Konbini Ossan Volume 2 Chapter 6 – The Signboard and Our Main Product
After returning home, I pulled several lamps out of my storage pouch.
They were adventuring lamps, but thanks to my skill, I had no need for them in the field.
So for now, I decided to use them as temporary lighting inside the house until our magic lightstones were fully functional.
The sun had already set, and the future store — which was currently still just my home — was pitch dark.
But it lit up instantly with the lamps. After all, you can’t get any work done in the dark.
By the way, these are mana-powered lamps that use decent-quality magic stones.
Normally, you'd have to buy standardized stones specifically for such tools.
I’d purchased a few myself and stored them away, but the ones for the lamps were part of the gear Shuri-kun gave me.
Really, that guy prepared everything. I love you, Shuri-kun.
(E/N: Of course you do, freaky Uncle!)
Anyway, before the day’s over, let’s wrap up the rest of the work.
“Alright, Arisa-san. Is the signboard ready?”
“Yeah, totally nailed it!”
Arisa proudly pointed to the signboard.
It read:
"Cave Dwarf’s Magical Item Shop~☆"¹
Hmm? I could’ve sworn I asked her to write:
"Cave Dwarf's Magic Tool Store"...²
Oh well. It's within an acceptable margin of error.
Deviating from instructions and improvising on the fly is practically a core skill for student part-timers and elderly workers.
(E/N: Roasted 😂!)
Getting hung up on minor things like this is just asking for stress.
“Perfect work, Arisa-san.”
“Right?! You told me to make it cute, so I added my own flair.”
”I see.”
That likely explains the altered wording. I’ll admit, her version is more charming than my plain one.
She even picked a cute, playful font. With this sign hanging out front, the shop is sure to look adorable.
And inside the shop is me — well, someone who looks like a cave dwarf, often considered cute in this world.
No wonder I’ll be a hit with the young ladies. I’m getting excited already.
“So, old man — where's the product?”
“Heh. Right here!”
I smirked confidently and showed Arisa one of the lightstones.
She frowned immediately.
“...What’s this? A rock?”
“A glowing rock.”
“It’s not glowing.”
“Well, not yet. But it will.”
I poured a bit of magic into the lightstone. It immediately responded and emitted a soft glow.
“Oh wow, it's actually kinda bright.”
“See? With this, you can work 24 hours a day.”
“...Huh?”
That voice of hers had weight to it — intimidating even. Even when it’s a girl doing it, intimidation is still scary. Please go easy on me.
Still, I pressed on and explained.
“With these lighting stones, I can recreate the 24-hour convenience store experience.”
“...And why would you do that?”
“To work night shifts, obviously.”
(E/N: Unc's a menace, sleep already, 😂)
“That’s not the point! I’m not asking about your work ethic, you weirdo! I’m asking what’s the point of recreating a convenience store in this world! Use your head!”
She’s hitting me with nonstop comebacks… but I’m glad my joke landed.
“Well, I don’t have any work experience outside of convenience stores. So I figured I’d start by recreating what I know.
…
Once the structure is in place, I’ll tweak things gradually to suit the world’s needs using my knowledge.”
“And what’re you even selling?”
“These magic stones.”
“You seriously think people are gonna buy lightstones like this?”
“They’ll definitely sell.”
I say this with full confidence. I’ll need to figure out the pricing later, but I’m certain they’ll sell well — even at a steep price.
At the very least, I expect initial demand to be explosive.
“...Well, I dunno anything about that stuff. I’ll leave it to you, old man.”
“Yes, please do. I’ll make sure to support your livelihood too, Arisa-san.”
She frowned at that, looking a little uneasy.
“...Right. If you don’t make money, I won’t be able to live either. So yeah—go for it, old man.”
“Of course. But you’ll be helping out too, starting now.”
I said, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently guiding her to a certain spot.
“Huh? What gives, old man?”
“A job.”
I pointed to a wooden panel inscribed with a magic circle used for enchantments.
“It’s simple. I’ll hand you a magic stone. You place it inside the circle, then channel magic into the pattern.
…
Once the stone starts glowing, stop the magic flow. The glow from the stone and the magic circle will fade, and that means it’s done.
…
Put the finished one over there. Then repeat the process.”
It’s repetitive work, but simple enough that even Arisa can handle it.
“Alright. Sounds easy. Leave it to me!”
She sat down enthusiastically in front of the circle. Since she was in a skirt, I worried I might accidentally see something from this angle...
Still, commenting on it would definitely be seen as harassment. I decided to say nothing.
“...Hey, old man. What’re you spacing out for? Hurry up!”
“Yes, coming right up.”
I stood at the other magic circle and began pulling stones from my storage pouch, enchanting them one by one before handing them to Arisa.
She took each one and performed her part of the process smoothly.
The magic circle was designed to use my skill regardless of who poured in the magic, as long as I was within range.
So even with her doing the work, the stones got properly enchanted.
Efficiency is key. I designed the system from the start with Arisa helping in mind.
And so, we continued enchanting stones late into the night.
By the end, we had successfully processed all of the low-quality stones we had received.
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E/N:
1 & 2 - Fyi, in the raws, the Kanji for Arisa's writing is, in simple words, cutesy and exudes charm and warmth. Makes the shop more approachable.
Whereas Ossan's intended title for the shop in mind was more formal, with an official tone, mainly to show the professionalism of the franchise.
Anyway, I was right to label Ossan as a freak! Guy's obsessed with Konbinis!
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