AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 91
Episode 8-18
“Thank you for shopping with us today.”
“Oh, I’ll be back, Anna-chan!”
“He’s hopeless already, but he’s persistent.”
“Come on, let’s go. The last carriage is about to leave.”
“We can walk. It’s easier to ride, though.”
It’s the 21st day since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
Around 5 PM, we saw off the last customers before closing.
The adventurers, returning from a nearby dungeon, boarded the last free shuttle carriage with their takeout meals.
They first came during the Dragon Sale and have become regulars since then. Whether it’s for the food or Anna-san, I can’t tell.
As the carriage hit the road, Anna-san, who had been bowing beside me, raised her head.
Her usual smile remained unchanged, indicating no interest in the adventurer’s advances. Anna-san is undead, after all.
“No guests now. It’s usually a quiet time until closing.”
“Then, Naoya-san, I’ll proceed with the task we discussed.”
“Oh, right. Please be careful not to be seen from the back.”
Anna-san nodded once and walked along the brick path between the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store and the parking lot without going inside.
I watched her leave, then went back into the store.
“Welcome back.”
“The last carriage just left, so it should return in about an hour.”
“Thank you for letting me know.”
The one who greeted me was the Peddler-san’s wife.
One of the couple always drives the free shuttle carriage while the other helps in the daily goods section, alternating with their daughter. As the manager of an understaffed Aion Mall Otherworldly Store, I greatly appreciate their help.
Even without guests, the interior of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store was brightly lit.
To the left from the main entrance is the supermarket section.
It displays fresh vegetables from nearby farms and various meats from the local butcher.
Additionally, there are prepared dishes and bento boxes made in the back kitchen.
Dragon meat and dragon steaks are limited to the Dragon Sale, but the supermarket section is our main source of daily sales.
However, no items imported from Japan are sold here.
Many areas are roped off, making it still incomplete as a supermarket.
I walked down the aisle from the main entrance.
On the right side, opposite the supermarket, is the drugstore area.
Here too, many aisles are roped off.
In fact, only the area in front of the pharmacy counter is open.
It’s mostly face-to-face sales of Anna-san’s handmade medicines.
These medicines, which are not available in town, have a high unit price despite the low volume of sales.
Supermarket and drugstore.
I walked slowly, looking at both sides.
Past the small operational area of the supermarket, to the left, is the daily goods section run by the Peddler-san family, treated as a “tenant.”
They stock various items from this world, selected and procured by Peddler-san.
Ropes, used clothes, burlap sacks, water bags, shovels, knives, small pickaxes, kindling, fire starters, small wooden buckets, ladles, wooden dishes, ceramic dishes used for prepared foods, preserved foods, and more.
The concept of the store is “things you forgot to buy in town but are convenient to have.”
Adding items like oil, spices, toys, cheap ointments, and cold medicine makes it a shop suited for farming villages.
Initially, sales were slow, but word spread among adventurers, and it now sells reasonably well.
Unexpectedly, even the local farmers started buying items, not wanting to go all the way to town.
“Ah, Manager!”
“Huh? Colette, are you done organizing the luggage?”
“Yes! We didn’t have many belongings, so…”
Colette’s tail, which had been wagging, stopped.
Feeling awkward, I looked away.
Across from the daily goods corner is the galette stall.
Unlike the “beer vendors at the stadium,” this is a crepe stand where the galettes are cooked right in front of the customers, just like crepe stalls in Japan.
In Japan, griddles need gas or electricity and require installation work, but here, a magic stone stove can do the job.
So, it could be set up anywhere, and Barbera and Anna-san managed the installation.
Colette was preparing for tomorrow’s sales.
“Mom’s excited to start working tomorrow too!”
“Oh, tell Francine-san not to overdo it. She can sit and serve customers here.”
“Yes! Thank you so much for everything, Manager!”
Even though I hired Colette and Francine-san as employees, there’s usually no shortage of hands for sales or customer service except during the Dragon Sale.
So, I decided to set up a galette stall.
The enticing aroma of food is always a strong draw.
Having bought the recipe, it wasn’t necessary since Colette and Francine-san will be making them themselves, but it was part of the deal.
I walked down the aisle, leaving instructions for tomorrow.
Past the closed-off areas and customer restrooms, the tenant area was eerily empty despite being well-lit.
“No tenants yet, huh? Well, we’ll keep the recruitment ad with the Merchant Guild up, but it’s tough being outside the city walls.”
I muttered as I walked down the deserted aisle.
I passed a skeleton in an apron with toilet cleaning tools. Good job.
I exited the tenant area, went through the back office, and reached the rear of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
“Haha! Witness the sharpness of the Spirit Sword Epée du Poids!”
“…Carrying.”
“It’s crucial to have a clear view to spot monsters early. Thanks, Chloe. Barbera, you too. Chloe, next over there. Everyone, this way.”
Chloe enthusiastically swung her wooden sword, chopping down trees.
Barbera, looking about ten, carried the felled trees on her shoulder.
Anna-san watched with a smile, giving instructions to Chloe and the armored skeletons.
“Wow, so this is how construction works in another world. Amazing. It’ll be cleared in no time.”
I muttered in astonishment, clutching my head.
“No, this can’t be normal! They only started today, but it’s already so fast! This world is crazy, or rather, the Aion Mall employees are crazy!”
Behind the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store, where the loading dock and temporary parking area would be in Japan, the construction site for the employee apartments was filled with lumber and bricks.
The skeleton unit was hard at work on the construction.
The forest outside the site was much clearer now.
Only stumps and underbrush remained.
“Barbera, could you use your breath again? Just the moisture this time, leave the wood as it is.”
“…Got it. Phew!”
A line of fire extended from Barbera’s mouth, enveloping the freshly felled trees but leaving them unburnt.
Apparently, a dragon’s breath can “produce the result the dragon desires.”
“Just like the ceramic plates. This is terrifying. The Otherworld is terrifying.”
The wood and bricks stacked nearby must have been prepared the same way. Dragons are terrifying.
Despite starting only half a day ago, the construction site already had the framework of the apartments in place.
The skeleton unit was laying bricks, with Anna-san’s magic to reinforce them once arranged. This world is insane.
“How many buildings should we put up, Naoya-san? Will three be enough for now?”
“Yes, that should be plenty. It’s just Colette, Francine-san, the Peddler-san family, and me.”
Apparently, you can easily build apartments in this world. Huh.
Come to think of it, the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store itself was mostly built here, with only some materials brought over. Wow.
The 21st day of my tenure as the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store manager ended.
Number of customers: 194.
Sales: 571,000 yen.
The Dragon Sale must have made the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store and the free shuttle more well-known, as customer numbers have increased significantly.
But the goal of one billion yen in monthly sales is still far off.
“I want tenants, but considering the customer flow, I’d like to fully open the supermarket first.”
Lost in my thoughts, my voice didn’t reach Chloe, Anna-san, or Barbera.
The skeleton captain standing next to me nodded in agreement. Thanks for the supervision.