Hideout in Another World: I Tried Building a Secret Base in the Middle of Nowhere

Chapter 88: A Long-awaited Return to Savoia (Part 3)

“Ah, Kuro~! It’s been a while, Shiro-san too~! And Bonus too.”

“Gyau gyau!”

“Melanie, long time no see.”

“Long time no see! Sorry for being so late.”

When we went to the market, we found Melanie, still with the same slightly sleepy face as when we first met her, busily polishing her nails.

As we approached, she noticed us, hastily stood up, and waved with a smile.
I felt completely like an extra, though…

“I’ve heard from Marie-san. Mercenary work must have been incredibly tough, right?”

“Yeah, it was really… unbelievably tough for a first job.”

“Many people were waiting for Bonus. Things have finally settled down recently, but people kept asking about Bonus, it was quite troublesome.”

“Sorry about that. But I didn’t realize they were eagerly anticipating it so much…”

“Well, not just Bonus, but also coffee and chocolate… and Kuro, of course.”

Well, I figured as much, but the allure of caffeine and chocolate is truly formidable, isn’t it? But I didn’t know Kuro was popular to that extent.

“Gyau~?”

“Ah~! I missed Kuro so much!”

Melanie hugged Kuro as if she were absorbing some long-lost nutrients.

Perhaps noticing this, familiar faces began to gather around.

“Oh! Kuro-chan!”

“Huh? When did you guys come back? Are you setting up shop today? I really want to drink Kuro’s coffee soon.”

“Hey, Kuro! Were you doing well?”

“Gyauu!”

“Kuro is still as adorable as ever. Hurry up and reopen the stall!”

“Shiro-san… so cool…”

“Oh, there’s also Bonus.”

In no time, Kuro was completely surrounded by the regulars of the Misharl Market.

Despite not having been in business for that long, when did Kuro become this much of an idol?

Come to think of it, during the last time we set up a stall, Kuro pretty much managed it alone in the latter half…

It seems that nobody cares anymore about Kuro being an imp.

Certainly, Kuro is cheerful and lively, making everyone feel happy just by being around.

And above all, those beautifully translucent eyes.

In those mysterious eyes that sometimes look yellow, sometimes green, there resides an indescribable charm that combines the unknowable nature of monsters with the animalistic beauty.

Even if Kuro can’t speak, it’s only natural that the people of the market like her.

And secretly, there are some fans of Shiro mixed in as well…

“Melanie, I have something to discuss—”

While leaving Kuro and Shiro to entertain the people of the market, I explained the current situation to Melanie.

About Gisella and Zamza, who are not here, about planning to commute to Savoia for a while, about intending to help with the reconstruction of the Vaintz village, about Hajiramu not having returned and the uncertainty surrounding that, I talked in detail while being vague about the existence of the hideout.

“I see… it’s a difficult situation. But well, I guess it’s okay to reopen the stall, right?”

“Well… hmm, I guess so. If it becomes inconvenient, we can always quit.”

“It’s a suggestion I made before, but I’ve already prepared chairs, tables, and shading. Also, it’s just a suggestion, but… wouldn’t it be better to raise the prices soon?”

“Furniture was already prepared… Sorry for making you wait, that was my bad… But why raise the prices again?”

“I’ve thought about it while Bonus weren’t here… I think coffee and chocolate will sell more and more from now on. Probably several times more than before. But realistically, Bonus won’t be able to increase the supply that much, right?”

“Yeah, that makes sense… I see. But is it okay to suddenly raise the prices?”

“So, since we’ve set up the furniture, we can raise the prices all at once, including the seat fee, right?”

Certainly, that might be a pretty good idea.

In reality, if coffee and chocolate sell too much, we’ll quickly run out of stock.

Although the plants in the hideout can be harvested quite efficiently, we don’t have a plantation, after all.

Besides, the effort of harvesting and manufacturing is quite difficult.

It’s not impossible to provide more than we currently do, but it would still require some new manpower and resources, to some extent.

We don’t necessarily want to go to such lengths just to sell our products.

So, thinking along those lines, it might be better to prepare for some customers to leave and raise prices now.

Moreover, the people who come to the Misharl Market are often quite affluent even within Savoia.

Even if we raise prices, it’s unlikely that customers will stop coming altogether.

“Well then, shall we do that? How much should we raise them by? Let’s discuss it again.”

“Of course, that’s fine. Also, could you teach me how to make coffee?”

“Oh? It’s fine, but…”

“While Bonus aren’t here, I think it’s better to create an environment where we can still set up the stall. It would make things easier for me too.”

“Yeah, that’s fine… in fact, it would be more than fine. With the price increase, we can also allocate some of the funds to cover Melanie’s wages.”

“Well, I don’t really care about my wages… but eventually, it might be better to hire someone who lives in Savoia, you know?”

Indeed, hiring reliable employees could be a good idea… but it’s a bit uncertain.

We want to keep the hideout a secret, and finding someone we can trust to that extent is an even more challenging issue.

“Well, let’s not rush into that.”

“Yeah. Well then, I’ll prepare the furniture tomorrow!”

Melanie seems excited but also a bit restless, perhaps already thinking about tomorrow.

I had forgotten, but Melanie was really looking forward to setting up the stall together since we last met.

“I’m really grateful. Oh, by the way, I have a request for you too.”

“Huh?”

“Well, we’re currently operating under the name ‘Bonus Company.’ ”

“Oh~! That’s actually easier to understand. …Did you recruit someone else again?”

“Yeah, I’m alone. So, I was wondering if I could have Melanie make accessories with the same design motif?”

“That sounds great! That’s awesome! Oh, I’m getting excited about all sorts of things now. What kind of design motif is it?”

“Pink~”

I took out Pink from my pocket and it raised one hand with a feeling of “Long time no see~.”

Melanie poked its hand with her index finger.

“Long time no see, Pink~! I see! How many sets will you need?”

“For now, maybe six sets including me. I’ll give the designs to Gisella, so discuss the designs with her.”

“I see, Gisella-san is in town! Maybe we can have dinner together~?”

“Gisella is also lonely, so I think she’ll be delighted. But her place isn’t safe, so let’s make sure to come to the market together tomorrow morning.”

“Got it. This is going to be busy, huh~?”

“Ah~! There’s Bonus!”

I turned around at the familiar voice, and Edda was running towards us.

Behind her, I could see Menas and Gazat waving.