AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 88
Episode 8-15
“Today was amazing, Naoya! I’ve never seen so many customers before! Aion Mall is truly incredible!”
“Calm down, Chloe. While this might be a record for the otherworld store, this is actually quite normal for Aion Malls in Japan. In fact, it’s on the smaller side.”
It’s been twenty days since I became the manager of Aion Mall Otherworldly Store. Today was our second sale event and the first one we properly announced <The “Dragon Sale”> and it ended in a big success.
The dragon steak, dragon tail soup, and dragon meat were sold out early in the afternoon. Even the prepared foods, meats, and vegetables were gone by late afternoon.
Chloe, excitedly chattering next to me while I closed the registers, couldn’t contain her enthusiasm. The sheer number of customers, with lines forming at the checkout counters, had her in high spirits.
“Naoya-san, have you finished the tally? How were today’s sales and customer numbers?”
“Just a moment, Anna-san. I’m printing it out now.”
Chloe wasn’t the only one excited. Anna-san was also eager to know the results, frequently checking in with me. Anna-san had been leading the cleanup operation. The skeletons in aprons and the armored skeleton squad were diligently tidying up. Now that it was night and the store was closed, there were no customers or passersby to worry about.
“Our galettes sold out too! Everyone said they were delicious!”
“That’s wonderful, Colette.”
“Ah! You need to lie down, Mom! Just like the healer said!”
With her tail wagging, Colette, the dog beastman girl who sold galettes, approached, followed by her human mother, Fancine-san. Despite having been resting with medication from Anna-san, she was clearly eager to know today’s results.
They were too talented to be temporary hires. If they could join as tenants, great. If not, maybe we could recruit them as employees—
“…I’m hungry.”
“Ah, right. Just wait a bit, and we’ll have a shot once I’m done here.”
“…Shot? Fire Breath?”
“Not that kind of shooting, Barbera! I mean a celebration!”
Barbera seemed more hungry than curious about the results. As usual, she was laid-back. However, without Barbera, the Dragon Sale wouldn’t have been possible. She was our biggest contributor, or rather, our supplier. Don’t think too hard about it, I told myself.
Eventually, all the staff and temporary hires of Aion Mall Otherworldly Store gathered around the register. The Peddler family had already left for the town to spend the night, planning to do maintenance on their horse and wagon and enjoy a family outing now that their daughter had been cured of the Red Death disease.
“Just tell us already, Naoya! Wait, could it be that you’ll say, ‘If you want to know, I’ll have to teach you…with your body,’ and then attack me! Kuh- Kill me!”
“What kind of twisted thinking is that, you ero elf? Seriously, how would I even teach sales numbers and customer counts with your body?”
I lightly jabbed at Chloe’s usual absurdity, then grabbed the printout from the register. I could feel the anticipation from Anna-san, Chloe, Colette, Fancine-san, and Barbera. Even the skeletons in aprons, the armored skeleton squad, and the ghost-possessed mascot suits were watching me. Ah, you’ve finished cleaning up. Thanks, everyone. You’re always a big help.
“Alright, let’s announce the results.”
Aion Mall Otherworldly Store has a monthly sales target of 100 million yen. If we don’t achieve this within five months, the future of the otherworld store will be uncertain, and securing the Transference Gate back to Japan will be difficult.
The monthly target is 100 million yen, which breaks down to roughly 3.34 million yen per day. The results of our first heavily advertised sale are—
“Customer count is 387! Today’s sales are 2,486,000 yen!”
“Wh-what!? Th-three hundred eighty-sev-!? Two million!?”
“You’re too flustered, Chloe. You can’t even speak properly. Pretty sure it’s not the translation ring’s fault.”
“It’s accurate, isn’t it, Naoya-san? Considering our hours were from 8 AM to 6 PM, that’s about 38 customers per hour. Given the lines at the register, it’s not an unreasonable number.”
“Anna-san, your quick mental math to validate the data is seriously impressive.”
“Amazing, amazing, Manager! Everyone was so happy!”
“Colette, you’re so straightforward and adorable. Your emotions are so easy to read with your tail wagging like that. It’s truly soothing.”
