"Hey… do you think he has lost his mind?"
"Why is that man looking at that pillar with such… admiration? Maybe he's one of those people. You know, the ones who are ill but no one talks about them?"
People walked by and pointed at me, but I no longer cared to entertain them.
Maybe someone else would have felt more conscious about their actions, but I was an unbothered 21st-century man. Minding my business was what I did best.
Besides, how could I pay attention to anything else when the corner was calling my name so loudly? Surely, I had to give all my attention to it?
"S-Shopkeeper, are you alright? Do you need me to help you?"
The station master asked, now looking worried as well. And while I was not concerned about most people's looks, I was concerned about his.
After all, he was my ticket to a good fortune, so I could not afford to sour my relationship with him.
I coughed to get myself under control before I gave the station master a small but (hopefully) reassuring smile.
"Huh-! I am just fine. I am just amazed that I was able to find such a perfect place to put down my stuff. Station master, do you mind if I occupy this corner?"
I asked him, and he looked confused at my request.
"A pillar? Don't people usually look for a shop? W-well, if you truly want to use a pillar, then who am I to stop you? Go ahead and use that corner."
The station master told me, and I needed no other word to bring my claw machine out and place it.
Everyone who saw me do it stopped to look at me with a shocked expression. Even the station master looked shocked at my ability.
"S-Shopkeeper, did you just use… magic? Out in the open? Are you sure that it is a good idea? You might have the Duchess's and Officer Henry's favor, but doing whatever you want can cause you trouble."
The station master told me with a conflicted expression, but I just waved his worry off.
"Don't worry. This was just a magic trick. I'm sure it will be fine."
I told the station master with a confident look on my face, but I felt a little worried on the inside.
So far, I had really thought nothing about using my system to my advantage. But I had also spent most of my time alone.
This was the first time I had ever shown my abilities in such an open area with a crowd. To them, this must look like magic, and I felt nervous.
'Oh fuck-! Don't tell me that I will be labelled as a witch and killed for using magic… but no-! Witches were mostly women, and as far as I can tell, I have not grown a pair of breasts… but maybe that's just historical inaccuracy, and I might still be killed off as a witch…'
I was truly beginning to panic. Especially since the crowd was not dispersing and just giving me a shocked look.
I gave them an almost nervous bow, and finally, a small child clapped first.
"Oh wow-! Mommy, we saw a street magician. His trick was wonderful, right? I really liked it."
The child's innocence caused the others to nod and praise my 'trick' as well. A few people even tried to ask how I did my trick.
And with that, the situation was blown over.
Humans were truly adaptive species. If there was a thing they could not explain, they made up ways to explain it in a way that made sense.
That applied to even magic.
Even though I had shown them something that science or logic could not explain, they would try to chalk it up to a 'trick' I used and not magic… unless they knew about the existence of magic.
'I should not look too deeply into it. Since I got lucky, I should take it and move on.'
I told myself before I turned toward the station master. He looked shocked as he saw the crowd adapting to what I just did and even making excuses for me.
"See, I told you not to be worried, station master. Things like these… tend to work themselves out. Now, would you like to try the claw machine for me?"
I asked, and the station master blinked at my words before he looked at the machine.
He likely opened his mouth to tell me no, but then his curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to walk toward the claw machine to give it a look.
"I was thinking of leaving it alone. But since the shopkeeper is so insistent, I guess I can give it a try. Do I just need to touch the glass?"
The station master asked me, and a lot of people noticed him trying out the machine. I gave no instructions as the machine turned to life.
The station master paid what the machine asked him to, and it opened to give him a capsule and a small bottle.
"What does the message in the capsule say?"
I asked the station master as he opened the paper.
[Your life shall become much more difficult and your free time shall evaporate. The medicine will help keep you healthy. If you need more, take the bottle to the XXX street.]
The message sounded ominous, and I took a quick look at the bottle the station master was holding. It was headache and stomach medicine—and a strong one at that.
I suddenly flinched and had a feeling that digging any more would be bad for me.
"Huh-! Are these things… a joke? For now, I shall keep them with me. And with this, your business has been established."
The station master told me, and I nodded back at him.
"Then, I will come to check up on it tomorrow. I hope it will stay safe until then."
I told the station master before I walked back home. I had left Fenrir back in the station master's office, so I collected him as well.
My step had a skip to it that I could not force out. I was already consciously stopping myself from singing. Fenrir did not need to be subjected to that.
The sun had already set by the time I reached home, and I went to bed with a happy look on my face.
Finally, I would be able to earn a steady income of faith points… and soon, I shall have enough to return home.
'If this machine goes well, I might buy another one. Or maybe I should buy something else. The more things I have in my inventory, the better it would be for me in the long run.'
The claw machine was a novelty, but I had no doubt it would lose its charm soon. Until then, I was going to enjoy the benefits as much as I could.
The next day, anyone could tell that I was in a good mood. I even gave customers discounts because of that, and finally, once the day ended, it was time for me to reap my harvest for the day—I was off to the train station.