“Hey! Tuona, got any booze at home?” The hunter slipped over to Tuona’s house and quietly asked the man of the house.

The strong, dark-skinned man shook his head. “I’d like to stock some up, but Xilika won’t let me drink. I’m going into town tomorrow to pick up some more from Tori. I can save you a bottle. How’s that?”

“What’s one bottle gonna do? It’s all because of those two! I hunted a Fluctuator-level monster yesterday. I was going to sell it, but I could share some with you. You’ve gotta give me at least—at least… five bottles of booze, though!”

“Five bottles is too many! I can’t hide that much! Tori gives me a set amount of booze every time!”

“She’s your adorable daughter, isn’t she?! Just—just talk to her a little. As long as Xilika doesn’t find out, sneaking a bit extra shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Tuona hesitated for a long while. “…I’ll try. But I can’t promise anything! I’m telling you now—if I can’t get it, don’t blame me!”

“Hey! What are you two talking about? Is Marlo trying to buy something? Your mother told me not to let you buy booze. She says you’ve been getting a little hooked lately. Drinking while hunting is a bad habit.”

“No, I was just chatting with Tuona. Honestly, I’m kind of jealous of you two. Your daughter really is something. Tori was running around all over the place just last year, and this year she feels like a completely different person.”

At that, Xilika’s expression softened, and a smile spread across her face. “That’s how kids are. They grow up right under your nose. Then one day, when you haven’t even noticed, you suddenly realize how capable they’ve become. That’s one of the joys of raising a child. Marlo, you should think about settling down, too. I know a girl from the next village who dreams of a hunter’s life. Maybe you two would get along.”

Marlo waved her off. “Forget it! Only people who don’t hunt dream of being hunters. Beasts aren’t chunks of meat just standing around waiting for you to hunt them. Look at my old man. Back then, he thought he was some amazing hunter. He got married, had me, and then died when I was only nine. For a hunter, just staying alive is an achievement.”

He shook his head as he left, looking a little unhappy about not getting any booze. He didn’t exactly leave with much dignity.

Tuona looked at Xilika. “Maybe we should sell him some. He told me that drinking in the forest at night gives him the strength to overcome his fear of the dark.”

Xilika rolled her eyes. “But he’s said himself that fear is a hunter’s best guide to survival! He said it when you were all bragging over drinks here at home last time. I remember it clearly. He said that if a hunter lost his fear and his respect for monsters, he’d already have one foot in the grave.”

“You’re right.” Tuona hadn’t expected his wife to remember that, so he had nothing to say. “Still, I’m going into town tomorrow to see Tori, and I’ll bring back some booze while I’m there.”

“…You’re going? Then, um… I ground some red pepper yesterday. Take some to Tori. She likes it.”

Tuona nodded. “But are you really sure you don’t want to go to town with Tori? Her business is doing pretty well now.”

“If she’s going to school next year, I don’t mind going to help her out. But this is our home. I’ll stay here. If you want to go help, you can.”

“I’ll stay here with you.”

…

“Hey, Dad!” Tori came out of her laboratory and spotted her father carrying some booze. “When did you get here? Why didn’t you call for me?”

Tuona walked over and hugged Tori. “Tori! Lydia told me you were asleep.” He let her go, then casually asked, “How’s business lately? Has anyone been giving you trouble or anything?”

“Mm… Business is pretty good. As for anyone giving me trouble, not really. It’s just normal competition.” She thought of Mi Luosha. The Church’s nun hadn’t done anything since that day, and Tori didn’t know exactly what Ethan had done to her. From Tori’s perspective, something definitely not suitable for kids had happened between the two of them. Poor Ethan. Seven minutes…

She thought about that nonsense for a moment. “But, Dad, are you really not going to work here?”

“Tori, the things you make here are too delicate. If I tried to work here, I’d end up costing you money!” Tuona held out his hands, covered in calluses.

Tori knew her dad wanted to stay with her mom, but her mom seemed to want to stay in the village. Maybe that wasn’t a bad kind of happiness. Being content was a wonderful quality. Unlike Tori, whose desires were a bottomless pit—making money brought her joy and satisfaction.

“Oh, by the way, Uncle Marlo asked me to bring him a couple more bottles of booze. He’ll pay, of course. But his mother told your mother not to sell him any, so… what do you think?”

