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Fumitsuki-san kindly agreed to show me the way to the Merchant Guild.

“It’s more fun to have company than to walk alone, after all.”

For some reason, the people of this cafe seemed to be generally easygoing and friendly.
As I walked toward the Merchant Guild, gazing absently at the town, I realized I could take in much more than I could from inside a carriage.
Things like flowers planted here and there, or the fact that there are many demi-humans among the people passing by.
Of course, since it was daytime, there’s probably no vampires like me out and about, but even so, there were considerably more non-human races here compared to Arlescha.
Supposedly the Republic was originally formed by many countries coming together, and I’ve heard there are many tourists visiting, so perhaps that’s why.

“Excuse me.”

After what felt like a few dozen minutes of walking, we arrived at the Merchant Guild.
Fumitsuki-san opened the door to the building with a confident air. The building was Japanese-style, with sliding doors.
As I followed her inside, I was immediately pierced by a barrage of stares.

…Those are appraising glances.

On the surface, everyone looked at us with the kind of gaze you’d give to someone who’d just walked in—a reflexive glance. Yes, on the surface.
When so many gazes converge like this, you can’t help but understand, even if you don’t mean to.
The eyes fixed on us were eyes assessing our worth. The same piercing gaze I’d often been subjected to at the Kuon Household.

“…………”
“Is something the matter, Arje-san?”
“It’s nothing.”

Partly because I’d just had a dream about the past, I felt a pang of nostalgia.

It was a little different from the way Iris-san assessed others.
She looked straight at me and didn’t hide her thoughts about what to do next. She declared with her attitude that she was sizing me up, and she revealed herself to me as well. Maybe she was a little like Aoba-san.
The people here didn’t openly show that side of themselves. But since there were so many of them, and a few had harsh stares, I could tell anyway.

I don’t find it unpleasant. After all, I know full well that I have no value, even if they look at me.
Even if they sized me up, I hadn’t changed a bit from before I was reincarnated. Even though I’m a girl now and belong to a different species, I’m still just as lazy as ever.

Kuzuha-chan didn’t seem to notice the stares. Or rather, she seemed too busy looking around herself.
She didn’t stray from my side, but she was wagging her tails with curiosity as she scanned the surroundings.

“Over here.”

Guided by Fumitsuki-san, I head toward the back of the room.
It’s a counter-style seating area, like you’d find at a soba or sushi restaurant. Across from a few people sitting and chatting, there was a man.
He had thick, wavy blond hair and a beard around his mouth the same color as his hair. His eyes were blue.
His physique was so muscular that he didn’t look like a merchant at all, and he was dressed in a kimono. He had a slightly odd appearance, like an American trying to imitate a yakuza boss.

“Is that you, Fumitsuki-san?”

Even sitting across from Fumitsuki-san—tall for a woman—he was still quite large. He must be nearly two meters tall.
His face was stern, or rather, deeply chiseled, giving off a considerable sense of intimidation.

Fumitsuki-san didn’t seem the least bit intimidated by him; she simply nodded once and pulled a stack of papers from her kimono.

“It’s from my Onee-sama.”
“I see. I’ll take it, then.”

The fact that he accepted it without even checking the contents just by hearing her name suggests just how much trust Satsuki-san had earned.
Who on earth is that person, really? Considering she’s a vampire, she must have lived a long time, so she probably knows a lot of people.

“And you?”
“She is Onee-sama’s contact. Apparently, she’s here on business.”
“Nice to meet you. Um… Fluffy Muscles?”
“Fluffy Muscles!?”
“Oh, would Muscular Fluff have been better?”
“Neither of those makes me happy!?”
“That’s a nickname that makes it hard to tell if he’s soft or hard…”

His hair was soft and fluffy blonde, and his body was rock-hard, so I thought it was a perfect fit, but it seems he didn’t take it well. The people around him were covering their faces and shaking with laughter, so maybe it’s a bit of a hit?

“…I’m Shishizaki Kirigiri. I work at the reception desk for the Merchant Guild. What brings you here, young lady?”
“Um. Is Zeno-kun… Zeno Kotobuki registered here?”
“Zeno? Ah, yeah, he’s one of ours. What’s up with him?”
“He helped me out before, so I wanted to return the favor.”

The moment I said that, the crowd around us began to stir.
I knew they were listening to what I was saying. Things had calmed down quite a bit when Satsuki-san’s name came up, but people were still staring at us.
The people around us, peddlers I’d assume, were whispering among themselves. I couldn’t hear everything, but I could make out the gist of a conversation coming from a nearby counter.

“That b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲ Zeno actually managed to bag something outlandish.”
“Yeah. He actually went and sold a favor to that beautiful girl…”
“That means we gotta purge him later, eh?”
“No, instead of that, shouldn’t we use the list of all the messes he’s made with women so far as a bargaining chip? I’m pretty sure he’s got a huge stockpile of rock salt and spices right now, doesn’t he?”
“““You’re a genius…!”””

I didn’t understand what they were talking about, but for some reason, they were getting really excited.
Since they’re merchants, after all, it’s probably all about profit and loss. Maybe they found it a little strange that one of their own had helped a little girl like me who’s completely useless.

Shishizaki-san stroked his mustache and glanced at the surrounding peddlers with a half-closed eye. Then he turned his gaze and words toward me.

“He’s still in Sakuranomiya—paying his membership fees. Since the deadline is still a ways off, he’s probably doing business here and there. He said he’d be back in a week, so I’ll let him know when he returns. Young lady, what’s your name?”
“Thank you. My name is Argento Vampyr.”

Not Kuon Genji, but Argento Vampyr.
It’s the name I’d been using ever since I came to this world. I hardly felt any discomfort when I’m called by it lately.
Shishizaki-san wrote my name on a notebook he had in front of him, then tore the page away and set it aside. I’m sure he’ll pass the message along once Zeno-kun returns.
Since he’s supposed to be back in a week, I guess I can come back here on that day.

“Well then, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Sure, leave it to me. I’ll make sure to pass it on.”
“Now that we’re done here, why don’t we go grab a snack? It’s on me.”
“Uh, but…”
“Come on, come on. It’s lonely eating alone, so just keep me company for a bit.”

Do the people from that cafe feel like they’ll get sick or something if they don’t do something for me? Like manager like waitress, or something like that.

“Is that okay?”
“If we go back right away, Onee-sama won’t be able to concentrate on her work, after all.”
“Ah… I see.”

It’s true that Satsuki-san is the type who likes to pay attention to me. Fumitsuki-san probably wouldn’t want Satsuki-san to fawn all over me, especially since she’d put aside the preparations for running the cafe that should start again starting tomorrow.

Since she’s treating me and she told me I don’t have to worry about it, I’m all for it, so I decided to just go along with it.
I’ll have a snack, and then I’ll think about where to take a nap.
This town is filled with the scent of flowers. No matter where I sleep, I’m sure I’ll have a pleasant nap.