"This uncommon item I bought turned out to be faulty, son. I paid more money than the genuine article is worth, so I can't tolerate the fact that this uncommon item isn't working up to standards. I have another meeting about new wares in my store though, and the original owner is supposed to be coming by later today, when I should still be in the midst of my meeting. I won't be able to make the exchange, but I can leave that to you, can't I?"

The old man spoke fast, so fast that Houren almost didn't hear, but he supposed that he more or less got the gist of what Khalash Saton was trying to say. There was an uncommon item that was on Khalash Saton's wish list and he had finally managed to find somebody who was willing to sell that uncommon item, but clearly, he had marked up the price for Khalash Saton since he knew that, as a wares man, Khalash Saton would be willing to pay a high price for it, and that is exactly what the Mag Drug store owner had done. He had probably been satisfied with the purchase too, but now that it became apparent that the uncommon item was faulty, he must have been feeling even extra ripped off. There was a nagging suspicion in Houren's mind as Khalash Saton spoke; the old man who owned the drug store was not a particularly intimidating man, and the person who had sold the uncommon item to him might not have been willing to refund it. It wasn't as though he had anything to fear from a small guy like Khalash Saton, especially since, from a legal point of view, he was not in the wrong at all. He could fear no retribution from the law, and he clearly wasn't scared of Khalash Saton. Perhaps Khalash Saton had foresaw this and decided to get Houren to do the exchange for him?

"Threaten him if you want, but make sure that you get my money back!" Khalash Saton left Houren with this final statement before leaving, which only made the Fire Dragon Slayer a lot more suspicious. After all, were you actually supposed to threaten people to get them to refund you your money back in exchange for a fault item? No, right? This actually made Houren a little bit excited, as he was beginning to expect some sort of strong guy would show up for the meeting. Until then though, he had to do the boring job that he had been asked to do last time; that is, he had to watch over the store and make sure nobody stole anything or did anything shady. The teenagers that Houren had thrown out last time actually passed by the shop window, and were contemplating entering the store, but quickly turned and scattered when they noticed that Houren was the man who was standing behind the counter, and not the old man that they had been expecting. It was enough to make Houren grin, he was happy that his actions from a while back had managed to influence the very core of this establishment. Those kids would probably never show up again, as they would never know who it was that would be standing behind the counter. As far as they knew, Houren could be the next heir of the shop or a new full timer, or just a part timer who had a lot of shifts.

About forty five minutes to an hour after that small meeting with those teenagers that Houren had thrown out the last time he was working behind the counter at the drug store, the original owner of the uncommon item showed up. He had a certain amount of swagger to him, and as Houren had expected, was a physically large and imposing man. There was no hesitation in his step as he entered the establishment, making direct eye contact with Houren, who he had seen behind the counter and walking up to him, without so much as blinking or even looking at the other goods that were on sale, before announcing who he was, and why he was here.

He seemed impatient. "I'm a busy man, you know and I have a lot of things I need to do in my daily life. And just today, I got a call from someone who wants a refund because they say that the uncommon item that I sold them is faulty?" the trader scoffed, and began to bellow out laughing before the anger returned to his features. "The things I sell are never faulty, and are always of the quality marketed. If the uncommon item that was bought is faulty, that means that it broke after I sold it. In other words, you broke it yourself and now you're just trying to get a refund," the man's accusations were scathing, and so offensive that Houren actually stood up from the stool that he had been sitting on. The trader was larger, but probably not stronger, but it was not the size of the specimen that caused him to agree to the refund. It was the eyes, the seething look of rage in Houren's eyes that suggested that his terms were no longer open to discussion. The trader could either give back the money, and take back the uncommon item and try to swindle someone else, or he could risk getting beat up by Houren and having the money forcibly taken from him, and likely, the Fire Dragon Slayer wouldn't return the uncommon item either. Mumbling something to himself, the trader hung his head and agreed to a refund, which cause all of Houren's anger to immediately dissipate. When he got the money back, he put his hand over the lacrima that Khalash Saton had instructed him to do. Breaking off his reward from the refund that the trader had given him, Houren began to lock up before heading home for the night.

1002/1000