Please Don’t Come To The Villainess’ Stationery Store!

Thinking about it, we didn’t really need to walk. Because I have Dominic, one of the top talents in this world, right beside me.

“Dominic.”

“Yeah?”

“You know how to teleport, right?”

He looked at me with a somewhat wary gaze, then nodded with difficulty.

I looked up at his jet-black hair and said, “We’re going to a stationery store building in the Fabric Empire where we are.”

‘To be precise, the building that’s going to be our stationery store.’

“A stationery store? Alright, then tell me the coordinates.”

I whispered the coordinates softly to Dominic.

The coordinates were an old, dilapidated building left to Meldenik by her mother, within the legacy of the former Duchess.

“Now close your eyes.”

I closed my eyes tightly.

The wind whirled around me and then gently stopped. With a pleasant sensation, I felt Dominic’s voice in my ears while I kept my eyes shut.

“We’ve arrived.”

When I opened my eyes, the Maltend Academy was in front of me.

Maltend Academy, a prestigious institution from which many royals and nobles have graduated, also excels in nurturing outstanding commoner talents, making it the empire’s top academy.

Hence, the academy’s exterior was magnificent. It looked like a castle lavishly adorned with precious gold.

“Is this the place?”

Dominic said, looking ahead.

Gazing intently at the academy’s splendid towers and the elegant ivory gateway, Dominic nodded in satisfaction.

“It might lack some splendor, but you need this much if you’re to serve me.”

“……?”

What is that supposed to mean.

And then, Dominic started walking straight into the closed academy’s main gate.

Instead of following him, I spoke up softly from behind his back.

“Hey, Dominic?”

“Mel, why aren’t you coming into the building where we’ll be living from now on?”

I shook my head at Dominic, who looked at me quizzically.

“That’s not it.”

Dominic’s gaze fixed sharply on me.

“……There’s only this building here.”

“Why would there be none? Look, there’s another building over there, Dominic.”

I pointed with my fingertip at a very gloomy, old, and shabby building about five blocks away from the academy.

Dominic’s wavering gaze slowly, cautiously moved to where I was pointing.

“……”

His keen eyes must have properly caught sight of that building.

“That’s where we’re going to live.”

Near the grand and splendid academy. A two-story stone building that seemed to detract from the dignified beauty of the academy was visible.

It looked almost like an abandoned building, covered in moss and filled with an aura of age, seeming like it could collapse at any moment.

I hurried my steps towards it, thinking to myself.

‘Hmm… I didn’t know it was this run-down. But there’s nothing I can do; this is the only inheritance from mother.’

After the death of Meldenik’s mother, who was the last daughter of the Kinnoa Marquis and the former marchioness, her title was temporarily assigned to the imperial family. Her fortune became the property of the Babeloa Marquis, but there was one thing her mother left behind for her, and that was this building.

‘The estate was absorbed by the Babeloa ducal family.’

However, there was one thing my mother clearly left in my name, and that was this building.

‘If I clean and repair the building, it’d be perfect for a stationery store.’

I stopped walking and spoke to Dominic, who had stopped.

“It seems perfect to use the first floor as a stationery store and the second floor as a living space. What’s wrong, Dominic?”

Dominic was frozen, like a warrior who saw the corpse of a fallen comrade.

“Are you saying we have to eat and sleep in this shabby attic?”

“Yes, I have a plan.”

Dominic glanced at the academy’s main gate, then trudged out with steps full of reluctance, muttering towards me.

“I’ve been scammed. This is a fraudulent contract.”

The boy with an innocent appearance didn’t look threatening at all even as he glared.

I hummed a tune and lightly patted the shoulder of Dominic, who had approached by my side.

“Don’t worry. I’ll remodel it prettier and bigger in the future. I’m going to be a stationery store owner who commands this continent. I have a plan!”

Dominic sighed deeply and slumped his shoulders as I patted my chest with my fist.

“Scammers always say that… This time it’ll be fine, I’m sure it’ll be a hit, that sort of thing.”

“That’s right! It’ll be fine this time! I’m going to be a hit! Let’s go inside!”

Unfortunately, Dominic was already tied to me.

Patting his shoulder, I thought to myself.

‘I’ll treat you well when this really takes off!’

Dominic, who had been following me without making a sound, swallowed his saliva, unsure if he knew what I was thinking.

