HTACS 08

Chapter 08

Convenience store owner (for real). Well, I guess I already am one. Anyway, to me, the convenience store was a space of dreams and hope.

Of course, I’m fully aware that this is a statement ripe for criticism. Dealing with difficult customers is exhausting, and the really impossible ones make you want to grab them by the collar—customers or not. Especially that lunatic who came in a month ago demanding a refund on a triangle kimbap that had passed its expiration date—I’ll never forget that guy no matter how hard I try.

Even so, the convenience store was a sufficiently charming space.

First of all, discarded food is the best.

Ah, I can’t resist. This is just too good. The triangle kimbap and sandwiches that come out as discards. And lunchboxes and milk. Drinks. That one—bread that needs refrigeration, sausages. Rolled kimbap, and even hamburgers.

Three convenience stores I frequent have discard times at 10 AM, 2 PM, and 3 AM respectively—if you get along well with the owners, you could get by on discards alone for an entire day. Having multiple regular convenience stores in the neighborhood is surprisingly sweet.

And the distribution within Zeppelin in D/Z SAGA was better than expected. No matter where you went, buying a potion didn’t cost a fortune.

But here, a healing potion costs 10,000 rin per bottle.

Are you insane? Who would buy a healing potion at that price and chug it? In this game, there’s a technique called “potion rush” where you clear dungeons with potions if you don’t have a healer. But that’s a strategy you use when healing potions cost 100 rin in-game. At 10,000 rin, you wouldn’t even dream of it.

Zeppelin folks—you’re growing strong, huh.

Anyway, when I came to Zeppelin, I reached for a convenience store because the math added up. First, discarded food. And an income of about 3 million rin per month.

Plus, if business went fairly well, I could hire three part-timers for 800,000 rin weekly, run the store on weekends myself, and live off about 500,000 rin a month—while also doing side work. That was my plan.

But—I have nothing to sell.

Maestro’s hands keep cranking out weapons and armor nonstop, but high-grade equipment doesn’t seem to come out very well.

Yggdrasil is basically a seedling hobby club. Are these guys insane? Still, they sell fruit seeds pretty decently. That I like.

The magic merchants deal in good-quality music boxes and healing potions. If you mix healing potion with water, spray it on plants, play them a good music box, and they grow faster—is that science or magic?

Anyway—this Zeppelin distribution network is absolute garbage. Completely beyond salvation.

So—

Instead of just relying on headquarters to supply goods and barely scraping by, in this shabby world that has regressed to a medieval level where the concept of a convenience store doesn’t even exist, I become the only convenience store manager in existence.

A convenience store that can’t order supplies.

A convenience store that has to stock with handmade goods.

Wow. Just… wow.

“Isn’t this amazing?”

Hmm.

It does seem pretty amazing, actually.

—

“Mmm. Hehehe.”

“Lady Eve?”

The student council office. Eve von Lohengrin leisurely reviewed documents, then turned her head at her secretary’s call. The secretary tilted her head, sniffing the scent within the room.

“What’s wrong?”

“Isn’t there a strangely sweet smell in the student council office?”

“…That can’t be.”

“Really…? It smells like fruit.”

“Hehe. You’re saying odd things. That would mean someone brought snacks into the student council office.”

“…Right? That can’t be.”

“Exactly. You know how extravagant snacks are in Zeppelin, don’t you?”

“Right…”

The secretary stared intently at Eve, but Eve’s mouth showed no movement. Eve had her own concerns. She could simply let it melt leisurely in her mouth, but unfortunately, this premium candy had such a distinct aroma that it wasn’t easy to hide. Swallowing it right away felt wasteful too. Eventually, Eve squeezed her eyes shut and silently apologized to the candy in her mouth.

*Crunch.*

“?”

“What was that?”

“…No. Nothing.”

She swallowed the candy that had definitely cracked between her molars, and Eve acted as if nothing had happened. The secretary tilted her head but returned to work. Relieved she hadn’t been caught, Eve apologized to the candy that hadn’t lived out its full lifespan.

But the secretary was also the type who went crazy for sweets—especially people who use their brains a lot tend to love sugar.

But candy is a luxury ingredient and a luxury item.

Eve mentally counted the remaining candies she’d taken from Wolfram and nodded. Seven pieces. Plenty left. One a day would last a whole week.

She didn’t know where Wolfram had acquired such candy, but if he kept selling it, his finances would eventually collapse.

“I’ll let him live for now. After I eat all this candy—when you’ve bankrupted yourself with that venture—that’s when your end comes, Wolfram.”

Eve stealthily popped another candy into her mouth.

“Hehe.”

Now only six remained.

The end was drawing near.

—

“What seedling should I prepare next?”

The convenience store in Magic Zone 8 still has no sign, but there is one thing it does have—a garden plot. Why is there a garden outside the entrance? Is this really a convenience store, or a heart-fluttering rural life fantasy?

But Wolfram doesn’t have the stamina to enjoy such a rural life. Anyway—I planted the fruit seedlings I got from Yggdrasil, sprinkled them with a nutrient mix of water and healing potion, and played the Good Word Music Box.

【You’re a good kid.】

【Hang in there—you can do it!】

【I heard this lecture is cancelled!】

【The professor’s giving less homework!】

【You’re going to get your doctorate this semester! You can do it!】

The Good Word Music Box.

The embodiment of insane pseudo-science.

Remember that experiment—”When you play good words to onions, they grow bigger!” As a kid, I thought, “So onions have a central nervous system that understands Korean?”—it was that stupid of an experiment.

Of course, it was pseudo-science. Like “water knows the answer.”

But when magic gets mixed in, it actually produces a “positive effect.” Originally used as a mind-control element for Magic Department graduate students, this self-hypnosis happiness-circuit music box, when played to plants, has an Easter egg effect where they really do grow “bigger and tastier.”

