Store in Danmachi: 49

Title: The Smooth Operator

Anya and Ryuu stop in front of a familiar entrance. The sign: Humble Jackal’s, looms over the competently renovated building establishment existing for little over a month. Silver curtains cover the reinforced windowpane, and thickly painted brown walls, which contrast with the almost golden sign of the store, surround the wooden entrance equipped with an odd magical item of tiny features.

The blue-eyed elf and the brown-haired catgirl cast a glance at the gaggle of children jogging in circles around their little front yard with a Deity presiding over their exercise. Meanwhile, the supposed Matron of the orphanage isn’t out in the open—likely unable to find time to rest between her usual chores at this time of the day.

The two waitresses of the Hostess of Fertility did notice another presence looming within the Orphanage. Their heads tilt to the higher floor of the orphanage, only to meet the considering gaze of the famous Perseus. The three of them break their eye contact after a brief second. And it is only after taking note of their environment do they choose to entertain the conversation occurring within the closed store itself.

“- -are you sure?” The duo hears Jackal’s soft voice.

“Well,” replies the gentler but infinitesimally more annoying croak of the pervert if Ryuu has anything to say about the Deity. “Last night's events rattled you, and you wished for their safety, right? I have seen such stories amongst many mortals! Right! All you need to do is hold their shoulders, look deeply into their eyes, and whisper—I want you to be my queen! But I desire a lot more concubines, too—”

Anya blanches visibly despite understanding how harems work in society since none put it in so dishearteningly ‘kitty-drying’ manner that makes her prim tail’s fur stand on its end. And if Ryuu needed any more reason to agree on their Pub’s ‘Kind’ Witch’s request, it’s this right here!”

Ryuu knocks on the door calmly, the more excited Catgirl gushing beside her, “Don’t listen to the pervy-peeker, nyaa! Daddy, fight the temptations!”

The elf almost falls over her face, red dusting the tips of her ears as she sends a quiet glare toward her companion. “Stop with those names!” The elf reprimands softly to keep their voice to themselves.

“It’s Ryuu and Anya, Mr. Jackal,” Ryuu calls. “Mama sent us.”

And by gods, Jackal is happy to see them, though they cannot help but bristle slightly, almost instinctively, as his expression brightens a notch further, seeing the basket in their hands instead.

Ryuu and Anya quickly inspect the store’s interior, seeing a smiling Hermes wave at them.

“Isn’t this a surprise,” Jackal welcomes them in, pulling the chairs from a corner for them to sit across the counter as he returns to his usual seat behind the counter. The girls take a seat as Hermes chuckles and regards Jackal.

“This was a fruitful conversation. I will expect the first batch of items with bated breath.”

The real reason why he wasn’t eager to open business for all again. He can get his funds from this party and continue to live, storing his wealth to purchase a mighty tool at his given convenience should he truly need it.

‘And I have the energies from the eleven people from before,’ he nods idly in Hermes’ direction as the Messanger God leaves the store. ‘The more I think about it, the less I want to delve into memories of the likes of Phryne.’ After all, as much as it would boon him to understand Ishtar Familia with such a point of view, he will also be susceptible to all the sensations—sensations of her conquests. He can do without this shit. He can live another life without understanding how female orgasm works. It’s a daunting thought. Yes, he has suffered a lot. And yes, he strives to take on suffering to achieve his goals.

But boy! The last venture into such a Grimoire allowed him into the mind of a pedophile.

He doesn’t need to explain why that’s bad.

Just because he can endure for his goals does not mean he would willingly have his ambitions twisted with power.

‘And there are the memories of Death.’

Jackal falls into a trance. These memories are merely the first batch of the many waiting for him to unravel.

It would eventually allow him to wield his other trait masterfully—he hopes to reach such a stage before the drama of the memories.

But he still needs to get through them.

His hand lands on Anya out of recent habit, his fingers hoping to scratch the pink kitten mewling for his attention, only for his hand to land atop another’s as he hears a sudden yelp, forcing him out of his thoughts.

