"Buying... household supplies?"
The owner froze.
He blinked his tiny, beady eyes twice and looked at the stern-faced Shakti.
Then he looked at Haimo, who stood beside her with a spear in hand, looking utterly relaxed.
His brain stalled for three seconds.
The Military Police Captain... accompanying someone to buy furniture?
What kind of pairing was this?
An undercover inspection?
Or a sting operation?
Whichever it was.
The owner understood only one thing-this god was definitely no ordinary figure!
What kind of connections did he have to make the Military Police Captain follow him around like a bodyguard?!
"Ah! So that's it! So that's it!"
The owner instantly recovered, and his smile immediately became much more sincere.
"What might you be looking for, my lord?"
"We're one of Orario's finest furniture stores. Whether you want Elf-style wickerwork, Dwarf-style stonework, or, well... Amazon-style..."
"Something simple will do."
Haimo interrupted the owner's endless sales pitch.
He surveyed the dazzling array of luxury goods in the store.
"I want something sturdy and durable."
"Preferably something that can take a beating."
After all, considering the terrifyingly destructive members of his Familia, especially Sasamori Aya, who could dismantle a Gundam with her bare hands, ordinary furniture probably wouldn't last three days.
"I'll also need quite a lot."
"Enough to furnish seven or eight rooms."
"No problem! No problem!"
The owner nodded repeatedly.
"As for the price..."
"Price isn't an issue."
Before Haimo could speak, Shakti spoke up beside him.
Without any change in expression, she took a checkbook bearing the Ganesha Familia's emblem from the money pouch at her waist.
"Charge everything to the Ganesha Familia."
"Or I can pay in full right now."
"??!"
At those words.
The owner's pupils trembled all over again.
Chapter 36: The Deep-pocketed Ganesha Familia
And this time, it was literal.
The owner's tiny eyes, already squeezed into slits by the fat around them, widened so far they nearly popped out of their sockets.
The Ganesha Familia was paying?
And this famously impartial Military Police Commander was personally footing the bill?
Gulp.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed with difficulty.
Like a furtive thief, his gaze cautiously darted between Haimo's excessively handsome face and Shakti.
Curiosity clawed at him.
He desperately wanted to know just who this black-haired god was, to have the Military Police Commander serve as both his attendant and his personal cash machine.
However.
Seeing Shakti fully armed, even wearing the specially made gauntlets she used as weapons.
The alarm bells in his head instantly drowned out his curiosity.
There was definitely more to this than met the eye.
Some truly extraordinary figure must have arrived in Orario.
In that case.
All the more reason not to ask questions.
After all.
To make a living in a place full of all sorts of shady characters, anyone who wanted to live long had to learn not to ask what they shouldn't ask or look at what they shouldn't see.
The less you knew, the better you slept.
So.
The owner's eyes shifted a couple of times, and he decisively snuffed out his urge to gossip.
I saw nothing. I know nothing.
As long as there's money to be made, who cares whether he's a god or a devil!
Besides.
This was the deep-pocketed Ganesha Familia.
And so.
The owner's plaster-stiff face instantly softened into a smile sweeter than honey, and he kept rubbing his plump hands together.
"Oh, please! You needn't say another word!"
"With Commander Shakti vouching for you, what more is there to discuss!"
"Come along, my lord!"
The owner trotted ahead, eagerly guiding Haimo.
"You said you wanted something sturdy and durable?"
"Well, you've come to the right place!"
"I'm not boasting-ask anyone on North Street, and they'll tell you my stock is the toughest and most varied around!"
"I'll take you straight to the best things in our store!"
The owner's transition into extreme flattery was utterly seamless.
Haimo heard him out and readily went along.
"This way, my lord."
The owner led him to a table-and-chair set that gave off a faint, pleasant fragrance, his face full of pride.
"This Elf-style wicker table-and-chair set was handwoven by Elf artisans using ironwood vine from the Great Tree Labyrinth on the 19th Floor!"
"Not only is it breathable, but it also carries a natural forest fragrance. Sitting on it helps calm your mind, too. Nothing better for relieving fatigue..."
Haimo reached out and ran his hand over it.
It felt smooth and pleasantly warm, with excellent resilience.
It really was good stuff.
"And that's not all. There's also this set."
The owner led Haimo to the other side and pointed at a round table as black as ink.
"This Obsidian Round Table was crafted by a Dwarf master!"
"It's incredibly hard! Even hacking at it with a battle-axe won't leave a mark. Absolutely sturdy! Put this in your home, and it'll last a hundred years without a problem!"
Haimo walked over and rapped his knuckles against the tabletop.
Clang, clang.
The sound was deep and heavy, and it felt thoroughly solid beneath his knuckles.
Its hardness was certainly impressive.
"I'll take both."
Haimo nodded.
"Certainly!"
Overjoyed, the owner scribbled nonstop in his little notebook, his face blooming into a smile.
Next.
Haimo continued scanning the store.
Before long.
His gaze settled on an exceptionally large bed covered with thick white fur.
"This one."
Haimo pointed at it.
"Oh, you certainly have an eye for quality, my divine lord!"
The owner immediately gave him a thumbs-up.
"This is stuffed with cloudsilk cotton from the Far East and covered with soft belly hide from a Snowfield Giant Bear. The feel of it, oh my... lying on it is like sleeping on a cloud. It's so soft you won't want to get up!"
As Haimo listened to the owner's explanation, Tsukuyo Inaba came to mind.
After all, the girl was blind.
Unable to see, she was particularly sensitive to tactile sensations in her everyday life.
A soft bed like this, without any sharp edges or corners, should help her relax when she rested.
Besides.
Girls generally liked lounging somewhere soft and cozy.
The others probably wouldn't turn down that cloudlike comfort either.
"I'll take this too."
"Make it eight."
"Eight?!"
The pen in the owner's hand nearly fell to the floor.
But when he saw that Shakti, though still stern-faced beside them, offered no objection.
The owner hurriedly swallowed his exclamation.
"N-no problem! We have just enough in stock!"
"Also, do you have any..."
Haimo gestured, his brow creasing slightly.
"Extra-large, hard-wearing rugs or mats? Preferably something that won't tear no matter how much it's clawed?"