CH 9

It was early in the morning, not even the sun had risen yet.

I was outside the Aion Mall’s Otherworldly Store.

I stretched out carefully and took a few deep breaths.

I’m done stretching! The air is nice and clean, and the forest is close enough for me to get some fresh air.

The parking lot of the Aion Mall’s Otherworldly Store is mostly just bare dirt.

The road connecting the town and the city is also dirt, so this seems to be the norm in this world.

It is as large as the Aion Mall in Japan, which is to say, larger than a school ground, so it is no surprise that it is quite dusty.

“Maybe we should do something about this. The walls are going to get dirty fast. And if it rains, …… well, whether by carriage or on foot, there’s an asphalt connection from the entrance to the lot to the storefront.”

I put my hand to my chin and think about it.

Yesterday, 42 visitors and 16,000 yen in a day.

These numbers were hard to believe for an Aion mall.

In order to achieve the sales target of 100 million yen per month, the number of customers would have to increase first.

“Let’s just put up a sign. There’s water, there’s toilets, there’s shelter from the rain. …… wait, that sounds like rest area! There are no cars to begin with, but it’s a drive-in! But you know, like a roadside rest stop!”

I said to myself, and then I facepalming myself.

In the dimly lit early morning parking lot of Aion Mall. I’m totally looks like a suspicious person.

Well, nobody was around, and as long as they didn’t see me, I can do anythi-.

“Na, naoya?”

“I jinxed myself! Good morning, Chloe, you’re here early today!”

“G-good morning, Naoya.”

Chloe is a bit taken aback.

My eccentric behavior  was seen by the clumsy elf, the former store manager.

“I mean, are you okay, Naoya? I think you need to get some rest today.”

“Unlike yesterday’s heinous treatment, you’re being kind, but don’t let that kindness drain me. Please don’t worry about it. I’m not bothered by it. Rather, forget about it.”

“A-ah, I will forget about it then.”

Chloe backed away half a step.

Get rid of that forced twitching smile on your face.

“So, what’s up with you this early in the morning?”

“Ah, you said Naoya was going to be in charge starting today, right?　I’m so excited then I woke up early! I haven’t felt like this since I ran away from the elf village!”

What are you, a child? And I heard another line that I shouldn’t have heard!

“Hey, Naoya, is there anything I can do to help? We still have some time before we open for business, don’t we?”

“Ah, I see. I wonder what I should do.”

In order to make sales, I’m going to be in charge of the store as the manager from today.

Chloe was looking forward to knowing what I’m going to do.

I’ve only been with Aion for three years, but I’m an employee of Aion, and Chloe is a local hire, so she doesn’t know any other Aion malls.

I’m sure Chloe has been working hard and making her own way up until now. Though it’s only 16,000 yen in sales.

“I’m going to look for some more items that I think will sell, and I’d like to hear what Chloe has to say about them, but that can wait until later. …… Oh, yes, Chloe, I know. The ground is too plain dirt, and I’d like to plant some greenery, what do you think?”

“Are you insane, Naoya! There are not many places this big and flat!　You can turn it into a training ground if you want!”

“I don’t work out. We don’t even have soldiers. Ah, but we could rent it out as a plaza or as a field. Let’s plant greenery only on the border of the asphalt for now.”

“What a waste of a training ground. ……”

“Hold up, aren’t you an elf? Why the hell are you so fixated on military stuff but not greenery?  Besides, it’s only in the border.”

I wasn’t running to Kukkoro today, but as usual, Chloe is out of line.

I’m not sure if it’s my image of elves that’s out of place, though.

“Naoya? Where are we going?”

“I’m going to get something I can use to plant some greenery. We need tools for digging.”

“Digging? I know what you’re talking about, I heard it from the farmer’s auntie! Plowing! Dig! Deeper, plow me up ……, kuh- kill me!”

Ignoring Chloe’s nonsensical speech, which came from somewhere behind me, I head back inside the store.

The Otherworldly Aion Mall store, there is a corner of the space near the parking lot.

I went there to pick up the item I wanted.

“Chloe, take this and do a little digging and try to bury this seed. It’s just a testing thing, so you don’t have to do it on such a big scale.”

“Di-, dig it up and …… fill it with seed, …… the human race is too in heat like this early in the morning! Dear mother and father, Chloe is-“

It’s not like wht you fantasizyng. This is just a gardening tool. We have enough lawn seed and …… this is the shovel, you understand?”

What I gave to Chloe was a large shovel with a sharp edge and sow lawn seeds.

The Aion Mall Kasugano store where I worked when I was in Japan had another company’s home depot right next door, so they rarely carried gardening supplies.

But yesterday, when I was looking around for something to sell after the store closed, I found this.

“Oh, so that’s what this is all about. Ah, we have shovels. There are other tools for digging up dirt, though.”

“But this shovel’s not for sale, is it?”

“This shovel is so light! Wow, this is great, Naoya! I could dig up the whole crop with this thing!”

I thought elves cherished greenery. Also, her arms are very strong. I guess the elves of this world are physical types.

Chloe is smiling while handling the shovel.

I felt the wind pressure and moved away from her for a moment.

Well then, can you dig up the side of the asphalt and plant some grass seed? I don’t know if the grass will grow over there, just a little is fine.”

“Leave it to me, Naoya!”

After one big swing, Chloe shouldered the shovel.

Chloe walked away from me with a big grin on her face.

I walked into the Aion Mall’s Otherworldly Store to look for items that would sell in this world, thinking that shovels might sell well.

“Furniture is a bit tricky because there is not much in stock. Appliances are a no-go because there is no electricity in the other world. Or is it possible that there is electricity in the Otherworld? No. …… Aiwon Mall must be special. Clothing on the second floor. There are a good number of them, but I don’t know what they sell. They might think it’s eccentric and not be able to sell.”

I looked around the second and third floors of the shopping center’s supermarket section, mumbling to myself.

The tenant space was empty, but the pharmacy department and the second- to third-floor sections were lined with merchandise.

They are closed with lines of ropes, though, so they are not on sale.

And most of the merchandise is not stocked in the warehouse as long as it’s on the sales floor.

“Food products are also limited in stock. …… This is probably the hardest thing to deal It takes six months to place an order, and it takes a year for the order to arrive. ……”

Blah, blah, blah. I can’t help but complain.

Aside from home appliances, there are furniture, bedding, stationery, toys, and various food items that could be sold.

There are also items that might catch the eye of customers if they were sold at a discount as part of a sale.

But all of them are only temporary.

Even if we could achieve our sales target of 3.34 million yen per day, it would be difficult to reach 100 million yen per month.

Anyway, I should go to the city and check out the lifestyle in the other world and what they are doing.

This! I couldn’t find any products that I could think of.

I mean, I can’t sell any of these products continuously because I have to purchase them six months later!

Even if I could make a hot sale item, it would be sold out immediately!

Faced with the reality of the daunting task ahead, I headed downstairs to prepare for the opening of the Aion SuperMarket (Mall).

Dejectedly, I shrugged my shoulders.