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TL: ALT
Chapter 38 – Sales Base
The other day, Wataru obtained his Food Sanitation Manager certification.
He plans to open a coffee shop.
Having a storefront makes it convenient to source items like sugar, coffee, baking powder, cookies, chocolate, and other sweets to sell in the other world.
It also made it easier to establish a location for selling potions.
“Up until now, I’ve been using rental studios or spaces each time, but having a base would be better, right?”
Though it does mean sacrificing some anonymity.
Wataru hopes to find a turnkey property near his home and the Jizo statue.
This is because most of the original interior can be used as is, and sometimes, the air conditioner and cooking equipment are even left behind.
This significantly reduces startup costs.
Online searches revealed that rents start at around 150,000 yen, with prime locations reaching approximately 500,000 yen.
He wasn’t trying to make a profit from the coffee shop.
He wanted to run it modestly, like the cafes often found in fiction—places with almost no customers that somehow manage to stay open.
Considering the clientele for potion sales, a situation with lots of regular customers wasn’t desirable.
It’s the kind of place frequented by celebrities from the sports and entertainment worlds.
If regular customers became noisy, it would undermine the original purpose.
Since the day he obtained his license, Wataru had been communicating his conditions to the real estate company.
However, there was no significant contact for a while.
Even while he was traveling to the royal capital, he received no calls or emails, so it was clear things had stalled.
Just as he was starting to consider opening a business from scratch, resigned to the fact that he would likely not find something so convenient, the long-awaited contact finally arrived.
“Yes, did you find a property? I’d like to view it immediately.”
“It’s a bit off the main street. Shall we arrange transportation from our office?”
“No, I’d like to walk from the station first to gauge the distance. If you can coordinate the timing, I’ll walk there.”
“Understood. I’ll send the address right away.”
The location was promptly sent via the messaging app.
Wataru rescheduled his visit for a day when he didn’t have any potion sales planned.
The prospect of having his own base, not just in the other world, but on Earth as well, excited him.
Perhaps sensing his elation, Mariel and the others, who had been listening to the call, spoke up.
“Master, is this about the shop you mentioned before?”
“Yeah, looks like they found a good property.”
“You worked so hard to get your license. It’d be great if you found a good spot.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Master, can I come see it, too?”
“I-I’ll accompany you as well!”
“Alright, fine. But, Cloche, you’ll have to wear a hat again this time.”
There’s nothing they can do about it for now since they only have one set of transformation equipment, which Aire uses.
For these beastmen, hiding their ears and tails prevents them from fully utilizing their physical abilities. It must be frustrating for Cloche, but she has to endure it for now.
Wataru hopes for the next opportunity to acquire another piece to come soon.
〇〇〇
A few days after finishing the job, the intense heat persisted. Although Wataru had eaten eel, it didn’t instantly cure his summer fatigue. Wiping sweat from his brow, he left home.
The designated location was southeast of Tennoji Station.
It was tucked away on a back street, far from the commercial district.
There was hardly any foot traffic; this wasn’t a spot where one could expect the heavy traffic near the station.
The sign was discreet, making it difficult to tell at first glance that it was a coffee shop. That was his destination.
A car from a real estate company was parked in front of the shop.
“Sorry for showing up in such a big group.”
“No, it’s…it’s totally fine.”
The real estate agent’s gaze shifted from Wataru to Mariel and the others, and he gradually lost his train of thought.
Wataru felt a surge of pride, knowing those eyes were instantly captivated by them.
Even he, who lived with them and saw their faces daily, often found himself mesmerized.
For someone seeing them for the first time, the impact must be even more striking.
“They’ll be working here, too, so we’d like you to show us the interior first.”
“O-of course. This way, please. I’ll show you around.”
The oddly eager real estate agent unlocked the door.
The shop was dark inside, but the lights immediately came on, brightening the space.
It was a larger café than Wataru had expected.
The register was right inside, with a counter beyond it holding five chairs.
