"Also, if I'm allowed to speak more about my ideal preferences, it would be nice to have a garden like the current shop, or even a spacious balcony," I added, steering the conversation away from the earlier topic and sharing another personal request.

Our current shop, while small, does have a backyard. On days off, I enjoy lounging on an outdoor chair, relaxing, or cooking and eating with the staff. I also always prepare smoked dishes out there.

I really like that kind of time. Ideally, the new place should have either a garden or a balcony. And if there's a courtyard next to the shop, it might even be possible to display the camping gear we sell during business hours.

In my old world, outdoor shops like that were pretty common. Especially when it comes to camping gear like chairs, mats, and sleeping bags, many people prefer to judge the quality in person.

"Hmm, a garden or a balcony, huh?"

"Also, if possible, it would be very helpful to have a bath as well."

The current shop doesn’t have a bath. Normally, I wipe myself down with drawn water, and every few days I use a makeshift shower in the garden to wash up. That’s usually good enough, but I do want to soak in a bath every now and then.

Of course, I understand that in this world—especially in a beginner-friendly and inexpensive town like Al-Flare—houses with baths are rare. So that’s really just a "nice to have."

"...Tetsuya, isn't that asking a bit much?"

"Yeah, the bath might be pushing it. That one's just a 'if possible' kind of thing."

"Hmm, in this town, there probably aren't many shop properties with all those features. Houses with baths are rare to begin with."

As expected… It might be difficult to find a shop property with both a bath and a courtyard.

"In that case, it might be better to just purchase land and design a building the way you want it."

"Yeah, that could be a good idea."

"Oh, you can do something like that too?"

It’s like a custom-built home in my old world. That would definitely allow me to make the shop I want.

"...But I assume that would cost quite a bit, right?"

"Well, you'd be building a whole new shop from scratch, so it would definitely be more expensive than buying an existing one. For Tetsuya’s shop, there would be plenty of places willing to lend money, but taking on a large loan isn't a great idea either."

"Right. Tetsuya’s shop is kind of special, after all. You also have to be careful when borrowing money."

"That’s true~"

Just as Mr. Braimon and Ms. Madret said, our shop deals in unique products that no one else has. There are probably many places willing to lend money, but if I borrow from the wrong place, they might try to claim rights to our products.

And since the products come from my Outdoor Shop ability, I can’t offer the supply routes or how they’re made as collateral. Plus, if I were to build a property, not rent, I'd obviously need a significant amount of money.

"By the way, how much would that cost, roughly?"

"Let’s see... for a piece of land two to three times larger than your current shop, it would be about this much... and then building a new structure would be about this much."

"Ahh... I see."

Yeah, of course it’s going to be thousands of gold coins...

I've made a good amount of money so far by distributing products not just in this town but also in the capital and a few other towns. But still, there's no way I could pay that much all at once.

There’s also the goal of earning money for the Full Potion to heal Lilia’s arm. Even aside from that, the amount is just too much for me to handle.

And since the Full Potion is my personal issue, the priority should be expanding the shop for our customers and employees.

"Since that kind of cost would be tough, I think it's better to look for something that already exists."

It would be a dream to build a shop to my exact liking, but that dream comes with a heavy price tag. I wanted a shop with a bath and a garden that could also be my home, but reality is harsh...

"Alright, got it. We'll start by looking for existing properties that could work."

"Yes, thank you very much."

"Thank you for your help."

"Big brother Tetsuya, someone from the Adventurer’s Guild is here!"

"Ah, thank you, Fia-chan."

While we were open for business, a staff member from the Adventurer’s Guild came by and said they wanted me to visit when I had some free time.

Hmm… maybe there’s been some progress regarding Mr. Gregor’s case? I’ll head over to the Adventurer’s Guild after we close up today.

"Mr. Tetsuya, Ms. Lilia, sorry to make you come over every time."

"Oh, Tetsuya, Lilia. Sorry to keep troubling you."

"It’s okay. Talking about serious matters in our shop is a bit unsettling, so please don’t worry."

It feels a bit risky to discuss sensitive matters in our store, so I actually prefer to talk at the Adventurer’s Guild. You can’t be too careful with these things.

"We received word from the royal capital, Ruhail. One is good news, and the other is... well, a bit complicated for you, Tetsuya. Which would you like to hear first?"