The deliberation room of the Bantan Civic Hall was a small chamber surrounded by stone walls. Morning light streaming through the window illuminated the documents on the long desk in white. Five examiners. Two Rock-Body clan members, two Beast-folk, one Flower-Petal clan member. Plus Daichi and his two companions, and Geev Torvan. The room felt heavy. Geev stood in the same position as yesterday. An elderly Rock-Body clansman over two meters tall. Gray skin, deep wrinkles, cold eyes. No emotion anywhere. Just quiet and heavy. He opened his mouth. "[cold]The Extinction-Race Expulsion Ordinance, Article 4"" His voice was absorbed into the walls. "[cold]Commercial activity by extinct races is prohibited as a disruption to continental order—the wording of the statute is clear. A protection petition permits residence, not commercial rights. The issuance of a broker's certificate falls outside the scope of permissible authorization under the system."" It wasn't emotional. He wasn't shouting. He was simply stating it as a matter of procedure. Daichi tried to open his mouth. But nothing came out. He knew nothing about this world's laws. Coming from outside the system, he had no linguistic footing. He didn't even have a way to verify whether the statute he was citing was correct. He could only stay silent. Lilith stepped forward. Her silver hair swayed, and her heterochromatic eyes—one cyan, one gold—looked directly at Geev. "[serious]The protection petition was formally accepted in accordance with Bantan regulations. There are no formal defects whatsoever."" "[cold]I acknowledge that. That's why I permitted residence. But commercial rights are a different matter."" Geev countered quietly. Two of the examiners tilted their gazes slightly toward him. Lilith tried to open a statute book. She pulled out a thick volume from her bag and began flipping through pages. "[serious]Regarding the scope of application for Article 4... just a moment, here—"" Flip. Flip. Flip. She stopped. Lilith checked the spine of the book. It read "Commercial Trade Regulations, Volume 3." "[scared]...Volume 3."" "What do you mean?"" "[sad]Article 4 is in Volume 4... it's not in Volume 3."" Lilith bowed her head. Small, but definite. Geev waited in silence. His expression suggested he had time. One of the examiners coughed. Standing beside Lilith, Daichi suppressed the urge to look up at the ceiling. A tense silence, gradually becoming awkward, spread through the air. Help me, Daichi thought in his heart. ―――――― It was Kelvin who broke that silence. A sound. The soft rustle of fabric. When Daichi glanced to the side, Kelvin was standing. His deep green hair tied back, his left hand's leather glove touching the edge of the desk. In his right hand was a single ledger. An old ledger. The cover was sun-faded, the corners slightly bent. You could tell it had been carefully preserved. Kelvin walked. One step, two steps. He stood before the examination platform and quietly placed the ledger down. "[serious]Please examine this."" That was all. The examination chief took the ledger in hand. He began turning pages. His hand stopped partway through. Geev looked at the ledger. The color of his stone-like face—changed. "[cold]...Where did you..."" It was the first time. Geev had spoken words other than procedural ones. "[serious]I recorded it while employed. I simply didn't discard it."" Kelvin looked at Geev. His vertically-slit eyes narrowed quietly. Within the ledger, dates, amounts, and names were lined up. A record of what the Torvan Company had been collecting from small merchants in Havassa—evidence of double-charging under the guise of a market tax (8% of sales), meticulously documented date by date. The Bantan—a self-governing organization established 78 years ago following the "False Grain Rebellion" to oversee commercial transactions—was founded on the principle of protecting fair trade. The contents of this ledger directly contradicted that founding principle. The examination chief looked up. He directed his gaze toward the other examiners. No one said anything, but the atmosphere in the room had completely changed. ―――――― Some time later, the examination chief spoke. "[serious]Geev's objection is hereby dismissed. Following examination of the ledger's contents, the objection itself is determined to be pressure based on actions that contradict the Bantan's supervisory authority. The issuance of the broker's certificate is approved."" Lilith's face brightened immediately. A magical circle pattern appeared on her fingertips, glowing softly. Orange letters floated up on the deliberation room wall. "Congratulations" That's what it said. The examiners all looked at the wall at once. "[scared]I-I'm sorry, it's a habit..."" Lilith covered her mouth with both hands and bowed her head. Kelvin silently looked away. Daichi watched the examiners while suppressing a laugh. The examiners