Chapter 146: Business Expansion

The “New Year’s Banquet” held at the Philharmonie Ducal House was a massive success. The nobles who had been unable to decide on a faction must have judged that joining the Royalist Faction held more benefits, as many newly established nobles joined our side. In terms of sheer numbers of affiliated nobles, I think we’ve likely secured the top spot. But it’s not just about having large numbers. Some nobles might end up dragging us down, and there might even be nobles acting as spies, secretly colluding with rival factions. Father and His Majesty the Emperor will probably sort those matters out carefully from here on.

Speaking of massive successes, ever since that night, Pamela-sensei has been receiving an endless stream of requests to perform at parties from various houses. Regardless of their faction, no less. Since Pamela-sensei herself is no longer a noble, there’s no major problem even if she goes to perform at the parties of other factions. Though it seems she did prioritize the ‘Arts and Sciences Faction’ since that is her parents’ faction.

However, as soon as Pamela-sensei performed at the Arts and Sciences Faction’s party, our Ducal House was flooded with inquiries about purchasing instruments. Father and the others seemed a bit troubled by this. Instruments like drums, cymbals, or saxophones are fine. The problem lies with instruments that require electricity to play, like keyboards and electric guitars. Currently, to perform like Pamela-sensei, you need things like an amplifier in addition to the instrument, and that further requires either a power source from my store or dry cell batteries. There is the method of charging rechargeable batteries with the electricity from my store, but I don’t think that’s realistic.

Among the stores I can summon, batteries can be bought at five of them: the “Pawn Shop”, “Fashion Center”, “Model Shop”, “Convenience Store”, and “Instrument Store”. However, it is honestly impossible to cover the electricity for all the sold instruments purely with dry cell batteries. With continuous use, six AA alkaline batteries won’t even last half a day. If we sold instruments that consumed electricity endlessly, we’d eventually be unable to supply the batteries to keep up. If we mishandled it, the batteries might end up being treated as more expensive than the instruments themselves. Therefore, after thoroughly explaining this fact, they restricted the buyers strictly to those who possess a musician’s certification.

It’s only for musicians for now, but His Majesty the Emperor and the Prime Minister are apparently trying to recreate electric guitars and the like using magic tools, so I think the restrictions will loosen once that’s accomplished. Well, I did hand some over to my acquaintances using my owner’s privilege, though. Like to Elliott and his friends. Of course, I received the proper payment for them, you know? Those three really seem to have formed a band, and just as expected, their roles were Elliott on guitar, Leon on bass, and Jean on drums. I heard they’re being taught guitar and bass by the court musicians who are Pamela-sensei’s band members. Those people were amazing too, after all. They apparently plan to have a battle of the bands with us at next year’s “New Year’s Banquet”. I’ll gladly accept their challenge. We’ll have to practice more.

Having resolved Pamela-sensei’s problem and completely snapped the flags leading to Jeremy-sensei, the social season is still ongoing for me. As a daughter of a Ducal House, attending parties I don’t want to go to, being invited to tea parties I don’t want to attend, and putting on a fake smile every day is gradually making me fed up. Well, even so, I did make a few young lady friends, and I managed to form various connections, so it wasn’t a complete waste. Seriously, being a noble is tough…

“The social circles are buzzing exclusively with talk about you, Sakura-chan. Delicious food, novel clothes, fun playground equipment, interesting music… They say you’re running at the cutting edge of the Royal Capital.” “I have mixed feelings about that…”

I showed an indescribable expression at Mother’s words. The one running isn’t me, but rather the techniques and knowledge cultivated and passed down by my predecessors on Earth… Having it all treated as my own personal achievements makes me feel incredibly awkward…

“So, I have something I’d like to consult you about… I’m thinking it’s about time we opened a direct-sales store.” “A direct-sales store, you say?”

Hmm? What’s a direct-sales store?

“Currently, our Ducal House buys products from your store, Sakura-chan, and sells them through close acquaintances or the Imperial Family. Also, we’ve entrusted the goods made under the Sakura Brand to merchants who have ties with our house, but that inevitably limits the people who can buy them.”

Hmm. I suppose so. The current sales route is strictly geared towards selling to nobles. Many of the items sold in my store would make life easier for commoners, but due to their prices, they haven’t circulated that far. In short, while the products from my store are a hot topic, it’s strictly a conversation contained within the nobility. If the goal were simply to make money, that would be fine, but Mother seems to think differently.

“I was born in the frontier, so I know the disparity between the Royal Capital and the distant regions. I’d like it if Sakura Brand products could reach those places as well.”

She doesn’t mean the products from the stores I summon, but rather the Sakura Brand products made using them as a reference, I see. She wants to sell them at prices that even commoners can afford. According to Mother, the mass production system for the Sakura Brand is steadily taking shape. Since when… Even though she’s my mother, her ability to take action is insane…

“Of course, for prices that commoners can afford if they splurge just a little, I’m thinking of stocking items from your store too, Sakura-chan. I’m sure they’ll become the featured centerpieces.” “Ah, I see…”

I finally understood Mother’s intention. In other words, she wants to handle the Sakura Brand at the direct-sales store, but on its own, it lacks a certain punch. So, she wants to stock rare products from Earth there to catch the customers’ eyes. How should I put it, she has a fierce entrepreneurial spirit… She’s supposed to be a noble lady, though… If she had been born a commoner, she might have become a great merchant.

