AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 131
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Maria : Mebius World Online
Ouren/Yuuzen : I Was a Small Fish
Episode 10-34
“Ugh… water…”
“Damn it, it’s already morning? Let me sleep a little longer.”
“Shut up, you’re too loud. My head is killing me.”
“Whoa. It’s like a field of dead bodies… What happened? Well, I have a pretty good idea.”
“Good morning, Naoya! The weather’s great today!”
“Good morning. Looks like you’re full of energy, Chloe.”
“Hehe, well, we didn’t drink. Good morning, Naoya-san.”
“Good morning to you too, Anna-san. Ugh, it’s a disaster this morning, huh…”
This is the 29th day since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
Even though it’s before business hours, the parking lot near the eat-in area is littered with adventurers lying around.
These are the people who camped out instead of heading back to the city last night.
The adventurers are groaning and writhing in pain from early morning.
They asked for permission to camp last evening, and I reluctantly gave them the OK, but…
“Yeah, we really shouldn’t sell alcohol here. If this is what happens with the alcohol our customers bring, it’s a bad idea.”
“…It’s Papa’s fault.”
“Exactly. You got carried away and gave them that ‘Dragon Slayer’ specialty drink from the port town.”
“Hmph, b-but I’m perfectly fine! It’s not my fault, it’s just that humans are weak to alcohol!”
“…Say you’re sorry.”
“Guh… S-sorry, humans! I didn’t expect you’d get drunk from just that much!”
“Nah, it’s on us. We’re the ones who drank.”
“Yeah, so please, keep it down.”
“Honestly, we should apologize. You gave us that expensive drink for free.”
“My head hurts…”
It was me who allowed drinking as long as it was brought in, with all the rare fish dishes and grilled dried fish.
Then, a monster attack, followed by a counterattack, then the feast began after we broke down the monster.
On top of that, Barbera Papa offered the alcohol he got from the port town.
The drinking contest started, and this is how it ended.
“I get the urge to drink, but if this happens every day, that’s a problem. Maybe we should ban drinking, and if we sell alcohol, make it takeaway only.”
Alcohol is a luxury item.
If it’s something rare or exclusive, we could sell it at a high price.
It might be worth considering offering it at Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
I avoided it so far because I didn’t want things to end up like this.
“Naoya-san, it’s before business hours, but can we sell some hangover medicine?”
“Please do. Ah, wait a second. There’s something else I’d like to sell too.”
“Something else?”
“Yes. It’s said to be effective for hangovers in Japan.”
Leaving a puzzled Anna-san behind, I head back into the store.
I walk straight through the supermarket area and enter the kitchen.
I greet the skeleton crew working hard to prepare for tomorrow’s Dragon Sale, aprons and all.
“Great work, everyone.”
I light the magic stone stove.
While waiting for it to heat up, I sample the beef stew and bouillabaisse the skeleton crew made.
Yep, tastes great. Thank you as always.
With the skeletons’ help, I strain the soup once it’s warmed up.
Normally, it would be served as-is, but given the situation, this seems like the better approach.
I pour it into ceramic bowls and load them onto a wagon.
I turn off the heat, leave the rest to the skeleton crew, and head back outside.
“Naoya-san, what’s that?”
“It’s a hangover cure—‘ara-jiru,’ a broth made from fish scraps, but without the ingredients!”
“Manager, please keep it down.”
“My head’s killing me…”
“How much is it, Manager? I’ll pay anything if it works!”
“Ara-jiru? Isn’t that the weird dish from yesterday?”
“I don’t care what it is. If it helps, I’ll take it.”
Hearing my voice, the adventurers, who had been down for the count, slowly started to sit up. I heard someone say they’d pay anything, but this is just a “taste test” today.
Ara-jiru didn’t sell well yesterday because of its unappealing look, but if this works, it might catch on and make some money.
“Free!? Thank you, thank you!”
“Why does it taste better than it did yesterday?”
“Ahh… it’s seeping into my body…”
“I couldn’t stand the smell and color before, but now it’s great. Is this magic or something?”
“There’s no magic like that. But, yes. It’s better today. Even without the ingredients, the richness from them remains, and your bodies are probably craving the salt and liquid.”
“Mages are a pain, even with a hangover.”
The adventurers swarm the ara-jiru like zombies.
It seems that “miso soup for a hangover” works even in another world. Maybe it’s just a placebo effect, though.
“Alright, alright. The miso-based ara-jiru that wasn’t well-received might be a hit after all. Now, as for…”
I glance toward the back of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store, where the loading dock is.
I can’t see it from here, but there’s a costumed ghost stationed there to notify us the moment the Teleportation Gate connects.
Whether it arrives in time for tomorrow’s Dragon Sale depends on the wavelength of the magic, not luck.
I shift my gaze toward the distant road and sky.
Quano-san, the lizardman—or rather, dragonkin—flew back to the port town on a wyvern yesterday evening.
He should be returning sometime today.
By the way, it seems there’s no problem if adventurers see wyverns. I still don’t really understand the difference between monsters and hunting targets.
“U-um, Naoya, may I also have some of that ‘ara-jiru’? Wait, don’t tell me… ‘If you want to drink it, you must first drink mine,’ or—”
“What on earth are you talking about, you pervy elf? Let’s get to work. We’ve got the Dragon Sale tomorrow.”
“Naoya-san, I’ll help with the cooking today too. The more hands, the better, right?”
“Yes, the more hands, the better. So, Anna-san, could you please stop using that semi-transparent ghostly hand thing? Undead are scary.”
“…I’ll try.”
“Alright, leave the heavy lifting to you, Barbera. And if possible, could you take care of your parents? I heard if they start fighting, not just Aion Mall but the whole area might disappear.”
“Don’t worry, Naoya. We wouldn’t destroy Barbera’s new home.”
“Unless, of course, someone dares to harm our daughter. In that case, we would simply annihilate the humans and return to our island!”
“That’s… pretty extreme. Suddenly we’re talking about the survival of the species instead of just trying to make a million yen in monthly sales to keep Aion Mall Otherworldly Store afloat.”
“…Papa, no.”
I sigh, rubbing my temples.
Barbera’s trying to keep her dad in check, and her mom’s smiling, so hopefully, Papa’s words are just dragon jokes. I really hope that’s the case.
It’s the 29th day since I became the manager of Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
Ignoring the nerve-wracking words around me, today’s business begins.
I’ll focus on testing seafood sales for now and prepare for tomorrow’s Dragon Sale.
“Oh, right. Since we’re at it, maybe I should put up an ad on the free shuttle carriage. Something like, ‘Fresh fish sales starting now!’ like an ad truck.”
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Business Report
May 29, 2019
Aion Mall Otherworld Branch Store
Manager: Naoya Taniguchi
Daily Sales: ¥1,089,000
Daily Customer Count: 229
Monthly Cumulative Sales: ¥14,128,000
Monthly Cumulative Customer Count: 4,231
Report Details:
For the first time since the store opened, we’ve surpassed ¥1,000,000 in sales for two consecutive days.
We’re aiming to break ¥3,340,000 during tomorrow’s Dragon Sale!
Also, the goods arrived safely, just in time for the Dragon Sale.
Grateful for this miracle—thank you, magic wavelengths!
And thanks to Iori-san for handling the order adjustments!
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