One way or another, Roze-san helped out at the stall for a while, eventually heading home after about an hour had passed. After that, I continued running the shop at a leisurely pace with Amel-san. Things went remarkably smoothly without any major incidents.
The pace was perfect—neither too busy nor too slow—and sales were thriving. The chuunibyou goods were selling well for their novelty, and surprisingly, the ceramics were also finding buyers. I had personally thought the prices were a bit too high for a festival stall, but the customers proved me wrong.
"Still, I wonder why the people buying ceramics are all so disciplined about only taking one piece each?"
"Indeed, I too found that curious. While those who gather to become one purchased their items as a set, none sought to grasp multiple individual glimmers. It is baffling. Could there be some mystery-shrouded pact governing this festival?"
"A pact where you can only buy one ceramic piece at a time? Ahaha, that’s quite the unusual agreement."
"Perhaps my imagination leaps too far. Still, prosperity is a welcome guest; the final curtain call of this celebration is not far off. While there is no end to the relics of darkness, our other wares may soon return to the primordial."
Just as Amel-san said, we had so much backstock of chuunibyou goods that selling out was impossible, but the ceramics and accessories were starting to run low. It looked like we might actually clear them all out.
However, as the inventory thinned, the storefront began to look a bit sparse.
"The gaps are starting to get noticeable. It doesn't look great for the display."
"Truly. At times, a void can radiate a sense of profound emptiness."
"Oh, in that case, do you want to line up some of the leftover weapons? I have a few types that Aoi-san and Hina-san didn't want..."
"...Well, I suppose that’s fine. Let's pick some that aren't too bulky."
To be honest, a shop selling party favors, ceramics, accessories, and weapons felt incredibly bizarre. But once I noticed the gaps, I felt a compulsive need to fill them, so I followed Alice's suggestion and displayed some arms.
I didn't put out many—mostly knives and a few swords.
A short while after I set them out, a pair of customers arrived and began inspecting the gear. One was a petite woman who looked like a mage, and the other was a red-haired man with the air of a swordsman. They definitely had the vibe of seasoned adventurers.
"...At first glance, this looks like an incredible sword, but..."
"Oh, come on, isn't it suspicious? It’s a sword being sold at a festival stall."
"No, look, the balance and the aura are really something else... Excuse me, do you mind if I draw it from the scabbard?"
"Ah, sure. That’s fine, but please be careful of your surroundings."
Since the red-haired man asked politely, I gave him the okay. He unsheathed the blade with a practiced, fluid motion and stared intently at the steel.
"See, Nicole? I told you it was a masterpiece!"
"...Ugh, fine. It does look meticulously crafted. If anything, the quality seems even better than the sword you're using now, Leo."
"Right? This is a total steal!"
"...But that just makes it more of a mystery. Why would a high-quality sword like this be sitting in a festival stall?"
The pair continued to whisper to each other, though I couldn't catch everything they said. According to the impressions from my Sympathy Magic, the woman was radiating waves of intense suspicion.
Yeah, I thought so. Adding weapons to this eclectic lineup was definitely a suspicious move.
"...Um, how much for this?"
"Five copper coins."
I answered the woman's question. Alice had set the prices, which were the same as what she charged at the weapon shop in my basement. The sword the red-haired man was holding was actually the lowest tier among Alice's creations. She called it a "blunt blade made from scraps left over from making real swords," which translated to about 50,000 Japanese yen.
"...See! I told you it was suspicious! There’s no way a high-quality sword is only five copper coins. This has to be a cursed blade or something!"
"No, no, maybe it's just a lucky clearance sale? Besides, it doesn't have any weird magic on it, right?"
"Not as far as I can tell, anyway."
"Then it's fine. You're the mage I trust more than anyone, after all."
"...Idiot."
The two whispered some more, but they eventually reached an agreement, and the man bought the sword. As I watched them walk away, Amel-san suddenly murmured to herself.
"...Hmm, that swordsman... I feel like I've seen him somewhere before. Where was it?"
"Oh? Is he a famous adventurer?"
"Hmm, no, it might just be my imagination. I felt a sense of familiarity, but I have almost no contact with adventurers. It must be a mistake—Ngh!? It seems I was momentarily clouded by a fleeting illusion. Please, pay it no mind."
Serious-senpai: "Just like Amel, I feel like I've seen them somewhere before..."
???: "They're the 14th Successor to the Throne Prince and his partner who appeared in Scrapped Plot 3."
Serious-senpai: "Ah! Now that you mention it, I remember those two..."