AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 135
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Maria : Mebius World Online
Ouren/Yuuzen : I Was a Small Fish
Episode 10-38
“Hey, it’s rare for the manager to come greet me.”
“Haha, it’s my day off today.”
“You’re here to check on the deliveries on your day off? That’s not really resting, is it?”
“Well, I just came while I was out enjoying the sun.”
“Oh, uh, well, if that’s fine with you, then alright… Anyway, we’ve got plenty of seafood that came in this morning.”
“Thank you, as always.”
The third Dragon Sale at the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store had come to an end. I was finally able to take a day off. Not just me, but everyone was taking shifts to rest. Chloe, Barbera, and Anna-san had worked 30 days straight.
Back in my original world, I’d have gotten complaints from the staff or strict reprimands from the head office as their manager.
I slept in until past 8 AM, had breakfast, and spent some time staring at the sky on the rooftop. Occasionally, I’d move my hand to jot down ideas about the future of the store. It was a fulfilling day off.
“Good morning, Ojou! Here’s a souvenir for you from Sensei* and Ane-san*!” (*Barbera’s Parents)
“…Thanks.”
“Quano-san, would you like some tea? We’ve got snacks for the wyverns too. Normally, we’d just throw them out, but I thought they’d enjoy them.”
“Oh, thanks! I’ll take a quick break then!”
“…Me too.”
Barbera slithered her tail as she headed to one corner of the rooftop. Quano-san, from the dragonkin, followed behind her, his body swaying. The wyvern chirped happily as it walked across the rooftop. There sure are a lot of reptilian types around here… I owe so much to both Barbera, Quano-san, and the wyvern.
Shaking my head lightly, I followed after the two and… one creature? Two beings and one creature? One person, one creature, and one… well, you get the idea.
The rooftop of Aion Mall Otherworldly Store is off-limits to unauthorized personnel. Like the ground-level parking lot, the rooftop is covered in soil, with buildings for elevators and escalators scattered about. The spot with the fewest buildings was turned into a landing pad for dragons and wyverns—a kind of heliport.
So far, it’s only used by Quano-san and the wyvern. Barbera sometimes transforms back into her dragon form, but since the business trip, she hasn’t flown.
“I have a feeling that Barbera’s parents might suddenly swoop in one day… I’ll make sure to remind them to stay out of sight if they do.”
Unlike before, there are now regular users of the rooftop, so I did some maintenance. Next to the landing area, I built a water station for Quano-san and the wyvern, along with some tree stump chairs, fallen log benches, and a wooden table. It was the spot where Barbera and I used to relax on our days off.
“Here you go.”
“Oh, thanks, Manager. So, how are the seafood sales going? I can’t double the amount, but I can bring in a bit more if you need.”
“We’re selling out every day, even after the sale. If you can increase the amount, that’d be great. Sea fish are priced higher, and we’re seeing more repeat customers.”
“Heh, that’s good to hear. It makes me happy to know the local products are doing well.”
“I get it. I was only helping out, but I remember feeling proud when our vegetables were lined up in the store.”
I recalled the time when I was still in elementary school. One day, my grandpa took me to the Aion Mall Kasugano branch. I remember being excited to see the vegetables from my grandpa’s farm displayed in the “local produce” section. My grandpa just smiled shyly as I jumped around in excitement.
“I’m counting on you from now on too, Manager.”
“Likewise, I look forward to working with you.”
Sitting in a child-sized chair, Quano-san and I exchanged a handshake—or, is this a footshake? For some reason, Barbera also placed her hand on top of ours.
“…Hm.”
“What’s up, Barbera?”
Barbera quietly pointed to a shadowy spot on the rooftop. The wyvern had its snout plunged into a plastic basin, munching loudly on scraps—no, waste from the kitchen—or rather, its “snacks.” It was happily crunching through discarded bones, fish heads, and even the remnants of a boar, its mouth bloodied as it let out contented chirps.
“…Looks delicious.”
“Wait, wait, that’s food for monsters. Though, saying that makes me think you could probably eat it too if you transformed into a dragon.”
“…I’ll transform.”
“No, please don’t. Even if we’re on break, the store is still open. I’ll go buy some prepared food. Hopefully, it hasn’t sold out yet.”
“…I’ll fly there.”
“Wait, don’t go flying off to the port town or Twin Dragon Island just to eat some fish.”
“Haha, Ojou sure has become quite the glutton! Hey, Manager, use this to get her something tasty!”
“Thanks, Quano-san. Hey, Barbera, just wait a little longer, okay? I’ll whip something up for you. Can you be a good girl and wait?”
“…Understood. I’ll wait.”
It seemed watching the wyvern feast had stirred Barbera’s appetite. She rubbed her stomach as it let out a quiet growl. Wait, aren’t dragons supposed to be able to go without food? And she didn’t even object to being called a “good girl”—seems like hunger trumps everything.
Taking the fish Quano-san had pulled out of his item pouch, I headed down from the rooftop to the second floor.
“Now, how should I cook this?”
With a limp, eel-like fish in hand, I made my way to the food court’s cooking area.
Since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store, both sales and customer numbers have steadily grown. The supermarket division, now offering seafood, has enough variety to actually be called a “supermarket.” Even the more novel prepared foods are selling well here. The pharmacy that Anna-san manages, as well as the local goods corner curated by the traveling merchants, are seeing sales growth in line with the increasing foot traffic.
“…I’d like to delegate the cooking soon. Maybe I’ll ask Fansine to help in the kitchen. Although, no matter what I say to her, she’ll just reply with ‘Of course, I’d be delighted!’ I should probably consult Anna-san about health management first.”
The food court was bright with sunlight streaming in. Speaking of which, the prepared foods and eat-in space are popular, so it might be worth expanding the food court.
“But that might complicate the flow of customers… Gotta think about the next steps. What’s the next strategy?”
I found myself staring out the food court window, lost in thought as I watched the customers enjoying themselves below, until Barbera, with her hungry stomach, came to check on me.
The goal of achieving one billion yen in monthly sales still seemed far off.