“Hua!” Anya’s lips thin into a cute smirk, and her cat ears perk to high heavens as she squeals, “Daddy stole Ryuu’s first time!”

“Don’t be absurd,” Ryuu sighs instead of lashing out as any other elf would as Jackal takes his hand back with a sheepish expression, “Sorry, I had my head up in clouds and thought Anya was calling for me.”

“Nyo?” Anya leans forward, pushing the basket on the counter aside with a grin.

*Meeeaaaaaa*

In ‘Anya’s’ defense, the pink kitten rises to action the next second as if aware her right-of-head scratches earn a sudden challenge. Of course, her heart may be that of a conveniently cowardly lion, but her diminutive frame that could snugly fit in Jackal’s broad palm doesn’t convince her case.

At all.

“How nyute!” Anya picks Anya, cooing over the kitten while the elf looks between the back of her hand and Jackal’s wry gaze.

“It’s truly alright.”

“I get it. I just know the Elven kind doesn’t like to get touched. I hoped to ask proper permission before asking my first elf.”

“Oh?”—is all Ryuu allows to make her curiosity known as Jackal speaks confidently, his words almost making his guest’s eyes pop wide open, “Well, Riveria, The Nine Sweetness, of course!”

Silence descends within the store except for the soft sound of Anya’s lithe fingers running across a tamed Anya.

“So? How can I help you? And are these for me?” Jackal’s gaze shifts from the girls to the two baskets as Anya grins back at herself.

“Yep! Syr was crying a river of crocodile tears in the Pub to check on you, but Mama held her ground and sent the two of us. You know, you’re one of our richest regulars! Nyehehehe!”

“And we were slightly worried, too. The recent situation must have left you exhausted,” Ryuu adds after flicking her foot against Anya’s calf. The catgirl flinches before pouting, her brown-striped tail going ramrod for a second.

“It’s alright,” Jackal shrugs as Ryuu frowns.

“Mr. Jackal—”

“Come on, drop it already.”

“Yeah, if you let Daddy touch, you have to call him by nyame!” Anya punctuates her cat-kin tongue as slight irritation flickers past the Elf’s features.

“Jackal, Ishtar Familia will not let up,” Ryuu counsels despite her slightly irritating partner. “Their Familia is well-known for holding grudges. Ishtar’s earlies rivalry with the Freya Familia started from simple matters, too. The Deities are often—”

“Bat-shit crazy,” Jackal nods as the duo flinch until Ryuu shakes her head. “Not all of them.”

“Hmm, I guess,” he nods, causing Anya to burst into giggles. “Ooh~! Someone’s thinking about the nyaughty Loki?”

“Her?” Jackal frowns and inclines his head. “I was thinking about Miach.”

His words catch Anya off-guard just enough for Ryuu to interject and bring the conversation back on track. “And the Ishtar Familia often employ underhanded means behind the veneer of imposing works of its Berbera.”

“They won’t be a problem,” Jackal shrugs. The discussion about Ishtar Familia and their next course of action cost Hermes another Spy-Stealer Disc since the man seemed much too cautious around him. Of course, after understanding how Ishtar operates from one of her informants, their discussion naturally steered toward the woes of men and their wild ambitions to tame various pu—Heavens. Yes, Tenkai.

Ryuu decides to drop the topic after noting the certainty in his voice, ending the discussion with: “Well, you did execute a Level 5 Adventurer.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised nyou still come to our pub instead of getting dragged away by an interested Amazoness come the night,” Anya places the Kitten Anya on her lap before looking up at him with a toothy smirk. “Mama must be doing something nyight to keep nyou hooked. Is it dishwashing?” She teases.

“Well, I know I can get an Amazoness like that,” he snaps his finger to demonstrate the point but stops in the middle as his expression drops slightly. “Let’s just eat.”

The sudden change catches the duo by surprise and interests them gravely enough for Ryuu to cock her head sideways, questioning primly, “Is something the matter, Jackal?”

Jackal shakes his head as Anya decides to mewl in a rebuttal from her human counterpart’s lap.

