'Thank you very much!
'Thank you very much!

The cheerful voices echoed through the main street of the 42nd district.
My sisters bowed deeply to the backs of the departing customers.
In the meantime, the next customer comes in to place an order.

'Hey, next time buy two servings with souvenir cups!
'Oh, yes!Sorry. I'll be right back!

I thought I'd just keep an eye on them, but ...... they were much more popular than I expected.
My sisters, who are not accustomed to working in the hospitality industry, could not possibly handle the number of customers.
Even now, there is a long line of people waiting in front of the stall.

By the looks of it, my brothers are going to have their hands full.
I guess I'll have to follow them tomorrow and make up for today.
If there were any customers who felt uncomfortable today, we will make up for it tomorrow. For the time being, I'll make that decision and focus on this for today. It's better than doing both half-heartedly.

'We're running low on popcorn, big brother!
'Run to the Sunshine Pavilion and get some more!
'Yeah!

One of my sisters is running full speed ............ fast!I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've seen it before.
I found another unexpected aspect of him.

'It's too hot~...... big brother, can I take this?
'No, you can't. It's unsanitary to get hair in it. Be patient.'
'Mmm~......'

When selling popcorn, vendors are required to wear a triangular hood. Hygiene is a basic requirement for restaurants. There is nothing more disgusting than having a hair in your food.
Besides, these guys are surprisingly cute with their hoods wrapped around their heads. There are men who gaze at them and stain their cheeks. That's how it works.

'Big brother, we're running out of souvenir cups.
'When we run out of Souvenir Cups, we will stop selling them. Please explain to the customers when they are gone.
'Yes, sir!

Souvenir cups are original goods that we have prepared.
They are wooden cups, about the size of an L-size movie theater drink.
I hollowed out a piece of wood and patiently made it, and I'm quite proud of it. It's so good that Ginette ran around the store in tears when she saw the finished product, branded with the name "YODAMARI-TEI".
In this world where paper cannot be wasted, we could not sell the product in a paper carton as we do in Japan.
Therefore, the company has adopted a sales system in which customers bring their own containers and fill them with popcorn. It is like the old tofu shop.
However, there are some customers who don't have a container and don't want to go back to get it.
This souvenir cup was made for such customers. The set is a bit expensive, but you can get the cup as well.

By the way, "Souvenir" is a French word meaning "souvenir" or "souvenirs". It is a Japanese foreign word with the English word "cup" added to it. However, I'm sure that the "forced translation magic" has translated it well.

The origin of the name is ............. Well, don't ask.
The name was inspired by the name used in a certain dream and magic kingdom. I wanted to show the people of this town some dreams and magic. Hahaha!

That's amazing!I'm giddy!

My sisters move around the stall in a circle.
The gap between how hard they work and how cute their movements are is a nice one, and they are well received by the customers queuing up.
It won't take long for the hamster people to blend into the city.

'Good luck!
'There's no need to panic.
'Yes~!Thank you very much!

My sisters let out a big smile as they were cheered on by some wives who were waiting for their turn.
They must be enjoying this kind of interaction.
The response from the customers was good, and sales were good.
It seems that the mobile vending was the right choice.

The only problem was that the ...... sisters were slow at calculating.
It took them an inordinate amount of time to count the change.
Come to think of it, Ginette wasn't very good at math either.
There is no such thing as school, so unless you were born into a merchant family, you probably didn't learn to do math.

I'll teach him next time. ...... Or perhaps it would be faster to make a change calculator that can tell you at a glance.
It can be a table like 'how many servings, how much change if silver coins come'.

There are many things you can't understand until you actually try.
But Ham kids are very good at remembering things. They will soon get used to the calculations.

'That was delicious!
'I want to eat it again!
'Yes, yes. See you next time.



I overheard a conversation between a father and son.
A young sibling hugged a souvenir cup and took it home.

Seeing this, another child begged, "I want one too," and the parent said, "I don't blame you," and bought one.
The line draws more lines, and the smiles of the children draws more children.

It's a good trend.
It will only be a matter of time before honey popcorn takes root in the 42nd district.

After that, the popcorn continued to sell, and the line finally died down as the sun was setting.
It seems that Magda was also working at full speed to make popcorn.

'It's ........................ amazing!They're all sold out!
'It's sold out!
'I'm so tired!

The souvenir cups were sold out.
We also sold out of the popcorn that Magda gave us when she said, '......, that's it.
It was a true sellout.
We'll have to tell Yap Lock to add a lot more corn and honey.

''Alright, let's go home then!
'''Yes!'''

