After arriving in Midmidir, Rynelle accompanied Irene to submit her application to become a new adventurer, while Hanami was dealing with trouble involving the perverted jeweler who had touched her.
In the middle of a heated argument between the vampire and the old man, he finally laughed and stopped bothering her, saying:
"My name is Thorgin Longhand. Whatever you need—necklaces, earrings, rings, hairpins, bracelets—doesn't exist? I'll make it. Ask, and I'll provide it. Private commissions cost more, and I'm not a delivery boy, so come pick up your things yourself or fuck off!"
Hanami looked at him with a skeptical expression. Out of everything he said, she replied with only this:
"Are you really proud of that shitty nickname, Longhand? You damn perverted old man."
Despite her sharp words, her tone was soft.
"Well then, young vampire, what do you need from me?" he asked, sitting down on the edge of his counter.
"Nothing for me. Something from this list."
She walked up to him, showed him Rynelle's sheet of paper, and handed it over. Thorgin took it, read its contents, and vanished—reappearing in different parts of his shop. Hanami followed him with her eyes every time he appeared, since he only said a single word before disappearing again.
"Here. This. Fine. That'll work. Sure. Obviously. Expected. Not very original."
Hanami couldn't help letting out a small laugh as she watched his peculiar way of moving around the shop. It turned into a small spectacle she ended up enjoying. When Thorgin appeared behind her again, back at his counter, the vampire turned around.
One by one, he handed over the items in separate boxes according to their size. During the back-and-forth, Hanami stepped closer, wearing the same smile on her face.
Once he finished delivering all eight items, he leaned back with shameless elegance on a small stool, pretending to clean the nails of his left hand.
"My apologies for the wait. If you have any complaints, please submit a request. Someone from my nonexistent staff will assist you."
Hanami took one of the perfectly wrapped boxes and praised him:
"Ara, you did a really good job."
"Always do," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "That'll be seven thousand two hundred ninety-nine Beerus—and two cents."
"At that price, I don't believe you're the best jeweler in Midmidir."
"My dear, I'm no scammer, nor do I love money. I charge what's fair for a fair price. Though I openly admit my products should be worth four times as much."
Hanami pulled a blue iron card from inside her white hood and handed it to Thorgin. The dwarf looked surprised and commented:
"Well now. A noble's card. Are you far from home, miss?" he asked as he took the payment.
"Probably."
"What happened this time? Family troubles, abusive parents, a forced marriage, or maybe just not fitting into that kind of life? Here you go."
Hanami smiled, sharpening her gaze.
"You've heard all those stories before?"
"Miss, I'm an old man. I know many stories."
Hanami reached out to take her card, but the moment she grabbed it, she moved swiftly and squeezed Thorgin's wrist, slamming him down to the floor. The old man screamed in pain as he was pinned to the ground.
"You're not untouchable anymore, you fucking perverted old man!" Hanami shouted.
"Let go of me! My power doesn't work if someone manages to grab me!"
"How about this?!"
Hanami adjusted him so his hips were raised. Then she pulled his pants down a little, exposing his wrinkled backside, and began spanking him over and over again.
"Aah! Help! Miss, wait!"
"You like that, bitch! You like being dominated and beaten!"
"Stop it! What humiliation do you dare inflict on me?! It hurts! I'm the best jeweler in Midmidir! How dare you?!"
"I can't hear you moaning, bitch! I want you to beg for more! Ask your daddy for more! Ha, ha, ha!"
Thorgin's screams mixed with Hanami's excited laughter. She enjoyed it so much that her laughter became completely unhinged.
"U-um, hello…?"
The timid voice of a woman at the entrance abruptly froze the laughter, screams, and blows. The three exchanged glances in an awkward silence that lasted several seconds. Then Hanami said quietly:
"We're closed."
"S-sorry… excuse me."
The woman turned around and timidly walked toward the exit until she disappeared. Hanami and Thorgin remained silent for a few seconds before looking at each other.
The vampire released him, and the old man vanished back to his counter while pulling his pants up. Hanami cleared her throat and gathered her things, saying:
"I'll take these. Thanks for the sale."
When she was close to the exit, Thorgin slapped her ass with all his strength one last time. Hanami screamed and jerked her hips forward.
"That's the tip."
Hanami frowned as she looked at him from a distance, clutching her sore backside. A frustrated smile formed on her face as she said:
"D-damn old man. I hope I never see you again."
"They all end up coming back," he declared, combing his white beard.
With that, Hanami left the shop. Thorgin smiled and let out a loud laugh once he was alone. After pausing for a moment, he muttered to himself:
"Ha, ha… She's the first woman in all my years of life who managed to catch me. Not even the heroine Vinarell Vallet managed it back in her active days. I let my guard down too much with her—guess I really have become an old man."
◇◆◇
"A cleaning mission?" Irene asked.
"Yes. The retirement home is a few streets from here. Maybe it's time you stop seeing yourself as an untouchable princess and start doing this kind of work," she commented with a playful smile.
"You just want to watch me sweep," Irene replied, looking at her skeptically.
Rynelle laughed, wrapped an arm around her neck, pulling her close, and said:
"Of course not~. It's part of your training and the beginning of your life as an adventurer."
"Yeah, right. I can hear the sarcasm from here."
"Ha, ha, ha."
Irene sighed as she walked beside her, holding the map of Midmidir, then said:
"So this is how my story begins? First sweeping a retirement home, and then killing a god? That's the classic absurd progression of any RPG."
"What are you talking about? You always mention that RPG."
"Stuff from my novel…," she sighed, walking with her ears drooping.
'Now that I think about it… what would happen if I told Rynelle I come from another world? Would she believe me? I'd like to try…'
"Come on, cheer up. It'll be fun," Rynelle said. "We'll finish by nightfall, so we'll head to the inn with Hanami."
"Yeah, sure…"