"I'm glad to hear things are going well with the Adventurers' Guild."

"Being able to buy compasses, water purifiers, and maps at Adventurers' Guilds in other towns will surely make everyone happy. Recently, we've had adventurers coming from distant towns after hearing rumors about this shop."

Just as Lilia said, many customers at the outdoor shop now come from towns quite far away. Slowly but surely, we'll start selling the products from the outdoor shop in other towns as well. Someday, it might even be nice to open branch stores in those towns.

Well, since I'm the only one who can procure the products, it may not be very realistic right now.

"Bit by bit, it would be great to spread useful tools for adventurers to places beyond this town. Speaking of which, tomorrow marks the end of this week, so how about we invite everyone and have another barbecue during the morning of our day off?"

"A welcome party for Angel, huh? Now that we have a new team member, I think it's a great idea! Last time, we had so much delicious food; I'm really looking forward to it again!"

Things with Dolph have settled down somewhat, and his customer service today was much better than before. Tomorrow marks one week since Angel started working at the outdoor shop. While Angel hasn't had any issues from the start, Dolph also seems to be managing fine. If things continue smoothly, Angel will officially join us after the one-week trial period ends.

Since we have a new team member, it's a perfect excuse to have some fun with everyone again. Honestly, after receiving a significant sum of money from the Adventurers' Guild for the information in the monster compendium, I think I can afford to splurge on even better ingredients this time!

"Welcome!"

It's just before evening, and today's business seems to be wrapping up without any issues. Earlier, I confirmed with Angel and Dolph that they both plan to continue working here, which is a relief. They also seem excited to join the barbecue tomorrow.

Even Lange and Fia confirmed they'd be able to attend. I plan to invite Fia's mother, Rea, as well. I feel a bit bad about leaving it until the day before to confirm.

By late evening, the number of customers dwindles significantly. Only a handful of people are left in the shop.

"Welco...me..."

Just then, new customers enter the shop—a pair of female adventurers.

Female adventurers aren't uncommon in this town. Groups of female adventurers shopping together here isn't a rare sight either, as they sometimes treat it like a shopping outing.

However, these two seem quite different from the novice female adventurers usually seen in this town.

"Excuse me, is this the outdoor shop?"

"............"

"...Yes, this is the right place. Is there something you're looking for?"

One of the women spoke with an exceptionally polite tone, standing straight as she addressed me. She had long, fiery red hair that resembled blazing flames and deep crimson eyes that sparkled like rubies. Her appearance was strikingly refined, a different type of beauty compared to Lilia or Angel.

What stood out most was her armor and long sword, which looked far more expensive and high-quality than what the novice adventurers in this town typically wore.

The other woman was a small girl with distinctive blue hair. She wore a dark navy robe that almost touched the ground and carried a staff with a large, expensive-looking crystal at its tip. Her long, pointed ears marked her as an elf, like Lange.

While people in this world often have hair in shades like red or blue, seeing two such individuals side by side was a first for me.

"We were sent by Adventurers' Guild Master Rizac. Could you let the shop owner know that we’d like to speak with them briefly after the shop closes?"

"............"

"From Rizac?"

It seemed these two women were affiliated with the Adventurers' Guild. They looked every bit the adventurers they were.

"Berna? And Ferry?!"

As we were speaking, Lilia suddenly approached the two women from where she had been organizing the shelves.

Huh? Could they be acquaintances of Lilia?

"Lilia, it's been a while!"

"...Lilia, long time no see."

It seemed they knew Lilia as well. The smaller girl spoke for the first time, but her voice was incredibly soft.

"Why are you two here? Weren’t you based in the royal capital?"

So these two came all the way from the royal capital to this town. Judging by their exchange, they must be acquaintances from Lilia's adventuring days.

I remember Lilia mentioning she was based in the royal capital during her time as an adventurer.

"Rizac told us that Lilia was working here at this shop. While we wanted to see her again, we also have a matter we need to discuss with the shop owner."

It seemed their business was with me.

"I’m Tetsuya Matsushita, the owner of this shop."

"My name is Berna, and this is Ferry. Tetsuya, thank you for your time."

"............"

The red-haired woman, Berna, introduced herself politely. Ferry, the smaller girl, hid behind Berna as if she were shy. Perhaps she was nervous around strangers.

"Tetsuya, these two are acquaintances of mine from the royal capital and are renowned A-rank adventurers."