I ordered this Good Word Music Box through the graduate students, and I’m using it with great success.

Pick fruit, mash it, strain and boil it down, mix in edible slime. Then set it in molds, let it harden, and wrap each piece individually in cut paper.

At 10,000 rin per piece, factoring in my labor, there’s no better side job. That finishes tomorrow’s candy prep.

“Huuuh… heeee… hoo.”

Making money is great, but at this rate, I’m going to die for real.

“Please hold out, you goddamn body.”

Then, we can take the world.

Lying flat on the convenience store floor, twitching and trembling, I prayed to the world.

Damn you, Endurance 2. If it were even 3…!

“…What are you doing right now?”

Just then, the convenience store door opened and someone slipped in.

A customer. Damn. First customer of the day and I have to greet them lying down.

“I don’t know who you are, but I’m in no shape to do business. Sorry.”

“No—I mean… why are you like that?”

“Because I’m out of energy.”

“…Should I help you up?”

A voice I’ve heard many times before.

…Aila?

I swallowed hard.

If she hits me with a dark spear while I’m this defenseless, won’t I be done in one shot?

Damn—the frustration of being unable to move made me shudder.

But then, grabbed by Aila’s hand, I was gently lifted up.

“Are you okay?”

“…I’m fine.”

And baby Wolfram was plopped onto the sofa, with Aila sitting across from me.

“I received your help—so what brings you here?”

“…Hehe. I was so impressed by your plan that I came without realizing.”

“Ah, I see. That’s right. The operation. Yeah.”

“Yes. That’s it, exactly. It was a good operation.”

“…So, that’s what it is?”

“Yes. That’s what it is.”

“Right.”

“Heheh.”

We faced each other and smiled.

Yeah—the operation.

…What the hell was it again?

—

Fortunately, before I could even ask, Aila elegantly smiled and rattled off some amusing nonsense—the witch of ambition, Aila, listing my actions one by one.

“I heard you made the Magic Department graduate students your first customers. Hehe. That was impressive—they’ve actually been saying good things about you.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes. Those people are beings who cling solely to whatever project their professor secures—ones who must stake their lives on a 2-million-rin annual salary, who have no interest in how society works, who only move at their professor’s call. Hearing favorable evaluations from them will be a great help to your path.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes. Right now, you’ve forged good connections with this nation’s next generation of leading scholars.”

“Is that so.”

“Hehe. Really—you’ve been saying that with absolutely no interest since a moment ago. Fine, I understand. Your ambition is… by no means limited to this, right?”

“Is that so… I see. For you to know that—impressive.”

I almost continued my stream-of-consciousness responses without realizing. If I had, I’d have gotten a dark spear through the gut. For real.

Anyway—when I acknowledged it, Aila smiled and nodded.

“Who do you think I am?”

“The lady of ambition. The darling of black magic.”

“Hehe. Good, Wolfram. As long as you don’t disappoint me, this place is now truly yours—in name and in reality. I guarantee it in the name of the building owner.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

As a tenant, having a good relationship with the landlord is never a bad thing.

“Instead, can you satisfy one question for me?”

“What?”

“How did you win the favor of the graduate students? They’re supposed to have no interest in anything but graduation, assignments, and theses. …Is this an expensive question?”

Ah—that?

“Hmm. It’s not difficult.”

I rose from my seat and handed Aila one individually wrapped candy.

“…This is?”

“Unwrap it and try it.”

At my words, Aila tore open the paper wrapper and popped the candy into her mouth. And then—

“…Mmm!”

“It seems you like it.”

Her eyes went wide as she let out a strange sound and stared at me.

“C-candy? This tastes like it could be supplied to the Imperial Family… no, even better than that. How did you…?”

“That’s my secret trump card.”

“…Did you walk out carrying a load of candy before coming here? No—you wouldn’t call it a trump card if it’s limited. Then either you have connections for making candy, or…”

As she muttered, I shook my head. I have no idea how far she’ll take whatever misunderstanding she’s got. At this rate, she’ll probably say something like “So you’re connected to the Empire’s underground organization—one day you’ll spread the wings of rebellion!” She’d do it. For real.

Ambition is just one paper-thin layer away from chuunibyou.

“I make it myself.”

“…What did you say?”

“If I have the ingredients, I can make this much anytime.”

“…Ha. I see. So this is one of your ‘skills.'”

Don’t put air quotes around “skills.” It makes even me embarrassed. I stayed silent, and Aila nodded as she continued.

“I won’t ask for the recipe. …As long as you remain my fiancé and my ally, you’ll be useful to me.”

“Much obliged.”

“Hehe. I’m the one who’s pleased, Wolfram. You’ve been thrown to the very depths of hell, but you’ll soar more brilliantly than anyone and spread the wings of rebellion.”

No, I won’t.

That’s not what this is, really.

I know she’s always been like this, but hearing it in person is really something. Aila’s eyes sparkled as she spread her hands wide.

“Is there anything you wish from me?”

“…Something I wish?”

“Since you’ve shown me something so wonderful, I’d like to repay you in kind.”

“…Hmm.”

I nodded. There is something I wish for—the most essential item for adventure.

“I need a map of the Academy’s eastern forest. There’s something I need to harvest there.”

“…Even with a map, with your endurance, won’t it be difficult? Shall I assign someone to assist you?”

That’s a tearfully kind consideration—truly, thank you.

“…This is a covert matter.”

“I see. Understood. I’ll watch to see what you do, then. I’ll have the map to you by tomorrow.”

With that, Aila rose from her seat, and I recalled the eastern forest.

Sorry, Aila.

“There are items that can become ‘hidden’ early on in the eastern forest.”

That’s why I can’t hand this over to anyone else.

I need to make a living too, don’t I?