"The purpose is to form an information network." (Mile)
"'Information network?'" (Other 3)
Reina and the other two's voices joined together.
"Yes. From the information we have obtained so far, it is almost certain that the countries around here… Kingdom of Marlene and Aubram Kingdom, and possibly also the Kingdom of Trist and Kingdom of Tils, are being harassed by ‘somethings that are highly likely to be hostile to this world’ from the other side of the dimensional hole. However, if we explained that a new species of powerful monster had appeared, the Hunters Guild and the country's higher-ups might believe us, but no one is going to believe young girls who are C-rank Hunters, even if we were to tell the truth, right? Even if we showed them the corpse of a new species, it would be proof of the 'emergence of a strong individual', but it wouldn't be proof of the existence of another dimension or an invasion by the things that live there. The punchline would be that they would think I was a poor child who had become delusional after reading too many entertainment novels." (Mile)
"Well, you know..., right..." (Reina)
Mavis and Pauline nodded at REENA's words.
These three people had been trained by Mile's Japanese Stories and Miami Satodelle's novels and had been shown many instances of absurdity. That was because they had witnessed the real-life injustice, Mile, which was why they were able to understand and believe.
It was too much to ask of the country's leading figures.
"So we're opening stores in various regions that we have connections with and having them gather information.
If something happens, if it's not urgent they'll request it via the guild delivery service or the merchant caravan, and if it is urgent they'll request a low-ranking solo hunter and contact them. That way, we can get the information much faster than, and if it were made public, the country would take action, and that information would spread to other countries." (Mile)
"…………" (Other 3)
Apparently, the three of them didn't react well to Mile's explanation.
And…….
"What are you going to do with getting that information as soon as possible?" (Reina)
"Can we do anything about it?" (Mavis)
"Isn't that something that a country should do by joining forces with other countries? What can just the four of us, Mile-chan and us, do?" (Pauline)
"………………" (Mile)
Denied by all of her friends, Mile remained silent and hung her head.
"...Ah, ah, not now!" (Reina)
"Yeah, that's a great idea, right!" (Mavis)
"It’s not a relationship between a head office and a branch office, but a network of shops of equal standing. It could be used as a test case for the establishment of a trading company in the future, right!" (Pauline)
All three of them were too lenient with Mile...
"No, it's fine, right? I'm the one who'll be teaching them the recipes anyway, and it's not like I need party, so I can just do it by myself during our rest period..." (Mile)
"She's sulking..." (Other 3)
Mile also got sulky sometimes.
Even after Reina and the other two suddenly changed their minds and agreed with Mile's plan, she seemed quite hurt that it was completely rejected and that she was unable to refute it.
(Unable to refute[1] the argument, I shut myself in a room like a child. ... "Romper Room[2]", ...wait, shut up!) (Mile)
The fact that Mile started making jokes in her head was a proof that she was extremely annoyed.
"Well, even if I don't do anything, the ancient dragons will do something about it! They could blast their dragon breath into the dimensional hole, or crush the intruders... Anyway, I'm just..." (Mile)
"She messed up..." (Other 3)
"But the ancient dragons wouldn't even flinch if a unique monster entered this world, so why would they care about something like that...? Wait, maybe it's because their ancestors asked them to..." (Mile)
"She's entered delusional mode..." (Other 3)
"Shut up, you've been so noisy!" (Mile)
"She's angry..." (Other 3)
Anyway, Mile decided to start a chain of stores.
She had already accumulated enough achievement points to become B-rank, and Reina and the other two were no longer so hung up on doing their job as a hunter, instead letting Mile do as she pleased.
"Firstly, start from this city!" (Mile)
And naturally, the first store was located in the royal capital of Kingdom of Tils, the home base of Crimson Vow.
"Hello~" (Mile)
And the place they arrived at was, of course, a familiar place to Mile.
Even though she was a famous hunter in the making, the names Mile and Crimson Vow were only known to those connected to the Hunters Guild and a part of the Royal Palace's intelligence department. Therefore, there was no way that an ordinary merchant would take an interest in a girl who looked to be around 12 or 13 years old and was just a hunter.
Naturally, this would not only be in this town, but also in other towns where she planned to open stores thereafter...
So what Mile was aiming for was a place that was trustworthy, where she could secure a store and personnel for free, where she could have a track record that she could show as a success story when operating in other towns, and where she had horizontal connections and, although she lacked money and power, she could maintain good relationships with her fellow business owners in other towns..., in other words, this place was an orphanage.
"Well well, Mile-san, I'm sorry for everything.... The meat and medicinal herbs you always bring us are a great help. The children have become so much healthier..." (Director)
The director hurriedly came out, bowed her head and thanked Mile.
Yes, here Mile was treated as a VIP.
After the hunt, on the way back from the Hunter's Guild, she stopped by to donate one of the preys that she didn't sell to the guild.
How ridiculous would an entire orc's worth of meat be for an orphanage?
Moreover, this happened quite frequently, and sometimes horned rabbits or wild boars were also present, and there were even wild vegetables and medicinal herbs.
To the orphans, the one who brought such blessings to the orphanage was no longer a human being, but an angel, a living god.
Then, after handing over the gift she had taken out of her item box as per usual, Mile began to talk to the director.
"Umm, I was wondering if I could open a shop here..." (Mile)
"With pleasure!!" (Director)
"Eh……" (Mile)
The answer was immediate.
Without even asking what kind of store it was or what the conditions were, she agreed without hesitation.
Was this because Mile was trusted that much, or was it because she was resigned to the fact that she had nothing left to lose?
"...A fried food store?" (Director)
"Yes! Around here, when we talk about cooked food, we mean grilling, boiling, and frying, right? So I'm going to try my hand at a lesser-known dish called 'frying.' Steaming is not an option that you see very often, but it takes a long time and requires a lot of cooking equipment, so I'll pass on it this time. The advantages of deep-frying are that it can be made relatively quickly if you do the preparation beforehand, it is easy to take home, and as long as the size of the ingredients and the oil temperature are consistent, it will come out the same in the same amount of time, so it is easy for children to learn how to cook." (Mile)
"I see..." (Director)
The director also seemed to be convinced by Mile's_ explanation. ...About that part.
"However, the orphanage (here) is a little far from the center of town. I wonder if a store in such a place, especially a food store that only sells one type of amateur cooking, can attract enough customers…" (Director)
And of course, the elderly director pointed out the practical problems...
"It's okay. Leave it to me!" (Mile)
Since Mile would be providing the equipment and the initial ingredients, the orphanage had nothing to lose if they failed. At most, the children's efforts would be wasted.
And such things were nothing compared to the benefits that Mile had given them so far and would continue to give them in the future.
And if it worked...
"We're looking forward to working with you!" (Director)
Saying this, the director firmly grasped Mile's hand.
There could be no other reply.
Author's Note
The fourth (final) volume of the spin-off comic of "Noukin", "I said to make my daily life average!" was released on March 12th. Thank you for your support. (^^)/
Currently, we are running a short-term special offer on Kindle where volume 1 of "Nichijou" is free and volume 2 is half price!
Until Thursday, March 18th.
Please take this opportunity! (^^)/
Translation Note
[1] 論破 (ronpa) = refute;
[2] ロンパールーム (ronpaa ruumu) = Romper room, a TV series https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romper_Room (JP Version)