It Seems the Demon King's Daughter Will Be Helping Customers

Becoming a [Hero] had been his dream. No, his everything. From earliest childhood, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he'd lived for nothing else.

Which was exactly why, even now, the memory of that day, the day the abolition of the [Hero System] was announced, the moment every shred of effort he'd piled up over the years simply vanished into thin air, still set Raul's chest clenching with palpitations that refused to ease.

Stripped of every scrap of motivation, Raul had spent the next half-year burning through what little remained of the allowance from home, drifting through idle days. He'd lie around for hours doing nothing, staring vacantly at the MagicVision, taking naps just to kill the time. But days like that didn't soothe his heart so much as pile on a suffocating, restless dread that wouldn't lift.

The moment he sat still, he felt himself being sucked toward some bottomless dark. A shapeless anxiety bore down on him, threatening to crush him flat. And still he kept turning his face from reality, burrowing back under the covers, letting the days slip by, hollow and pointless.

That day, too, he woke past noon as usual and, nursing the dull ache in his head, flipped on the MagicVision out of pure habit. Listening to the laughter of the celebrities spilling out of it, he glanced absently toward the window.

His eyes caught the strip of blue sky peeking through the edge of the curtain, and in that instant… fat tears suddenly spilled, unbidden, from Raul's eyes.

What am I even doing with my life…

The breakdown came out of nowhere.

The tears overflowed as if a dam had burst, chased by a tightness in his chest and a choking sob. He doubled over to press at his cramping heart, buried his face in his pillow to soak up the tears, wailed and shouted… And then.

Raul finally faced the reality that he hadn't made it as a [Hero], and made up his mind to find a job.

… Haa.

The faded gray door of the break room loomed in front of him. Feeling the strap of his sports bag bite into his shoulder, Raul couldn't help but sigh.

The source of his gloom was a single letter that had been waiting in his apartment's mailbox the night before.

"To Big Brother Raul,"

The cute, round handwriting on the pale stationery flashed back into his mind, and a wave of guilt twisted through him.

"Big Brother, how are you? It's been almost three years since you left for the royal capital, and you still haven't sent word, so Papa and Mama and everyone in the village are worried. But the letters Myuli always sends you have never come back as undeliverable, so they must be reaching you, right? You're reading them, right?"

It was the periodic letter from his little sister, four years younger, in the distant village he'd left behind.

"There are weird rumors going around that heroes have been abolished, and some of the villagers say all kinds of things about you, but Myuli still believes you became a hero. Big Brother, you always try so hard, so you must just be too busy with hero work to write back. Myuli's heart pounds whenever she imagines you out there doing amazing things. But I'm lonely not getting to see you. Even if you can't come home, it would make me happy if you'd at least send word. And don't push yourself too hard, okay? — Myuli"

… It's about time I came clean, isn't it.

Raul still hadn't told anyone back home that, in the end, he'd never become a hero. He'd write a letter, tear it up, write another and tear that up too. He couldn't even remember anymore how many pads of stationery from the 100-Gold Shop he'd burned through in the past year. Meanwhile time slipped by, it only got harder to say, and he'd just kept drifting, and here he was. He knew, of course, that things couldn't keep going like this. He knew, but… haa.

"Mornin'…"

Still wallowing in his gloom, Raul turned the doorknob and pushed open the break room door.

… And froze on the spot.

The sight that slammed into his eyes was nothing short of shocking.

… After a pause.

A scream tore out of Raul's gaping mouth.

"What the heck are you doing!?"

"Oh, Raul! You're early!"

At the shout, Fino, the demonkin girl who'd taken up residence in the back room of the shop, looked up from in front of the break room's little sink and spun around to face him.

"As you can see, I am washing my head!"

"I can see that!"

His hand still on the doorknob, Raul stood frozen as Fino, both hands plunged into a head of foamy suds, tilted her head with an innocent "Huh?"

"If you can see, why ask? Hey, you're the one who said grooming is the basics of customer service, right, Raul?"

"Yeah, I did say that, but! That sink is not for that purpose! And also, you're still wearing your clothes…!"

"I'm only washing my head, so no need to take them off, right? It's fine! It looks unplanned, but I wrung the water out to the absolute limit before lathering. There's no way I'd let my one good outfit get wet!"

"No, no, that is the definition of unplanned! There are bubbles flying all over your clothes! You just can't see it because your eyes are closed!"

"But this stuff stings like crazy when it gets in your eyes, you know."

At Fino's casual response, Raul belatedly registered the scent drifting through the break room.

"… Hold on, is that dish soap!?"

"Ah, yeah, the package said it cuts through even grease! When I use it, my hair goes all squeaky-clean! It's amazing!"

