I was reincarnated into another world and became a witch so I want to live a slow life but the Demon King won't let me go.
[I've Become a Witch ②]
Translated by: ME
The next day, I came to Waguna Village again, carrying the finished products. When I showed my face at Rodan's shop, Merita greeted me with a beaming smile. Then, a large, surly-looking man came out.
"Thank you for taking care of my daughter the other day."
The man was Rodan, the shopkeeper. He was Merita's father.
"No, no, I'm the one who should be thanking you for letting me have the ingredients."
"No, I think even the materials alone are quite expensive. It was very delicious."
Rodan, smiling like that, was quite a charming man. He must have been popular when he was younger.
"Actually, I came today because I have something to ask you."
"A consultation?"
Rodan's expression immediately clouded over. He thought I was a traveler who had been kind to his daughter, but I suddenly brought up a consultation, so it couldn't be helped that he was suspicious. But it doesn't hurt to try.
I took out the products I had made from the luggage I was carrying and lined them up.
"This is soap made from plant oil. And this is medicine for wounds. Finally, this is a lotion that women use."
Rodan suspiciously picked up each product and checked it, but his cloudy expression gradually changed to one of astonishment.
"I've never seen such high-quality goods before!!??"
He's surprised, he's surprised.
"I don't really understand this 'lotion' thing, but I can tell that it makes my skin smooth."
"That's right. It's a product that makes your skin look better when you put it on your face and put on makeup."
"The wound medicine also seems to be very effective. It feels soft to the touch."
"You can even put it in your mouth."
"The soap is hard, but it lathers well and has a gentle scent!"
"This is pre-portioned from the start, but it's originally made in long strips, so you can sell it by weight."
"Where did you get such wonderful things..."
"I made everything myself."
"You made them!??"
"....This might surprise you, but I'm actually a 'witch'."
"A witch!!????"
"You're a witch, miss??"
Rodan and Merita were both wide-eyed with surprise. In this world, witches are said to be legendary beings who can use magic. Perhaps, like me and Hiiragi, demons come here and use magic and tools for fun.
"A-Are you really a witch?"
"Can you use magic?"
"Just a little. But I don't like being fussed over, so keep it a secret, okay?"
When I smiled at them, they both looked blank.
"Well, it's up to you whether you believe me or not. I mean, you can't believe me if I suddenly say I'm a witch."
"...You're a mysterious person."
"Hehe, I have a consultation to go with my mysteriousness. Would you sell these products at this store?"
"What did you say???"
"As I said before, I'm traveling from a faraway place, and I don't have any money. All I have are these products."
"For us, being able to handle such high-quality goods is a dream come true, but..."
"You can pay for the stock after the products are sold. I don't know how to set the prices, so I'll leave it up to you. How about I get 6 and you get 4?"
"No way! I can't get 4 just for selling it!"
"Eh, well, since you're letting me use the space for the stuff that's here, even though we don't know if it'll sell, I'll give you 4. If you continue to handle it regularly in the future, how about 3?"
"That's still too much."
"It's okay. I'm saying it's okay."
"...How about 3 at first, and then 2 if the products start selling?"
"You're humble."
I talked about the split a few times, but Rodan stubbornly refused to take a profit, so I decided to accept his first proposal. Instead, I would have to follow my instructions for the placement of the products in the store.
First of all, a major renovation. In order to improve the plainness of the storefront, bright flowers were placed at the entrance, and a wooden sign was put up to inform customers of the current featured products. The interior of the store was also remodeled to create a wider skylight so that it would not be so dim, the cluttered shelves were tidied up, and the products were sorted. Old items and items that were unlikely to sell just by being there were disposed of, the shelves were divided by type, and the best-selling items and the ones that sold occasionally were separated. Seasonal products were placed together near the checkout counter so that they could be replaced each season. That alone made it much cleaner.
"Wow, it's like a different store."
Merita's eyes sparkled with admiration.
"Is this magic too?"
"Yes, it's the magic of cleaning up."
Cleaning up was the most important job everywhere. If any place is cleaned up, most problems are solved.
"Then, I'll put my products here."
I put the soap and wound medicine on display. The descriptions said "Witch's Soap" and "Witch's Wound Medicine". It was a bit intimidating, but impact was also important. The problem was how to sell the lotion, but when I was cleaning up the store, I found a lot of small glass bottles, so I washed them and used them as containers. I told them to deduct the cost from the sales, but they stubbornly refused to accept it because it was leftover stock. Stubborn. There were no labels, so I wrote "Witch's Lotion" on paper and pasted it on with glue.
"I wonder if it will sell?"
"It'll be fine. We're not popular, but we have a loyal customer base. If they use it, it should sell quickly."
He was aware that he was not popular, but Rodan's eyes seemed to have a strong light in them, as he had been in business for a long time. He had seemed exhausted at first, but I felt like his spirit as a merchant had been ignited.
"Well, that's reassuring."
"This is an advance."
"Eh, I can't accept it. It hasn't even sold yet."
"It's also a thank you for doing so much for the store. I'm sure it will sell, please believe me."
Rodan handed me 100 gil. Considering what I heard from Merita, that's two days' worth of living expenses. Rodan wouldn't budge when I refused to accept it. I should be happy that he liked the products so much, but I couldn't accept it honestly because I was worried about their financial situation.
"Then, then, I'll only accept half of it, 50 gil, today. I'll come again tomorrow, and if even one item has sold by then, give me the remaining 50 gil."
