Isekai Nonbiri Nouka

I am the nine tailed fox Youko.

The acting village chief of Village Five.

…

Hmm?

You’re asking why I haven’t taken on a younger form?

What happened to the promise that I would do so once every ten days?

I don’t know!

What is this nonsense?!

Do not fabricate such lies!

I didn’t promise such a thing, did I?

Perhaps I said something under the influence of alcohol…

No, maybe the overwhelming paperwork drove me to madness and I blurted it out…

Fabrication?

It was fabricated, then.

Good.

Ah, no, wait, that’s not the point.

Stop telling lies that make me question my own sanity!

-0-

Pulling myself together, let’s go over today’s schedule.

I’m attending the pre-opening of the patisserie.

Hmm.

Patisserie Fairy Fairy.

A new establishment that will offer cakes previously only available at Kuro and Yuki and Bronze Cafe.

Once village chief gave his support and Village Five provided funding, the process of opening the shop moved quickly—but not without its challenges.

First, the reason for opening this store…

The residents of Village Five have long complained that they want to eat cake, but Kuro and Yuki and Bronze Cafe are always full, making it nearly impossible to get any.

Ordinarily, independent businesses like these wouldn’t be a matter for Village Five’s administration.

However, since both Kuro and Yuki and Bronze Cafe are run by village chief, it became our concern.

In addition to the voices of the villagers, there were also requests from the nobles of the Demon King’s Kingdom.

If commoners can obtain something while nobles cannot, it supposedly threatens their authority.

I personally think that any authority so fragile is better off discarded, but governance becomes unstable without it.

After all, not everyone holds power equally.

Still, I wanted to tell them that, as nobles, they should just make the cakes themselves—but it seems they can’t replicate the taste.

That’s understandable. Even the Fairy Queen herself acknowledges the flavor as supreme.

Reproducing it wouldn’t be easy.

In that sense, perhaps it’s strange that this village offers such a taste to anyone who lines up for it.

In any case, not all nobles are rational.

If a foolish noble with enough money gets serious, they could buy out Kuro and Yuki and Bronze Cafe before a shop even opens by hiring people to fill every available seat.

Fortunately, many noble affiliates—former noble title holders, noble parents, grandparents, and so on—reside in Village Five.

Because of that, this scenario hasn’t played out yet.

But the possibility remains.

And we can’t ask the Demon King to issue a warning.

Doing so would only draw interest from those who would otherwise ignore the situation.

As we debated solutions in council meetings, we decided to establish a takeout-only cake shop.

Of course, a single store would be nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

Everyone understands that.

So, we plan to launch about ten locations.

However, opening multiple stores all at once would be too much of a gamble.

We don’t have enough staff either.

For now, we will start with a single store as a trial, allowing us to evaluate its management and train employees at the same time.

-0-

Now, the discussion turns to where we should establish this crucial first store…

Should we place it near Kuro and Yuki or Bronze Cafe?

No, that area is already developed, and there isn’t enough space for a new shop.

The upper levels are out of the question.

The mid-levels are also unavailable.

That leaves only the foothills.

But the closer we get to the mountain, the harsher the conditions.

Which means…

The farthest edge of Village Five’ foothills.

That’s our only option.

Right now, there’s nothing there, but in the future, this area will serve as a connection between the central district and new residential zones.

Looking even further ahead, the planned Village Five New Highway will link this area directly to Shashaato City.

There are also plans for high-end inns, large dining halls, theaters, a coach station, and even a commercial complex similar to Big Roof Shashaato.

From a long-term perspective, it’s a solid choice.

…

For now, though, there’s absolutely nothing here.

But that’s just how it is.

Unfortunate as it may be.

It’ll be amazing in the future!

Seriously, it’s going to be incredible!

-0-

With the store location decided, I left the building and shop design in the hands of village chief.

Not just Kuro and Yuki and Bronze Cafe—whether it was Niz’s Alcomeat, Korin’s Sweet Temple, or Noodle Shop Britoa, any establishment dealing with food and drink had been meticulously and precisely planned under village chief’s guidance.

It’s always best to rely on those with expertise.

While that was underway, I focused on gathering staff.

From Kuro and Yuki, we arranged for two individuals—one to lead the patissiers and one to oversee sales.

I know they’re busy, but I also asked them to help recruit and train new patissiers and sales staff.

I didn’t reach out to Bronze Cafe.

That place is… a bit unique.

Not that there’s anything wrong with it.

It’s just… they always serve customers with excessively sweet words.

In any case, this should be fine.

Now, all that’s left is to wait for the building to be completed and the employees to finish training.

That’s what I thought… about a year ago.

-0-

Village chief messed up.

What is this building?

I don’t mind that it’s large.

I have no complaints about the addition of a dormitory for employees.

The bath, reception room, and business negotiation room? All great features.

The problem is the equipment and interior—or rather…

Are you sure this isn’t a magic tool showroom?

