ch261-ch280 · 261-ch261

Chapter 261: The Daily Life of the Branch Staff 【Hayashi Sakura】

SIDE: Hayashi Sakura (Chiba Branch surface-duty staff)

"Thank you very much. Do take care on the way."

Hands folded in front of me, a 45-degree bow held for a good ten seconds......

I keep the angle that looks most graceful.

Once the truck loaded with the cargo pulls out of the entrance, I raise my head.

Trucks come in for deliveries often enough, but this is the first time we've had one in to haul OUT materials that came out of the dungeon.

It moves me, just a little.

(All thanks to 'Her Majesty the Spear King.')

The truck right now is carrying the Copper Golems that Kasumi-san—that is, 'Her Majesty the Spear King'—hauled back down from the 30s floors.

Aside from their magic stones being removed, they were completely intact, so per regulation, we bought them off her at the standard price......

But then applications to take them off our hands came in from several universities, and the offered price was a shocking three times over......

We'd bought them for a million yen, and they sold for more than three.

And there were two of them, no less.

A tidy four million yen of profit for the Association, then.

Plus several more Copper Golems we have in stock, taken apart into pieces.

On top of that, deliveries of Sand Golem and Forest Ogre magic stones have come pouring in too, so last month's sales look set to be the highest in Chiba branch history.

(She's due a "-sama," isn't she. Should I start calling her "Kasumi-sama"?)

Hauling the things OUT was quite the ordeal, though.

Being fully intact, they barely fit through the Dungeon Gate, and the contractors had a rough time of it.

The weight was one thing, but they were right at the size limit.

When I asked Kasumi-sama how she carried them back, she said she shouldered them......

Did she really do that at every single floor on the way down from Floor 31?

Although—with Kasumi-sama's special skill, maybe it wasn't such a hard job after all.

She tends to laugh at herself over it, but her 【Equipment Weight Reduction】 is, without question, a 'divine skill'!

(Now that that's settled, time for a break—let's go check on the other owner of a 'divine skill'!)

We have more visitors today than usual, and it's thanks to her...... no, thanks to her indeed.

The one and only Triple-Rank adventurer of the Chiba branch: Mia-sama.

They say she holds the same 'divine skill' as Kasumi-sama, 【Equipment Weight Reduction】.

And Mia-sama's shop has its grand opening today.

We'd been worried that visitors would thin out once August and summer break ended, but the branch parking lot is completely full again today.

The surface-duty staff are surely savoring the unaccustomed luxury of directing people to the paid lots nearby.

Mia-sama has the appearance of a child, but in truth she is also a brilliant businesswoman.

Selling weapons over the internet—a business that sounds dubious on paper—she has sales channels not just nationwide but overseas.

Word has it Japanese shuriken are her bestseller abroad.

And with that adorable face, she has plenty of fans too.

As proof, the flower wreaths and stands in front of the shop number something staggering......

"Wait—what in the world is THAT!?"

Among the flowers, a metal golem glitters.

In front of it, adventurers line up to take commemorative photos.

There's a wreath hung around its neck, with the sender's name written on it......

'Congratulations—from all the staff.'

Ah, those kids.

Naturally only Kasumi-sama and Mia-sama could haul something like that back, so I suppose it figures......

Mia-sama's fans are apparently competing over who can send the biggest wreath, but this one stands out above them all.

It even outshines the shuriken-shaped wreath bearing the biggest name of all, 'Ninja Red Shadow.'

Promising adventurers really do prove promising in places like this too.

The flower stand the branch sent in the branch manager's name is displayed beside the entrance, and it's so small it actually leaves a bad impression.

We should have splurged a little more......

(Quite the booming opening, isn't it.)

Inside the shop, crowds as well.

Is the draw those Orc General armors at rock-bottom grand-opening prices?

Armors remade into all sorts of designs line the walls in rows—it's a spectacular sight.

(How did she even stock this many Orc General armors?)

And at these prices.

The grand-opening sale can't be making her almost anything.

