Published at 8th of December 2022 06:50:14 AM

Im not a regular they know well its my store. The staff at the General Goods Store dont know me, but they do know about Hugo, who is the General Manager of the Royal Capital Branches, and Bianca, who is the Assistant Manager of this one. I didnt say anything because those two were letting me silently pass through. Well, I was stared at a little bit, but if I worry about that on a case-by-case basis, there is no end to it.

I didnt go inside the General Goods Store because the staff would find me out after it opened, but I knew the structure well because I had instructed and confirmed the interior before it opened. Without hesitation, I entered the reception room.

Are sure about this, Mr. Hugo? Bianca asked quietly. Were doing this without permission

I can overhear them, but I dont mind it as step into the reception room and sit in the back. Hugo sat next to me, Bianca next to him, and Christa sat facing me on the opposite end. Seeing this arrangement, I could see the ? ? ? floating from the two ladies both.

Well then ah, thats right, I said. Lets start by introducing myself. Im Flora Charlotte von Carruthers, the eldest daughter of Margrave Carruthers. Im also the owner of Caanza Trading Firm, Sir Floto von Caan.

Huuuh?! Christa and Bianca squealed in unison.

Is it that surprising? There arent many people around our age with titles, but its not like there arent any of them at all. Even though its rare to be conferred a peerage on your merits like a knighthood, its not uncommon for the House Head to suddenly die and a young heir to inherit the title.

And the recent batch of new nobles is gradually starting to dabble in business. Most aristocrats first work with their House purveyors, and many of the larger Houses are starting trading firms in their name.

Caanza is your business, Floto?! Christa yelled. Why didnt you tell me? Ah! I see. So this is how you know how to make crepes, huh?

I dont have time to answer the barrage of successive questions. Is she just wondering out loud than asking?

Mr. Hugo! Why didnt you tell me!? Bianca yelled at Hugo. Have I not realized Ive wronged someone?!

I dont think theres any point in saying such things while Im present but did Bianca do something rude to me? I dont remember that, but she might have.

Im sorry, Christa and Bianca, I said. I wanted to keep the fact that I was the owner of Caanza as secret as possible, so I told people who knew me to keep quiet about it. And now that you two know, please keep quiet about it, as well.

Y-Yes! Bianca said immediately as she stood up.

But I wonder why? Christa asked, looking unconvinced. Why dont you tell everyone more about it? I think if word gets out that youre the owner of Caanza, Floto, there wouldnt be anyone harassing you, know?

I think it would be even more troublesome if they found that out, I said. You know, people will keep complaining about me not selling my products to them or something of the sort.

Ah I see thats fair, Christa said, falling silent like she was convinced.

Caanza never sells members-only products to non-members, even if they are high-ranking aristocrats. But, for example, if a student at school finds out that Im the owner of the entire firm, what would they do? Obviously, theyd start asking me to sell the products directly to them.

Of course, just because you were negotiating directly with me, its owner, doesnt mean Ill bend the rules about business with non-members. But if someone like that keeps coming up to you persistently, wouldnt it be too much of a hassle? Above all, if its well-known that I am a business owner, and if that person is not a member and cannot buy my products, they may harass me out of resentment, or even attack me more personally than just damaging my business. I dont want that kind of trouble.

Anyway, first of all, I would like to ask Bianca what she thinks of pudding, I said. Katharina.

Yes, Katharina said.

After waiting so quietly for so long, Katharina lined up puddings in front of Bianca and Christa. Then she put a pudding on the empty seat opposite Bianca and sat down at the table herself. Huh? Katharina? Before you came here, we ate together at the Carruthers Residence, didnt we? If you eat too much pudding, youll get fat, right?

Wha?! Bianca cried. What is this!? Its sweet and soft and seems to just melt away!

Bianca seems surprised when she eats pudding for the first time. Christa and Katharina are eating pudding, as well. Everyone really likes pudding I wonder if that soft and crumbling texture is the key. If its just sweet, there are other types you can get. I think thats why pudding is so popular.

After they finished eating the pudding, I listened to their various impressions. After all, they all say the same thing. It seems that the sweetness and texture are the key points, and it seems that the new physical sensations that have never existed before seem to be what makes it especially popular. I want to at least add vanilla flavor here, but I cant help that.

I cant talk to Bianca about the detailed manufacturing method, ingredients, and price of the pudding because Christa is right there. I just told them that I was thinking of selling this in a limited quantity per day at the members-only store. Once its only staff again, I would like to ask Bianca various things, so I would like her to think about it.

Then lets get into Christas problem, I said. I havent heard the details yet, but you said you want me to serve crepes and pudding at Lady Helenes evening party. Is that about right?

Yes, thats almost exactly what I want, Christa said.

Understood. I thought it was just a brief version outside, but it turns out that was all. Christa came to Caanza to ask if we could serve crepes at an evening party, but she doesnt really know who to ask. It seems that she went directly to the crepe cafe to see if she could find whoever was the boss who had that authority.

