|
Tea Shop Owner
|
Ara, Jamil. It’s been a while. Did you come home for the fireworks festival?
It’s an important event for those of us raised in Silk City, after all.
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
Yes. Kalim had plans to make his rounds greeting everyone as well, so I returned with him.
|
Tea Shop Owner
|
Besides, doesn’t being back in your hometown put you at ease? Make sure to refresh yourself while you’re here.
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
…I shall do that.
|
Tea Shop Owner
|
Your friends should enjoy themselves too. Here you go, have a black tea leaf bag for free, everyone.
Please continue to get along with Jamil.
|
Trey
Trey
|
Of course, thank you very much.
|
Timeskip
|
Fabric Shop Owner
|
Welcome, dear customers. Please let me know if you require anyth…
Oh, what do you know, it’s Jamil. What’re you doing? I’m sure you’re not running an errand for Kalim-sama.
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
Today, I’m showing the folks from Night Raven College around the city.
|
Fabric Shop Owner
|
Splendid. However, this isn’t a shop for students.
We only handle specialty products for high-class customers, like the Asim family.
It’ll be troublesome to have someone foolishly attempt to fly on one of my carpet products.
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
That occurrence was extremely rude of Kalim-sama… Back then he was just a child who lacked sensibility.
Also…
|
Malleus
Malleus
|
Fumu, there certainly are some wonderful fabrics. Although it they don’t seem to be magical…
|
Fabric Shop Owner
|
Young man, please don’t touch. That’s not something that a student would be able to afford!
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
Wait…!!
(Urk, what kind of behavior is that to the next head of the Valley of Thorns…! They’re right about the quality of their products, but the owner themself is problematic!)
Ahem… This honorable person is my master’s school friend, as well as the next head of a certain country.
Currently, he is visiting the Scalding Sands in secret… I’d like to request you refrain from such rude speech and behaviors.
|
Fabric Shop Owner
|
Eh…!?
|
Malleus
Malleus
|
Indeed. This trip was made possible thanks to Asim’s invitation.
For them to be so friendly with a shop that turns away customers… Does that not affect the esteem of the Asim family?
|
Fabric Shop Owner
|
Is that so! Jamil-kun, you’re so mean. You should tell me something that important ahead of time.
I shall bring some tea over. Also, I’ll prepare some coasters as a souvenir for everyone.
|
Grim
Grim
|
They’ve completely changed their attitude from before.
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
They’re going through the trouble of setting out tea. Let’s be grateful and take a rest.
It’s this heat. If we run around to the stores too quickly, we could get fatigued half-way.
|
Timeskip
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
Now that we’ve rested… Which shop should I show next?
|
Fruit Shop Owner
|
Ohoh, isn’t that Jamil!
Stop by for a bit. We have an abundance of fresh fruits for you to choose from!
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
It has been a while. I see you’re in the Zahab Market today.
We stopped by the silky melon stand in the Camel Bazaar earlier, but I did not see you there…
|
Fruit Shop Owner
|
That’s right. I got called here because we were lacking in manpower.
The chic atmosphere of the Zahab Market doesn’t quite suit me much, but I’m making a profit, so I can’t complain.
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
I’m pleased to see you are prospering.
|
Fruit Shop Owner
|
Oi, Jamil, you’re being super refined today. Where’d that brat with a mischievous streak go?
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
As one aspect of my position, I am currently showing my master’s school friends around the city.
Even if it weren’t so, I cannot be rude to my senpai from Night Raven College.
|
Fruit Shop Owner
|
Gahaha!! So you’ve finally learned to respect your elders too. Man, isn’t that moving.
To think that that rascal who sneakily swiped melons from the storefront is a student at the prestigious Night Raven College…
|
Trey/Jamil/Malleus
|
!!
|
Grim
Grim
|
I feel you, Jamil. Eating nicked food is much more delicious than eating things normally, yanno!
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
Don’t compare me to you!
Sir, you remember I just didn’t have the money on me that day, and I came back another day and paid for it!
|
Fruit Shop Owner
|
Of course. I won’t ever forget it. You wrapped the money for the melon in a scrap sheet of paper and silently left it on the counter.
