The Secret Shop of Senos
Let’s recall my game days regarding the general store ‘Senos.’ As you build rapport with the shop owner Sepia while using the store, a secret shop eventually unlocks. The items handled in the secret shop are far more diverse than what you’d expect from an ordinary general store. Particularly noteworthy are equipment items—especially those that only drop from bosses or appear as final dungeon rewards. Since this is a single-player game with no multiplayer, there’s no way to obtain those items except by clearing dungeons yourself. The one and only exception was using Senos’ secret shop. Of course, the chance of such items appearing in the stock was low, but if you got lucky and they showed up, your playthrough would sail smoothly. You could skip an entire dungeon. Even so, it never sold items from the final main-story boss or dungeons only the protagonist could access—that much was obvious.
If you only raised affinity by buying consumables at the general store, it would take until at least your second year. Doing requests sped things up a little, but this was the first time the secret shop had opened before even the end of the first semester of first year. The steam-spewing sword we brought from the dungeon must have really caught her eye. As expected, it was thanks to my luck opening that box.
Sepia led us to the warehouse behind the general store. It looked like any ordinary shabby warehouse, but after moving a few crates and pulling on a wall ornament—
Click.
The floor opened, revealing a staircase.
“Ooh…”
“Whoa.”
Theo and I let out simultaneous exclamations. Faye tilted her head at us as if to say, “Is it really that surprising?” But come on—it was a hidden passage under the warehouse floor. That’s peak male fantasy. Whether in the modern world or a fantasy one, that truth never changes.
“Hehe. Every man who comes here reacts the same way. I didn’t expect Luna to react like that too.”
Sepia chuckled and descended the stairs into the basement.
“Other people have been here before?”
“Only enough to count on one hand. With you three added, I’ll have to start using both hands.”
“Only that many VIP customers? Is your business doing okay?”
“Not so bad that I need your concern.”
After descending what felt like two basement levels, we reached a surprisingly spacious area—almost as large as the store above. Despite being underground, there was no musty smell or mold. The place was meticulously maintained.
Tap.
The moment my foot touched the floor at the bottom of the stairs, lights flickered on in response. Theo and Faye flinched at the sudden illumination. I, however, was used to motion-sensor lights from the modern world and didn’t react.
With the lights on, the basement looked more like a jewelry store than anything else. Neatly arranged display cases, every item carefully covered to prevent even a speck of dust. The treatment here was completely different from the goods upstairs.
“Oh! The Thorn Sword of the Mad Mountain!”
Faye raised her voice after recognizing one of the displayed items.
“You know that weapon?”
“Yeah! Where was it again? It’s the weapon the dungeon boss uses. If you get cut by it, thorns dig into the wound and it hurts like hell!”
Getting slashed was already painful enough—now there were thorns too? Ugh, just thinking about it was horrifying.
Just like the Thorn Sword Faye recognized, there were other items here that could only be obtained as boss drops or final rewards. Exactly as it had been in the game. But there was one difference.
VIP customers, feel free to purchase any item that catches your eye.
Unlike the game, where you could only choose from the NPC Sepia’s listed stock, here you could pick anything you wanted.
Sepia bowed exaggeratedly and winked.
“What? You’re not giving them away for free?”
“Of course not. When have I ever given anything away? The extra reward I give is treating you as VIP customers. If you want items, you pay. You guys have plenty of money right now, don’t you?”
We did have money—specifically the money Sepia herself had just handed us minutes ago. In other words, I was facing a merchant with my entire budget laid bare. I knew Sepia didn’t rip off customers, but it still felt a little awkward. Time for a light bonk.
Bonk!
“Ow!”
After giving her a carefully measured bonk on the head, we split up to browse the secret shop.
“Sepia, what are these empty display spots for?”
“They’re spots waiting for items that haven’t arrived yet. Some haven’t been decided, and others are items I haven’t managed to get my hands on yet.”
“You buy them yourself and stock them?”
“Usually, yes. I can’t exactly go into dungeons myself to get items.”
