Chapter 24: Store Summoning 4

“Ah… this store, huh…”

Level 4 store summoning. I was slightly taken aback by the blatantly suspicious appearance of the shop that materialized in the le Philharmonie garden. It was a single-story Japanese style house. An old wooden sign was attached to the roof. The sign read: ‘Ayashino Pawnshop‘. It was the traditional pawnshop that was near my parents’ home. It had been there since I was born, but this shop also closed down when the old man who ran it died when I was in high school. He was a suspicious old man, like the Nurarihyon (a Japanese yōkai), and I couldn’t imagine him ever dying. Various rumors circulated about the shop—that it was a yōkai’s den, that cursed items were sold there, or that it dealt with the underworld… I suppose given the store’s appearance, those rumors were inevitable. Besides, I only went inside this shop once when I was in junior high. I found some old coins in my grandmother’s storeroom and wondered if I could sell them here. I sold them for about five hundred yen, but I still suspect I was scammed into selling them too cheaply.

“Sakuraile… this is also a store… right?” “The atmosphere is quite different from the previous stores…”

Feeling the aura of suspicion, both Father and Mother looked slightly tense.

“This is a pawnshop. It’s a shop that buys unwanted things.” “Ah, a buyer’s shop. So, does it not have products?” “No, it’s also a shop that sells the things it buys, so it has products. I think it will be a jumble of various things.”

I had only been inside once, but the interior was overflowing with so many things that it was impossible to figure out what was being sold. I remember them selling everything from what looked like junk to expensive-looking vases.

“However, this shop emits a strange energy… It is as if a barrier has been placed over it. It is not dangerous, is it?”

Grandfather, who was present for the summoning, asked that. Well, judging by the shop’s atmosphere, there could be cursed items inside. I hope there’s no danger… Let’s hope there are no grudges from the deceased owner. I won’t make a pun about grudges. Time to open!

“Excuse me…”

Contrary to my fighting spirit, I quietly slid the wooden door open and stepped inside. The shop was quite spacious, but only lit by the dim light of a bare light bulb, making it dark even though it was daytime. That’s expected since the windows are blocked by junk. Wow… Looking at it again, there are so many things here… Large vases, hanging scrolls, paper umbrellas (bangasa), swords, armor and helmets (yoroi kabuto), plates of various sizes, Buddhist statues, tea ceremony sets, mantel clocks, boom boxes, CD players, camera strobes, opera glasses, Western paintings in frames, various cooking utensils, a stuffed hawk, calligraphy sets, notebooks and stationery, colored pencils and highlighters, battledores (hagoita), kendama, picnic sheets, incense burners, hina dolls, precious metals, chests of drawers, maneki-neko (lucky cat), etc., etc., etc. It wasn’t just antiques. I saw what looked like branded handbags, running shoes, and even several musical instruments, though I couldn’t tell if they were genuine. For some reason, there were also a few volumes of manga comics. The counter was divided into two sections: sales and purchase/pawning. The glass case in front of the counter displayed rings, necklaces, and expensive wristwatches. Are they real?

“I have no idea what kind of shop this is… Oh, this plush toy is cute.”

Mother picked up a small yellow bear plush toy that was displayed on a shelf. A bear that loves honey and looks good in a red vest.

“What is this? Is it a rope? It has claws at the end… Could it be some kind of weapon?”

No, Father. That is just an extension cord. They even have things like that. Wait, there are lots of extension cords in a box placed in the corner. Why so many? Did someone come to sell them in bulk? The somewhat spacious interior was crammed with various miscellaneous objects. It looks like it will take time just to figure out what is here…

I happened to look at Grandfather, and he had drawn a katana from its sheath and was gazing at the blade with admiration.

“Beautiful… I have never seen a sword like this. The mirror-like blade, the rippling pattern… The hilt is also delicately crafted. I wonder if even the blacksmiths in my territory could create a sword of this quality…”

Be careful, okay? That is probably a real sword. Swords are very sharp; I think it could cut easily. Please don’t swing it around; it’s dangerous. Grandfather returned the blade to the sheath, turned around, and asked me.

“The products in this shop can be bought with our currency, right?” “You can buy them, but… Are you planning to buy that?” “Mm. I fell in love with it at first sight. I want this. How much will it cost?”

How should I know? How much is a Japanese sword? Basically, the products in the shops I summon are ridiculously overpriced. They cost about ten times the actual price. Unfortunately, there’s no price tag, so the only way to find out is to put money on the counter. Grandfather put one platinum coin on the counter and tried to leave the shop, but he couldn’t take the sword out. Wait, not even one platinum coin (one million yen)? …Well, if they are marking it up ten times, that wouldn’t be enough. A sword that costs 100,000 yen is a cheap item.

“Grandfather… I think that might cost up to one royal gold coin. Are you really going to buy it?” “Ngguh…! Yes, of course. I’ll buy it!”

