yogen | npc contact.3

[ They're not even a student— can't be, if every time he looks, they're in the store peddling wares— but finals is a lonely time for them, so they'll begrudgingly appreciate window shopping if nothing else.

Gifts, though? Gifts means commissions, and commissions means getting to create something instead of sitting around and running their mouth. ]

Oh! What sort of gifts do you want to get? How many people are you giving them to? I'm offering a special discount this month for sets of five commissions, and lots of people look like they could use cheering up, so let's work hard together to bring some holiday cheer!

[He has wondered about that sometimes... but in any case, that could mean one less student for Ishimaru to fret over as finals near! He does look interested as they lay out the deal with commissions.]

Ooh, is that so? That sounds like it could be quite the bargain! I have yet to nail down the number of gifts I will get, but I am sure that there will be at least five! My mind is more in my studies at the moment than in acquiring presents. But I will be sure to consult you when I am ready to put some gifts together! You are one hundred percent correct: I fully intend to spread lots of holiday cheer and raise the morale of the student body! We need all the good will that we can get!

Right? But you can't spend your entire time studying or you'll get burned out— your brain will feel numb and nothing's going to stick and it'll just exhaust you and be a waste of time. Shopping therapy will help! I'll need the time too, to put things together.

[ Please, no rush orders after finals on the 24th and expecting commissions to be ready the next day. Besides... people tend to buy more upfront when pressured, than if they're given the time to sit back and think about it, so they can't let this opportunity pass. ]

Five minutes? Ten? Let's brainstorm gifts— you'll feel refreshed and ready to study afterwards!

Shopping... therapy? I never heard of such a concept. [He frowns thoughtfully.] It is true that I do not want to burn out from my studies, and I should be careful not to put off these gifts too late...

[Then he responds with conviction.]

Alright, I will give this ten minutes! Let's think of some gifts for my dear friends among the student body! Who start with... perhaps Nene-kun!

Shopping therapy~

[ Yessssss nabbed another one. npckun goes around to close the door to the shop so nobody can disturb them but more importantly, so Ishimaru can't escape. There are no clocks in the store; if they're lucky, he'll lose track of time. ]

Hehe... So Nene's the first person you think of, huh? Okay! Tell me what you know about things she likes.

[He just gives a confused smile at the repeated mention of 'shopping therapy' and doesn't pay mind to their movements while he looks over the wares.]

Correct! We happen to be best friends. I feel that I should uphold that duty with a fine gift! She is a very diligent young lady. She's the head of the gardening club and also has talents for sewing and cooking. She also has a liking for tea!

[ It's kind of hard to connect rocks to any of those hobbies, but it gets boring selling rocks too, especially since they basically sell themselves in the gacha. Their hands itch for something... more. ]

Hmm... Useful things make good gifts, but you guys already have access to most of the tools to do that stuff. Maybe a tea blend, that you can choose what types... or a sewing thimble!

[ better idea, push this idea, they can get away with charging a higher commission with this one—- ]

Did you know, they used to be considered touch pieces: good luck charms when given from one person to another, a sign of love and an amulet to protect against evil! And they aren't always boring grey metal either, but can be made of rainbow nacre or painted enamel or studded with precious gemstones as seen in the works of Fabergé!

[It might seem scary, but all of us need to look beyond rocks every now and then...

Ishimaru nods along while noting their suggestions!]

A tea blend, a thimble... hmm, hmmmmm! Yes, those are quite valid ideas. Thank you.

[But his eyes do widen with interest as they go on with their next suggestion.]

Ah, how interesting! A good luck charm does sound like a great token of best friendship! I do like the idea of it being bright or colorful. I believe that Nene-kun would enjoy that. Yes, this is sounding like quite the splendid idea! Is it possible to obtain something like that?

[ ... ]

Right? Winter's kinda dreary, so it's the best time to give people little things that'll brighten up their day! And you're in luck, because you're looking at somebody who can do just that!

[ Obtain basically whatever, and if they can't find something then they'll make it themselves. ]

Just give me a design and I'll take that commission for the low low price of 500,000 yen! Or the equivalent.

[ EVERYBODY HERE IS POOR it sucks and doesn't help their cause but food and other services are acceptable too ]

F- five hundred thousand...

[His eyes widen as he considers how much that is!]

That - that can't be the right price, can it? That does not sound low at all!

It's heavily discounted already, you know? There's the price of the item itself, but there's also the time and effort put into securing it, the cost of supplies and the skill involved in rendering the piece, travel fees, meals and lodging, transaction fees, exchange rates—- there's a lot going on behind the scenes that goes unnoticed and unappreciated, but it's only fair to consider them too!

