As I tossed the capsule, about the size of a pen for a notebook, to the ground, a partition with a door appeared instantly.
“This is an automatic partition that expands when you press the button and throw it. With this and a portable toilet, you can have a restroom anywhere. What’s amazing is its automatic folding technology, allowing it to return to its original capsule form with just one touch…”
“Isn’t that the Folding Capsule?!”
Kimu, who had been gaping, interrupted my explanation, shouting loudly.
“You should have introduced this before the snacks and toner!”
“Oh? Is that so?”
I thought the [Kantaro] was more impressive.
“What?! What’s that?! It’s amazing!”
“Can it return to its original state?”
“It can!”
Thanks to Kimu’s loud voice, people other than Kimu’s party and Kaneki’s party, who had gathered around the powered suits, also showed interest and came over.
As I demonstrated folding the partition back into a capsule in front of the crowd, there were exclamations of admiration.
“Kawashima General Trading? You guys are a company? Do you develop these kinds of things?”
“We mostly import, but we have some in-house development too.”
“If you request from our website, we’ll send you the catalog URL, so feel free to ask.”
“Is there also cigarettes since there’s an ashtray over there?”
“Yes, we have them.”
That day, along with the unveiling of new products, our faces were also recognized. There were also several requests for estimates and catalog URLs from those who tried the powered suits. So, we were able to establish ourselves in Toyo 4 from the first day and start doing business successfully.
◆
In the twenty-second year of the Lost Calendar, in May, I was still kneeling on the cold floor of the room, even though it was spring.
“Tonbo, didn’t I tell you, princess, there are only three of you? Don’t try to expand too much.”
“Yes…”
“And when was that? What did you say?”
“I said I’m fine with just selling at the site myself.”
“Hime, what did I tell you? We’re not desperate for Earth’s money, so prioritize high-priced items.”
“Yes…”
“Then what’s this pile of orders for daily necessities? The website doesn’t say anywhere that we accept orders by email!”
Hime sitting at the kotatsu table pointed at the TV screen, which was displaying the email inbox of Kawashima General Trading. There, a row of emails requesting orders for seasonings and facial lotion was lined up.
Yes, the seasonings and facial lotion distributed to acquaintances last month were a big hit… The rave reviews had spread from the dungeon to various places, resulting in a massive influx of orders returning to me. I never expected this turn of events. I just wanted to introduce some tasty things from space to my friends…
“The negotiations with the Self-Defense Forces haven’t been finalized yet, you know? There’s a possibility that we’ll start receiving a ton of orders for powered exoskeletons soon.”
“And now, the seasonings is out of stock and sales are suspended…”
“Well, actually, Sawara from the Defense Equipment Agency also wants to order seasonings before the powered exoskeletons. It might sound a bit exaggerated, but if the seasonings doesn’t sell well at this crucial moment of building sales records, it could potentially complicate things for the powered exoskeletons.”
“I can’t believe… things have come to this…”
“Oh, it’s on TV again… seriously, they never inform us.”
As the princess changed the TV screen to the regular broadcast, a plump cross-dressing celebrity was seen devouring rice sprinkled with seasonings.
“This seasonings is only sold in dungeons.”
“Huh? Really? Why?”
“Because the president of Kawashima General Trading, who produces it, is an adventurer from another world, Cat-sìth.”
“Oh my, that’s fascinating.”
Being introduced as the president without my consent was bad enough, but it wasn’t even me; it was a photo of Mars.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“I don’t expect fairness from the media on this planet, but why am I being treated as the president instead of Tonbo…”
“Well, maybe because your name sounds glamorous? And also because it’s more amusing.”
“Damn it! Should I hack into all the channels and expose their shady dealings?”
Please don’t do that… Hearing it from someone who can actually do it is terrifying.
“Well, for now, we’ll just have to deal with it one by one. Hime, what’s the most pressing issue right now?”
“The delivery of the products! Production can be managed, but we only have Tonbo and Ma-chan as the delivery points for customers, and with this many orders coming in, we won’t be able to do anything else!”
“How about setting up an online store?”
“Who’s going to handle packing and shipping? Tonbo-kun!?”
“Sorry!”
Please spare me from that! I bowed deeply.
If I had to do this much packing every day, I wouldn’t be able to attend university anymore. Although Hime said she would stay for a while even after Mars returns, I couldn’t make the decision to quit university and bet on this company. I worked so hard to get in!
“Well, setting up an online store isn’t a bad idea. With Hime around, we could fend off parasites… They call them resellers on this planet, right? We can handle that too, right?”
“Oh, those kinds of people. We’ll handle them. It’s inevitable in this primitive economic environment.”
“Eh? They don’t exist in space?”
“Transportation costs are high in space, so they’re basically wiped out.”
“Wiped out…”
“Most of them are part of pirate business.”
Ah, I see…
“Anyway, if packing and shipping are the issues, why not hire people?”
“Well, that’s true, but who’s going to manage them? Not Hime.”
“Isn’t that Tonbo’s job? Popte managed the local office, right?”
Am I supposed to manage it, hire, and give instructions, and then see the results? Even delivering pizzas would probably be too much for me, let alone this… And I don’t really have many acquaintances in Tokyo…
Searching for someone who seems free, I took out my smartphone and froze for a moment when I saw the name at the top of my contacts. There’s someone who seems free! Without hesitation, I made the call and waited while the ringtone played.
“Hello, this is Abukuma.”
“Ah, Abukuma-san, would you like to work part-time?”
The person was Abukuma-san, a former member of Ebisu Hedgehog who was supposed to be in rehabilitation after fracturing her leg.
When I met Abukuma-san at the café after a long time, she appeared walking normally. Dressed more calmly than usual, she showed her usual smile with the familiar shadows under her eyes, looking a bit thinner.
“Abukuma-san, long time no see. Is your leg okay now?”
“The cast is off for now. I’m in rehabilitation, but it might take about four more months before I can move vigorously.”
“I see.”
“So, if it’s just light work, I’m okay with it. Kumiko… oh, Yoshikawa. Would you mind hiring her too?”
Yoshikawa was a bespectacled woman from the same party as Abukuma-san. I heard she had a temporary cardiac arrest while being transported from the dungeon, but I guess she was fine?
“That’s fine. Yoshikawa-san, have she been discharged already?”
“In the end, there were no lasting effects, and she’s physically fine. But mentally, she’s not doing great, she’ve been shutting herself in at home lately.”
“Well, she almost died, so would she come if called?”
When Mars asked, Abukuma-san took a sip of her cider through a straw and smiled only at the corner of her mouth.
“Well, it wasn’t severe enough that she couldn’t talk to people… We both need to be able to do light work. Neither of us knows if we can return to being adventurers.”
“Then, why don’t you two just get a job at Tonbo’s company?”
“No, no, it’d be too much for us to rely on a college kid to that extent. We’re too old for that. We appreciate the thought, though.”
Well, that’s true. Even as a college student, I wouldn’t want to entrust my life to a startup run by an unremarkable college student.
“Well, well, for now, let’s consider it a part-time job. We’ll pay the minimum wage in Tokyo plus twenty percent.”
“Is it okay to be so generous? I wouldn’t complain even if it were just the minimum wage.”
“It’s something we decided after discussing with our vice president. We’re doing quite well, so it’s okay.”
“We have a big deal coming up too.”
“Wow, you’re doing great. Well then, I’ll be counting on you for a while.”
Abukuma-san bowed her head, and I did too. The part-time job that started that day would later become a salary plus commission, but no one knew that at the time.
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