Actually... speaking of which, if Shu really wanted to find something to do, there was one other thing.
Wearing his Mosquito's Breath bracelet, Shu stood at a corner of the commercial street on the 9th underground floor. He fell into deep thought as he stared at the still-operating Home Random Play.
This store... technically speaking, it was his, but at the same time, it wasn't.
In name, the store belonged to the Stelle sisters, not Shu, and certainly not his current disguised self, whatever that looked like to other people.
Moreover, Shu actually felt a bit guilty regarding the store. He wasn't sure if it was some sort of 'homesickness' or just pure awkwardness, but he honestly felt a little hesitant to walk through the front door.
Whatever, I still need to check on it.
After all, the initial stock he had prepared for the store wasn't particularly large. Given that it had been operating continuously for all this time, the VHS tapes and discs had probably almost sold out by now.
Who had been managing the store while he was away? Yae Sakura? The Badge Girl? The Twintail Girl?
Come to think of it, he hadn't paid their salaries for half a month. Had Yae Sakura already quit and run off?
Probably not. After all, Yae Rin is enrolled in the St. Freya Project now, right?
Muttering to himself, Shu pushed open the front door of his store. Accompanied by the pleasant chime of a wind bell, he stepped inside the familiar shop.
"Welcome! Are you looking for a specific movie, or would you like to just browse?" The moment he entered, a familiar figure rushed over, wearing a bright, welcoming smile.
It was the Badge Girl.
Shu glanced past her. Yae Sakura was still diligently manning the register, systematically checking out a customer.
Scanning the room, the store looked exactly as he remembered it, filled with the same familiar faces.
Shu stopped in front of a shelf and casually picked up a Homu Compilation disc, though his eyes weren't focused on the cover.
The store's operations were going far smoother than he had imagined.
Half a month—it wasn't incredibly long, but it wasn't short either. If the store had been left unattended after his departure, half a month was more than enough time for Home Random Play to be forgotten and covered in a thin layer of dust. While it might not have been completely looted or vandalized, it certainly wouldn't look as pristine as it did now...
The discs on the shelves were still meticulously organized, perfectly sorted according to the categories he and his "other self" had established.
The prime display slots for the most popular titles had several empty spaces, while the niche sections showed signs of having been reorganized, likely browsed through by curious customers.
The potted plants decorating the store had been watered recently; stray droplets still clung to their green leaves.
The figurines that had survived Theresa and Bronya's "inspections" were carefully maintained, completely free of dust and shining with a polished finish.
It was identical to how it was before he left.
Except for the absence of a pair of identical sisters who always bickered with each other.
"Sir? Sir?" The Badge Girl's voice pulled him back to reality.
She was holding up two discs. One was the sequel to a classic Homu series, the other looked like a newly released spin-off based on its cover.
The Homu on the cover was wearing sunglasses and striking a 'cool' pose that Shu honestly still couldn't appreciate.
"You've been staring at that compilation for a while. Are you looking for something in particular? Would you like some recommendations?"
"Just browsing for now," Shu offered a polite smile, returning the compilation disc to the shelf.
The Badge Girl didn't press the issue or try to pry. Her smile didn't feel like a forced, corporate customer-service routine; it was genuine, heartfelt enthusiasm.
Professionally trained salespeople knew exactly what to say to exactly the right people. They could hype up the most mediocre product to the heavens, terrified of losing a single sale.
The only time you'd hear them say a bad word about a product was when they were actively tearing it down to elevate a more expensive alternative.
But the Badge Girl... or rather, everyone helping run the store, lacked that artificial vibe completely.
Their recommendations and enthusiasm were completely sincere. They had no formal sales training, no oppressive quotas to meet, and no commission bonuses to chase.
The only reason they were here was purely out of passion.
Well, that, and the fixed salary of 3,000 contribution points a month once they became official employees... But it's probably not just for the money. Their enthusiasm is palpable.
Besides, considering I wasn't here, there's a good chance they haven't even been paid yet.
"I'll get back to restocking, then. Take your time, and just let me know if you need anything!" The Badge Girl casually excused herself with a relaxed wave and turned back to her work.
Shu took a slow stroll around the store.
As he had anticipated, the inventory was indeed running low. Several of the most popular shelves had only one or two lonely copies left, and even the niche sections had noticeable gaps.
However, the mini-theater they had merely discussed conceptually before his departure was actually fully operational now. It was currently screening... Neon Genesis Homu-gelion, probably... A true classic.
Over in the lounge area, a coffee bar had been set up. While it looked a bit hastily put together, the foot traffic it was drawing was surprisingly high.
In fact, you could honestly say that seventy percent of the customers in the store were here specifically for that counter. His actual video store, Home Random Play, had somehow become the side hustle.
Shu was genuinely surprised by this. However, when he saw a busy employee behind the counter hand a customer a cup of milk tea, it all instantly clicked.
So it's a boba shop now...
There weren't any milk tea shops on this commercial street yet. In fact, this was probably the one and only milk tea shop in the entire Fire Moth base—perhaps even the entire city.
Most of the people here had survived the Great Eruption. For many young adults and teenagers, milk tea had been a staple part of their daily lives.
After a forced, six-month withdrawal caused by the apocalypse, this little milk tea shop had suddenly become a massive source of emotional comfort for many.
And I just somehow stumbled into a literal gold mine?
Shu watched the familiar faces bustling behind the counter and couldn't help but chuckle.
Why would it be mine?
He hadn't provided the machines, he hadn't provided the ingredients, and he hadn't even drafted the business plan. The ones who had truly seized the opportunity were these kids.
But wait... where did they even get the machines? Those shouldn't be easy to scavenge.
And the supply chain for all those ingredients...
It was Otto, wasn't it?
It only took Shu 0.01 seconds to guess exactly who had provided the supply routes, prompting him to shake his head with a wry smile.
Driven by curiosity, Shu walked over and joined the back of the line at the counter, deciding to grab a cup for himself.
The line wasn't exceptionally long. After all, there still weren't that many people with the free time to casually sip milk tea. Of course, that was also partly because a significant portion of the Fire Moth population had already relocated to the surface.
Currently, the only outsiders with clearance to enter the underground Fire Moth base were the members of the Urban Exploration Teams.
Official Fire Moth employees lived in internal dormitories, and those who held residency rights in the "school-district housing" adjacent to the base largely overlapped with the first two groups.
This street was still the "Adventurer's Market" Otto had slapped together on a whim, but before long, it would inevitably transition into a fully-fledged campus commercial district.
This milk tea shop had opened at the perfect time.