Now, to find my own target: the 'Lilliputian Spear'......

There it...... huh? What is......

It's so big I hadn't even noticed it.

I spotted the 'Lilliputian Spear' display card and approached, only to find another customer taking photos of it.

When I lowered my gaze to see what they were looking at, there it was—something like a utility pole set up on a pedestal.

"Sakura. On patrol too, are you? Good work."

Kasumi-sama, in uniform, from behind.

Today's grand opening promised crowds, so the staff are taking turns making the rounds to head off any trouble.

"Kasumi-san, this is......"

"Ah, the 'Giant's Spear.' It's not for sale, but it looks like it'll be this shop's showpiece. Haruki-san came up with the idea, you know?"

She tells me, beaming.

So it is apparently a colossal spear.

An iron pillar over ten meters long, a good thirty centimeters thick......

"A spear? Nobody could use something like that, could they?"

"Fufufu. You'd think so, wouldn't you? Now then, take this...... and give the 'Giant's Spear' a knock."

Kasumi-sama hands me the wooden mallet that hung from the pedestal.

"Eh? That's merchandise, isn't it? I couldn't."

"You only need to listen for the sound, so a light tap is fine. Go on."

"The sound? Ah......"

The 'Giant's Spear,' the sound—it clicks, and I give it one strike first.

'Kiiing'

A beautiful metallic ring.

Like a glockenspiel.

Mia-sama does fine work.

"【Weapon Enhancement・Spear】"

Kasumi-sama, her hand resting on the 'Giant's Spear,' nods at me.

"Here I go."

I strike it again.

'Knock'

The mallet bounces right off.

There's no mistaking it—the weapon enhancement took.

"It worked. What do you think? A seasoned spear crafter can learn to enhance even a spear this big. Spear users confident in their arms will come to this shop to test whether they can enhance it. Wouldn't that make for fine advertising?"

So it's the giant version of the 'Lilliputian Spear.'

A clever idea, I think.

If Haruki-san is the one who thought it up, then Kasumi-san's smug face makes perfect sense.

And if the golem outside is his handiwork too, then perhaps he has a talent for marketing on top of adventuring.

'Sooo cool. I tried it just now and totally failed.'

'That's 'Her Majesty the Spear King,' right?'

'Huh? For real? She's gorgeous.'

'Try it, try it!'

Applause breaks out from the customers around us.

A fine reaction, indeed.

Apparently this doubled as a demonstration—the effect is overwhelming.

Several people are already lining up to give it a try themselves.

"As expected of you. But is there truly anyone besides you who could enhance it, Kasumi-san?"

"In my case, 【Spear Mastery】 is cheating—but it seems that if you can lift it even without 【Spear Mastery】, you can enhance it. Hiramatsu-san failed just now, so it may be that even good arms won't do if the stats fall short."

So there were others besides Kasumi-san who lifted this colossal spear.

It looks difficult even for a Triple-Rank, though......

Hiramatsu-san came out of the dungeon with Endo-san just before, so it seems he failed magnificently right in front of her.

That man—so capable at work, yet around Endo-san he always, always spins his wheels......

"Fufu. I would have loved to see the two of your faces in that moment."

"We didn't know how to react either, so it was a bit awkward right there on the spot. Ah—several of the adventurers taking part in that request have come to the back. I'll introduce you, so please, this way."

I give a small bow to Mia-sama, the shopkeeper busy taking measurements, and slip into the back.

That request......

A Triple-Rank promotion request for a group of thirty.

At this scale, I believe there's no precedent even at headquarters.

About thirty women at the center of it, none belonging to any particular headquarters party.

Among them, even production-class......

If it goes well, some adventurers may well switch over from headquarters to Chiba.

(Kasumi-sama truly is the savior of the Chiba branch......)

And the boy who is the driving force behind that savior......

The reason Kasumi-san has thrown herself into this request so actively, I'm convinced, is to make him a Triple-Rank.

So this is how a woman changes when she falls in love......

Honestly, I envy her.