Last night was a lot of fun. It had been a week since the shop's grand opening, and I finally allowed myself a night of indulgence without worrying about the days ahead.

Though I only had one drink, it was fortunate I didn’t have anyone to drink with. If I’d had a drinking partner, I might have ended up with a hangover that would’ve hindered today’s employee interviews.

“Sorry for dragging you along on your day off.”

“No need to apologize. We’re talking about colleagues who’ll be working at the same shop. I’m just as curious as you about who they might be.”

The interviews were scheduled to take place in a room rented from the commercial guild. I felt bad asking Lilia to accompany me on her day off, but I couldn’t gauge the combat capabilities of the applicants on my own.

Of course, since she was working on her day off, I planned to pay her extra. My outdoor shop is a fair and just employer.

…It’s been a chaotic week, but starting next week, things should calm down. So yes, I can confidently declare this a fair and just employer.

“So yeah, I was a C-rank adventurer in another town until I realized it was getting way too dangerous, so I quit. Since then, I’ve been working at an inn here, but the pay’s terrible, and it’s been rough.

When I saw the job posting, it felt like destiny, y’know? Everyone’s talking about this shop lately, and the pay’s better than the inn, so I’m all in.

Oh, and let’s be real—ladies love this face. I’ll attract female adventurers for sure! I’m ready to give it my all, so let me work here!”

“…Thank you. We’ll post the results on the commercial guild’s bulletin board this evening, so please check back then.”

“Got it!”

Bang!

We were conducting interviews in a room at the commercial guild for those who applied to work at the shop. In the end, only three people applied.

The low turnout was likely due to the job requirements, which specified customer service skills and combat abilities close to those of a C-rank adventurer.

That said, considering the large number of rookie adventurers in this town, having three applicants was fortunate. We just finished the first interview, but…

“Lilia, what do you think?”

“…I wouldn’t say he’s a good fit for the shop. I’m not confident in his customer service skills, and most importantly, I don’t think he’d keep the shop’s secrets.”

“Yeah, I thought so too. Customer service issues might be fixable with training, but this time, the most important factor is trust.”

The critical aspect of today’s interviews was finding someone who could safeguard the secrets of my outdoor shop’s abilities.

I didn’t plan to disclose the shop’s special abilities right away, but it was likely I’d have to at some point.

Though it’s impossible to fully understand someone’s character in such a short interview, I didn’t feel confident trusting him completely…

Lange is laid-back, but I can tell she knows where to draw the line. I can’t say the same for this guy. He gives off the vibe of someone who’d blunder badly and cause a big scandal.

“And I’m not sure how long he’d stick around, either.”

“Exactly…”

The position was meant for long-term employment. Frankly, I doubted he’d stay long. He seemed like the type who’d leak the shop’s secrets for money and jump ship to another store. Even Lilia, who tends to be lenient in her evaluations, didn’t seem impressed.

“Let’s move on to the next one.”

“So, I’ve been working as a traveling merchant on my own. To protect myself, I’ve trained extensively. I’ve had encounters with monsters and bandits but managed to fend them off every time.”

The second applicant was a traveling merchant who had been going from village to village. To operate alone in this world, one needs considerable skill.

Lilia had already assessed his movements and determined his combat abilities to be on par with an upper-tier D-rank adventurer. In terms of skills, he seemed capable enough.

“My dream is to someday open my own shop. Your store stocks unique items that aren’t available elsewhere, so I’d love the opportunity to learn here.”

“…Thank you. We’ll post the results on the commercial guild’s bulletin board this evening, so please check back then.”

“Understood! Thank you very much!”

Bang!

“Lilia, what do you think?”

“I think he’s a good fit. His customer service and combat skills both seem sufficient.”

“I see…”

“Does something about him bother you, Tetsuya?”

“…A little. While his customer service and combat skills seem fine, I get the feeling he’s lying about something.”

“Lying?”

From my time as a salesman in the previous world, I’d interacted with countless people and honed my ability to detect when someone was lying. People often exhibit telltale signs, such as averting their gaze, excessive chatter, or touching their mouth.

This guy displayed several of those signs during the interview. While such behaviors can occasionally be attributed to nervous habits, he exhibited far too many of them to dismiss as mere quirks.

It’s unfortunate, but my experience with shady companies seems to have come in handy… If only I could’ve used these skills during those interviews with black companies. Maybe then I wouldn’t have been duped into thinking there’d be little overtime…

“There’s a chance he’s only trying to learn about the shop’s supply routes before quitting. Even if his intentions are genuine, I wouldn’t be able to teach him much about running a business anyway.”

“True…”

Even if he was earnest, our shop’s unique nature wouldn’t be helpful for someone aiming to open a conventional store.

I hadn’t studied commerce in this world, so I didn’t have much to teach him.