「…….…This is seriously bad, isn’t it?」
I checked the purchase order.
The amount written was 10 million yen.
A sum completely unrelated to a freshly turned sixteen-year-old high school student.
Hmm… I should probably cut it down.
At least to a tenth of this.
If I reduce the order any further, it will switch from a bulk order to individual purchases, significantly increasing the unit cost.
But if I mess up—
「Wait, what the hell am I doing!?」
It had been a month since I, Kurumizato Karen, started working part-time under Mizuno-shishou*.
TN: Used for teacher or master. It is different from sensei since it’s used for master-disciple relationship.
That’s right—part-time.
I’m not a full-time employee.
And I’m definitely not an executive.
So why am I sitting here drafting a 10 million yen purchase order!?
…No, I know exactly why.
Everything started when I hit Level 15 and learned a skill called Basic Magic Tool Crafting.
It’s a downgraded version of the Magic Tool Creation skill that Mizuno-shishou has.
…No, maybe calling it a downgrade isn’t entirely accurate.
Magic Tool Creation allows a person to craft various magical tools as long as they have the recipes.
Basic Magic Tool Crafting, on the other hand, doesn’t let you craft anything new even if you read a recipe.
But in exchange, it lets you create a specific magic tool (which varies by individual) without needing a recipe at all.
Since magic tool recipes are extremely valuable, being able to craft anything without a recipe is a huge advantage.
However—
The only thing I can create is a Magic Stone Lantern—a device that uses magic stones as fuel to emit light.
A completely useless item.
Magic stone fuel conversion has already advanced to the point where electricity can be generated from magic stones.
There is absolutely no reason to create lanterns that burn raw magic stones for fuel.
On top of that, this lantern requires a ton of expensive dungeon materials to craft.
Each one costs between 100,000 to 200,000 yen to make.
Apparently, if I keep mass-producing these lanterns and increase my Basic Magic Tool Crafting proficiency, I’ll eventually be able to craft other magic tools.
But to reach that point, I’d have to spend billions—if not tens of billions of yen.
When I complained to Mizuno-shishou about it…
That’s where everything went wrong.
『Haah… My second skill turned out to be completely useless.』
『Oh? You sure about that? Why don’t you try making one first? You might see things differently once you do. I checked the material list—it’s all common dungeon materials. Hmm… How about crafting a few?』
『Eh? But, Mizuno-shishou, I still have a ton of Capture Ball replicas to make!』
『Don’t worry about that. Thanks to you, we’re way ahead of schedule. Instead—here, you can handle the ordering process. No worries, I’ll teach you if you get stuck!』
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And that was how I ended up learning how to fill out purchase orders.
I thought I’d only be making one, but since we were already crafting, shishou decided to put them up for sale.
That meant we needed to make at least ten at a time.
Then she said, “Might as well go for 200.”
Apparently, the optimal order size—where material costs dropped—was 100.
But when I actually put together the order for 100 units and saw the 10 million yen price tag, I realized—
This was a terrible idea.
I should definitely scale it down.
If I cut it to 10 units, the cost would drop to 1.3 million yen.
Still a ridiculous amount.
I currently earn 400,000 yen a month working three days a week, thanks to my base wage plus commission.
Which, let’s be honest—
No normal high school student working part-time should be making that much.
And also, wasn’t this supposed to be a weekend-only job?
How did I end up working three days a week?
…Oh. Probably my own doing.
Even so, 1.3 million yen was a lot of money.
Shishou had told me not to worry about making a loss.
But there was no way I could just not worry about it.
「Haah… This is basically power harassment, right? I mean, even if you’re going to entrust work to someone, there should be a proper process. This is just forcing trust onto me.」
「Forcing trust, huh… You might be right.」
「Geh!? Mizuno-shishou, you were listening!?」
「Well, yeah. It’s just the two of us here—you think I wouldn’t hear you?」
I had just been talking to Mi-kun, my beloved cactus.
Talking to houseplants helps reduce stress and organize your thoughts, but the downside is—
People in the same room can hear everything.
「It’s scary placing a huge order for something I don’t think will sell.」
「Then why don’t we make just one as a sample first, and only produce more on a made-to-order basis?」
「…That would help a lot. If someone actually wants them, I’ll make them properly. So please, let’s do that.」
「Alright, got it.」
And just like that, the materials arrived.
Shimmering fish scales.
Pure white magic stones.
And Mithril.
The magic sand used for making glass was already stocked in the workshop.
Apparently, it had been kept as a material for crafting mirrors—
…Wait.
Shishou doesn’t make magic mirrors.
She doesn’t, right?
When I asked, she told me to stop thinking about it.
That she wasn’t making them anymore.
When I pressed her further—
She asked me, “Are you prepared to shoulder the darkness of this world?”
Okay, got it.
I won’t ask.
Nope, I definitely do not have the resolve to bear the weight of the darkness of this world.
Alright—time to make the Light Lantern.
That said—
「Yeah, I really need to focus when making my first magic tool.」
「You say that, but you’re slouched in a concentration-destroying sofa. Not very convincing.」
「Well, I’ve kinda gotten used to working while sitting on this thing.」
The first thing I bought with my paycheck was Mi-kun, my beloved cactus.
