“A ‘wyvern-butchering show’?” I asked. “We’re not talking about a tuna-carving show here... Wait, that’s it! Tuna-carving shows must’ve been pretty good business, considering how common they were across Japan...”
“Exactly!” Kyoko agreed. “They’re exciting, unusual, and loosen purse strings with a mixture of performance, entertainment, and commercial appeal, leaving everyone satisfied. Plus, they’re great for promotion! That’s why they were everywhere in Japan. We’re just copying that battle-tested method.”
“I see...”
We didn’t even need to hunt a wyvern; we’d already bagged a few. Back when we’d traveled in Kyoko’s dinghy—not the massive ship dozens of meters wide, but the compact scout craft—some wyverns had attacked us, and we’d stashed them in the Item Box.
So we’d use that stock for the show, butcher it live, and sell it on the spot. Wyverns were rare and pricey around here. Strong, ferocious, and able to fly—not only were they hard to find, but they were even harder to hunt. Even if killed by other monsters or natural causes, their corpses got scavenged by critters, birds, or bugs, or rotted away by bacteria. Plus, that kind of thing happened in remote areas or monster-infested zones, so their materials rarely reached human hands.
A whole fresh wyvern carved up and sold on-site would definitely draw a crowd. Butchers, chefs, armorers, and noble envoys would gather from all over the capital, and the shop’s name would be famous overnight.
Kyoko’s ideas were wild, but this was a good one.
Nice job, Kyoko.
“You’d like to designate someone? Who...wait, Moss? Moss isn’t a hunter, he’s an employee at our butchery!”
Today, Reiko stayed home as Kyoko and I, with Falsetto as our guard, hit up the Hunter’s Guild. We could’ve all gone together, but a bigger group might’ve slowed down talks. Plus, thieves might’ve broken in if we’d left the house empty.
Word had probably spread among shady types that Edith and Can, who’d cashed in big on a unicorn horn, lived there. Our valuables, stuff we didn’t normally use, and even our pairs of underwear were tucked away in the Item Boxes, so thieves wouldn’t find much, but the thought of having strangers rummage through our place was gross. I didn’t need their filthy hands touching everything.
With security traps to spot intruders, we only needed one of us to hold down the fort. Our biggest fear was a lethal sneak attack, like an arrow to the head or a swift stab to the heart in passing. Defending our rigged-up base was no problem, and Reiko was best suited for that job.
Oops, focus! I gotta explain to the receptionist!
“Oh, yes, but I heard Moss was a B-Rank hunter before he retired. Apparently he misses his old title and still takes the bare minimum number of jobs every few months to keep it active...” I said.
“Oh... I think I do remember hearing that, but...”
Whack!
“Eek! M-My apologies, I’ll check right away!”
The senior receptionist from the next counter gave her a “disciplinary” shin kick. Rookie training was harsh everywhere, apparently...
Our receptionist swapped with another staffer, led us to a private booth, and then ran off to the butchery.
A bit later, the receptionist returned with an older man.
“You must be one oddball client if I was your personal request,” he said. “Sure, I’ve kept my hunter license, but I’ve been pretty much retired for years. What do you want with someone like me?”
He eyed us suspiciously. Yeah, anyone would be skeptical.
“Your B-Rank swordsmanship and the skills you’ve honed at the butchery. Moss, you’re the only man for this job...a public wyvern butchering gig!”
“Whaaat?!” they shouted.
Yeah, I figured they’d be shocked.
Kyoko just nodded in silence, leaving all the talking to me... Falsetto staying quiet was a given, since guards didn’t butt into their bosses’ business talks.
Now, is he gonna take the job?
The receptionist stood there, stunned, but Moss’s face shifted from shock to a giddy, sparkling grin.
“I’m in! This job’s mine! Ain’t no one taking it from me!”
Yeah, I figured as much...
Ten days later, Kyoko had signed the main shop’s contract, using the Item Box and her mothership’s workshop to whip the interior into shape in no time. She’d moved toilets, bathroom units, freezers, and refrigerators in from the mothership...plus screens and games for entertainment. And of course, a top-notch security system.
We’d already done promo work for the wyvern-butchering show, advertising that its parts would be auctioned off on-site. Then the Hunter’s Guild and Commerce Guild came at us hard. Not that they did anything sketchy; they’d hit us with desperate pleas and sob stories to sell through them instead.
Envoys from major shops and nobles swarmed us too. Most of them were suspicious of us, demanding that we show them the goods ahead of time. We just brushed them off and told them, “If you doubt our shop’s word or wares, please feel free to take your business elsewhere. Be sure to inform your employer you got kicked out for insulting us with your accusatory attitude.”
It was a seller’s market, so we didn’t need to waste our time humoring skeptics. Some weirdo even told us, “If you really have wyvern materials, they should go to the king! I’ll handle everything for you!”
I’d sent him away by telling him that’d tank our profits so badly it’d kill the shop before it ever opened, that I wouldn’t need a middleman if I wanted to make an offering to the king, and that he was free to hunt his own wyvern to make an offering himself.
We might have looked young, but didn’t people realize we might have someone powerful backing us if we had the connections to get our hands on a wyvern? Not that we did, but still...
I was the one who’d dealt with those folks. Kyoko wasn’t cut out for it, and we didn’t want any...unfortunate incidents from her. Reiko was too calm and collected, which gave off an icy vibe. Her sharp tongue didn’t help either. She seemed perfect for cold rejections, but she’d tick off anyone who thought highly of themselves. It wasn’t a good idea to make too many enemies when we hadn’t even opened yet.
As for me, I explained things gently and turned people away without incident. A little death glare from me was all it took.
No, I’m not happy about that!
Whenever I was helping with opening prep at the Trader Shop in the capital, I was in Edith mode. Reiko was there as Can, of course, and Falsetto was her usual self. We’d decided to play it as old pals from the start. Leaving everything to Kyoko would be too much on her plate, and honestly, Reiko and I were too worried to sit still and do nothing. It wasn’t time to lay waste to the capital and flee yet.
Plus, Can had already delivered a rare unicorn horn to the guild, right around the time I’d presumably asked her to cash it in. And now Salette was selling a whole wyvern, followed by various rare goods. People were definitely gonna connect the dots.
So, instead of dodging suspicion, we laid it all out, making it obvious that we were friends helping one another by swapping goods and cash. Can the hunter sold rare game to Salette and guarded Edith the unsanctioned saint, Salette the merchant funded Edith’s charity work, and Edith healed Can’s hunting injuries. And with Can often away, Edith also hired the skilled swordsman and hunter Falsetto as a backup guard.