Chapter 22 (1/2)

Happy new year from , sorry I’m a little late.

A few days after the journey that became a valuable experience.

No, I have been pretty busy these past few days. Consumers wanting shampoo, shampoo, and shampoo keep coming. I guess the rumor has got around considerably. The Maid Corps of Liner Viscount's house did a good job!　Maybe because Earl Bose-sama did something, there haven't been dealings with weird n.o.bles since that time. Okey Dokey.

Chirin

Oh, it’s a customer. A little girl. Does this girl want shampoo too? Is it shampoo?!

「Um, this is General Store Mitsuha, is it not?」

Oh, come to think of it, I haven't put out a signboard. So that's why customer traffic hasn't grown. Give me advice on these things, Kunz-san!

Shoot, I'll have him make it next time.

「Yes, that’s right. Thank you for your consideration」(よろしくお願い致します)

I bow with a bob of my head.

No, this girl seems n.o.ble-ish. About 10 years old, fluffy blonde hair coiling around, cute and elegant. It's a beautiful girl that screams ”Definitely a princess!” Somehow it seems the girls fated to come here are all beautiful ones… Well, a n.o.ble gets married to a beautiful woman, then a beautiful boy or girl is born, like the work of a top breeder? It's definitely not the work of the Freemasonry or the Nyantoro-ians(ニャントロ星人). I think.

「Then, I'll have a little look around」

The girl went towards the display shelves while smiling. Jeez, the store manager will gush out a nosebleed if she saw her. But even with a nosebleed, the manager definitely won't fall. Because she can't carve the image into her brain if she fell. That's the store manager’s quality. On that, I don’t scorn nor do I admire.(そこには痺れないし、憧れない。)

Oh, I received the edited Blu-ray Discs of Adelaide-chan’s debutant. The screenshot in a transparent sheet too. The quality was as expected. I wonder how much will it sell to the viscount. 1 piece could earn around 1 gold coin…, no no, I'm thinking like that maniac code of conduct I dislike!

(tl note: I discovered there is a forum called Confidence trick maniacs for victims and fans. I thought (マニア商法) referred to an anime character but she could be referring to this instead.)

Somehow, she seems very happy, the little girl. She keeps putting things one after another into the shopping cart but it's already quite a lot of money, in total. Ah, about time to check out.

「This, also, some shampoo please!」

Yes, yes. The cloth shopping bag is free of charge. Oh, she's happy, she's happy. Un, character printed goods are rare, around here.

Ho ho, you'll pay in gold coins, huh. Really, shouldn't you have someone like a guard?

「It was fun-desuwa! I'll come again!」

「Thank you very much~!」

She's a guest of honor. I see her off until she's beyond the door. The girl smiles while walking.

……Hey.

Pikinen!

(tl note: I think this is the metal gear solid discovered sfx)

That on the other side of the road…

A strange man that doesn't seem to be doing anything is standing at the entranceway to an alley, watching over here. A 『officer, it's this guy!』stalker-ish dirty feeling young man that'll definitely be reported if it was j.a.pan. Is the target me, this store?

As I thought that, he starts walking, what a coinci… wait, in the direction of the girl from before!

Big trouble, if ”the lost young n.o.blewoman was last heard going to General Store Mitsuha” becomes a rumor.

Mitsuha rushed into the store in a hurry and pulled out the interceptor bag from the hidden storage under the counter. An interception counter bag from the bottom of the counter, ah, shut up!

Wear the shoulder strap around the neck. Close the door and lock it. Taking a peek, walking even steps, the girl is not far away. That man doesn’t look like an escort……, he crosses the street and went behind the girl. Mitsuha approaches with a fast pace quietly to avoid being noticed.

The moment the girl pa.s.sed in front of the alleyway entrance, the man jumped at the girl from behind, seal her mouth and draws her into the alley. Bingo!

Mitsuha runs in a hurry. Sprints into the alleyway. The 2 figures disappear down a crossroad. After turning and going a little further……, there’s a gagged girl, and 4 men tying her up. A large sack is laying around. Kidnapping by putting her in it? Thoroughly Prepared.

「What are you doing!」

Although the kidnappers momentarily panicked at Mitsuha's angry voice, they smirk with a relieved looking face when they notice the other party was a lone little girl.

「Hoohoo, that was brave. However, our financial sources have only increased by one. You are welcomed here.」

One of the men walks towards Mitsuha. Mitsuha removed the sheathed knife from the bag and inserted it into the belt on her left waist.

「Hee, you intend to resist? However, no matter how strong you are, girl, can you kill a person? You see, killing a person,」

Retrieving something from the bag once more, Mitsuha sticks it out in the approaching man’s direction.

Pang!