Migration...

(AN: Updates

Additions:

[Location and date]

Adjustments:

Chapter: 26 + 27 adjusted. )

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[The Market.]

Kazuhiro stood and surveyed the line of individuals before him. They were refugees, displaced by circumstances in their own world and seeking sanctuary.

"Your purpose of visit?" Kazuhiro inquired of the man at the front of the line, his voice steady despite his hunched posture

"T— Temporary stay," the man replied, his voice tinged with hope. The concept of traversing worlds was overwhelming, yet here he was, standing at the threshold of a new reality.

"Understood." Kazuhiro nodded. He turned towards the two figures: the Mayor of the local town and Tom nook. Both were integral to the approval process for new visitors. "Do you two approve of this visit?"

"Yup!,"

"Yes, yes,"

They replied in unison, happy to welcome the guests around the town soon.

"Very well, that leaves my approval," Kazuhiro turned back to the man. "You must comply with two requirements to gain a worker's approval. First, have you signed the contract regarding travel and agreed to comply with its conditions?"

"R— Right. I did sign it, but it turned to ash! I suppose that means it worked and shows that I accepted the terms?" the man replied

"That's correct," Kazuhiro confirmed, his tone still measured and calm. "The disappearing contract is a method of recording your agreement. Now, for the second requirement," he continued, his tone shifting to a more formal cadence as he discussed the financial aspect of their arrangement. "You must pay a fee for the service you will undergo. The cost is 25SC for a year's stay in that world, but beware, paying the wrong amount will prevent you from going there."

As he rummaged to find his wallet, the man felt his pockets, disappointed that his wallet wasn't with him but he had spare cash with him. "Is 10,000 yen enough?"

Kazuhiro pointed towards the ATM, indicating where the man could handle the currency conversion. "Please use the ATM provided over there," he instructed, his voice steady and accommodating. "It will give you the precise amount of store credits to your currency."

With a hint of anxiety in his movements, the man quickly checked his belongings one more time before heading towards the ATM. "Thank you," he murmured as he walked away to complete the necessary transaction.

Kazuhiro turned his attention back to the queue, addressing the rest of the group calmly. "Please ensure you convert your currencies at the ATM. Using foreign cash directly can significantly decrease its value as it is only paper," he explained, his tone clear and informative.

The others in line nodded, some murmuring their understanding while others looked towards the ATM with a new sense of urgency.

A man and a kid walked up after a crowd went to line up at the machine.

"Is this a Temporary stay for the both of you?" Kazuhiro asked, his voice neutral as he awaited their response.

"Yes," the man replied, his voice gruff, matching his appearance.

"That will amount to 50SC, 25 each." Kazuhiro extended his open palm, expecting the usual transaction.

"About that," the man began, pulling out a bronze card, an identifier of a Novice adventurer. "I signed the adventurer contract. It states that I won't have to pay the fees until the end of the month, right?" His tone indicated he had read the terms closely.

"Yes, the terms of the adventurer contract do allow for tabbing your travels until the end of the month," Kazuhiro acknowledged with a nod,"However, the fee will rise to 50SC per visit for each world."

The man nodded, seemingly prepared for this stipulation. "That's fine. Put the kid's visit on my tab as well. It's just a temporary stay for him," he stated, his voice firm yet carrying an underlying layer of concern for the child's wellbeing.

Kazuhiro, however, had to clarify one more crucial point to ensure there were no misunderstandings later. "I understand, but I need to confirm. Has the child also signed the traveler's contract? If not, the market will prohibit him from crossing."

The man's eyes briefly met the child's, a silent communication passing between them before he replied, "Yes, he's signed it."

"Very well," Kazuhiro responded, nodding once with approval. "Both of your travels are now tabbed under your account. Please ensure that the conditions of the contract are adhered to throughout your stay, or else you will be immediately sent back if any of the rules were to be broken." He stated that before looking over the two locals of the world, "Do you two approve of their visit?"

"Yes, absolutely, yes, yes." Tom responded enthusiastically, eager to welcome new faces to their community.

"Of course," echoed the Mayor, his voice imbued with warmth and a welcoming spirit.

Kazuhiro returned his attention to the man and the child. "You are all set. You may wait alongside them until the others are processed," he instructed, indicating where they should stand.

Turning specifically to the boy, he added a note of caution, "Remember, once your temporary stay concludes, you will be returned here by the market to manage the renewal or termination of your arrangement. It's crucial to keep track of the lease terms."

"Right, I understand," the man replied, placing a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. They then moved to stand beside the Mayor and Tom, waiting patiently as the rest.

Kazuhiro continued to address the following individual in line. "Your purpose of visit?" he inquired, maintaining his professional demeanor.

"Temporary visit and uh—"

Before the visitor could elaborate, a loud exclamation cut through the market. "Zere you ar!" A voice called out from the right side, its owner making a beeline toward the counter.

Everyone's attention shifted as a distinctly orange cat navigated through the crowd with a plate in his paw. He jumped onto the counter beside Kazuhiro, glaring at him with grievance.

"May I help you?" Kazuhiro inquired.

"Thith!" The cat gestured to the plate he had brought along.

"A slice of pie?" Kazuhiro deduced, observing the item in question, it was perfectly intact.

"How can a good lookin' pie even cause 'thith'!?" The cat complained, his words slightly slurred due to his dental dilemma. He opened his mouth wide to show Kazuhiro the problem: several of his teeth were missing, and the rest looked in peril.

Kazuhiro, maintaining professionalism, pulled out his device and activated the appraise application. He hovered the camera over the contentious pie, reading its description and checking its price. "It is indeed listed as food," he affirmed after checking the details.

