Considering it… in a place like this undeveloped jungle… with no electricity, water, or gas.
All that’s here are the convenience store building and its inventory.
It was a good call to stock up on a bit more cup noodles and preserved food in yesterday’s evening shipment.
Compared to arriving with nothing but the clothes on my back, I think I’m in a much better situation…
I don’t even really know what kind of world this is.
If the civilization level is anything like the prehistoric era, I’m going to be in serious trouble…
“Master? What’s wrong? You seem so down!”
“…Ah, well… I was just thinking about what’s going to happen from now on…”
“Hmm, the white entity said this world is engulfed in chaos, plagued by war… and something about a mission as an apostle…”
That’s right.
Gods don’t just arbitrarily summon people to another world for no reason.
A common trope is that a god makes a mistake, kills someone, and then apologizes by reincarnating them…
Or summoning a hero destined to fight the Demon King… those are pretty standard.
It seems likely that we have some kind of role to play in this world.
But still…
“In manga and novels… they always get transported to another world and end up fighting the Demon King or a vast empire… but I’m completely useless for something like that. I mean, I’m just an ordinary middle-aged guy…”
Well, I do seem to have sprouted cat ears and a cat tail.
But so what? That’s the thing…
“Don’t worry, nya! If anything happens, I’ll protect you, Master, and we’ll figure something out, nya!”
Right… If I were alone, it would be one thing, but with cheat-wielding Manager here, maybe things will actually work out.
If I give up, it’s game over! Relying on a girl is uncool, but…
There’s probably a role only I can fulfill…! Probably.
“That’s right… we’ll manage… maybe. Yeah… let’s try to be positive!”
When I think about it, rather than staying in Gunma, on the verge of closing down and living in a ridiculously harsh environment, doing business in an unknown world… isn’t so bad.
My beloved home is here, and my beloved pet cat has become a beautiful girl who’s hinting at wanting to get cozy.
…Rather, I should be happy about this!
“Nyahaha! Feeling a bit better, Master?”
“Yeah, I think so… Thank you! I’m glad you’re here with me, Manager!”
“Unyaah! Y-you’re making me blush, nyaa!”
Saying that, Manager licked the back of her hand and made a gesture of washing her face.
I see, she’s a cat.
Cat behavior.
When flustered or making a mistake, they first groom themselves to cover it up.
…As we were talking, we heard the sound of glass shattering behind us.
“W-who’s there, nya!”
Manager quickly stood up and circled behind me on all fours.
I too hurriedly turned around… and caught sight of Manager’s tail puffed up to the max, her skirt riding up, looking terribly disheveled.
…For now, I’ll just avert my eyes.
“…W-what the! Was someone there!”
…From beyond the darkness, for some reason, I heard a Kansai dialect.
“Nyaaa! Who are you, nya! This is Master’s convenience store, nya! How dare you enter without permission, nya! Hiss!”
I decided to shine my flashlight on the source of the Kansai dialect near the entrance.
A girl with dog ears, wearing something like a sand-colored vest, was shielding her eyes.
“Whoa! So bright! Hey! Stop that… I-I’m not any sort of suspicious person!”
A Kansai-dialect dog-girl?
At any rate, it felt wrong to keep shining the light directly on her face, so I moved the flashlight beam away.
…Yeah, I don’t understand it at all.
Even though she spoke with a Kansai accent, I could understand her words… What’s going on?
“S-sorry… is this better?”
“Nah, nah… sorry for scaring ya. Truly, forgive me! I didn’t expect anyone to be here! I’ll honestly apologize for entering without permission…”
Saying that, the dog-girl raised both hands and smiled.
It seems she has no intention of hostility or malice.
On her back, she had a ridiculously wide and large backpack… what was it called?
It resembled a Kletterpack that university students and hikers used to call “crab people” back in the day.
…I know because my dad had one.
Incidentally, you don’t see those anymore…
Her hands and feet looked like they were covered in fluffy fur gloves and boots.
Her clothing consisted of green knee-length pants, loose and baggy in a style reminiscent of Arabian Nights, with the hems cinched loosely, making them look wonderfully cool.
And her sand-colored, short-sleeved vest-like top had an excessive number of pockets, conjuring images of exploration teams or soldiers.
However, hanging from her waist was a spiky, club-like weapon.
It looked like something a low-level punk from the post-apocalyptic era would carry… a mace or morning star.
Getting hit with that wouldn’t just hurt.
And on her head, unlike Manager’s horns, were dog-like ears and yellow hair.
Her hair was styled into two braided pigtails, and while her face was freckled, she was quite cute.
Her eye color was orange… hmm, that’s not a color you see very often.
And from her rear, a thick, fluffy tail stretched out!
It was a large, exceptionally fluffy one.
A dog-girl… in a word.
She’s clearly of a different breed than Manager or the little cat girls outside.
Her equipment alone suggests she’s not just an ordinary person.