Grandfather affirmed with a slightly strained face. A royal gold coin is ten million yen, you know? Can a weapon worth ten million yen even be used? I would be too scared to use it. Grandfather is a Margrave. He has a decent amount of money. I don’t think he can’t buy it, but to me, who has no interest in weapons, it just looks like a waste of money. Since Grandfather received his [Gift] from Blade-sama, the God of Blades, I can understand why he’s drawn to the sword, though. In the end, he bought it for one royal gold coin and eight platinum coins. That means this sword was selling for 1.8 million yen on Earth. 1.8 million… I don’t know if that’s cheap or expensive. But in this world, it would definitely be expensive. It’s eighteen million yen, you know!? Even if it was a historically significant sword, a sword in a suspicious antique shop costing eighteen million yen is… unlikely. Though the Earth price was 1.8 million. When I told Grandfather that it was closer to an art object, and I didn’t know if it had the necessary strength for combat, he said that the sword he bought was only for reference, and he planned to use high-quality iron and mithril to create his own unique sword in his territory. He won’t use that one in actual battle. However, the fact that he spent nearly twenty million on a reference makes the feeling of being ripped off undeniable.

“It seems the products in this shop range from the lowest to the highest price. The expensive ones are quite expensive, and the cheap ones are quite cheap.”

At my words, Father and the others nodded, looking at the sword Grandfather had just bought. Incidentally, the bear plush toy Mother was holding cost five copper coins. That’s 500 yen on Earth. It’s 5,000 yen here, but it’s cheap compared to the sword. However, as someone who knows the Japanese sense of money, I can’t help but feel like we are being ripped off. But there are so many things here. Wow, that small boom box is the one my grandfather had. How nostalgic. He often listened to enka (Japanese ballads) on it. Ah, that’s right, this is a pawnshop. What about buying things from people? I bought the old extension cord that Father was holding earlier. Four copper coins. That’s 4,000 yen here, but 400 yen on Earth. I guess that’s normal… right? Then, I placed the purchased cord on the purchase counter. There was no reaction. Huh?

“I want to sell this.”

When I said that, the extension cord on the counter disappeared, and in its place, two copper coins appeared with a clink. Good. It’s in this world’s currency. Japanese bills and coins would be useless here. But it’s half the price I bought it for. The purchase price is 200 yen in Earth currency. It’s less. Well, that might be obvious. Buy low and sell high. That’s the basic of business.

“This doesn’t seem very profitable…”

A thought occurred to me: was the extension cord purchased cheaply because it was an item from this shop… from Earth? How much would it buy for if it was an item from this world? I took off the brooch I bought at the festival yesterday and placed it on the purchase counter. I bought it for five iron coins. Will it be bought for cheap? Or bought for a high price?

“I want to sell this.”

When I said that, the brooch disappeared, and in its place, five copper coins appeared with a jingle. …It increased. I sold it for ten times the price. Does that mean items from the other world sell for ten times the price!? Items from Earth are bought for ten times the amount in this world. Correspondingly, does that mean items from this world are bought for ten times the amount when selling to the other world? This needs verification. If it works, I might be able to earn an incredible amount of money…! I asked Father to bring some unwanted items from the mansion. Hehe, I’m getting a little excited.

To cut to the chase… it didn’t work. It seems there is a limit to the purchase amount. Once the total exceeds a certain amount, it stops buying. Well, even the previous stores ran out of stock if I bought everything, and they wouldn’t replenish until they were resummoned. The reverse must also be true. A regular, privately-owned pawnshop can’t pay out more money than they have on hand immediately. The limit was about one million yen. I thought I could make a fortune… Well, I am making money, though. If I sell up to the limit every day, it will accumulate to a decent amount. Once the shop buys an item, the next time I sell the same item, the price drops, but since I can sell anything, I guess it’s fine for now. However, the Ducal House isn’t exactly short on money, so I don’t need to sell every day. Father bought two cheap automatic wristwatches. Although I say cheap, they cost 300,000 yen here. This world also has clocks that run for twenty-four hours, but they don’t have ones this small. Our house only has a large grandfather clock. That’s why that price is still considered a bargain. Father immediately went to the castle, saying he would present one to the King. I suspect he just went to show off. Since he took the automatic one, he shouldn’t have to worry about the battery running out. Maybe I should give Grandmother a women’s wristwatch too. Oh, and I should probably give one to the Empress too. It would be awkward if only the King and Grandmother had them. Elliott? A wristwatch is too soon for a child. I think he will be perfectly happy with the wooden puzzle I found in the corner of the pawnshop. Grandfather bought armor and a helmet too. I think he spent a considerable amount of money… Wouldn’t plate armor be sturdier than that armor and helmet? Though it might be easier to move in. Grandfather said he would research it in his territory and create his own unique armor. Japanese-style armor might become popular in the frontier someday.