“Was it,” Anya hesitates, “What nyou and Hermes were talking about, Daddy?”

Ryuu groans at others’ insistence in calling someone Daddy, but it never feels awkward because Jackal took the term of endearment with great strides.

“Well, you guys are women.”

Ryuu and Anya glance at each other before Anya blinks, “Nyo? I’m a strapping man!”

“And I am a…” Ryuu tries to partake in the joke before falling into deep silence. “A…” she mutters considerably, finally looking up, “boy.”

*Pfft*

While Anya struggles to stay on her chair as her slender frame trembles with suppressed laughter, Jackal cannot help but accept this as the humble try it was with a shrug. “You can call yourself a swole elf next time. Put some meat into it, you know.”

Ryuu fights back her embarrassment at Anya’s lack of courtesy as her fair face stings red, and she nods, “A swollen elven man.”

“Let’s just eat,” he deflects the topic again as the girl’s brown and blue eyes burn more intensely with curiosity.

“Nyou can tell us anything, Daddy!” Anya promises. But of course, Jackal knows better. Anya is the kind of girl to spill the most embarrassing secrets with a cute smile and then claim the act to be an accident later on.

“We are friends… right?” Speaks Ryuu in a tone that is neither persuasive nor suggestive. She smiles comfortingly at Jackal. “Syr and Mama think greatly of you, too.”

Another two examples that would expose his dilemma to the world over the thirtieth mug of cheap ale and hand it over to him to make him complete their chores.

But Ryuu is far more sincere than the rest of her peers as her pouty elven lips thin to a serene smile that promises an ear that would listen to all your problems, making Jackal run his fingers across his hair as he admits with a sigh.

“I think I may have broken things off with Eina and Rose.”

“You think?” Ryuu expresses her surprise with her tone.

“May, nyaa?” Anya blinks rapidly.

“Well, the situation is rather simple.” Jackal huffs as he stops being courteous and undoes the first basket to unveil the pieces of art the sandwiches are, tearing into them with gusto. “Rose and Eina, especially Eina, don’t like violence. They can accept things becoming violent inside the Dungeon but not outside. Easily, at least. This stuff with Olal will definitely escalate now Phryne is dead, not from Ishtar’s side, but Olal’s own act. So—”

“Nyou thought you could save them by cutting them nyoff?” Anya somehow bristles at the sentiment and cuts to the chase with a distinctly dismayed expression that makes Anya in her lap mewl comfortingly, snuggling her tiny head above Anya’s crotch.

Jackal observes Anya’s expression slightly before nodding, “I did think that fresh off the butchering.”

The cat girl scoffs, giving Jackal a dirty look, “They must not be important if you’re ready to cast them aside for some fight.” Anya means business when she loses her cat-like vocabulary.

“Anya!” Ryuu frowns, chiding her companion in a stern tone when Jackal leans forward with interest, stuffing his mouth with another sandwich.

“No, no,” he practically inhales them after a few bites. “That’s what I’m trying to say. I don’t want that. I’ve done stupider things to realize that this was probably stupid, too.”

Anya blinks.

“Nyah? Daddy’s a reasonable guy?”

He shrugs with a grin before sighing, “So, that’s it. And then I guess you heard what Hermes said.”

“Yes,” Ryuu nods, narrowing her eyes, “And doing what he said will positively leave you like him—maidenless.”

“Bit harsh, no?” Jackal chuckles.

“Well, if you like them, nyou have to tell them the truth!” Anya speaks to herself. “If they are truly worth nyour time, they will understand your concerns, nya!”

Jackal considers things as Ryuu hesitates before slumping her shoulder.

“Nothing?” Jackal looks at Ryuu as the elf strains a smile. “I’m not best equipped for such advice. But I’m taught that someone to speak to is a great boon.”

Jackal nods slowly, eyeing the elf, more curious about her story than ever.

Their time together ends when Jackal and the rest share the second basket of food as Anya hugs Anya one last time while Ryuu bows ever so elegantly, leaving after a few words of assistance that may help him weather whatever storm he is in right now.

