A week had passed since Nicole and Lycaon visited, but the customer traffic remained dismal.
Furina even considered changing the decorations outside or adding some novel promotions to attract customers.
After all, the General Store didn’t just sell things; it bought them too.
Surely someone had a need for that…
But he decided against it.
As he had said before, what he, Furina, wanted was a sense of mystery and coolness…
He didn’t need to play a role, so there was no need to make things too flashy; otherwise, it would look too cheap.
After returning from a breakfast shop with Cissia, Furina picked up a novel and leaned back on the recliner behind the counter.
The blonde snake-girl picked up a broom to do some simple cleaning, then headed to the basement as usual to check on the herbs, harvesting what needed to be harvested and watering what needed to be watered.
After finishing her chores, she went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, took out an ice pop, and started enjoying it sneakily.
Seeing that it was almost noon, Furina got up and flipped the door sign to “Closed” with a flick of his wrist.
Then he went upstairs, preparing for a nice afternoon nap.
Knock, knock, knock~
Before he could even cross the hallway, the shop door was knocked on.
Furina paused.
“Who is it~?
Couldn’t come earlier or later, had to come right when I flipped the sign…”
Muttering a slight complaint, Furina walked slowly back to the counter and stood there.
With a casual snap of his fingers, the door opened gently.
The pink-haired spicy girl, who had been about to knock again, was momentarily stunned, then walked in, carrying a bag with a sheepish smile.
“Good noon~ Furina…”
Nicole reacted quickly, waving her hand and greeting him with a smile.
“Hmm…
Hello~”
Seeing it was Nicole, Furina didn’t feel the need to put on airs and sat straight down on the recliner.
He watched as a white-haired ball and a tall robot wearing a red jacket followed closely behind her.
The white-haired ball was very quiet, sticking closely behind Nicole, but the robot was quite restless, looking around like a curious baby, finding everything novel.
Furina’s mouth twitched.
He chuckled and asked lethargically,
“What service do you need?”
“Hey~ What’s with you?
So lethargic.
I’m here to discuss a partnership.”
Seeing his lifeless attitude, Nicole was displeased.
“Oh~ Discussing a partnership, are we?
Fine~ Let me get you a seat…”
His gloved fingers snapped lightly, and instantly, three recliners flew out from the storage room, landing precisely behind Nicole, Anby, and Billy.
This scene left Anby and Billy stunned.
“Anby, did you see that just now?
This shopkeeper snapped his fingers, and the chairs flew out…
What was that!?
Could it be the legendary telekinesis?!
Or mind control!”
Billy quickly leaned into Anby’s ear and started discussing it loudly.
Obviously, Anby quickly regained her composure and shook her head.
“I don’t know…”
Nicole, who had already sat down and crossed her legs, frowned immediately.
No, this Billy is too embarrassing…
Where does that leave the Cunning Hares’ reputation?
“Sit down properly!”
She hissed a rebuke at Billy behind her.
Seeing this, the soldier Billy quickly stood to attention, then sat down properly.
Beside them, Anby also sat down very neatly.
“Ahem~ This is a new member I just picked up from outside, Billy…
He’s a bit lively, don’t mind him.”
Furina looked at him.
He saw that the screen on Billy’s face was displaying a happy image, and then he waved his hand.
After nodding in acknowledgment, Furina turned his gaze toward the well-behaved Anby.
“How is she doing?”
“Hey~ Thanks to those two bottles of medicine you provided to keep her alive, otherwise it would be hard to say.
She has amnesia currently and only knows her name is Anby…
But that’s fine, she can honestly hang out with my Cunning Hares now.”
Admiring her manicure, Nicole introduced the situation methodically.
Anby met Furina’s gaze at this moment.
Although she didn’t remember what happened before, she nodded respectfully at the shopkeeper who had saved her.
“Hmm~ Alright.
Is it just the three of you in the Cunning Hares?”
“What else…
We are growing stronger every day.”
“In other words, when you rescued Anby the other day, you, the so-called boss of the Cunning Hares, were actually a one-woman army?”
Upon hearing this, Nicole was instantly displeased.
She quickly stood up, put one hand on her hip, and retorted.
“Hey!
How is that possible?
My Cunning Hares have plenty of external members; it’s just that they are all too mediocre, so I haven’t made them official.”
Nodding, Furina smiled, then rested his head on his hand, tapping his fingers on the counter.
“Small talk over.
Let’s talk about your partnership.”
