AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 180
Check my other translation works for other interesting stories
Maria : Mebius World Online
Ouren/Yuuzen : I Was a Small Fish
Episode 13-20
The 63rd day since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store.
Though we’re not officially open for business, the setting sun shines through the food court, where we have just welcomed our first visitor.
Before I knew it, quite a bit of time had passed.
I mean, four business negotiations in a row—of course, it would.
As I gazed out the window, I found myself absentmindedly thinking about it.
“Naoya-san? Are you alright?”
“Oh my my? Naoya-san, are you feeling unwell? That won’t do at all.”
“My apologies.”
I was pulled back from my moment of escapism by Anna-san beside me and a voice from directly in front of me.
Right in front of me stood the Merchant Guild Leader—a plump man draped in fluttering robes, adorned with glittering accessories.
“So, are you serious about wanting to open a tenant store here?”
“But of course, I am serious. Do I look like someone who would joke about such things?”
“No, not at all.”
An Elf from the same homeland as Chloe, the royal capital’s trading company belonging to Francine-san’s family, and a Dwarf interested in Japanese industrial goods.
These all made sense as potential tenants.
But the Merchant Guild Leader, huh?
He doesn’t seem like a bad person, despite his appearance… but that appraising gaze of his is definitely a hassle to deal with.
“Why do you want to open a tenant store? As the Guild Leader, you already hold a position in the city, and I assume your esteemed trading company is quite profitable…”
“Oh my? Is Naoya-san rejecting our trading company?”
“That’s not what I meant… but if I could, it sure would make things easier.”
The second half of my muttered comment didn’t seem to reach the Guild Leader.
No—judging by his smirking expression, he might have heard it but was simply pretending he didn’t.
Man, he’s difficult to deal with.
“So, why a ‘tenant store’ specifically?”
“That’s obvious! I’m betting on the future of Naoya-san and Aion Mall!”
The Guild Leader spoke with a clearly fake smile and an equally fake-sounding line.
He even went as far as to spread his arms wide in an exaggerated gesture.
I stared at him, and he sighed dramatically, as if lamenting how I just didn’t understand.
“Well, let’s set that aside for now. What kind of products are you planning to sell? I’d like to avoid direct competition between tenants as much as possible.”
“Our trading company will be selling ‘jewelry’ in this tenant store.”
“Jewelry…? You mean gemstones and high-end accessories?”
“Exactly! As expected of Naoya-san, you catch on quickly.”
“Flattery won’t get me to agree. Jewelry, huh? Considering the kind of customers we get at Aion, I feel like it might be too expensive to be viable.”
“That won’t be a problem. So, what do you think? You’ll allow us to open a tenant store, won’t you?”
“Let me ask again—why go out of your way to sell jewelry in an Aion tenant store? You already have a shop in the city.”
“There are two reasons.”
“Go on.”
“The first—Francine’s family’s trading company mentioned this, didn’t they? There’s a tax imposed when goods pass through the city walls. The more expensive the item, the higher the tax.”
“Ah, so that’s why you want to sell jewelry outside the city. That’s why a tenant store, huh?”
“Precisely. Naoya-san has gained the trust of the Dwarves, and they’re also planning to set up shop here, yes?”
“What do the Dwarves have to do with this?”
“Naoya-san. Most likely, the source of these gemstones is the mountains where the Dwarves reside.”
“I see. That means transportation and distribution can be streamlined. Taxes and expenses will be lower, too.”
“Exactly. And, more importantly… with Dwarves nearby, there’s no chance of being tricked with fake goods. Dwarves can see through counterfeits immediately.”
“Wow, they’re really making full use of the tenant location… I guess you could call it a synergistic effect?”
When I asked Anna-san about it, she mentioned that Dwarves aren’t usually the ones handling trade directly.
Apparently, other races are typically involved in the transactions.
