Labyrinth: Chapter 13/15

Chapter 13: Where Did Air Conditioning Come From?!

In the blink of an eye, all nine Magic Air Conditioners were sold out.

"That's it?! That's way too few! I didn't even get one!"

"Yeah! They were snatched up instantly!"

Chishiya raised his hand.

"Don't worry, we'll have another batch of nine for sale at the same time tomorrow."

"If you want one, come early and line up."

After that, he pulled Wiz inside and shut the door.

"So much money~"

"Chishiya-san, you're amazing. You sold them all in a flash."

"There'll definitely be a lot more people showing up tomorrow!"

Chishiya shook his head.

"That depends on how many Miss Wiz can make."

"Tonight's a critical point."

Wiz tilted her head.

"…I don't get it."

———

It was getting late.

The cicadas in the trees showed no signs of stopping.

Inside the stable...

Kazuma tossed and turned.

"It's so damn hot!"

He suddenly sat up and looked over at Aqua.

She was sprawled out dramatically on a pile of hay, grinning in her sleep for who-knows-what reason.

Rustle… rustle…

Suddenly, Kazuma heard something.

He got up and walked outside.

There, at the end of the stable, was a crowd of people lying at the door of one of the stalls.

"…What's going on?"

"Shhhhhh!"

They immediately hushed him.

"Huh?"

Kazuma blinked.

As he stepped closer, he felt it.

A faint breeze.

Cold air?

Coming from that stall?

Kazuma leaned in for a better look.

Inside, someone had set up a strange-looking device.

Cold air was steadily flowing out from it.

"…Oh, I thought it was something weird."

"It's an air conditioner."

"It's so nice having air conditioning~"

With that, he lay down beside the crowd and shut his eyes.

"..."

"…Wait."

Kazuma's eyes snapped open.

"Wait a minute—!!!"

"AIR CONDITIONER—!!!"

Kazuma sprang upright, eyes bulging.

He blinked several times in disbelief.

Yup.

It was definitely an air conditioner.

And it was a vertical one!

No. No, wait…

Isn't this supposed to be another world?!

How the hell is there air conditioning here?!

"You little bastard…"

"Huh?"

Kazuma slowly turned around.

Behind him stood a group of burly men.

Their fists were clenched tight, knuckles cracking.

"You damn punk…"

"Yelling in the middle of the night like that."

"You trying to die?!"

"Ack—! No, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to— AHHH—!"

———

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

The sun rose with the crow of a rooster.

Aqua rubbed her eyes.

A rare occurrence, she'd actually gotten up early.

"Kazuma? Kazuma-san?"

After searching around, she finally found Kazuma curled up in a corner.

He had full-blown panda eyes from the beatdown.

"Pfffft—HAHAHAHA!"

"Hahahaha! What happened to you?!"

"I can't— I'm dying! Hahaha!"

Aqua clutched her stomach, laughing so hard that tears ran down her cheeks.

Kazuma stood up, picked up his coat, and said nothing.

"Stop laughing and follow me."

Aqua blinked.

"Huh? What's with the serious tone all of a sudden?"

She followed him to the end of the stable.

"Look."

Kazuma pointed.

Aqua peeked inside and whispered in awe.

"Wow… Kazuma, someone's got air conditioning!"

"I'm so happy for them. Why don't you buy one too?"

Kazuma: "…"

He said nothing, just stared at her in silence.

Aqua: "Eh? If you don't want one, fine."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I mean, it's just… an empty sta—eh?"

Even this idiot finally caught on.

"Wait. Hold up… this doesn't add up."

Kazuma instantly clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Now do you get why I got beaten up?"

Aqua, still stuck in her excitement, stammered,

"Ka…Kazuma, that's really an air conditioner!"

"This world actually has air conditioning?!"

"Is the tech level here that advanced?!"

Kazuma: ???

He smacked her on the head.

"You useless goddess! Don't you get it?!"

"This was made by another reincarnator!"

Aqua: "Ohh, that makes sense now."

Kazuma just facepalmed.

He was done.

