Kamisama Shop de Cheat no Kaori

Chapter 135. Three Companion And A Butler

“I’ll go get the outfit,” I said, stepping away from the carriage… no, the camper, for a moment. I noticed the boy piling straw in the stable, his gaze fixed on the pure white, strange carriage.

“Good work.”

I called out to the boy and quickly boarded the cabin. Just to be safe, I closed the curtain on the door window connecting the driver’s seat to the cabin.

The clothes I’m wearing now are an original ethnic outfit. The purchasable version is listed as TessaEthnic Outfit = 132,900 yen. While the original label only shows up with the god of commerce, Melhes’ symbol, there are slight variations with the SHOP-bought version.

I considered the possibility that something entirely different might show up, but I shook that thought off and made the purchase. I got the mayor’s size, just in case.

Remaining balance: 170,009 yen.

That 9 yen would’ve been nice to have.

Now then, when I took it out of the container, a solid, fine wooden box appeared. There was slightly less decorative carving compared to the original. When I opened the box, the ethnic outfit, folded neatly, gleamed inside.

However, the color was different from the original.

It had been replaced with something based on orange. I’m not sure if there’s any meaning behind it, but from what I’ve seen so far, orange was used in ethnic outfits, so maybe it’s a neutral distribution color.

It shouldn’t be a problem, though.

Carrying the wooden box, I hurried back to the mayor’s room.

“Thank you for waiting. Here is the item.”

“Oh, show it to me.”

The person who gracefully took the wooden box was an elderly man who had shown up while I was away. Probably a butler or something.

Before handing it to the mayor, he slightly opened the lid to check inside, which made me think he was quite competent.

“Oh… this is splendid.”

“It’s the best work from Veliero.”

Without asking for my permission, the mayor pulled the clothes out and held them against his body. The butler, having produced a small hand mirror from somewhere, stared into it intently.

“Not bad…”

“It suits you very well.”

Empty flattery.

“Hmm. Do you have any more stock?”

“Unfortunately, this is a prototype.”

“I see. So only two of these exist in the world?”

“That’s correct.”

Unless Cherina is mass-producing them on-site, but this mayor isn’t dumb enough not to realize that.

“Could you part with this one?”

“Of course, but since it’s a one-of-a-kind piece, it’ll cost you.”

“Hmm. How much?”

Heh, time to gouge him.

“As you can see, this piece is made from the finest materials rare in this region. It also features a new design, balancing coolness with—”

“Spare me the speech. Just name the price.”

“Very well… Originally, I would ask for 500,000 yen… but considering the request, 450,000 yen will suffice.”

“Alright, I’ll—”

“Master.”

Just as the mayor was about to leap at the offer, the butler intervened.

Tch.

So, this guy is the hidden force.

“Ahem, ahem. Isn’t that a bit much?”

The mayor deliberately muddled his words, switching to negotiations. The sad part is that I can’t say his wastefulness will end up protecting the town.

“Oh, no, no. This is a one-of-a-kind piece designed by the famous Veliero Trading Company’s lovely merchant. Granted, it’s almost identical to mine, but I intend to use this for life, so you won’t wear it frequently. In reality, only Dodor-sama will get to wear this design regularly.”

“That may be so, but…”

The mayor glanced at the butler, who gave a slight shake of his head.

“Ah. I understand it’s a worthy piece, but even as mayor, I have a modest salary. Occasionally, I must meet with high-ranking individuals. Could you not consider it as a way to help the town?”

I can’t say his logic is ridiculous, but I get it. I knew there would be negotiations the moment I saw the butler.

“I see… Indeed, as the mayor of a town of this scale, you need to maintain a certain appearance.”

“Exactly.”

“Under normal circumstances, I would hesitate to sell this piece… but I understand. As a special favor, I will offer it for 400,000 yen.”

“Hm, hm.”

The mayor once again glanced at the butler. This time, the mayor radiated an aura of “Can we be done with this already?” But the butler simply narrowed his already thin eyes at him.

“Ah, could you go just a bit lower?”

At this point, it’s not even a negotiation anymore.

Fine, let’s wrap this up.

“Well…”

“You see, mayors don’t have as much money as you’d think.”

Yeah, right, I cursed internally.

“Sorry, but anything less than this, and I can’t face the Veliero Trading Company. We’ll have to cancel this deal—”

“Wait! How about 350,000 yen? I’ll pay you in cash right now!”

The mayor’s desperate shout was followed by a small sigh from the butler. This must be a regular occurrence.

“350,000 yen … Honestly, that’s barely a profit.”

“I’m begging you to make an exception!”

Some plea that was. Well, I guess that’s how rich kids act. Still, I’ll make plenty of profit.

“Very well. But this is truly an exception, okay?”

“Yes, yes. I understand. I’ll go change now. Leave the rest to my staff.”

“Understood.”

After that, we drafted a contract for the scouting request and sketched a blueprint for a defense request, though I hope it won’t come to that.

The butler was strict about the scouting request, showing me a document stating it would be 30,000 yen per group, regardless of size. Since this aligned with the original request, I signed without issue.

In total, I received 380,000 yen. Normally, they would pay afterward, but it seems this was a special case. Perhaps they feared I might skip out on them.

Not that they’d chase after me if I did, given that the amount isn’t worth it. They likely figured the defense request was enticing enough. The clothing issue was probably an unexpected complication.

Don’t worry, I’ll use the profits for the mission.

Remaining balance: 550,009 yen.

When I stepped outside, the sky had turned a shade of blue, infused with orange. The sun would set soon.

I started the car and told the three of them.

“Tonight, we’ll move out of town and sleep in the car.”

“No problem.”

“Kukuku, understood.”

“That’s rather luxurious.”

“Tonight, let’s plan the operation and make thorough preparations.”

“Agreed. But we’ll train, won’t we?”

“You’re kidding… right?”

“Kukuku… Training should be a daily routine.”

“Agreed. But let’s keep it light.”

“Oh! You’re actually making sense for once, Yaralai!”

“So, name my fighting style already.”

“Uwooooi!”

I was stupid to feel moved for even a second!

Man, these guys are really pissing me off!

As we moved further from the town, the landscape became littered with waist-high boulders, making progress difficult. But with Yararai occasionally guiding us from the roof, we were able to set up camp in a sufficiently remote location.

We finished the pre-dinner training by the headlights.

I let them settle for a packed meal tonight and took my time in the shower.

“Alright, let’s start the briefing.”

In stark contrast to the darkness outside, the brigh