Chapter 4: Kirio Drugs’ Work Environment

Chapter 4:
Kirio Drugs’ Work Environment

 

“DOCTOR?”

“What’s the matter, Ejil?”

It was a nice, peaceful afternoon. I was watching the store with my part-time employee, Ejil, who happened to be the demon king.

“I’ve got a dream, Doctor.”

“Excuse me?” I replied, standing behind the counter and gazing outside.

Ejil looked in the same direction, arms folded. Not many customers had visited the drugstore today, so blather like this was all Ejil and I had to keep us busy.

“I want to peek into a women’s bath,” Ejil said, a distant look in his eyes.

“You call that a dream?” Again with the dumb plans. What is he, a junior high school student on a field trip?

“I’d like you to create a treatment that lets me look inside one.”

“Ejil,” I said with a distant expression of my own. “That dream only persists because it’ll never come true.”

Ejil flinched. My words were apparently a shock to his system. I felt his passionate gaze on me. “Doctor, by asking you to help, I…I nearly crushed my dream myself!”

That really shook him, I mused. Anyway, what the hell kind of “treatment” could make the walls of a women’s bath see-through?!

According to my medicine-making skill, however, I could apparently create some product that’d let Ejil peek.

A treatment to keep him from getting caught, huh?

If I made something like that, Ejil would no doubt use it nefariously. I glanced at him. He stared back with an extremely emotional—and kind of creepy—expression.

However, I was curious about something, so I decided to have the demon king get the materials for the product. “Can you give me a hand, Ejil?”

“I’ll do anything within my power!”

Honestly, Ejil makes a better vassal than a king.

 

***

 

Later, a magic circle glowed in midair, and Ejil immediately appeared from within it. He’d gotten his hands on some rare materials. “Is this everything, Doctor?”

“Yup. Much obliged. As thanks, I’ll make sure to schedule you to work with Noela for a bit.”

“Doctor!” Ejil attempted to passionately embrace me.

I dodged and headed for the lab. “Hey, Noela!”

The door opened, and she trotted in. “What, Master? Making medicine?”

“No, I don’t need help with that. I’d like you to watch the store while I work, all right?”

“Ejil here today.”

“I know, I know. Consider it a favor to me. I’ll give you a fresh potion later.”

“Groo!” Her ears perked up. “Noela work! Put up with Ejil.”

She hates him so much that she has to remind herself to put up with him? Damn.

Granted, Ejil wore his heart on his sleeve. I was sure he’d strike out with any girl, to be frank.

I watched Noela hustle out of the lab, then started my work. As a business owner, I was wondering about something, and this new product would help clear it up.

Following my medicine-making skill’s instructions, I combined the materials Ejil found with stuff I had on hand. I mixed in the “EX”—or whatever the last ingredient was—and shook the bottle, creating the end product. It glowed as usual.

 

Super Invisiblize: Makes user temporarily invisible to others.

 

“Great. It worked.”

No, I wasn’t planning to use this stuff to peek at women in the bath or changing room. I was going to look at something a little more boring—so to speak.

Well, time to give it a try. I sipped the super invisiblize and let it travel through my body for a moment. When I glanced down at my hands and feet, they were still plenty visible.

I cocked my head. “Nothing’s changed. Does this stuff even work?” I wondered, making my way to the kitchen.

“What should we do for dinner?” Mina asked, turning in my direction.

Yeah, she can see me just f—

“D-did the door just open on its own?!” she stumbled over her words, looking terrified.

On its own? What’s she talking about? I opened it myself. Wait…does she not see me?

“It’s a ghost! There’s a ghost in the house!”

She, of all people, has no right to say that! I waved my hand in front of Mina’s face. “Reiji to Mina! Can you hear me?”

“Is that you, Mr. Reiji?!”

Okay. So she hears my voice, but she can’t see me wave. It seems like I’m actually invisible.

Now that I’d confirmed the super invisiblize’s effects, I headed into the drugstore.

“Noela, is there a type of guy you’re into?” Ejil was asking Noela. She didn’t answer. “I personally like beautiful, cuddly, sometimes-standoffish women.” He glanced shyly at the werewolf girl over and over.

“…”

She ignored him entirely.

Ejil’s attempt to describe Noela didn’t charm her at all. Do they always interact like this?

Noela’s nose twitched, and she sniffed the air. “Master? Smell Master!”

“Noela, the doctor’s in the lab.”

Although she couldn’t see me, she sniffed again, head tilted. Noela can smell me, but she’s the only one who can.

Ejil panted. “I…I also want to…to smell you, Noela!”

Noela didn’t even try to hide the pure hatred in her eyes.

I’m sure folks who are into this sort of thing would thoroughly enjoy this exchange.

“Noelaaaa, baaaby!” Ejil tried to corner Noela but tripped over my foot instead. “Bwah!”

As his full weight crashed to the floor, he slammed into a drugstore shelf, smashing some merchandise. This is all on you, kid.

“Master requested. Give Noela fresh potion. But now…” Noela’s tail drooped sadly as she looked at Ejil’s mess, defeated. She then headed for the living room.

“Noela, darling?!”

If this was how Ejil usually acted with her, no wonder she hated his guts. “You realize Noela despising you is your fault, don’t you?”

“D-Doctor! Are you speaking to me telepathically?!” Ejil glanced all over the room.

Not quite, but whatever. “No more sexual harassment. And that doesn’t just go for Noela! It goes for Mina and Vivi too. If I catch you doing anything, you’re gone immediately.”

“Hrmph! You call sniffing her ‘harassment’? Laughable!”

Nothing about this is laughable. Stop trying to smell her! “As far as I’m concerned, sniffing her is harassment, period. You better be careful.”

“I-If you say so, Doctor.”

I should call him the Harassment King from now on. “I’d prefer not to axe you, so show some restraint.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jeez. “And be sure you clean up this mess.”

Ejil cocked his head. “Doctor, do you have some kind of invisibility powers?”

“Master’s smell here!” Noela called. She sniffed all over the house. “Smell here for sure!”

I headed back to the lab the long way to avoid her. I had no idea when the super invisiblize’s effects would wear off, so I decided I might as well build up some backstock.

Whack!

Noela threw open the door and barged into the lab. “Here!”

She’s darn good at this.

She trotted around me sniffing up a storm, paused, and then plopped herself onto my lap as I sat cross-legged. “Garroo? Feels familiar.” She turned toward me, tilting her head. “Knew it! Master!”

Our eyes met. Huh? “Can you see me?”

“Noela see! But not till now.”

“Ah. I get it. This invisiblize stuff only lasts about ten minutes.”

Hmm. I figured your average adventurer would love a bottle of super invisiblize; it’d be perfect for helping them flee from a bad spot. On the other hand, if the product made it into the hands of a creep like Ejil, they’d do whatever they wanted with it.

“Not worth the trouble,” I muttered, patting Noela.

“Groo?” Noela, obviously unable to follow my train of thought, cocked her head at me.

Hearing Ejil tidying, I popped into the drugstore.

“Ah, Doctor!” Ejil exclaimed. “I heard your voice in my head earlier. You forbade harassment from now on!”

“‘From now on’? I don’t recall allowing it before!”

If I was going to maintain an appropriate work environment at Kirio Drugs, then I just might need to keep the super invisiblize under lock and key for now.