We Lease The Kraken! - A LitRPG Pet Shop System Story.

Ulrick pushed open the back door of his bakery and stretched with a satisfied groan.

Today had been a good day.

He'd kept his promise to Amani's father, passed on the Maddock lot, and helped out Jeremiah, all in one go.

"He's a good kid... You'd be proud, Sarah," Ulrick muttered into the warm stillness of the empty shop.

He paused, his smile fading slightly as he felt a presence approaching the front of the store.

A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. He cracked his knuckles.

"Well then. Back to work."

The front door opened, and his enchanted bell — a gift from his mother and teacher in the arcane — rang a clear, perfect tone no normal person could hear.

A few seconds later, something kicked in the kitchen door hard enough to make the reinforced hinges groan. A rush of wind tore through the room, sending up a choking cloud of flour and flinging a dozen carefully arranged utensils across the tile.

Ulrick was barely halfway through the window before a slender hand reached from the cloud, grabbed him by the collar, and yanked him back into the kitchen with a startled yelp.

When the white haze cleared, Ulrick was kneeling on the flour-dusted floor, blinking past the flour coating his beard and desperately trying not to make eye contact with the small woman looming over him.

"Ah. Hello, Merry," he coughed, forcing a grin. "To what do I owe the visit?"

Merry Grim didn't return the smile.

Her eye twitched as she folded her arms, lips twitching with fury. "Ulrick… would you be so kind," she said, voice sugar-sweet, "as to explain to me what in the Maker's grand design possessed you to send Jeremiah Bridge, of all people, to rob the Kindergarten of all places?!"

Her voice rose with each word until the final accusation struck like a hammer, practically rattling the cupboards.

Ulrick flinched. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple. Slowly, he raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Now hold on! That was never the plan! I just thought the lad might rough Jonny up a bit, I swear, Merry. I just — Jonny's been gettin' in over his head since he triggered. Figured a little scare might steer him straight. That's all. Just trying to look out for them. Both of them."

Merry didn't blink.

Ulrick's eyes flicked to the window.

Could he make it in one leap?

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Then, suddenly, the pressure in the room dropped. The fury radiating from her… vanished.

Merry sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Ulrick blinked, thrown by the change. When she finally looked up, she didn't speak. She simply tossed him something.

He caught it with a grunt and looked down.

A thick manila folder.

He flipped it open. His eyes scanned the contents, then went wide. "The Kindergarten file? So it did get switched! But how—?"

"I'll give you one guess," Merry said dryly, arms folded again.

Ulrick's brow furrowed… and then his jaw dropped.

"Mani… that little sneak! I was sure I'd proofed those files against all his tricks!"

Merry's frown deepened. "Yes. He's getting rather… creative lately."

Ulrick snorted. "Creative? That boy's one bad idea away from triggering a citywide lockdown. Wait till I get my hands on him. This mess could've gone way worse than his usual pranks."

Merry's smirk returned, sharp and dry. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. Mani's going to be lucky if I let him leave the building sometime this century."

Ulrick chuckled, rising to his feet and brushing flour off his beard and apron. "Yeah… the lad's really done it this time."

Merry sighed, rubbing her temple. "I don't know what I'm going to do with him. He's growing faster than his siblings ever did, and with half the sense, it seems."

Ulrick gave a sympathetic grunt. "Puberty's a menace with magic in the mix."

Then, pausing, he turned toward her, brow furrowed. "That said… If you didn't come here just to talk about Jeremiah, what did you come for?"

Merry smirked again, folding her arms. "Now, I didn't say that, did I?"

Ulrick raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

She met his gaze with an uncharacteristically serious look. "What do you think of him, Ulrick?"

Ulrick scratched his beard, thinking. "Hmm… Jeremiah's a good lad, I think. Has heart. Grit."

"But…" Merry prompted.

He sighed, heavy and low. "But he puts too much on himself. The boy barely blinked at breaking into the Kindergarten just to claim some land and a crumbling building. That ain't normal, Merry."

Merry tapped her lip, thoughtful. "Right… this shop I've been hearing about. I'll admit, I didn't take Jeremiah for the entrepreneurial type."

"Aye, me neither," Ulrick agreed. "But he was dead set on it. Wouldn't take no for an answer. And the place — it's got a peculiar dimension to it. Not something you'd expect in this part of town. Feels… off."

"Oh?" Merry arched an eyebrow.

Ulrick nodded gravely. "Here's where it gets stranger. While finalizing the paperwork for the deed, I found something. Someone had already filed a business license in Jeremiah's name."

Merry's brows lifted. "Already? But how?"

"Exactly," Ulrick said, frowning. "The license checks out—legit seal, properly indexed. But it's sparse. No listed sponsor. No co-signer. And the registration date was yesterday, before we even filed the lot transfer."

Merry's frown deepened. "Think Sarah arranged something in advance? Left him a contingency? She seemed rather… nervous about something the last time I spoke to her," then softer, "before the… incident."

"I wondered the same," Ulrick admitted. "But get this — when I tried digging deeper into the filing trail…" He met her gaze. "I got blocked. By Sentinel."

Merry's eyes went wide. "You're joking."

"I wish," he said, voice low.

Merry leaned back, dragging both hands down her face. "Jeremiah, child… what have you gotten yourself into?"

Ulrick glanced toward the window, then back. "Think it's time to make some calls? We did promise Sarah we'd look after him."

Merry shook her head slowly. "Not yet. He's already attracting attention just by existing, being Sarah's last kin, and moving here of all places. As it stands, our interest in him is believable enough. If we start to poking too deep, then it might draw the wrong kind of attention."

Ulrick grunted in agreement. "True enough. Besides…" He gave a sly grin. "I'll admit, I'm curious about what he'll get up to on his own. No point in us old fogeys meddling in every step of the younger generation."

He threw his head back and laughed.

Merry rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth twitched with reluctant amusement. "Fair enough."