Chapter 44: Automaker level 2I’ve sold out everything, so... why? Why is she still here!?

    The last demon customer had departed, clutching his precious healing bread like a sacred relic.

    Noah’s shelves stood empty.

    Success tasted sweet—until he realised the succubus showed no signs of leaving.

    Lola sat on his counter, her legs swinging like she owned the place, an iced tea bottle still in hand.

    Her tail swished lazily behind her as she took another deliberately slow sip.

    Everyone else left. Why is the succubus making herself comfortable?

    "Congratulations on your first day," she purred, her red eyes sparkling with mischief.

    "It was quite the enthusiastic reception."

    "Thanks."

    "I should probably close up shop now."

    Hint taken? Please say hint taken.

    "Close up?"

    Lola’s laugh tinkled like bells.

    "You’re quite straightforward, aren’t you?"

    Her eyes sparkled.

    "I like that in a man."

    Oh no. Here we go.

    She slid off the counter, her bare feet touching the floor. "Do you want me to close the windows too?"

    She did not just—

    Noah’s face blazed crimson as he understood what she meant.

    "That’s not what I meant!"

    "No?"

    Lola’s tail curled around her leg with seduction.

    "Pity. I thought human shopkeepers who open shops in the demon kingdom were supposed to be adventurous."

    She’s enjoying this way too much.

    "I meant to close the shop. For business. Normal business closing!"

    "Normal business."

    She repeated the phrase like tasting wine.

    "How disappointing."

    Why does everything she says sound like an invitation to sin?

    Lola stepped closer, head tilted with mock innocence. "Though I suppose we could discuss... opening hours instead."

    She’s going to kill me. Death by innuendo.

    "Or perhaps you’d prefer to show me your back room inventory?"

    Noah backed against his own wall, trapped between stone and succubus. "There...there is no back room!"

    "Really?" Her eyes widened with theatrical surprise. "Just this small space? How... intimate... hehe."

    Her small giggle sent a shiver down his spine like ice water mixed with liquid fire.

    That sound should come with a warning label.

    "I-I gotta go. I hope you can leave."

    Noah’s voice cracked worse than a teenage boy asking someone to prom. His face burned with embarrassment that probably glowed visible from space.

    Lola’s amber eyes sparkled with predatory delight. "What if I say... no?"

    Of course, she’d say no. Why would anything be simple?

    "..."

    Noah’s brain flatlined.

    System... can I kick this succubus out of the store?

    [Yes, host. As the shopkeeper, you have the privilege to remove unwanted individuals from your shop.]

    Thank god. I almost thought I was done for.

    "If you say no, I’ll have to use force to kick you out."

    The words tumbled out before he could consider how they sounded.

    "Force? I like that, please do."

    No. Nope. Absolutely not.

    Noah’s imagination immediately went places it had no business going. Images flashed through his mind—none of them appropriate for a professional business relationship.

    If I don’t kick her out now, I’m definitely going to sin.

    "SYSTEM, KICK HER OUT OF THE STORE!"

    [Acknowledged, host.]

    Lola had been gliding toward him with one delicate finger trailing along his counter.

    One moment, she was inside his shop, her eyes promising all sorts of trouble. Next, she stood on the plaza cobblestones, blinking in confusion.

    ’Huh? What just happened?’

    She touched the doorway of his shop, her fingertips meeting solid resistance. Her expression cycled through confusion, surprise, and finally, impressed admiration.

    ’He was able to do this to me... despite me being a master mage.’

    A dangerous smile spread across her beautiful face.

    He really isn’t simple...

    Her mind wandered down decidedly inappropriate paths.

    The mysterious shopkeeper had just casually overpowered her magical defences without breaking a sweat.

    I wonder what other kinds of force he’s capable of...

    Inside the shop, Noah watched her test the barrier with growing relief and terror.

    Scary woman...

    Without hesitation, he stepped through the portal back to Earth.

    His apartment wrapped around him like a safety blanket.

    Noah collapsed onto his couch, heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. The encounter replayed in his mind.

    Every look she gave him, every sound she made. Every move she made, all replaying in his mind like a tape that never wanted to end.

    She’s going to be there tomorrow. Waiting. Probably with new ways to torment me.

    He buried his face in his hands before he slapped his cheeks.

    ’She got me acting like a damn kid! I can’t be doing this.’

    He immediately tried to distract himself from the succubus that made his life infinitely more troublesome by checking his system notifications.

    Focus on numbers.

    —

    IDLE TYCOON SYSTEM

    Host: Noah Carter

    Age: 28

    Shops: 1

    Daily Revenue: $1,600

    Current Assets: $82,800.23

    Shop Points: 1200

    Attributes: Strength: 4, Vitality: 4, Intelligence: 7, Agility: 3

    Skills: Swordsmanship(Level 4), Mana Control (Level 4), Cooking(Level 2), Programming (Level 2), Finance (Level 1), Surviving on Ramen (Level 3)

    —

    Eighty-two thousand dollars.

    Noah stared at the number, blinking rapidly as if it might change.

    A few weeks ago, he’d been dodging debt collectors and eating ramen for every meal. Now he was officially wealthy, well, more like nouveau riche.

    I’m officially out of my poor status.

    After paying off his remaining debts, roughly twenty thousand in medical bills and loan shark interest, he’d still have over sixty thousand dollars.

    Enough for a car down payment, a decent apartment, and his father’s ongoing treatment.

    The relief hit him like a physical wave.

    No more choosing between rent and groceries. Sёar?h the Novёl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    No more watching his father worry about money while fighting for his life.

    After years of grinding, I’ve finally made it out. I’m blessed.

    His shop points had jumped to 1200—enough to lock his current location for a period longer than ten days.

    The demon kingdom, with its enthusiastic customers and terrifying succubi, could become his long-time base of operations.

    "System, can I go back to Esta with 1000 points?"

    Not that I want to leave yet. The profits here are too good to abandon.

    [Negative, host. Returning to a previous location requires 2000 points.]

    Twice as expensive to go back. Makes sense.

    Let me check the auto-makers. With the amount of sales I made, Auto-Ice tea should have levelled up to level 2.