“So, Tetsuya, how’s the shop doing?”

“For the second day after opening, it’s going pretty well. We’ve had more customers than yesterday.”

Looking around at the other stalls, it seems that not many are drawing as many customers as my outdoor shop. It probably helps that we sell items you can’t find anywhere else, so we don’t really have any direct competition.

“That’s impressive. Most shops struggle to attract customers at the beginning.”

“Well, sadly enough, my previous job taught me a thing or two about sales…”

“Huh?”

The sales techniques I was forced to learn at that soul-crushing black company in my old world are unexpectedly paying off here. It’s ironic, really. To think I’d ever feel grateful for that experience… it’s frustrating.

“Also, a lot of customers came thanks to Lilia’s recommendations.”

Today, even more adventurers who knew Lilia visited the shop compared to yesterday. She might have continued spreading the word about my shop even after we parted ways yesterday morning.

“As expected of a B-rank adventurer like Lilia-san. …Sorry we couldn’t do much to promote your shop. We don’t know many people in this town yet.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just the fact that you came by to check on us is more than enough. Thanks for making the time.”

Roya and the others haven’t been in this town for long either. The fact that they stopped by during their busy schedule to buy something from my shop means a lot.

“We may be adventurers and you a merchant, but we’re all just starting out. Let’s do our best in this town together.”

“Yeah, absolutely!”

I hope we can keep this good relationship going with Roya and the others.

“By the way, I heard something at the adventurers’ guild—Lilia-san is apparently pretty famous. We didn’t realize it, but despite being so young and a woman, she’s managed to reach B-rank. The guild receptionists and senior adventurers all know about her.”

“Wow, is that so?”

I recalled the time we ventured into the forest and Lilia effortlessly stopped that massive boar-like monster with one arm before taking it down in a single blow. I don’t fully understand the standards of adventurers in this world, but Lilia is undoubtedly strong.

“They said she used to operate near the royal capital but returned to this town after an accident. Since then, she’s been mentoring rookie adventurers and willingly taking on low-paying, less rewarding requests. That’s the kind of adventurer I want to become someday!”

“I see… So she’s not just strong, but also kind-hearted. We were really fortunate to work alongside someone like her.”

Roya and Fal seemed deeply inspired by Lilia. Honestly, it feels like we were quite lucky to have met someone like her.

“I hope I can repay her kindness in some way. Speaking of which, how far is the royal capital from here?”

Now that I think about it, I know very little about places outside this town. I should probably learn more about this world.

“It’s over a week’s journey by carriage. And the cost of living there is far higher than in this town. Most adventurers start here, gain experience, save money, then move to neighboring towns and eventually make their way to the capital.”

I see. So adventurers in this country gradually work their way up, gaining strength and saving money before aiming for the royal capital.

“Well, that’s still a long way off for us.”

“Yeah, we’ll be in this town for a while. Let’s keep supporting each other.”

“…Yeah, definitely!”

While I plan to keep running my outdoor shop in this town for the foreseeable future—maybe forever—Roya and the others will eventually move on once they’ve established themselves as full-fledged adventurers. Even though that’s a long way off, I can’t help but feel a little lonely thinking about it.

“We’ve stayed long enough. Roya, let’s not keep Tetsuya any longer. Besides, we need to deal with her…”

“Huff… Huff… Fia-chan, won’t you let me touch your fluffy tail?”

“Hauu… Tetsuya-oniichan…”

“…Yeah, before Nicole gets arrested by the guards, let’s take her out of here.”

What on earth is Nicole doing while we’re trying to have a serious conversation!?

“Sorry about this… She really seems to like Fia-chan. Normally, she’s not this bad.”

I had assumed Roya was the airheaded one while Nicole and Fal were the more level-headed ones. Nicole had always struck me as a calm, reliable girl despite her age, but I might need to rethink that impression.

“See you later, Tetsuya. We’ll stop by again.”

“Good luck with the shop. Sorry for disturbing you.”

“Not at all. Thanks for coming by today.”

“Fia-chan~ I’ll definitely come back to see you again~!”

“…”

Nicole was forcibly dragged away by Roya and Fal, each holding one of her arms.