"It's not supposed to squeak! That's the sound of all the important stuff on the surface of your hair being stripped off! Rinse it out, right now!"

"… Aw, fine."

Fino reluctantly nodded, and Raul cradled his head in his hands.

… He genuinely felt like crying. To take the heart of a Raul already weakened by his sister's letter and just smash it the moment he walked through the door… leave it to the demonkin to show no mercy.

"But, you know…"

In front of Raul as he hung his head under the unbearable mental fatigue, Fino, head wedged dexterously into the narrow space under the faucet and fumbling for the tap by touch, abruptly spoke up, as if just remembering.

"Humans really are amazing, huh. You twist this thing here, and water just comes out! Honestly, what are you people? Can you dig wells inside your walls or something?"

"… It's plumbing. Plumbing."

Well, I was floored too, when I first got to the royal capital.

A main street like a wide stone-paved plaza, overflowing with crowds of people. A skyline of stone and brick buildings stretching on forever, lit at night by the pale blue glow of magelights scattered through every corner. The city had full plumbing. No need to haul water up from a well just to take a bath; you just turned a tap, and a warm shower came out.

And on top of that, all the magic items that filled the royal capital's homes these days, one per household at minimum: MagicVisions, MagicDusters, MagicRanges… a comfortable, affluent life cushioned by magical conveniences.

The Capital was, frankly, on an entirely different level of civilization than the rural village where Raul had grown up. After all, even the cheap, mass-market MagicLights that sold here for a few hundred gold a pop were treated as treasures back in his village.

… Well, can't be helped, I guess, Raul thought.

He didn't know what the demonkin's homeland was like, but it was probably even further removed from the royal capital than his own backwater village. With that in mind, maybe a little of her off-the-wall behavior was unavoidable, and…

"Ha ha ha."

With a sheepish laugh, Fino turned around at last.

"I was so focused on washing that I didn't think at all about the rinsing afterwards!"

For some reason she announced this with utter confidence, water cascading off her thoroughly soaked head like a waterfall. Naturally there was no towel waiting either, and…

"Think things through! And you, your clothes and the floor are completely soaked!"

"Ha ha ha, an unforeseen miscalculation. Or rather, an unexpected turn of events!"

"It's not unexpected at all! It was so predictable a fraud fortune-teller couldn't have missed it! Hurry up and dry off… hey, don't wipe your head with the floor rag!"

Unable to take it anymore, he hurried over. Yanking a hand towel out of the sports bag still slung over his shoulder, Raul scrubbed roughly at Fino's head.

"Kya…!"

"Honestly, getting yourself this soaked…"

Pressing the hand towel to Fino's forehead in a state of half-resignation, Raul let his gaze drift down absently… and went completely still.

… A baggy, oversized hoodie, soaked through to a darker shade.

The waterlogged fabric had clung tight to Fino's body without him noticing, the girlish curves of her figure laid bare… and especially around her chest, with that stomach-clenching swell of softness, all the way to the very tip, clearly outlined…

"… Hm? What's wrong, Raul?"

Fino asked, looking puzzled. Snapping back to himself, Raul hurriedly looked away.

"Uh, no, it's, um… nothing!"

"… What. You're acting weird."

… Notice it! Wait, is it standard for demonkin to not wear anything underneath!? She's way too defenseless… no, it's borderline criminal!

Knowing he shouldn't but unable to stop himself, the glimpse of the girl's skin he'd caught yesterday flickered back into his mind, and Raul swallowed hard. That bewitching curve drifting through his head, the faintly-flushed pink of her… no, me! Control yourself, me!

Shaking his head to dispel the lewd thoughts, Raul stomped over to the wall. He yanked open his locker and rummaged roughly inside, finding what he was after almost immediately.

"Wear this!"

Fino took the bundle he thrust at her with a blank expression. Question marks practically floating over her head, she unfolded it, and then her eyes lit up with delight.

"Raul, this is…!"

"… Our shop's uniform."

Looking away from a Fino he couldn't quite face right now, Raul answered in a gruff tone.

"It's been sitting in the back so it might smell a little musty, but, well, it beats wet clothes…"

"… It matches the manager's!"

Whether she was even listening was unclear. Practically buzzing with excitement, Fino grabbed the hem of her sopping hoodie, and…

"H- hey! W- wait, wait, wai…!"

"Ah, Raul. I'm changing, so step outside for a second."

Completely deadpan.

… Ah, right, of course. Not that, you know, I was expecting anything. No, of course not.

"… Don't wear it sloppy. Button every single button properly."

With that parting line, Raul stepped out of the break room. With a vaguely unsettled feeling, he muttered to himself:

… The demonkin's sense of modesty… I really can't get a handle on it.

"Raul! Raul!"

