Business Permit Hung Straight, Half the Dinner Had Gone Cold

Before closing the shop the next day, the wooden box was finally opened.

Inside lay a dark wooden plaque as wide as a palm, its edges wrapped in a thin strip of copper. The front bore Spirit City's provisional business seal, while the back was inscribed with the shop's name. There were no other decorations.

Xia Che picked it up and weighed it in his hand. "Heavier than the one by the door."

"The one by the door only controls opening and closing." Bibi Dong said. "This one proves you can keep the shop open permanently."

"Even while sleeping?"

"Provisional business approval does not mean staying open all night."

Xia Che was satisfied.

Pancham had already picked a spot, right beside the doorframe, clear of the original Business Flip Sign and out of the way of customers entering and leaving. Standing on a low stool, it raised the plaque, checked the height three times, and finally marked two dots with charcoal.

Yue Guan stood below. "Half an inch higher would make it more noticeable."

"The eaves will block it," Ghost said.

"Move it a little to the left," Yan said.

Xie Yue looked at the door. "Opening it will hit it."

Hu Liena did not join in. She stood across the street with Eevee, checking whether the plaque could be read from afar.

"The current position is perfect," she said.

Pancham immediately began hammering in the hook.

The first strike sent the nail crooked.

It froze and secretly glanced at everyone.

Zorua's tail flicked, and the crooked nail immediately became perfectly straight. Even the charcoal marks on the wall were neatly aligned.

Metagross's red eyes swept over the wall. It extended an arm and gently pulled out the actual crooked nail.

The illusion remained in place.

Pancham saw the real nail in Metagross's hand and turned to look at Zorua.

The little fox slowly dispelled the illusion and pushed over a new nail.

The second attempt was steady.

Metagross held up the Business Permit while Pancham fastened the copper ring, then used a ruler to confirm both sides were level. The wooden plaque sat straight against the wall, its dark surface matching the shop door perfectly.

Bibi Dong took one look. "That will do."

Xia Che was still standing outside. "What changes after getting provisional approval?"

"You will pay taxes as usual. If anything outside the shop is damaged, you are responsible for repairs. Be careful with fire in the kitchen and storeroom, and keep the doors open during city inspections."

At the mention of fire, Yan silently moved one step farther from Magby.

"Who may buy Poké Balls and travel with Pokémon is still up to you," Bibi Dong continued. "If anyone tries to cut the line using Spirit Hall's name, tell them to come find me."

"You really want them to come?" Xia Che asked.

"If they dare."

Xia Che nodded. "Then there's no problem."

There was also a sheet of paper pressed beneath the wooden box.

Bibi Dong handed it to him. "Sign it."

Xia Che took it and looked first at the final line. "The shop owner may decide the daily business hours?"

"You still decide when to flip your Business Flip Sign, except in cases of fire or danger in the street."

"What about lunch?"

"Close as usual."

"Then I can sign."

Hu Liena sighed softly beside him. The entire page covered taxes, storefront maintenance, safety, and responsibility for goods, yet the first thing Xia Che checked was still lunch.

After he signed his name, Zorua immediately added a fox paw print beside it with an illusion.

Bibi Dong lowered her gaze to inspect it. "That one doesn't count."

Zorua turned the paw print into Pancham's.

"That doesn't count either."

It changed it again into the golden pattern on Metagross's front.

Metagross's red eyes fell on the paper, and the golden pattern immediately glowed. The real and fake marks sat side by side. Even Zorua thought the difference was too obvious and quietly dispelled the illusion.

Indeedee took the signed paper and placed it in the top drawer of the counter. Pancham stuck a little wooden label to the outside of the drawer, with a drawing of the newly hung Business Permit.

"That's it?" Yan asked.

Indeedee nodded and locked the drawer.

Xia Che looked at Bibi Dong. "I won't need to sign again later?"

"As long as you do not tear down the door or expand the kitchen, not for the time being."

Xia Che immediately decided he would not expand the kitchen this year.

"If anything happens, I will come as well."

"At dinnertime?"

Bibi Dong looked toward the backyard. "That depends on what is being served today."

Indeedee promptly raised the menu. Stewed meat, hot soup, round bread, and three kinds of Berries were all prepared. The sour Berry section even had a crescent-moon mark drawn beside it.

Absol walked beneath the menu and looked up at her.

"Eat first," Bibi Dong said.

Xia Che shut the last window and announced that the shop would close early today.

The long table in the backyard was even more crowded than it had been a few days ago.

Yue Guan placed the rough pottery basin on the sunniest windowsill, while Flabébé hovered at its edge with its blue flower. The pale yellow wildflower had fully recovered. Its injured stem rested against a thin bamboo support, blooming steadily.

Duskull chose the corner of the wall behind Ghost. A small dish sat in front of it, and whenever it wanted to approach the table, it would first tap twice on the back of a chair.

