AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 160
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Maria : Mebius World Online
Ouren/Yuuzen : I Was a Small Fish
Episode 12-17
“Apologies, Naoya-san. I had no idea this would trouble you so much. As an atonement, I offer both my body and soul for you to use as you see fit.”
“M-Mother… I, I also feel the same! If that’s what the manager desires!”
“Too heavy! That’s way too heavy! It’s fine, Francine-san, Colette, please stop bowing like that! Where did you even learn such a custom?”
On the 40th day since becoming the manager of Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store, I found myself facing Francine-san and her daughter, Colette, both bowing in deep apology on the floor in front of me.
Apparently, they felt responsible for introducing the Merchant Guildmaster to me right before the sale ended.
“But it was a request from the Guildmaster himself. I couldn’t exactly refuse, nor did I plan to.”
“Ah, I see. Then…”
“Yes, for now, I’ll just hear him out.”
“Hmph. Are you sure about this, Naoya? That despicable man might say something like, ‘If you want me to introduce you, you know what to do,’ and make some unreasonable demands of you. Ugh, what vile behavior!”
“Hey, Chloe, calm down. The Guildmaster didn’t imply anything like that. He was just doing his job as part of the Merchant Guild.”
“Fufu, I wonder what sort of person showed interest in the tenant space. It would be delightful if they were… lively.”
“Anna-san, your wording is a bit odd. What’s going on with your translation ring? Though, yeah, someone lively would definitely be welcome.”
“…Tasty?”
“You mean someone who sells food, right, Barbera? You’re not talking about eating people, are you? Dragons in this world don’t eat people, right?”
Hearing the commotion, Chloe, Anna-san, and Barbera gathered around the register area where I was talking with Francine-san and Colette. Behind them, the usual body crew: fully-armored skeletons, skeletons in aprons, the costumed ghost, and even the actual ghost—though whether ghosts have “bodies” is up for debate—were all present.
Even Peddler-san’s family, who still seemed a bit uneasy around the undead, was watching us from a slight distance.
“Alright, everyone, isn’t there something else you’ve been waiting for?”
“Oh! That’s right! Naoya, how were today’s sales? I, Chloe, sold out the Super Light Down jackets! Surely we’ve set a new record! What was the total? 3.6 million yen? Or perhaps… an astounding 3.61 million?!”
“You’re splitting hairs, Chloe. But fine, I’ll tell you. Thanks to everyone’s hard work, we sold out during our 4th Dragon Sale. The total sales today are—”
I glanced at the register displaying today’s total customer count and revenue.
I couldn’t help but grin.
As I met the eager gazes of Chloe, Anna-san, Colette, and Francine-san, I made my announcement loud and clear:
“627 customers! Total sales: 5,892,000 yen!”
“F-Five!? Eight!? N-Nine hundred!?!”
“That’s right, Chloe! We broke both our customer count and sales records today!”
“Compared to the last Dragon Sale, where we had 569 customers and 3,576,000 yen in sales, that’s an increase of 58 customers and 2,316,000 yen in revenue! Incredible work, Naoya-san!”
“Anna-san, how do you remember those numbers so well? That’s amazing!”
“The increase in revenue per customer is probably thanks to the Super Light Down jackets. Many customers bought more than one.”
“They looked so happy wearing them!”
“Francine-san, your quick calculations are scary and impressive. Why were you struggling in poverty before this?”
“…Delicious.”
“You’re right, Barbera. It wasn’t just the new products—the prepared foods, ingredients, and seasonings sold really well too. That was a big factor.”
Everyone’s excitement filled the air as we celebrated the success of the day.
Tomorrow would bring its own challenges, but for now, we savored the fruits of our labor and the lively camaraderie of the Aion Mall family.
Everyone had their own thoughts, but they all seemed happy after getting through the Dragon Sale together.
Behind me, the full-plated skeleton in full armor and the apron-clad skeleton clattered their armor and bones in celebration, while the mascot ghost and the regular ghost frolicked around excitedly.
Ah, yes. Thank you for your hard work today.
I appreciate it, but if you’re taking off your helmet, could you also remove that rubber mask while you’re at it?
“This is it! It’s all thanks to me! Because I took Naoya into the dungeon! Me, the Holy Knight!”
“Ah, yeah, that’s right. Thanks, Chloe.”
“N-N-Naoya actually thanked me sincerely!? W-what is this!? What is this feeling!? Hah! You’re trying to use this chance while I’m shaken to sneak into my room, aren’t you!? Curses, I must clean it at once!”
“Nope. Chloe, you’re already accepting the idea with ‘I must clean it,’ aren’t you? I said I’m not going.”
Watching the former manager fluster and panic, I let out a deep sigh.
Today’s live sales demo went well, and the increase in revenue—and even the decision to push the Super Light Downs and picnic goods—were all thanks to Chloe and Anna-san. Also, the Captain.
Regardless of Chloe, everyone who worked through the chaos of the “event” and helped achieve a new sales record seemed genuinely happy.
As their manager, I did feel a sense of accomplishment.
But still…
“5.89 million yen. That surpasses the daily goal of 3.34 million yen needed to hit the monthly target of 100 million yen. But even if we keep this up, we still won’t reach 100 million yen for the month.”
The reality of being a “manager” weighed heavily on my shoulders.
Products arrive from Japan through the Small-Scale Transfer Gate only once every two weeks to a month.
For this Dragon Sale, we stocked and sold out of Super Light Downs and picnic goods.
“If we can achieve this level of sales every two weeks to a month, that’s fine. But our daily sales aren’t growing. Sure, gaining a reputation might bring in more customers, but the total amount we can sell is ultimately limited.”
As a single sale event, the numbers were excellent.
But when considering monthly revenue, day-to-day sales are far more important.
“It really comes down to tenants, huh. Tomorrow will probably be a make-or-break day.”
The words I murmured to myself were drowned out by the excitement around me.
“Mm, what is it, Naoya? Are you not happy about the new record?”
“Naoya-san?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that… Anyway, let’s celebrate for now! I know it was tough, but thank you, everyone, for helping make the Dragon Sale a success!”
For now, I’ll celebrate our first-ever 5-million-yen day with my quirky employees.
Whatever happens tomorrow can wait until tomorrow!
…Though I’ll have to get back to work after the celebration to finalize the tenant terms.
Forty days since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store.
Being a manager in another world means there’s never a completely restful day. Sounds like black company…
Then again, it was pretty much the same back in my original world.
Even on “days off,” it was always, “Just dropping by to check on things,” “I’ll just quickly organize the shifts,” or “I’ll take care of the register closing.” At that point, it’s not even a day off anymore…