A vast, seemingly endless forest stretched before me. The air was filled with the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects.
"Haaaah…"
I took a deep breath. The scent of grass and earth filled my lungs, clearing my head. I was in the woods near Froitena, the city where I'd been staying. Living in the city wasn't bad, but to truly enjoy a slow life, I figured a place with fewer people was better. So for the past few days, my routine had been to wander the outskirts in the morning, scouting for a good place to live, and then spend the afternoon selling my wares to build up some funds.
"Another bust today, huh?"
I still hadn't found a place that felt right. Even checking my map didn't help. I was looking for a specific kind of place: warm sunshine, a lake—not too big, but perfect for some lazy fishing—and, most importantly, a place safe from any dangerous beasts.
"Finding a place like that in a world like this might be asking too much."
Should I just compromise and settle for something less?
*Brrring.*
The alarm on my wristwatch went off.
"Noon already?"
Time to head back and get back to business.
"Welcome!"
My stall was simple: a basic table and chair, and a single canopy to block the sun. This was my new workplace. On the first day, I had naively tried to sell only towels, but now I'd changed my product line. My thinking hadn't changed much, though. My target customers weren't nobles, but the ordinary city dwellers. For them, jewels were an unnecessary luxury. And despite the medieval setting, they cared a lot about cleanliness and hygiene.
"Soap, shampoo... and a shower towel."
I had picked out a few items that wouldn't seem too out of place for them.
"Re-bottling all this was a pain yesterday..."
The pump bottles the shampoo came in would look too alien here. So I'd spent last night, with barely any sleep, transferring it all into simple glass bottles. Now my whole body ached like an un-oiled machine.
"Soap for sale! Get your soap! I've also got shampoo that'll make your hair silky smooth!"
My shouts echoed through the market, but few people stopped. Still, my persistence must have paid off, because a regular customer had started showing up every time I opened my stall.
"Out here again today?"
It was Hans, the owner of the nearby inn.
"Yes, sir. Care to take a look?"
"This is… soap?"
Hans picked up a bar, sniffed it, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"This soap… it smells like flowers."
"Isn't it normal for soap to have a scent?"
"Scented soap is a luxury for nobles. Us common folk just use the unscented kind."
Unscented soap. It made sense; adding fragrance would cost more.
"And this is…"
Hans examined the bottle of shampoo, uncapped it, and took a whiff.
"Is this soap too?"
"It's similar, but you don't use it to wash your body. You use it to wash your hair."
"Don't you just use soap for your hair, too?"
After sniffing it a few more times, Hans took one bar of soap and one bottle of shampoo and started digging through his pockets.
"How much for both?"
"150 bron."
It was a steep price for an ordinary citizen, but the basic soap in the surrounding market sold for around 200 bron. For two items, 150 bron was actually a pretty good deal.
*'Of course, a single bar of soap only costs 30 bron on Conve∞,'* I thought. But no matter the price, as long as I was buying low and selling high, I wasn't losing anything.
"Here you go."
"Thank you for your business, as always!"
He placed one silver coin and five copper coins—each marked with a "10"—on my table before heading back to his inn, looking pleased.
After that, things went quiet again. Being on the edge of the central market meant less foot traffic. I was wondering if I should change my spot when I heard it.
*Click, clack.*
The sharp, unfamiliar sound of heels echoed on the cobblestones, stopping right in front of my stall.
A beautiful woman stood before me, dressed in clothes completely different from the surrounding citizens. She wore a white blouse with ruffles at the wrists and collar, a navy skirt, and had stunning golden-blonde hair. Her eyes were a clear blue, and her lips were so pink they looked painted with rouge. Trailing behind her was a woman in a maid's uniform who looked to be her attendant. She was looking over my wares.
"Oh, you're selling soap here as well."
"Yes, my lady. Please, take a look."
The woman picked up a bar of soap and sniffed it.
"This is lavender scented, isn't it?"
"You have a good nose."
"I use soap quite often."
A noble, then. Just as Hans said, nobles used scented soap.
"Nell, what do you think?"
The maid, a woman with sharp eyes behind a pair of round glasses, stepped forward and examined the soap.
"The quality seems quite high, my lady. The scent is cleaner than any soap I've encountered."
"Is that so? Then perhaps I should buy some?"
"It might be worth trying, my lady."
"Very well. I'll take just one, please."
*Just one?* I thought. A noble could surely afford to buy ten. Letting her walk away like this felt like a waste.
"If you'd like, why not try this as well?"
The noblewoman's gaze shifted to the bottle she had previously ignored.
"What… is this?"
"It's called shampoo. If soap is for washing your body and face, this is for washing your hair."
"Don't you just use soap for your hair?"
"You could, but unlike soap, this makes your hair soft."
Soft hair. It was something every woman desired. Especially a noble, who would have many social gatherings to attend. If her hair was noticeably softer than the other nobles who only used soap, she would surely attract a great deal of attention.
