The 23rd day of the month of fire. I was taking a leisurely stroll through the streets of the royal capital, which was bustling with activity in the late afternoon, by myself.
　Me, Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san also learned magic, although it was rudimentary, so we were able to walk around without an escort, only within the royal capital.
　For some reason, Lilia-san tried desperately to bite down on me to get me an escort, but in the end she broke down... Why was she so stubborn, I don't know why she was so stubborn, because I am still inferior to Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san in terms of combat power, Lilia-san, who is a worrier Wouldn't you feel safe as?

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time in the city.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what kind of magic you can use to protect yourself in battle.
　I'm not sure what kind of magic she's going to teach me, but I'm glad to hear that she's going to have the means to protect herself, and to be honest, I'm a little excited about it.

　As I was walking around thinking about that, one shop suddenly caught my eye.
　I've been thinking about this for a while now, and I've been thinking about the fact that I'm going to be moving to the Elven Forest soon to participate in the Treasure Festival, but I might as well prepare myself for something.
　I'm not hunting but harvesting, but if you're going to pick fruit in the forest, you might want to bring at least one of your knives.

'Hello.'

　When I opened the wooden door and entered the store, the interior of the store was larger than my impression from the outside, with several shelves lined up tightly.
　Looking around lightly, I couldn't see the owner of the store, so I tried calling out to him, but... there was no response.

''Huh?　I'm sorry!

　I called out to him again, a little louder this time, but still no response came back. The door wasn't locked, which means I think it's in business....
　At that moment, I heard a faint voice from the back of the store, and I turned my head towards the direction of the voice while tilting my head.

.........What is this, how do I live with this kind of money.......
...What?

　At the back of the store, at what appeared to be a counter, a scene that I couldn't believe was spreading at once.

"We just set up a shop in the capital, and we don't get any customers...

　At the counter, an 'object' that looked like a shopkeeper was mumbling and counting coins. That in itself is not a strange sight, but the problem was the appearance of the shopkeeper.
　A yellowish brown fluffy and resilient-looking - limbs made of cloth. Reminiscent of a deformed cat...no, it's impossible. I don't have the words to explain this bizarre scene well.
　In short, a stuffed cat-like object is mumbling and counting coins.
　Why is this person wearing a stuffed animal costume indoors?　Are you stupid?



　The sight of a weirdo in a cat costume complaining and counting coins was terribly surreal, and honestly, I deeply regretted entering the store.
　From the sound of her voice, she seemed to be a young woman, but the costume was already ruining everything.

I'm sure you'll be able to find some good-looking customers with money, and I'll be able to sell them some things.
....

　Yeah. Obviously, he's an abusive person let's get out of here before he sees us.

Really, there's a sucker in the wings-- Yeah?
Huh?
....
....

　Shit, I've been noticed. Did you just get a batch of eyes?　There was a
　A very awkward silence passed between me and the owner, and after a bit I quickly turned around and walked towards the door...

Welcome!
!

　We've come around.
　Ha, ha!　In an instant, he came around in front of me, and also called out to me with his back to the door.
　The way he clearly didn't want to miss me made me back away... no, I seriously walked into a strange store.

'What can I do for you?　Well, our customers are lucky. I'm just now stocking up on stuff!
"...no, no, no, um...

　I mean, I've stocked up on a lot of stuff, or it's obvious that customers aren't coming to the store and a lot of stuff is left unsold!
　Oh no, I'm a complete target. A stuffed animal jiggling its way up to us while rubbing its hands together.............There's a fear like a B-grade horror story.

''I was just dropping by for a bit, not that I was going to buy anything or anything...''
No, no, no. Now is your chance. Well, you know.........we're offering a discount right now!

　Obviously, it felt like you just came up with it!　You were totally taking advantage of it!
　But the other party could be said to be a business professional, and I honestly don't have the talk skills to get out of a situation like this.
　Should I just assume that I've been bitten by a stray dog and do some shopping and go home?

And what's your budget, by the way?
...er...uh...gee, I don't know...5,000R or so...?

　In fact, I have more than 4,000R, but I'm not stupid enough to tell you that honestly either.
　However, I'm not flashy, but I'm wearing clothes of a quality that would not be funny even if the aristocrats wore them, and if I said too low an amount of money, it would cause a lot of trouble, so I decided to say about 500,000 yen.
　If this is the case, even if I was forced to buy it to the very edge of my budget, I can give up if I think I fell for a bad salesman.

''........5000R.......''

　I felt like the owner's eyes had changed color. I can't see his eyes because he's wearing a costume, but it's like his mood has changed somehow.
　To be specific, it's like he's found a good duck...
　Well, well, well what do you think?　Either he'll try to force me to buy it with threats or he'll take me for a ride with his polished business negotiation skills... Either way, he's a professional and there seems to be no way for me to escape.

　In front of me, who was gasping for breath, the owner slowly put his right knee on the ground, followed by his left knee, and finally his hands on the ground.

''Please ... buy me something.''
....

　Kneeling. It was an unexpected kneeling down. He got down on his knees in a very refined and unhurried manner, throwing away all shame and pride as a businessman.

I'm begging you. I haven't had a good meal in a few days.
....

　And then, as if flowing from a kneeling position, it was this crying down.
　I was stunned and speechless in front of the woman on her knees in front of me.

　Dear Mom, Dad - what a weird thing I've come across again. So - I ran into a strange shopkeeper.