n

nEvening

nWhen work hours were about to end, Serge-san dropped by the store.

n“I heard you wanted to talk about the music box.” Ryouma

n“Yes. First, I wish to give a report of the current situation.

nDinome Magic Tool Workshop will soon be able to start selling the music box. To that end, they have started accumulating stock.” Serge

nIt’s still some months away, but they’re already at a stage where they can start selling?

nSerge-san showed me a sample of the product while talking.

n“There will be different music boxes for nobles and commoners, right?” Ryouma

n“Yes. The music boxes catered toward nobles are ornamental boxes with a magic tool inside. The ornamental boxes will be made by order, so the customers can pick the motif and material themselves.” Serge

nSo, a unique luxury item. And because the box will be made-to-order, Dinome-san’s workload will decrease.

nCompared to that, the music box for the commoners is just a branded small box. This version will probably sell for a much more affordable price.

n“Since the music boxes catered toward the nobles are made-to-order, I take it we will be selling the common music boxes first?” Ryouma

n“Yes. Selling the music boxes to the nobles will be taken care of by the company, so I was thinking of unveiling the common music boxes during the Founding Festival.” Serge

n“You plan to put up a store during the Founding Festival?” Ryouma

n“Yes. The music that will be used in the music box is written by a popular troubadour. We’ve promised to mention them as well as the name of their song. That troubadour’s group of itinerant entertainers, the Semroid Troupe, will also be performing in Gimuru, so we’ll be selling our music boxes there.” Serge

nHe sure figured out how to sell music boxes quickly…

n“Just one thing. Where are you planning to perform?” Ryouma

n“That’s actually one of the things I wanted to talk to you about.” Serge

nApparently, he wants to use the store as a dressing room, and the security guard’s training area for the venue of the troupe.

n…I should discuss this with the others first.

nI called Carm-san and the head of my guards, Fei-san, and explained to them the situation.

nAfter discussing it, it was eventually decided that the empty lot will be used as proposed, but the dressing room will instead use the free room in the dormitory. Of course, this was under the condition that no one would be able to enter the other areas of the store.

n“Thank you for your cooperation. With this I’ll be able to report something good. The troupe will arrive within 2 weeks or so. I’ll drop by again when they arrive.” Serge

nLike this the discussions with Serge-san came to a close.

nI saw him off until the entrance of the store, then I went back inside.

n“Hmm? Did you hear that?” Ryouma

n“I think it came from the kitchen. I’ll take a look.” Fei

nFei-san quickly went to take a look.

n“Umm… I didn’t hear anything.” Carm

n“It was a really quiet sound.” Ryouma

nWhile we were talking, Fei-san came back.

n“Boss, there’s a terrible smell coming from a barrel in the kitchen. It seems Shelma-san accidentally opened it.” Fei

n“A barrel with a terrible smell? …Ah.” Ryouma

nThat must be the shappaya I got. It’s food, so I left it in the kitchen and forgot about it…

n“Sorry. I was the one who left that there. It’s a kind of preserved food someone gave me…” Ryouma

n“You did? In that case, you better hurry or she’ll throw it away.” Fei

nThrow it away!? That would be a terrible thing to do to Mondo-san!

n“Excuse me!” Ryouma

nI rushed to the kitchen, and true enough, Shelma-san was just about to throw the Shappaya barrel into the trash can.

n“Stop!!!” Ryouma

n“Kyaa!? Boss. What’s the matter?” Shelma

n“Shelma-san. I’m sorry, but actually, that’s a kind of preserved food someone gave me. I know it stinks, but it’s not trash.” Ryouma

n“O-Oh… Is that so? My bad.” Shelma

n“No, it’s my fault for forgetting it here. Let me deodorize the kitchen for you.” Ryouma

nI put the lid back on the barrel, and then used the Deodorant Slime to freshen up the kitchen.

nI’ve already gotten used to doing this sort of stuff, so I was able to do everything quickly.

n“There.” Ryouma

n“Thank you very much. But, are you sure you can eat that thing?” Shelma

nShelma-san found it hard to believe. But that’s understandable considering how bad the stench is. I have the Stench Resist skill and I’ve already eaten something like it in my previous life, so I’m alright with it, but someone who’s seeing it for the first time will probably find it hard to digest.

