The White Wolf Store has been in an unusual atmosphere these days.

　Garnett, the store's oldest clerk, returned home, and the next day ...... or maybe it was the morning of the next day ...... Anyway, soon after, Luke, the store manager, also went to the royal capital on a sudden business trip.

　I'm sure you'll find that the reason for his business trip was to do business with the Sun Dial Trading Company, but given his impatience, he may have had other reasons for doing so.

　Anyway, the head office staff these days is practically running the store with just four people.

　First of all, I myself, Erika from Kurumotaido.
　And Noir-san, the black wizard, and Alexia-san, the adventurer and technician.
　Finally, Leila, who was just hired, for a total of four.

　Yeah, they're all girls, brilliantly.

　Even with just these guys, we could conduct business as usual.
　I learned my trade, too.

　But this makes it difficult to fit in days off, and it would be a disaster if something were to go wrong, so I've decided to borrow one from the branch.

　If we're still short on staff, we hire an adventurer to help out.
　Thank goodness our manager is the type of person who is willing to spend this kind of money.

　-- That's how the white wolf store, which is without a manager, was working leisurely today.

''Alexia-san, we're up for a break.
Hmm, okay. Would you mind stepping into the checkout counter then?　I'll take a break next and you can help Erica with the register.
Yes, sir.

　Alexia, who was waiting for a customer next to me, pulls into the back of the room to be replaced by a girl from the branch office.

　The ratio of male to female staff at the branch is 50/50, but the support sent in is basically all of the same s*x.

　I think Natalia, the branch manager, has taken this into consideration when choosing the people to cheer for.

　Or is she just hesitant to send a new boy to the head office, which has become a women's household, I don't know.

''Hey, hey, Erika-san. When I heard that the manager and the veteran were going to disappear all at once, I thought it was not a good idea, but it can be managed surprisingly well.
Yeah. It's said that it was just the two of us in the beginning, so it was surprisingly good.

　While whispering to the kids at the branch, I looked around the store from the accounting counter.

　The number of customers is moderate again today. It's reasonably busy, not too many and not too few.

　Before the dungeon branch was built, there were too many customers and it was crammed with them, but now the adventurer customers who challenge the dungeon's depths are going to the branch, so the burden on the main store is just right.

　There are two staff members working outside the counter.

　The first is Noir-san, who is checking inventory.
　She's the most mature woman (or person) in the store if you don't count manager Luke, and she's an amazing person, quiet and stylish and knowledgeable about medicinal plants and magic.

　Her long black hair is wavy and elegant, not at all like my fluffy, lumpy hair.

　The other one is .......

I think it's important to note that the current situation is a bit of a tightrope walk for .......

　Leila. She's one of the many employees hired for the branch office, the girl who was sent around to work the ground shift to reduce the burden on the head office.

　She has neatly trimmed short black hair and unusual red eyes and a rather striking appearance, but she usually has an air of seriousness and awkwardness about her, and we haven't really broken the ice even now.

　No, no, no, it doesn't mean we don't like each other or that we don't get along.
　They are cooperating properly in their work, and I'm sure they aren't distancing themselves from each other.

　Rather, Leila's work ethic is like a senior citizen formless or something.

''There's a possibility that we could be chipped off one or two more people from the current situation, so we should be properly prepared when the time comes.
'That's true, but if you talk about it, doesn't it happen the other way around or something like that?
It's a quality I don't believe in.

　Immediately after Leila had said that, the front door of the shop was thrown open with great force and an impatient-looking adventurer rushed in.

''Excuse me!　Is there a black wizard in here!
'What ......?　Wow, my, thing ......?

　Noir-san responds to the adventurer with a puzzled look on her face.

　There are several wizards in this town, including adventurers, but Noir-san is the only professional black wizard.

''The magic item I dug up underground was cursed, and my friends are in trouble!　Could you help me break the spell!
"But, as I recall, the ...... guild, the chapter has a ...... undoctor,
I've already had it checked out, but it's not easy to do it alone, so they asked me to call for backup at ......!　Please!

　Noir-san was quite confused and looked at us and asked for our opinion, but the situation was the situation, so we had no choice.

　We told her that the store was fine with us and that we could handle it, and we decided to have Noir-san go to support the breaking of the spell.

...... See, I knew it.
'I knew it, what is it? It would have been the same if I hadn't said that.

　That's true, but it's kind of a matter of feelings.

''In the meantime, there are still four of us left, and Alexia-san is here, so it should be fine.
'You're more experienced than Alexia, aren't you?'
'Ugh ....... But it's only a little bit different, and they have more life experience than me, so I thought I could rely on ...... to help me out.

　It's true that I've been working at the White Wolf Store for a little longer than Alexia.

　However, Alexia-san has been working independently as an adventurer and technician for a long time now, so she has much more experience than me, who only recently left my hometown.

　When Alexia-san gets up from her break, I'll inform her that Noir-san has gone to the guild branch and leave her in charge of the acting manager's role.

　As I was vaguely thinking about such a convenient thing, this time a muscular and tall adventurer entered the store with a reserved look.

　The other adventurers who were rummaging through the goods in the store stiffened in surprise and nervousness the moment they saw that person.

　As I recall, that person was a friend of Manager Luke's, a high ranked adventurer ...... whose name was Travis or something like that.

''Um. Travis-san, is there something wrong?
"I've come to ask an urgent question: ...... Is Alexia, the crafty engineer, unavailable?

　Good, I had the right name.
　But why am I calling Alexia-san?
　I mean, you shouldn't be standing in front of the door, you should come over here.

'If you're Alexia, you're taking a break. Please wait a minute. Here, go get her.
Yes?

　I'll have the branch girl go call Alexia to call her, and it's just me and Leila to continue our counter duties.

　When I looked next to her, thinking ......, I saw Leila looking at Travis in a daze with eyes like a maiden in love with him, her uptight demeanor nowhere to be found.

　Oh, no. He's the one who becomes useless.

　I turned my eyes with a mixture of familiarity that Leila had this side of her, a conviction that her taste in that kind of thing didn't match up at all, and a plea for her to seriously stop being so obsessed with that now.

　Shortly thereafter, Alexia-san returned to the shop floor, pulled by the branch girl.

'What's this call to me? Don't tell me that the supply elevator you just fixed the day before yesterday, you're not going to say that it's crazy again?
No, you're fine. Actually, I've got a problem with Unit 2.
'What?　That's a big problem!　How could you be so calm!

　The grumpiness disappeared from Alexia in an instant.

　Then she grabbed the large toolbox behind the counter and ran out of the store at full speed.

'Sorry Erica!　The store!
'Sorry, I'm borrowing Alexia!　Can I leave this field to you!
Yes!　We'll take care of it!

　It's not me, but Leila, who responded cheerfully.

　It's a good thing that she's so motivated, and I had to give the same response anyway: ...... Is this really the right situation?

　The staff is me, Leila and the branch office girl, that's it.

　No, no, no, no, no, no, no, this is not good. If any more trouble comes knocking, we're just one step away from the edge.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!　Let's just call for backup!　Guild House ...... is asking for support from the Guild House ...... to see if anyone's hands are open ...... either the branch of "Sundial Forest" or our branch ...... anyway Hollow Bottom. Do it!
Oh, I understand.

　I'm going to ask the kids in the chapter for support and send them off, and then me and Leila will run the store for a while, just me and Leila - praying that no trouble will come our way, for God's sake.