Chapter 6: How to Earn Japanese Yen

After enjoying our delicious dinner, we sat down to discuss our plans going forward. The first topic was Haruka.

“Then the day after tomorrow, I’ll go to your parents’ house again, check on your sister’s condition, and explain at least some of what’s been happening.”

“Yes. I’m sorry to ask you again, but thank you.”

The elixir appeared to have worked, but just to be safe, i’d check on her again in two days.

This time, I had used a magic item to put her mother to sleep in case the treatment failed. Next time, though, I planned to tell them at least a little about this other world.

Talking to people from my original world about another world sounded like it would only invite trouble, but I figured it would be fine to tell the family of the person who would be protecting me for the foreseeable future.

If I recorded a video of Yuuka on my smartphone and brought it with me, she still wouldn’t be able to visit Japan herself, but at least her family could see that she was alive and well.

“The next issue is figuring out how I can earn money in Japan. We could probably ask your family to exchange some of our gold coins for cash, but if we overdo it, someone’s bound to get suspicious. If possible, I’d like to find a way to support myself.”

“I can provide you with as many things from this world as you need, Kakeru, but getting Japanese money is a little difficult…”

“…Relying on you for everything is pretty pathetic as a man. But like I said from the beginning, I don’t have anything right now, so I’ll have to depend on you for a while.”

Living completely off Yuuka like some kept man wasn’t something I wanted. I wanted to become capable of earning at least some money on my own.

“You’re the benefactor who saved both me and my sister, so please rely on me as much as you want! Besides, if possible, I’d like to get things from Japan too.”

Yuuka glanced at the empty cup ramen container and the plastic bottle of cola she’d just finished.

Even after living in this other world, it seemed only natural to miss Japanese food and convenient everyday products.

And for that, we’d need Japanese yen.

“In Japan, you need identification even to sell things, and opening a shop without permission is illegal…”

“Exactly. Being reincarnated means I can’t even sell things in Japan.”

In this world, merchants also had to register with the Merchant’s Guild and rent market stalls to do business, although there were still people who secretly sold things by the roadside.

In Japan, though, selling things on the street without permission would get you in trouble.

Even selling items online required proof of identity.

In the worst case, I could tell my parents about my reincarnation and borrow their name to conduct business.

But I’d rather avoid that.

This body wasn’t even my original one anymore, and simply being able to quietly watch over my family was enough for me.

“…Maybe a flea market would work.”

“A flea market? You mean those big ones they sometimes hold in huge parks?”

“No, not those. The smaller ones held in shopping districts, schools, or neighborhood parks. The booth fee was only around a thousand yen, and I don’t think they required ID.”

“Oh! That’s incredible!”

According to Yuuka, one of her friends had participated in flea markets several times.

You couldn’t sell large commercial products, but handmade accessories, old clothes, and various personal belongings were all fine.

The booth fees were cheap.

Some venues even allowed same-day registration.

And best of all, they didn’t require identification.

It was practically the perfect way for someone in my situation to make money.

“I’ll start looking for places that meet those conditions.”

“Okay. I’ll also think about products from this world that might sell well in Japan.”

For the first time, I felt hopeful about earning money in Japan.

A flea market…

I’d never even considered that option.

If I could just find a way to earn money, I’d finally be able to buy things from Japan.

Then I’d be able to support myself, at least to some extent.

“They have rice over here too, but it just doesn’t taste the same. I’m really looking forward to eating sushi again!”

“Yeah. As a former Japanese person, good rice is important. Speaking of rice, I was surprised by how many restaurants here are basically knockoff versions of Japanese cuisine.”

“That’s because there are so many Blessed people. But since the rice isn’t Japanese, it’s still completely different.”

Rice existed in this world, but it was long-grain rice more like Thai rice, not the short-grain variety used in Japan.

There were restaurants serving things like ramen and sushi, but they couldn’t compare to the real thing.

Only after coming to another world did I truly appreciate how important everyday food was.

As for me…

I’d had even bigger problems than missing Japanese cuisine.

To save money for the carriage ride to this city, I’d been surviving on a miserly diet of hard, stale black bread.

The dragon steak Yuuka had treated me to earlier had truly warmed both my stomach and my soul.

“…Thinking about it, your Unique Skill is incredibly valuable. I really do think other Blessed people will come after you. But don’t worry—I swear I’ll protect you with my life!”

“You really don’t have to go that far… But do Blessed people actually fight each other?”

“I’ve never been in a fight where either side was truly serious, but there have been times when things almost escalated. Apparently, in the past, there were even major conflicts involving entire countries. There are valleys and lakes that were created by battles between Blessed people.”

“Seriously…?”

Battles between cheat-like abilities powerful enough to reshape the landscape…

I didn’t even want to imagine it.

“If things go badly enough, it wouldn’t be surprising if a war broke out over you, Kakeru.”

“Yeah… that’s definitely possible. All the more reason I want to keep my Unique Skill a secret for as long as I can.”

I absolutely did not want a war to start because of me.

Especially not one involving Blessed people.

The destruction would be unimaginable.

Yuuka hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“…I know full well that you want to keep your Unique Skill secret, Kakeru. But… there’s something I’d like to ask.”

She looked me straight in the eyes.

“Would it be okay if I told just one person about you?”