The faces of my sisters, who were almost crushed by anxiety before we left, were filled with radiant smiles.
Confidence, a sense of fulfillment, and the elation of having accomplished something great. Their faces overflowed with such things.
I think I can trust him tomorrow.
I'll have to make a change chart for him when I get home.

'I'm sure today's meal will be delicious.
'Really?'
'Yeah. You'll know it when you eat it.
'I'm looking forward to it!

The stall was lighter now that we had sold out, and our steps were lighter.
At this rate, my brothers will get even more carried away. Even if it took a little longer, we must have sold a lot.
Oh dear. It's going to be a noisy supper.
That's what I thought as I headed home.

But my prediction was far wrong.

When I arrived at the sunlit pavilion, the dining room was filled with a heavy atmosphere.
What's ...... that?

'Oh, Yashiro-san.

Jeannette, who was standing near the counter, noticed me and rushed over to me.

'What's wrong with the air?
'It's .......'

Ginette turns her gaze to where her three brothers are sitting around a table, nodding deeply.
They were the three who had been selling their wares elsewhere.

What's the matter?
Why are you so depressed?

'Yashiro. ...... a bit.'

Estella comes up to me and quietly leads me outside. Ginette follows behind her.
When I close the door, I feel as if the heavy air has been cut off.

'Would you look at this?

Estella pointed to the stall at the Sunlit Pavilion No. 7.
It was the stall her brothers had been using.
She looked around the stall to see if there was anything wrong with ...... it and noticed something.

'............ not selling?'

When I looked at her, Estella quietly nodded her head.

Inside the box of the stall, there was a large amount of popcorn.
And next to it, a huge pile of souvenir cups.

They hadn't gone down at all.
Had he skipped work and gone out to play, and was he angry about it?That's why he's so disconsolate?
For a moment, I thought of ...... such an impossible thing.
But for my brothers, there is no game more interesting than mobile vending.
They have been practicing and studying a lot in the past few days, and have been looking forward to this day.
There's no way they're going to abandon their work.

But then, why ......?

'They said that not a single customer came.
'Not one?'
'Yes. ...... They said they tried their best to get people to come, but ......'

Jeannette looked like she was about to cry.
She must be heartbroken at the thought of the shock her brothers had suffered.

'Was it the wrong place?'
'No, not at all. It's the second most crowded street after the main road.
'......What the hell was wrong with ............?'

Ginette felt as if it was her own fault.
The problem of not being able to sell the product is no stranger to Jeannette, as it is the mobile sales of the sunny pavilion,......, but this guy's depression is not like that.
He is depressed about the fact that his brothers are depressed.

'...... I'm sorry, big brother.

As he pondered the cause, he suddenly heard a voice behind him.
When I turned around, I saw my brothers standing in a line, nodding their heads.


Her eyes were full of tears.

'...... didn't ............ sell at all ......... ...ugh.
'............Sorry.........'

...... these guys. I'm glad you took it so seriously.
It's quite a sight to behold, isn't it?

'What's wrong, what's wrong!It's only the first day!What you didn't sell today, you can make up for tomorrow.
'But ......'.
'Don't worry about it!My sisters sold like fools. We're in the black if you look at the total. It's just that I didn't get the right customers the first time. There are days like that.

He pats his brothers roughly on the head.
It's your first time in customer service. I'm sure you've had some unexpected problems. There must have been a lot of things that didn't go as planned.
Maybe I should've started out with one stall and taken care of all these guys. I'm sorry.

'I'll go with you tomorrow. Let's sell twice as much as your sisters and surprise them. See?
'............ Yeah.'
'Your voice is so quiet!
'Yes!
'Yes!
'Yes!

Well, it looks like you've managed to cheer yourself up, albeit forcefully.
I'm not going to put that much responsibility on these guys. I'll take responsibility for the outcome.
All they have to do is work hard and stay healthy.

Let's give them a little more energy to play with.

'All right, you bastards!That's the code word I taught you last time!Are you ready?
'''Yes, sir!'''
'''Where's Jeannette?
'''Pop pop pop!'''
'''Estella is!
'''..................'''
'''What, oi!
''What, what, what's that password?
''What do you mean, mute?There must have been something you could have said!
'Oh my god!Everyone, please repent together!
'''...... giggle............ hahahaha!'''

My brothers start laughing.
At last, the gloomy faces have been dispelled.

Yeah. Tomorrow, we'll do our best.

''......Yashiro............, why don't we talk about it?

'...... I wish I had a tomorrow.

'Estella, I'll tell you something good. Holding a knife to a man is not a discussion. It's intimidation.'