Ah, I get it… maybe she’s an adventurer or something like that.
If that’s the case, her being armed makes sense… she can probably fight normally if she needs to.
In any case, I should proceed with caution… here.
“…H-hey… can you understand my words?”
“I can, for the most part! I can speak the common tongue of mankind! People often tell me I have a slight western accent, but assuming that’s the case, can I assume you understand my language too?”
She seemed quite pleased… well, if you can figure out that you can communicate with someone even if they’re incomprehensible, you can shed your wariness.
It’s a mutual thing.
“Unya! What did you come here for, nya! Are you perhaps a customer, nya!”
“A customer? I-I didn’t come here to shop…”
“Then are you a thief? If so, Manager will deal with you, nya!”
Huh? Manager, let’s talk.
Or rather, this is our first contact in another world, after all.
I’m starting to feel like it’s a bad idea to leave the negotiation to Manager at this crucial juncture.
Manager, true to her nature as a black cat, is generally mild-tempered and very docile…
…However, despite appearances, she’s surprisingly combative outside.
It seemed she considered the entire area around the convenience store her territory, and she would always bravely confront any stray cats that invaded.
Though the evidence is long gone, she once returned from a head-on battle with another cat with a scar on her forehead, resulting in a bald patch there for quite some time.
In short, she’s quite brave… and it seems that hasn’t changed even after becoming a cat-girl.
“Hey, wait! I’m not a thief! I have absolutely no intention of fighting you all!”
“Then what are you, nya! If you’re looking for a fight, Manager will take you on, nya! Hiss!”
Ah, this is bad.
She’s really eager… in battle mode.
Besides, the dog-girl said she’s not looking for a fight, so I need to get her to stand down.
“Manager, wait a minute! I’ll talk, so just be quiet for now!”
“If… if Master says so… Ugh…”
Manager, who had been in a combat stance on all fours, seemed to intend to obey me and backed down obediently.
Perhaps because I spoke a little sternly, she seemed to think she was being scolded, her tail drooped, and she looked dejected.
…But still, starting off with a fight isn’t right.
At any rate, I stood up as well and stood beside Manager.
Well, it’s awkward to negotiate when you’re looked down upon.
“So, for now, it’s safe to say you have no ill intentions towards us and no intention of stealing our merchandise, right?”
“Of course! I’m a merchant! Honest merchants don’t steal from others or take things by force! If I want something, I’ll pay for it properly! That’s common sense for a merchant!”
I see, so she’s a merchant in this world.
What she’s saying is perfectly reasonable.
Then, this will be easier… which means she probably has this world’s currency as well.
Whatever I do, if there’s currency, that’s what I want to get first…
I don’t find it surprising that a currency-based economy has developed in another world.
The concept of money is, in a sense, the foundation of civilized society.
Looking at world history, even civilizations that developed independently without any contact eventually gave rise to currency.
For example, the pre-Columbian civilizations of the Americas like the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas.
Despite being separated from Eurasia by the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans with virtually no contact, those civilizations developed their own monetary economies using cacao beans, gold nuggets, or copper axes as currency.
Barter is only viable in the early stages of civilization.
When a certain population concentrates in one place and a civilization arises, a monetary economy, using something of common value as currency, naturally emerges regardless of its form.
…There’s no other way to put it.
Whether they are otherworlders or aliens, as long as they have a certain level of civilization, a society based on a monetary economy is a natural progression.
Of course, a highly advanced civilization might have unknown concepts of societal value that transcend the concept of currency.
From the perspective of one who hasn’t reached that stage, it’s unimaginable and probably incomprehensible…
When I was in university, my economics professor seriously lectured on currency economies in other worlds and alien civilizations, discussing things like that. I think he was speaking the truth.
I don’t know for what reason the white entity led us to this world.
We need to establish a foundation for living in this world, no matter what we do.
To do that, we must integrate into this world’s economy in any form.
That is an essential condition.
People often talk about grand adventures in fantasy worlds with nothing but themselves.
But realistically, monsters don’t just drop money when they’re defeated.
Even if they dropped gems, precious metals, or valuable materials, that alone wouldn’t be enough.
You can’t do anything without selling them for money.
To save the world, you need money first! You need money to live!
If you can’t survive, even the most amazing cheat skills are useless!
The first thing you should do when you go to another world is to earn money and establish a base for living.
Dungeon crawling or fighting monsters can wait.
It was definitely fortunate that the first inhabitant we encountered was a merchant, a fellow professional.
I doubt I can fight monsters, and I can’t use magic either.
But I consider myself an expert when it comes to handling money… economics.
Money, in any world, is a symbol of power.
You can’t live without money, and you need money to maintain an army or a nation.
With my expertise in handling it… I’m sure I can be quite useful in any world! I should have confidence in that!
Inukko-chan appears! (lol)
Giant breasts, Kansai dialect, and dog ears – a set of three.
Behind the scenes, there’s also a little Inukko (younger sister).
