55. The Adult Magic Shop
[A/N: Hey everyone! Just a quick note before we start the chapter.
The story has been gaining some nice traction lately, but I’ve noticed the ratings have been dropping quite a bit recently. If you’ve been enjoying the novel even a little, I’d really appreciate it if you could take a moment to leave a rating. It helps the book so much more than you might think and genuinely keeps me motivated to keep writing.
Seeing the ratings fall is pretty demotivating, so your support would mean a lot right now.
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D ]
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“So this is the place Lorraine was talking about…?”
Rena and I had immediately headed to the shop in this town that was supposedly run by the most knowledgeable person when it came to magic—an old man called Roro-jii.
On our way here, we asked several women about Roro-jii. For some reason, they would either frown or blush when they pointed us toward the store we could now see in front of us.
I had no idea why they were reacting like that earlier, but the moment I saw the signboard hanging at the front of the shop, I finally understood.
“Please let this be a misunderstanding on my part…”
Trying not to look at the words “Adult Magic Shop” written on the sign, I reached for the door and stepped inside.
Cling-clang. A bell-like object attached to the door rang, announcing our arrival.
When I opened the door and entered the so-called “Adult Magic Shop,” the interior looked like a completely ordinary bookstore. Bookshelves lined the walls, and several rather thick books were scattered across the desk in front of us.
Nervously, I glanced at the titles on the books laid out on the desk. One of them was titled Recommendations for Everyday Magic—a perfectly normal book. The one next to it was also a standard book about magic, not at all what I had feared.
It was a bit different from what I had imagined, but every book here still caught my interest. What kind of magic existed in this world? How did people learn and use it? The thought that everything I wanted to know was right here in these books made my inner child stir with excitement.
But that wasn’t why we had come here today.
Our real objective was to find the old man called Roro-jii, so we headed deeper into the store. Behind what looked like a counter stood a young man.
“Um, excuse me.” “Yes, how can I help you?” “This might be sudden, but is there an old man named Roro-jii here?” “If you’re looking for Grandpa, he’s downstairs.” “Downstairs?” “Yes. Take the stairs over there down, and you’ll find a warp gate. Go through it and you’ll reach Grandpa’s shop.”
Just as the young man explained, there was indeed a staircase leading downward right beside us.
“Thank you.” “Ah, um!”
I thanked him and started walking, but he suddenly called out to us. When I turned around, I realized he wasn’t looking at me—he was staring at Rena, who was standing right behind me.
“You’re taking that girl with you as well…?” “Uh, yes…” “I… I see. Sorry for asking so suddenly…” “It’s fine…”
The young man took another look at my face, then quickly averted his gaze. In that instant, the imagination I had just managed to suppress came roaring back.
Honestly, I wanted to leave Rena here. But the reason I was going to consult with Roro-jii was precisely about Rena. Moreover, I had to have him examine her body.
That was why, despite the growing certainty in my mind, I had no choice but to bring her along.
The reactions of the women I asked. The “Adult Magic Shop” sign out front. And now the young man’s reaction.
They all pointed to one single conclusion.
We descended the stairs and headed straight for the entrance, which had a swaying curtain decorated with a symbol that every boy has seen before.
“Oh? Customers at this early hour?”
I heard an old man’s voice and immediately understood that this was the place we were looking for. Steel myself, I opened my eyes.
“…Yeah, of course it turned out this way.”
My prediction had been spot on.
Just like the bookstore upstairs, there were bookshelves here too. However, what immediately drew my attention more than the books were the numerous tools and devices placed on the desk.
They weren’t bookstands or small shelves.
They were unmistakably adult goods that looked strangely familiar.
“Hey, kid. Never seen your face before. Name’s—wait, whoa, you’ve brought something outrageous with you.” “I didn’t want to come to a place like this either!” “What, is it this girl’s hobby?” “No, you old geezer!” “Then why did you bring such a little girl to a place like this?” “I’ll explain in a moment. Is there somewhere we can talk? It’s kind of… hard to talk here!” “Good grief, this is why young humans these days…” “Shut up!”
The old man led us further into the back of the shop.
The space was about the same size as the bookstore upstairs, but everything on display was the kind of thing a child like Rena should absolutely not see. I glanced at the books as well, and sure enough, the spines had titles that would require a censorship beep if spoken aloud.
This old man really was exactly the dirty old geezer I had imagined.
In other words, on my way here, I had been treated like someone with that kind of hobby by multiple people.
I don’t know if Lorraine knew about this place, but if she did, she really could have warned me…