The woman uncapped the bottle, sniffed it, and then turned to her maid, Nell.
"What do you think?"
"My lady, this is nothing but a merchant's trick. I highly advise against it."
"A trick?"
"Yes. I have researched beauty products from all over the world for you, and I have never heard of 'shampoo.' It is likely just soap-water, nothing more, nothing less."
"Are you saying I'm a scam artist?"
"From the looks of it, yes."
I'd lived my whole life as an honest man. I had no intention of scamming anyone, nor the talent for it. And this woman was calling me a fraud.
"Very well."
It was time to use the most effective marketing tactic on a customer who hasn't tried the product yet.
"I'll give you one as a sample."
"A sample?"
"That's right. I'll give you one for free. Please, try it out."
The woman's face lit up as she took the bottle.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. If you like it after trying it, please come back."
"My lady, there is no need to fall for his sales tactics. Let us just take the soap and leave."
"Oh, Nell, don't be like that. Let's just try it."
"But, my lady… what if this unproven product harms your skin or your hair…?"
"Please?" the woman pleaded, looking at Nell with puppy-dog eyes.
Nell let out a deep sigh, nodded, and adjusted her glasses.
"Very well… if you insist, my lady."
Then she glared at me.
"If, by some chance, this 'shampoo' harms my lady's beautiful face in any way, I will personally kill you. Remember that."
After spitting out those chilling words, Nell took a coin from her apron, slapped it onto the stall, and left with the young noblewoman.
"Haaaah…"
A real piece of work, that one. For a moment, I regretted selling it to them, but then I remembered the noblewoman's smile, which outshone her maid's glare. It wasn't such a bad transaction after all.
"Still, three sales in an hour is pretty good."
Compared to yesterday, when I barely sold ten items all day, this was a definite improvement. At this rate, I might even be able to open my own shop.
"Could be a fun hobby."
As long as I didn't have to deal with difficult customers like Nell, that is.
The next morning.
*BANG, BANG, BANG!*
"Yuji! Wake up, Yuji!"
Someone was pounding on the door of my inn room.
"Who is it…?"
I yawned, got up, and opened the door to find none other than Hans standing there.
"What's the matter, so early in the morning?"
"That shampoo thing I bought yesterday. You still got any more?"
"Shampoo? Uh, yeah, I have a little left…"
The truth was, I had a lot left. A depressing amount, actually. I hadn't sold a single bottle after that noblewoman yesterday.
"Come with me."
"Hans, wait a second—!"
Hans grabbed my arm and practically dragged me down the stairs, through the back of the counter, and into a private room. It was furnished like a cozy living room, and sitting inside was…
"Are you Mr. Yuji Sakamoto?"
A woman whose age was apparent from the wrinkles on her face. She wore a magnificent red dress with ruffles, and her earrings and necklace were studded with enough jewels to speak for her wealth. Her hair was elegantly tied up in a bun. She smiled and bowed her head in greeting.
"Ah… hello."
"Go on, introduce yourself. This is Yuji Sakamoto. And this is my wife, Megan."
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Megan."
"Oh, uh, hi…"
If Hans was asking about more shampoo, it meant he wanted to buy more. But he could have just done that at the stall. There was no reason to drag me all the way here.
"So, what is this all about… why did you bring me here?"
Megan took a deep, excited breath. Then the words came rushing out.
"Last night, my husband brought home that shampoo, and when I tried it, my hair became absolutely wonderful! The scent is divine! I woke up this morning and it's still so soft, like I'm touching silk! And the soap! The soap was especially good! The ones I used before felt like they were scraping my skin off, but this one is so gentle I couldn't stop stroking my arm…"
"Whoa, hold on, hold on!"
Being hit with a rapid-fire monologue right after waking up was making my head spin.
"I appreciate that you like my products, but… it's still early, and I'd like to get some more sleep. Could you please get to the point?"
"Oh, my. Where are my manners? My apologies. I'm not usually this talkative…"
Megan smiled sweetly and asked me again.
"The soap and shampoo you were selling yesterday. Do you happen to have any more?"
"Yes, I do."
"How much do you have?"
I took all the shampoo and soap out of my inventory. An impressive pile materialized on the table, and both of their eyes went wide.
"This is about how much I have…"
"No way… You're a Subspace Bag wielder…"
"A Subspace Bag?"
"What you just used. That was a Subspace Bag…"
Seeing my confused expression, Megan stared at me with disbelief.
"You mean… you've been using a Subspace Bag without even knowing what it is?"
"Uh… well… yes."
Hearing my answer, Megan sighed deeply and shook her head.
"A Subspace Bag is an ability that lets you store things in a pocket dimension. As far as I know, you can only get one by receiving the blessing of the Merchant God…"
"The Merchant God?"
"So you really don't know…"
I didn't even know how I got here, let alone anything about the gods of this world.
"Well, we can talk about that later…"
Megan smiled at me and said, "About these products… How would you like to sign an exclusive contract with me?"