And what a storm it is.

Jackal is surrounded by temptations of power and experience at the expense of powerful female orgasms since his other victims, aside from Jonahs, have been females, too. He has a pack of memory to go through. And he should have expected his last night attempt of skinning someone to rattle him enough to mouth off to Eina!

‘Let’s start with the simplest,’ he brings Anya near him, scratching her back. ‘The memories.’

Jackal doesn’t waste another second to delve into the memories, noting how different they feel compared to a Memory Grimoire. Death’s memories were not fully immersive if he chose to view them from an outsider’s perspective. To that end, Jackal cannot help but rebound to his earlier thoughts. If, and he means IF, he chooses to divulge in a Memory Grimoire, can he also choose to go through the memories from an outsider’s perspective? That would certainly change a horrible memory drive of someone else’s uglies bumping together to one bad porno flick.

But he wouldn’t experiment with the memories of the freaks of Ishtar Familia, lest he gets scarred for good in another life.

It doesn’t stop him from finally creating eleven pitch-black Grimoires with the faces of his victims as the books’ covers before he shoves them in his frollet—returning to Death’s memories as is.

“Oh,” he blinks again, distracted by the stiff body under his hands. But he shrugs eventually and gets back to filtering the memories stored in his mind while Anya’s round green feline eyes gleam with equal parts fear and curiosity.

Back to Death’s Memory.

After Gilgamesh’s Death, the recently named King of the Beasts—Death—spits a book from his jaws, his way of creating an item quite different from Jackal’s method, as he flips open the Grimoire and witnesses the Human King’s memories.

Jackal would have loved to see the memories of the supposed First King of his Homeworld. But he couldn’t. For some reason, Death’s memories are like a journal meant to pass onto him rather than the full experience of things as the book dissipates into dust in seconds while the beast recovers.

‘So easily?’ Jackal cannot help but compare his splitting headache to Death’s simple acceptance of memories as the beast trots ahead with a regal gaze that wasn’t present before. It’s clear Jackal benefited from Gilgamesh in learning about a King’s presence as much as Death, whose brilliant Golden Eyes now bear into the green-eyed boy.

“Gilgamesh’s son?” Intones Death, a long red tongue flicking behind his sharp teeth before his snout next to the boy huffs loudly, waking up the child only for his presence to make the child cry.

“Your father lives on with me,” states Death plainly, a particular set of words that make Jackal loathe his earlier decision of divulging into the previous Grimoire for that unholy bastard—Jackal’s first human kill—lives on with him, too.

“You shall be named Shirou. It means white, as opposed to my fair black fur.”

“Thank God I’m not such a narcissist,” Jackal shakes his head with a sigh, unknown to the roll of the pinkette’s eyes.

And the mundane memory of Death learning the ropes of parenthood starts a new phase of his life—because, of course, the First King, who brings his children to duels, isn’t the spokesperson of parenthood.

It’s a good thing, then, that Death has memories of many great humans, or so he claims in the memory stream until Jackal phases out naturally—the memories end.

It isn’t anything stellar, but Jackal can now move on without a gnawing feeling in the back of his head to a more important task.

‘I need to train.’

He needs to understand the limits of the Excrement component of his Trait. It is, by every right, the magic of this world.

Like Magic, it needs one’s Mind to move and mobilize a special function. Of course, unlike others’ magic, Jackal does not require an incantation to create a ‘field’ of his Spirit of Conqueror. He tried using it in a straight line last night, and it is much harder.

Thus, like magic, he needs to train with this.

This ‘magic’ is quite the boon in dealing with a large group of weak monsters, or so he hopes, once he descends into Dungeon again—

‘And who knows when it will be.’ He narrows his eyes.

He can leave as things are. An hour or two in the Dungeon will not be a great risk, allowing him to recover the reserve of energy in his stomach. But he needs to make his trips random, lest his enemies find a pattern to make use of. Jackal understands quite well now that he has shown a Level 5 adventurer cannot target him easily, and since Level 6 Adventurers are so hard to acquire, his close friends will be at greater risk!

