"Man, that was a great request-o... If only we’d found some cartridges-o!"
"It was a shame, truly."
"Well, there's no sense crying over what isn't there-ssu."
That’s right—there weren’t any. Not a single cartridge.
Anything unearthed from the ruins had already been sold off or dismantled. Smaller, less valuable-looking items—like cartridges—simply hadn't been left behind.
In the first place, we didn't even know what a cartridge was supposed to look like. We’d done a full sweep with Penpen Appraisal, but we hadn't found a single item that looked like it could connect to Alto's Gun. The only thing barely remaining was a tube of Lip Balm.
Actually, because Penpen could handle appraisals, we had ended up creating an inventory list for the palace on the spot. We were paid a separate reward for that, so I considered it a win.
"There were guns there, but they told us no... Stingy! They’re so stingy-o!"
"Well, they’re dangerous weapons. It makes sense."
"There were only handguns anyway-ssu. I kind of wanted one, though-ssu."
And so, Alto failed to get an upgrade.
Instead, she received a decorative Folding Fan. It was the type where thin wooden slats were held together by a cord. Crafted from Fragrant Wood, a faint, elegant scent wafted from it. It was the kind of fan a sultry woman would snap open with a bewitching smile to hide her lips.
...However, it was a 'Sellable Item with no particular effect'! (Confirmed, of course, by Penpen Appraisal.)
"Ugh. My only choice is to give this to a sexy older sister it would suit and become friends with her-o!"
"Maybe Arulu-shi-ssu?"
"...Arulu-san isn't really that type-o."
Well, she was her real-life boss, after all. That would be awkward.
"...Mmm, maybe I’ll give it to Nika-chan and have her do some Bewitching Big Sister Play-o."
"Wouldn't it be better to put Gin-chan in a China Dress and have her hold it-ssu?"
"That works too-o! But this is my reward-o!"
"Why don't you just have Penpen replicate it?"
"Oh, there's an idea-o! Penpen, over to you!"
"On it-ssu. I’ll give one to Gin-chan and make a 'Bewitching Fox-Girl' photo book-ssu! I’ll throw in a Mysterious Fluffy Celestial Raiment, too-ssu!"
I had no idea what a Mysterious Fluffy Celestial Raiment was supposed to be. It was a complete mystery. Maybe some kind of fur stole?
"I'll give one to Tria-shi too-ssu."
"Ah, in that case, make mine out of iron. Turn it into an Iron Fan."
"Ooh! I want one of those too-o! Iron fans are the peak of romance-o!"
"A Hidden Weapon! That suits an Assassin like Gin-chan perfectly-ssu! I’ll make it so you can hide Poison Needles inside, too-ssu!"
"As expected of Penpen-shi! You really speak my language-o!"
"The kind where you click a slider on the handle and they go 'sproing'-ssu!"
Amidst our lively brainstorming, we decided to take advantage of being in the Royal Capital and go on a shopping spree.
If a single decorative fan could spark this many ideas, seeing what else was out there was bound to get us even more fired up.
We had money! Specifically, the fat reward we’d squeezed out of the Prince! We went around buying one of every kind of Potion available in the shops, as well as one of every piece of ready-made equipment. We couldn't exactly buy out the entire Jeweler, but we did pick out a few stones that caught our eyes.
For the record, the shop-bought Potions were limited to types that Miti-chan couldn't brew herself yet.
As we snacked on street food, we eventually found a vendor who had laid out a straw mat in a side alley, displaying various wares.
Naturally, we peered in to see if there was anything interesting...
"...Hm?"
"Oho."
"Hoh."
Right there, lying on the mat, were cartridges. Seriously? They were just selling them at a random street stall?!
I appraised them: 'Elemental Cartridge (Fire)' and 'Elemental Cartridge (Water).'
"Oh! You’ve got a sharp eye, customers. These here are family heirloom paperweights. A certain noble fell on hard times and had to let them go. Truly top-quality stuff! Usually, they’re one Gold Coin each, but right now, I can give you one for fifty Silv—"
Paperweights. Right, paperweights. Wait, what was that price? Hmm? Was there something strange floating over our heads?
I was pretty sure we only had our Halos.
"Actually... I-I think I’ll close up shop for today!"
"Wait-o. How much was the price-o? Fifty-some Silver Coins-o?"
"Hiee... Please, have mercy! Forgive me! Just let me go!"
"No, I’m asking how much it costs-o? Come on, tell me-o. Or is it one Gold Coin-o?"
"I—I have younger brothers and sisters to support! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!"
"Just say the price already-o!"
"I-It’s... fifty Silver Coins... each."
"Then it's one Gold Coin for the pair-o. Here."
Alto tossed a Gold Coin to the man and tucked the cartridges into her pocket.
"Eh?"
"You named the price, I bought them-o. We’re good-o?"
"Eh, ah... yes..."
"Alright! That was a great bargain-o!"
"Good find, Alto."
"Congratulations-ssu!"
Behind us, as we celebrated our luck, the Street Vendor frantically rolled up his mat and scrambled away.
A Sudden Event Shop... I guess! Talk about good fortune.
"It really pays to go for a stroll-o!"
"Definitely. We should make a habit of wandering around."
"I’m in-ssu! Especially in the Royal Capital, there seem to be events everywhere-ssu!"
We decided to go for walks whenever we had the time. It was good exercise... well, except for the part where I wasn't actually moving a single step in the Real World.
The tricky thing about VR Mode is that it occasionally feels so real that you end up convinced you’ve actually worked out.