Teleportation magic tools were among the most expensive items in existence, and as such, the section dedicated to them was staffed by specialists. The floor itself exuded an air of luxury, with guards stationed near displays featuring products built around massive magic crystals.
Feeling a bit intimidated by the high-end atmosphere, Sieg-san and I followed a clerk’s lead.
"Since you require a tool for travel between the Human and Demon Realms, it will necessarily have to be a custom order," the clerk explained. "Furthermore, a Teleportation Permit is required to use such a tool for inter-realm travel. Do you happen to have one?"
"Um, no, I haven't applied for one yet," Sieg-san replied. "We only came today to check the general price range..."
"I see. A permit is required for operation, but possession itself is perfectly legal without one. Please be aware that since these are made to order, we will require approximately fifteen days for production."
"Understood..."
Sieg-san sounded a bit tense as she answered. Regarding travel between the two realms, a special permit was indeed necessary unless one used a public Gate. That said, it wasn't exactly a rigorous process; you just had to file the paperwork, and the permit would be granted in a few days.
In fact, if you traced the origin of that permit system, it was actually established by Alice—or rather, the Phantasm King's subordinates—to make tracking and managing information easier. If I asked Alice directly, she could probably have one issued by the end of the day.
I continued to listen as Sieg-san and the clerk talked. As expected, tools of this caliber were astronomical. Even if she stripped the features down to the bare essentials to keep costs low, it would still run her several hundred Platinum Coins. In Japanese yen, that was billions.
Sieg-san seemed to balk at the figure for a moment, but if she was going to be training under Funf-san regularly, this was an investment she really needed.
Whenever I was around, I could just bring her along like I did today, but it would be far better for her to have the independence to travel on her own. Besides, a high-end tool like that would likely allow her to register multiple destinations, which would make visiting her hometown of Rigforresia a breeze. It was worth having.
In the end, Sieg-san decided to move forward with the purchase. She asked several detailed questions and made specific requests regarding the design.
Between the fact that she could technically afford it now and her desire for the reliability of the Seditch brand—not to mention the rare opportunity to buy directly from the headquarters—she finally committed to the order.
After a lengthy discussion, she paid the deposit and returned to me clutching a Collection Voucher.
"I’m sorry, Kaito. I kept you waiting quite a while," she said.
"Don't worry about it. So, you went through with it today?"
"Yes. I’d already decided I needed it, and since it takes time to build, I figured the sooner I ordered, the better."
"That makes sense."
"Still..." she leaned into me, seeking a bit of comfort. "I’ve never spent that much money in my entire life. I’m exhausted."
I understood exactly how she felt. While my own sense of value had become fairly warped lately, spending that much money was still a massive mental drain. Billions of yen was a scale of commerce that most people would never experience in their lifetime.
"It's just about lunchtime. Why don't we go find something to eat? What are you in the mood for, Sieg-san?"
"Hmm... something with fish. I’ve really taken a liking to it since our last trip to the coast."
Nodding at her request, I pulled Kuro's Complete Food Tour Guide from my Magic Box. The sheer volume of books had initially overwhelmed me, but the set was incredibly useful. The guide for this city was found in the 'Near My Home Edition.'
I looked for a seafood place with a high rating from Kuro that wasn't too far away. I found a restaurant about a hundred meters down the street that Kuro had given an eight out of ten. We decided to head there.
The exterior was quite stylish, but fortunately, there was no dress code or reservation requirement. We were seated immediately.
As a waiter led us through the spacious, chic interior, I glanced around the room—only for my eyes to lock with a woman dining at one of the tables. We both froze in surprise.
She was a tall woman with a long, purple ponytail. It was Tre-san, the eccentric clerk from the previous store. I hadn't expected to run into her again so soon. I suppose the reason she’d vanished earlier was that her lunch break had started.
The woman stared at me, her eyes wide with shock, before she began frantically looking around for something.
"Oh, for the love of—!? A second encounter already?" she muttered. "And I... I don't have any bread ready yet!"
Restlessly scanning her surroundings, her eyes finally dropped to the plate in front of her.
"Could I... pull it off with 'carpaccio'? I can, right? They say it's the thought that counts! As long as my heart is in it, carpaccio is basically bread!"
"No, I really don't think it is," I interjected.
"It's a no-go, huh? Yeah, I guess it would be pretty hard to run with that in my mouth..."
The woman slumped her shoulders in defeat. She really was a character.
Serious-senpai: "Dammit! They're just flirting bit by bit at every turn! Weren't these date chapters supposed to be self-contained in a single part!?"
???: "I don't think that was ever actually a rule..."