And chances are, he won’t receive any letters of threat.

“If only I’d found the bastard last night,” Jackal huffs wryly. His thoughts border bloodshed again, and maybe it’s his expression, but Anya starts trembling under his hand, snapping him out of his fantasies of the things he’d do to Olal once he catches the Heretic Merchant.

“Are you cold?” Jackal asks curiously, pulling a tiny blanket to lay over the Kitten as she curls further into the nominal safety of the fabric.

Hurried bangs to his store’s door interrupt what should have been a peaceful ascent into the afternoon. A startled Anya jumps out of her blanket with her feline midsection twisting into a downward U-shape before landing on Jackal’s hand as he drawls, “I’m coming! Geez, would it hurt you to learn some manners?”

He earns a direct response in a heated voice, “It’s me! I want to talk! Now!” The familiar voice all but hisses as Jackal blinks before opening the door for Eina, Rose, and Misha.

“Is it lunchtime already?” He inclines his head as he sees Misha carrying her bento.

The trio clearly doesn’t expect such a question right off the bat as the pinkette looks between her Bento and Jackal before shaking her head. “Don’t mind me. I’m just a bum now.”

She passes Jackal with a prideful sniff of her nose.

‘I didn’t know being a bum was prideful,’ Jackal looks at his former junior curiously before looking at the remaining duo.

“Uh, come in,” he flashes a smile as he steps aside.

Eina, however, doesn’t move, as she demands with a powerful voice, all but betrayed by her trembling lips and quivering eyes, “No! I want to know what’s going on!”

“If I told you the truth, you’d break up with me,” Jackal grins before questioning. “Well, that kiss did up our relationship, right?” His question singes Eina while Rose furrows her brows. “Let’s go inside and talk.” She looks in the distance, her yellow eyes falling on the group of distracted children and a few locals around them, watching in their direction with great interest.

Eina struggles to move but does so eventually, sitting down with a huff.

Jackal doesn’t move behind the counter but instead leans against it in front of the three girls before realizing something.

“I have something to talk about with the two of them privately,” he looks at Misha, who swivels her head around. “Can I go to the upper floor?”

“It’s mostly empty, but sure.”

“Thanks, Senpai~! I’ll use that space!” She skips away with a curious smile as Jackal frowns at her words.

“So,” he shifts subtly, looking at the duo once Misha is out of earshot.

“So?” Rose quirks up an eyebrow.

“I may have overreacted,” Jackal’s shoulders drop. “Sorry.”

“Overreacted?” Eina parrots, “You killed!”

“That wasn’t an overreaction,” Jackal shakes his head. “I’m glad I killed them. And now I am clear-headed enough to know why. The first man I’d set out to kill last night wrote a threatening letter to Maria that involved her being stripped, humiliated, and skinned!” His chest heaves with apparent anger, not annoyance, but genuine anger at the mere thought—his words turning his surrounding silent as he reigns his emotions and tells something he hadn’t told before to Eina.

“I told you I tried skinning the man but couldn’t stomach it. I didn’t tell you why, though. Why couldn’t I do that.” Jackal’s gaze turns complex as he mutters. “As I started to skin the man, I couldn’t help but imagine those I care about being on the torture’s receiving end.” His words visibly shake the two women as he grits his jaw, looking at the floor. “You cannot believe how painful it was just to see it. And the thought of these men and women doing the same to Maria, you, and the rest… just that nightmare alone was enough to drive me to do all this.”

He suddenly looks up with a piercing gaze. “But I didn’t do it for you. I did it for my peace of mind. I cannot stomach such torture because I realize it will change me. It will make me like them. And this morning, I couldn’t help but feel you two didn’t deserve my bullshit. I just talked with someone and felt that it was to keep you safe from what follows me. But the truth is, it was to keep myself safe from the nightmares that will follow me should something happen to you guys because of me.”

He lowers his head again.

“It was a moment of my weakness. Apparently, I’m prone to some of it, too. Sorry.”