In the sleepy hush of the shop before opening, a noisy voice suddenly rang out.

Raul, who'd been loading change into the register behind the counter, looked up to see Fino over by the household-goods aisle, waving both arms at him.

"What is it now…"

"Look! I found something cool!"

Stepping out onto the sales floor, Raul peeked around the back of the shelf to find Fino, brandishing a tube-shaped item with a handle (a display-model MagicDryer) with a look of utmost triumph, as if she'd made some monumental discovery.

"Look at this! It says it's an item for drying hair! Hey, Raul, can I try it out?"

"I mean, it is a display unit, but staff using it for personal stuff is…"

Raul started to protest, then caught sight of Fino's face with strands of wet hair still plastered to her cheeks and forehead, and reconsidered.

"… Well, I guess it beats letting you out on the floor with a sopping wet head. You can use it, but don't break it, got that?"

"Roger!"

Fino nodded happily, flicked the switch, and immediately let out a delighted yell.

"Whoa! Warm wind is coming out of the tip of the tube! So you dry your hair with this wind! It's true that laundry dries faster on warm, windy days! Humans really do think up the most amazing things!"

"… Yeah, yeah, amazing, amazing."

Raul let out a tired sigh as Fino made a racket beside him. But…

"… Huh?"

Just as Raul turned to head back to the register, an ominous noise sounded behind him, and the wind cut out with an abrupt click.

A bad feeling crept up his spine. He turned around to find Fino standing there, MagicDryer in hand, with a very strange look on her face.

"R- Raul…"

In a very, very awkward voice.

"This thing… just kinda… stopped…"

"Hey—! Right after I told you not to! What did you do!?"

He snatched the MagicDryer out of Fino's hands and clicked the switch back and forth. But the dryer kept its silence, refusing to budge.

In front of a stony-faced Raul, Fino flapped her hands in flustered denial.

"No, really, I didn't do anything! … Probably."

Then the girl tilted her head, looking troubled.

"But, hmm, maybe I was using it wrong… You aim the wind from the tip at your hair, right? … Ah! Maybe… does it suck?"

"It doesn't suck!"

But Fino had a point, in fairness. There was only one switch, so there was no way to misuse it. She hadn't dropped it or crushed it. And yet…

Going a shade paler, Fino fidgeted nervously.

"What do we do, Raul… is this thing expensive?"

"I mean, not really, but… yeah, this is bad. Breaking a display unit…"

"… Haaaaaaaaa."

That was when it happened.

A long, deep sigh, like the very embodiment of despair, drifted in out of nowhere.

"I wanna go home… I don't wanna work… company please explode…"

… followed by a voice grim as a curse from beyond the grave.

The two of them spun around to see a man come trudging out of the back room.

He looked to be in his late twenties. Reddish hair on the longer side, with slightly drooping, vacant eyes. Tall and lanky in his apron, he walked with his head down, dragging his feet, and after a moment let out another sigh that seemed to expel every last bit of him from his body.

"Haaaaaaaaaaa…"

While Fino stared as if to say who is this guy, Raul spoke up.

"Ah, Visor-san, good morning!"

"… Hm… ah, good morning… Raul-kun…"

… The voice was profoundly low-energy. Lifting his red head heavily, the man called the Assistant Manager fixed Raul with the eyes of a dead fish. Then he shifted his gaze to the silver-haired demonkin girl, who wore a slightly wary expression, and opened his mouth listlessly.

"Ah, you must be… the new part-timer the manager wrote about in the handover notes… let's see, what was it…"

"… Fino. Fino Bloodstone."

"Ah, right, right, Fino-kun. Pleased to meet you. I'm Visor Crossroad, Assistant Manager of Magic Shop Leon, Royal Capital Store…"

Having gotten that going-through-the-motions self-introduction out of the way, Visor asked, as if it had only just occurred to him:

"… So, it's almost opening time. What in the world are you two doing over here this early?"

"Ah, uh, well…"

"… Hmmmmm."

The Assistant Manager's already-narrow eyes narrowed further as he eyed the MagicDryer in Raul's hand.

"… Don't tell me you accidentally broke a display unit?"

"… Ugh."

As both of them flinched like kids caught mid-prank, the Assistant Manager looked between them, then sighed and muttered:

"… Aaah. Fine, fine, can't be helped… here, hand it over?"

Plucking the MagicDryer out of Raul's hands, the Assistant Manager twirled his finger and murmured, "Open." In the next instant a pale glow rose up, overlaid on the MagicDryer, and Fino gasped, startled.

"Wha…!"

The mass of light suspended in the air had the exact same shape as the MagicDryer beneath it, down to the millimeter. Like a hazy replica fashioned out of light. Within its semi-transparent body, intricate, interlocking geometric patterns floated into view.