“Mm, alright, hold on a sec.”
Nicole opened the compartment of her briefcase, rummaged through it, found a crumpled contract, and slapped it in front of Furina.
He picked it up and took a look, then his teardrop-shaped eyes widened in surprise.
“The medicine I sell in my shop for 200,000 denny, you’re selling for 500,000?
That’s quite shady…”
“Hey~ What kind of talk is that?
Do you know where we have to transport these to sell them?”
“In the Hollow?”
“Right!
Selling this stuff outside is definitely illegal.
Only by selling it in the Hollow can we make big money!
Get it?
We’re not asking for fifty thousand per bottle; we’ll give you 300,000, and we’ll keep 200,000.
How about it?”
“Either way, you’ll earn an extra 100,000~”
“…Fine~ There are 24 bottles on that shelf, take what you need…
If it’s not enough, contact me, and I’ll brew more.”
After checking that the contract was fine, Furina casually picked up a pen, signed it, and put it into the drawer.
“Hehe~ I knew you were the best, Fufu.
Once our Cunning Hares grow big and strong, you will always be our first partner!”
“Hmph~ I know…”
Watching this White-haired Cat Girl turn her head away and hum lightly, her tail wagging quickly behind her, Nicole couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle.
You little tsundere Catgirl…
I’ll definitely be able to handle you later~
“Billy, transfer all the medicine into this box.”
Leaning back in the chair, Nicole casually tossed the black leather case in her hand to Billy behind her.
After taking it in a slightly flustered manner, Billy stood up.
“Understood!
Boss Nicole~!”
With that, he wiggled his little butt over to the shelf, looking at the bottles of crystal-clear red liquid.
He was very careful.
An icon of cold sweat even appeared on his forehead.
On this side, Nicole wasn’t idle either.
She stood up, walked slowly to the counter, leaned one hand on the table, and bent over to lean toward Furina’s ear.
“I have one more very important thing to tell you, Fufu…
Bring your ear closer.”
Furina frowned, sizing up the pink-haired spicy girl in front of him who looked very serious.
After a moment of hesitation, he leaned his little cat ears over.
Nicole’s light breath blew onto his cat ears.
Furina couldn’t help but shiver, then asked curiously.
“What is it?
Why make it so mysterious?”
“Ahem…
My dear Fufu~ Lend me some money, will you——”
After those magnetic words were spoken, Furina froze.
He looked at Nicole’s greasy appearance, rolled his eyes instantly, pursed his lips, and plopped back onto the recliner.
He shook his white jellyfish-style hair and just stared at her, not saying a word.
Billy, who had finished packing the goods, and Anby naturally heard Nicole’s “important” words.
After all, she hadn’t spoken quietly, the room was very quiet, and neither of them were normal people.
Anby slowly lowered her head, indicating she couldn’t bear to watch.
Billy, holding the box, was at a loss and had no choice but to stand there like a fool.
Seeing this white-haired little Catgirl not saying anything, Nicole panicked.
She quickly slipped over the counter, crowded beside Furina, and reached out to hold his arm.
“Oh~ Fufu.
You’re the best…
Just lend me a little bit~ To repair Billy’s body and pay for Anby’s medical recovery, I don’t have a single cent left now.”
“The Hollow is full of Ethereals, and if we don’t have money to buy carrots and equipment, we’ll just be trapped and die in there~~~”
“Fufu~ Please, once we sell your medicine and earn enough money, we’ll pay you back.”
“Do you think that’s appropriate?”
“What’s inappropriate about it…
With the friendship we’ve had for so many years, don’t you trust me?”
“We’ve known each other for less than a month, sister…
I’m paying for your employee’s medical treatment out of pocket, providing you with inventory, and now even providing you with startup capital…
Nicole, don’t go too far…”
“Please~ Fufu, I know you are the most beautiful and kind-hearted little Catgirl in the world~ We in the Cunning Hares will have to rely on your support in the future~”
Seeing that he wasn’t budging, Nicole started playing the victim and buttering him up.
Furina let out a deep breath.
He pulled open the cash register, took out five Hydro coins, and exchanged them for denny.
“I’m only lending you 500,000…
Use it wisely.
You need to write an IOU, and it has to be paid back separately——”
“Fufu~!!
I knew you were the best, love you——”
“Go away, go away, don’t press those two evil things against my arm.
Give me your bank card…”
Although Furina scolded her, Nicole still handed over the card with a sheepish smile.