n“You need to wash off the smell first before eating it. That’s what the person who gave it to me said… Do you want to try it?” Ryouma

n“I’m actually quite interested, being a chef and all, but… I’m not sure…” Shelma

nLooks like the shock from when she accidentally opened the barrel was too big, and she can’t help but remember the stench when she smelled the stuff directly.

n…Wait a moment. Just now, wasn’t I able to remove the stench of the Shappaya in the room using the Deodorant Slime? In that case, why don’t I try soaking the Shappaya in the Deodorant Slime’s liquid?

n“Mind if I try something? I’ll put up a barrier first.” Ryouma

nI know I’m the boss, but Shelma-san is in charge of the kitchen. She’s also in the middle of preparing supper, so I made sure to get her permission first before trying out this experiment.

nFirst I took out the Shappaya and put them inside a large bowl. I thought the Shappaya would become softer, but they actually managed to retain their shape. I lined up the Shappaya, then I submerged them inside the Deodorant Slime’s liquid.

n“For the mean time, let’s soak for 10 minutes.”

n10 minutes later.

nAfter removing the liquid from the shappaya, I gently washed the Shappaya, making sure not to crush it. The deodorant slime’s liquid wasn’t poisonous, but I had to make sure that no filth would be left, so I used water magic to wash everything off, and… Done! The stench is gone!

nCompared to before, the shappaya basically smelled like nothing now. But what about the taste?

nI roasted it over fire and ate it.

n“!!” Ryouma

nThe more I chewed, the more the deliciousness of the fish came out. I thought I’d lose some of the taste by washing the shappaya with the dedorant liquid, but it’s still plenty delicious.

nThere’s still a little bit of stench from the shappaya’s liquid, though… Should I let it soak for longer? It might be because I’m numbed to the smell already or it might be because of the Stench Resist skill, but the thing is I don’t really mind the smell, so I’m not actually sure if the smell is bearable now for a normal person.

n“Shelma-san, I was able to remove most of the smell. What do you think?” Ryouma

n“Oh, you’re right. In that case, I’ll have one. …Mmm… It still stinks a little.” Shemla

n“I see…” Ryouma”

n“It’s much better compared to before, though. Before, it was so bad I couldn’t stand it, but now, I can properly taste it. I think it might be best if this is prepared with some herbs first rather than served as is.” Shelma

nSo, the stench is weak enough that it could be solved with something like that. In that case, how about adding Jija— Wait. I don’t have any. I don’t have any herbs too.

n…Right. Let’s use that Semisa instead.

nI took a bag of Semisa from the second floor and wrung out some oil using alchemy. The oil is plenty aromatic as is, but heating it up will release even more of the aroma. I cooked the oil on a frying pan.

n…And gradually the aromatic smell became stronger! I then added the Shappaya that’s been treated with deodorant. After frying one side, I flip the pan and fry the other side. I fried the Shappaya until both sides had turned crispy.

n“Is it ready?” Shelma

n“Yes. What do you think?” Ryouma

n“…Mmm. Well, it stink way less than before now. I think it’ll go well with wine.” Shelma

nIs the taste the problem?

n“…What’s going on?” Fina

n“Ah, no, it’s…” Ryouma

n“We smelled something familiar!” Jane

n“So we came to see what it is~” Maria

nWhen I turned around, the three working girls were standing by the entrance.

n“The semisa is our hometown’s taste, so—” Jane

n“—Smelling it really whets our appetite!” Fina

n“I see.” Ryouma

n“Boss~ Is that tonight’s supper?” Maria

nIt’s an experiment actually…

n“It’s alright. We’ll add it to our supper tonight.” Shelma

nAnd that’s how today’s experiment concluded.

nAs a result, the side dishes for tonight’s supper increased.

nAfter supper.

nShelma-san’s cooking was again simple and delicious. The employees also enjoyed the Shappaya fried in sesame oil. The effect of the deodorizing liquid could be seen immediately.

nIf I knew I could use the Deodorizing Liquid like this, I would have bought more Shappaya. Too bad. So long as man lives, he will need food to sustain him. So it never hurts to have too many preserved food.

n“Here you go, Boss.” Jane

n“Thank you very much.” Ryouma

nAfter supper, Jane-san served me a cup of Dante Coffee. She prepared everyone else’s favorite drink too, and we spent the time after supper like that.

n“Funfufun.” Jane

n…Still, Jane-san sure is in a good mood to day. The others are also in a good mood. Are they that happy having the ingredients of their hometown used?

