Megumai leaned against the headboard of the bed, her gaze following her son as he crawled around.
Seiya is now eight months old, currently in the 'evolutionary' stage from crawling to standing and walking.
The little one explores the novel world based on his instincts.
His gaze ends at the cave wall, and his active range is the soft, large bed beneath him.
The bedsheet is a pristine blue, without any patterns.
Megumai initially laid out brightly colored sheets for Seiya, thinking the baby would like them, but later found her son was not very interested.
The one time she switched to a solid color, it worked well, and she has kept it that way ever since.
Tight wooden guardrails are set up along the edge of the bed to prevent Seiya from accidentally rolling off while crawling.
Megumai has smoothed all the corners of the railings and covered the surface with solid-colored cloth covers to prevent injury to her young son.
In short, this area is completely safe, allowing Seiya to crawl and explore freely.
Whenever Seiya is active, Megumai puts down everything else and watches her son with undivided attention to prevent any accidents.
The little baby is still naive; his explorations leave few lasting impressions, generally forgotten in a blink.
For the young Seiya, the most familiar and deeply imprinted figure is the peer leaning against the headboard.
This is not only because of the profound connection of blood but also due to their constant daily companionship.
Whenever he is hungry, this peer feeds him delicious milk; whenever he is sleepy, this peer accompanies him to sleep; whenever...
This deeply rooted impression gives rise to an unparalleled closeness.
Seiya long ago completed his understanding of this peer through his five senses, which allows him to explore the outside world without distraction.
He is now able to make sounds, though they are just simple, slurred baby babble.
Megumai teaches him to speak every day, repeating the names of various things, with the word "Mama" being the most frequent.
It's predictable that before Seiya says 'Mama,' she will have said 'Mama' to her son countless times.
Of course, that's not what's important.
To Megumai, the key is that future 'Mama' from her son!
...
Life is not just about the poetry of the moment; there is also the grind of the future.
Megumai faked her death during the Third Great Shinobi War, left Konoha, and eventually traveled to the Tetsu no Kuni [Land of Iron], where she dug out a cave and lived in seclusion.
First, she devoted herself entirely to scientific research, and later, entirely to caring for her son.
For over two years, she has been living off her savings.
Her accumulated wealth is about to run out, enough only to last for another year.
In fact, there are large amounts of funds stored in her ancestral home in Konoha.
Unfortunately, returning to the village now poses too great a risk.
Therefore, to sustain their lives, earning money has become a matter that needs to be urgently addressed.
Taking on missions is clearly impractical; missions are often dangerous, and she cannot take her child with her.
Even leaving a Shadow Clone to watch the child at home is unfeasible.
After all, a Shadow Clone cannot breastfeed a hungry baby.
Furthermore, Megumai is a staunch advocate of breastfeeding and refuses to use formula...
In short, the requirement to supervise the child always eliminates most options for earning money.
However, Megumai had already planned.
Before deciding to conceive Seiya, she had selected several suitable job options.
Now, she needs to choose the best one, adapting to the local conditions, the current situation, and her personal circumstances.
For this, Megumai took her son to the city for an inspection.
The job not only had to suit her, but her son had to like it, too. After all, her son would have to be by her side while she worked.
...
Kouun City, a major town on the northern frontier of the Tetsu no Kuni.
It boasts an excellent geographical location, a diverse population, and a developed economy.
Even in the severe cold, the streets are continuously bustling with people.
In the past, Megumai would also bring her son when she bought groceries, but their activity was limited to the route to the market, unlike today's wandering through the busy commercial area.
The novel, expansive world excited Seiya ; his little hands waved wildly, and his mouth babbled non-stop.
On the bustling streets, armed samurai patrol back and forth, maintaining order.
Inside the thick, warm fox fur coat, Seiya nestled against his mother, his face resting on her neck. Clinging together for warmth, his delicate skin would not be frozen.
The little one's eyes were bright, and he looked on with great excitement, taking everything in.
A small stall on the roadside caught his attention. Balloons, wind-up toys, animal models...
Megumai naturally indulged him, buying, buying, and buying.
Before even deciding which workplace to apply to, she had already amassed a basket of small items for her son. Seiya was so delighted that he rewarded his mother with two kisses.
One of the pre-selected jobs was a tailor, making women's clothing.
This is a skilled trade, paid by quality and quantity-the more work, the more pay.
Megumai was somewhat drawn to this option, so she first visited several clothing shops on the street to understand the latest market conditions.
...
The street was bustling, filled with noise.
Megumai walked out of a tailor shop and saw a street ahead that was completely blocked, packed with people.
The congestion was somewhat abnormal. Megumai couldn't help but furrow her brow, looking for the cause.
It turned out that a supermarket across the street had posted a notice recruiting a store manager.
The benefits were quite generous, attracting many people.
The patrolling samurai came to disperse the crowd, but to little effect, yet they could not forcibly drive them away. After all, everyone was just diligently looking for a job to earn a living.
After consulting with their superiors, the samurai remained on-site to maintain order and prevent stampedes.
As for the dense crowd, they didn't need to worry about them. They would naturally disperse once the store manager was selected.
After a while, Megumai gathered a rough understanding of the situation from people's conversations.
The supermarket, named "Peace," had only recently opened. It was in an excellent location and doing a booming business. Today, it was hiring one store manager only.
The store manager's monthly salary was one hundred thousand Ryo, plus a bonus equal to 10% of the net profit of the revenue.
Of course, if the net profit was negative, no bonus would be issued, but the manager's base salary would not be deducted.
The work schedule was five days a week, with Tuesdays and Wednesdays off. Working hours were from eight in the morning to six in the evening.
In short, the benefits were very good.
But, strangely, the notice did not specify any concrete hiring conditions.
The supermarket employee who posted the notice assured the samurai that the boss was nearby and would select the person based solely on "affinity" or "first impression," and the manager would be chosen within half an hour, minimizing traffic disruption.
As soon as this was announced, everyone was eager to try.
Not a single person left. After all, "affinity" is such an elusive thing!
There's no harm in trying; perhaps the boss, with her discerning eye, would recognize the hidden gem in them!
Megumai was also intrigued.
Being a supermarket manager would be incredibly convenient for bringing her son to work!
A time cost of merely half an hour was negligible and worth a shot.
Megumai decisively joined the pool of candidates, remaining in place. A moment later, a clear, cold voice sounded next to her.
"Beautiful lady, are you interested in applying for the position of store manager?"
Megumai turned her head in the direction of the voice, only to see a slender, graceful girl speaking.
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