"I've already found out where they're selling them."

"We're going there this afternoon!"

He was now very, very curious about whoever made that air conditioner.

———

The afternoon flew by.

The street in front of the prop shop was already packed.

"I never imagined Miss Wiz's Magic Air Conditioner would be this effective."

"Right? My roommate was so jealous last night."

"Jealous? I had a girl sleep over just for the air conditioning."

"…What?!"

The crowd stirred.

Inside the shop…

Wiz peeked out the window, looking anxious.

"Chishiya-san, why are there so many people out there?"

Chishiya smiled.

He honestly hadn't expected the first batch of Magic Air Conditioners to perform this well.

"It's all thanks to you, Miss Wiz."

"Looks like people are really satisfied with your work."

Wiz blushed.

"Really?"

It was the first time anything sold at the shop had received praise.

"Results don't lie. The crowd outside is the best proof."

Wiz looked even more nervous.

"But we only have nine Magic Air Conditioners ready…"

"With so many customers, what should we do?"

Chishiya smiled calmly.

"That's my department."

He checked the time, then looked at her.

"It's almost time to open."

"Wiz, are you ready?"

Wiz took a deep breath and nodded.

"Ready! Let's open!"

The moment the door opened.

"Please give me one—!!!"

"I want one too—!!!"

"Me! Me!"

Adventurers stormed in like a tidal wave.

Less than 30 seconds later.

All units sold out.

"Dammit—!"

"I lined up since this morning and still didn't get one!"

"Why doesn't the owner make more?!"

"Yeah! There's no other way to buy it!"

Chishiya raised his voice.

"Everyone, please be patient!"

"I understand many of you want our new product."

"But due to certain unavoidable factors…"

"We're currently only able to sell nine units per day."

The crowd got rowdy.

"Why?"

"Yeah! Miss Wiz, we're all waiting here!"

"These tools are lifesavers in summer!"

Wiz was about to say something when Chishiya held her back.

"Miss Wiz is a kind soul. To make sure no one's trip goes to waste, she's launching a new promotion!"

"Magic Crystal Clearance Sale!"

"C-grade Magic Crystals, originally 100,000 Eris, are now just 90,000!"

"And customers who've bought an air conditioner from us…"

"Get another 20,000 off! That's only 70,000 Eris!"

The crowd went wild.

"What?!"

"Only 70,000 for a C-grade magic crystal if you've bought an air conditioner?!"

"Even if I don't use it for power, I can still make a ton by reselling or using it in crafting!"

"Miss Wiz is the best!"

"Are you sure you won't lose money on this?"

"I bought an air conditioner! Gimme two crystals!"

"I want one too!"

"This is definitely worth it if you buy in bulk! I want five!"

"Damn! I spent 90,000 yesterday! If I'd waited, I could've gotten it for 70,000!"

"No way! I'm sending my wife to line up tomorrow!"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 14: You Are Simply an Angel!

Half an hour later…

Chishiya waved his hand.

"Sorry everyone, the magic crystals are sold out too."

"Same time tomorrow. Come early if you want one."

After sending the customers out the door, Chishiya turned to Wiz.

The two high-fived, faces full of excitement.

"Chishiya-san, you're amazing!"

"How did you even come up with such a great idea?"

"We just made another 8.2 million Eris in no time!"

"That's over 10 million in just two days!"

"That's insane!"

Chishiya smiled.

"It's just bundling."

"Plus some good old-fashioned scarcity marketing."

He hadn't expected the results to be this good though.

All 60-something magic crystals he brought from the Labyrinth had sold out.

And whether they sold for 70,000 or 90,000, both were well above the system's base price of 50,000.

A guaranteed profit either way.

Wiz nodded eagerly.

"Thank you, Chishiya-san."

"I feel like I've learned so much from you in just two days."

Chishiya began sorting the account books.

"What comes next is even more important. Once Vanir finds a larger market, we can talk about mass production."

"There's still a lot to cover."

"I'll teach you slowly over time."

———

Outside the store...

Kazuma and Aqua were backed into a corner by the crowd.