His genuine apology and reasoning leave the duo and the eavesdropping Misha stunned.

Rose and Eina lose their earlier edge and consider things seriously. It’s what they call a raw situation, and it is their decision to lead their relationship forward. Anya slowly nuzzles against Jackal as if wanting to comfort her owner while he stares at the two women calmly.

“Were you going to break up with us? And yes, it would be a breakup.” Eina mutters sullenly.

“Good thing I had wise counsel from three great personalities,” Jackal smiles. “I was about to make one of the biggest blunders of my life due to last night’s weakness.”

“Who?” Rose inquires.

“Hermes, Ryuu, and Anya.”

“Anya?” Rose and Eina look at the proud feline rubbing her back against her master’s hip as he shakes his head, “The one from Mia’s Hostess of Fertility.”

Ah, that certainly makes more sense, thinks the duo.

“You cannot break up with us,” Speaks Rose with utmost certainty, making Jackal incline his head sincerely after putting his heart out. But the reality is often disappointing since the girls do need something this time.

“We quit our jobs,” Eina mutters as she lowers her head.

“Huh?”

“And we were hoping to get a job at your store,” Rose supplants.

‘Lovely,’ blinks Jackal, ‘So my Girlfriends are bums, too.’

It would be better for him not to speak of it after their current, surprisingly smooth sailing of a hiccup in their relationship—

“So, I’m supporting bums now?” Jackal blinks, his words flying faster than his brain cares to register.

Well, at least he feels things are back to normal.

But the duo’s gaze threatened to doom him for all eternity as the corner of his lips twitches. “You won’t have the same perks are your previous jobs. But you girls do get the perk of kissing the owner every morning. Oh, and free lunch, of course.”

“Am I included?” Misha sneaks her head down with a lop-sided grin, her appearance surprising Eina and Rose, but Jackal shrugs, “Why not? I suppose friends do kiss each other on the foreheads sometimes?”

The pinkette stammers before groaning, “No, thanks! You’re no fun, Senpai!.”

“Yeah,” Jackal smiles at the group, “And you’ll see the job won’t be fun for a while, too. But hey! Now, I can Dungeon Prowl with Lili.”

Jackal then looks at the girls, who are easing into the situation. “Oh, and I need to measure you all carefully.” His grin widens into a lewd smirk. “To commission your new uniforms and all~!”

They fall silent until Eina claims calmly, “Let’s discuss our salaries, Boss. I’m hungry, angry, and exhausted! My kisses are bound to be extra expensive!”

“I have money,” Jackal scoffs. Well, he did not currently. He eventually will.

“I hear an hour of shopping with the Boss holding all the bags is a good perk emerging in our Grand City!” Misha chimes.

“Which makes it three hours for the three of us,” Rose narrows her eyes.

“You don’t even like shopping that much,” Jackal rolls his eyes.

“Irrelevant.”

“Yep, you three are getting a strike-off in our next employee review,” Jackal smiles and shrugs. “I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

“Oh, and a better quality of customers around here.” But the girls have a different idea now that he’d opened the dam.

“We have to expand to the upper floor now that you have enough employees, Senpai~!”

“I think fashioning the upper floor as some form of fitting room for your newer products should be apt.”

“Oh, we also need to prepare for the audit in two months! All your books must be spotless!”

Jackal calmly eats his lunch.

***

Alternate Title: The Elf and the Kitty; Anya Likes Anya; The Eager Therapy Pussy; Hermes Priceless Wisdom; When the Food is Hotter Than Women; Mia Dealing With Rogue Employees; The Wise Counsel; Anya’s Daddy is a Womanizer!; Petting Ryuu’s Hand Instead; Jackal Do Be the Toad Lusting After Jade Swan; The Memories; Training Plans; Magic; The Presence of Gilgamesh; Death’s Son: Shirou; The Dangers of Memory Grimoire; Three Bums; Employed Again; Truth; A Moment of Weakness; Fitting In; Jackal Hears the New Boss is a Good Kisser; New Perks; Jackal Just Wants to Eat More!