AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 156
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Maria : Mebius World Online
Ouren/Yuuzen : I Was a Small Fish
Episode 12-13
Day 40 since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store.
In the early morning before opening, with darkness still lingering, I stood in the central plaza.
It was the space in front of the escalators connecting the supermarket section to the tenant spaces.
“Whoa… how do I put this? It’s spectacular…”
“Indeed! It’s like a knight order!”
“Fufu, thank you, Naoya-san, Chloe-san.”
Above, the three-story atrium was still devoid of natural light streaming in from the skylight. However, the fluorescent lights illuminated the plaza, making everything clearly visible.
And what I could see was a plaza filled with 30 full-armored skeletons in full-plate mail standing in formation.
“…Are we heading off to war or something?”
“…Fight?”
“Oh, no, no! I didn’t mean anything by it. You don’t have to get all enthusiastic, Barbera—just go back to sleep.”
The 30 full-armored skeletons stood rigid, their leader at the forefront. The captain, adorned with an extravagant helm and a billowing cape, looked satisfied as they nodded at their assembled troops. Then, they removed the cape and draped it gently over the curled-up, dozing Barbera on the sofa.
What a gentleman. Like a true knight. Even if it’s just a skeleton underneath.
It wasn’t just the captain and their skeleton platoon standing there. There were five rows of skeletons, six in each row. Next to them was a line of apron-wearing skeletons, and next to them, a row of costumed ghosts.
Floating above them were even more ghosts, drifting aimlessly.
“Seeing them all gathered like this really drives home the fact that Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store is a dungeon teeming with undead…”
Moreover, a high-level dungeon with stronger monsters than the ‘Old City Catacombs’ or the ‘Petrified Forest.’
After all, our store also has a dragon and a lich.
“I’m so glad I scheduled Colette-san, Francine-san, and the Peddler-san’s family for regular shifts.
Even though they know about the undead, this might be a bit too much to handle.
The sheer intimidation factor of these undead all lined up is overwhelming. Also, what’s up with this faint black mist? It’s bright in here, but it’s still creeping around…
“Everyone is assembled. Naoya-san, please proceed.”
“Right…”
Chloe enthusiastically prepared a wooden box for me to stand on.
Standing on it, I felt like a school principal addressing students during assembly—or a CEO at a year-end meeting or kickoff event. It had that speech vibe to it.
The fact that my first-ever public address was to the undead… life sure takes weird turns.
The undead quietly turned their attention to me—well, they don’t have eyes, but you get the idea.
“Wait, no, this isn’t a speech. Yeah, this is just a morning meeting for the Aion employee preparing for their first shift. A morning briefing, that’s all.”
Chloe, with sparkling eyes, kept her head tilted as she watched me. She stood firmly with both hands on a wooden sword, which she wielded like a staff. It looked oddly fitting for her, as expected of a holy knight.
Anna-san waited patiently with her usual cheerful smile.
Barbera continued snoozing, curled up on the sofa.
Thinking of it as just a morning meeting helped ease the tension in my shoulders. There was no need to say anything too difficult or lofty. Anna-san had asked me to do this, but all I needed to do was give some instructions to the skeletons heading into their first shift.
This was just a regular meeting, the kind a manager would hold.
“Good morn—iiing!”
No verbal responses came from the undead.
The costumed ghosts and apron-wearing skeletons gave polite bows, while the full-armored skeletons slammed a fist against their chest plates in a sharp salute.
The military vibe was off the charts. This was just a morning briefing, guys…
“Thank you all for stepping in as temporary part-timers today. We’re expecting a huge crowd for the fourth ‘Dragon Sale,’ so let’s work hard to make sure our customers are delighted!”
“Hmm? Naoya, aren’t you going to mention sales targets?”
“Oh, yeah, we do have goals, but I want everyone to focus on making the customers happy. Results will follow if we prioritize that. And if it doesn’t work out, that’s on me as the manager.”
