Chapter 197. Lick & Stick Enterprises
After kissing Ivy goodbye, I made my way to the shop. The market District was slowly coming to life as vendors began opening their stalls, and lucky for me, I found Banji unlocking our store as well.
Her face lit up as soon as she saw me.
"Asher. I was wondering when you’d show up," she said, pulling me into a warm, sisterly hug.
She always treated me like a younger brother.
"Had some family stuff last night," I explained as we parted. "Sorry I couldn’t make it."
She tapped my shoulder lightly. "Don’t worry about it. Yesterday was a big day for you after all."
I smiled. She looked great in a gray dungaree that stopped just above the knees, paired with black leather boots and a cap that gave her a confident, tomboyish edge.
"Where’s Kelly?" I asked.
"She hasn’t arrived yet," Banji replied, then sighed. "She’s still finding her footing. Balancing the ledger’s been tricky, and she was nervous about carrying the day’s cash alone. It’s a lot for someone new... but she’s committed. I think she’ll catch on."
"Yeah, that’s not an easy adjustment," I said thoughtfully.
I made a mental note: we’d need a proper system—a safe place to store money. My realm could work. But I wasn’t ready to bring Kelly into that world just yet. Introducing her to Rose and the others... wasn’t something I could take lightly. Tamed or not, demons weren’t exactly easy to introduce to strangers. It had taken fights and no small amount of compromise for Rin, Tama, and Rose to coexist. Maybe I’ll just make her manage at the forest for a while, and not in the town where my waifus live.