Once-in-a-lifetime Shopping Opportunity
While I hadn’t won the tournament, it had definitely resulted in a boost in confidence and it had been a good experience. That being said, it was now very difficult to live within the imperial city. I never did like to draw attention to myself. I didn’t even like my alias. Still, a part of me must have been getting carried away by fame, even though I wasn’t aware of it. This was a good reminder.
“We should hurry up and leave…”
I couldn’t help but mutter to myself as I felt the stares. My mind was in a very negative space now… Nope. Nope. It was best to stay positive if you wanted to enjoy life.
And so I sighed and switched gears before continuing my shopping.
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It didn’t take long to arrive at the closest store that sold magic tools.
“The ‘Rabbit Magic Tool Store.’ …Rabbit.”
Maybe I was still in a negative mood. Still, a kindly old woman I had asked on the streets had recommended this place to me.
There was a sign over the door that had a painting of a pink rabbit on it. Alright, it was sort of cute.
“Well, no point in standing here.”
I muttered as I opened the door. The bell of the door rang, announcing my arrival. The place was packed with all kinds of things. There was something fancy about the designs too. The kind of stuff girls would like.
As I wandered around, I heard the sounds of footsteps from the back of the store. It was probably the clerk.
“Welcome.”
A young girl popped out. She had twin ponytails that were tied up with ribbons.
“Hello. Do you help around here?”
“That is so. I’m Miruru. I am the manager.”
“Ah…are you now?”
She seemed to be very proud of her position as well. I had met a lot of people in my life. Sometimes they were just as they seemed. Sometimes they weren’t. This person seemed like the later. My Adventurer’s intuition was telling me this.
“Hey, you! I told you not to go out there without permission!”
Just as I was about to trust my instincts and ask for advice on what to buy, someone else stormed out from the back. This time it was a woman with a single ponytail. There was definitely a resemblance…
“Bu…but, I am the manager. So I have to help the customer…”
“I’m the manager! You are too young to be a manager!”
“But…bu…!”
Her mother scolded her with the kind of authority that proved she was correct. Miruru stomped her foot in angry defeat.
“Hey, stop doing that! We’re in front of a customer! Oh, I am terribly sorry about this. She just…”
“Ah, please don’t mind me.”
“This customer is a nice man.”
Miruru stopped stomping her feet and ran to stand behind me. Perhaps she thought I’d protect her from her mother.
“Hey! Come back here!”
“No!”
“Ah, this child…”
“Hmph.”
The girl was quite bent out of shape now. She would not listen. Well, it seemed common enough at that age. Not that I had any kids of my own.
“Ahaha… I really don’t mind.”
“I’m so very sorry… I am the real manager here. Maruru. Can I help you with anything?”
And so I asked the one true manager if she could recommend anything for our trip. As for me, I was thinking of something that was much more powerful than our current barrier tools. If there was something that had the power to keep monsters away… We could sleep so much easier…
“Those things are over there.”
“Hey, be quiet!”
