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◇

「 Excuse us for disturbing 」

「 Excuse us~ 」

　I open the door carefully.

Contrary to the clutter outside, the interior is neat and tidy, like an old Japanese store. The interior, decorated with retro-style furniture, and it was eye-catching even if you are not a Chibi. However, the overall dim lighting creates an eerie atmosphere…… But I guess that’s just a matter of preference.

By the way, there are almost no shelves for products, and they all seem to be tucked away at the back of the store. According to Adlas, many of the items are quite expensive, and it’s a reasonable consideration when thinking about security reasons.

「 Oh, it’s rare to find a young lady as a customer in this store. Well, what can I do for you today? 」

As we were admiring the interior, the owner sitting at the back of the store spoke to us. He looks at us while raising a yawn as if uninterested about us.

　There he was, a tired-looking man of around middle-aged. He had sooty blond hair that he brushed haphazardly, a pair of glasses over his eyes, and a stubble around his beard. He was wearing a kimono and a haori, and was holding a smoking pipe with leather gloves on his hands. He seems to have a sense of fashion that is as outlandish as the exterior of the store itself.

「 Ah, umm……I was referred here by Adlas.……I was told that if I came here, they would sell me magical equipment. 」

　I felt a little pressured, but if I backed down now, nothing would happen. I turned to the store owner and spoke to him. If we’re not careful, we might not be able to buy what we want.

Despite my enthusiasm, the store owner’s reaction was a little disappointing.

「 oya, oya, could that Adlas finally had a daughter? Fumufumu……I see, well, if you’re his daughters, it would be more beneficial to introduce them to us than to introduce you to a weapon or armor shop. 」

「 Eh……?」

　I shouted out unexpectedly. There was no sign of appraisal, and it didn’t seem as if anyone had seen my status. If that’s the case, then, what is with this shopkeeper’s response…… As if anticipating my thoughts, the shopkeeper continued.

「 Ah, well, it’s roughly because we do this kind of business for a long time, but it’s something that have been cultivated enough to see through the nature of people? I could somewhat vaguely understand that you ladies seemed to be incompatible with ordinary weapons and armor. That’s also probably why Adlas recommended us to you, right? 」

「 that, that is so, but 」

「 Then that makes you ladies customers of, 【 Kifukuya 】. Now then, what can I get for you today?」

　The owner of the store comes over to me with his hands being pressed together, which seems similar to how a businessman’s way of handling things, but I can’t help but feel a little uncomfortable because of the unruly appearance. While under the pressure, we discussed our budget and what we wished to expect.

「 I see, I see……Please wait a moment. 」

As soon as we had given some idea of what we were going to do, the owner disappeared into the back of the store and brought out a few items.

One was a ring, the other one was a necklace with a relief, and the other was a bag full of stuff.

And then a dagger…… a short sword in a leather scabbard that looks a little small even for a dagger. It’s a good thing that he seems to have a good idea about what we’re looking for.

「 I’ve been able to find something for you, but if you’re on a budget and want at least something useful to use, then this is the right place to go. 」

「 This ring is engraved with the technique of 【 Body Enhancement 】, as you can see here? It’s an excellent item that strengthens your physical abilities in proportion to the magical power you put into it. It’s not very fuel-efficient, so I recommend that you use it only when you need it. 」

Then the shopkeeper handed the ring to me, and next the necklace to Chibi, and explained the effect.

「 And this is the pendant topped with the 【 Protective Wall 】 technique engraved on it. The more magic power you put into it, the more you can deploy a protective barrier around you. I’ve chosen a string with excellent elasticity, so I don’t think it will strangle you. 」

「 Cuteー」

　When Chibi heard the explanation, she got a little excited and started playing with the pendant a little bit.

「 Oh, Chibi, I haven’t bought it yet so be careful with it.」

「 No, no, no, it’s fine. You have to actually touch it to see how it feels, so go ahead and try it out 」

「 Is it alright?」

After such an exchange, Chibi channeled magic power into the pendant to deploy a barrier. It’s not a very strong barrier, but it’s enough to serve as a cushion to reduce some damage.

　I’ll take your word for it and try strengthening my body with the ring a few times.

I can feel that for every 5 MP I put in, my physical ability is increases by about 30% for about a few seconds. It seems that if you increase the amount of magic power you put into it, you can increase the enhancement to a certain extent. It’s not that versatile, but it can be very effective in situations where you need instantaneous power.

We were also briefed on an assortment of other consumables, including a stone that emits a strong flash of light after about 10 seconds when you put magic into it, and a usable smoke screen generator.

　And finally……

「 Though this dagger has the shape of a sword, its function is actually that of a staff. It can also be used as a sword, of course, but don’t expect too much from it, okay? 」

「 A Staff?」

　
「 Yup, I’m sure you’ve heard of something similar. Wands and Staves are not technically under the jurisdiction of magical armor, It’s closely related to magic, right? It’s responsible for amplifying and releasing the magic that the user weaves through the wand. 」

「 However, since most wands are large, they are difficult to handle, and many mages in the vanguard class don’t like to carry them, and Adlas probably to forget the explanation about it. This is the last few we had left over in the warehouse, and I’ll give you something extra for it if you like. This scabbard can be wrapped around the thigh and fixed in, so it won’t be in the way. 」

　The owner then brings out a holster as well.

「 Umm, is this really alright?」

We can’t afford to spend too much, so we can only afford around 10 gold coins worth of items. I don’t know what the market price is for magical equipment, but I’ve heard that the cheapest you can get would be a few gold coins at least.

　I feel like I’m getting too much from this……

「 Yup, yup, there’s no problem with that. The basic principle of business is trust. Even if you lose a little money, if you can get a good customer, it’s a good investment. 」

The owner of the store smiled as he said so, making me think that thee the people in this town are just kind of unpredictable in a lot of ways…….

　◇

And then, after paying the bill and using up most of our funds, I decided to hang around and spend some free time roaming around town.

I observed the people of this city… and there only mostly human, as expected? And I’d say around 90% of them were just ordinary people.

In rare cases, there are human figures with beast-like features, like Chibi, and elven-like figures with long ears.

　Thankfully, Chibi doesn’t get as much attention (Aside from her breasts).

I found some skewers for sale at a street vendor, and I tried them with Chibi.

In the square, there are clocks in plain sight, and despite being a fantasy world, life seems to be pretty easygoing.

While I was looking around, I realized that it was almost noon. As I sat up from the bench I had been sitting on, I thought it was time to head back to the guild……

「 Ah Leticia-chan and Chibi-chan!」

　At the same time as the lively voice was heard, there was a girl…… Shino who came running up towards us.

　When I look around, I also saw Youmu at the back.

「 Hey, you guys.」

　Youmu’s voice is somewhat dim…… and there were some awkward sounds mixed in.

From the looks of Shino, it doesn’t look like she had any trouble after that, but did something happen to her personally?

「 Hmm?」

「 Hmm? What is it Chibi 」

Chibi raises her voice in wonder. I wonder what’s going on here?

「 You know, I was wondering if Youmu-chan has gotten stronger?」

「 Youmu became stronger?」

What exactly happened to you? As if to drown out Chibi’s words, Youmu said, 「 Ah! Don’t worry about me anymore, let’s go!」 Youmu led the way.