"Then—"

"It appears you haven't settled the payment for it," Kazuhiro interjected.

"What?"

"You haven't paid for it. One of the functions of the market is that goods must be paid for before they can be used, whether it's food, weapons, or vehicles."

"That dothent even make any thenth," The cat lisped, frustrated. "Firtht off, I get lost in ere. Then I get hungry and thith pie turned to be rock tholid! " he threw the plate in his irritation, but when it hit the ground, it didn't break.

Kazuhiro watched the display as he was about to respond to calm the cat slumping down and murmuring, lamenting about how he'd be able to enjoy food from now on, especially lasagna. He was then interrupted by a beeping sound from the entrance. Turning to see who had arrived, he was met by one of his workers, Toru, approaching with his usual stoic demeanor. "Toru, you have arrived."

"Mhm," Toru hummed with a slight nod. "Do you have any dorms here, Kazuhiro-san?"

Kazuhiro shook his head slightly. "No, there are none."

"Right," Toru sighed. "I thought about converting the credits into yen and finding myself somewhere outside this world to sleep," he said as he surveyed the surroundings while walking to the ATM.

Watching the young worker, Kazuhiro called out, "Toru, can you assist me with the travel process?" He gestured towards the line that needed assistance.

After a few taps on the machine's screen and the buttons, a beep sounds as the sound of cash came out of it, later stashed in Toru's pockets.

"Sure," Toru nodded, his expression unchanged as he prepared to help and settled to manage the cashier counter opposite of Kazuhiro.

Toru managed the queue after being briefed by Kazuhiro on how the process works. He handled each transaction well. His approach was methodical and patient, even as he dealt with refugees who were still bewildered by the complexities of interdimensional travel.

The options to pay the way came in ranges, those that came back with the physical store currency in their hand or stored in their card, as well for those that chose to pay by trading items, most of it they claimed that it was theirs, but Toru could see through their lies as they have probably looted these items. Another way was those that signed up as an adventurer for benefits, as they all chose to go for Novice rather than pay to be seasoned rank.

As the last patron finalized their conditions by gaining the approval of both the worker and client's world, Toru politely nodded, signaling the end of their transaction. "You can stand with the rest," he said, directing the individual to the area where others were gathered.

"T—Thank you," the patron replied, relief in their voice as they moved to join the others.

Toru eyed the rest in the corner of his eye, noting Yuko, Takashi's mother among them. "What about them, Kazuhiro-san?" he asked, indicating the group that seemed somewhat apart from the others.

Momentarily distracted, Kazuhiro turned his attention briefly to the other refugees before a middle-aged man from the group responded. "I myself don't want to use this service, as I'm waiting for that kid to appear," he said, his eyes scanning the others, who nodded in agreement before returning his gaze to Toru. "And I can confirm that the rest are in the same boat as I am."

"And you plan on staying here? Who knows when they will appear since time in any world differs from that inside of here," Toru raised a brow, questioning their plan.

"We know," the man replied, his tone carrying a hint of resignation mixed with resolve. "We've been informed by Miyamoto-san of this strange concept. We have a few resources to live off of. We'll try to gather stuff in our world to trade, but if things come to shove," he paused, glancing towards Kazuhiro, "I'll seek to become an adventurer."

"Hn." Toru subtly nodded before glancing over at Yuko, his teacher. His expression remained blank. "Are you sure about this, Komuro-sensei?" he asked, his voice carrying a slight edge of concern.

Yuko responded with a reassuring smile, trying to appear confident. "No need to worry about me, I'll be fine," she said, her tone light, but Toru could sense the underlying strain. He knew her well enough to recognize the facade.

"Alright," Toru replied, pausing briefly as his gaze shifted to the peculiar duo who seemed out of place in this setting. "And what about you two? Have you arrived from fantasy land?" he inquired, a hint of curiosity coloring his tone as he eyed Hagrid and especially Dumbledore.

Dumbledore chuckled softly, the sound rich with warmth. "One might say that," he responded. "However, our time here has drawn to a close." He began to move towards the exit but turned his attention to Kazuhiro. "Mr. Fujii, it has indeed been an enriching experience making your acquaintance. We will consider revisiting this extraordinary marketplace in due time. Until then, take great care."

Kazuhiro acknowledged Dumbledore and Hagrid's departure with a simple nod, watching them walk through the exit.

The Mayor, eager to proceed with the new arrivals, approached Kazuhiro with an expectant look. "So, are we all set, Mr. Kazuhiro?" he asked, his voice tinged with anticipation.

"Right, with both approvals, they are allowed to step foot into your world," Kazuhiro affirmed. stepping closer to the group.

"Oh, great! But how do we do this?" Tom asked, his usual savvy momentarily replaced by curiosity about the process.

"Simply walk to the door, and it will open the gate for them," Kazuhiro instructed, pointing towards the designated exit for such travels.

"Yes yes, we will do that," Tom responded enthusiastically. He and the Mayor moved briskly towards the exit, their presence activating the mechanism. The door slid open, revealing the swirling void that served as the gateway between worlds. The Mayor and Tom stood by, ready to guide their new guests through the passage,

The remaining onlookers, those who had decided to stay behind, gathered at a safe distance. They watched the group make their way towards the doorway.

"Take care!"

"See you soon! Don't forget about that world!"

"Safe travels!"

"Bye bye!"

As the group crossed the threshold of the door, both Tom and the Mayor stepped into the void. The dark space enveloped them as they ventured into it. Behind them, the door slid shut with a gentle whoosh, sealing the passage and marking the completion of the first transmigration.

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