"Aahh… yep, this is totally fried…"

Pointing at a particular section of the light-construct, the Assistant Manager muttered as if to himself.

"User's mana was way outside spec, so it overheated and part of the syntax got wiped. See, there's an error right here… Honestly, a dryer without a mana-surge breaker built in? Unbelievable. Who's the manufacturer on this thing?"

I see, thought Raul, putting it together. Magic items were built for human use to begin with. A demonkin with different "Volta" (mana-voltage) and "Ampyle" (mana-output) using one was bound to cause malfunctions, of course… wait.

Come to think of it, does the Assistant Manager actually know who Fino is? The thought flickered through Raul's head, but before he could say anything, Fino, who'd been staring intently at the Assistant Manager's handiwork, tugged insistently at Raul's sleeve.

"What is it!? Hey, Raul, what is this!?"

"Hm? … Ah, he's 'Opening' the 'Magic Field.'"

"Magic Field?"

Ah, right, this is tech the Demon Kingdom doesn't have. Scratching his head, Raul did his best to explain.

"It's like, the space where magic syntax gets written into an item… see, the Assistant Manager's a former ME."

"Eemiee?"

"Short for Magic Engineer. Uh… basically, it's the job of adding magic to magic items like the kind we sell."

"Brutal hours, can't go home, lousy pay… a textbook 3K job, basically…"

The Assistant Manager picked up where Raul left off in a self-deprecating mutter.

"… With advancements in magic tech, the magic-item industry was in a huge bubble up until recently. Everyone from major manufacturers to sketchy outfits whose names nobody knew piled into the market, prices crashed from the cutthroat competition… to keep margins up they needed to crank up production, which meant they needed more MEs, which meant hopeful young guys like me who came out to the royal capital chasing a decent job and a comfortable life ended up as the main ones to get sacrificed…"

Hand thrust into the MagicDryer's Magic Field, repairing the syntax as he talked, the Assistant Manager got a faraway look in his eye.

"Magic construction is basically subcontracted work, but the people actually doing the work are subcontractors of subcontractors, so the deadlines are always tight and our pay gets skimmed at every layer. They cram us MEs into dark rooms (easier to see the Magic Field that way) and we just silently grind out construction… I'll say it flat out: that's not work fit for a human being. Seriously."

… As he muttered, the Assistant Manager's energy visibly drained further.

"With something big like a MagicVision, it's a team of several people, and if even one person makes a mistake somewhere, you don't get to go home that day. You're stuck cross-checking the entire syntax against the spec, start to finish, sometimes from scratch…"

"Whoa…"

"That kind of death march was the standard, and after I got locked in for like a solid week straight and got to the point I could hold a conversation with myself from another world, I felt my life was in danger and quit… if Seara-cha… uh, the manager, who's from my hometown, hadn't picked me up, I figure right about now I'd be awakening my sixth chakra and reaching enlightenment…"

"… No matter how many times I hear this story, Visor-san, it's awful for the heart…"

Honestly, every industry's rough these days, Raul thought, sinking into gloom. Yeah, you really do gotta aim for hero. Cool, recession-proof, plus the benefits package… wait!

Shaking his head as if to brush off the regret beginning to smolder again, Raul caught himself. Geez, how long are you gonna keep dwelling on this, me!? Listen, Raul, heroes don't exist anymore. The hero I was aiming for is… haaa.

"… Well, this company doesn't pay great either, and we're shorthanded so the load's brutal, and Monday mornings make me want to die, but… every day's a new thing, and the workplace mood's not bad, so I figure it suits me okay… and."

As he spoke the Assistant Manager suddenly stopped. With a flick of his fingers he dismissed the Magic Field and held out the now-repaired MagicDryer to Fino, who was still staring at everything wide-eyed.

"… Here, all done. Try the switch, missy?"

"Eh, ah, ah…"

Fino took it reflexively. She peered at the MagicDryer in her hands fearfully for a moment, then steeled herself and flicked the switch.

The instant she did…

Warm wind blasted out of the tip of the tube with a rattling hum, and Fino's head whipped up to look at the Assistant Manager.

"It works! Amazing, it's fixed!"

"Just a simple fix, but this time I made sure to add in a proper magic-breaker, so you're good… Fino-kun. You'll be careful from now on when handling the shop's products, won't you?"

"Yeah!"

Fino's eyes shone as she gazed at the Assistant Manager with frank admiration.

"Visor-san, you're amazing! You really are amazing, Visor-san! No wonder you're the Assistant Manager!"

"Ah… no, it's nothing really… For a former ME, this is pretty standard, yeah."

Unexpectedly pleased at the praise, the Assistant Manager grinned down at the bouncing Fino, his expression going slack.

