Strawberry Chocolate and a Very Large Man
Simon and Camibarez passed through the crowded fountain plaza and slipped into a narrow alley.
"I'm really so sorry, Simon!"
Camibarez bowed deep in apology, her light-violet hair spilling forward to reveal the top of her head.
Simon waved his hands quickly. "N-no, I'm totally fine! Not a scratch on me."
"Still, I'm sorry. I thought you'd restrain yourself if people were watching…… My father is so embarrassing."
She hid her flushed face behind her palms. Simon spoke gently. "He's just a little playful, that's all. I don't think he meant any harm."
"P-playful? You nearly died just now, Simon!"
She said, aghast.
Well, if that man had truly been trying to kill me, Simon mused, I'd probably already be lying in two pieces, rolling around on the ground. But there was no reason to keep the conversation on that topic, so he pulled the paper case out of the wrapping he'd been carrying.
"Want an ice cream bun? I bought some from a street stall on the way here."
"Huh?"
Flustered, Camibarez refused once, insisting this was hardly the time for snacks—but Simon's enthusiastic coaxing won out in the end, and she accepted one. She took a small bite.
"?!"
Her violet pupils went wide as a rabbit's. She took another bite, furrowed her brow for a moment, and then an irrepressible smile broke across her face as her shoulders gave a little shiver.
"Ahhhh, it's delicious!"
Only then did a bright bloom of laughter spread across her face.
She clutched the ice cream bun in both hands, nibbling away one bite at a time. She really did savor her food.
Looks like I smoothed that over somehow.
Simon glanced back over his shoulder. Camibarez hadn't noticed at all, but a little distance behind them, he could see Dietrich's eyes flashing.
"Well then, shall we go meet Rick?"
"Yes!"
She beamed, ice cream smeared across her lips. When Simon silently held out a handkerchief and pointed at her mouth, she turned red to the nape of her neck, took it with both hands, and wiped her face.
"I'll wash it and give it right back, I promise!"
"Sure."
The two of them strolled side by side down the narrow alley, their appetites satisfied. With nearly two months of break to catch up on, there was plenty to talk about. Camibarez chattered away like a baby bird, and Simon nodded along, an attentive listener.
"Simon, you're such a good conversationalist!"
Simon gave her a puzzled look. "I haven't really said much, though."
"It just feels that way! I stutter around other people, but when I talk with you, everything comes out easily and comfortably. I like it."
He didn't quite understand it, but since she liked him for it, his own mood lifted along with hers.
"There's still two more days until the semester starts, so let's talk as much as we want until then."
"Yes!"
Just as she'd mentioned before the break, she'd received Professor Silaje's recommendation and gone to study under one of his disciples, learning how to control the violent blood of the Ursula line. Naturally, the best place to learn the power of Ursula blood was the Ursula family itself—but in Camibarez's case, her blood was vampiric while her body was closer to a human's.
How does a human wield Ursula blood? It was an entirely new problem, one the Ursula family simply couldn't teach. Silaje had judged that she'd be better off learning it from another human instead.
"What was the professor's disciple like?"
"Oh! The doctor? He's wonderful! I showed up out of the blue, but he was so kind and considerate that I settled in right away."
"That's a relief."
Simon nodded and crossed his arms. "I thought Professor Silaje would be teaching you personally."
"The doctor told me that Professor Silaje left on a classified mission for Kizen over the break. Something only the continent's finest hemomancer could handle."
Kizen professors didn't simply rest during vacations—it was standard for them to head out and clear the backlog of missions that had piled up. After all, they were professors and active necromancers.
"How did you spend your break, Simon?"
"Me?"
I went to the Holy Federation and fought the Blood Sky Cult. I can now wield Divinity freely, and I even awakened to an entirely new domain of holy undead. ……None of which he could exactly say out loud.
"I did my break homework, helped my father with territory work. That alone kept me insanely busy."
"Being a lord's son really is hard work, isn't it!"
The two of them traded stories back and forth as they left Campbell Road and emerged into a bustling commercial district packed with shops. Simon pulled out Rick's letter and scanned the storefronts around him.
"Simon, where's Rick?"
"He said he's been in Langestin for a week now, working a part-time job. It should be around here somewhere…… Ah!"
Simon's eyes went wide as he studied the shop signs. "Here it is! The name is Blue Hobbit."
"That's an unusual name for a shop."
"Let's go in."
Ding-a-ling.
The two opened the door and stepped inside. The moment they entered, their eyes darted wildly over the shelves crammed full of goods.
"Ohhh, you all made it!"
"Rick!"
Rick, wearing a casual apron, hurried over to them. He wasn't in his Kizen uniform—he was dressed in the shop's own attire.
"Wahaha! It's been a while, everyone!"
He greeted them with a beaming grin and a fist bump, then clapped his hands together. "Wait! No time for this! My shift ends in two hours, so give me a hand!"
"……Wait, what?"
"The sale starts in ten minutes, so hurry up and change! The boss said he'll pay you both, too. Come on, come on."
Rick herded Simon and Camibarez toward the back. Before they knew it, the two of them had been shoved into the fitting rooms and were changing into uniforms.
He told me to wear it, so I'm wearing it, but—what on earth is this situation?
Simon kept his Kizen trousers on and layered a striped brown apron over them, tying a scarf around the collar of his navy shirt like a necktie.
