Chapter 66: Meeting at the Cafe

Today is the day of the monthly workshop meeting. The main staff members gather to share information and discuss plans for the future. The participants are the members who went on the picnic a little while ago, plus Oliver.

Since the weather has been nice since the morning, light is flooding through the large glass windows of the cafe on the first floor of the new workshop. One by one, everyone started to gather there.

The members who arrived early sat on the sofas, reading books or drinking tea, spending their time leisurely. As more people arrived, the conversation turned to small talk.

“Hey, how was the muscle pain?” “I’m not young, so it took me three days to recover.” Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have dragged Eyle and Carpenter along.

“But the scenery was amazing.” “Yeah, and I could see that the buildings in Northernford are new and the roads are well-maintained. It’s nice to be able to feel proud of one’s own work.” Phew, it seems it was a good idea to invite them.

Although it’s supposed to be a meeting to discuss workshop policies, if there is no specific agenda, sometimes we just talk about recent events or chat idly. Since we only have one day off a week, I hope this serves as a place for everyone, who is usually busy, to relax. Well, sometimes ideas are born from idle chatter, after all.

Baker is planning to provide a new sweet today, so I’m looking forward to that too. Baker, who helped develop the Pomte recipes, can cook and is also good at brewing tea. But his main profession is a pastry chef—a Pâtissier.

“Here you go. Bon appétit.” Freshly baked apple pies were lined up on the table. The scent of cinnamon and nutmeg wafted through the air. It is an American-style apple pie, where the pie crust on the surface is shaped in a diagonal lattice pattern.

In this world, there were only pies like those in medieval England—just fruit put in and baked—so I provided the recipe. Although my memory was vague, Baker is amazing for inferring the missing parts and finishing it up.

In the world I came from, I didn’t really like the hamburgers themselves at a certain famous hamburger shop, but I liked their apple pie. Since it wasn’t expensive, the pie crust wasn’t that crispy. But the balance of sweet and sour was just right.

“Oh, the outside is crispy, and the apples inside are soft.” “Sweet, sour, and warm. It feels like happiness.” “It’s very fragrant. Is this cinnamon and nutmeg? It’s a good balance.” Everyone smiles when they eat something sweet.

I took a slice onto a plate and tried it. Ah, nostalgic. It tasted like this. Although the pie crust Baker made is far more delicious. It reminds me of chatting about silly things with friends at that hamburger shop.

“Thank you, Baker. It’s a wonderful result.” “Fufufu, I am glad it suits your taste, William-san. Well, I used plenty of expensive ingredients like sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, after all.” “No, it’s not just thanks to the ingredients; it’s Baker‘s skill. The balance and perfection are amazing for a first attempt.”

Once everyone finished eating, we moved on to talk about the workshop. Usually, we report on the status of each department, come up with various ideas, or just chat. “Everyone, today Oliver has a proposal regarding the future policy of the workshop.”

“What I want to propose today is a strategy to further increase the value of the workshop’s products. Even now, there is a reputation that things made in this workshop are of high quality. However, you can’t tell at a glance that it was made by this workshop. So, if we attach a workshop mark, it will be immediately recognizable.” I see, a logo mark.

“Eventually, I want to make it so that simply owning something made in this workshop has value in itself. To that end, let’s first decide on the workshop’s name and mark. I have already obtained permission from His Excellency the Margrave regarding this matter.” As expected of Oliver, he has already finished the groundwork. And it’s impressive that he’s explaining branding without using the word “brand.”

“For the workshop’s name, wouldn’t ‘William Workshop’ be fine?” “Fufu, that is a proposal typical of Theo-san, who respects his Master. But I’d like a little more of a twist. It should be short and easy to say.” No, that’s embarrassing, so please stop.

“Then how about ‘Will & Theo Workshop’?” “Oh, Mabel-san’s suggestion has a nice ring to it.” “No, that’s too awe-inspiring for me, absolutely not.”

After discussing various things, it was decided to be Will & Fellows Workshop. It means something like Will and his friends. I asked them to leave my name out of it, but everyone overruled me.

And the logo mark became a decorative “W” and “F” partially intertwined. Oliver designed it. As expected, he has good taste. Oliver wore a satisfied expression and declared: “Now, let’s make Will & Fellows Workshop and its logo famous!”