"You know… Fino-kun, for a scary-looking kid, you're a really nice girl. I think I might be a fan. According to the handover notes, all you've done so far is register and front-facing, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Hmm… well, then, maybe it's about time you tried product assistance…"

"H- hey, Visor-san!"

To the Assistant Manager, who had bent his lanky frame down to peer intently at Fino's face, Raul hurriedly raised his voice.

"That's impossible! This is only her third day! She can barely manage formal speech, she has zero product knowledge. It's safer to just stick to stocking the shelves for the time being…"

"… Hmm. Listen here, Raul-kun. If you coddle her like that, she'll never grow up, you know? Ruthlessly tossing fresh-faced, enthusiastic new hires into the bottomless valley the moment they walk in the door… that's our company motto, isn't it?"

"Which is exactly why the turnover rate is so high! … Hey…"

Having delivered that with full force, Raul suddenly remembered something.

"… Hm? What's up?"

In front of the Assistant Manager's puzzled face, Raul broke into a cold sweat and pointed at the cheap wristwatch on his arm.

"… We're way past opening time."

The next instant.

The Assistant Manager bolted toward the shop's front door so fast the eye could barely follow.

"Um, excuuuse meee?"

"Ah, yes!"

Raul, who'd left Fino in charge of the register and was helping the Assistant Manager move a display stand, reflexively called back when he spotted a female customer raising her hand a little ways off in the sales aisle.

But as Raul started to dash over, the Assistant Manager smoothly stopped him. Switching on his magic intercom in front of a confused Raul, the Assistant Manager spoke in a slow, deliberate tone.

"Fino-kun, Fino-kun… You free?"

"Yeah."

Seeing Fino's head pop up over the register, the Assistant Manager smirked and rattled off an order.

"Ah… there's a young lady calling for help over by the MagicAudio section, so trot over and hear her out."

"Wha…!"

"… Roger!"

The next moment. Fino nodded with a leave-it-to-me air, ducked out from behind the register, and dashed off toward the customer. Raul whirled to protest at the Assistant Manager standing next to him.

"V- Visor-san!"

"Relax, relax. It'll work out."

"No way… but… no, this is bad! I'm gonna check on her!"

Leaving the Assistant Manager murmuring an easygoing "Geez, you worry too much, Raul-kun," Raul immediately took off after Fino.

Pretending to straighten a display, he sidled close and quietly observed the MagicAudio corner.

Tucked neatly beside the customer (a woman in a fluttery one-piece under a long, light-asagi-colored cardigan) was Fino, in uniform.

Seen this way, the Leon uniform actually suited Fino very well. The hairstyle was unfortunate, but for her small build and slender limbs, the chest pinned down by the uniform looked a little too snug, the gorgeous line from her waist to her hips, and the thighs peeking out from the miniskirt, were rather… no it isn't, me!

Yanking his eyes from where they'd drifted, Raul put on a deliberate air of nonchalance and continued to monitor.

In a moment, the customer pointed at the glass case in front of her and asked Fino in a slightly nasal tone:

"Um, this one, are there, like, other colors and stuff?"

"Roger! Hang on a sec."

She did, in fairness, live in the shop's back room. She had the inventory locations memorized to perfection. She spun on her heel and tore off, returning almost immediately with a stack of boxes balanced in her arms.

"Hmmm… in your case, ma'am, I think this color would suit you."

The customer let out a delighted noise at the player Fino held up.

"Aww, this pink one is super cute!"

"Right!?"

Buoyed by the response, Fino nodded back with smug satisfaction.

"It's a fresh color, just like brains the moment you take 'em out! Oh, but I'd also recommend this one. The color of a young child's liver!"

… At that moment.

The customer Fino was helping quickly set the product back down.

A strained smile pasted to her face, she made an immediate beeline for the exit.

"Huh?"

Fino tilted her head as she watched the customer flee the store at terrifying speed.

"Did she have, like, urgent business?"

"That's not it!"

Unable to take it, Raul shot out from behind the shelves and launched into a tirade. Still hugging the boxes, Fino looked up at him, perplexed.

"Ah, Raul. Hey, maybe this color would've been better? Like, this gallbladder-colored one."

"I just learned right now that gallbladders are green! And why are you measuring everything in organs to begin with!?"

"Eh? But they're parts you see on the regular…"

"Just how grisly is your daily life supposed to be over there!?"

… Raul couldn't help but groan inwardly. Visor-san. Customer service really is too soon for this one.

"Um, excuse me, sorry…"

A voice spoke up unexpectedly. Raul flinched and turned, head still in his hands at Fino's antics.

He looked back to find a small old lady clutching a large bundle, peering up at him with a thoroughly troubled expression.

