AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 96
Episode 9-5
“Haaaaaah!? What in the flying duck!? What is this!? What the heck, Iori!?”
My scream echoed through the midnight Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
The place where the skeletons had called me to, where I went with Anna-san.
When I looked at the loading dock, I couldn’t help but scream.
“What… what is this…”
Anna-san walked around seriously, inspecting the surroundings.
The apron-wearing skeleton followed her closely.
The skeleton commander with the flowing cape and the skeleton squad were staring intently at the center of the loading space.
“No, really, what is this. I know what this is, but…”
In the center of the loading space.
I couldn’t take my eyes off it either.
“It’s a regular roll container… And it even has the Aion logo on it.”
The roll container was a little over a meter wide, less than a meter long, and about as tall as I am.
It’s the large, foldable type that you see in warehouses and backyards everywhere, not just at our place.
Well, it has the Aion logo on the side, so this roll container is definitely from Aion.
There’s a roll container in the loading space.
If that were all, it wouldn’t be strange.
In an Aion Mall, that’s a common sight, and I saw them every day.
At the Haruhino store.
“Oh, maybe someone brought it here? Could it be the skeletons, Barbera, the peddler’s daughter playing a prank, or maybe Chloe didn’t understand and brought it? Haha, I wonder who it was, I’ll have to remind them tomorrow.”
No, nothing is strange.
An Aion logo roll container is here at the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store too.
Look, there are several folded and stored in the corner of the loading space.
There’s nothing strange. Nothing at all.
“Naoya-san. This isn’t what you think it is.”
“Ha, haha, Anna-san, don’t look so serious. It made me lose my cool. Look, it’s just a regular roll container. A roll container loaded with goods.”
I tried to soothe the seriously looking Anna-san.
I smiled and approached the roll container.
Three roll containers were standing there in the middle of the loading space.
All three were stacked high with cardboard boxes.
“This prank is pretty elaborate. So, it’s probably not Barbera. Chloe wouldn’t do something this complicated either.”
I felt like I was walking on clouds, all floaty.
My gaze was unfocused.
A hand was placed gently on my shoulder.
“Naoya-san…”
“What is it, Anna-san? Don’t tell me you’re the one who played this prank? Come on, I got all flustered.”
“Naoya-san, calm down and look at the roll container. There’s a note on it.”
“Oh, there really is. How did I miss this big thing?”
“What does it say?”
“Huh? Anna-san, you can read simple Japanese, right? Can’t you read this too?”
“I can read it. But I’m not confident, so please read it and tell me.”
“Ah, I understand. It says…”
While talking with Anna-san, I somehow ended up right in front of the roll containers.
Pointing at the large note on the front of the three containers.
The note was the typical “Sender and Recipient” label.
On delivery trucks that go to several stores, without this, there would be mix-ups. There’s nothing strange about it.
” ‘To: Otherworld Branch Store. From: Iori, Human Resources.’ So, it’s a shipment from the Aion headquarters.”
“Yes, I read it that way too. It seems I wasn’t mistaken.”
“Anna-san, you’re really impressive, learning Japanese on your own… Ahhhhh!”
“From Aion in Japan to the Otherworld Branch Store. I’m glad to know I wasn’t wrong.”
“There’s nothing strange… Of course, there is! This is a different world! What the heck, Iori!”
“Naoya-san…”
I need to stop avoiding reality.
It’s not strange for there to be roll containers in the loading space. It’s not strange for there to be loaded ones either.
But this is the Aion Mall Otherwordly Store on my 22nd day as store manager.
There’s no way a shipment could arrive from the Aion headquarters in Japan.
No way a delivery company could bring it here, right?
“The transfer gate only connects once every six months! So even if we return, it’ll be in six months! Since it’s not connected, we only have the goods we currently have here and the ones that are here!”
“Please calm down, Naoya-san.”
“If it were connected, we’d get more products! More staff! More tenants!”
“Na-Naoya-san, get a hold of yourself! Everyone, stop Naoya-san!”
I grabbed the roll container and shook it violently.
The apron-wearing skeletons were panicking around me.
Anna-san seemed to be gathering magic, possibly to use a spell.
A letter slipped off the top of the shaking roll container.
I regained my senses.
The magic Anna-san had gathered dissipated.
Silently, I picked up the envelope.
It had the Aion Corporation logo on it.
Like the shipment, it was addressed to me and sent by Iori from Human Resources.
“Something must be in that letter explaining why we received a small shipment through the transfer gate that only connects once every six months. Could you please read it, Naoya-san?”
Without responding to Anna-san, I ripped open the envelope.
Inside the A4-sized envelope were four long, folded envelopes.
I took one long envelope and handed the remaining three to Anna-san.
“Oh, this one is addressed to me. And the others are for Chloe-san and Barbera-chan.”
I opened my envelope.
I quickly scanned the documents.
…
I scanned them again.
The content hadn’t changed.
“We’ll need to investigate this… I can’t believe the magic wavelength of the land has changed in such a short period…”
Without responding to Anna-san, I looked over the documents again.
The content hadn’t changed.
“Every two weeks to a month, a small transfer gate will connect to Japan. This is a significant change, isn’t it?”
“Even if it’s only enough for three roll containers, it’s still a big deal.”
Apparently, Anna-san’s letter said the same thing.
I looked away from the documents and at the goods from Japan.
I rummaged through the top of the roll container.
I found a small business bag.
I unzipped it to find a laptop with incomprehensible symbols on it.
“And every three days to a week, we can send and receive data using this laptop. In other words—”
I looked at the documents.
I looked at the laptop.
I looked at the roll containers.
“Even though it’s small-scale, we can order! Receive shipments! And sell products!”
I raised my hand high in the air.
Still holding the documents and the laptop.
“Yes! Well done! Well done, Iori! Aion is amazing! Aion is the best! Long live Aion!”
I did a little dance.
I shouted like a new employee who had just finished their training.
The skeleton squad joined in, clattering as they danced.
“Fufu. We need to investigate, but… this will expand our business opportunities.”
Anna-san looked up from her letter and smiled at our dancing.
On my 22nd day as store manager, now the 23rd day, the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store will receive a small shipment of three roll containers every two weeks to a month.
And we can place orders.
“Alright! This kind of change is more than welcome! Aion Mall is the best!”
Unlike right after my new employee training, it’s a bit lonely having no one to shout with.
I wonder if skeletons can have vocal cords… No, never mind. Not that I’m scared. Really, I’m not.