“Ah… that. That’s fine, I guess. But if something happens to him in the forest because he’s been drinking, I’ll have a hard time explaining it. The booze I brew is pretty strong, so it’s easier to get drunk on it, and that makes trouble more likely. Why not bring him something else instead, like wine or ale? He only asked you because the village doesn’t sell booze and he doesn’t want to make a special trip into town, right? Just bring him something different.”

Tori rummaged around the shop and found a few bottles of booze. “While you’re at it, these bottles are pretty good. Take them home and have them with Mom. They’re some of the best you can get in town. But since Young Master Ethan isn’t around, I don’t have any occasion to use them. I can pick up a few more later.”

Then she grabbed a bag.

“These are Minor Healing Potions. Say you cut your hand while cooking—drink one of these and you’ll heal pretty quickly.” She then put a green potion into the bag. “This is a formula I came up with myself. I call it a Minor Stamina Potion. Ethan thinks it’s useless, but you can drink it when you’re tired and your energy will come back quickly. Just remember, okay? It restores your stamina, but it can’t replace food completely. You still need to eat when it’s time to eat.”

She thought for a moment. “Do you need Meditation Potions? I can bring some of those, too. They’re not technically something I’m allowed to sell, but… I can buy some myself.”

“No need for those. Your mother and I don’t have any talent for magic, so using those Potions would just be a waste of money.” Tuona was firm in his refusal. “But, Tori, you can already make these Potions… You’ve completely surpassed your mom and me.”

Tori planted her hands on her hips, looking proud. “Heh-heh~ These are no big deal!”

“Lydia, my father and I are going to look around town and buy a few things. Keep an eye on the shop with Grandpa Yabu, okay~?” she told Lydia.

Then Tori changed into her custom-made outfit and walked down the street with her father.

“Tori, you don’t have to come shopping with me. I can just take everything back with me.” Like most men, Tuona wasn’t particularly fond of shopping.

Tori shook her head. “It’s not like I came along just to shop with you! I want to buy some things for you to take home. I didn’t have much money before because I wasn’t getting a cut from the Meditation Potion sales, so I didn’t come shopping with you. But now I do, and I’ve had my eye on a few things for a while. This is the perfect chance to buy them and send them home with you.”

“What things?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

Tori led her father to a blacksmith’s shop.

The moment the voice of an eight-year-old girl rang out in the shop, a burly middle-aged man—who looked quite a bit older than Tuona—came out to greet them. “Well, if it isn’t Miss Tori, the shopkeeper of Witch’s House! This way, please!”

He rubbed his hands together. “And who might this be?”

“This is my father.”

“Please, please, have a seat, sir.”

Tuona felt a little uncomfortable. “You can just call me Tuona.”

“Mr. Tuona—it’s a pleasure to meet you.” The man turned to Tori. “Miss Tori, are you here to order some more custom glassware?”

“Not this time. What about that magic book I looked at before? Is it still 80 silver coins?”

The man smiled. “I’d love to give you a discount, but my costs are already pretty high.”

“This magic book can only record Fluctuator-level spells. If it could record Mediocre-level spells, it’d sell for at least five or six gold coins. You have to understand, neither Weak-level nor Fluctuator-level spells have decisive power. They’re only tools, or ways to provide support. Eighty silver coins is too expensive.”

Tori settled into a slow-bargaining stance. “You know tuition at the Magic Academy is only one gold coin. Those are completely different things. You’re asking for 80 silver coins for a magic book that’s only useful for support. Honestly, if we didn’t work together so often, I wouldn’t buy it from you.”

“How about this? Since we work together so often, I’ll give you ten percent off. But I hope you’ll keep giving us your future orders.”

“Ten percent off?”

Tori gave a soft laugh. “Then I might as well go to a magic-item shop and buy that magic book that can record Mediocre-level spells. It only costs six gold coins there. If I really wanted it, I could afford it. I’d just have to wait a little longer, and I’m not in a hurry. What do you think?”

“…Twenty percent off. That’s my limit.”

“Deal!”

Tori bought the magic book and handed it to her father. “You’re a Fluctuator, right, Dad? You can record your spells in this book whenever you have a spare moment. Then, if you ever run into danger, you’ll be able to use them. It’s a kind of safety measure. You should also take some magical trap tools home with you. I’ll give you some of the poison I made, too. Whatever happens, I need to make sure you and Mom stay safe.”