“Alright, the customers are gone, so let’s call it a day for the shop.”

“Y-Yes!”

As the sun began to set, just like yesterday, the timing felt right, and since there were no more customers, I decided to close the shop.

“Good work today! Thank you so much, Fia. I really appreciate your help. Here, this is your pay for today.”

“What!? Tetsuya-oniichan, this is a whole gold coin!”

“You were such a big help today, Fia. Consider the extra as a bonus.”

As I expected, we had even more customers than yesterday. There’s no way I could’ve managed it all alone.

“But… that’s too much. Even five silver coins would have been more than enough…”

“Without you, Fia, I wouldn’t have been able to handle the shop, and it would have caused trouble for both the customers and the nearby stalls. Plus, you worked so earnestly and diligently today.”

Despite being so young, Fia was able to manage the money, and though she was a bit nervous at first, she quickly adapted and did a great job interacting with customers. She hardly took any breaks and worked with great enthusiasm. Even if it’s more than the usual rate, she absolutely deserves this gold coin.

“But still…”

“And about Nicole, please don’t hold it against her. I know she might have scared you, but those three are my lifesavers. They’re good people. I’ll make sure they don’t act that way again.”

“Oh, it’s okay! I was a bit scared, but she was a woman, and she didn’t actually touch me or anything.”

…Though, it felt like she was right on the edge of crossing a line.

“Anyway, since your mother isn’t well, I insist you accept it. Also, I’d like you to keep working here if you’re okay with it. Let’s consider this an investment for the future. I really want you to help out at the shop from tomorrow onward.”

“Tetsuya-oniichan… thank you so much! I’ll do my best! Please let me keep working here!”

“Of course, thank you, Fia. I’m counting on you!”

Fia carefully tucked the gold coin into her pocket, waved her fluffy tail enthusiastically, and left the shop.

Great, I’ve secured an employee for tomorrow. Plus, I’m helping out her sick mother. Sure, it might sound like a cliché sob story, but it doesn’t matter. I’m satisfied, and she’s earned it. If her mother isn’t sick, even better.

When I returned to the inn and calculated today’s earnings, the profits came out to an impressive 15 gold coins. Even after deducting the cost of the stall and Fia’s wages, I still made over 13 gold coins.

With tomorrow’s purchase of camping gear, I’ll only be 32 gold coins short of leveling up the shop.

If I use all my current funds to stock up on camping gear, I might be able to level up the shop by tomorrow. However, I’d like to keep some savings and avoid overcrowding my room with gear, so realistically, it’ll likely happen the day after tomorrow.

Now that Fia is officially working with me, things are going smoothly. Once the shop levels up and I have more stock and profits, it might be time to consider renting an actual storefront instead of just using a stall.

If I can rent a shop with living quarters, I won’t have to worry about running out of space for stock like I do at the inn. Plus, I’d be able to cook my own meals. The inn’s food isn’t bad, but there are so many fascinating ingredients in this world I’ve yet to try. I’d love to experiment with new recipes.

Cooking was a hobby of mine back in my world, and I often cooked while camping. I’m starting to miss those meals. Having a kitchen is becoming a necessity.

Not to mention, with more display space, I could stock a wider variety of camping gear that doesn’t fit in the stall.

While this is a plan for the future, I’ll visit the commercial guild tomorrow morning to learn about renting a shop—costs, procedures, and everything else.

The next day, I arranged to meet Fia at the shop in the early afternoon. Before that, I headed to the commercial guild to gather information.

The cost of renting a shop varies based on size and location. The closer the shop is to the adventurers’ guild or the city entrance, the higher the rent. Shops on the outskirts are cheaper.

To rent a shop, you need to register with the commercial guild and pay the first two months’ rent upfront. Depending on the shop size and whether it includes living quarters, monthly rent ranges from 10 to 20 gold coins. So, for two months, I’d need 20 to 40 gold coins.

I still need to save up more money after leveling up the shop.

“Ah, Tetsuya-oniichan!”

“Good morning, Fia. Let’s do our best today!”

“Yes!”

“Oh, we already have customers. Sorry for the wait! We’ll open shortly.”

When I arrived at the shop at the usual time, Fia and some customers were already waiting. Looks like they’re here for the limited stock of fire starters.

“Thank you for waiting! The outdoor shop is now open!”