Chapter 9: Handsome Guy Cheat
“Welcome back. How did it go?”
“It was a huge success! Look how much money I made!”
The goods had sold far better at the flea market than I’d ever expected, and I proudly showed Yuuka the money I’d earned.
Today’s total came to about 35,000 yen.
I’d spent so long trying to figure out a way to make money in Japan without any starting capital or identification that I couldn’t help getting excited.
Although I’d only participated in the afternoon, it was Saturday in Japan, so there had been a steady stream of customers.
Since failure wasn’t an option, I’d stood there desperately calling people over, and plenty of them ended up buying our merchandise.
The products Yuuka had chosen were excellent, and pricing them on the cheaper side had undoubtedly been the key to our success.
There was one more thing, too.
Most of the customers had been women.
Quite a few of them kept sneaking glances at my face, and some may have even stopped by because of me.
I’d never received that kind of reaction from women in my previous life.
So I guess the “handsome guy cheat” really does exist.
All you naturally handsome guys…
Starting today, I’m one of you!
…Sorry.
I got a little carried away.
I honestly hadn’t expected we’d sell this much, so I was probably just getting caught up in the excitement.
“This is all thanks to you, Yuuka. Seriously, thank you so much!”
“Hehe. I’m glad I could help. I have dinner ready, so let’s eat together.”
“Whoa… that smells amazing!”
Tonight’s dinner was fried food.
The rich aroma of freshly fried meat filled the air, making my stomach growl.
Fried chicken, salad, soup, and rice were all neatly arranged on the table.
Compared to the cheap black bread and tough, salty dried meat I’d been surviving on…
It was like heaven and earth.
“Let’s eat.”
We placed our hands together in thanks—for the ingredients and for Yuuka, who had prepared the meal.
Perhaps because there were so many Blessed from Japan, this custom existed in the other world as well.
As a Japanese person, it was a habit I never wanted to lose.
“This is delicious! Seriously, it’s amazing. The soup has such a deep, rich flavor, and the fried chicken is unbelievably juicy. What kind of meat is this?”
The crispy coating shattered pleasantly with each bite.
Immediately afterward, flavorful juices burst from the meat inside.
Soy sauce, ginger, and garlic filled my mouth, surrounding my tongue with rich umami.
It had been a long time since I’d eaten fried food.
As always…
Calories were justice.
“It’s a monster called a Cockatrice—about A-Rank strength. If you make eye contact with one, your body gradually turns to stone, so you either have to fight using a mirror or kill it quickly without looking directly at it. It looks a little creepy, but the meat is absolutely delicious.”
“A-As expected of another world…”
Even monsters like that existed here.
This world really was dangerous.
“The meat from monsters here is wonderful, but there was just nothing I could do about the rice. Since you bought Japanese rice for us, Kakeru, we’ll finally be able to eat even better meals starting tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Compared to Japanese rice, this world’s rice isn’t nearly as sticky or sweet.”
If the flea market went well, Yuuka had asked me to buy several necessities from Japan.
Rice had been at the top of the list.
She’d looked genuinely happy when she saw a bag of Japanese rice again.
At last…
Thanks to my Unique Skill, we’d finally be able to enjoy products from Japan in this world.
“I think dishes and cutlery are going to be our biggest sellers. Maybe Japanese people like these designs because they have an old-fashioned feel.”
After dinner, we discussed our plans for tomorrow.
While I’d been at the flea market in Japan, Yuuka had gone back to the marketplace and purchased even more merchandise.
I planned to sell all of it tomorrow.
Looking back at today’s sales, tableware and cutlery had been especially popular.
People of all ages had attended the flea market, though there seemed to be a particularly large number in their thirties and forties.
Several customers had carefully examined the merchandise, and one of them had bought a huge quantity all at once.
They’d probably resell everything online or in a shop somewhere.
From my perspective, though, I couldn’t have been more grateful.
About a third of today’s earnings had come from that single customer.
“The rings and necklaces were popular with younger people, though there weren’t that many young customers overall. Still, they were inexpensive and well-made, so they sold pretty well.”
“They’re handcrafted by artisans from this world, so maybe they stand out compared to ordinary accessories.”
“That could be it. I got surrounded by a group of college girls—it was honestly a little overwhelming. They even asked if they could take pictures with me. Man… who would’ve thought I’d become this popular after being reincarnated—”
“………………”
Suddenly…
An indescribable pressure radiated from Yuuka.
My words caught in my throat.
She was still smiling beautifully.
But somehow, behind that smile…
I could almost see a pitch-black aura rising.
…Yeah.
I’d definitely said the wrong thing.
After everything Yuuka had done to help me, she probably thought I’d been treating this like some fun outing.
“O-Of course, those girls bought a lot of things too! Thanks to them, I managed to buy everything you’d asked for.”
“…I see.”
“I also bought a solar-powered battery pack, so we’ll be able to charge devices even in this world. I picked up drinks and snacks too, so enjoy them.”
“Thank you.”
With the profits we’d earned, I’d bought much more than just rice.
If tomorrow’s flea market went even better, we’d finally have enough money to buy a few things we personally wanted as well.
…Looks like I somehow managed to smooth things over.
“Tomorrow’s Sunday, so I reserved another flea market at a different location. It’s in the morning, and it’s being held in a larger park than today’s, so I think we’ll sell even more.”
After researching it, I’d learned that flea markets were busiest in the morning, especially right after they opened.
Tomorrow’s sales had the potential to surpass today’s.
And tomorrow evening, we planned to visit Yuuka’s family again.
We’d given Haruka the elixir yesterday, so by today or tomorrow, the hospital should have completed a thorough examination and confirmed the results.
If everything looked good, this time I intended to speak with her parents properly.
I’d bring photos and videos of Yuuka with me.
Though convincing them would be difficult…
After all, explaining that their daughter was alive in another world wasn’t exactly an easy story to believe.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
“Man, today was incredible! I made almost twice as much as yesterday!”
“That’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you.”
It was now Sunday.
Since I’d been selling at the flea market from early morning, I’d managed to earn a substantial amount of money.
Apparently, many people visited flea markets right when they opened, hoping to find hidden bargains, so customers had been buying our merchandise from the moment the event started.
As expected, items purchased in the other world could be sold here at a fairly healthy markup.
Between yesterday and today, we’d built up a decent amount of capital.
Starting next time, we could probably afford to raise our prices a little.
I also noticed quite a few people who had bought things from me yesterday.
It seemed there were regular flea market shoppers.
Showing up at every single flea market would probably start to look suspicious.
Going forward, it would be better to participate only occasionally and rotate between venues in different areas.
I’d think more carefully about that later.
“All right. I’m heading out.”
“Okay. Kakeru… I’m counting on you!”
The real challenge was about to begin.
Carrying everything I’d prepared, I activated my Unique Skill and traveled to Japan.
The view of the mansion disappeared.
When I looked up, I was greeted by the beautiful colors of the evening sky.
The last time I’d visited Yuuka’s family home, I’d already checked for a place hidden from public view.
So I teleported to the corner of the wall in the backyard.
No one could see me there.
After making sure everything was in order, I walked around to the front of the house…
…and pressed the doorbell.