“Ah, come to think of it, I didn’t even tell you my name. I’m Lee Hangyu.”
Hangyu bowed his head in greeting to Hyejin and Asha.
The magical delivery item would be good for the convenience store, but it would definitely help the crafting company as well.
The crafters were in a state where their trust in hunters coming to pick up items had been shattered.
Using the magical delivery item would surely compensate for that part.
“But are there many hunters using the convenience store?”
At that moment, Hangyu asked Hyejin curiously.
“Of course. More people use it than I imagined.”
Hyejin replied confidently.
“And this delivery item wasn’t concretized just from my own thoughts.”
Hyejin smiled faintly as she recalled the conversations with customers so far.
[Dungeons should have a few more convenience stores inside.]
[Yeah. So we can grab something to eat right away when we’re hungry.]
[It’s annoying to come all the way here every time. It would be great if we could just get delivery like ‘Delivery Nation’ or ‘Here Yo.’]
There were customers who often, but quite frequently, expressed such regrets.
She just hadn’t thought to implement it until that young hunter gave advice.
“Oh. By the way, how much will the production cost be?”
“For commission fees, our company always accepts payment after the fact. It’s hard to estimate how much time and cost it will take until we actually proceed with production.”
“Ah, that’s right. I was too hasty when nothing has been made yet.”
“Heh heh, not at all. Money is the most important issue. Customers who use this place always ask about the cost first. But cost aside, even if we make the item, it won’t be usable right away. It has to go through multiple tests.”
“That’s fine! We have several part-timers at our convenience store, so we can conduct tests internally too! I’m already excited.”
The delivery item would go beyond simply delivering convenience store goods and help many people.
At the same time, Hyejin was worried.
What if, after the crafters’ meeting, they ultimately decide not to make this delivery app?
They could accept commissions, but it seemed they didn’t take all of them.
As the reception employee had mentioned earlier, even the gun that allowed F-ranks to use SS-rank abilities had been rejected by the crafters.
“I know it’s a unique item, but I really want to ask you to please do it, crafter.”
“I ask you as well. It’s a necessary item.”
When Asha, who had been listening quietly from the side, chimed in to support Hyejin, Hyejin looked at Asha with a deeply moved expression.
“Asha…….”
Asha coldly ignored Hyejin’s voice, which was utterly heartfelt.
“Tch.”
“Heh heh, you two have a good relationship. Anyway, I’ll actively pitch it in the meeting to get a positive outcome. But don’t get your hopes up too high. Developing an app requires mobilizing many crafters, and it’s hard to do with just my own power.”
“It’s not an easy task.”
“That’s right. But after hearing your explanation, I’m convinced that if this item is developed, it will help our company too. Since this company is full of stubborn and picky people, we’ve stuck to analog methods until now, but maybe it’s time for us to change.”
Hangyu gazed distantly into the air and hesitated for a moment.
He seemed to have complicated thoughts.
Probably, having awakened as a crafter at a late age and worked harder than anyone until now, he had a lot on his mind.
But not long after, he looked at Hyejin and Asha with eyes that were still sharp and sparkling.
“No, we must change. Honestly, there have been many bothersome and annoying things. With people coming and going all the time, concentration gets broken often, and the work environment is chaotic. Craftsmen should work in quiet, focused spaces, you know.”
“I once saw a potter on TV, and their workspace was really like that. Quiet, peaceful, and cozy.”
“Yes. We need spaces like that. So, I’ll do my best to pitch why this item is necessary.”
“Yes. I want to say once again, please take good care of it. Oh, then, do I need to pay a deposit separately?”
Hangyu shook his head at Hyejin’s question.
“No. Asha has a contract with our company and prepaid a year’s worth of commission fees. There’s still plenty left, so the deposit can be covered from that.”
At Hangyu’s words, Hyejin looked at Asha with surprised eyes.
A year’s worth?
