An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

"...Before that, I want to go somewhere important."

"Hmm? So you've already decided where you want to go? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Hajime asked with a puzzled look on his face. Shia shook her index finger at him and said:

“Tsk tsk tsk… Hajime-san, this is a surprise. Hehe, in a way, it’s also a gift for you!”

"Hmm? From a certain angle? A gift? What do you mean?"

"It's just underwear, Master."

"Didn't you just buy it?"

"No, Master didn't help us choose just now, and he didn't even come into the store."

"Of course I can't go in. The other female customers would be very uncomfortable. And it would be a good opportunity for you to practice paying the bills yourself."

"That's right. So let's forget about this. But, husband—"

Remia smiled gently, and in front of all the eavesdroppers, she spoke without blushing or breathing heavily—

"I haven't bought the underwear I'll wear tonight."

"What are you talking about?"

The crowd watching looked at Hajime in astonishment.

"...My mother-in-law said that as a wife, in order to please her husband, she must have at least one or two sets of sexy underwear."

"I don't want to know my mother said that."

"At the time, we told my mother-in-law, 'We already have Todas... no, we already have foreign styles,' but she said, 'So what?' We all agreed with her."

"There's nothing much to agree with. Can you be a little noisy?"

My mother openly allowed erotic underwear!? What kind of family is this?! Many surprised eyes were focused on Hajime.

“…Hajime, you really don’t want to?”

Yue leaned over and snuggled up to Shi, her eyebrows raised, and she tilted her head pitifully as she asked. Shi could only react reflexively.

"No, of course."

After answering with a serious face, Mr. Hajime looked like he had suddenly come to his senses.

"That's a natural reaction," the men around them all agreed. The women, on the other hand, looked at them with a mixture of indifference and concern.

Of course, Hajime's answer made Yue and the others very happy.

"...Yeah. I checked the store's location beforehand, so I'll be there soon."

"Wait, Myuu is too young to go to places like that. I'll take Myuu somewhere to kill time, you guys—"

“Mr. Hajime, what are you talking about? It’s meaningless if I don’t let you choose it yourself, is that even necessary!?”

"Myuu, for the sake of the future, please come with me this time and see what this has to offer."

"Idiot Tio, stop talking nonsense! You're just corrupting Myuu—"

"Dad! Myuuu needs to study too!"

"Myuu!?"

"Myuu, when you grow up, let your father help you choose."

"Hey, does that mother over there know what character education is?"

Hajime couldn't help but narrow his eyes and glare at Remia, who was joining in the booing. However, at this moment, Yue and Shia simultaneously surrounded Hajime from both sides, holding his arms tightly.

“…Alright, Hajime, let’s go.”

"You have to carefully, slowly, and meticulously select for us."

The two of them smiled brightly, refusing to let Hajime escape. It seemed that for them, night combat equipment (which meant something profound) was their main purchase today. Hajime looked up, a headache aching.

"...Oh, never mind. Honestly, I'm a little happy."

"Honesty is a good thing, Master."

"That's a good thing! Hmm!"

"Oh my, oh my~ Oh hehe~"

The young man was forcibly dragged out of the store by two beautiful girls. The beautiful mother and daughter and another beautiful woman also followed him out with smiles on their faces.

The atmosphere emanating from this group was eerie, to say the least. The crowd blocking their path, overwhelmed by this aura, automatically moved aside like Moses parting the sea. The stunned crowd could only watch in astonishment as they went about buying adult underwear.

"Thank you for your patronage! We look forward to seeing you again! Dear customers, the new autumn collections those customers just purchased are still in stock!"

The female clerk shouted with her strong business spirit, and only then did the stunned crowd come to their senses.

Needless to say, this mysterious group of beauties became the talk of the town in the shopping mall for quite a while.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

The sun sets and the sky darkens.

In a residential area, a group of people walked on the street where the street lights were already on.

Miao was very excited all day today, and finally ran out of energy on the tram on the way back, and fell asleep soundly in the arms of Shi's father.

Although they had experienced more arduous journeys in the other world before, Yue and the others were tired and satisfied because the things they encountered and saw today were too new.

“…Hajime, thank you so much for today.”

Just as Hajime was contentedly savoring the afterglow of their first date, Yue, who was walking beside him, suddenly looked up and said this.

"You're welcome. Are you having a good day today?"

"Of course I'm happy, Hajime-san! I'll definitely ask Kaori-san and the others to come along next time!"

"Lily is surely looking forward to the day I can visit here. The view from that tree-like observation tower, and the skyscrapers dotting the horizon, I'd like to enjoy it with her next time."

"Just like my husband said, this world is as colorful as a 'box of surprises'. Oh, haha, I've been so excited too, my heart is beating fast."

They all expressed their most sincere feelings with innocent smiles.

After the morning commotion, we had lunch at the food court in the shopping mall to enjoy a variety of dishes. After lunch, we continued to explore the mall.

During lunch, Hajime worked on adjusting and improving the artifact's cognitive impairment, so the group wasn't as conspicuous as they had been that morning. However, while browsing the cosmetics store, they still attracted attention because they spoke directly to the staff.

The crowd expressed their frank reactions to the various convenient home appliances, and were also filled with admiration when they saw the elevators and escalators.

Later, Hajime decided to buy at least one gift for each of them as a commemoration of their first date, so he took them to a jewelry store. However, when the clerk came over to greet the beautiful customers with a smile, Yue and the others all expressed doubts.