“Ah, I see. A focused breakthrough strategy!”
“Break through what? Never mind. Right, moving on—let’s go over the team assignments.”
I almost got swept up in Chloe’s rhythm but managed to steer back to the main topic.
“First, Captain and Team 1, please continue patrolling the perimeter as usual. We’ll have fewer people today, but…”
The skeleton captain moved their helm in acknowledgment and placed a fist on their chest as if to say, “Leave it to me.”
The farthest row of full-armored skeletons mirrored this gesture.
Thank you, everyone. Honestly, I don’t think this Isekai branch could function without its undead staff anymore.
“Costumed ghosts, please follow Anna-san’s instructions. Your primary tasks will include managing queues in front of the deli, restocking ingredients, and clearing tables in the eat-in space. It’s a bit different from your usual work… will you be okay?”
I glanced over at the costumed figures, dressed as rabbits, dogs, and the like. At this, the costumed ghosts began bouncing with excitement. It seemed they were thrilled to be given new responsibilities.
Anna-san clasped her hands in front of her chest and encouraged them with a cheerful, “Let’s do our best!”
“The remaining four teams of full-armored skeletons, please handle queue management and restocking from the storeroom. You’ll be following Chloe’s instructions for this.”
“Understood! Leave it to me! Kufufu… So many subordinates under my command. Giving orders to my team—it’s as though I’ve been entrusted as a squad leader! A squad leader of the knightly order! Kufufufufu!”
“This is too worrisome. Chloe, they’re temporary workers, okay? It’s not an actual knight order, and we’re not going to war!”
“I know that! But with such a force under my command, even if Naoya were to try something reckless, we’d swiftly turn the tables on him!”
“Why is that the first scenario you think of? I’m not attacking anyone, and you’re all starting work right now!”
I held my head in my hands as Chloe bristled with enthusiasm. Meanwhile, the skeleton squad under her command subtly averted their gazes. Please, I’m counting on you…
By the way, Chloe seemed more excited about being called “squad leader” than anything else. It made me wonder just how much of a failure she was seen as within her actual knightly order.
“Anyway, that’s how we’ll handle the shift assignments during business hours. Everyone here will work together to set up the special venue for the sale, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
The undead nodded or saluted in response, though none of them spoke.
I truly appreciated their effort. It had been such a relief when we got rubber masks and full armor for the skeleton staff, making it possible for them to work outside without causing a scene.
With me, Chloe, Anna-san, Barbera, Colette, Francine-san, and the Peddler-san’s family—plus the undead temporary workers—we were going to tackle the fourth Dragon Sale together.
—Wait a second. The entire undead crew? I feel like I’m forgetting something.
I muttered to myself, and then heard a wet, squelching sound.
From atop my platform, I turned my gaze forward.
Squish, squish. The sound grew louder, damp footsteps echoing hurriedly.
At the end of the atrium, where the hallway connected to the storeroom—
A figure came running. A human figure, flesh sloughing and melting off their body.
Squish, squish. The sound of soggy, wet footsteps.
It was a zombie.
Our eyes met, and the zombie bowed its head repeatedly as if to say, Sorry I’m late!
“Hey, wait—no way! Zombies can’t work! It’s a health code violation!”
“Don’t worry, Naoya-san! The red plague has been cured!”
“That’s not the issue! Even with an apron, boots, a hat, and gloves, having a zombie in the backroom is too much!”
I refused outright. The zombie drooped its shoulders in disappointment.
The guilt was intense.
Oh, but then I noticed its shoulders were literally about to fall off, and my guilt lessened a bit.
Even if customers didn’t see it, a rotting undead worker would be too much. Bits of flesh, mysterious fluids… Yeah, no.
And so, on the 40th day of my tenure as manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store—
We’ll do our best to get through the fourth Dragon Sale with the entire staff on board!
Let’s just say not all the undead are part of that effort, okay?