AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 175
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Maria : Mebius World Online
Ouren/Yuuzen : I Was a Small Fish
Episode 13-15
48th Day Since I Became the Manager of Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store.
After a long, exhausting day, I was now in my room at the employee apartment.
Sitting at my desk, I was vaguely thinking about future developments.
“The Cat People shop, the port town shop, and the Elf Village shop. It’s really starting to feel like a hometown specialty fair.”
Except for the galette stall, all the upcoming tenants were shops dealing with “hometown goods.”
But that wasn’t a bad thing.
In this world teeming with monsters, travel is said to be dangerous.
There are even people who never leave the city walls their entire lives.
That’s why Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store struggled at first, but now…
“It might be good to give the townsfolk a taste of travel. In that case, regional ‘local cuisine’ could work too. We could even pitch that idea to the restaurant area tenants.”
The problem, though, is logistics. I scratched my head, deep in thought, when there was a knock on the door.
“Naoya-san, may I have a moment?”
“Francine-san? Please come in.”
Francine-san had come to visit my room, with Colette in tow.
It was unusual for them to visit after work hours and dinner. In fact, it was a first.
“Sorry, I noticed the light was on and thought you might be awake.”
“Ah, yeah. Even with the windows closed, you can see from across the courtyard.”
We sat down at the dining table. Colette, usually so lively, was unusually quiet, her ears and tail drooping.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Naoya-san, may I send a letter?”
“Huh? I don’t mind at all, but… oh, right, there’s no postal service here, is there? You’d either have to ask an adventurer directly or consult the guild?”
“No, I plan to ask Carol-san. She’ll be passing through on her way to the Elf Village and kindly agreed to take it.”
“I see. In that case, you didn’t need to consult me…”
“The letter is intended to recruit a tenant.”
“Ah, I see! That’s perfectly fine! Though, we’d have to discuss terms even if they’re acquaintances…”
“Thank you, Naoya-sama.”
“There it is again, the ‘sama.’ Please stop that.”
Francine-san clasped her hands and bowed slightly, with Colette following suit.
It’s always the same, but I can’t get used to it.
“So, there’s someone you’d like to recruit as a tenant? If you’d mentioned it, I could have gone in person.”
“That won’t be necessary. It takes about a week to reach the royal capital.”
“A two-week round trip would be tough. Plus, the capital has tight security, and if Barbera were found, it’d be no joke.”
“Exactly.”
“Depending on your condition, Francine-san, you could go during a longer break. We’ve even got a full-plate armor skeleton, so we could manage…”
“Thank you, but a letter will suffice. If they’re interested, they’ll come here.”
“I see.”
Sending a letter to an acquaintance to consider becoming a tenant—good news for both Francine-san and me. But her face wasn’t bright.
Next to her, Colette was glancing at her mother, clearly worried. I didn’t know the details, but I could sense the seriousness of the situation.
“So, who is this person? I’m curious about their products, but since we’re like a specialty fair now, there shouldn’t be any overlap.”
“My father and mother.”
“…Huh?”
“My uncle and aunt also work as managers.”
“…What? But Francine-san, when you were unwell, you seemed to have no support from your family…”
“I left home in something close to an elopement.”
“Elopement? Elopement!? In this day and age? Well, I guess it’s possible here.”
I was shocked, but even more so was Colette, who was wide-eyed beside Francine-san.
“Ah, so your husband became acquainted with the merchant guild leader when he was running the trading company?”
“No. The three of us—me, him, and the guild leader—are from different trading companies in the royal capital. We’ve known each other since childhood.”
“Childhood friends!? And yet he made that kind of recruitment offer to your daughter!?”
“The guild leader has always adhered to ‘business without relying on emotions.'”
“Oh, so that’s why he reacted the way he did during the negotiations with the Cat People.”
“Yes. He probably thought that by recruiting Colette like that, I would turn to him for help. Or maybe he wanted me to contact my family.”
“I see. That was the guild leader’s way of ‘showing concern.’ How complicated!”
I couldn’t help but shout.
Even for ‘business without emotions,’ there had to be a better way to handle it.
“But you didn’t rely on your family back then, did you? So why reach out now?”
“Thanks to you, Naoya-san, Colette and I are living happy lives. I want to inform them, not rely on them.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Besides… I’ve seen what it’s like to have a worried family. Carol-san seemed truly relieved.”
“Indeed. Yeah, this is a great opportunity.”
“Most importantly, by joining as a ‘tenant,’ I believe we can contribute to you and Aion Mall!”
“Well, having ‘thriving tenants’ is one of a shopping mall’s attractions. It’s definitely appreciated.”
Regardless of the reasons, I was happy to have a new tenant, different from the ones already confirmed.
Of course, only if they were interested.
“By the way, it’s been a while since you last contacted them, right? How about we add a little something to the letter? Maybe invite Chloe and the others as well.”
“A little something?”
“Yes. Since we’re at it, let’s send some photos too. Show them how well you’re doing.”
“Oh! Thank you so much, Naoya-sama! You’re an angel!”
“Thank you!”
“You two are overreacting. But really, a photo printing service would be nice. If only this were Japan! Finding potential tenants would be so much easier!”
Anna can read Japanese, and if I taught Chloe how to use the equipment, she might be able to handle it. But…
If the digital camera, computer, or printer broke, there’d be no way to fix them. And replacing them would rely on the transfer gate that only opens about once every two weeks.
Using it for personal purposes is one thing, but making it a business would be tough.
“Alright, now that that’s settled, let’s call it a night. We have work tomorrow.”
“Yes. …Naoya-san, if you ever wish for it, I would gladly offer myself… to repay your kindness even a little…”
“Mom? I don’t quite understand, but me too! If the manager wants it!”
“I don’t want it! Alright, you two, off to bed! See you tomorrow!”
“Hehe, see you tomorrow. …Thank you, Naoya-san. Good night.”
“Good night!”
I gently pushed Francine-san and Colette out of the room after their unsettling remarks.
Seriously, what if they were serious?
Colette didn’t seem to fully grasp it, though.
Maybe it was just Francine-san’s way of joking? Or changing the mood? Probably. Hopefully.
The 48th day since I became the manager of Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store.
The long day was finally coming to an end.
There’s nothing else, right? Chloe, who stayed over, is asleep with Carol-san, right? Please let there be nothing else!