Loo-dono…

I really think blindly approving everything village chief wants is a bit much.

Mountain Elves…

I appreciate your enthusiasm in explaining how the automatic doors work, but I don’t understand a thing.

That moving box for transportation—is that the same thing as in Village Four?

The moving stairs… You say they can hold ten minotaurs or titans at once?

Well, at least the durability tests were thorough.

And there’s a safety stop switch in place, too.

Still… it’s tricky to time when to step on.

Ah, I’ll just ignore the interior.

If I just accept it as normal, I’ll be fine.

Yeah, it’ll be fine.

Now, the real problem is outside.

The large box outside.

What is that?

A box for washing clothes?

You’re telling me you put clothes in there, and they come out clean?

It doesn’t exist in Big Tree Village because the oni maids resisted, fearing a loss of work?

I see.

Ah…

F-For security reasons, could you at least hide it?

Please.

-0-

We need security guards.

A building like this will only attract criminals.

Once the surrounding area develops, it might become somewhat safer, but…

For now, in this completely empty location, we need proper security.

Should we hire adventurers to guard it?

Just as I was considering that, spiderlings arrived.

And they were unfamiliar ones.

Snipe Spiders.

I see.

So even Zabuton-dono thought security was necessary.

But… you lot have a tendency to make people faint just by being seen.

That’s due to your natural skills.

Thanks to your siblings hiding in Village Five, sudden fainting out of nowhere have become common enough to be called Village Five Syndrome…

Are you sure it’s okay?

Your skill has evolved?

Before, you always caused unconsciousness, but now you can control it?

Oh! That’s impressive!

And you can even selectively knock someone out?

So, if there are multiple people, you can target just one?

Not only that, but before, you could only knock someone out once—now you can do it repeatedly?

This makes you perfect for security.

Your range is… from here to the forest over there?

Hmmm. Very reliable.

But… your skill won’t work on those with sufficient strength, will it?

How will you handle that?

Oh, you do have other means of attack.

With the same range… you can shoot hardened webs?

I see.

Wait… these threads are so fine and small, they’re nearly invisible.

If I hadn’t known, I’d have been hit myself.

And—whoa, the sheer amount you’re shooting is insane.

The target just vanished.

Hahahahahahahaha!

……

Isn’t this overkill?

Even if they’re criminals, a little mercy wouldn’t hurt.

Erasing them from existence is a bit much…

A teleportation gate?

Eh?

In the basement of this building?

It connects to my mansion?

Village Chief, why was I not informed of this!?

-0-

A teleportation gate.

At first, I was surprised, but after thinking it over, it’s not a bad idea.

Anyone trying to monitor my movements—or village chief’s—would have watched our comings and goings.

This disrupts their surveillance.

And with spiderling-donos guarding it…

Fufufu.

I see now. Village chief intends to make this place the key to Village Five’ defense.

Of course, he had been aware of the Five Village Highway project. Given future developments, this is the perfect location.

It also allows for counterintelligence operations.

Yes, yes.

As expected of village chief.

This isn’t just about opening a shop, is it?

……

No, this is just a coincidence.

That village chief isn’t the type to think so strategically.

Could it be… the angels guided this decision?

Even the acting store manager position was handed over to that beastgirl…

Maybe I should remind them not to interfere unnecessarily.

Hmm?

Spiderling-donos will also keep watch?

Fufufu.

Now that’s reassuring.

I’ll leave it to you.

-0-

The trial opening of the patisserie.

The shop is takeout only, but for today, we allowed customers to sample products in the waiting area.

With village chief and the children invited, the kids were overjoyed.

Though the most excited of them all was probably the Fairy Queen.

Well, if even she had no complaints about the taste, I’d say we’re good.

Now, one major discussion point for takeout was how customers would bring their purchases home.

Village chief wanted to use sturdy paper boxes, but paper is a valuable resource.

So for general customers, we settled on wooden baskets.

The baskets wouldn’t be disposable—they’d be loaned out.

The price of the product includes a basket deposit, which would be refunded upon return.

This kind of system has existed since ancient times, so it should be easily accepted.

As for noble customers or high-value items like chocolate, we’ll use paper boxes.

Paper boxes allow for decorative illustrations, making them more visually appealing.

The representatives from Goroun Company who attended the trial opening praised the paper boxes.

Fufufu.

The illustrations on today’s paper boxes?

Each and every one was hand-drawn by my beloved daughter, Hitoe, for this trial opening.

Praise them more.

And as for my beloved daughter, Hitoe…

I know you love the moving staircase, but…

Is it really okay to just ride it up and down instead of tasting the sweets?

No, I’m not saying it’s bad.

Alright, alright, fine—I’ll ride it with you.

Ah—w-wait, it’s hard to time when to step on this thing—

H-Hitoe! Don’t leave me behind!

-0-

AN: This wasn’t exactly the behind-the-scenes story I had in mind.