themselves looked somewhat troubled. Geev rose from his seat without ceremony. ―――――― The exit of the civic hall is at the bottom of stone steps. Geev descended with heavy footsteps. Daichi and the others followed. The sky was blue. The sounds of Havassa's streets returned. Market voices, the sound of carts. The usual sounds. At the bottom of the steps, Geev turned around. "[cold]I acknowledge being exposed for my dishonesty. However—I did not lose in commerce."" His voice was emotionless. Neither anger nor resentment. The words of a merchant. Daichi met Geev's eyes. He had to say something. He couldn't just stay silent here. "I'll... accept that challenge."" He said it. But. Lilith whispered softly. "[whispers]It should be 'I'll accept the challenge,' not 'I'll accept that challenge.'"" "Wait, I said I'd accept it."" "[whispers]Your ending was off. Be a bit clearer."" Geev's eyes narrowed for just a moment. Without saying anything, he walked away. His back receded into the distance beyond the stone pavement. Daichi sighed. "Somehow, I feel frustrated."" Kelvin answered briefly. "[serious]That's fine."" The three of them stood on the stone steps in silence, watching until Geev's figure disappeared from view. ―――――― They returned to the abandoned workshop in the early afternoon. The ruins of a former Spin-Mage's workshop—a stone single-story building about 90 years old, roughly 40 square meters in floor area—was a place Lilith had rented for 0.5 zekta per month. Three rows of shelves, refrigeration shelves with cooling transfer plates built in, a cooking area and storage in the back. No merchandise was displayed yet, but that would change today. Lilith brought a wooden board. "Yorimichi" was written on it by hand. The letters were round and soft. "I'll add magical luminescence to it."" "Thanks."" Lilith stood in front of the wooden board. The magical circle pattern on her fingertips began to glow. Her face showed concentration. Her mouth set in a straight line, she poured in magical power— Whoosh. The sign shone so brightly it was impossible to look at. It was like staring directly into sunlight. The area in front of his eyes turned white. Daichi squinted. "That's too bright."" Kelvin silently looked away. "[sarcastic]It's about the atmosphere."" Daichi and Kelvin looked at Lilith simultaneously. "You said that before too, didn't you?"" "[serious]You did."" Lilith reduced the light output a bit. Then a bit more. On the third adjustment, it reached just the right brightness. A calm light that gently illuminated the darkness of the alley. The three of them attached the sign to the alley wall. Kelvin confirmed the position, Lilith fixed it with magic, and Daichi checked with his eyes to make sure it was straight. After finishing, Daichi stood beside Lilith and looked up at the sign. "Yorimichi" was written there in soft light. Lilith spoke. "[gentle]We've opened, haven't we? Yorimichi."" "Yeah."" Lilith looked at Daichi's profile. Daichi noticed—and their eyes met. Just for a moment. Somehow, he felt embarrassed. "So what are we stocking starting tomorrow?"" He immediately switched to practical matters. Lilith laughed softly. "[gentle]I'm thinking of starting with smoked tusked-boar skewers and grain dumplings in an onigiri style."" "Let's add the honey-magic drink too. It's sweet and easy to drink."" Kelvin listened with his arms crossed. "[serious]I'll verify inventory tonight. Place orders first thing in the morning."" "Thanks."" "[serious]Understood."" The three of them stood side by side, watching the sign's light. A small light had been lit in Havassa's alley. ―――――― Night fell. Lilith and Kelvin had left earlier, and Daichi was alone finishing up the workshop. He wiped the shelves, organized the tools, swept the floor. Midway through his work, his chest pocket grew warm. Daichi stopped. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver crystalline object that was radiating heat. As he held it in his palm, it pulsed at a steady rhythm. Thump, thump. Like it was alive. In that instant, his vision wavered. He saw it. A twilight alley. White light spilling from a convenience store window. A friend's voice heard from far away—"Daichi, did you go that way?" That voice. Less than a second passed before it vanished. In his hand remained only the crystalline object, its pulsing stopped. Daichi stared at it for a while. He could go back—maybe. There was definitely that possibility. This crystalline object knew something. Something connected to the original world. He thought about it for a few seconds. Then he put the crystalline object back in his chest pocket. Outside the abandoned workshop, the "Yorimichi" sign quietly illuminated the alley. That soft light fell on the stone pavement. Daichi looked at that light, then turned toward the cooking area. "...Well, I have things to do here for now."" He began preparing for tomorrow.