon. Dragons are amazing.”
Trying to compete, Chloe jumped, but she didn’t get far and ended up flopping into the water near the shore.
“Salty! It’s so salty! What is this? It’s so strange! Hahaha!”
“Yeah, well, as long as you’re having fun. Elves sure are tough.”
I left the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store in the capable hands of Colette, Francine-san, the Peddler family, and the mascot ghost. The apron Skeletons should be working hard in the kitchen.
After a night flight, we landed on a deserted beach and waited for dawn. We planned to return the same day, or at worst, stay one night. They’ve all been working hard, so a little fun at the beach before heading to the port town should be fine. Oh, make sure to punch out for ‘break’ on the time card.
“Anna-san, why don’t you go for a swim? I’ll watch our stuff.”
“No, I can’t swim… Since I don’t need to breathe, I can walk on the seafloor. If you insist, Naoya-san, I can—”
“Please don’t! That’s just because you can’t die, right!?”
Anna-san laughed softly at my frantic interruption. Undead jokes aren’t funny.
The beach, the sea, and the sun rising from the horizon are the same in this world.
It might be different, but I can’t tell.
Oh, Barbera just jumped out of the sea with great force. A flying school swimsuit is too much of a fantasy.
“Barbera’s really enjoying herself. Do dragons like water? Some types of lizards do, but how about the sea? Sea iguanas? Komodo dragons are fine with water, I think.”
“Barbera-chan likes both the sea and water.”
“But isn’t Barbera a ‘Red Dragon,’ which means she’s fire-based?”
“And we’re near Barbera-chan’s hometown.”
“Are you saying something, Anna-san? Huh? Hometown?”
“Yes. She was born on a remote island a ways out into the sea.”
“Really? If her hometown is nearby, maybe she can introduce us to some locals. They might know good suppliers. …Wait, her hometown? Barbera’s a dragon, right? So no human acquaintances… that’s not the point!”
I looked at the sky.
No sign of monsters. Just white clouds floating up there.
I looked at the beach.
No sign of monsters. Anna-san is a lich, though. Barbera in human form was coming out of the sea. The only visible ‘monsters’ are all on our side.
I looked at the sea.
No sign of monsters.
Wait, there’s something. A fin cutting through the water like a shark’s, heading toward us.
“Anna-san, what’s that?”
“What is this massive surge of magic?! This speed!? Run, Naoya! A strong, powerful monster is coming!”
Chloe’s voice, serious and intense, echoed across the beach as she rushed back, still wet from the seawater.
“…Why does this feel familiar? Like déjà vu?”
I felt like I’d heard Chloe say something like this before.
As I pondered, Chloe came closer.
So did the fin cutting through the water.
It’s been 25 days since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
…I hope I make it to day 26. This otherworld is scary. Aion Mall, which suddenly transported me here, is wild.