Dwarves love mining and craftsmanship, but they tend to be pretty lax when it comes to selling. Once they’ve completed their work, they’re satisfied and leave it at that.
Kind of like those farmers who grow insanely good vegetables but sell them at ridiculously low prices…
“You said there were two reasons, right?”
“Yes. When handling jewelry, there is one major concern. Can you guess what it is? I’m sure someone as sharp as Naoya-san would figure it out right away.”
“The way you phrase things… Well, since we already covered counterfeits earlier, I’d say… customer service and security? High-end brands tend to struggle with those aspects.”
“Splendid! That’s exactly right, Naoya-san! Do you have any idea how much of a headache security is for those of us dealing in high-value goods?”
“Yeah, I can imagine it’s even tougher than in my old world. There aren’t any security companies here, either.”
“Precisely! But Aion Mall—despite being open for some time—has never once been attacked by monsters or thieves. You must have some incredibly skilled guards employed, don’t you?”
The Guild Leader smirked as he glanced at Chloe, surrounded by her family, then at Anna-san sitting beside me, and finally up toward the ceiling of the food court.
Wait a minute.
Did he figure it out?
Is he looking past the second-floor ceiling—at the rooftop above it?
“Oh my, this must be an important store secret. I had no intention of prying.”
“H-Haa…”
“…Naoya-san, what will you do? Shall I just go ‘woosh’ and take care of it?”
“Please don’t ask that in a whisper! And what exactly do you mean by ‘woosh’? That’s terrifying, Anna-san!”
“If we move our jewelry division here, we can avoid taxes. Transportation costs might also be reduced. And security won’t be a concern. That’s why I strongly wish to establish a tenant store here.”
“Thank you very much for the compliment.”
Now I understood why the Merchant Guild Leader wanted to open a tenant store.
The current customer base didn’t align with his business, but if he was focusing on cost reduction and long-term potential, it made sense.
Nobles and the wealthy didn’t visit stores themselves—they summoned shop attendants to them. So even if the jewelry division moved out of the city, the trading company would still manage.
Merchants coming to buy stock and common folk willing to save up and purchase would simply have to come here instead of going into the city.
It made sense.
It made sense, but…
“Aion Mall’s premises and facilities are under security surveillance. However, each tenant store is responsible for its own internal security. Please handle that yourselves.”
“Oh, of course! Naturally! There are always some ill-intentioned individuals out there—truly lamentable.”
“As long as you understand that, then…”
“So I may establish a tenant store?! My, my, thank you so much!”
The Guild Leader started rubbing his hands together.
He was probably also thinking about stealing insights into Aion’s security system and operational know-how.
Well, anything that isn’t a company secret—if he can figure it out just by observing, I suppose that’s fair game.
“It’s not finalized yet. We’ll discuss the conditions first. If you still wish to proceed, you’ll need to submit the necessary paperwork, and then we’ll review it.”
“Oh, I understand completely. After all, the city’s open-air market is under the jurisdiction of the Merchant Guild, and we handle such procedures regularly.”
The hand-rubbing didn’t stop.
It should be a good thing for Aion—new product variety, new customer demographics… yet, I couldn’t shake this uneasy feeling.
…For now, I’d need to talk things over with Anna-san later.
More tenant stores meant more employees. I had to figure out the undead staffing situation and take precautions to avoid exposure.
Chloe’s fellow Elves were one thing, but the royal capital’s trading company connected to Francine-san probably wouldn’t be as accepting of undead.
And the Guild Leader?
No, actually, he might be thrilled—he seems like the type who’d view undead workers, capable of laboring 24/7, as a ‘valuable asset’ rather than a problem.
The 63rd day since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store.
This time, the traveling merchant caravans that arrived at Aion were all tenant applicants—four groups in total.
If they all joined, along with Francine-san’s galette shop, the catfolk clothing store, and the harbor town specialty goods store, that would make seven stores in total.
At this point, it might truly be worthy of the name “Aion Mall.”