“Is that possible? No, ah. I did hear that you prepaid some money when you came before. But how did you calculate and pay for a year? How would you know how many commissions I’d make?”
It was a question directed at Hangyu, but also at Asha.
Even while receiving both Hangyu and Hyejin’s gazes, Asha remained composed.
“We were puzzled too, but that’s what Asha did. Assuming roughly one commission per month, she paid the average fee for 12 commissions.”
“You’re a really amazing cat.”
“Indeed. Heh heh. And if it’s confirmed that we’ll proceed with the work, I’ll let you know again, but we’ll need to pay attention to the app design, so it would be good if you think about the desired design feel in advance. You could also take photos of the convenience store interior or products and send them ahead.”
“Yes. Understood. Thank you so much.”
Asha quietly watched Hyejin, who replied in a bright voice.
Hyejin didn’t yet know that the gaze looking at her had changed a little.
“See you next time.”
At Asha’s words, Lee Hangyu bowed his head politely and replied.
“Yes, understood.”
“You did pretty well?”
That was the first thing Asha said upon returning to the convenience store.
“Huh, what?”
Hyejin asked back while putting on her uniform, and Asha jumped onto the locker, looking down at Hyejin.
“You can do well without me now. You seemed quite like a manager today.”
“You’re treating me like a manager only now?”
“It’s a compliment. You were cool today.”
Hyejin blushed for no reason and smiled awkwardly.
“No. It would have been hard if I was alone. Having you by my side made me feel secure, so I could speak more comfortably? Thanks to you, I could make the contract easily, I guess. It’s good that I don’t have to pay things like deposits.”
“I made the contract in advance because I didn’t know what might happen.”
Hyejin was happy about Asha’s rare compliment, but now that the commission was done, she couldn’t help but feel more worried than expectant.
What if, after all this effort, the direction turns out wrong?
What if no one uses it?
She knew worrying now was meaningless, but such thoughts kept arising.
Moreover, if they take orders via app at the convenience store and sell via teleport, even without delivery fees, the prices should differ from in-person purchases, so prices need to be remeasured, and packing items for delivery would be necessary.
In the end, the part-timers’ work would increase, so there were more than a few things to worry about.
I need to hire weekend part-timers soon.
That was the conclusion.
Hire more part-timers.
If work was going to increase, they needed some rest.
She didn’t want to increase tasks while knowing they worked without days off all week.
“Asha, come to think of it, I think we need to hire part-timers for weekends.”
“Weekend part-timers?”
“Yeah. We’ve managed so far, but we can’t keep muddling through like this. Honestly, even now, there’s a lot of work, and everyone is working beyond their shifts.”
“That’s true.”
“First, hire weekend part-timers, and once the store operations are organized, we can prepare for when the delivery system comes. I also want to organize the store’s operating methods before the delivery item arrives.”
In the past, Asha would have deeply pondered and worried about what Hyejin wanted to do, but after a brief hesitation, Asha nodded readily.
“Okay. If that’s what you want, Hyejin, you can hire additional part-timers. But if you hire one more, you’ll have four employees to manage, including those three with strong personalities—can you handle it?”
Asha looked at Hyejin with a worried expression, as that was one thing concerning her.
Hyejin wasn’t completely at ease either.
Hiring one more person meant more salaries to pay.
It wasn’t just salaries; managing all of them without troubles would be burdensome.
Still, Hyejin wanted to make this convenience store a more comfortable space for everyone.
For customers, of course, and for the employees working here too.
“Of course. So, I’m planning to hire a hunter of similar rank to me as the new part-timer. That should reduce the burden, and since weekend part-timers won’t overlap much with the weekday ones, it should be fine.”
Hyejin spoke ambitiously with a broad smile, but at that time, she didn’t know yet.
That this convenience store, with only SS-rank part-timers, had already become a workplace that low-level hunters couldn’t even dream of applying to.
How impressive the hunters coming for interviews would be.