“There were customers who bought multiple dishes and those who bought up to the limit. As you predicted, the average spend per customer was high. Naoya-san, you truly are remarkable.”
“Wait, Fancine-san? Your understanding of the situation is on par with Anna-san’s, who’s been studying books even before I arrived? And this is your first day as a temporary hire?”
“…Sold out.”
“That’s right, Barbera. All the prepared foods, meats, and vegetables sold out. The missed opportunity to sell more is my responsibility as the manager. I’ll think of something next time.”
Whether she was listening or not, Barbera kept staring at her left arm.
“…I’m hungry.”
Barbera murmured. I’d heard that earlier. She kept staring at her left hand, drooling a bit.
“Ah, I get it. The food was delicious but sold out, so now you’re thinking of getting some meat ready. And since you haven’t grown your tail back yet, you’re looking at your left hand.”
Barbera nodded. Chloe reached for the hilt of her spirit sword, Épée du Poids. Anna glanced at the skeleton squad, signaling them to help Barbera undress before transforming.
“What’s with this seamless coordination!? Wait, wait, wait! We have some! I saved six portions just for us!”
“Ohhh! Really, Naoya!? I was trying to endure as a staff member! But, wait, could it be that you’ll say ‘If you want this, you’ll have to give me your body,’ and then—! Ugh, it can’t be helped!”
“Why are you agreeing to that, Chloe? I’m not threatening anyone. This is a reward for today’s hard work.”
“Thank you, Naoya-san. Then, there’s no need for ‘healing’ for Barbera.”
“Uh, right. Anna-san, were you serious about that? Sure, the dragon steak and dragon tail soup were delicious, but…”
“Um, is it really okay, Manager? I can hold back! It’s important to sell this product and earn money.”
“Yes, Colette. Naoya-san, we are just temporary helpers. You’ve already treated us generously; please don’t worry about us.”
“Today is special. We didn’t meet our daily sales target, but we set new records for both sales and customer numbers. Please, don’t hold back.”
“…Hurry.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll get it ready now. You look so happy, Barbera. You’re going to eat yourself… well, if you’re okay with it, I guess it’s fine. Right?”
Barbera took my hand and led everyone to the kitchen from the register.
The second sale at Aion Mall Otherworldly Store, the first one we had promoted extensively, ended with all products sold out. However, even with the sale, we couldn’t meet the daily average sales target. This means that even if we have this many customers every day, we won’t hit the monthly target of 100 million yen.
“We can’t increase the number of dragon meat sales. We need to either stock more of the other meats and vegetables or sell other products…”
Lost in thought, I felt Chloe’s hand on my shoulder.
“Hehe, in ten days, we’ll have another ‘Dragon Sale’! We just need to prepare for it!”
“…Daddy’s meat? Mommy?”
“Let’s not do that, Barbera. Your parents’ meat is far more valuable, and it even gave me, an outsider, magical powers. It would definitely cause an uproar.”
“That’s a wise decision. Naoya-san, are you experiencing any changes in your body? Humans without any magical power didn’t exist in this world before. Likewise, there’s never been a human who gained magic from zero. Ideally, I’d like to take my time to research this…”
“Let’s not, Anna-san. The word ‘research’ coming from a high-level undead lich sounds ominous. And no, I haven’t noticed any changes. None whatsoever.”
“Today was so much fun. Becoming a tenant, huh…”
“We should take our time thinking about how to best assist Naoya-san and the Apothecary. After all, they cured me. Living without the outer walls’ protection seems trivial compared to that.”
“Details. Fancine-san, could you tell me more about that?”
Temporary hires Colette and Fancine-san are scheduled to stay at the Aion Lounge tonight.
Today marked the 20th day since I became the store manager of Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
The number of visitors was 387. Sales amounted to 2,486,000 yen.
With our current product lineup, it seems unlikely we’ll meet the monthly sales target even with the ‘Dragon Sale.’
Securing tenants, products, and employees… There’s a lot to do to boost our sales.
For starters, talking to Fancine-san should help us understand why the ‘Tenant Recruitment’ notice at the Merchants Guild hasn’t gotten any responses. I also want to ask about her relationship with the guild master.
…She wouldn’t say he’s her ex, right? We don’t need that kind of drama with employees, business partners, or rival companies.