Kamisama Shop de Cheat no Kaori

Chapter 153. The Bumpy Family And The Infinite Water Jar

“My sister is in trouble. We only have 982 yen left.” Of course, I don’t actually have a sister.

“…So, after this morning’s breakfast and all, our remaining funds are now under 1,000 yen.”

I announced while driving. Right now, Yaralai, though reluctantly, wasn’t riding on the roof. She was standing behind the door connecting the cabin to the driver’s seat. Everyone except for the Yorishiro could hear our conversation.

“Uh, Akira, your power lets you buy things from gods using money, right?”

“Yeah, for some reason, I can mostly buy things from the world I came from. It looks like I can buy items from this world too, once they’ve been put in the container.”

“Then, let me use my money too! Uncle Hagg and Dad… Father, they’ve both entrusted you with money, haven’t they?”

“Your sentiment is more than enough. Luckily, my power is perfect for making money. I’ll figure something out.”

“But Akira, you saved my life. You’re practically family by now!”

“…!”

I instinctively looked at Faf. She just chuckled deep in her throat.

“Akira?”

“Oh, no, sorry. I was just a little surprised.”

“If you’re family, you should share the money… Ah! Family!”

This time, Lalaila raised her voice. She shot a glare at her father, the dread elf.

“Dad! How long are you going to stay away from home? Mom’s been lonely!”

“…Luluiru has?”

“Yes! You’ve been away for far too long! It’s been decades since you’ve been home!”

“…I… don’t remember.”

“Ahh, geez! You’re always like this, Dad!”

“However, Lalaila, returning home is not an issue.”

“It is! It’s a huge issue!”

“…I-I see.”

What is this?

I could only sigh at this sudden father-daughter argument.

“So, when is your task going to be over, Dad?!”

“That depends. Once Akira finishes visiting the Three Gods’ Temples…”

“What?! You mean all of the main temples?”

“Yes.”

“…How many years is that going to take? Oh, but with this vehicle, it might…”

“Uh, mind if I cut in?”

I couldn’t hold back and interjected.

“Oh, yeah.”

“I don’t really get it, but if Yaralai goes back home, that solves everything, right? In that case, you should just head back and visit your family.”

“I, made a promise. I keep my word.”

“You idiot, that’s something a man says when he’s taking care of his wife.”

“…”

For once, I managed to shut Yaralai up. I felt pretty good about that.

“But…”

“Your daughter’s got a point. I get that elves have a weird sense of time, but if even an elf says it’s been too long, then just go home already.”

“However…”

“Umm… somehow, it feels like this might cause trouble for you…”

“It’s no trouble. By the way, where is your home, anyway?”

“If you go northeast from Sevites, there’s a large country called Lakele. From there, if you head even farther northeast, there’s a vast forest, and one corner of it is where our home is.”

“I see.”

I fell silent for a moment, thinking.

“Then how about this? We’ll be stuck in this country for probably around a month, but after that, we’re heading to Lakele. We only need to stop by the church there, so how about we go to your home afterward?”

“Eh? But if we do that…”

“After that, you and your family can discuss what to do. Hagg, you’re okay with that, right?”

“Yes. No problem.”

“Kuh kuh kuh… what a troublesome matter.”

“You can get off here if you want, Faf.”

“Kuh kuh kuh… how cold.”

“Hmph.”

“…Are you sure this is okay?”

“If anything, I’m the one who’s getting help. It’s faster than walking, right?”

“Yeah. That’s definitely true.”

“Then it’s settled.”

“Y-yeah.”

At that moment, I completely missed the blush spreading across Lalaila’s cheeks.

“Kuh kuh kuh… a difficult man.”

With the conversation wrapped up, I returned to the main issue.

“Now, we still need to figure out how to make some money. Does anyone have a good idea?”

“I’ll go hunt some pests.”

“Hmm… I guess I’ll head to the blacksmith then…”

“No, I need Hagg to help me with something. Yaralai, is that fine with you?”

“Yes, we share fate.”

“…Got it. We might need to rely on Yaralai for a while, then.”

“Leave it to me.”

“Then! Take my money too!”

With that, Lalaila thrust her leather wallet at me.

I glanced at Yaralai, looking for help, but the guy just nodded silently.

…Well, if things get bad, I’ll just have the two of them act separately.

“Alright. I’ll take it gratefully.”

“It’s everyone’s money now.”

“Kuh kuh kuh… should I join in as well?”

“Ugh.”

I let out a flat-toned voice.

“Kuh kuh kuh…”

“Alright, alright. But in exchange, cough up the cash.”

“Kuh kuh kuh, what a thug. Here.”

The leather pouch she placed down made a solid thud, heavy with coins.

I silently stored both pouches in the container.

Lalaila’s 132,439 yen.

It feels a bit tight for traveling, but maybe that’s just how it is?

Faf’s, 320,000 yen.

…As expected, it’s a lot. Ignoring her smug grin, I simply said, “Thanks.”

Total: 453,421 yen.

It looks like a lot at first glance, but it’s for everyone, and I’m also responsible for the lives of 11 Yorishiro. It’s not as much as it seems.

We can’t afford to waste any of it.

…Sigh, I want a cigarette.

I remembered how few I had left and decided not to smoke one just yet.

“So, how should we proceed?”

“That’s your decision.”

“Why? Hagg’s the leader, not me.”

“Hmph, that role is long over. Figure it out.”

“Passing the buck, huh… I guess we’ll head toward where that request from the commerce guild came from?”

“If that’s the case, I know the place. It’s near the central square, at a bar. We can get there by car.”

“That’s helpful.”

Since we couldn’t store the car in the container, I wanted to move together as much as possible.

The side of the well-maintained cobblestone road was lined with two- and three-story buildings, most of them hybrids of wood and baked brick. Compared to Piratus, the buildings seemed better constructed.

“Hmm. The quality of the soil used for the bricks is worse than Pilates, but they’re baked sturdily, so they’re stronger.”

“You can tell that at a glance?”

“Hmph. That’s because I’m an inventor.”

“Sure.”

We continued through the bustling town. The streets were straight and orderly, unlike the maze-like layouts often found within city walls. Seeing all the carts and carriages constantly coming and going, I could tell this country was commerce-focused too.

After turning left onto a main street and driving for a few hundred meters, something extraordinary came into view.

“What’s that?”

“That’s Sevites’ famous Infinite Water Jar.”

“Wow, you know a lot.”

“Hehe, it’s common knowledge.”

Lalaila twisted her body, embarrassed. She then continued explaining.

Apparently, we were on a main road that runs north-south through Sevites, and we were just approaching the large central park. The south side of Sevites ends at the River Liberi, so the road stops at the port.

Up ahead, I could see a lookout platform protruding from the castle on the right. Hanging below it, by chains, was a massive jar pouring out an endless stream of water.

As we entered the central park, I could see that the round park’s center was dominated by a massive fountain. Or rather, it wasn’t exactly a fountain, since the water wasn’t spraying up.

Crowds of people were gathered around, enjoying the mist. Though no one was allowed to enter the water collection area, people were freely using the drainage water to quench their thirst and fill their water bottles.

There were also many soldiers patrolling the square, directing the flow of carriages. When they saw our camper, they were wide-eyed for a moment, but they simply guided us through, too busy to ask questions.

After passing the park, we finally arrived at the bar we were aiming for.

“The Beautiful Water Jar Inn.”

They could’ve been more creative with the name.