"I bought this the other day, but I was hoping you could take a look at it…"

"Ah, yes! Right this way. Ah, allow me to carry that for you!"

After-sales support for items they'd sold was just as important a part of the shop's work. Receiving the bundle (easily an armful), Raul guided the old lady along.

At the end of the register counter, on the tidied-up support counter, Raul unwrapped the bundle to reveal a long, slender device sheathed in metal. The surface was glossy and unblemished, still new.

"… Raul, what's this?"

At Fino's question (she'd somehow finished tidying up the MagicPlayer boxes and rushed over to the support counter), Raul answered quietly.

"It's an MVD player. And on top of that, a MagicVision-integrated model. Fairly pricey one. Now… ma'am, what seems to be the matter?"

In his polite work-voice Raul asked the question, and the old lady drew a small black panel about the size of a palm out of the bag at her side. An MVD: a small disc for storing audio and video.

"My grandchild sent me this, this 'em-vee…' something, to watch, but…"

Glancing at the clumsy handwriting reading "To Grandma" on the disc label, Raul made the most reasonable suggestion he could.

"Let's try it once first."

The old lady nodded, and Raul loaded the disc into the player and flipped the switch. With a light startup chime, a dense wall of light bloomed above the player: a display of pure mana, with no physical substance. In the center of it, the manufacturer's logo appeared in sharp relief. But.

… That was it. No matter how long he waited, the image didn't move.

"The others all play just fine. It's just this one, the one my grandchild sent, that won't…"

"Hmm…"

Switching it off and pulling out the disc to examine it, Raul tilted his head.

"Is it possible the disc itself is damaged?"

"No, my grandchild's note said they checked that it played before they sent it, so that couldn't be it…"

"I see… hmm…"

Then the only possibility left was… Raul was on the verge of groaning when:

"Hello, welcome, lovely madam… Is something troubling you?"

"Ah, Visor-san!"

The Assistant Manager must have noticed Raul struggling at the support counter. He drifted up with a smooth, ingratiating smile and bowed to the old lady, and Raul let out a quiet sigh of relief. This kind of magic-item malfunction diagnosis was the Assistant Manager's specialty. As a former ME, he could open up the item's Magic Field and inspect it directly.

"Visor-san, this customer bought this player from us recently, but this disc won't play. The other discs are fine, so I figured maybe the problem was with the disc itself, but…"

"Hooo… Let's see, give it here?"

The instant Raul handed over the disc, the Assistant Manager opened the Magic Field. Tapping a finger to his chin, he swept through the magic syntax inside the light.

"Storage format… playback code… hmm, this disc looks fine. The data's properly recorded. No errors either. Let's see."

As he spoke, the Assistant Manager casually slid the disc back into the player. But still, no change appeared on the display.

"Ahh, looks like a compatibility issue with the player itself…"

After a moment, before the increasingly distressed old lady, the Assistant Manager opened his mouth.

"It happens once in a while, this kind of thing. It's not that anything's broken. See, magic syntax is delicate, right? Sometimes magic constructs interfere with each other. There's not much that can be done in cases like this, I'm afraid…"

"… Is there really… no way?"

The old lady's shoulders sank, and the Assistant Manager turned to her with an apologetic face.

"… No, really, my sincerest apologies… we'd like to exchange it, but we're currently out of stock on any item that plays MVDs… it's still a new format, you see. I'm truly sorry, but the best we can do is process a refund…"

"Hey."

A voice cut in suddenly, breaking off the Assistant Manager mid-sentence.

Raul, the old lady, and the Assistant Manager: three pairs of eyes turned in unison. Under the weight of all those gazes, Fino calmly pointed at the display and spoke up.

"This thing, isn't it actually playing right now?"

"!?"

Everyone but Fino caught their breath in unison.

Where Fino was pointing, the display, which moments ago had shown no change at all, was now in motion.

The picture suddenly brightened, and in the next instant, a little girl who couldn't have been more than ten filled the screen. The adorable girl with big, round eyes broke into a huge grin, then thrust both hands out toward them from inside the light display.

"Grandma, happy birthday!!"

"… Fino!"

After a beat of stunned silence, Raul came back to himself and turned on her.

"You… how did you…?"

"I just put it back in with the label face-down."

To Raul's question, Fino answered with perfect ease.

"You know, the em-vee-dee, that black box thing, the front and back looked pretty similar, so I figured maybe it'd go in either way."

At those words, Raul's mouth simply fell open.

A complete blind spot.

You were always supposed to load an MVD with the label face up, but whoever made this disc hadn't known that, or had carelessly stuck the label on the wrong side. It really was a very simple thing, and once you saw it, it was nothing. But Raul, who had taken the disc's orientation for granted, would he ever have figured it out?

