41. A 17-Year-Old Girl
41. A 17-Year-Old Girl
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"Hmm......."
"Why the long face?"
Noah, that kid who comes over every morning to help me prep the store, was looking unusually sour, so I asked him that.
Though, it wasn't really morning; it was practically dawn.
Noah was coming over like this partly to try and woo me, in his own way.
I didn't think much of him coming over, but his expression was different from usual, you know?
It was beyond that; he looked like he'd just stepped in shit, so I couldn't help but ask.
"I went on a quest with the group yesterday."
"And?"
"It... just felt like I spent a few hours doing low-wage labor."
"Ah... I guess you did a really low-level quest? Like, cleaning somewhere?"
"...Yeah."
"That's nothing. Just think of it as helpful experience and move on. Achieving a goal like that is enough for now."
The kid gave an answer that was even less of a big deal than I thought.
It was a common story for those who had just started as adventurers; actually, it was pretty standard.
A truly common, ordinary thing to say.
"Cleaning somewhere, it really isn't a big deal. But in the end, a quest is a quest, and it's all good experience. Don't think of it too negatively."
"...You're right, aren't you?"
"Exactly. You didn't just knock out the quest, did you? You must have gotten closer to your party members and chatted with them."
"Ah."
"That's what's important."
So I just brushed it off with some generic advice.
That should be enough for him.
Noah might be a commoner, but he wasn't exactly an idiot.
In fact, from what I've seen, he's got a bit of smarts, so he'll understand what I'm saying well enough.
And in the process of teaching him, it did seem like he was picking up speed.
"Anyway, what kind of quest was it? Even if it's the lowest rank, there are plenty of types."
"Ah. The one we did this time was, uh, Pale Slime. It was cleaning those up."
"Ah... those gray slimes? The ones that just do nothing but be sticky and sluggish?"
"Yes, yes."
"Ugh, why'd you have to pick that one? That's a real pain. You ended up doing the most annoying one out of all the lowest-rank quests."
"...Was it?"
"I suppose?"
Seriously, out of everything, why did they have to pick that?
It was just funny.
Noah probably wasn't the one who chose the quest...
Then Katrina must have chosen it.
She must have felt pretty bad for the others while doing the quest.
Anyway, preparing to open the convenience store while chatting like that was much easier than I thought, and I liked it quite a bit.
I'd never hired a part-timer before, but I couldn't help but think... it would be convenient to have one.
It didn't literally cut the time in half, though.
But it still got done quickly.
"Good work. It wasn't too hard, right? It's just mopping the floor, stocking items, and taking them off the shelves."
"Yes, it's simpler than the work you usually do, Noona."
"Then that's a relief. By the way, you still have some time before Academy classes. Did you eat breakfast?"
"I was planning to eat one of the things here."
"...Ugh, you're frustrating."
It was absurd that he'd come all the way to the convenience store early in the morning without even eating.
If he'd at least eaten something, that would be one thing.
He comes over without eating anything, helps me work, chats, and then says he's going to settle for convenience store food.
"I'll give you one for free, so pick two."
"Is that okay?"
"I'm the owner, so what can I do? Besides, there's no one here to complain about something like this anyway."
"Ah. Then... but one is fine..."
"Look at how much you eat. I have to buy you two so you can actually eat properly."
I had no choice but to help this frustrating kid as an adult.
Seriously.
Anyway, the morning passed like that.
.
.
.
"Ah, you mentioned before that you used to work as an adventurer, Noona... So I thought it would be good to talk to you about it."
"But Noah, when did you hear that?"
"Uh......."
While I was doing regular store work, I heard the voices of Noah and his childhood friend.
They were whispering something to each other as they entered the store.
I didn't know what was going on, but...
"...What's going on?"
They seemed to have business with me, anyway.
I stood up from the counter and spoke to them.
I didn't know why, though.
"Ah, Noona. This is..."
"Iris, she's the kid who came by before. The one who even came to the convenience store looking for you."
"Yes, and Iris, this is..."
"...I already finished introductions last time. Why do it again? Noah, get to the point."
"Ah, yes."
Noah had already brought Iris to the convenience store before.
And I had already introduced them briefly.
I asked straight to the point.
