Chishiya raised the card.
"First of all, everyone can trust Miss Wiz's integrity."
"Second, with this card, you'll still enjoy the Magic Crystal discount!"
The entire crowd froze.
Their eyes locked onto the card in Chishiya's hand.
To be honest, most of them were here for that Magic Crystal deal.
C-rank magic crystals at 70,000 Eris?
Only one shop in the entire kingdom offered that.
Anyone who bought it this week was guaranteed to turn a profit.
Chishiya saw the shift in their expressions.
He turned and gave Wiz a signal.
She nodded and brought out a large box of potions.
Chishiya raised his voice.
"Lastly, anyone who purchases this pre-sale card…"
"…will receive a special potion for free!"
"Today only!"
???
Everyone thought they'd misheard.
"Wait, what? Free gift?!!!"
Chishiya replied calmly, "That's right. Absolutely free."
"These potions inflict various negative effects on large monsters."
"Just a friendly reminder—do not use them on yourself."
People still looked skeptical.
"Is that for real…?"
"But big monsters usually have high resistance to debuffs."
"You idiot, who cares?! It's free!"
"This is basically stealing. Gimme one!"
"Same here! Count me in!"
...
Before long, a single spark had ignited a firestorm.
More and more adventurers rushed forward to buy.
Not just pre-sale cards—now they were buying magic crystals in bulk thanks to their newly acquired "discount rights."
Inside the shop…
Wiz and Chishiya were drowning in customers.
Nearly a hundred pre-order vouchers were gone in a flash.
All the giveaway potions were claimed.
Every last magic crystal Chishiya brought out… completely sold out.
"Thank you for your patronage!"
"Thank you for your patronage!"
Wiz closed the shop door, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Chishiya-san! We did it again!"
Chishiya took a sip of tea.
Soothing his dry throat.
"How much did we sell today?"
Wiz leaned against the counter and started working the abacus.
"Oh… oh my…"
She stammered as she double-checked the numbers.
She turned toward Chishiya, eyes wide in disbelief.
"T-twenty-four million…"
"Chishiya-san!"
"We made 24 million Eris in one day—!!!"
Her jaw hung open.
She'd run this store for years and never seen numbers like this.
Her respect for Chishiya reached a whole new level.
Wiz stared at him.
"Chishiya-san…"
"How did you even come up with the idea of pre-sales?"
"That's just… genius!"
"This way, we don't even have to worry about having stock right away!"
Chishiya smirked.
"Thank goodness there's still some summer left."
"Otherwise, this wouldn't have sold nearly as well."
Wiz shook her head firmly.
"No no no, Chishiya-san."
"The promotion itself got me tempted."
"Honestly, I started thinking…"
"Even if there's no air conditioner, buying this card for 200,000 Eris still felt worth it!"
Chishiya chuckled.
With a mindset like that, Wiz was not suited to be a merchant.
"Wiz, do you know what 'cost-effectiveness' means?" he asked.
"Selling at a low price?"
Chishiya shook his head. "No. It means the product feels worth the money."
"If something's just cheap, people might think it's low quality. They'll doubt the safety or performance."
"True cost-effectiveness means offering high performance at a price lower than the customer expects."
Wiz's eyes sparkled.
She nodded like a student being enlightened by a wise Sensei.
Over the past few days, Chishiya had consistently shattered her world view.
He didn't hide anything.
"Show off what the product can do," he explained, "then let the customer guess the price. And finally, tell them it costs even less than they expected."
"I get it now," Wiz said.
Kind of.
Cost-effectiveness wasn't just about being cheap.
It was about exceeding expectations.
Chishiya thought back to his previous life.
He'd once eaten at Narisawa, one of Tokyo's most prestigious fine dining restaurants. The set menu cost tens of thousands of yen… and didn't even fill the palm of his hand.
He didn't know about other people, but to him, it felt disappointing.
On the flip side, a hotpot chain like Mo-Mo-Paradise offered a surprisingly pleasant experience.
Why?
It wasn't that Mo-Mo-Paradise was objectively better than Narisawa.
It was about psychological expectations.
At Narisawa, expectations were sky-high. If the food didn't blow your mind, it felt like a letdown.
But Mo-Mo-Paradise?
Just an all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu chain with bottomless broth and sauce trays. Expectations were low, but the service was cheerful, the ingredients fresh, and the whole vibe comforting. In the end, it left him more satisfied than the fancy meal ever did.
That effect was what made the experience feel amazing.
So cost-effectiveness… was never about price.
It was about beating what people expected to get.
Chishiya rubbed his chin.
"But Wiz, what you just said gave me an idea."
"We should launch… a VIP card."
Wiz blinked. "Eh?"
"What's that?"
Chishiya didn't answer. His mind was already spinning.
VIP cards. Yes.
Once the labyrinth officially opens, that's going on the product line.
Chishiya waved it off.
"It's fine, don't worry about it for now."
"For now, we wait."
"Let's see if these potions attract new customers."
"And since we're done with air conditioners for now, you can take a break."
Suddenly, Chishiya added, "By the way, I've got something to do tomorrow, so I won't be here."
"Can you handle things on your own?"
He was planning to take Megumin and Rim out for a walk.
Couldn't leave them locked up in the labyrinth all the time.
Wiz froze.
"Chishiya-san… isn't coming tomorrow?"
She didn't know why…
But her heart suddenly started pounding.
'So many customers...'
'Can I really handle it alone…?'
Over the past few days…
With Chishiya around, she'd felt at ease.
Not only had they started clearing their debts...
Business was better than it had ever been.
Now, hearing she'd be on her own…
"Wiz! Get it together!"
"You used to run this store solo all the time!"
She straightened up and nodded confidently.
"Don't worry! I can do it!"
But Chishiya had clearly picked up on her nerves.
"How about this," he offered, "I'll drop by in the morning when I finish up."
Wiz waved him off.
"Chishiya-san! Trust me!"
"I've been a shop owner for years!"
"I'll be fine!"
Chishiya didn't say anything.
But it felt like she was waving a lot of flags right now…
Oh well.
He'd still swing by tomorrow.
Just in case.
---
Meanwhile, at a hotel in Axel
Darkness removed her armor and looked in the mirror.
"My abs are starting to show again…"
"Maybe the armor's too heavy…"
"Time to lighten up."
Ding!
A notification popped up in her ear.
[Underground Labyrinth Enterprise has released new products!]
Darkness tied up her hair.
"New, huh?"
"I wonder who the boss is."
"Do they really think I'm the kind of woman who gives in to temptation?"
[New Potion]
[Phantom Numbing Potion – Inflicts dual debuffs. Target suffers hallucinations and moderate full-body paralysis for 1 minute.]
[Price: 40,000 Eris]
[Weakness Potion – Reduces target's resistance to negative effects, increases sensitivity.]
[Price: 40,000 Eris]
[Also available…]
More potion entries filled the projection screen.
All of them were Chishiya's creations from last night.
"T-this…"
Darkness flushed.
Feelings… she didn't know how to name.
[Would you like to place an order?]
Her eyes sparkled.
But she still shook her head.
"No. I'm not that kind of woman."
"Besides…"
She murmured to herself.
"I already spent everything on those herbs…"
"I'd be too embarrassed to ask my family for more…"
"I have to take a quest tomorrow."
"If I don't, I won't even have money for a room. I'll end up sleeping in a stable."
"…Although…"
"…Sleeping in a stable doesn't sound too bad…"
She started panting lightly, her imagination running wild.
(To be continued.)