Morning, Lungmen — Fuyuki Shop.
Even so, Shirou still felt a bit guilty, so the bowls, plates, cups, and kettles he projected were sold at only half price.
As Croissant once put it, this was basically a zero-cost business. The magical energy he used would recover after a night of sleep. If Shirou wanted, he could easily live a comfortable life just by relying on this ability.
Even Rin had once considered using his projection to make money…
But in the end, they gave up on that idea, worried that letting such items circulate might attract the attention of other magi.
Here, it was not much of a problem but unless it was truly necessary, Shirou would not choose to rely on it.
After all, it would disrupt the market.
"You sound pretty confident."
Although Shirou's tone carried a hint of guilt, his words made Phal feel that he was quite confident.
If he knew part of the goods cost nothing to produce, he would probably think that confidence was well deserved.
"Ahem… whether this place makes money or not is not important. I have got a main job."
Realizing Phal had misunderstood, Shirou quickly clarified.
His confidence did not come from projection but from Penguin Logistics' salary.
One hundred thousand Lungmen coins, if he lived frugally, that was enough for over a year.
Of course, he was not relying solely on that. He still had backup options.
Like, for example… a zero-cost business.
"A main job, huh? Does that not get exhausting?"
Now that the topic had shifted, Phal no longer bothered lowering his voice.
Just thinking about Shirou managing both this place and another job made him feel tired on his behalf.
Still, he admired him. Someone willing to do this without ulterior motives was worthy of respect.
"It is manageable."
Thinking about his usual duties, Shirou felt they were actually quite easy. As the Penguin Logistics crew joked, his current role was more like a mascot.
He handled cleaning and cooking most of the time and only stepped in when needed.
Though so far, neither Yith nor the Boss had actually called him.
"Tch, youth really is nice… by the way, have you thought about this?"
After envying Shirou for his stamina, Phal raised his hand, hooking up his pinky with a nosy grin.
"Not at the moment."
Shirou shook his head. He understood the gesture, it meant a girlfriend.
He had not considered it. After all, he was an outsider, who knew if he might suddenly disappear one day?
"Not at all, huh? That is a shame."
Phal sounded disappointed.
He had been thinking about setting Shirou up with his boss. After all, the fact she sent him to keep an eye on this place probably meant she was interested in Shirou.
As for what kind of interest… that was another matter. Still, it did not stop him from trying to play matchmaker.
He had successfully paired up quite a few of his subordinates already.
"What are you two talking about?"
Rope asked from the side. To her, their conversation sounded like riddles.
She did not understand Phal's gesture.
"Nothing. Kids should eat more if they want to grow."
Phal waved it off. He was not about to corrupt a kid.
"Who are you fooling?"
Rope did not buy it at all. Sure, he brought snacks but that was clearly just to freeload lunch.
After teasing him, she turned to Shirou.
"Are we opening the shop later?"
"There is no need to rush but we could try opening this afternoon."
Originally, Shirou had planned to wait a couple more days but thinking about it, everything was already prepared. There was no harm in trying.
"Then we open this afternoon. Just like we agreed, I am the store manager, right?"
For Rope, the sooner they opened, the better. Earlier opening meant money coming in sooner.
She knew Shirou must be under financial pressure from setting all this up. Even if profits were small, it was still income.
On the surface, she was the store manager handling operations and taking care of the children while Shirou stayed behind the scenes.
Though he was not exactly hiding it either.
"Yeah, I will leave it to you."
Shirou nodded only to have Rope point straight at him.
"Stop saying 'leave it to me'! I eat your food, live under your roof, use your things, helping run the shop is only natural! It is my job!"
Seeing how Shirou was always polite irritated her.
A friendly boss was great but Shirou felt less like a boss and more like a guardian.
"She probably wants you to treat her more normally."
Phal leaned in and whispered to Shirou. He had seen this kind of thing many times.
"I can hear you, thanks."
With her sharp hearing, Rope immediately redirected her annoyance at him.
"I know. No need to thank me."
Phal shrugged. Saying things clearly saved a lot of trouble.
"Ugh! I am taking them upstairs for a nap. I will come back down later!"
Annoyed, Rope stormed off with the children.
Shirou and Phal watched as she led them upstairs. Once she was out of sight, Phal burst into laughter.
"Hahaha—cough…cough cough…"
"Have some water."
Seeing him choke from laughing, Shirou handed him a cup. Phal grabbed it and downed it in one go.
"Whew… thanks. You and Rope seem to get along pretty well."
Still catching his breath, Phal wiped tears from laughing.
"I guess… we get along alright."
Shirou thought for a moment before answering.
"I think I know why she got so mad."
Phal muttered quietly.
"Hm? What did you say?"
It was too quiet, even Shirou did not catch it.
"Nothing. She is coming down, let's get the shop ready. I have got time this afternoon, so I will help out."
Phal quickly changed the subject. This was not something he could interfere with.
Turning his head, Shirou indeed saw Rope coming down the stairs.
"Thanks for the help."
"Hey, do not be so formal. Relax a bit around here."
Phal casually slung an arm over Shirou's shoulder.
"I will try."
Shirou gently pushed him aside, it was a bit cramped.
"What are you two doing?"
Rope, now downstairs, looked at them suspiciously. The way they stood together made it seem like they were plotting something.
"Nothing, nothing. Let's open the shop."
Phal raised his hands and stepped back.
The three of them walked to the shop entrance. At Rope and Phal's urging, Shirou hung up the "Open" sign.
And just like that—
Fuyuki Shop officially opened for business.