52: The Neighboring Wallace and Karen Couple / Reconciliation Ribbon Hat / Ice Water Under the Blazing Sun 2

At the “Witch Hand Craft” gift shop, Shelland branch.

A sign indicating that they are preparing to open was hung, but the preparations for opening were almost complete. The renovations were already finished, and now curtains and shelves were being delivered.

“How should I put it, it feels really bright, doesn’t it…!”

“It’s a pity about Matthew. He should have left after seeing this.”

“Absolutely. It’s troublesome that he’s a drifter despite making that face.”

Carol, Garda, and Maureen murmured in admiration as they looked at the interior.

“Right? I tried a bit harder with the curtains. If I had my way, I would have liked to use window glass, but that’s something I’ll have to hold back on.”

“Well, that can’t be helped. You’re not going to live here forever, or it might get stolen.”

Glass products, like white porcelain, are high-end items.

While they could be made on Argenes Island, there are simply too few artisans. Glass-making requires strong heat and a furnace that can withstand it, and the method used on Argenes Island required skilled magicians who could handle both fire and earth.

However, over the past twenty years, wars involving many nations have continued, and many glass artisans were conscripted into the military, with a growing sentiment that “if you’re going to be an artisan, you should be a brave soldier instead.” Rebellions were still rampant, and it would take time for such an atmosphere to dissipate.

Incidentally, the same situation applies to white porcelain, with few artisans available. However, white porcelain is more commonly used for tableware than glass. Additionally, tea masters protected porcelain artisans, so they weren’t facing as dire a crisis.

“It would be great if glass could be made without magic… But I feel like I might break it, so I’m a bit scared.”

When Carol said this, Jill chuckled softly.

“But glass can also be repaired with kintsugi.”

“Huh!?”

“Since the glued surface will be visible, it requires some creativity, like applying gold leaf, and it’s more difficult than pottery. But the basic process of repairing it with lacquer doesn’t change.”

The three looked at Jill, who spoke as if it were nothing, with blank expressions.

“Master… Can’t you make a living just from that? Just by showing up at the noble houses and fixing tableware, it could earn you a decent amount of money, right?”

Maureen said with an exasperated tone, and Jill tilted her head.

“Is that so…? Kintsugi has a strong visual impact, so whether everyone will accept it is uncertain. For now, I plan to use kintsugi items for tea and light meals and see the reaction.”

“No, I predict that the wealthier people will react more sensitively. That’s exactly to the tea master’s taste. It might cause quite a stir.”

“I would be happy if that happens.”

Jill responded with a carefree tone.

Seeing that, Garda and Maureen smiled wryly.

They had a strong feeling that it would turn into a big fuss as usual.

“But are you both, Garda and Carol, okay with your time to help out?”

“I had some free time since I finished the delivery. Besides, it’s my disciple’s independence, after all. I have to help.”

“Well, thank you very much, Master.”

Jill said playfully, and Garda laughed cheerfully.

However, on the other hand, Carol had a somewhat gloomy expression.

“I’m just a high-class idle NEET, so…”

“I-I see… If you don’t get a job, should I ask you to help watch the store?”

“I’m really sorry for always being in your debt, but if that happens, I’d appreciate it…”

Seeing Carol on the verge of tears made Garda feel uncomfortable, so he deliberately raised his voice.

“Well then, let’s get to organizing the interior! We just hung the curtains, and we have to arrange the shelves and display the items—there’s a lot to do!”

“That’s right. What kind of arrangement do you have in mind?”

Jill smiled broadly, as if she had been waiting for this.

“About that… I’m thinking of making the theme of this store tropical!”

“Tropical?”

“Yes! I want it to be a place where people can enjoy a sparkling atmosphere like a resort with a view of the sea.”

Then Jill pointed to the curtains.

The curtains indeed evoked the feeling of “the sea.”

They were made of warm-toned white linen, dyed halfway in a deep navy blue.

Nearby, colorful potted plants were placed.

Even in the pre-arrangement stage, there was a vibrant allure.

“I plan to create a spacious area by the window, with curtains and potted plants as a backdrop, and place several dress forms dressed in aloha shirts, dresses, and straw hats.”

A dress form is a torso-only statue, resembling a mannequin without arms or legs, used to display clothes.

“That sounds great. It seems like it would be easy to grasp the image.”

“Then I’ll place shelves in the center of the store to arrange clothes and accessories… For the kintsugi tableware, I’m thinking of displaying it behind the counter.”

“Are you going to use it instead of sell it?”

Carol asked curiously.

But Jill shook her head.

“No, I’ll sell it. However, since they are fragile items, I don’t want them displayed alongside the clothes. If I’m going to showcase them, that’s about the only place.”

“I see. So customers can admire the tableware while sipping tea over the counter…”

“Exactly. I think displaying it will increase the number of people who want to buy it. Also, if there are people who genuinely want to buy the curtains and shelves, I’d be open to selling those too. The only things I don’t want to sell are the items I actually use for serving, like tableware, the counter table, and kitchenware.”

“So everything is for sale… What a strange store.”

Carol sighed in admiration.

“Alright, enough chatting—let’s get to work! Let’s move, move!”

Maureen clapped her hands.

They placed shelves, arranged products, and the store began to fill with color.

From here, it was the official start.

A moment of overwhelming emotion surged within Jill.

Suppressing the urge to cry, Jill also raised her voice.