The second was a sofa exactly like this one.
Sure, sitting in it makes it easier to lose focus.
But now, I can’t seem to be satisfied with any other chair.
Thanks to Mizuno-shishou’s gentle yet strict training, I could now shape materials to the exact image in my mind, down to 0.1 millimeters.
But maintaining the highest level of quality meant I couldn’t just approach this half-heartedly.
Especially now.
This time, I wasn’t just focusing on appearance—I had to get the performance right, too.
That meant I needed to focus twice—no, three times—as much as usual.
Just like Mizuno-shishou, who was currently working in absolute silence.
「…………」
「Hm? What is it, Karen-chan?」
「…I was just thinking—Shishou’s magic tool crafting is always so beautiful.」
「Jeez, what are you saying all of a sudden?」
But it wasn’t a weird thing to say.
Back when I first started working, I didn’t realize it.
But now—I could see it.
Mizuno-shishou’s posture when crafting magic tools was truly artistic.
Like how a master tea brewer isn’t just defined by the flavor of their tea, but by the grace of their movements as they prepare it.
Magic and technique flowed seamlessly from his core to his fingertips.
Even though he was sitting in a people-destroying sofa, he remained utterly composed.
Watching that—
Imagining that—
I wished for the same.
(I want to create magic tools as beautiful as shishou’s.)
I tightened my grip, poured my focus into my craft—
And then—
「…It’s done.」
The Light Lantern was complete.
I inserted a single Black Magic Stone—which cost a ridiculous 400 yen per piece—
And in the next instant—
A brilliant light radiated from within.
I adjusted the brightness.
「…It’s beautiful.」
It was just a lantern.
But it was my lantern.
Maybe—just maybe—this was how Thomas Edison felt when he created the first incandescent bulb.
That thought crossed my mind.
But in the end—this was just an ordinary lantern.
No one in their right mind would spend tens of thousands of yen on something like this—
Or so I thought—
-0-
「Karen-chan. About that lantern… We just got an order for 1,200 units.」
Mizuno-shishou told me this—one week after I had crafted my first lantern.
「Wha—!? W-Why the hell is this happening!?」
「I had a friend appraise your lantern, and apparently, its light carries a faint holy magic effect. It’s weak, though—it’s only strong enough to purify the lowest-ranked Undead.」
「H-Holy magic…? But it’s weak, right?」
「Yeah. The only monster it can reliably kill is a Ghost.」
Ghosts—monsters found on the fourth floor of dungeons.
They’re immune to non-elemental physical attacks, making them a pain to deal with.
Sure, being able to kill them is great, but the ones struggling with Ghosts are low-level explorers.
I highly doubted any of them would shell out a fortune for my lantern.
「You see, Spirit Orbs—which Ghosts drop—are in severe shortage worldwide. Recently, they discovered that by converting Spirit Orbs into bullets, they could deal guaranteed damage to monsters overflowing from dungeons. But here’s the problem— To kill a Ghost, you need to either cast magic or throw a jade magatama. But not many people can use magic—and those who can become powerful quickly, meaning they don’t need to farm Spirit Orbs for money. As for jade magatamas? Their prices skyrocketed along with Spirit Orbs. Now imagine—if a tool that anyone could use to easily kill Ghosts was suddenly invented… Oh, and by the way—Unlike jade magatamas, which are single-use and can be dodged, your lantern is durable and guaranteed to hit.」
「…Wait.」
「First, the Ministry of Defense ordered 100 units.」
「…Huh?」
「Then, once the news spread, orders started pouring in from all over the world.」
「Ano…」
「I realized the situation was escalating, so I closed orders an hour after opening them. But—before that happened— We had already received 1,200 orders.」
「…Are you serious?」
「Karen-chan. You said, ‘If someone wants them, I’ll make them properly.’ So don’t worry! I’ve already placed the material orders, there’s plenty of time to meet the deadline, and I’ll make sure you get the highest commission rate possible. Oh, and I pulled some strings to get you registered as a full EPO corporate member, so you’ll get tax exemptions and earn more compared to selling these yourself.」
「…That’s not the problem here…」
「……Well, if you really can’t do it, I can turn down the orders. But I’ve got my hands full with other work, so I won’t be able to help. What do you think?」
Mizuno-shishou looked at me with genuine concern.
I thought about how much work she already had on her plate…
And somehow—
I felt like I shouldn’t let this break me, either.
「…I’ll do my best. As much as I can.」
I might have to add another workday.
It’ll be fine.
I’ll make it work.
「Thanks, Karen-chan. But really, don’t push yourself too hard. You still need to help with Capture Ball production on top of this.」
…Might have to add two days.
And—
I decided to buy another cactus.
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[Question]
How much will Karen’s salary be? Answer in ten-thousand-yen increments.
By the way, by consuming potions, Karen’s physical fatigue is completely nullified. Thanks to the effects of Mi-kun and Laa-chan, her mental fatigue is also nonexistent. Therefore, she will not collapse from overwork.
(Excerpt from the 2025 Mizuno Industries Employment Exam)
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AN: Mizuno & Karen’s endings are getting a bit predictable, so next time, I’ll try approaching the story from a different angle.
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