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Chapter 23 – How to Use the Healing Potion
How do you import things from civilizations other than Earth and turn them into money?
When Wataru thought about this problem, it seemed quite difficult.
The main problems were legal restrictions and the proliferation of sources due to the information society.
For example, there is the problem of drug approval.
If a pharmaceutical company could just make a drug and sell it because it was made, then the pharmaceutical company could do whatever it wanted.
The system is already in place, with the government giving approval and licensed pharmacists selling the drugs.
There are also issues like quarantine for animals and plants.
Taking gold or artwork to a pawn shop or buying office is a quick way to get cash, but since identification must be verified, tax inspectors may suspect tax evasion―and aiding and abetting―and come to investigate.
Also, no matter how effective it is, to sell it, you need the right kind of shop, the right kind of license, the right kind of connections, and so on.
Taking all these things into consideration, it seemed like the right thing to do was either to give the product to an already established company or to sell it to a few enthusiasts or rich people who would be able to make good use of it, even in today’s Japan.
Of course, this required a level of trust that would allow Wataru to be taken seriously.
As a young man with no particular accomplishments, there were not many people who would listen to him seriously without turning him away at the door.
After hearing information about Baron Moye from Maso, Wataru used his home computer and smartphone to try to contact people who might be able to talk business.
When he had another chance, he was a little busy and usually didn’t get a positive response.
Just when he was about to give up and think, “I guess it’s no use,” he received a reply from one of them saying that they would be willing to meet.
Wataru couldn’t help but clench his hands and exclaim.
“Alright, I’ve made contact!”
“What is it, Master?”
“I might be able to make some money here. I’m going to meet someone. Sorry, but you two have to stay home today.”
“I’m sorry we can’t go with you, but please leave the house in our care.”
“Is it not good with Aire?”
“No, Master is working hard for us, and we will work hard on our training.”
Watching the two of them with their slumped shoulders, he felt like he was doing something wrong.
If he could, he would have liked to take them through the city and show them around, but that wouldn’t be possible today.
He didn’t want to risk giving the impression that he was being rude by bringing his girlfriend along when he wanted to talk about important things.
Besides, he also had to sort out the things he had bought and get them used to electronic devices and so on, so he thought this was an important time to leave the house in their care.
As for Aire, he feels bad that he can’t let her do her job as a bodyguard.
“(But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about Aire.)”
Their sense of ethics regarding murder and killing is completely different from that of modern Japanese people.
In some countries on Earth, people who are robbed or pickpocketed are beaten to a pulp and sometimes even die, and there are some similarities with that kind of mentality.
Even if you say that violence is wrong in a peaceful country like Japan, there is a chance that you might end up striking out in a moment of anger.
Mariel and Aire are very distinctive.
It was impossible to say that they would never get angry and commit murder over a violent pickup attempt.
Although he wanted to take them with him and give them a variety of experiences, he still couldn’t seem to do it freely.
He thought that this was a problem that would be solved in time.
○○○
The person Wataru wanted to meet was in a coffee shop in a hotel in Osaka City.
He was two heads taller than the people around him, and his solid physique stood out even from a distance.
Ryota Endo is two years older than Wataru and currently plays professional baseball.
He played second base and was on the first team for this year’s opening game.
When Ryota noticed Wataru, he raised his long arms and waved them from side to side.
“Ryo-chan, it’s been a while!”
“Hey Wataru! It really has been a while, hasn’t it?”
Smiling with a handsome face, he spoke in a loud voice that matched his physique.
“(God is so unfair, because he has good athletic ability and a handsome face that he can make it as a professional baseball player.)”
He first met Ryota when they were in kindergarten.
Their families were close neighbors, so they used to play together.
Ryota, who had been immersed in baseball since elementary school, had already shown glimpses of his talent at that time, but he had performed so well that he was noticed by scouts when he entered a strong high school.
Ryota, who had entered the school on a private sports scholarship and was busy training, had less and less opportunity to see him, but they were still good friends because they had played a lot together as kids.
He was the only link that Wataru could contact directly.
This also meant that if the negotiations failed, he would lose his means of quickly converting his gold into cash.
Of course, if things went badly, he could take other measures, such as pawning the gold, but that was not the way Wataru wanted to make money.
For Wataru, this was a negotiation where failure was not an option, and he was under a lot of pressure right now.
“Thank you for taking the time to come here today, even though you’re busy.”
“It’s been about three years, hasn’t it? What are you doing now?”
“I’m working as a web writer, and I’ve also recently started doing some kind of private trading.”
“Wow, you do some kind of unusual work.”
He ordered a hot coffee from the waitress and told her about his current situation.
Wataru could tell that Ryota’s expression had become a bit tense.