Aqua pouted.

"There are so many people here, I can't even see who's selling…"

"Kazuma, can we just go home?"

Kazuma gave her a look.

"If only you could remember who you reincarnated as."

"Would we even need to be here?"

Aqua: "Then why are you looking for him?"

Kazuma: "To ask for help, obviously."

"You want to keep sleeping in the stable?"

Aqua stared at the packed street.

"But… how do you know he'll even help us?"

Kazuma sighed.

"We've got to try…"

"Besides, we've only got enough money left for one more meal."

He reached into his pocket.

"…Huh?"

"Hey hey hey!!"

"Where's the money—?!"

Aqua slowly turned away and started whistling.

"Hey… hey…"

Kazuma's temple throbbed.

He grabbed her by the head.

"You useless goddess! Where's our dinner money?!"

"Ow ow ow—!"

Aqua began to cry.

"It's not entirely my fault!"

"The weather's so hot!"

"In times like these, a glass of premium sparkling wine really hits the spot!"

"And didn't you drink it too?"

"You can't just blame me—!"

Kazuma let go of her head.

He looked at her in pure despair.

"…So you're telling me…"

"That whole thing earlier, when you said it was someone else's leftovers…"

"You actually spent our dinner money on premium sparkling wine?"

Aqua scratched her head sheepishly.

"Well… I was afraid you'd say something if I told you…"

The light in Kazuma's eyes faded.

He was done.

Absolutely done.

"Just destroy it all already…"

Kazuma clutched his head.

"Aaaaaah—! You useless, brainless goddess!"

"What goes on in that empty head of yours?!"

"Why do you always do the stupidest things?!"

Just then...

A voice called out from behind them.

"Do you two need help?"

They turned.

Chishiya was standing behind them.

Kazuma blinked.

It's that guy from before…

———

At the Adventurer's Guild restaurant...

The three sat at a table.

Kazuma and Aqua were stuffing their faces like starving wolves.

Chishiya sipped a glass of sparkling wine and watched them eat.

He'd been on his way out of town, but then he saw them.

[Ding!]

Two new panels popped up in front of him.

---
[Name: Kazuma Sato]
[Recruitable Core Employee]
[Recruitment Perks:]

Blessing of the Goddess of Fortune: Greatly increased luck

Flexible Mind: Increases product profitability in the Labyrinth by 25%

---
[Name: Aqua]
[Recruitable Employee]
[Recruitment Perks:]

Blessing of the Water Goddess: Immune to all negative effects

Unlocks Healing Technology in the Labyrinth
---

Both were high-value assets.

Kazuma brought business luck.

Aqua brought healing.

Chishiya sipped his drink thoughtfully.

"Ahhh~!"

Aqua took a long gulp of wine and looked visibly happier.

Kazuma swallowed a mouthful of food and bowed his head.

"Chishiya-san, thank you so much."

"If it weren't for you, we'd be starving again tonight."

Chishiya waved it off.

"It's fine."

"You two just seemed like a good match. I figured I'd help."

Kazuma stood up and gave a proper bow.

"Really, I mean it. Thank you."

Aqua raised her glass.

"Cheers—!"

Kazuma quickly pushed her arm down.

He gave Chishiya an apologetic look.

"Sorry. My partner's kind of… not all there."

Aqua, now fully tipsy.

"Eh? What did you say?"

"I'm the Goddess of Water!"

Hiccup… hiccup…

She burped twice mid-sentence.

Kazuma tried to restrain her.

"Hey! Can you not embarrass us for once?!"

"Calm down already!"

Chishiya waved his hand.

"It's fine."

"Excuse me, three more glasses of sparkling wine."

"And two more plates of fried chicken."

Soon, the dishes were served.

Chishiya pushed them toward the two freeloaders.

"Eat. Don't be shy."

Kazuma sniffled.

"Ugh…"

He was touched.

This was the first genuinely kind person he'd met since coming to this world.

"Chishiya-san, you're… you're an angel!"

Chishiya chuckled and waved a hand.

"Okay, okay. Just eat."

