Different World Business Symbol
Chapter 3: – shopping

MTL: uniquegasuki

Editor/ Proofreader: (not proofread)

The following morning, Haruto was awoken by the morning sunlight . He opens the window and then checked outside .

「It seems I’ve woken up early today . 」 (Haruto)

He felt relieved that he didn’t oversleep . Afterward, Haruto washed his face at the water well and then had breakfast at Undine . While he ate his sandwich, which he had bought for 500 Doraria, Haruto thought about what he was going to do today .

(For the time being, I should definitely buy a change of clothes as I’m still wearing the same underwear from yesterday . Not to mention, the hard coins don’t quite fit in a Japanese wallet . It is too dangerous for me to simply carry money in my bare pockets . Oh, I must not forget the soap . )

Having finished his meal, Haruto left for the shopping district . While walking there, he catches sight of a familiar red-head . It was Lora . Lora also saw him so she showed a friendly smile and rushed over to him .

「Oh, if it is not, Haruto . It has been awhile . What are you up to?」 (Lora)

「Nothing much, I’m just here to buy some daily necessities . 」 (Haruto)

Hearing his response, Lora’s eyes sparkled .

「I know of an inexpensive shop; I don’t mind guiding you there for 500 Doraria . 」 (Lora)

「No thanks . I will look around on my own . 」 (Haruto)

While Haruto’s does have 390,000 Doraria, that amount will only last him about 9 months . If possible, he wanted to save money .

「You should know that the prices in the shops will vary . If you are careless, you could end up with inferior goods……, with just 500 Doraria you could avoid the risk . If you are low on money, that is all the more reason to hire me as I am well informed about this town . 」 (Lora)

Of course, there was some truth to what she said as paying 500 Doraria here could possibly save him money later .

「Fine . But, I ask that you properly do your job . 」 (Haruto)

「Fufufu, thank you for your patronageー」 (Lora)

Lora looked happy when she received the copper coins .

◆◆◆

「First off, clothes . Now follow me please . 」 (Lora)

Haruto accompanied Lora . She advances through a crowd of people . When Haruto had caught up with Lora, they arrived in a back alley .

「This is a shortcut . It is like a maze, so please follow me closely . 」 (Lora)

For a moment, Haruto felt anxious but judged that it would be alright to accompany her . Before he knew it, at some point Haruto had come to trust Lora .

After a short walk, they arrived on the main street . As soon as they reach the main street, Lora stopped .

「This is the place . They sell men’s clothing in the center . I will be scolded if I enter, so please go do your shopping . 」 (Haruto)

Haruto entered the store . The stock they have was quite good . Although he didn’t know if the price was cheap or expensive, it was probably cheap . Haruto got 3 inexpensive underwear, 3 sets of casual clothes that are similar to the ones he saw being worn in town, and while he was there; he bought 3 towels . Haruto had purchased 12 items that added up to 16,000 Doraria . (T/N: either Author-san made a mistake or the clothes set includes pants and shirts)

「A-are you finished? Next will be a wallet, correct . 」 (Lora)

Once again, Lora swiftly made her way through while Haruto could barely keep up with her .

「Lora, you’re walking too fast . Do you mind slowing down?」 (Haruto)

「Eh! Sorry . This is my usual walking pace when I’m alone . 」 (Lora)

She slows down and walks side by side with Haruto . While walking along, they talked about the world around them .

「That remains me, the library here sure is big . The library in my hometown wasn’t nearly as spacious . 」 (Haruto)

「Yes, it is out of the ordinary . For 1,000 years; Clarice has been trading with the eastern countries and the kingdom . In the process, they have obtained about 700,000 books . By the way, Haruto how big was the collection of books in your hometown’s library?」 (Lora)

「Maybe it was around 9 million . 」 (Haruto)

「There is no need to exaggerate . You know, Clarice has the biggest library in the world . 」 (Lora)

Lora showed a triumphant expression on her face . Although, in reality, Haruto was speaking the truth .

A short while later, they arrive at a shop that sold leather goods .

「You can buy a belt or a wallet here . I recommend that you purchase a wallet with a chain attached to it . It would help in dealing with pickpocketers . 」 (Lora)

Heeding her words, Haruto entered the store . He looked around the shop for a wallet and chain set .

The price was reasonable enough and after finding one he liked, the purchase was made .

Haruto exited the store and once again, he walked alongside Lora .

「By the way, Haruto-san, you’re quite proficient with the Claris (キリス語) language despite being a foreigner . 」 (Lora)

The city-states official language is Claris .

The city-states official language is Claris .

「Well, now that have I bought a wallet and clothes, all that is left is soap . 」 (Haruto)

For Haruto, who has a love for cleanliness, not having soap is a big problem .

「Eh? 『Soap』? What is that?」 (Lora)

The moment he heard that, Haruto froze . “No soap… . . I never considered that possibility”, Haruto thought . It was said that until Europeans introduced soap to the warring states of Japan, there was none .

(How troublesome…… there is no soap . Huh? But wait, I remember seeing something similar to soap at Undine……)

「You know, that thing that is used to wash off dirt . That bubbly stuff . 」 (Haruto)

「Oh, are you talking about bubble-berry? You should have said so from the start . 」 (Lora)

Bubble-berry…… is an item he has never heard of . Haruto tilted his head as he heard of lye but never of the former . In the olden days, lye was something that was used to wash laundry . “But, what is bubble-berry…… is it a soapberry?”, he thought .