It took more than ten minutes to quiet Estella's black aura, and my dinner was served very late.






The next day, I came to a wide street that intersected the main road with the seventh store of the Sunlight Pavilion.
If you follow this road all the way, you will come to a lord's mansion.
I see. There's certainly a lot of traffic.

'Where were you selling yesterday?
'Over there. That open space.'

My brother pointed to an open space with an unobstructed view.
It was probably the site of a building that had been torn down. There was a gaping hole in the ground.
Surely, if we set up our stall here, it wouldn't interfere with traffic.

But no.

'If you're going to set up your stall, it should be under that tree over there.

I pointed to a large tree standing by the side of the road.
It's a big tree with a sturdy trunk and big branches.

The theory behind food stalls is that they should be set up near places where it is easy to take a break.
Shade trees, seashores, and benches are ideal.
The key is to make people think that they can buy food from the stalls and take a break while they are there.

So, we parked our stall beside a large tree and began to prepare for the opening.

I can see people looking at me from time to time.
They seem to be interested. Then, strategy is the key to success.


You might want to give them a taste or something. ......

I put a single serving of popcorn in a souvenir cup and leap to the front of the stall. ...... I'm not really dancing, am I?

'............ Well,' he said.

In fact, I'm not really the type to do this kind of thing. ...... Well, I'll do it all if you tell me to do it. ...... But who in the world can tell me to do it?If there is such a person, I'll turn on him and tell him to do it.
...... I'm off topic.



I took a deep breath and shouted loudly, letting the sound resonate through my body.
I didn't shout, but my voice sounded good and clear.

'Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on!I don't know why you're in a hurry, but stop for a moment and listen to me for a moment. Then you'll be greeted with joyous news that will make your heart dance!

People on the street and my brothers, who were preparing to open the store, stared at me with puzzled faces at my sudden words.
Not caring, I continued.

'Now then, I bring out here a honey popcorn that is rare to the eyes and ears!

............ Hmmm, no response.

'......'. Well, look at it anyway!

He reverted to his normal tone of voice and continued his sales talk.
...... My mental strength is not strong enough to run alone in the cold air.
But I got attention, so I'm not wrong. ......, I keep telling myself.

'The daughter of a five-year-old friend of mine looked at it and said, "I'm going to treasure it. I laughed, but no, it's quite ...... beautiful, if you ask me. What do you think?

He picks a piece of popcorn and shows it to the crowd.
At the feet of the ...... adults, the children are slowly beginning to lean forward.

'Now for the smell. Can you smell it?That sweet, intoxicating scent.'

I slowly slide the souvenir cup in a wide arc.
The honey scent of the popcorn draws the children forward.

'And then there's the sound. ............ Shh!'

After a long pause, he says 'shh' loudly, silencing everyone in the area. Everyone is trying to keep their breath down to avoid making a sound.
In the midst of this, I pick up a piece of popcorn and suck on it with my front teeth.
As soon as I've attracted attention, I bite into it, and...


Crunch.


--The sound echoed through the silent street.
Before I knew it, the children were at my feet and their eyes began to sparkle.
There are two, four, six, ...... and twelve children in all. Twenty four big eyes are looking up at me as if expecting something.

I can't help it.
You know what's special this time?

Do you guys want to try it?
'''' Yeah! ''''

Yeah, I'm in!
I'm in.

I lowered the Souvenir Cup to a height where the kids could easily take it.
The kids reach for it like they're the first to go.
Now, devour them to your heart's content!And beg for more!'I want some more! I want more!

'Stop it!

I was convinced of victory, but what I heard was a voice that sounded a little hysterical.
I looked over to see the parents of the children holding their children down and pulling them away from the popcorn.

'You can't eat that stuff!
'What?
'Just come over here!

The spirit is unyielding.
The child was not even allowed to cry out and was forcibly taken away.

There were no more people around me.
There's not a grain of popcorn left.

...... What's going on?
............ What's going on?
.................. "Don't eat that stuff." ...... ...... "That stuff" ......

Have these guys ever eaten popcorn anywhere?
If not, have you ever seen or heard of it?And did it give you a bad impression? ........................ No, it didn't. .

Not at all.
What I did was ............

After yesterday's great success, I can't believe I overlooked such a simple thing. ............ No, you knew that. I just underestimated it.

I've seen those eyes ...... surrounding us in the distance.
Those are the eyes that scorn and exclude others.

By "that stuff" I don't mean the popcorn.
It's the popcorn my brothers are selling.
That is, ......


