Episode 5-18

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“Anna-chan! We’ll take 10 over here!”

“Darn it! Just because you’re carrying a pouch doesn’t mean you can get all dirty, you filthy peddler! Fine, Anna-san, we’ll take 20!”

“Please, everyone, calm down. This is a special product, so it’s limited to three per person.”

“Delicious! What is this? What is this?”

“It’s amazing, incredibly delicious! Truly the legendary meat!”

“Kufufufu….. Huahahahaha! Look, Naoya! So many customers! Thank you for your purchases!”

“At this price for this dish… buying up… limited quantity. To find out the supplier…”

“…it’s a secret.”

On the 10th day since I became the manager at the Aion Mall Otherworld store.

The special booth for pre-cooked food sales and the eat-in area in front of the store were overflowing with more people than ever before.

By the way, there’s that suspicious merchant over there plotting something. Finding suppliers right in front of… the suppliers themselves? So, the producer?

“Alright, this will become the flagship product. DRAGON STEAK, and DRAGON TAIL SOUP.”

Barbera entrusted me with dragon tail meat.

After tasting the meat before opening, I immediately decided on the cooking method.

Grilled meat slices for tasting were already delicious on their own.

Seasoned with salt and pepper, they turned into exquisitely tender steak with rich juices.

However, not all of the tail can be turned into steak.

The area around the bones, close to the skin, and the tip of the tail couldn’t be made into steak.

When I tried making “tail soup” thinking, “If we’re talking about the tail, it has to be this.”

Simply simmering with aromatic vegetables turned out to be delicious.

No need for blanching to remove the odor, pressing out the blood, or slow simmering.

It was so delicious that Chloe, Barbera, and Anna-san drooled and had to be served during business hours. Dragons are amazing.

“Wow, a famous scene at Aion Mall on a holiday, a huge traffic jam at the parking entrance. But now’s not the time to leisurely enjoy it… huh?”

Starting sales during the morning peak, the rumors seem to have reached the town.

Even though usually only people using the road would stop by, carriages were coming from the town one after another.

Traffic jam was happening at the rotating circle in front of the Aion Mall Otherworld store.

Both Chloe and Anna-san were dealing with customers, and I was about to manage the traffic…

I noticed someone coming.

Well, not just someone, but…

“Huh? A rabbit costume from the warehouse?”

The hopping rabbit costume had a red guiding rod in hand.

When it reached a congested spot, it swung the guiding rod with a big motion. It was enthusiastic.

The exaggerated actions were clear and the carriage drivers obediently followed.

“Oh, that’s helpful… wait, but I’m here, and Chloe, Anna-san, and Barbera are all attending to customers. Huh?”

Looking at the far back

In the shadows of the dim entrance of the Aion Mall Otherworld store, apron-clad skeletons were gazing outside.

They seemed worried, fluttering nervously.

Today, all the staff were gathered at the special booth, so the interior of the Aion Mall Otherworld store had only a passage to the restroom open.

The vegetables brought by the local farmers were displayed outside today.

So, well, even if the skeletons were there, they probably wouldn’t be found. That’s fine though.

“Huh? Are all the apron-clad skeletons here too? Then who’s inside that costume?”

There’s nobody inside. That’s impossible.

Looking at the rabbit costume managing traffic with its entire body, it locked eyes with me and jumped up, waving its hand.

With an overly delighted action, I realized.

“That feeling… it’s the ghost…. The black mist.”

The ghost that always floated around the store’s airspace, full of curiosity and big reactions, seemed to have possessed the costume.

Recognizing it just by its movements, I might have been influenced by the other world quite a bit.

But well, that kind of “pyu” movement, that fearful yet curious vibe, like “I’m useful too!” – that’s how I felt.

“…Ah. In other words, there really is ‘nobody inside it!’? No, no, no.”

The Aion Mall Otherworld store experienced its biggest crowd ever.

With all the staff present in the truest sense, we were catering to a large number of customers.

With the help of not only a cat’s paw but also dragon’s claws and undead hands.

“It was amazing, Naoya! Even though it was limited, everything was sold out before evening! Cutlets, hamburgers, beef stew, even the old ladies’ vegetables!”

“Ah, it seems some people were just ‘buying for takeaway.’ Being a bit far from the town, they probably thought it’d be a waste to return empty-handed.”

