"I see. That's fascinating… and disturbing at the same time."
I say this while looking at my two customers. The fact that we come from different worlds is surprising.
Suzuki Satoru comes from a futuristic world ruled by corporations, a world that sounds downright depressing. Pollution is rampant, and equality no longer exists with corporations governing entire countries. Everything revolves around profit.
That means the poor become even poorer, while the rich grow even richer. It is a bleak, dystopian world—definitely not a place I'd ever want to visit.
On the other hand, Satoru Mikami comes from a world similar to mine. The only real difference is that he's from the year 2010, while my world is still in 2008—a two-year gap.
Aside from that, there isn't much else that separates our worlds.
There are a few minor differences—certain anime, music, and movies exist in his world that don't exist in mine, and vice versa. But other than that? Nothing major.
"And I'm surprised I arrived in Kyoto without even realizing it."
Satoru says this while taking a sip of his water. Suzuki nods in agreement.
That's another thing that surprised me. Both of them had been staying in Tokyo before arriving here, while my shop was located in Kyoto.
Right in the middle of the city.
"So? What do you plan to do now?"
Suzuki asks me while eating his third serving of curry.
"I don't know. There's not much I can do, I guess. Other than asking you guys for some future knowledge—like which stocks I should invest in."
Suzuki nods, then suddenly perks up.
"Oh! Can I stay in your world? As you can see, my world is not exactly livable. I'd rather stay here if possible."
I shrug and say,
"I don't mind. There's an empty room at my place you can use. But… I am worried about your identity. Even in 2008, technology is advancing fast, and I don't know if that'll become a problem for you later on."
Satoru nods in agreement.
"Me too. The last thing we want is for the police to arrest you for not having any legal records."
Suzuki groans, rubbing his temples before letting out a deep sigh.
"You're right."
I pour him another glass of water and say,
"Don't let it get to you, Suzuki. You can visit our world whenever you want to get some fresh air. Visiting shouldn't be a problem, I think."
Suzuki perks up at that and grins.
"You're right! Thanks, Ryuuji!"
"Just call me Ryuu."
The three of us chat for a while until it's time for them to leave. They pay for their meals and walk out of the shop, smiles on their faces.
I watch as they open the door to my shop… and step back into their respective worlds.
Another interesting thing I learned about my shop is that it changes locations depending on who opens the door.
If Satoru opens it, it leads to his world.
If Suzuki opens it, it leads to his world.
If I open it, it stays in my world.
And that's not all.
There's an invisible bubble surrounding the shop that ensures nothing happening inside draws unwanted attention.
What do I mean?
I mean that as long as we're inside this bubble, we could be walking around naked, and no one outside would think twice about it.
Not that I'd ever test that theory, but hey—it's good to know.
I shake my head and glance at the money Suzuki and Satoru left behind. A portion of chicken katsu curry costs 750 yen. I sold five portions in total, meaning I made almost 4,000 yen in a single transaction.
Most of that came from Suzuki—he ate three servings.
For most restaurants, that wouldn't be much.
But for me? It's pure profit.
I grow most of my ingredients myself. The spices? Homemade. Grown, harvested, and ground into powder on my Celestial Farm.
The grinding process is handled by a machine I purchased from [Celestial Shop].
To buy that machine, I had to sell almost a ton of raw goods.
Selling raw produce isn't profitable. It barely gives me a few hundred CC for all the seeds I purchased using my starting currency. I only get a hundred CC profits from the seeds I bought using my starting CC.
That's another reason I delayed opening my restaurant after awakening my powers.
I shake my head and glance at the money in my hand.
Suzuki's yen looks… different.
It's from the future.
I wonder if the system will accept it.
Just as I think that, a notification pops up.
[Do you want to exchange the money for Celestial Currency?]
I blink. Then, a grin spreads across my face.
I wonder what the exchange rate is?
I press 'Yes.' The money disappears from my hand.
[You received 3,750 Celestial Currency!]
I blink again.
A 1:1 exchange rate?
Perfect.
But… what about currencies from other worlds? What if they are coming from a world that does not use Yen?
[They will see the prices on your menu in the currency of their world.]
I pause.
"…Finally talking, huh? Can you tell me more about yourself?"
I wait for a response.
Nothing.
After a few seconds of silence, I sigh.
Back to ignoring me, huh?
Oh well.
While waiting for more customers, I open the shop interface and start browsing.
First priority—seeds.
A single potato seed costs 1 CC. Or, I could buy twelve for 10 CC.
The more I buy, the cheaper it gets.
After thinking for a moment, I decide to buy 100 seeds for 80 CC.
Each seed produces fifteen potatoes per harvest.
Each potato is around 300 grams, and with 100 seeds, that means I'll be harvesting around 360 kilograms of potatoes.
That's a huge amount, considering I only use them as food ingredients.
I shake my head and restock other supplies as well. Coffee beans, watermelon, sweet potatoes, and a unique plant called Summer Rice.
The last one intrigues me.
It's a special grain that produces a delicious rice variety—and, according to its description, consuming it provides a slight health bonus.
I need to start improving myself.
Why?
Because my shop is connected to other worlds.
And I have no idea what kind of people might show up.
What if some of them are dangerous? I don't want to be killed by them.
[Don't worry. The shop will protect you as long as you remain inside. Once you leave… we can't guarantee your safety.]
Oh.
Fantastic.
Anything else I should know?
Silence.
I sigh and continue browsing the shop.
The doorbell chimes.
I look up—
And see a beautiful woman standing at the entrance, panting heavily.
I blink.
Then, my eyes widen.
"…Nico Robin?"