Aqua took another sip of wine and slurred,

"Chishiya-san… are you a reincarnated person?"

Kazuma froze mid-bite.

He looked up at Chishiya.

The Magic Air Conditioners came from his store.

It all added up.

They were the same type.

Chishiya looked at the two.

Since he was planning to recruit them, there was no point in hiding it.

He nodded.

"Yes. I am."

Kazuma looked shocked.

He actually admitted it directly!

Aqua: "Huh? Then how come I don't remember seeing you before?"

Chishiya explained.

"Maybe not the same world as yours."

Kazuma nodded slowly and took another sip of wine.

"I see…"

Chishiya noticed they were finishing their meal.

Time to get down to business.

"If you two don't have a place to stay, how about working for my company?"

"I'll start you off at 2 million Eris a month."

"HOW MANY—?!"

Both of them slammed their hands on the table.

They shot to their feet.

The entire restaurant turned to look.

Chishiya rubbed his temples.

"Can you two not be so dramatic?"

Kazuma stammered.

"W-why give us so much?!"

Chishiya answered casually.

"Because you're worth it."

"Isn't that simple?"

"Of course, if the company thrives, you'll get raises too."

Suddenly...

Chishiya was stunned.

The two people across from him had tears running down their faces.

They collapsed against the table, hugging Chishiya's waist tightly.

Kazuma and Aqua: "Chishiya-san! You are truly an angel—!!!"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 15: Darkness Is Bored?

The sobbing was... excessive, to say the least.

"Chishiya-san, you don't even know the kind of life I've been living."

"Sleeping in stables every day."

"Dragged down by this idiot."

"Everything I earn gets swallowed by debt."

"People look down on me wherever I go."

"You're the only one who ever gave me this kind of money!"

"From today on, you are officially the person I admire most in the world!"

Chishiya: "…Well… that's really not necessary…"

———

After leaving the restaurant, Chishiya raised his hand.

A black portal appeared in front of them.

"Come on. I'll give you a tour of the company."

With that, he stepped through first.

Kazuma and Aqua exchanged a look, then followed.

When they emerged, they found themselves at the entrance of the Labyrinth.

Kazuma looked up at the plaque.

[Underground Labyrinth Enterprise Co., Ltd.]

Aqua latched onto Kazuma's arm.

"Kazuma! There are so many ants!"

Not far ahead, dozens of Labyrinth Ants were hauling stones.

Some were dragging lumber.

The surface looked a little rough, but a few crude structures were already starting to take shape.

Chishiya explained.

"Don't worry, they're harmless."

At that moment, the Ant Queen stepped out.

"Master, welcome back."

"And these two?"

She glanced at Kazuma and Aqua.

Chishiya said, "Friends."

The Queen bowed politely.

"Welcome."

Kazuma and Aqua awkwardly waved back.

"Uh, hello."

Kazuma turned to Chishiya.

"Chishiya-san, what… what is all this?"

Chishiya replied calmly.

"This is my company."

"As you can see, it's an underground labyrinth."

Kazuma: "HUH?!"

"H-how did you do this?!"

Chishiya continued.

"I brought a divine artifact with me when I reincarnated. You probably have one too."

Kazuma: "…"

He turned toward Aqua, who was busy staring at the ant workers.

Aqua: "K-Kazuma! Look! That ant is building a house!"

For the next ten minutes, Chishiya gave them a rundown of the Labyrinth System and his plans for a commercial district.

Kazuma picked it up fast.

Based on the layout, he even suggested a few adjustments for the street layout.

Chishiya thought to himself—this guy's a natural businessman.

Even if he's a complete failure as an adventurer.

Kazuma: "Chishiya-san."

"Leave the Succubus Café to me."

"I'm confident I can get them to move in before the grand opening."

"And as for the hot spring resort…"

He pointed at Aqua.

"Give it to that one. She might be a dumbass, but she can still be useful."

Chishiya smiled.

"Then I'll leave it to you both."

He pulled two pouches from his coat.

"Here's your monthly salary."

"I'm paying in advance."

