AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 161
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Maria : Mebius World Online
Ouren/Yuuzen : I Was a Small Fish
Episode 13-1
It’s been 41 days since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store.
After wrapping up the cleanup for the “Dragon Sale” in the morning and surviving the post-opening rush, I found myself on the road leading to the nearest town.
“My apologies for imposing something like this. I feel bad using the free shuttle carriage meant for customers…”
“Don’t worry about it, Francine-san.”
“Indeed, there aren’t any customers heading back to town at this hour!”
“That’s true, but hearing it stated so bluntly is kind of sad…”
Today, I wasn’t walking. Instead, I was riding in the free shuttle carriage operated by Peddler-san, heading toward the town with Francine-san and Chloe.
“If Francine weren’t here, Naoya would surely have said, ‘Well, there’s no one else here, right?’ and attacked me! Kuhh, just kill me already!”
“Who do you think is driving the carriage? The traveling merchant is right there. Also, I wouldn’t attack you.”
“Oh my, Sir Knight. But… I feel guilty for being such a burden, especially after taking a day off so soon after starting work…”
“It’s really my fault for not giving you proper breaks. You used to live in the town, so of course, you’d have errands to run there.”
Even though Francine-san’s health had stabilized, walking nearly two hours for a round trip would be tough on her. From now on, employees should be allowed to use the free shuttle carriage. That is, if I can manage to get them to take breaks at all…
“How are you feeling with all the jostling? If it’s too much, please let me know.”
“Thank you, Naoya-san. But please, don’t worry about me…”
“No need to hold back, Francine! If you’re feeling unwell, I’ll use <Heal>! I, the Holy Knight, will!”
“Thank you as always, Sir Knight. But I’m truly fine. The Apothecary gave me medicine to help me stay energetic for the whole day…”
“Are we sure that stuff is safe? That description sounds kind of shady… What is Anna-san giving you?”
I muttered a complaint about the undead apothecary who wasn’t here to defend herself. I could only hope that the medicine, which supposedly gave Francine-san the energy to get through the day, was safe. Let’s just believe it is.
Incidentally, I wondered if this medicine might sell well to the Aion employees. Could it be exported to Japan? No, no, I’m kidding. Really.
“Kuhuhu, I can’t wait, Naoya! I wonder what kind of person will move into the ‘tenant’ spot!”
“Calm down, Chloe. They’ve only shown interest; nothing is decided yet.”
The reason I was heading to town wasn’t market research or a dungeon expedition.
Yesterday, I received a summons from the head of the Merchants’ Guild. Apparently, someone was interested in the tenant recruitment ad that had been up on the guild’s bulletin board for a while.
“Still, you never know what that slimeball from the Merchants’ Guild will come up with! Stay on your guard, Naoya!”
“Look, the Guildmaster doesn’t always say weird things. He’s just strict about rules and harsh in his evaluations of people.”
“Na-Naoya, are you siding with that man!? Hah, could it be? You’ve joined hands with that slimeball to say things like, ‘Now, let’s sample the merchandise,’ and plan to attack and sell me off!? Hah! Know this: an elf will never yield to shame!”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it. …Though you did yield to food.”
Chloe’s energy was higher than usual.
It must be because Aion Mall’s first tenant might finally move in.
After all, we’ve been calling it Aion “Mall,” but without tenants, it wasn’t much of a mall.
Until the employee apartments were built, the tenant space had even served as my personal residence.
“You’re a knight of this country, right, Chloe? As long as you act properly, there shouldn’t be any problems, and they won’t try anything strange either.”
“Hmm, that’s true! Oh, so that’s why you asked me to accompany you, Naoya! You’re relying on me, a Holy Knight!”
“Well, to be honest, I am expecting something. No one would dare try to deceive me in a negotiation with a national knight present. Long live state authority.”
“O-oh… Naoya… is really… relying on me…”
“Yeah. I’m counting on you, Sir Knight.”
“U-ugh, sniff… leave it to me… sniff…”
“Sir Knight, if you’d like, please use this cloth. I’ve washed it, so it’s clean.”
“Thank you, Francine…”
When I told her that directly, Chloe started sniffling and crying.
Quick to act, Francine-san handed her a handkerchief—seriously, she’s like a mom, well, she is one but still.
“Naoya-san, may I also accompany you to the Merchants’ Guild?”
“Huh? Uh, sure, I don’t mind, but…”
“Then I’ll sit in on the meeting.”
“Thanks. …Now that I think about it, Francine-san, you know the Guildmaster, right? It’s not one of those awkward types of relationships, is it?”
“Hehe, don’t worry. There’s no problem. It’s not like I can do anything, after all.”
“…Right.”
Her gentle smile somehow made me uneasy.
It’d be fine if it’s just a casual acquaintance, someone who helped her in the past, or a simple connection. But if it’s an ex… that would be super awkward.
“It’s fine. It’s definitely fine. I just have to believe it’ll all work out. Everything’s going to go great. The tenant will move in, the Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store will finally become a proper mall, and we’ll hit the monthly sales target of 100 million yen. Then I’ll go back to my world. Yeah, it’ll all work out.”
I told myself that over and over.
I pushed aside my worries and imagined a rosy future.
Chloe was still sniffling, and Francine-san just kept smiling gently.
Amid this strange atmosphere, the carriage began to slow down.
“Manager-san, we’re about to arrive—huh? Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing at all! Alright, time to see the town again after so long! I wonder what kind of person is interested in becoming a tenant!”
I raised my voice to distract the merchant driver from his suspicions.
It’s been 41 days since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store.
We arrived at the nearest town without incident.
Sure, I had plenty of worries… but nothing would start until I actually met them.
Please, let the person interested in the tenant space be normal. At least let them be a regular human beings! The Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store is practically a monster house at this point! There are way too few human employees!