You can't eat what the slumlords are selling.




'......We're going home.'
'Yeah, ............ yeah.'

There's no point in sticking around any longer.
We need to come up with a more fundamental solution to this problem.

The sense of repugnance toward slum dwellers was much greater than I had thought.
Even the good Umaro did not have a good image of the word slum. I should have realized this sooner.

...... I've hurt these guys unnecessarily, haven't I?

'Hey, don't worry. I'll take care of it.'
'Can you ............ do that?'

...... I don't know.
I don't know.

But you know what?

'I'm not gonna stop, I'm not gonna stop.

I'm not gonna give up on this.
I'm not gonna turn tail and run.
This is a business opportunity.
If you sell it right, you can make a lot of money.

It just takes a little time to do so. ......

My brothers, unlike their sisters, are hamsters by all accounts.
It is obvious that they are slum dwellers.
There is no way to sell them by deceiving them.
In order for them to do business properly, they have to improve the status of the hamster race.
We have to regain their trust.

That's a lot of work, though.
Well, I guess we'll just have to work steadily.

'Brother ............, don't you want us, ......?

How hard would it be for such a young child to deny ...... his own existence?

'Idiot.'

A hard chop to the forehead.

'Aww ............ that hurts ......'
'There are plenty of other jobs out there, you know. I told you yesterday. We're just getting started. You can't start out with a great success and not have any problems.

If there are problems, we'll deal with them as they arise.

'There's no time to be discouraged. We're going to get busier and busier.'
'............ Yeah.'

With my brothers and sisters at my side, who were not even able to cheer themselves up, I was thinking that for a while, my sisters and I would have to do the mobile sales ...... alone.


I'm really sick of this ......
Yesterday I was upbeat, today I'm down ......

I've forgotten another important thing.
Estella had warned me in advance. ......

Yeah.
"They're sure to interfere...






After returning to the Sunken Pavilion with my brothers, I went to my sisters.
As for my brothers, Loretta said, 'Leave it to me!I'm still your sister! I'll leave them to you. I'll leave them to you.

Anyway, now that we have only one stall, we have to make money on the side we can sell. ............

'..................What?

When I came to the main street, I couldn't believe my eyes.

There were no people around the stalls.
The air was heavy and uncomfortable, a far cry from yesterday's scene.

...... This is the same air as at the seventh stall.

I couldn't resist running over and calling out to my sisters.

'Hey, are you okay?
'Oh ........................ Onii... ...tea......'

Seeing my face, one of my sisters started to cry.
I hugged him and patted him on the back.
As I do this, I talk to my sister, who is relatively calm.

'What happened?
'...... I don't know ............ why, no one bought me any more ...... ......'
'Since when?'
'Today ............ from the beginning ......'

What's going on? ......
There was such a big line yesterday.

There were a number of people around the stall, watching us from a distance.
Some parents were even holding their children's hands tightly to keep them away from the stalls.
What's going on?
There must have been something. ......

'Hey!

As I pondered the cause, I suddenly heard a deafening noise.
As I looked, I saw a skinny man, who looked like a mantis turned into a mammal, approaching me with a chuckle.

'Who did you get permission from to open a store here?

His appearance was that of a thug from the Showa era.
His chest was wide open, and he walked with a gangly stance.
His neck is craning as he fires his gun.

'Can't you see that?It's my lord's permission.



A frame was attached to the roof of the stall, on which a permit for the stall was presented in Estella's handwriting.

'Huh!You're lying!'
'Does this look like a fake to you?'
'I don't care if it's fake or real.'

What do you mean you don't care?
What the hell is he talking about?

When I braced myself for a possible knife fight, ......



The mantis man shouted in a loud voice.
At that moment, the uncomfortable atmosphere that had covered the area changed completely.
The uncomfortable air that had covered the area changed. 'Oh, so that's what ...... I thought.

'............ is that you?
'Hmm?
'...... No, there's no way a lowlife like you would devise such a ploy.'
'Huh?Are you fighting with me, Kola?

I don't have time to waste on noisy idiots.
The enemy is moving too fast.

We opened the store yesterday morning.
And we've been here all day. We closed in the evening, when no one was around.

Yesterday morning, they found our store, looked in on it, gathered information, discussed it, formulated countermeasures, and put them into action. ...... That alone could have taken a week.
In addition, the time it takes to take measures and have them take effect is too short.

Until yesterday evening, the general public here was eating popcorn as usual.
You're saying word spread during the night?
That's absurd.
Who would be gossiping in the middle of the night in a town like this, where there are no convenience stores, no 24-hour pubs, and not even streetlights?

