Published: August 2, 2025
The Next Day
“Good morning. Did something happen?”
When I showed up at the shop, shadows gathered in the kitchen.
“Ah, manager.”
“Good morning~”
“It’s this.”
The three girls who had come for work stepped aside to reveal three plates piled high with sausages on the workbench. They were linked together in long coils—quite a hefty amount.
“The lady next door brought these to celebrate her contract with a limule bird~”
“And also, she said that the deodorant liquid you left yesterday isn’t enough just as slime feed,” they added.
“It seems it was really useful. She left just a moment ago with a big smile.”
“I see. We must have just missed each other.”
“Let’s use these for lunch today.”
Ms. Shelma, who was standing in front of the fridge, declared this. Would they grill them or make a soup? Either way, I was looking forward to it.
After parting ways with the three girls returning to work, I headed to the office. Mr. Calm gave me a report.
“Looks like the rumors have spread.”
“It was nothing but the facts, so it wasn’t difficult. We’ll have to observe how things unfold from here.”
“I see… How about the shop?”
“No significant changes. No sabotage either… Oh, by the way, a madam came asking if we sell the deodorant liquid.”
“Deodorant liquid? Maybe she heard about it from Mr. Zeke… I can vouch for its effectiveness and safety, but will it sell?”
“Actually, some customers want it. It’s related to the shop’s work, so I think it’s fine to stock it.”
“What about the burden of selling it?”
“Bottling it is a simple task anyone can do, and Mr. Kokin and the others have been researching it during their free time. It should be fine to have them handle it in between other tasks.”
“...Then, just to be safe, from tomorrow we’ll re-verify the safety with Mr. Kokin and the others. If there are no issues, let’s stock some. I’ll prepare an accounting board too.”
Planning to sell the deodorant liquid, I quietly worked on preparations in the back of the shop until lunch was ready.
After Lunch
“Well then, what should I do this afternoon...”
I was out of work. The workload was small, and today the future manager candidates, Mr. Kokin and others, had taken what little there was as teaching material.
With no work here... maybe I’ll focus on building traps.
On the way back to the abandoned mine shaft, I thought this through.
“Ryoma, is that you?”
“Asagi-san, hello. Are you off today?”
“Indeed. Sometimes it’s necessary to rest the body. And you, Ryoma, are you working today?”
“I just finished and was heading back.”
“I see. Then this is perfect.”
Asagi-san suddenly took a bottle from a furoshiki cloth bundle.
“Ryoma, you were blessed by the god of liquor, right? Please accept this.”
“The smell of sake… could it be Japanese sake?”
“Oh! You know it. This is Daiginjo, made in my hometown. It’s a type of sake called Nihonshu.”
“Thank you very much.”
“It’s a gift. They say it’s auspicious to offer sake to someone blessed by the god of liquor.”
I remembered hearing something like that in common knowledge.
“I’ll drink it while wishing you good fortune, Asagi-san.”
Japanese sake—how nostalgic. I’ll have some after so long.
“Ryoma, you seem well-versed in my hometown.”
“My grandparents told me a lot about it.”
“I see.”
“…By the way, Asagi-san, where do you get your swords?”
Wanting to avoid slipping up on personal background, I asked a question I had been wanting to ask for a while. With protection matters in mind, I wanted a proper sword soon.
“I regularly use items sent from my hometown. Do you want a sword, Ryoma? Or do you want to use it as a weapon?”
“I want it for use.”
Though I had learned how to handle a sword, longswords were the mainstream here. The Tigger Armory I visited last time didn’t sell swords either.
“Unfortunately, you can’t get one around here. There are shops in the Royal Capital, but swords are weapons meant for battle in my hometown, prized art pieces abroad, symbols of us samurai, and considered our souls.