Sepia placed the sword we’d brought onto an empty display and wrote its name on a piece of paper with a pen.
Steam Sword… A name that screamed “ruthless discount chain.”
I looked around. Theo was wandering near the magic equipment section, while Faye was examining the sword displays. …This was my chance.
I moved stealthily. Senos’ secret shop was great because you could buy dungeon-only items with money, but there was another important point. One crucial fact I couldn’t forget.
This world was an adult game world. Naturally, the shop also sold regular erotic items. Of course, if you wanted anything criminal, you had to go to the slums or black-market dealers, but even a general store sold things like contraceptives. In the secret shop, well… it went without saying.
“Whoa, whoa…”
After quietly searching the area, I finally found the erotic items. Sepia must have been too embarrassed to display them openly—they were tucked away in a corner… but I found them anyway. Hiding them was pointless, right?
There were all kinds of erotic items. According to the descriptions—
Premium Aphrodisiac: Triples sensitivity for the duration. Highest-grade product with no aftereffects.
Night of Temptation Lingerie: Masterpiece woven from Silver Arachne silk. Customers rave that it feels like wearing nothing at all.
Training Anal Beads: Specially crafted magical tool for sensitivity training. Essential for clean, hygienic anal development.
The item names and descriptions were written in Sepia’s handwriting. The occasional shaky letters suggested she’d been embarrassed while writing them. Imagining Sepia’s face flushed bright red as she trembled and penned those lewd descriptions made me chuckle.
But this wasn’t what I was looking for. I turned my eyes to the other items. Then—
Ultra-Fine Large Dildo: Covered in microscopic bumps so fine they’re nearly invisible to the eye……
The rest of the description was too shaky to read. Still, just the first part was enough to promise an incredible time.
I had no intention of buying it. Our money wasn’t exactly abundant. Equipment came first, then consumables, then furniture for the hideout—and only if there was money left after that would I even consider it. Still, just looking was free. Lately I’d been getting interested in masturbation tools. Especially dildos.
Originally, I hadn’t been into penetrative masturbation. Partly because even one finger felt overwhelming, but also because I worried about accidentally damaging my hymen. A beautiful girl’s virginity was precious—even if it was mine. But now, thanks to circumstances beyond my control, that seal had already been broken. In other words, penetrative masturbation had been unlocked.
While browsing the various fascinating items, I was so focused that I didn’t notice the approaching presence.
“Luna, are you looking for something?”
“Eek?! Sepia?!”
“What? Why are you so surprised? What were you even looking at… Ah.”
Sepia spotted the item I’d been examining and fell silent for a moment before grinning and leaning in close.
“My, my, my lewd little rabbit~”
“So what? Is that a problem?”
“No, I’m not saying it’s a problem. Why would it be? Still, personally, I’d recommend this one over that.”
Sepia lowered her voice and guided me to another display.
“Suction & Compression Set. It sucks on the clitoris while strongly pressing up against the G-spot. The stimulation is insane. If you attach additional equipment, it can stimulate the urethra at the same time too. Apparently it feels like your mind is flying away… according to customer reviews.”
“Heh…”
She claimed it was a customer review, yet the explanation was oddly detailed. I didn’t point that out. I was a gentleman, after all.
“What about that one? Simultaneous three-point stimulation sounds pretty good too.”
“Ah, that? It does feel good… or rather, the reviews are good, but it requires mana. You’d probably have trouble using it. How about this one instead?”
And so, whispering with Sepia, I steadily filled my mental wishlist. I couldn’t afford anything now, but who knew what the future held?
“Sepia, I’ve decided what I want to buy… Wait, what are you two doing over there?”
“I-It’s nothing!”
“We were just discussing product descriptions!”
Our shopping spree ended with Theo calling out to us. Right. Now wasn’t the time for this. Our goal was equipment farming. I couldn’t forget that.
…That said, there was no reason to forget everything we’d just looked at either. Saving my mental wishlist, I returned to Theo. He was already agonizing over three candidates he’d picked out. Meanwhile, I hadn’t even glanced at equipment—I’d only been looking at the lewd stuff.