"Ha ha, ha ha ha…"

… And likewise, the Assistant Manager, who'd also loaded the disc label-up and then confidently declared it a compatibility issue, looked very, very awkward indeed.

The old lady seemed lost for words as she stared at the display now filled with her precious grandchild. After a moment, she turned to face Fino and, despite the girl's somewhat rough way of speaking, bowed deeply.

"Young clerk, you really have helped me… thank you…"

"…!"

The deep gratitude in her voice, the joyful smile as the old lady raised her face.

Beside a Fino who had, for some reason, gone completely still, the Assistant Manager beamed his most ingratiating smile, working overtime to paper over his own failure.

"Ah, n- not at all, not at all, lovely madam. Please do come visit us again… Ah, allow me to carry this out for you."

Quickly wrapping the switched-off player in cloth and hefting it, the Assistant Manager turned to go. The old lady offered Fino one more graceful smile and a small bow, then walked slowly out with the Assistant Manager beside her, player in his arms.

"Raul…"

Watching the old lady's small back recede.

After a long moment, Fino murmured:

"I… was just told 'thank you'…"

The next moment.

Fino jerked her head up, grabbed Raul's arm tightly, and her voice climbed in excitement.

"Hey, Raul, you saw, right!? The customer said thank you to me! She said thank you! She was happy! … Wh- what do I do, my heart is just pounding…"

"H- hey!"

Half pulling, half shaking Raul, Fino's cheeks were flushed as she babbled on. Even as he marveled at her over-the-top enthusiasm, Raul couldn't help remembering… Right, the first time a customer thanked him, he'd been really happy too.

Of course he didn't remember what it had been about, or anything else, and naturally he hadn't carried on like this, but… still.

… Why is that, I wonder.

In the depths of his chest, Raul felt something warm and faintly ticklish.

"… Um… good for you."

When Raul gave her a pat on the shoulder, the demonkin girl looked up at him, blue eyes narrowing, and beamed back a wholehearted "Yeah!"

◇　◇　◇

"Manager, I finished the closing check. The drawer balances out."

"Thank you for your work, Raul-kun… Anything unusual today?"

"No…"

The manager's office was small enough that five people would have packed it full. Receiving the paperwork from Raul without leaving her desk, the manager asked, and Raul's eyes went distant.

"Thanks to Fino not being here, I actually got real work done today for once… I put out the promo items, sorted the catalogs, and cleared the paperwork pile. Honestly, the trouble that follows that girl around. Yesterday she, of all things, wrote a sign for the holy-water aisle in blood…"

"… Still, it'll be lonely without Fino-chan from here on, won't it?"

"… Will it? I'd actually forgotten how peaceful and quiet a day could be without her around, until… eh?"

Catching the strain in the manager's voice, Raul's eyes went wide. The manager shook her chestnut hair regretfully.

"In the end, Fino-chan was only here for a few days… thinking about what's best for Fino-chan's future, it can't be helped, but… just when I thought she'd settled in, too… it's really a shame…"

… Her eyes lowered softly. The beautiful manager's sad tone, her expression.

The instant Raul caught the meaning behind it, his heart jumped clean out of his chest.

"H- hold on, what!? Why!? She always looked like she was having a blast at work! And just a little while ago, when one customer thanked her, she got all over-the-moon excited about it. She's serious, she's motivated, she works so hard she makes me feel embarrassed…!"

It's true our shop has this almost cursed reputation when it comes to part-timers not sticking around, but yesterday she didn't show the slightest sign of it. She was working as enthusiastically as ever… I haven't heard a thing, so why…

"Why is she suddenly quitting!?"

"Eh… Fino-chan is quitting?"

"… First I'm hearing of it," the manager murmured, blinking at him in confusion.

… Raul and the manager stared at each other for a long moment, and finally, hesitantly, Raul opened his mouth.

"Uh… but, you said Fino was going to be gone, just now…"

"Yes."

The manager nodded easily, adding with a melancholy sigh:

"Fino-chan moved out today. She finally got her apartment sorted… You know, we couldn't very well let her keep living in the shop's back room forever, right?"

"B- but, you said it would be lonely from now on…"

"Because Fino-chan greeting me cheerfully from the back room every morning when I came in… I'll miss that…"

"…"

"What's the matter, Raul-kun?"

"… Nothing."

Dammit… Embarrassed at how badly his own misunderstanding had thrown him off, Raul couldn't help the half-glare on his face.

… But thank goodness. She wasn't quitting after all. From here on too, at our shop, together… and as he caught the direction of his own thoughts, Raul felt himself getting flustered. Why am I a little bit relieved!?

"That said… despite all your complaining, you really do recognize Fino-chan's good points, don't you, Raul-kun."

"Th- that's not it, that's totally not it! I didn't mean…!"