「What is bubble-berry?」 (Haruto)

「Eh! You don’t know? Is it not grown in the east… . . ? Look, it is that berry they are selling over there . Bubble-berry is commonly used by the rich because they regularly washing their body to kept their skin from being ruined . 」 (Lora)

In the direction where Lora was pointing, they were selling a big black soapberry . “Did they not invent soap because there was already a soap substitute?”, while Haruto thought this, he went to check the price .

(Awhh, expensive! Seriously, 30,000 Doraria……)

One bottle cost 30,000 Doraria, that it equal to the cost of staying at Sylph’s pavilion for 3 weeks .

(It can’t be helped; I have to make my own……)

Haruto decided on making his own soap .

Haruto’s hobby was making soap . He got into making soap when his mother had tried it out . She eventually gave up but Haruto continued to make soap . Since then, making soap has become his past-time . Soap itself isn’t difficult to make . It is easily made by blending fats/ oil with sodium hydroxide and then heating it up .

(Before I can make it, I need the necessary ingredients and tools……)

「Lora, would you happen to know where I can get a hot pot, olive oil, salt, and firewood?」 (Haruto)

「Eh? I do but…… what are you planning to use it for?」 (Lora)

「Well, you’ll see . 」 (Haruto)

Haruto directs a broad smile towards Lora . She merely tilts her head in puzzlement .

Haruto directs a broad smile towards Lora . She merely tilts her head in puzzlement .

◆◆◆

Haruto parted ways with Lora . He left the clothes he had bought at the inn before leaving for the mountains to heat the firewood that was necessary for making soap .

「I would never have guessed that my hobby would end up being useful . 」 (Haruto)

One never knows what life will throw their way . Now all Haruto has to do is acquire the necessary ingredients oil and sodium hydroxide . The oil he will be using is olive oil that he had purchased for 1,000 Doraria . While he could have used fat from meat, it would have caused the soap to be smelly . The sodium hydroxide could simply be substituted with common ash from firewood .

While making the ash, he had to be careful not to start a forest fire . Haruto lit the firewood using a lighter . Afterward, he mixed in water and lye . A short while later, he heated it up and then added salt . The stuff that floated to the top is the soap . Haruto then collects that stuff with a jar that he had prepared .

Haruto stares at the finished soap . While the proper ingredients and tools were not available in this world, he was somehow able to improvise . At any rate, the results were better than nothing .

By the time he was done, it was already getting dark out . Haruto hurried and returned to the inn .

「A sandwich, please . 」 (Haruto)

He made a request to Marceau . Haruto was so engrossed with making soap that he had skipped lunch . After quickly eating his sandwich, Haruto started a conversation with Marceau .

「Excuse me, do you have a moment?」 (Haruto)

「What is, okyaku-san . 」 (Marceau)

Haruto shows the soap that he had made to Marceau, who still has the same evil-looking eyes .

「This is soap . Will you be willing to try and use this to wash your dirty dishes instead of lye? I believe it will give a better clean than lye . 」 (Haruto)

Haruto was interested in seeing the response of someone who has never heard of soap after they have tried using it . At any rate, he also wanted to boast about his feeling towards soap .

「Eh? This thing! Sure, but……」 (Marceau)

While half doubting it, Marceau tries washing the dirty dishes with the soap . His doubt quickly changed to astonishment .

「This thing is amazing! Lye can’t even compare to this . How much is this?」 (Marceau)

The amount of soap Haruto had passed to Marceau was about 1/3 of the portion made . Except for the olive oil, everything else was free . It cost Haruto 300 Doraria to make the soap .

「Well, how about 300 Doraria?」 (Haruto)

「This is only 300 Doraria!!」 (Marceau)

His reaction is no surprise . If one thinks about it, a single bottle of bubble-berry is 30,000 Doraria . This soap here is 300 Doraria . For Marceau, the soap is far cheaper than bubble-berry .

「Well, how about 300 Doraria?」 (Haruto)

「This is only 300 Doraria!!」 (Marceau)

His reaction is no surprise . If one thinks about it, a single bottle of bubble-berry is 30,000 Doraria . This soap here is 300 Doraria . For Marceau, the soap is far cheaper than bubble-berry .

(Hey? Is this not profitable?)

Haruto realized it . If he were to market the soap; he could make a fortune, the town would become cleaner and women’s hair would also become cleaner .

(While being transported to another world is troublesome, living an ordinary life would be boring . )

Haruto smiled .

◆◆◆

After returning to the inn, Haruto requested hot water from Hannah . One bucket cost him 300 Doraria . Haruto whisks the soap that he had made and washed his body . But as he had thought, the soap was greatly different from what he knew of .

Haruto wipes himself dry with the towel that he had recently bought and then returns to his room . While laying on his bed, he pondered about what to do after today .

(I need permission before starting a business…… as I thought, I should get my citizenship . Shall I go check town hall, tomorrow? Oh yeah, I promised to show Lora the soap . She sure does stink, though . )

While thinking about Lora, Haruto fell asleep .

====

Food Expenses: 1,200

Hot Water: 300

Clothes: 16,000

Wallet: 5,000

Hot Pot: 12,000

Olive Oil: 1,000

Firewood: 200

Remaining Balance: 352,300