join the Church of MissRaven and become a Sequence 9: Reader p atreon.com/KeyofStars for more chapters
"The urge to eat has appeared again."
Fujiwara Chika couldn't help but become nervous.
Apparently, another rule of the store was that people who entered would involuntarily develop an urge to eat.
Amamiya Natsuki and Juju were employees of the store, which was why they were not affected by the rule.
"Manager." Amamiya Natsuki walked up to the old man, pointed at Fujiwara Chika, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "This is my companion. Can she work here too?"
The manager, an uncle, looked up and glanced at Fujiwara Chika, seemingly unfazed by the Secretary's previous dine-and-dash. He said calmly:
"One server is enough."
Just as expected.
It was just a small store; it couldn't possibly hire an unlimited number of people. It would be too strange if the number of employees exceeded the number of customers.
Amamiya Natsuki had anticipated this, so he wasn't disappointed. He took money from his pocket, turned, and handed it to the Secretary.
"Here." Amamiya Natsuki said grandly, "Eat as much as you want; we're not short on money."
With a rich woman around, there was no need to worry about money.
Fujiwara Chika took the money, looked at the old manager, and her courage gradually grew. She said in a clear voice:
"Manager, I'd like a serving of boiled edamame."
The three had just discussed for a while that since banknotes have a circulating property, their uses might be greater than imagined.
Fujiwara Chika naturally wouldn't be extravagant and decided to be frugal and manage the household carefully.
To talk about what to eat to save money, it was naturally the izakaya's perfect snack for drinks, boiled edamame!
Cut off the ends of the edamame, simply rub them with salt to wash off the fuzz on the surface, then throw them into water, sprinkle salt, boil for three to five minutes, take them out to cool, and then they can be eaten.
The method was simple, and it was good quality and inexpensive.
Order a bottle of sake, and time would easily pass by.
The old manager nodded: "Please wait, guest."
"..."
The situation was temporarily safe.
Juju began working as a server, responsible for cleaning and greeting guests.
Fujiwara Chika sat in a corner, occasionally eating a boiled edamame. It was good quality, inexpensive, tasted good, and most importantly, it could avoid the influence of the rules.
After confirming her safety, Fujiwara Chika raised her right hand again and said:
"I want to apply for a budget for activities."
"For what?"
"For public relations."
"..."
There were no paper items like maps in the store, which was normal. World maps, national maps, and provincial/city maps were common, but a small, dilapidated town that was not well-known and not large in area naturally didn't need a map drawn.
However, there was a 'living map' in the store.
After Fujiwara Chika obtained the activity budget, she bought small dishes like grilled mochi and began to do public relations with other guests in the store.
The Secretary was cute in appearance, sweet-mouthed, and with Amamiya Natsuki by her side, her courage naturally grew. After some conversation, she successfully obtained a lot of useful information.
"It's drawn!"
Fujiwara Chika put her right hand on her hip, raised her chin proudly, and handed over a hand-drawn map.
Drawing was a compulsory course in school, and Fujiwara Chika's drawing skills were very good. On the map, areas such as the Hospital, church, shrine, school, residential area, and Commercial Street were all marked.
"The directions won't be wrong. I asked several people, and the information I got was all the same." Fujiwara Chika whispered, "However, the specific locations might have some deviation."
"That's normal." Amamiya Natsuki nodded.
After all, it was a hand-drawn map; it was impossible to have no deviations.
"Hmm..." Juju also leaned over, and her eyes quickly lit up. She pointed a finger at the map. "If I remember correctly, we came from here earlier."
"Eh, it's that far?"
Fujiwara Chika was surprised.
"It is a bit far." Amamiya Natsuki sighed, "I ran for ten full minutes, carrying the weight of two people."
"The weight of two people..." Fujiwara Chika tilted her small head. "What does that mean?"
"Literally."
"..."
Juju's small face flushed slightly, and she couldn't help but glare at Amamiya Natsuki.
Don't talk nonsense; that kind of thing is enough for you and me to know!
"The map is good." Amamiya Natsuki said with appreciation, "Draw a few more; they don't need to be so detailed, they can be simpler and rougher."
"Hmph, leave it to me." Fujiwara Chika proudly raised her chin. "How many more do you need?"
Amamiya Natsuki thought for a moment and said:
"A hundred, I guess."
"O-one hundred?!" Fujiwara Chika was shocked. "Drawing that many maps will ruin my hands!"
"Eh, what do you need so many maps for?" Juju looked up with a puzzled expression.
Amamiya Natsuki whispered:
"Besides us, will there be other players in the town?"
"Probably." Fujiwara Chika pressed her fingers to her forehead and pondered, "The town is so big; it's impossible for there to be only a few of us players. That would be too wasteful."
At this point, Fujiwara Chika had already understood: "Not only do we need to find Kaguya-chan and the others, but drawing more maps can also help other players."
The Secretary quickly clenched her pink fists, her conscience thumping non-stop: "Then I'll keep drawing."
As a beacon of humanity, Fujiwara Chika would not hesitate to lend a helping hand to humans in need.
Amamiya Natsuki stated his plan: "The more maps, the better. Later, we'll go out and paste the maps all over the streets and alleys, using eye-catching graffiti to remind people, and then mark our secret code. This way, as long as Kaguya and Marin see the maps, they'll be able to find their way here."
Juju blinked, muttering: "...Isn't this just putting up small ads?"
"You got it right."
Even in today's technologically advanced world, many wall advertisements can still be seen in streets and alleys, which proves one thing.
The simpler the method, often the more effective.
As they spoke, the cloth curtain of the store was lifted, and another guest walked in.
"Welcome."
Juju bowed and greeted, already accustomed to her work as a server.
Fujiwara Chika, on the other hand, was startled, her right hand trembling slightly, almost dropping the pen.
The woman who entered was wearing a yukata, with a gentle face and a graceful figure. Her beautiful hair, like a black waterfall, cascaded down to her waist, making her appear quite gentle.
Unfortunately, behind the waterfall-like black hair, another eerie face was hidden—a terrifying kaitai that could eat without spitting out bones.
"Little brother, I've brought a guest."
Sakurako held a small round fan, gently covering her mouth, her voice soft.
Amamiya Natsuki smiled:
"Sakurako, welcome."
Juju looked up curiously, gazing behind Sakurako.
The cloth curtain was lifted, and a woman wearing a dull yellow trench coat, with a cold demeanor and a white mask on her face, walked in.
A guest brought by Sakurako, needless to say, was certainly not human.
"A woman in a trench coat, wearing a mask, could it be...?"
Juju subconsciously thought of a possibility.
The masked woman seemed to sense something and suddenly looked over.
Their eyes met.
Juju felt a chill come over her and quickly lowered her head, averting her gaze.
But it was a step too late.
The woman in the trench coat stopped in front of her, her voice cold and hoarse:
"...Am I beautiful?"
join the Church of MissRaven and become a Sequence 9: Reader p atreon.com/KeyofStars for more chapters