Eevee still sat between Hu Liena and Absol. Magby guarded its roasted Berries, Pawniard stood beside Xie Yue's chair, Metagross occupied a thickened cushion beneath the corridor, Pancham sat near the door, and Zorua declared that the empty space under the table belonged entirely to it.

After delivering the bread, A-Li had originally planned to leave. But Lillipup trotted familiarly to its own water bowl, tucked in all four paws, and lay down.

"It seems like it doesn't want to leave," A-Li said quietly.

"Then eat with us." Hu Liena pulled out an empty chair for her.

There were no extra cushions left beside the table.

Zorua helpfully conjured one that looked exactly like Eevee's. Lillipup ran over and sniffed it, then stepped into thin air. The illusion immediately dispersed.

It stood there, lowering its head to stare at its paws.

Zorua hurriedly dragged out a real small cushion from beneath the table and pushed it before Lillipup.

Lillipup stepped on it twice. Only after confirming that it would not disappear this time did it lie down again.

Xia Che picked up his chopsticks. "Can we eat now?"

Indeedee looked toward the entrance.

Pancham ran over to inspect the Business Permit once, then checked the Business Flip Sign once more. When it returned, it nodded solemnly.

The first bowl of soup had already cooled slightly.

Indeedee took it back to the kitchen to reheat. Looking at the empty bowl, Xia Che finally understood why Bibi Dong had insisted on hanging the plaque first yesterday.

"It would have been the same if we hung it tomorrow," he said.

Bibi Dong sat beside Absol. "Tomorrow, you would say the day after tomorrow."

"We could hang it the day after tomorrow too."

Pancham covered its face with its paws.

The hot soup returned quickly, and dinner officially began.

Today was the first time all the shop's regular guests had gathered together. Indeedee had prepared a wooden marker for every cup and bowl. Flames, crescent moons, round fruit, silver squares, and little foxes lined the table, while Ghost's cup still disappeared from its spot now and then.

Yue Guan looked at the fox marker beside Xia Che's hand. "Is that your mark?"

"Zorua picked it."

Zorua poked its head out from beneath the table and wagged its tail proudly.

"It suits you," Yue Guan said.

Xia Che did not ask how it suited him, lest dinner be delayed another quarter hour.

Halfway through the meal, Bibi Dong suddenly asked, "What have each of you learned this month?"

Yan answered first. "If the fire is smaller, fewer plates need replacing."

Magby nodded repeatedly.

Xie Yue said, "Wait until it has checked all four directions."

Pawniard stood quietly, the blades on its arms always pointed outward.

Hu Liena stroked Eevee's back. "What it likes today must be asked again today."

Yue Guan looked at the old basin by the window. "Whether a flowerpot is good has little to do with its price."

Ghost kept it brief. "Tap twice."

Duskull immediately tapped twice on the chair back.

Everyone looked at Xia Che.

He had just picked up a piece of stewed meat. "Food should be eaten while it's hot."

"Does that also take a month to learn?" Bibi Dong asked.

"It needs to be learned every day."

Indeedee carried away the second bowl of soup that had gone cold.

The table fell silent for a breath. Then even Ghost's shoulders shook faintly.

After dinner, the bills were settled separately as usual.

Yan voluntarily paid the remaining balance for the fireproof mat, Yue Guan paid for the last alteration to the soft carrying bag, and Ghost settled Duskull's dried Berry bill. Bibi Dong only paid for her and Absol's meal. Zorua tried to charge Lillipup's cushion to A-Li, but Indeedee crossed it out on the spot.

"The shop is treating today," Xia Che said.

A-Li hurriedly shook her head. "The bread has already been paid for."

"The cushion is on the house."

Hearing its name, Lillipup hugged one corner of the cushion.

Zorua hugged the other.

The two tugged for a while before deciding to lie on it together. The cushion had been small to begin with, and once they squeezed onto it, only their two tails remained outside.

As night deepened, everyone left one after another. The newly hung Business Permit gave off a gentle ring of copper light beneath the door lamp, while the original Business Flip Sign had already been turned to its closed side.

Xia Che stretched, preparing to go upstairs, when the system's voice finally sounded in his mind after a long absence.

[The requirements for fixed companion partners and basic operating conditions have been met.]

[The Basic Training Room and Simple Care Room may open tomorrow.]

He stopped on the stairs.

Indeedee looked up at him.

"Tomorrow, we'll have to open two more doors," Xia Che said.

Indeedee had already taken out the key tags and begun arranging the cleaning.

"Sleep first."

The key tags were placed in his hand.

There came another two light knocks from outside.

A-Li stood beneath the steps, with Lillipup still pressed against her shoes. She held the three-day trial companionship card, and Indeedee had colored the final square green.

"Boss Xia," she asked, "after the new rooms open tomorrow, can people without soul power still apply?"

Xia Che looked at Lillipup.

Lillipup dragged its new cushion a little farther inside, clearly having already answered for itself.

"Yes," Xia Che said. "Remember to bring breakfast tomorrow morning."