I opened the creaking door of the abandoned building, which wasn’t even locked.

The first floor was already covered in dust. Considering the state of the first floor, I didn’t even need to see the second to know its condition.

This must be a place where the local ruffians come for a ghost experience.

“This building has been completely neglected.”

I whispered softly as I glanced back at Dominic, who was silently shocked behind me.

“Dominic, if things go well, I’ll even pay you a salary. Let’s hurry inside.”

“…I’ve seen mountains of gold. A mere salary won’t do. Understand?”

I snickered to myself at Dominic’s arrogant words.

‘What’s with this guy? He’s like a little brother and oddly cute?’

Before possession, I was an orphan and had never experienced having kin, and Meldenik had also never felt the warmth of a real family.

Perhaps that’s why Dominic, who had lived much longer than me, felt like an adorable younger brother.

“Don’t look at me with that expression.”

“…What expression?”

Dominic rubbed the back of his neck, looking down and murmuring shyly.

“That, the expression that says I’m cute.”

Did it show? He’s quick to catch on.

“Got it.”

With a chuckle, I nodded as if I understood, and then I pushed the door wide open and stepped into the abandoned building.

Creak, creak.

As soon as we entered, a loud noise echoed through the room. It seemed like a mouse was moving.

Thanks to my previous experiences with possession, I, being immune to mice and cockroaches, paid no mind and meticulously captured every detail of this space in my eyes.

“I think I’m going to sneeze because of the dust.”

This place was clearly an old, abandoned building that definitely needed repairs.

However…

I am now the owner of this building.

I said to Dominic with a bright smile,

“Wow, isn’t it great?”

“…You’re out of your mind. It was a scam contract after all. Oh God, why have you forsaken me.”

Dominic mumbled with a dazed expression.

“Why are you looking for a god? Look, we’ll place a lottery box on the left, a stand on the right, and sell our own made food at an outdoor stall, like candies.”

“Again?”

“We should also sell supplies that the kids at the academy need!”

For that, we’d need to establish a close relationship with the academy… But that’s a concern for the far future.

‘First, I need to get closer to the kids.’

I’m going to sell newsletters for them, stretchy taffy, candies that look like beer, and blue candies that change color in your mouth!

My heart throbbed with excitement.

Even though this place was still filled with dust, it felt as if I could see a new life transparently before me.

Feeling that the day I achieve my humble dream isn’t far away, I looked at Dominic with a strong smile.

“I’m so happy!”

Dominic was staring intently at me as I smiled happily.

Even though it was dark here and my face wouldn’t be clearly visible, he nodded his head as if he could see every expression on my face.

“……Well, then. Let’s have a conversation on how to create a stationery store.”

At Dominic’s solemn words, I nodded vigorously.

With a crackling sound, a large light bulb appeared in Dominic’s hand. As the shining light emerged in the darkness, my vision became clear.

“Great! First, I’d like the sign outside to be big enough for the kids to see.”

“And then?”

“I want it to have an ‘open door’ that anyone can enter, whether they’re commoners or nobles.”

“An open door, I see.”

“Since there’s a garden in front of here, I’d like that to be beautifully decorated as well.”

As I talked to Dominic, I remembered my past self.

I was an orphan with no home, who couldn’t have attended school without a scholarship.

The reason I could grow into a strong adult was that there were adults who supported me during my childhood.

The teacher who paid for my school trip fees, the orphanage director who corrected me when I was about to stray due to my friends’ mockery, and…

The couple who owned the stationery store in front of my school.

They remembered every child’s name and called us one by one.

Even I, a scruffy child without a penny, was no exception. Their voices seemed vividly present in my ears.

“Do you want to eat this, baby?”

“It’s fascinating. My tongue turned blue!”

“Still, you shouldn’t eat too much. It’s not good for your health.”

Recalling my childhood, I smiled warmly.

‘I hope all the children who visit this stationery store grow up happily with youthful hearts, just like I did in the past.’

I wonder what feelings the children of this world hold and how they are growing up.

Dominic, observing me lost in thought, soon nodded his head.

With an excited heart, Dominic and I began planning the remodeling of the stationery store.

Even just making plans was fun. I felt elated and excited, as if I was one step closer to my dream. So, I couldn’t sleep until the long night passed and dawn began to break.