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Now then, a new day to do my best!

Today’s schedule. First of all, shopping for foodstuffs.

Orty brings me food whenever he goes out to play outside the capital under the excuse of an expedition, but that is not enough. I go to the market to buy what we don’t have.

Recently, it has become difficult for me to run the store. I do all the shopping, preparation, cooking, and customer service for the royal capital’s branch of Berum.

I was able to get by all on my own a few months ago partly because the place was deserted. But now, it’s getting to the point where I can’t cover everything by myself anymore.

Ever since Dryas started to manage the store, the number of customers has been increasing rapidly.

What should I do now?

Should I add more people to the manager’s position?

If I have to consider a prospect……

I will leave Timu out since she has to concentrate on her studies. It is a crucial time for her, after all. Nielsen the Pervert is, well, I’m a bit scared to leave him in charge. He had been able to take on several jobs back at Berum’s main store, but that was only plausible because my father and mother were firmly supporting the store. Right now I’m up to my neck in my own business. I can’t possibly manage and supervise pervert Nielsen.

And if I can’t manage Nielsen, I can’t manage Orty and the rest……

Dryas is already in charge of the business, he is like a quasi-manager. I’m not sure I want to show Edim and the rest of the vampire squad to the public. Myuu has his day job at the guild.

O-, oh no. When I think like that, I realize how severely lacking in labor I am.

Maybe I should hire someone part-time.

With that in mind, I head for the market.

And just before approaching the market, I found Ms. Milley on the street. She was having idle gossip with a few other old ladies. That’s one auntie that loves to talk.

“Hello, Ms. Milley!”
“Ah, Tilea.”

Hm? Even though she is always wearing a beaming smile, Ms. Milley’s expression looks awkward right now?

Plus, the aunties looked at each other when they saw my arrival. They suddenly stopped talking. What is it? Were you all talking bad about me, you old hags?!

“What were you talking about? Is it maybe me?”
“I-, it’s nothing.”

It’s not nothing. I can see you’re hiding something from me. Come on, you’re making me curious.

Then again, I don’t think Ms. Milley is someone who’d gossip about me behind my back, though~

Haak! Don’t tell me, did that pervert Nielsen or Orty did something?!

“U-, umm, if there really is something, can you please tell me about it?”

No, really, I’m somewhat shocked, but I can accept it if it’s just a slander about me. But if it involves Edim and such, then it’s a matter that could put us behind bars. Ms. Milley’s ability to spread rumors is no joke. The security forces led by Remilia will soon get wind of it.

Out of self-preservation, I persistently asked Ms. Milley about what she was talking about. At first, she was reluctant, but then she began to speak.

“N-, no, you see, it’s just gossip. This auntie doesn’t believe it, but I did hear something odd……”
“I see, odd how…?”
“You know the Eville district, don’t you, Tilea?”
“Yes, it is the most unsafe place in the royal capital. There are brothels, drug dealing, and gambling.”

Where there is light, there is shadow. The Eville district is the dark side of the rapidly recovering royal capital. Thugs and mafia are constantly roaming around there, and 80% of the city’s crimes are committed in the district……

It is a place like Kabukicho, Shinjuku, the city that never sleeps.

“Yes, that infamous place… A beautiful girl with silver hair roaming there has been the talk of the town, you see.”
“Hah? That’s impossible! By a beautiful silver-haired girl, you mean Timu? That can’t possibly be true!!”

I objected, my jaws floored.

“Y-, you’re right. Timu is a brilliant student. She has no business in a place like that.”
“Of course not. That’s just nonsense! Ms. Milley, don’t talk about things based on speculation!”
“I-, I’m not. It’s just that Timu is the only silver-haired beautiful girl in the royal capital, so—”
“Ms. Milley, I’m seriously going to get angry. I won’t tolerate you if you hurt Timu with such baseless and untruthful lies.”
“I-, I’m sorry. Of course, you are right, she is a good and serious girl like her sister, isn’t she?”

Ms. Milley apologized and slunk away, perhaps feeling awkward.

Phew, Ms. Milley can be quite a handful. Timu is going out having a nightlife? That’s just b̲u̲l̲l̲s̲h̲i̲t̲. Geez, what if Timu gets a bad rap?

……
…………
……………………

B-, but then, if you think about it, Ms. Milley sure is a rumor-monger and a gossip reporter, but the information she brings to the table is surprisingly not far from the truth.

C-, come to think of it, I haven’t asked Timu how the school is doing lately. Although I don’t want to use running the store as an excuse, I too was struggling to get used to life in the capital.

Huu, maybe I haven’t spent enough time connecting with my own sister……

This brings back memories of Timu’s sudden rebellion last year when she went on a night out with the perverted Nielsen and his friends. At that time, Timu raised her hand at me, her sister, and pelted me with magic bullets, making things difficult. Domestic violence and signs of Timu’s delinquency are there.

If, hypothetically speaking, Timu were to misbehave again……

This time, she’s not misbehaving in a wholesome place playing Demon Lord. She is messing around in a den of evil such as the Eville District. The people there are not a group of good-natured people like Mr. Hidler and pervert Nielsen. The Eville district is an environment full of drinking, gambling, yakuza, and thugs, a place where people ruin themselves.

A-, all right, let’s go to the school first and see how Timu is doing. I don’t believe Ms. Milley’s story, but as a big sister, worrying about my little sister is my job.

I just want to check on Timu for a bit and reassure myself.

I put a halt to my shopping trip to the market and headed for the magic academy.

After some investigation, I found……

Phew, what a mess.