Aside from not having much interest in the girl named Iris, I was curious about why they came.
"Ah, we're planning to take on an adventurer quest this time...! The three of us first-years are doing it together, but since it's our first time, we were wondering if we could get some help! That's why we came!"
"......Is that so?"
"Yes, Noah said that you used to work as an adventurer, Shopkeeper!"
"Aha......."
To summarize, it was an extension of what I was talking to Noah about in the morning.
They wanted to do a quest.
It seems it's a bit tough for kids to try hard on their own...
"So, what kind of help do you exactly need... No, never mind. It would be more comfortable to sit over there and talk rather than standing around together."
I was about to naturally ask what kind of help they needed, but...
The two kids looking at me.
Seeing them standing there... I felt a bit bad, so I moved seats.
To one of the tables in the convenience store.
Noah and Iris sat on one side, and I sat on the opposite side.
By the way, looking at them like this... they make a pretty good-looking pair.
Noah was quite tall, and Iris next to him was small, which suited them perfectly.
Both had black hair, and they were wearing school uniforms.
They really matched well.
Actually, the girls surrounding Noah are all pretty kids.
Both Iris in front of me and Katrina had nothing to complain about in terms of looks.
"Now, so. Can you tell me exactly what kind of help you need?"
"As I mentioned a moment ago, we're planning to do a quest, and we want some help. For example, what kind of quest would be suitable? Or tips for when doing a quest!"
"Tips?"
Tips for a quest.
Honestly, I didn't have much to say right away.
"Yes!"
Because a girl with a clearly different style from Katrina was saying that in an incredibly lively and positive voice.
Even using gestures to express herself...
It definitely felt like a 17-year-old girl, which was kind of cute.
In Katrina's case, she had more of an image of a noble girl rather than just a simple girl.
She was a bit rude, but also had a dignified side.
Thinking about that... it was even harder to understand why Noah, this kid, was following me around.
With all these cute and pretty girls who like him.
Why does he seek out me, who is 11 years older?
"I can help you. But since I started running the business at the Academy, I haven't done any adventurer work separately. There might be some differences. Is that okay? You could ask the Academy professors instead... Actually, Noah, you have your master too, right?"
"Ah... I feel like my master would be annoyed if I asked for something like that."
"And that person... hmm... I think it's better not to ask them."
"Is that so? Then I guess I have no choice but to help you."
Still, since the little kids came to me.
It wasn't that hard to help them as an adult.
If they come by like this and buy things, I'm thankful.
Although only two people came by for now.
Katrina, that girl was involved too.
...Wouldn't it be helpful for the store in many ways?
They'll probably become regulars later.
Noah and Iris... being commoners, I honestly don't have high expectations, but if a noble pushover like Katrina visits often, it's quite a happy thing.
"Hmm...."
"Ah, we cleaned Pale Slimes yesterday. There were too many, and it was boring! This time, we want to try something with fighting, so what would be good?"
"Low-level monsters, I guess. Things like Goblins... are simple and standard. But Goblins get annoying if there are girls in the party, so it's better to just catch Kobolds or Ghouls."
"Ah, is that so?"
"Goblins are kind of nasty. It's more comfortable to deal with monsters that are safer in that regard, and unlike Goblins, they tend to appear in places other than caves."
"Wow......."
If they become equal-rank adventurers... it means they could even catch Orcs, and Noah is a 1st Grade adventurer.
Honestly, I thought they could aim for slightly harder monsters.
But they are beginners.
It wasn't good to let them do difficult or dangerous quests for no reason.
In this case, it's better to do a simple quest, like catching about 5 Kobolds.
"My personal recommendation is something like Kobolds or Ghouls. For Ghouls, you need a graveyard... but there isn't one around the Academy, so you'd probably have to go far. I think there might be a Kobold quest?"
"Noah, Noah. What do you think? About what the Shopkeeper said."
"...That's extremely helpful."
"Right? Let's tell Katrina too. Since Katrina gathered us in the first place. If we talk to her, she'll definitely agree."
"Yeah, I think so too."
It was a conversation that happened a bit suddenly.
The boy and girl asked me questions like that, listened to the answers, and then went back out to attend class.
I don't know what it is... but I was happy that I seemed to have helped?