M-miss, we’ve arrived!
“Is this the place?”
Leya surveyed the establishment, which bore a striking resemblance to a pawn shop. Inside, countless small items were displayed in a dazzling array, nearly filling the entire room.
However, this wasn’t because the shop itself was small. In reality, it was quite vast, spanning several hundred square meters. Even this immense space struggled to contain the sheer abundance of goods, truly living up to its name as a “general store.”
“You wait here for now. I’ll be back shortly.”
“Oh, y-yes, alright!”
Dean agreed instantly, without a moment’s hesitation.
****
Leya then slowly stepped into the room alone. Her gaze wandered curiously over the surrounding objects, her eyes alight with an intense thirst for knowledge.
Not a single one of these items had she ever encountered, even in her previous life.
“Welcome! How may I help you? Our shop is currently running a special promotion: all other items are 10% off when you spend 30 gold coins or more~”
Leya heard the voice and looked in its direction, but a flicker of disappointment crossed her face the moment she saw its source.
‘Why isn’t it a cute young maiden? What’s with this old hag?’
“Oh dear… I can’t help but feel, little sister, that you’re thinking some rather unfriendly thoughts. Perhaps about my age, and my age, and my age? Oh ho ho ho ho—”
The noblewoman casually produced a veil from seemingly nowhere, using it to lightly cover half her face as she let out an eerie chuckle.
‘Yikes—’
‘W-what’s with this woman? Her demeanor just changed so suddenly! This is dangerous. I need to retreat at least five kilometers immediately and perform a thorough ‘system scan’ to ensure my safety…’
“Ahem… Alright, little sister, allow me to introduce myself. I am… Hey, don’t leave!”
“…………”
“I truly am not a bad person, little sister!”
‘The moment you started calling me that, you already were, you scoundrel!’
“W-wait, wait! I can tell you’re desperately in need of money, aren’t you?”
“…………”
Indeed, had the woman not reminded her, Leya might have genuinely forgotten her current penniless state. Circumstances, however, forced her hand.
Leya reluctantly halted her steps and returned to the shop, though she made sure to maintain a cautious distance from the proprietress.
Upon closer inspection, Leya realized the proprietress was actually quite attractive. Though likely around forty years old, she still possessed a captivating charm, evident in her graceful, curvaceous figure.
Unfortunately for the proprietress, Leya had no particular fondness for married women…
“Yes, a little… But how did you know?” Leya halted her increasingly ‘unclean’ thoughts, finally responding to the woman for the first time.
“Ah… so it truly is…”
“What did you say?”
“N-nothing at all!” The woman quickly waved her arms in explanation. To divert Leya’s attention, she promptly changed the subject. “So, little sister, do you have anything good? If it’s convenient, could you show it to me?”
Seeing Leya’s empty hands, she didn’t appear to have come prepared, so it was hardly surprising the proprietress asked.
“Ah, that was my oversight…”
Leya, feigning a search by moving her arm around inside her clothes, then produced a bottle of red potion. It was precisely the 80% effective healing potion Roy had mentioned.
“Oh my, is this—!”
Even the well-traveled proprietress’s eyes lit up. She carefully took the red potion Leya offered, all the while wondering to herself how this ‘little sister’ had managed to produce it.
She hadn’t even seen the potion appear in Leya’s hand.
“An 80% effective healing potion, if I’m not mistaken, proprietress?”
“Indeed, yes. The potion’s quality and the magical fluctuations it emits certainly mark it as a top-grade red healing potion. I just wonder, do you have any more in stock?”
“…………”
“Ah… my apologies, my apologies. That was rather presumptuous of me. If it’s inconvenient to say, no pressure. For one bottle… how about 50 gold coins?”
Fifty gold coins?
Leya suddenly realized a serious problem: she seemed to have no idea how the currency value or purchasing power in this world was calculated.
‘What if I get scammed…’
“Eighty gold coins. If that works, I have a few more bottles at home that I can bring here to sell.”
It had to be said, Leya’s subjective judgment told her she was indeed asking an exorbitant price. A direct 30% increase—surely no merchant would accept that, right?
“No, how could that be! Even if it were so…”
Just as expected, the proprietress stood up, exclaiming in disbelief.
“Is that so? Then I’m afraid this transaction will have to…”
“W-wait, wait a moment!”
‘Oh? Looks like there’s still hope!’
“Ah… little sister, you’re really making things difficult for me!”
“Yes or no, just tell me. I’m in a hurry,” Leya stated without hesitation.
“Ugh… you truly are a frank and impatient little sister,” the proprietress sighed. “Alright, alright. What can I do? I’ve liked you ever since I first laid eyes on you.
“But since I’m trusting you so much, little sister, you mustn’t deceive your elder sister! You absolutely must bring the remaining red potions to me to sell, otherwise, I won’t even make back my capital!”
“…………”
‘I’ve wanted to say this for a while, but her constant ‘little sister’ endearments… they’re truly too affectionate. I wonder how she manages to delude herself like this, especially when she’s clearly past menopause…’
[CRACK—]
‘Eh… did I just hear the sound of a table corner being twisted off?’
“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right. I will definitely come back to trade with you again.”
‘How terrifying,’ Leya thought. At this moment, she had no other desires than to escape this frightening place as quickly as possible.
“Mhm, you certainly will! Here, these are eighty gold coins… Hmm? Aren’t you going to count them?”
“Heh heh, n-no, no need. I believe you wouldn’t deceive me.”
“Oh ho ho ho ho ho—Safe travels, little sister~”
‘Yikes!’
The latter’s legs nearly gave out at the sound of that last, saccharine remark. She stumbled, almost falling.
Abandoning all further thought, she practically fled, running and scrambling out of the shop.
“My, what a cute child~”
The proprietress, who had witnessed the entire scene, merely smiled as she took out a handkerchief and wiped the body of the red potion bottle.
“What a truly excellent quality potion! I’d wager it’s no worse than the goods that come from ‘upstairs’…
“I’ll sell it for 300 gold coins!”
The proprietress announced, her mood exceedingly cheerful!