nWhen I asked them that, apparently, that was one part of it, but there was also the conversation this afternoon.

n“When I think of how everyone in the village might be hired by the store, I just… Ah~” Maria

n“Of course, we’re also okay if you send us to different branches. Either way the laundromat is a really safe workplace. We left the village to work, but while we’re able to have an easy life working here, we can’t help but worry for those working elsewhere…” Jane

n“And with the way our village is, more and more villagers will eventually have to leave to make money. At that time, if we could just ensure the safety of at least one more villager, then we could be at ease by that much.” Fina

n“I see.” Ryouma

n“What would really be great is if we can sell our produce, though!” Fina

n“That’s right~. If that happens, then everyone can live together again~” Maria

n“It’s a waste that ingredients that delicious are just being thrown away.” Fei

n“Unthinkable in our country.” Leelin

nFei-san and Leelin-san joined the conversation.

n“What do you eat in your country?” Shelma

n“Our staple food is Miyen. It’s made by kneading flour with water. Kind of like bread, but we don’t cook it, and instead, put it in soup. When made long and narrow, we call it Reemiyen. When it’s thin and long, we call it Parmiyen. There are many names and ways of eating it.” Fei

nCould this Miyen be noodles?That seems to be the case after hearing Fei-san’s explanation. Or maybe it’s closer to flour dumplings since they put them in a soup.

n“That’s interesting~” Maria

n“I wonder how foreign cuisine tastes like…” Shelma

n“Shelma-san, are you curious? If you want, I can make you some.” Leelin

n“Oh, my, Leelin-san. Are you sure?” Shelma

n“I haven’t eaten it in a long while too. Why not? The ingredients are wheat flour, water, and soup. Everyone in our country is poor, so we don’t need any special ingredients.” Leelin

nWhat a happy conversation this has turned into.

n“…Should we put up a stall?” Carm

n“Huh?” Leelin

n“Carm-san?” Ryouma

nI was wondering what he was talking about so suddenly, but apparently, it was related to our discussion with Serge-san.

n“Although we’re not making a loss by lending the store, we can benefit more from the deal depending on our actions. One way we can do that, I believe, is by providing some snacks to the people coming to watch the troupe. If we provide them a place for them they can rest at and prepare products that can attract their attention, we should also be able to sell them some things. It’s a festival after all, so they should be more willing to spend. And even if we don’t make that much, we can still use this as an opportunity to deepen relations with the townspeople.” Carm

nCarm-san… Although it’s just an idea, he’s sure thought it through.

nManagement is going well, so we do have the capital, and we might just be able to give back a little to the people we’ve been making a killing from… This is another way to enjoy the festival.

n“What do you think? Everyone.” Carm-san

nIt would be impossible if the stall is to be tended by just me and Carm-san.

nWe need to get everyone’s cooperation.

n“…If you’re doing it, I’ll help. I… don’t have anything scheduled.” Dolce

nUnexpectedly, Dolce-san immediately agreed.

nI thought he was focused on working on his diary, but it seems he was actually listening.

n“I don’t have any experience putting up a stall, but I certainly love seeing people eat my food. All the more when the customers praise my cooking.” Shelma

nShelma-san was also up for it.

n“If we take turns like we do normally, we should be able to make time to go around the festival even while tending to the stall.” Fina

n“Hmm~ We’ll probably lose all our money if we play the whole day, so~ Why not?” Maria

n“I’m okay with it.” Leelin

n“I agree with my daughter.” Fei

n“Me too. Ah! Assistant-Manager, can we use our store’s wheat for the ingredients?” Jane

n“We have to create an environment to preserve the food goods, but it should be fine. Is something the matter?” Carm

n“If we use our village’s wheat, some customers might ask where the wheat is produced.” Jane

n“What are you talking about?” Dolce

n“Ahaha, forget it. I’m alright with working on the stall. It sounds fun.” Jane

nAfter Jane-san agreed, Fina-san also agreed.

nWith that, the decision was a unanimous yes.

nWe’re putting up a stall! Great!

nBut then again, when you think about, couldn’t we just use the store?

nStill, this is where the flow of conversation brought us, so I guess that’s that.

n“Now, we need to check the cost of the ingredients and prepare some sample dishes. We’ll have to lay the groundwork with Morgan Company… I’ll begin preliminary investigations tomorrow.” Ryouma

nIf after that everyone still feels like putting up a stall, then we’ll put up a stall.

n