—Hajime will make accessories for us anyway, so is there any need to buy them?

The group of beauties simultaneously expressed their deepest bewilderment, causing the smiling shop assistant to put away his expression.

After leaving the shopping mall, Hajime took them to several famous tourist spots and finally had dinner in a private room of a Japanese restaurant.

"...Yeah, it was really fun. Hajime showed us a lot about Hajime's world."

"Is that so...that's good."

For Yue and the others, the most important thing was that Hajime personally accompanied them. Her joyful eyes expressed her feelings more clearly than any words could. Shia and the others nodded in agreement.

"It's all thanks to Master that we pushed ourselves for this concubine."

Tio suddenly said this, causing Hajime to open his eyes wide and turn to look at her.

Seeing her raise the corner of her mouth smugly, Shi realized that he had been tricked by her and narrowed his eyes.

"That's so unromantic, Tio."

"Forgive me, Master. However, you were only a student before being summoned. It seems you don't have the financial support of your father-in-law or mother-in-law. So, you must be forcing yourself to go on this trip. That's what I think."

As expected of Tio. No matter how perverted and regrettable she was in her daily life, she was still a rational and thoughtful talent at heart.

In fact, what Tio said was absolutely right. Hajime had been frequenting Sou and Sumire's workplace since childhood, and as he grew up, he had enough skills to help out in the workplace and receive a work-study allowance that matched the market conditions.

Apart from buying video games and books, Shi usually has almost no other expenses, and the amount of savings is much higher than that of teenagers of the same age.

In addition, to be on the safe side, he also processed the gems that were also found on Earth in the "treasure house" into jewelry and sold them to prepare enough funds for the date.

He spent all his savings on a day of dating today.

"Even though you're aware of it, you're still spending money recklessly."

“…Of course. Since Hajime says it’s okay, we should try our best to accept Hajime’s kindness.”

Yue answered for Tio, and at the same time, she leaned in and rubbed against him, acting like a spoiled child. It seemed that not only Tio but everyone else had noticed.

Perhaps their thanks just now also included this matter.

"...You don't want us to be cautious or polite, do you?"

"But I'm still ashamed that you guys saw through it."

Of course, Cho and Sumire had offered to help, but Hajime declined.

Honestly, this was just Hajime's own impulsive behavior, a pointless insistence that couldn't be refuted. However, Hajime simply wanted to give gifts to Yue and the others on his own, purely for the sake of his dignity as a man.

"Hajime-san, there's nothing to be ashamed of! We're very happy!"

"Yes, I'm really glad. Thank you, Hajime-san♪"

Shia and Remia also came closer as best they could. Although this made walking more difficult, Hajime was smiling happily.

"So, why did you specifically bring this up?"

Hajime glanced at Tio. He believed she had a good reason for bringing this up.

"Well, I'd like to confirm something."

"Confirm what? My deposit balance?"

Hajime asked half-jokingly. However, Tio stared at Hajime with an extremely serious expression.

"Master once half-jokingly said, 'Selling equipment with practical effects can make a fortune,' right? It would be a waste not to use alchemy magic after returning home."

“…I’m surprised you still remember something like that.”

One time when they were chatting over a meal, they talked about what they wanted to do after returning to Japan, and Hajime did say this at the time.

"Nothing, but based on my understanding of Master, and what happened today, I think Master might actually be planning to do that. Isn't that right?"

Although it was a question, Tio showed a smile that was almost confident. Hajime's eyes widened at first, but then he smiled bitterly.

"You really see through everything."

Hajime wanted to have enough financial resources to at least provide Yue and the others with food and clothing without having to rely on others. Hajime had begun to seriously consider this matter when he was preparing to return to Japan.

After returning, Shi also asked Chou for advice on entrepreneurship-related experiences and prepared little by little.

"so what?"

"Yes. What I meant is that when the master officially starts his business, I would like to help."

Yue and Shia listened quietly, while Remia looked at Tio with a look of sudden enlightenment. Tio looked up at the twinkling stars in the night sky and continued:

"Master, Yue, and Shia will all be attending school from now on. So what can I do? I've been thinking about this."

Hajime had said that Tio could do whatever she wanted here. She could use magic to change her appearance and age, go to school with everyone, and try out various jobs. Cho and Sumire were happy to find her a job, and even hoped she would come and help out at their workplace.

Faced with the various possibilities enthusiastically offered by the people around her, Tio finally made a decision.

"I want to live a down-to-earth life. I want to achieve a 'social status' worthy of everyone in this world."

This could be considered a vow. Tio vowed to live a good life in this place that was like another world to her.

"Right now, I lack even common sense. I know this road ahead is long, and I still have much to learn. However, there is plenty of time. And then, I will use the knowledge I've acquired with great difficulty, and the way of survival I've chosen—"

Having said this, Tio looked at Hajime again. Her upright eyes revealed the honesty that was innate in the dragon people.

"Become your helper, Master—as a family member."

Hajime and Tio walked, staring at each other quietly.

Yue and the others watched them silently from the side. Then, Hajime spoke in a low voice.

"Actually, I plan to formally confirm it again after the New Year."

Shixian breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Yue and the others, his expression looking somewhat embarrassed and worried.

“Ask you if you think you can survive here.”

In some ways, this world has more restrictions than Todas in every way. The culture and common sense are completely different.