Overcoming an unprecedented rush of customers, the business day at the Aion Mall Otherworld store came to an end.

As Chloe said, there are no more products left.

The flagship products, Dragon Steak and Dragon Tail Soup, were sold out early, followed by various side dishes and even the ingredients for replicating the dishes at home. The supply of vegetables from local farmers and gardening supplies had also run out.

“See, I told you, Naoya! You should’ve increased the price for the steak and soup! The fact that the legendary dragon meat dishes were sold at this price… If they weren’t limited, I would’ve bought them all!”

“Please stop, Chloe. If the products don’t appear on the shelves, they’re out of stock. Rather, you should seek the blessings of the forest, not meat, Elf.”

Compared to the products we had been selling, the Dragon Steak and Dragon Tail Soup were priced significantly higher.

In terms of Japanese yen, the steak was priced at 10,000 yen per serving, and the soup at 5,000 yen – a price comparable to a high-end restaurant.

“These flagship products are fine. Actually, let’s consider them good enough. Thanks to Barbera, we’re even achieving the goal of one billion yen in monthly sales.”

I glanced briefly at Barbera.

For some reason, she was looking at her left hand.

“Naoya-san, is it alright to have the sales of the dragon meat dishes on a ten-day schedule? With the ‘healing’ magic…”

“Enough, Anna-san! Please stop that torturous idea of healing and cutting and healing! Even though you look kind, undead are still scary!”

“I see, then… ‘Tooka! Hatsuu-ka sanjuu nichi do ra goon seeru!’ Is that good?”(Tenth day! Twentieth day and thirtieth day is Dragon Sale!)

“Well, the rhythm doesn’t have to be like that, but it’s fine. Hmm, let’s see, there might be an issue with the timing of the tail naturally growing… No, something feels off. Am I sane?”

I shook my head slightly as if trying to shake off the thought.

I noticed Barbera staring at her left hand again.

“Huh? What’s wrong, Barbera? You’ve been acting strange for a while now.”

“…Sold out.”

Barbera muttered under her breath.

She was gazing at her left hand, drool dripping from her mouth.

“Oh, I see. So, you were thinking that since the sample was delicious but sold out, you wouldn’t be able to eat it anymore, and if that’s the case, you should prepare some meat. Since the tail hasn’t grown yet, you’d use your left hand.”

Barbera nodded in agreement.

Chloe rested her hand on the hilt of the spirit sword Epee du Pois.

Anna-san sent a glance toward the skeleton team and called for assistance to help Barbera with her transformation.

“What a smooth coordination! Wait, wait, wait! Hold on! I have some leftovers! Even though it’s not recommended, I saved some for three people!”

“Ohhh! Really, Naoya! I thought I had to endure it as an employee! Hah! Could it be that you were threatening me with something like ‘If you want this, then…’ and planning to eat my body instead? Ugh, well, there’s no other choice!”

“Hey, admitting it won’t change anything, you dimwitted knight. I’m not threatening you. This is a reward for your hard work today.”

“Thank you, Naoya-san! In that case, there’s no need for ‘healing’ magic, right?”

“Ah, yes. Wait, Anna-san, were you serious too? Well, the Dragon Steak and Dragon Tail Soup were delicious, though.”

“…Hurry up.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m on it. Really, Barbera, you seem so happy. Eating yourself… well, if you’re fine with it, I guess it’s okay. Is it okay?”

Led by Barbera, we headed from the register to the kitchen.

The three of them seemed delighted, and I was apparently the only one pondering whether it was okay to eat her meat herself.

Well, I did taste it, cooked it, and sold it, after all. The familiarity is quite unnerving! This is getting weird in another world!

The 10th day since I became the manager at the Aion Mall Otherworld store.

Number of visitors, 312.

Total sales, 1,943,000 yen.

The publicity effect of the flagship products, Dragon Steak and Dragon Tail Soup, was tremendous, resulting in a daily record-breaking number of visitors and sales that were more than double the previous records.

“But honestly, with this current situation, it seems challenging to surpass one hundred million yen in monthly sales with just prepared foods and ingredients. Relying solely on dragon meat might work, but… there are scales to consider too.”

Expanding sales in the current direction seems to have its limits.

Aion Mall Otherworld store.

To achieve monthly sales of one hundred million yen within the next five months is still a long way off.