“Then, let’s do our best!”

◆

In a corner of the Shelland town.

There is a street with a somewhat suspicious name, “Mitsudan Yokochou,” which means “Secret Talks Alley.”

This place was once a battleground for coffee shops. Many coffee shops had been born and failed, so there were always many people coming and going. There were rumors that high-ranking nobles would visit incognito seeking reputed flavors, making it no surprise who was entering and exiting.

For that reason, it was an ideal place for secret talks and clandestine meetings, sometimes used by inexperienced young people as a date spot, or by merchants for confidential discussions they didn’t want leaking out, or even as a rendezvous point for those who had partners.

However, that was a thing of the past. The coffee shop and restaurant boom had faded, and to avoid the dubious image of “secret talks,” many had relocated or closed down, leaving it as an ordinary residential area. The final blow to the trend was the closure of the coffee shop “Andromalius.”

The surrounding residents deeply sympathized with the unfortunate death of the coffee shop owner and began to fear it. Anyone who tried to touch that coffee shop was invariably haunted by ghosts. The cries of a thief who had snuck in and shouted, “A ghost appeared!” still vividly echoed in the ears of the residents.

Amid such dark memories, construction began at the site of the now-dilapidated shop.

“Hey, honey… do you know?”

“Oh, what is it, Karen?”

Wallace and Karen, who lived next to the haunted house, had been residing in this street for about ten years. They built their house just as the coffee shop boom began to settle down and the land became cheaper. Their friends laughed at them for living on Secret Talks Alley, but they didn’t mind at all.

Wallace had accurately predicted the future of Secret Talks Alley. Its value as a bustling area would continue to decline, eventually transforming into a calm residential neighborhood. His prediction turned out to be correct. Restaurants went out of business and turned into vacant lots, and houses began to be built following Wallace’s lead. More and more people not involved in the food industry moved in.

The only miscalculation was that the coffee shop next door had met an untimely end and had become a haunted house.

“About that abandoned house next door…”

“That topic again…”

Wallace grimaced openly.

To be honest, he was extremely tired of this topic. He had felt deep sympathy and sadness when he heard about the owner’s death, but that was already seven years ago. For years, no one had claimed the property, weeds were growing, and some inconsiderate individuals were dumping trash in front of the empty house.

Cleaning up had unofficially become the job of Wallace and Karen. While the neighbors didn’t directly ask Wallace to clean up, they imposed a silent pressure on him. For instance, at residents’ meetings, someone would deliberately say, “It would be nice if someone nearby would clean it up.”

Moreover, delinquent youths tried to use the place as a hangout, forcing Wallace to step in and say, “Stop it, it’s a nuisance to the neighborhood,” and “You should stop; you’ll be cursed by evil spirits.” He said this half in anger and half out of concern, but the delinquents mocked him, saying, “There’s no such thing as a ghost.” Naturally, the delinquents fled, screaming in terror after being struck by the imagined spirits.

It would have been fine if it had ended there, but the delinquents began to take their resentment out on Wallace and Karen. They vandalized and damaged the walls of the couple’s house. There was even a time when a delinquent’s parent barged in, yelling, “It’s your fault for not properly warning them!”

Amidst all this, the vacant building finally found a new owner. For a moment, Wallace felt a glimmer of hope at the prospect of receiving management fees and compensation for the inconvenience, but the new building owner had no such financial leeway. The new owner turned out to be a young girl, barely in her twenties. When he inquired about the situation, it seemed she had been saddled with an inherited property with no one willing to take it on.

When Wallace explained the troubles they had experienced, the new owner, Carol, bowed her head so deeply in apology that it made him feel guilty, and she began to clean up the surrounding area with tears in her eyes. It was clear she had no money to hire a cleaning service.

It was something that would be obvious upon reflection. A building only generates money when it’s used by others. Owning a run-down home that can’t even be renovated before it’s rented out is like inheriting nothing but debt.

Both Wallace and Karen, being kind-hearted, decided to help with the cleaning. They were both good-natured and didn’t excessively blame others, so the stress turned inward.

One day, Wallace muttered, “I shouldn’t have built a house here.” This remark triggered Karen’s anger and escalated into a marital quarrel.

While it was Wallace who had to deal with the delinquents, respond to the delinquent parents, and chase away the stray mice, cats, and dogs that intruded, it was essentially Karen who handled the daily cleaning, persistent troubles, and dealing with unpleasant neighbors. They both felt a sense of pride in their efforts.

“Talking about that again… you really shouldn’t phrase it like that!”

“Isn’t it okay to do it on my day off? I really don’t feel good about discussing it on a weekday night!”

“I’ve been picking up the trash and pulling weeds, and putting up with the snide remarks from the house across the street! So don’t phrase it like that!”

“I’m not blaming you!”

“Besides, you were the one who decided to build a house here!”

“That’s true, but I had no idea it would turn out like this! I’m trying to save for a down payment to move!”

“That’s just an excuse! You’re always coming home late!”

Both thought to themselves, “I shouldn’t have said that.” It wasn’t that the other was at fault, so neither was willing to back down. But they also didn’t feel they were in the wrong either. It was a vicious cycle of tumultuous emotions.

“I’m sorry, let’s stop.”

“…I’m sorry, I’m just tired. I’ll listen properly. I was wrong.”

“I heard they’re going to renovate that haunted house.”

“What?!”