-- The problem of labor shortages that has plagued our White Wolf store for so long is finally on the verge of being solved.

　The noir we just hired.
　The personnel that the Adventurer's Guild will be introducing to us.
　A friend of Sylvia's who will be moving in from the next town.

　The last one isn't confirmed yet, but if we all get together, me and Garnett will have a total of five people.

　If we have this many people, we will be able to turn the store around without hiring adventurers for a short period of time, and conversely, by hiring adventurers, we will be able to prepare holidays other than the regular holidays.

　Finally, we could build a proper structure for the store.
　It's quite impressive when I think back to when I first started out on my own.

'But then again, ...... noir guy, it's a slow day.

　It was about time to start getting ready to open, but the second employee, Noir, didn't show up.

''You've overslept, haven't you?

　Garnett, who had been cleaning up after breakfast, came back with a dismayed look on his face.

'I hope that's the reason: ......

　I look out the window and see a cold, light rain beating on the leaves of the plants and trees.

　Although the security of Green Hollow Town is rather good, there is still the possibility of an eventuality, a sudden illness or an unexpected accident.

　There are other possibilities that I don't like to think about too much - but

　Just as my thoughts were about to turn negative, the person who was the subject of the conversation came into the store through the kitchen door.

"......su, sorry ...... I'm sorry I'm late. ......
No, you're in time. What's going on today?
I actually made this ...... yesterday: ......

　Noir gingerly spread the contents of the bag slung over her shoulder on the counter.

　A handcrafted trinket with intricate patterns and a scroll tied with a simple string.

　These were items that he had seen many times in his long life as an adventurer, but Noir had said that he had 'made' these things.

''Don't tell me you made these yourself?''
"I have the skills ...... so I have ....... It's been a while, but I think ...... I did well. I can't ...... sell this ...... in the store, maybe ...... I can't sell it in the store.

　Saying that, Noir gave me a reserved look to see my reaction.

''By any chance, you were out shopping with Sakura yesterday?''
...... material, because I wanted to buy it. ......

　Noir smiled awkwardly with a face that showed through his lack of sleep.

　If it was that time yesterday that he had bought the ingredients and returned home, it would have been well past midnight by the time he had finished making so many magic items.

　Lack of sleep blatantly decreases the efficiency of the work.
　Whether it was physical or mental labor, there were no exceptions, and the fact that it was difficult for him to realize it made the quality of his work even worse.

　Even in the midst of an adventure, unless the time limit is right around the corner, getting an adequate amount of sleep is an ironclad rule.

　It's not an adventure we're doing, it's customer service, but we might still be wary of showing up in a sleep-deprived state.

'(But it's not a good idea to just pay attention out of the blue, is it?)

　Surely Noir had come up with the suggestion of manufacturing and selling magic items to see if there was a way to contribute in his own way.

　It wasn't a good idea to cut back on sleep when he had work to do today, but there was something more important to prioritize than paying attention to it.

'Selling magic items. I hadn't thought of that one. It's mixed in with the occasional peddler's sale, but I don't think there's anything in Green Hollow that's for sale in a store.
"......[Mage tool making] is basically a sub-skill for wizards, so ...... sometimes sells it as a fundraiser, but people who make ...... their day job. There aren't many of them: ......

　That area seems to be a similar situation to my [Repair] skill.

　The 【Restoration】 skill is a sub-skill of various professions that deal with tools, and since the main skill of my main occupation takes precedence over it, in most cases the restoration accuracy is not high.

　On the other hand, 【Magic Tool Creation】 is a sub-skill for wizards, and since it is only sold when they are earning money for their activities alongside their main occupation's research, its supply in the market is limited.

　Because they are both sub-skills, the quality and supply is insufficient for the demand.

''Well, in the city, there are stores specializing in magic tools--''

　Garnett interjects, spreading the scrolls with interest.

'--I guess that kind of thing is made up of a lot of wizards living in the city, right?

　Even if the amount of production per wizard is microscopic, if there are a lot of wizards, the total amount of production can be a good deal.

　Specializing in buying and selling magic items from them would be enough in a city.

　Perhaps there is a possibility that there is some sort of wizard guild exclusive to that city that has a monopoly on purchasing and sales.

　Whatever the case, though, it's none of the business of a small town like Green Hollow.

'...... Luke ...... how about, I guess. I wonder if it will sell in this store: ......
'Yeah, I think we can go pretty far. From now on, we'll start selling some magic items. We'll start with test sales.
Oh, yeah?　Good: ......
However.

　He bent down a little and looked into Noir's face.

　Noir didn't have much experience in being able to look at his face like this, but Noir's white skin flushed pale and he was frightened.

'It would be bad if the lack of sleep interfered with my work. The next time I'll make it as business during business hours. It's part of my job to take a good rest.''
I'll meet you at .......
Anyway, since the weather won't be good for a while, why don't you go take a nap?
'Yes, no, but ......

　Noir blatantly refrained from doing so, but when I recommended it even more strongly, he went to the bedroom quietly.

　It seems that he is still weak as always when pushed hard.

　Today, we're going to have two adventurers working for short term employment again.

　The customers will probably wait for the light rain to lift before they start to act, and even if we open with a four-person team of me and Garnett, we'll be able to get around until noon with no problem.

　I was just about to start preparing for the opening of the store, when Garnett casually approached behind me.

''You're a weapons store and you even sell magic tools?　You're a man of chastity.
'It's just that if my skills alone are enough to cover my purchases, the only place to go is the weapons store, not that I don't want to sell other goods.

　This is just a coincidence, but the store's signage is also 'White Wolf Store' and not a name that is limited to weapons only.

　If you can cover the unfulfilled demand, then expanding the product line is an option.

''If we let it go, it's likely to become a general merchandise store. You could sell everything from cradles to coffins.
'Haha. That would be interesting too.

　With a joking conversation, we set about getting ready to welcome today's guests.