“Ah, my apologies. It seems I’m a bit late.”

“No worries, I just got here myself.”

Hmm... Even though she’s wearing a modest long skirt, it suits Lilia incredibly well. With her tall stature and elegant figure, she looks like a professional foreign model.

...Unfortunately, this isn’t some romantic date. After closing my stall yesterday, I decided to open a proper storefront, which means today, Lilia and I are visiting real estate agents to look for a property.

I’m lucky that Lilia has agreed to work as an employee at my shop. Since she’s a resident of this town, I’ve asked her to join me in scouting for a store location. While I’ve rented properties back in my world, I have no idea about rental practices here.

Earlier this morning, I went to the Commercial Guild to get advice on renting a shop. This town, being friendly not just to adventurers but also to merchants, has very helpful Commercial Guild staff who gave me plenty of guidance.

Speaking of guild masters, I’ve met the Adventurers' Guild Master but not the one for the Commercial Guild. I’m not sure if a mere shopkeeper like me will ever get the chance, but I’m curious about what kind of person they are.

“So, Tetsuya, what kind of shop are you planning to rent?”

“Well, my budget is around 10 to 20 gold coins per month. The Adventurers' Guild will help advertise my shop, so I’m prioritizing affordable rent and spaciousness over prime location.”

Since I started selling outdoors, the name of my shop, specializing in outdoor goods, has gained some recognition. With compasses soon being sold at the Adventurers' Guild and their help in advertising, adventurers should still find my shop even if it’s a bit removed from the guild or town entrance.

Additionally, I’ll need a living space attached to the shop. A kitchen and bathroom are non-negotiable, though having a bath would be ideal. However, baths in this world are luxurious features, reserved for nobles or wealthy merchants. It’s unrealistic to expect a bath in my current budget.

“I see. I don’t know much about evaluating shops, but I can probably offer some advice about living spaces.”

“That’d be a big help. By the way, where are you staying now, Lilia?”

“Oh, since I arrived in this town, I’ve been staying at an inn over that way.”

She pointed towards the area where the high-end inns are located. As expected of a former B-rank adventurer.

“An ideal setup would be a shop space on the ground floor with living quarters on the second floor.”

This type of arrangement is quite common in this world. That’s the kind of property I plan to start looking for.

“Got it. Let’s head to a real estate agent. Ah, one more thing: make sure my share of the rent is deducted from my salary, alright?”

“……Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

...Did I hear that right? That phrasing makes it sound like Lilia plans to live in the shop too, not just me.

“Wait a second. You’re not saying you’ll live there with me, are you?”

“Of course I am. If I’m guarding the shop, it’s only natural to live on the premises.”

“Hello!”

“Welcome! Oh, a young couple. Are you here to discuss finding your first home as newlyweds?”

“W-We’re not newlyweds!”

“Oh, I see.”

...So living together isn’t embarrassing for her, but being mistaken for a married couple is? I don’t get Lilia’s reasoning.

I had assumed guarding the shop was just during business hours, but it seems to also include nighttime. That makes sense since there are no security companies in this world, and the real dangers like thieves and robbers are more likely to strike at night.

Large shops hire night guards on a rotational basis, but I didn’t plan on doing that for my small store. As long as Lilia or I could ensure our safety during business hours, I figured we could deal with theft as a manageable loss.

However, if Lilia lives and works on-site, she’d serve as a significant deterrent against thieves or robbers. After all, who would dare target a shop guarded by a former B-rank adventurer? Even if they didn’t know she was there, any intruder would likely be caught immediately, as Lilia herself mentioned.

Still, does she fully understand what it means to live under the same roof with a guy? Granted, as an adventurer, she’s probably camped out with mixed groups countless times, and if I tried anything, she’d easily overpower me.

But if she doesn’t see me as a man, that stings a little... Though, she did blush when the realtor called us newlyweds, so maybe she does? Hmm... I just don’t know.

“Actually, I’m planning to open a shop and am looking for a commercial property. Could you show us some combined shop-and-residence options?”

“Ah, a shop with attached living quarters. Please wait a moment while I prepare some listings.”