The products made under the Sakura Brand aren’t from Earth, but are made using materials from this world. They are good items, but inevitably, compared to things from Earth, many fall slightly short in quality and performance. Well, there are some things made using unique materials from this world that surpass the quality of those from Earth, but that is still limited to a very small portion. I have no problem whatsoever with opening a direct-sales store itself. Since Mother will be the one practically leading the operation, anyway.

“First, I’m thinking of opening a store in the provincial capital, and next in the Einsatz territory.”

Grandfather’s place, huh. No wait, Uncle is the lord there now. For Mother, it’s her hometown. It’s probably easier for her to operate there.

“When it comes to things from my store, what kind of items do you think will sell?” “In the frontier, practical items are preferred over showy ones. Rather than cosmetics and the like, things like razors and soap… Maybe toothbrushes and cups?”

Yup, those are all things you can buy at the public bathhouse… Hmm, practical items, huh… Like the 100-yen lighters sold at the convenience store, or cotton work gloves? Even at a rip-off price, if they can buy a lighter for 1,000 yen, wouldn’t that be convenient? In this world, people who can’t use daily life magic still use flint and steel. Other than that, scissors, or notebooks. However… I’m worried about resellers. There’s no guarantee that corrupt merchants won’t buy products from our place and sell them elsewhere at exorbitant prices.

“That will be fine. The place selling them is the Ducal House’s direct-sales store, you know? Doing such a thing would be like picking a fight with the Ducal House, and unless the buyer is an idiot, I’ll make them swear to the God of Commerce at the church before buying. If their oath is a lie, or if they stray from the path of commerce, divine punishment will fall upon them.”

Mother said that as if it were a matter of course, but divine punishment is scary! I still can’t get used to this world’s common sense where Gods are an absolute given. ‘Even though you’re receiving plenty of their blessings?’ you ask. Well, that’s true, but… In this world, things like guard fees against magical beasts and bandits, horse fodder, lodging fees, and transporting goods over long distances cost quite a bit in shipping. Therefore, if you take them from the Royal Capital to the frontier, a 100-yen… no, even a 1,000-yen lighter might not be worth the cost at just 1,000 yen. Well, if it serves as a featured centerpiece to attract customers like Mother said, and we can expect a promotional effect, it might more than make up for it.

“I have one more thing I want to consult you about.” “Eh? Something else?” “Actually, a letter arrived at our Ducal House from the Gospel Kingdom. They want us to design the uniforms for the ‘Academy’…” “Hah!?”

Design the uniforms for the ‘Academy’!? No, no, no, wait a minute!? Why is such a massive project coming to our house!?

“You see, the Saint of the Gospel Kingdom was here, right? She seemed to really like the clothes you designed, Sakura-chan. And when His Holiness the Pope heard about it, he strongly requested that we do it…” “Ehh…? Doesn’t that have something to do with me being the ‘Princess of the Holy Sword’?” “Hmm… probably. But it’s also certainly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the newly established Sakura Brand. It will instantly add prestige.”

Well, I mean, that’s true, but… Or rather, the ‘Academy’ uniform is the one everyone wore in the game, right? That one is fine… There’s no particular need to change it… Wait? Come to think of it, what does the ‘Academy’ uniform look like right now? The uniform that popped into my head is the one from ten years in the future. Did it happen to change to that uniform at this specific timing? When I asked what the current ‘Academy’ uniform looked like, Mother brought me a small portrait.

Wow, is this Mother and Father when they were young!? They look about fourteen or fifteen. They are both twenty-four and twenty-five now, so this is from roughly ten years ago. …And four years from now, I’m going to be born, right… Seriously, isn’t the jump from marriage to childbirth in this world way too fast…?

“This is from ten years ago, but the uniform should still be this one even now.”

The uniform my parents were wearing was one I didn’t recognize. Or rather, instead of a uniform, this is a robe, isn’t it? The uniform my parents were wearing in the past looks just like the ones worn by students at a certain magic school you can only get to by taking a train from platform 9 ¾. A pitch-black robe with what looks like a school crest on the chest. It gives off a strong “magic school” vibe, and while I think this has its own charm…

“You can’t really be very fashionable with this uniform, you see. It completely hides everything under the robe. The male students would embroider things like magical beasts on the inside lining of their robes, though.”

Ah… I feel like in Japan, there were gakuran (traditional boys’ school uniforms) with tigers or dragons embroidered on the inner lining too. I wonder if it’s the same kind of vibe…

“If it were up to you, Sakura-chan, what kind of uniform would you make?” “Even if you ask me what kind…”

What’s the correct answer here? If the uniform from the game is fine, I can draw it right away, but is that okay…? In reality, it was something designed and drawn by the game’s character designer… Or should I make it my own original uniform? If a modern blazer or sailor uniform is fine, I can draw those.

I don’t know. For now, I’ll submit several design proposals including those, and let them decide over in the Gospel Kingdom. Let’s do that. I drew as many uniforms as I could think of, as well as fantasy-style uniforms I’d seen in manga, anime, and games, and sent them to the Gospel Kingdom. I’ll leave the rest up to them to decide.

Leaving it entirely up to them? Yeah, don’t mind it, don’t mind it…