"That brings the total to 4,750R, but... since you bought so much, I'll call it an even 4,700R."
Alice announced the total with a bright, cheerful beam, and I fished five silver coins out of my wallet to hand them over.
In the end, I had spent right up to the limit of the budget I had initially mentioned. This wasn't solely because Alice's relentless sales pitch had overwhelmed me—it was simply because every item in this shop was genuinely high-quality.
I had purchased boots, a knife, a water bottle, and several survival-oriented magic tools to prepare for the Treasure Tree Festival, but I had also picked out some clothes.
Every garment was of such high quality that it was comparable to what I was currently wearing. The designs were simple yet tasteful; while they fell into what we would call "casual" in my original world, Alice's sense was so refined that they all possessed an elegance that wouldn't look out of place even on a noble. I had ended up buying quite a few.
"Wow, this is the first time I've sold this much since I opened the shop! I definitely hope you'll be a regular from now on, Kaito-san."
"Yeah. All the products were so good it was hard to imagine they came from a shopkeeper like you. Next time, I'd like to take a closer look at the magic tools, too."
"Ouch. I feel like you just slipped a little poison into that compliment, but I'm so happy right now that I'll let it slide!"
"Ahaha."
Honestly, I had wondered how things would turn out at first, but in the end, I had made some excellent purchases and found a great shop.
Just as she had claimed, the store had everything except food. There were all sorts of interesting trinkets and magic tools that piqued my interest, so I decided I would definitely come back for another look.
With my shopping finished, I thanked Alice and turned toward the exit. Just as I reached the door, she spoke up.
"Oh, Kaito-san. Do you have a moment?"
"Hmm?"
"...As thanks for buying so much, let me give you one piece of advice."
"Advice?"
I turned back to look at her, but her expression was hidden behind that mask, making it impossible to read.
The emotions I picked up through Sympathy Magic were calm, as if she were merely making small talk, yet there was a strangely heavy atmosphere about her.
"In the world you came from, there's a certain story, right? About a hero who flew too close to the sun, only to have his wings scorched and fall to the earth..."
"..."
She was likely referring to the myth of Icarus. Icarus, who flew through the sky on wings held together by wax, only for the wax to melt when he approached the sun, sending him plummeting to his death.
Why was she suddenly bringing that up? She had called it advice, so this was likely a message intended specifically for me.
"When you approach 'great existences,' risks have a way of striking from the most unexpected places. Please remember that. This world isn't populated only by good people. If the wings you've gained were born from arrogance... those fake wings will melt, and you'll be slammed into the ground, you know?"
"..."
"...Just kidding! I'm just saying that for humans, humility is the best policy."
"A-Ah..."
I didn't understand. Not just the meaning behind her words, but Alice herself was strangely unreadable.
One moment she was offering a warning that seemed sharply perceptive, and the next she was wearing a playful, mocking smile. It was a bizarre sensation, like peering into a bottomless pit or feeling something caught in the back of my throat.
However, Alice seemed to have no intention of saying anything more. She looked away and sat back down at the counter.
Realizing that I wouldn't find an answer no matter how long I stood there, I gave her a light wave and left the shop.
Dear Mother, Father—My shopping at Alice's store ended successfully, but the final words she spoke... they lingered strangely in my mind.
After Kaito left the shop, Alice slowly shifted her gaze toward the door and muttered to herself.
"He has ties to the Underworld King, the Death King... and even the Supreme God of the God Realm. I wondered what kind of monster he would be, but... he was just a perfectly ordinary, slightly naive commoner, wasn't he?"
As she spoke in a vague, airy tone, her form blurred with a static-like noise, transforming back into the fluffy cat mascot suit.
She rested her head listlessly on the counter and began to line up and count her coins.
Yes, she knew. She knew Kaito was an Otherworlder, and she knew of his connections to Kuromueina and Isis. She had used her own information network to learn everything before feigning ignorance to approach him.
"You'd better be careful, Kaito-san. The world isn't just a sunlit center stage; it always has a pitch-black backstage. Before long, people who realize the value of your existence are going to start crawling out of the woodwork."
She muttered the words to the absent Kaito, her tone bordering on a sneer. Because she was wearing the mascot suit, her expression was hidden, but the aura she projected had completely shifted from the ditzy shopkeeper she had been moments ago.
As if waiting for Alice's atmosphere to sharpen, the sound of the door opening echoed through the quiet shop. A man entered, his face concealed by a black robe.
The man moved silently to the weapon shelf, picked up a small dagger, and then moved fluidly to the clothing rack. He grabbed a black garment, wrapped it around the dagger, and placed the bundle on the counter.
Alice, who had been counting her coins without reaction until then, tilted her head as if sighing when she saw the dagger wrapped in the black cloth.
"You are 'Shadow Edge,' I presume?"
"...Sigh. Why is it that my main business is a total failure, yet my 'side job' is always booming? More importantly, I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop using that embarrassing alias."
"There is someone I want eliminated."
"...That depends on the reward and the details."
The man had spoken her other name—the alias that identified her in the criminal underworld.
The act of wrapping a black cloth around a dagger was the signal to request her services as an underworld fixer. The requests brought to her through this method belonged to a world of darkness where no light ever reached.
"One Platinum Coin upfront... and three as a success fee."
"Heh, that's quite a generous offer. Is it a particularly troublesome target?"
"I want you to eliminate a certain Baron's entire family."
"Hmm. A noble of this kingdom?"
"Yes. Here are the files."
The man placed a single Platinum Coin on the counter and pushed a bundle of papers toward her. Alice spent a few moments reading through the documents before handing the stack back to the man.
"All right, then. I'll take the job. What's the deadline?"
"Within ten days, if possible."
"Any specific instructions on the method?"
"It would be best if it looked like a suicide."
"Got it. Then come back in ten days with three Platinum Coins."
"...Very well."
Their short conversation concluded, the man exited the shop.
After watching him go from inside the mascot suit, Alice flicked the Platinum Coin into the air and watched it spin.
"...Kaito-san. Human life is a cheap thing. It can vanish as fleetingly as a phantom for just a few of these coins..."
She caught the falling coin and tossed it carelessly into a drawer. Then, she picked up one of the silver coins Kaito had used for payment and smiled.
"Well, for today, I'll say a prayer for you... that no 'assassination request' ever comes across my desk with your name on it..."
Inside the dimming shop as the sun began to set, the girl who lived in the shadows smiled quietly.
Ten days later—the very day Kaito and his companions left the Royal Capital for the Treasure Tree Festival—a news story about a family suicide at a certain Baron's estate would cause a minor stir in the capital. At this moment, however, only she and her client knew the truth.