[ Maybe they can find a thimble in the home ec room and decorate it themselves with what they have on hand but it's the principle of the matter they're arguing for here. ]

That said, I'll take the equivalent too. What do you have in your pockets?

That... is the discounted price? [He frowns as he takes all of that in.] I did not know that so many costs went into such a thing... I do not even know who would need meals and lodging!

[He frowns as he reaches into his pockets.]

Well... I have some writing untensils, my PDA, a small writing pad, and the compass pocket watch and piece of snowflake of obsidian that have purchased from this very store. I do not know if any of this would be considered equivalent to such an amount... To think that there are still plenty of others to shop for, too!

[ It's all... mm... typical things, nothing they're surprised at but that in itself is a little surprising. ]

I don't want to take back something you worked hard to get... Are you any good at math?

Of course! I work very hard at all subjects, and that includes each branch of mathematics. If you wish to learn anything about math, I will certainly help! [Ishimaru doesn't think they're a student, so he doubts they need to study, but Ishimaru will support such studying either way! One never truly stops being a student, he feels.]

Yeah?

[ They brighten up, because people who are good at math are strangely difficult to come by, they've found, but Ishimaru's confidence inspires confidence in him. ]

Awesome! Please teach me the Navier–Stokes equations of fluid dynamics and in exchange, I'll do five commissions for you!

[His eyes widen in response!]

A-ah, I see! That is a very specific request, and quite an advanced one as well! Very well. I will accept your terms and prepare a lesson for you regarding those equations! [He... hasn't exactly practiced it extensively and needs to review the material, but for the most part he does feel confident in his ability to teach it! If he can earn gifts for others through sheer application of knowledge, he will be quite happy with himself!]

You know it! Ooh!!

[ Oh, they'd underestimated him, but it's a good surprise, one they hop up excitedly for. ]

Yes yes yes! Teach me well, okay? You have to make it easy to understand, and give me lots of praise when I get practice questions right!

It... is something that I have come across in my studies, yes...

[He's not very well-practiced with something that advanced, but he still feels like he can prepare himself to teach it.]

I will try to make the material as easy to understand as humanly possible. [Though he's not sure it will be at the level that they are hoping for...] And of course I will offer praise for any job that is well done! What is that makes you so curious about these equations, if I might ask?

A math competition!

[ In the broadest strokes, it counts as that, an invitation for mathematician from around the globe to tackle unanswered mysteries of the mathematical world. The million dollar prize for solving any one of the problems isn't something they mention, that's not important in the spirit of things. ]

There was another question before, that I asked Sara for help, but it was too hard for us even though we studied so long and hard. But Sara got Add's help and I got Natsume's and eventually we got it!! ...but I want to learn too. It's no good if all I can do is ask people for help, and not be able to do anything myself.

[He's alert at the mention of a math competition! Although he doesn't suspect he might be thinking of the Millennium Prize Problems.]

I see. It sounds like that turned into quite the team effort. [Ishimaru smiles.] And it seems that you learned the right lesson from that experience! Teamwork is very admirable, but one must also learn to work hard on their own in order to excel. In that case, I would be honored to help you on this stage of your educational crusade. You certainly have set your sights quite high to begin with!

[ Working hard on your own in order to excel is something they've taken to heart, something they've been practicing for a long long time. Most people try to tell them the opposite, to make friends and rely on people and don't do everything themselves, so this is kind of vindictive. ]

Is it high? There's five more problems after this one, and if you can help me solve all of them, I'll do all your commissions. Fair trade-off, right?

[That's the most respectable out look in his heart! Ishimaru has found a kindred spirit in this shopkeeper.]

It is certainly far from a fundamental type of equation! I will certainly do what I can to help you with each of those problems. It sounds fair in my book! After all, I believe in a world where people are rewarded for hard work! So I will be happy for each and every commission that I may earn!

Right?! Yeah! If you work hard, you can achieve anything! That's what Anego always said!!

[ So they worked super super hard— still do, as much as they can— and their reward? ...

It'll come. They'll make sure of it. ]

[Ishimaru smiles widely and balls up his fists.]

Yes! Yes, that is exactly right! Hard work is the power that can change the world! That is the path that I have dedicated my life to following. You must have quite the wise friend! [There's a pause as he tries to see if he can place this name.] 'Anego'?

Anego is my big sister! She's the best at giving advice, so if you ever have any questions, come ask me, 'cause I've probably asked her before!

[ lots and lots and lots of questions

she's basically the only person they spoke with for like ten years ]

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