"Fufu."

The manager looked at the flustered Raul with a hint of fond amusement, then suddenly picked up a paper bag that had been sitting by her desk.

"All right, here, this."

Suddenly thrust into his unprepared hands, a paper bag with significant weight to it.

Catching it reflexively, Raul looked back at the manager, puzzled.

"… Wh- what's this?"

"A housewarming gift for Fino-chan. Since you're going anyway, I thought you could deliver it for me."

"Eh… no… wait, why me? I don't even know where Fino is moving to…"

"It's fine. Fino-chan's apartment is right next door to yours, Raul-kun."

"Huh…?"

… Am I hearing things? It really sounded like the manager just said something outrageous… Wait.

"H- hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, just a second, please, Manager!!!?"

In front of a flailing Raul, the manager tilted her head, puzzled.

"… What's wrong, Raul-ku…"

"What's wrong is not the question! Wh- why is that one moving into the room next to mine!?"

"Eh, well, your apartment, Raul-kun, is within the company's rent allowance, there was a vacant room, and on top of that, having you as a neighbor would be reassuring. After all, we couldn't very well let an underage girl live all on her own…"

"A girl who washes her head with dish soap doesn't count as a girl! And… wait, you mean, seriously, this isn't a joke!?"

At the manager's quiet nod, a shiver of dread ran through Raul.

No way. If that walking common-sense vacuum is my next-door neighbor, that means now there's a chance she'll be running circles around me not just at work, but also at home… w- what's gonna happen to my peaceful daily life!?

"Raul-kun."

A sudden, gentle hand on his shoulder. Raul looked up.

"There isn't really any work to keep you here tonight, so head home early and give Fino-chan a hand, won't you?"

… That soft tone of voice, the manager's irresistible, almost criminally cute expression.

Asked like that, refusal wasn't really an option.

… All Raul could do was nod.

"Raul!"

The moment Fino opened her door and saw Raul, her silver hair swung as she broke into a delighted laugh.

"Good evening! Hey, I heard you're my next-door neighbor! Nice to meet you, neighbor!"

A completely changed expression from the prickly one she'd had when they first met just a few days ago. Looking away from the smile aimed at him, Raul spoke in a slightly gruff tone.

"… The manager asked me to come help you move in."

"Help me?"

For a moment, Fino blinked, puzzled. Then she hmmph'd through her nose.

"There's nothing to help with. I just walked into the room, so I haven't even unpacked. After all, I've got no luggage!"

"… Figures."

Sighing, Raul took a fresh look at the demonkin girl puffing out her chest in pride.

Those vivid blue eyes and the soft line of her face. The shape of her body, just barely discernible even through the thick fabric of her hoodie, almost alarmingly alluring…

"Well, since you're here, wanna come in? Honestly, there's nothing inside, though."

"Ah, no, that's fine!"

Catching himself staring, Raul shook his head hurriedly.

A brief silence… After a beat.

Raul exhaled, then steeled himself and thrust what he'd been holding out at Fino.

"… Here, this is for you."

"What's this?"

Fino stared curiously at the item suddenly placed in her hands, and Raul replied gruffly.

"… It's, you know, a portable MagicLight. I ordered them in, but they didn't sell as well as I expected… We've got a ton of overstock, so I'm giving you one. Uh… it's got a security-alarm function and stuff."

"Elephant Buzzer?"

Fino looked at him blankly.

"I don't know what it is, but the name has a pretty fairy-tale ring to it. Personally, I'd prefer a Lion Buzzer, though. Sounds stronger that way."

"Are you in kindergarten!?"

Raul fired off a tsukkomi with full force, as always… Then, looking away, he kept his tone as flat as he could manage and continued.

"… Look, the shop runs late sometimes, you know? If anything dangerous happens, push this button right here. Someone will hear it and come help."

"Anything… dangerous…"

For some reason Fino seemed to think on that for a moment.

Then, gripping the pastel-pink MagicLight Raul had handed her tightly, she broke into a happy smile.

"Right, got it. I'll accept your tribute… Thanks, Raul!"

Eyes narrowed in pleasure, soft cherry-blossom-pink lips parting into a smile.

A guileless smile at odds with her haughty words. Caught for a second by it, Raul snapped back to himself and hurried to add:

"O- oh, also this! Housewarming gift from the manager! It's shampoo and conditioner, so use this to wash your hair starting tonight! No more soap, got it?"

"Ah, Raul…!"

"Good night! See you tomorrow!"

Forcing the manager's paper bag into the hand of a Fino who looked like she had something to say, Raul whirled around and made his escape.

Diving behind the door of his own apartment, Raul shook his head fiercely.

D- don't get fooled, Raul! … Don't get tricked, me!