Even though they had been friends for many years, they had not been in touch for a while after they both started working, and now he had suddenly asked to meet.
It would not be surprising if he was suspected of being involved in a religion or a pyramid scheme.
As he cooled down in the air-conditioned room, Wataru consciously smiled ironically.
“Don’t worry; it’s got nothing to do with religion, pyramid schemes, or insurance.”
“Oh, no, I’m not worried about that, but you know, since I became a baseball player, I suddenly have a lot of relatives I’ve never met before.”
“I’ve heard stories like that, but does it really happen?”
“It does. And a lot of people lose a lot of money.”
Even the most spectacular professional baseball player must have a lot of hard work and struggle behind the scenes.
However, Wataru relies on Ryota’s connections and savings as a professional baseball player.
The only difference is that Wataru has no intention of cheating Ryota.
On the contrary, he wants Ryota to be the first to drink the precious and effective healing potion.
The waitress brought a cup of coffee.
On a hot day, it’s a real pleasure to drink a cup of hot coffee with steam rising from it in a room cooled to the freezing point by the air conditioner.
With just a little sugar and a little more milk than usual.
Wataru looked at the coffee and tried to calm down.
The delicious aroma of the coffee rose to his nose.
It helped him to calm down a bit.
“I want you to drink this, Ryota.”
“What is this… a nutritional supplement?”
“This is a medicine that heals injuries. It’s a new medicine I brought from overseas. It costs 3 million yen.”
“3 million yen?”
“(Even as I say this, it sounds really suspicious… who would suddenly believe such a story?)”
Wataru maintained a serious expression even though he felt like he was about to let out a wry smile.
Since he was talking about such an absurd story, he had to at least maintain a serious attitude.
As expected, Ryota looked as if he didn’t believe him at all.
The eyes he had directed at his close junior colleague from the neighborhood had now turned into cold looks directed at the shady businessman.
“Hey, Wataru, aren’t you being tricked?”
“It’s true. I’ve also heard the story from someone who actually tried it.”
“Even if it is you, do you really think I’d believe such a wild story?”
“I don’t. If it were me, I’d suspect it was some kind of shady business.”
“I thought as much.”
“That’s why I don’t have a problem with success-based payment.”
He had expected that Ryota wouldn’t believe him right away.
That’s why he had already thought about how to make him believe him.
He put his elbows on the table and folded his hands.
“I’ve already spent 3 million yen on this. So if you think it’s effective, please introduce me to a professional baseball player who’s struggling with injuries and has 3.5 million yen to spend.”
“You’ll earn 500,000 yen.”
“It costs more than the purchase price. I know it’s not cheap. But if it can completely cure a professional baseball player’s injury, I think it’s a price worth paying. Don’t you think so?”
Ryota gulped.
He had been in the first team until the start of this year’s season, but he had to leave the team in May after injuring his knee.
Wataru thought that this was a period of rest.
It was probably because Ryota was resting that he agreed to the sudden invitation.
“This medicine also works on old injuries. For example, it can heal joints completely.”
“I see. Wataru knew that I had injured my knee in junior high, didn’t he?”
“Yes. It’s a success fee. Why don’t you try it and see if it works?”
“Well, if you say so, I’ll take it.”
“I’m willing to sell it to Ryo-chan for 3.5 million yen, but I’m planning to charge the others 5 million yen. I’ve prepared a contract as well. If you’re feeling better, Ryo-chan, please introduce me properly. That’s what the price difference is for.”
“You’re really pushy… Well, okay. I really want to get better, too. If it doesn’t work, I won’t pay a single yen. Is that what you’re saying?”
“That’s fine. But please don’t pretend that it doesn’t work if it does.”
“I won’t. It’ll be obvious when you see how well it works later.”
Wataru’s explanation worried Ryota, but eventually, he seemed to come to terms with it and pulled the cork out of the potion bottle.
There was a pop, and he stared at the contents.
“(Please, I hope it works.)”
From Aire’s words, it seems to be okay, but it’s a drink with an unknown power from another world at work.
Even if it worked over there, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will have the same effect here.
Ryota swallowed the potion without noticing, even though Wataru looked at him with worried eyes.
The thick liquid flowed from the bottle into his mouth, and Wataru’s eyes reflected a look of surprise.
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Well… Even if my Mother had offered me a potion to cure last stage cancer, I would still wonder if she had accidentally hit her head when she got up from bed in the morning. And here a guy drank an unknown substance given to him by a “friend from kindergarten.” I understand that it’s a fantasy isekai novel, but here logic packed a backpack, left a note on her desk at work saying “I don’t know when or if I’ll ever come back” and went somewhere in the world.
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Isn’t this a fantasy novel, not a documentary?
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