"Simon~"
Camibarez emerged bashfully from the women's fitting room. Simon snickered.
Adorable.
It was the same outfit as his, but the sleeves were so oversized that only her fingertips peeked out. The brown apron suited her perfectly, too.
"Are those the part-timers who were supposed to come help?"
"Yessir, boss!"
A short, stocky middle-aged man walked up beside Rick. He gave Simon and Camibarez a quick once-over and smiled with satisfaction.
"Put these two on the event corner."
"Sir?"
"Got it, boss! Over here, you two!"
Rick guided them with practiced ease.
"Surprised? Sorry, sorry. This place sells household goods made with necromancer techniques. I'm working here to gather ideas and do a little market research."
"Forget the apology—if you were going to put us to work, you should have warned us in advance."
"Heh heh! Life is just one surprise after another! Cami, you take this spot. It's the dessert corner."
Camibarez took her place at the dessert corner, looking awkward.
"Just open a box at a time, put some on paper plates, and hand them out for people to taste. Easy, right? Good?"
"Um, oka—!"
Already nervous, she'd started bouncing her leg. Rick then led Simon to the spot directly across from her.
"And you're here!"
Simon blinked. It was a section with clothes lined up in a row.
"Just help people try things on and tell them how good they look. Easy, right?"
"……No, I need you to at least explain what the clothes are before I can sell anything."
"There's waterproof magic and something-or-other woven in—eh, whatever, just say it suits them and you're done! Oh, here they come!"
The door Simon and Camibarez had entered through was not the main entrance. Another door opened somewhere, and a flood of customers began pouring into the shop.
"I'm getting you back for this later."
Simon retied his necktie. Just then, a woman in her forties browsing the clothes turned toward him.
"Excuse me……"
"Welcome, madam! Would you like to try it on? This model is one of our best."
Whatever he did, Simon was the type to give it everything he had.
As Simon's patter flowed like a river, Rick let out a small gasp of admiration and gave him a thumbs-up.
A one-hour event: forty percent off every item in the store. The crowds came thick, and the best sellers were, of course—
"For you, madam, I'd recommend this brand over that product."
"And why is that?"
The sharp-eyed woman crossed her arms.
"Your complexion is so radiant that darker shades like these suit you far better than pastels would."
"Ohohoho!"
Well-dressed older ladies never stopped circling Simon. And on the opposite side, Camibarez was holding her own just as well.
"Pl-please try our strawberry chocolate before you gooo!"
Trembling like a leaf, Camibarez began promoting the desserts with all her might.
At first, her lack of customer-service skills showed—she'd hold out the chocolate only to be ignored, and grew more and more timid. But then—
"Is this free?"
"Yes!"
One customer tasted the chocolate and told her it was delicious. She hadn't even bought anything, but Camibarez beamed.
"Thank you veddy much!"
That very customer promptly bought two boxes as if under a spell.
Before long, a line had formed. Camibarez started selling out her entire stock, too.
"And that's the end of the event!"
The brief two-hour event wrapped up quickly. The other corners had struggled with their high price ranges, but Simon and Camibarez had sold out everything, stock included.
"I can't thank you enough. You said you're Kizen students? If your allowance ever runs short again, come by and work for us."
The owner beamed and slipped them a little extra pay.
Only then did the two head back to the fitting rooms and change into their original uniforms. Rick, having changed as well, was chatting with the owner.
"You really do have a knack for this. No—actually, was today's success thanks to your ability, or those two?"
"Neither. It's thanks to my ability to keep those two as friends."
"Hahaha!"
Shameless. But well said, Simon thought. Rick spotted the two approaching and waved.
"Alright, let's go! We've got to party to celebrate the end of break! It's my treat today!"
"Yay~!"
Camibarez clapped her hands and laughed. Simon said, "Once Meilin arrives tomorrow, the whole crew will be together."
Rick snapped his fingers. "Oh, right! I got some new intel about Meilin—you two are going to flip! Come with me."
"New intel?"
The three of them stepped out of the shop.
Ding-a-ling.
The shop door opened, and an enormous man in a black cloak stepped inside. He was so tall that the back of his head nearly brushed the shop's ceiling, and he had to stoop slightly just to fit.
The owner came rushing out. "Welcome, welcome! The sale's all over, I'm afraid, so it's full price from here on out—will that be all right…… GAHK!"
The killing intent rising from the man's eyes sent the shop owner flopping to the floor. The remaining clerks froze solid where they stood.
A v-vampire?
Should I call the guards?
The man drew a money pouch from inside his cloak and dropped it on the floor as he spoke. "Bring me all of this shop's strawberry chocolate."
"……I'm sorry?"
The owner stared up at him, dumbfounded.
Dietrich spoke with the utmost gravity. "Strawberry chocolate."
Still struggling to process the situation, the owner stood frozen in a daze before hurriedly stammering on. "F-f-forgive me, but the strawberry chocolate has all sold out! We're completely out of stock! Might I interest you in the orange chocolate instead?"
At that, the man retrieved the pouch from the floor without a second thought and declared in an impressively solemn voice, "If it is not strawberry chocolate, I have no need of it."
And with that, Dietrich strode out of the shop, long strides carrying him away.
The owner, staring blankly in the direction he'd vanished, finally sputtered the words bursting from his lips.
"……Is that guy insane?"