"Okay."
Rodan reluctantly agreed. I took the 50 gil and promised to come back in the afternoon tomorrow, and left the store. Perhaps it was the effect of the sign, but there were a few customers looking at the storefront, which had been unpopular until just now. I hope they buy something.
It was an advance I had finally received. The first money I had earned as a witch. As I was walking through the market, wondering what to use it for, I noticed a butcher shop. The bacon hanging in front of the store looked beautiful and delicious.
"Excuse me, can I buy 10 gil worth of this bacon?"
"Ah, sure. 10 gil worth of bacon."
It was convenient that they could sell it by weight. As I was waiting, idly watching the butcher cut the bacon, I noticed that bird bones were being thrown away carelessly.
"Um, are you throwing those bones away?"
"Bones? Yeah. I can't even feed bird bones to dogs. I usually throw them away."
"If you don't mind, could you give me some? I'll pay for them."
"You want these things? You're a weirdo. I don't need any money, take as much as you want."
I did it. It's worth saying it. I had them wrap up a bundle of bird bones and took them home with the bacon. I stopped by a bakery on the way and bought some small bread.
That night, I was able to have a much-improved meal of special soup with bacon added to the usual wild grass and mushroom soup, and bread. Hooray for meat. Meat is delicious. Then, I carefully washed the bird bones I had received, put them in an empty pot with plenty of water, and boiled them overnight. This would make an even more delicious soup with plenty of flavor from the bones.
I wonder if the products sold well. I was worried about it, but I was able to sleep soundly because my stomach was happily full.
And the next day. As promised, I visited Rodan's store in the afternoon. I was hoping that there would be a lot of customers, but there was no one there. I was worried that not a single item had been sold, and as I opened the door, Merita flew to me faster than the bell rang.
"Miss!! We did it, we did it!!"
I was overwhelmed by Merita, who seemed to be very excited.
"Eh? Eh? What's wrong?"
"All of yesterday's products, they're all sold out!!"
"Eh? Already???!!"
I was so surprised that I got excited too.
"That's right. The people who bought them yesterday spread the word, and they were all sold out before noon today."
Rodan, who arrived a little late, explained. The ladies who came to buy soap and lotion quickly sold out both through their network. The master carpenter who was a regular at this store used the wound medicine and was so impressed with its effectiveness that it became popular among the craftsmen, and it was also sold out. They were even taking reservations for when the next shipment would arrive.
"I've never had so much sales before!"
Merita was hugging the ledger with a dreamy look on her face. I felt like I had given a girl an illicit pleasure.
"Um, witch-san. Thank you so much. If you don't mind, would you like to continue to supply us with products on a regular basis?"
"Of course! I like this store. I'm relieved that it sold well. Thank you."
The reason why the witch's suspicious products sold so well was probably because Rodan had been doing honest business and had the trust of his regulars. That's why the store had been able to continue operating, albeit in a small way, even in that cluttered, dimly lit store.
"Well, the sales share for the products is 2,100 gil."
I was handed a heavy bag with a clatter.
"This much??"
"Yeah, it sold 3,000 gil in total. 70% of that."
"Wait a minute. I got 50 gil in advance, and I haven't paid for the bottles yet, have I?"
"I said that was also a thank you. Here, I have the remaining 50 gil prepared separately."
"I can't accept that! Rather, please take more!"
"No. We just sold the products. We can't get that much of a share."
Stubborn. This honesty is Rodan's good point, but his inflexibility is a problem.
"...Okay. Instead, the share will be fixed at 7 and 3 from now on."
"That was supposed to be just for the first time. From now on, our share can be 2."
"No way. The products sold because of this store. You have the right to get 3. Or, are you going to go against what the witch says?"
When I stared at him with a little force, Rodan pulled his face back as if he was overwhelmed. Using coercion on someone who has no resistance to magic is a forbidden technique, but I wouldn't feel good about myself if I didn't get him to accept my demands here.
"...Okay...Thank you..."
"That's fine."
He's really humble, even though 4 would be fine.
"Then, I'll prepare the products again and come tomorrow. Would it be okay to double the amount I delivered first?"
"I don't know if that will be enough to meet the demand. It might become even more popular."
"...It's easy to increase the amount..."
It's easy to be business-minded, but I don't want to be famous. Things that burn up quickly cool down quickly. That's the way of the world. I want to live a long and quiet life as a witch.
"For now, I'll try to deliver the products regularly as much as possible at first."
There are various things to think about, but first of all, it's important to raise awareness. I discuss the number of products and the date and time of the next delivery with Rodan. If this goes well, I won't have to worry about money for a while. I'm in a good mood because I can buy bacon and go home today too.
"Thank you, witch-san!"
Merita jumps on me happily.
"It's been a long time since we've had so many customers and so much money in our house! We're having meat for dinner today!"
That's a good thing. Meat is delicious.
"I'm glad you're happy."
"I love you, witch-san!"
My heart throbbed at Merita's cute words. Cuteness is justice.
"That's right. I'm a witch, but my name isn't Witch, okay?"
I was about to forget. The name "Witch-san" is cute, but names are important. A name is an individual and a wedge that holds existence together. It must not be neglected. I didn't want to use my name from when I was a demon, so I used a new name that I had been thinking about.
"Miriam. I'm Miriam, the witch."
And so, my life as a witch began.
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