...... No. It doesn't matter now what method they used.
In fact, the bad publicity is spreading, and this is how business is being affected.
We need to figure out how to turn this ...... thing around. ............

'Oh ...... big brother ......'.

My sisters are clinging to me with pale faces.
...... Why should they have to go through all this? ............

I'm not sure if you can hear me or not.Can you hear me?
'Shut up!

I was about to lose my temper when the mantis man growled in my ear.
I couldn't help but give him a threatening look.

The mantis man stared at me, gasped, and took a half step back.
That's about the extent of it, if you're just talking.
It's a waste of time to deal with him.
I'd like to punch him in the face, but ...... that would give me even more bad publicity.
I'm sure that's exactly what they're trying to do. .................. Peddler's Guild.

'We're closing up store for the day. Clean up.'
'Yeah............, yeah.'

He pats his sisters on the head and speaks softly to them.

Let's go back to the sunlit pavilion and discuss it again.
I was too naive.
I didn't think they would be so blatantly malicious.

............ Hang in there, me.

Okay.
There's no point in being depressed.
Let's just go home.

...... And just when I was about to change my mind, the idiot did something unnecessary again.

'Hey, you guys!Don't you dare run away!
'What?

The mantis man grabbed my sister who was nearby by the head.
Terrified, my sister desperately shook off his hand and jumped over the stall in a panic.

'Ah!

I don't know who it was that shouted. It was someone in the crowd.
The only thing I know is that the voice drew the attention of everyone there to my sister.

The triangular hood came off, exposing the ears of the ...... hamster.

'Look at that!You're a slum dweller after all!It's no use trying to hide it with this stuff, it's no use!
'.............................. Yeah.

At that time, I wasn't thinking about anything.
My body was just moved by a more primitive thought that was engraved in my cells, before instinct.
Namely...


--Kill the enemy.


With a smooth motion that surprised even me, I took out my knife and without hesitation ran the blade into the mantis man's neck.
A flash to the carotid artery.
This was supposed to be the ............ end of the noisy noise.

'Killing without reason in the ...... territory is a capital offense, Obayashi.'

Suddenly - such a word fits perfectly - it happened so suddenly.
Natalia appeared in front of me.


She was staring at me through her glasses.

The knife I had raised had been caught in Natalia's knife and had disappeared from my hand.
In Natalia's right hand she holds two knives.

And in her left hand: ......

'............ g............... ...Ji............i.........'

In his left hand, he was holding the head of a mantis man who was foaming at the mouth and opening his mouth like an idiot.
It's crushing his trachea precisely. That's painful.

'Raiding a store licensed by the lord is the same as defying the lord. In other words, ...... it's the same as smearing my lady's face with mud, ichool, death!

No, no, no, no!
It's a big leap!

'...... jokes aside'.

That's not a very funny joke. ......

Natalia looked at the Mantis Man as if he were looking at garbage and said in a flat voice.

'I have something to ask you. You will come to the lord's house. You have no right to refuse.'
'............ wagari............ bai... .........Wagari......Maj............'

Finally, the mantis man is released and falls to the ground with a dull thud.
He is twitching and twitching, but he seems to be alive. He seems to be alive, though twitching and twitching.

'Listen up, everyone.

Natalia wiped her left hand, which had been holding the mantis man, with a pure white handkerchief and turned to the crowd, who were watching her from a distance.

'This store has been officially authorized by the acting lord, Estella-sama. I, Natalia Owen, will not tolerate anyone who treats you unfairly, whether you like it or not!

As soon as Natalia's voice ceased, the area was enveloped in silence as if it had been hit by water.
The main street of the Forty-second District, a street that was crowded with people every day.

'...... I don't think this will bring back the customers, but ...... at least it will stop the blatant vandalism.'
'I'm sorry. Thanks for the help.
'You should refrain from taking any shortcuts yourself, ...... you don't want a bloody sight in your innocent eyes.'

My sisters huddled behind me.
That's right. I almost did something I couldn't take back.

'I'll be careful after that.
'I hope so.'

Natalia carries the Mantis Man up.
...... Carry him yourself. Don't you have any subordinates?

'...... You'll have to take care of the rest yourself.

That's all she said, and walked off without even hearing our reply.

I know. I know.
I'll make it work.
I'm not giving up just because of something like this.

The only thing I regret is that I couldn't get a message to the mantis man.
Well, I'll tell him next time I see him.

Peddler's guild.
You're on the list of people I wouldn't mind smashing.


You've been reassigned to the "I'll smash you at all costs" list.