“There are a lot of four-person tables, huh?”
This location was likely designed primarily for groups rather than individual customers. With six tables and five counter seats, it can seat up to twenty-nine people.”
While the capacity is high, people might sit together in pairs. If the counter is full, someone might sit alone at a table.
In that case, a coffee shop with low profit per customer would suffer from poor turnover.
While it’s nice for customers to enjoy relaxed conversations, from a business perspective, it means less profit.
For Wataru, however, who had no intention of making money from the coffee shop, this wasn’t a major drawback. However, if someone wanted to earn a decent income, it would be difficult.
The advantage of a turnkey property is reduced costs.
However, the downside is that the interior is already set. This makes it difficult to change things like poor traffic flow or features you dislike.
Furthermore, if the previous tenant left due to poor business performance, the owner’s skill level may vary; however, factors such as location, interior design, and business model remain fixed. This creates a disadvantage because you’re starting under the same conditions.
Walk through the shop during the tour.
“The restroom and staff room are located here. This area also houses the coffee bean storage and roaster.”
“The roasting room is fine, but we should install a new restroom and expand the staff room a bit.”
Upon inspecting the interior, some parts naturally didn’t appeal to them.
They would have to call an interior contractor to handle those renovations.
Still, having all the tableware, such as cups, saucers, and spoons, as well as a roaster, is an exceptional deal.
“This is the back entrance. Though it’s just a passageway with nothing else here.”
“Maybe they hung towels to dry? Or maybe an outdoor unit?”
“It seems the owner decided to sell it because they were getting older, and then the stay-at-home orders due to the pandemic drastically reduced the number of customers.”
“Have you noticed anything?”
“…Master, may I make a suggestion?”
“What is it? If you’ve noticed something, don’t hesitate to say.”
“Then…”
Cloche spoke up immediately.
After finding Cloche’s unexpected opinion amusing, he asked Cloche for more details, and she moved briskly to the sink area.
It was a slightly cramped area that had always felt in need of renovation.
“This sink area… isn’t there a leak? The smell of mold is unbearable.”
“Wh-what? There’s no record of that anywhere…”
“I can smell it too. It’s right here.”
“It’s probably hidden by the wallpaper, but it’s coming from this part of the ceiling.”
“The earlier briefing didn’t mention any leaks. Were you aware of this?”
Water leaks in a restaurant are a major hygiene issue.
Surprisingly, it might not just be a sales problem. Such issues could also hinder operations.
Caught off guard by this unexpected observation, the real estate agent widened his eyes in panic and immediately pulled out his smartphone.
“I-I’ll check it right away!”
They watched as he dashed outside and made a call.
Did he know about it? Or did he recommend the place without knowing the details?
At this rate, they could probably negotiate a contract for a different location or demand a rent reduction.
“Hey, do you think he knew?”
“Hard to say. He was definitely flustered, but I couldn’t tell from his heartbeat or scent if he was panicking over an unexpected issue or if his cover was blown.”
“I’d bet he was hiding something. That guy gave off a frantic vibe while showing us this place.”
Even if it’s a business where you get paid per deal, that’s a pretty shady way to work.
Real estate companies are known for all sorts of shady tactics, after all.
Wataru’s current job earns him both gratitude and big money.
Salespeople probably don’t deceive people on purpose, but if you’re too honest, you’ll never close a deal. It’s a tricky business, he thought.
“Well, Cloche, you did a great job. Thanks for telling me.”
“H-hmph. It was only natural!”
“Oh, right. Only natural. I was thinking of giving you some pocket money or buying you some nice meat as a reward, but maybe I’ll do that another day.”
“Th-that’s completely separate! I-I want meat!”
“Hahaha, I see. Then we’ll stop by the meat shop on the way home.”
Regardless of how this contract turns out, Wataru wanted to reward a job well done.
He smiled and promised to buy meat.
After that, he decided to sign a contract on the condition that they repair the roof leak and reduce the rent.
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