"My name is Dolph. I'm 20 years old."

The final applicant was a man a little younger than me. He had long brown hair tied at the back, was tall, and looked like the kind of handsome guy who would be popular with women—my first impression of him.

"Mr. Dolph, correct? My name is Tetsuya. Could you start by telling me about your previous job?"

"Until just recently, I was a C-rank adventurer here in this city. I've also handled escort missions."

"I see. Then your combat skills shouldn't be an issue."

If he was a former C-rank adventurer like the first applicant, there shouldn't be any concerns regarding his combat ability. His manner of speaking wasn’t particularly rough, and with some guidance on proper etiquette, he’d likely be fine as a store employee.

If we hired him, there was no doubt that female customers would increase. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder why a good-looking adventurer like him, already at C-rank, remained in Al-Flare.

And why did he retire from adventuring? He’s still young, and from the looks of it, he doesn’t appear to have suffered any major injuries. Could there have been some sort of issue?

"If you don’t mind me asking, could you share why you decided to retire from adventuring?"

"Ah, it’s not a big reason or anything. Until now, I lived here in this city with my mother and younger sister. But my mother recently passed away due to illness.

As her older brother, I have a duty to raise my sister in my mother’s stead. The nature of adventuring often requires leaving home for long periods. Escort missions to other cities can keep you away for a week or more.

Moreover, being an adventurer always comes with risks. If something were to happen to me, my sister would be left all alone. That’s something I absolutely must avoid."

"………………"

I see. He stayed in this city because of his family, not because he couldn’t move elsewhere. He chose family life over becoming a more accomplished adventurer.

"When I was looking for work after retiring as an adventurer, I came across the job posting for this store. The salary here would allow the two of us to live comfortably, and I wouldn’t have to leave home for days on end.

And it’s not just the good working conditions—while I was an adventurer, I relied heavily on tools like the compass and water purifier from this shop. Even after retiring, I wanted to find a job where I could stay connected to adventuring."

His reason for retiring and his motivation for applying to the shop were both perfectly reasonable. He seemed like a commendable older brother who cared deeply for his sister.

"I understand. I’m sorry for making you recall such a painful memory. Do you have any experience with customer service or handling money?"

"I’ve never done customer service before, but I’ve often had to communicate with clients during adventuring requests. As for money, I’m confident in my basic calculation skills."

Hmm. Customer service can be learned over time. I don’t know about other cities, but at least here, store clerks aren’t expected to be as polite as those in my original world. Overly formal service might even invite trouble, as Lilia once warned me.

I guess I should stop thinking about myself. Our conversation had no issues, and if he can handle calculations, there shouldn’t be a problem. He doesn’t exhibit any behavior indicative of lying, and I think he’s the one we should hire.

"………………"

"Lilia, do you have any questions for Mr. Dolph?"

Lilia hadn’t spoken much during this interview. She’d asked a few questions to the previous two applicants, so I wondered if she had nothing to ask him.

"…Just one thing. Dolph, is your sister’s name Angel?"

Huh? Could it be that his sister is someone Lilia knows?

"Oh, you know my sister? Well, it’s no surprise—after all, she’s the most… no, the absolute cutest in this city—no, this country!"

"………………"

Dolph suddenly shifted, his demeanor lighting up with an exuberant smile.

"That’s right, my sister is so adorable that I worry constantly about leaving her alone. Even now, I can’t help but wonder if some scumbag is trying to sweet-talk her, and it fills me with anxiety!"

"Hey, Lilia. About this guy…"

"…Ah. I’d never met him before, but he’s apparently infamous in the adventurers’ guild as a severe sis-con, known as a hopeless case. Despite his good looks and skill, he’s said to never waver when it comes to women."

"………………"

Well, I mean, being devoted to one’s sister isn’t inherently bad, right? I don’t have a sister, so I wouldn’t know, but caring for her so much doesn’t make him a bad person, does it?

"…If I recall, he was promoted to C-rank after single-handedly dismantling a kidnapping ring that targeted his sister."

"…That’s… intense!"

This guy’s way more hardcore than I thought!

"Phew… Anyway, the interviews are done. Now, what should we do?"

The interviews had ended without incident, but deciding who to hire was the next challenge. Of course, we could always skip hiring for now and continue recruiting next week.

"…Among them, wouldn’t Dolph be the best choice?"

"Wait, really?"

"I understand your hesitation, but his being a sis-con isn’t a problem for the shop. Of the three, he’s the most skilled and seems the most likely to stick around while keeping secrets."

…Lilia made a fair point. On further thought, his sis-con tendencies have no bearing on the shop’s operations. If Lilia says he’s the most competent and reliable, then that’s probably accurate.

"Now that you mention it, he does seem like the best fit. All right, let’s hire him."

As long as we avoid bringing up his sister, he’s undoubtedly an excellent candidate. The second applicant was tempting, but our shop couldn’t meet his expectations.

Both sides would have a one-week trial period. After discussing it with Lilia, we decided to hire Dolph.