What a clever kid. You knew that if you had apologized directly, I’d have scolded you, right?
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
LIKE I SAID!! PLEASE DON’T JUST START TALKING ABOUT STUFF LIKE THAT!
…Hah. Th-then I’m going to return to my guide job…
|
Malleus
Malleus
|
Viper, there’s no need to hurry. Enjoy your conversation, no need to worry about us.
|
Trey
Trey
|
Yeah, it’s as Malleus says. Besides, we’re also interested in how past Jamil was like.
|
Fruit Shop Owner
|
What down to earth young men! You’re fortunate to have such good senpai, Jamil.
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
Sir, please leave it alone already. Even my senpai are teasing me now.
|
Fruit Shop Owner
|
My bad, my bad, as an apology, I’ll treat you to one of my finest pineapples.
|
Grim
Grim
|
Funyaa~~~!! Even though it hasn’t been cut yet, it smells so sweet and delicious!
|
Fruit Shop Owner
|
Oh, is the kitty going to eat the pineapple too? Then I’ll cut it into fifths and put them on skewers…
Like that. Here you go, young man with the horns and young man with the glasses too, I hope you all enjoy!
|
Malleus
Malleus
|
This… are we supposed to just chomp on the fruit directly from the skewer?
|
Grim
Grim
|
chompchomp! Ku~~ It’s sweet and juicy and delicious!
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
Of course it is. When it comes to fruit connoisseurs, no one is more superior than him.
|
Fruit Shop Owner
|
Gahaha! How flattering. Enjoy the festival, boys!
|
Timeskip
|
Malleus
Malleus
|
This store is… a crockery store. Viper, I will take a look at this shop.
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
I understand. It would be dangerous if your purchases bump the shelves, so I shall look after your bags.
I’ll be sitting on the bench outside, so once you are finished, please give a shout.
|
Malleus
Malleus
|
I got it.
|
Grim
Grim
|
Hm, we can’t eat tableware so. We’re going to go look at the baked sweets shop over there!
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
Prefect, please watch Grim carefully.
|
1. Got it.
|
2. I’ll do my best…
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
…Trey-senpai, are you not going to go look at anything?
|
Trey
Trey
|
We walked around so much, you know. I’ll take a break and watch the bags with you.
And also…
Thanks to you, we were really taken care of everywhere we went. Is the reason you’re so well connected because you often come by to make purchases?
I had imagined that the super wealthy would have established merchants coming by the home instead…
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
I believe it is exactly as you imagine. Regular vendors visit the Asim home on a regular basis.
|
Trey
Trey
|
So, how did you become acquainted with the shop owners?
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
Like with the fruit shop earlier, there are many shops that have stalls in both the Camel Bazaar and the Zahab Market.
When I was in middle school, I’d often detour through the Camel Bazaar with my friends.
And, well, things happened.
|
Trey
Trey
|
Like stealing food?
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
Urgh…
|
Trey
Trey
|
Hahah. It’s a side of you that I can’t even picture based on the you I’m familiar with.
But I can see how you enjoyed your time as a middle schooler by watching your demeanor in the market,
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
That’s true. Middle school was the first time that I had time to myself, and had my own world.
I made friends that I could talk to freely, study together, practice dance with, make fools of ourselves in the city…
It was my first experience with arguing and ignoring them too… …If I think about it now, it was for absurd reasons though.
|
Trey
Trey
|
…I see. I’m glad that you seem to have many good memories of your hometown.
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
Well, there are still many old-fashioned customs left which are pretty difficult to deal with.
|
Trey
Trey
|
That’s pretty harsh. With that way of talking, I might think you hate Silk City.
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
I can’t say that I like it without reservation.
|
Trey & Jamil
Trey & Jamil
|
…
|
Trey
Trey
|
Malleus and them don’t seem to be coming back at all.
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
That’s true, they’re taking a lot longer than I would have thought. Is it possible they went outside from a different exit?
|
Trey
Trey
|
That’s bad, if that’s the case we should go search for them…
|
???
???
|
Ooh, that’s an amazing lamp, yanno!
|
Jamil
Jamil
|
That voice… said something about a lamp. Trey-senpai, let’s hurry and check it out!
|