AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 152
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Maria : Mebius World Online
Ouren/Yuuzen : I Was a Small Fish
Episode 12-9
Day 36 since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
After today’s business concluded, I gathered all the employees in the open space near the escalators inside the store.
It was to unveil and discuss the products I wanted to sell based on my recent dungeon experiences.
“Hey, Naoya, what are you selling this time? What kind of stuff is it?!”
While it’s normal for everyone living in the staff apartments or nearby to attend, even Chloe was here. She must have been eager to find out and decided not to return to town. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“Hmm, I’m not too confident this time,” I admitted. “But I’ll show the product, explain it, and then get your thoughts and feedback.”
“…Is it tasty?”
“We’ve been selling prepared dishes and food for a while, but this time, Barbera, it’s not edible.”
“…Disappointing.”
Barbera slumped her shoulders, her tail drooping limply, with even the flame at the tip dwindling. In contrast, Colette was wagging her tail energetically.
“Colette, Francine-san, and you, Peddler-san, please don’t hold back your opinions. Your feedback will likely be crucial this time.”
“Yes! Let’s do our best, Mother!”
“Indeed, let us repay the favor, even if only a little, Colette.”
“If it’s not food, my knowledge and experience might be useful. I hope I can meet your expectations, Manager-san…”
Colette and Francine-san were full of enthusiasm, while Peddler-san seemed slightly anxious. His wife placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and his daughter clung to his waist.
With Chloe, Anna-san, Barbera, Colette, Francine-san, and the Peddler’s family of three, I turned to the cart I had prepared.
Oh, even the squad leader, apron-clad skeletons, and ghosts were here too. Thanks for coming. Were they curious about the new product?
“The next product we’ll be selling is… this!”
I began unloading and arranging items from the cart.
This time, I wasn’t introducing just one product. In fact, it wasn’t even a single category like “prepared food,” “meat,” “seafood,” or “medicine.”
First up were picnic items.
We don’t stock much in the way of full-fledged camping gear since the Aion Style store isn’t a specialty retailer. But being Aion Mall, where you can find everything from A to Z, we do have some options.
“Ooh! What’s this? How does it work?”
“There are many items this time, so I’ve attached papers with descriptions that Anna-san helped write. Read those, and ask me if you still have questions.”
“Hmm, I see! Ah, pressing here makes the legs move… Oh! It’s a portable table!”
“Oh, the foldable picnic table gets a good reaction. What do you think, Chloe? Will it sell?”
“Hmm, this is convenient… but Naoya, isn’t it a bit low? How is it meant to be used?”
“Huh? You sit on the ground or on a mat and place your food and drinks on it.”
“I see… So it’s for soldiers or adventurers, not nobles or knights. But in that case, wouldn’t they manage without such a table?”
“A portable folding table at floor level seems tough to sell. Maybe I should order proper camping gear. Sigh, if only a Japanese outdoor retailer would set up shop here.”
Chloe had picked up a picnic-style folding table. But it wasn’t a dining-height table with chairs—it was more like a chabudai (a low, Japanese-style table).
Knights and nobles prefer sitting on chairs even outdoors, while soldiers and adventurers likely wouldn’t miss a low table. It’s tricky.
“Wow! Look, Mom, this can turn into a chair!”
“Oh my, unfolding it like this… Hmm. It’s quite an interesting feeling to sit on.”
“Colette and Francine-san seem more interested in the folding chair. What do you think? Will it sell?”
“There are similar wooden products, but this one is lighter and more comfortable to sit on. Depending on the price, I believe it would appeal to adventurers or those working outdoors in the city.”
“Oh, so folding chairs are a hit. …Still, there are better options among full-fledged camping goods.”
The folding chair they looked at was made with pipe frames and cloth seats. It didn’t have a backrest, but it was light, compact, and affordable. While the table’s reception was lukewarm, the chair seemed promising. Perhaps selling them as a set could work—at fair, appropriate pricing, of course.
“This… is it a light magic tool? It doesn’t seem to use magic, nor is it fire-based.”
“Ah, that’s a battery-powered light. A lantern and a flashlight, to be exact.”
Peddler-san examined the small LED lantern and flashlight, flicking their switches on and off. He mentioned that similar magical light tools existed.
If that’s the case, the reliance on batteries—which can only be purchased here at Aion Mall Otherworldly Store—might be a disadvantage.
“…It’s flappy. Fun.”
“Barbera, that’s not a toy. It’s called a leisure sheet.”
“…Shiit?”
“A cloth for outdoor use. But unlike regular fabric, it repels water and is easy to clean.”
Barbera sprawled across a pile of leisure sheets and blue tarps, rolling around happily.
Apparently, she found the cool sensation and the crinkling sound very enjoyable. Meanwhile, the product descriptions Anna-san had painstakingly written weren’t proving very useful.
“A fabric that repels water, you say?! Let me see it, Naoya!”
“Alright, might as well give it a proper demonstration.”
I held back Chloe, who came dashing over, with one hand and tilted the prepared water bottle to pour some water.
The leisure sheet and blue tarp both repelled the water, forming small puddles on the surface.
Oh no, Barbera, don’t bring your tail’s flame so close! The water’s going to evaporate.
“Amazing! Naoya, do you have rain gear made from this material?!”
“It doesn’t let water through even though it’s so thin. This is…”
“Wow! That’s incredible, Mother!”
“Wait, does this world not have rain gear? What do you usually do when it rains?”
“Most just get wet. However, merchants like myself use waterproof-treated fabric to cover our carts and goods. It’s rather expensive, though…”
“Adventurers sometimes use leather treated with oil for rain gear. But none of those options are as affordable as this.”
“Ah, but just so you know, neither of these is completely waterproof.”
“If no water has soaked through yet, that’s good enough! Rain is the nemesis of knights and soldiers on marches. It soaks everything, making it hard to rest or sit down without getting drenched!”
“So there are waterproof fabrics and leathers, but they’re either expensive or not very portable… Looks like this could sell well.”
The leisure sheets and blue tarps were getting a lot of attention.
Of course, a camping supply store or home improvement store would probably have larger or thicker ones, but for now, these were generating plenty of interest.
Chloe grabbed a blue tarp, exclaiming, “It’s so light! So light!” with a big grin.
Colette got dragged into Barbera’s rolling antics, and they started tumbling around together.
Anna-san, I don’t think it’s a good idea to swap the squad leader’s cape for a blue tarp.
Peddler-san, meanwhile, had begun muttering to himself, calculating potential prices.
Water resistance and portability.
These seem to be critical factors for people venturing outside the city. Naturally, pricing is also important.
“Hmm, if this is getting such a good reaction, the highlight product I came up with from my dungeon experience might actually hit the mark.”
Day 36 since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
I think I’m starting to feel more confident about the products we’ll be putting on display starting tomorrow.