"Don't slack off."

Kazuma froze.

He held the pouch tightly, eyes welling up.

What kind of trust was this?

He's not even worried we'll just run off?

"Chishiya-san… no, aniki!"

"I swear, I will never let you down!"

Chishiya gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"I'm counting on you."

"Y-Yes!"

———

After sending Kazuma and Aqua back, Chishiya returned to his cabin.

"Come to think of it, I haven't checked the profits from the last few days."

He was referring to the system's recruitment rewards.

He opened the door, ready to lie down and rest.

Only to find his bed already taken by two girls.

Megumin and Rim were curled up on it, sound asleep.

Chishiya didn't disturb them.

He sat in the chair and opened his system panel.

[Congratulations to the host]
[Successfully Recruited: Wiz, Vanir, Kazuma, Aqua]
[Corresponding rewards have been issued]

He pulled up his personal info.

[Name: Chishiya Shuntaro]
[Core Employees: Megumin, Wiz, Vanir, Kazuma, Aqua]
[Account Balance: 3 million Eris (convertible to Reputation Points at 100:1)]
[Reputation Points: 2000]
[Labyrinth Level: 1]
[Special Abilities: Explosion Magic Lover, Leadership, Ice Witch's Blessing, Demon King's Blessing, Goddess of Luck's Blessing, Goddess of Water's Blessing]

Chishiya glanced at his account.

They'd made 10 million Eris over the past two days.

Half had gone to Wiz for materials.

He'd also paid salaries to Kazuma and Aqua.

Now he only had 3 million Eris left.

Converted to modern Earth currency, it wasn't even $100,000.

Chishiya rubbed his temples.

"…Still a long way from my goal of doing absolutely nothing."

"But at least the Labyrinth has unlocked new features."

"We can start developing new products."

He opened the Labyrinth Technology Panel.

[Congratulations! The Labyrinth Technology Panel has been unlocked.]

[Current Technologies: Potion Crafting, Healing Technology]

Potion Tech was self-explanatory—use herbs to craft potions.

Healing Tech…

Chishiya clicked it.

And was stunned by what popped up.

[Soul Isolation Barrier: Retains the souls of the dead inside the labyrinth.]
[Healing Holy Water Tank: If someone dies within the labyrinth, they can be revived within one hour.]

Oh my god.

This was basically a weaker version of Aqua's resurrection.

Meaning adventurers could fight monsters in the labyrinth without fearing death.

That's the pitch!

That's the selling point!

This… this was a goldmine.

Once the labyrinth officially opened, the healing tank alone could make a fortune!

Chishiya held back his excitement.

Not yet.

The Magic Air Conditioner wasn't ready for mass production.

They needed to expand product development.

And production capacity.

Then suddenly…

"…What's up with Darkness these days?"

He remembered something.

The herb inventory still hadn't moved.

System Notification:
[Customers have lost interest in basic herbal medicine.]
[They are hoping for a stronger product.]

Chishiya: "????"

Just what's going on in that perverted knight's brain?

Well, either way, it was time to develop some new potions.

[Potion Development Technology]

The system screen popped up.

On it, a giant cauldron.

Next to it stood a chibi version of Wiz on a ladder, stirring the pot.

Bubbles containing different herbs floated up.

[Drop ingredients into the cauldron.]
[Random chance to discover a new recipe.]
[Current known formulas: 0]

"…Why does this feel like a minigame?"

Chishiya mumbled as he clicked on the herb bubbles.

Before long.

[Ding!]
[You've unlocked the Basic Healing Potion Formula!]
[Ding!]
[You've unlocked the Basic Mana Potion Formula!]
[Ding!]
[Failure. You created a pot of unknown sludge.]

On screen, chibi Wiz held her nose, turned away, and gagged.

Chishiya clicked again.

"…This is actually kinda fun."

———

Time flew.

Before he knew it, Chishiya had played all night.

———

The next morning…

Chishiya opened his eyes and rubbed his sore back.

He'd fallen asleep at his desk.

He had spent all night experimenting with potion crafting.

(To be continued.)