Bianca couldnt decide what to do, and just when she was at a loss, Hugo and I arrived and witnessed the scene.

Bianca, Assistant Manager of the General Goods Store and the Crepe Cafe, has been given considerable authority despite being an Assistant. But Bianca doesnt have the authority to go to other places outside our stores and produce or sell our products there.

Its not a business trip service, but if the store manager decides on that kind of thing without permission, things will get out of control. There is also the possibility that leaving the store alone without its manager and going on business trips to nobles homes or evening parties will become far too frequent an occurrence. Also, just going in itself could cause troubles and disruptions in the business. Its a bad system when one store manager can take such a job without authorization from a higher executive.

If the store manager can decide such a thing at their discretion, you open the risk of bribery from nobles or bias and bending the rules to specific people. Besides, if the other party is a noble, if they take the easy way out in a dispute, even if there is no fault on our side, we may be legally charged with a crime. Right now, Im the only one who can handle that sort of thing.

As for me, I dont want to sell our products at an evening party. If word gets out that Caanza has catered for Duke Bayens evening party, theres a chance someone else would ask for the same thing. If I refused then, theyd question why it was only for Duke Bayen. On the other hand, I intend to reject any and all such requests from now on.

But I also want to help Christa. She is my classmate and the first new female friend Ive made in school. That friend of mine is in trouble and I can help her, so I dont think I can just turn a blind eye and pretend my hands are tied.

Nominally, though yes, thats right. if only there was a nominal justification for Caan to cater Duke Bayens evening party its okay to be a little forced or convoluted. If there is something we can say that explains its only for this time for that reason, this may just come off as a special exception than personal bias.

Something if we have an excuse on the face of it I said.

Hmm Bianca hums.

My staff seems to be thinking it over. Christa may not understand, but Hugo and Bianca understand the principles and philosophies of Caanza, so they probably know what Im saying from just that. If only I had an excuse to lend a hand just this one time

How about something like this? Bianca asked. From now on, puddings will be sold exclusively to members, right? To promote that, how about giving out samples at Lady Helenes evening party?

I see I said.

Biancas idea isnt bad. Everyone is captivated after eating pudding, but it seems that the first bite takes a lot of courage. It looks creepy to people who arent used to it because of its novel appearance and color. Therefore, it would make sense if you cooperated with Duke Bayen to promote it at his evening party since there are going to be so many guests who are already members of Caanzas.

Its certainly a bit of a stretch. If thats the case, there will probably be the talk of offering samples at some other evening party every time a new product is released. This is not the intention, so it is a special case only this time. Maybe this whole favor will repeat all over again in the future, but just for now, should we just force our way through this?

Then lets do just that, I said. The rest is now the number of guests we need to prepare for, the staff needed to serve them, and the cost of bringing in all the materials and equipment.

And with that, its done. At times like this, its good to have a One-Woman President because its quick from the decision to execution. However, if this One-Woman President fails, there is a danger that the company itself may fail with her. I dont know which one is the best system, but its the strength and weakness of small and medium-sized companies that one person can decide everything and move so quickly.

Once you decide to do it, the rest is speedy. Hugo and Bianca were also there, so the arrangements were decided in no time. From Christa came the size of the evening party and the number of guests. I will ask for the number of necessary crepes and puddings to prepare then.

Then this cost is a rough estimate, but it will be about this much, Hugo said, handing Christa a paper.

Christa read it and had her eyes widen. It-Its going to cost this much? she asked.

Hmm? She seems worried, so Ill check Hugos estimate. Nothings wrong with it. Its pretty much the same as what we were talking about. It wasnt like Hugo was overcharging her, and if anything, it would be a pretty cheap service.

Considering the staff wholl cook on the eve itself, the staff wholl be serving the products afterward, the cost of raw materials, the cost of bringing in, installing, and then removing the equipment, and the cost of preparations in the days preceding the event, it is rather cheap. This time its a lowball because its on the pretext of offering free pudding samples. If we ever do anything like this again, the price is going to be a lot higher.

In the first place, considering the financial strength of the Bayen Duchy, an expense like this is pocket change. Considering the cost of the whole evening party, there is nothing wrong with adding this much to the bill.

This is um is it okay if I pay later? Christa asked.

Hmm~? Its fine, but its not normal to do a deal of this magnitude without either a deposit or an upfront payment. This is the first transaction with House Bayen, not with a client we have a long history of equivalent transactions and have built up credibility. Normally, you wouldnt suddenly defer paying the full amount. That much is a matter of course in this world where the economy is still underdeveloped.

With this level of expense, we can do anything without an advance payment. However, in the case of an ordinary small-scale company, the company could go bankrupt just by the cost of labor and the cost of procuring materials alone. If its your first transaction and you dont have credibility, you cant usually do it without any advance payment.

I believe its customary to make an upfront deposit of at least this amount if its your first transaction of this size, Hugo said, writing up more documents and showing them to Christa.

The numbers are reasonable, too. Its not a rip-off or anything. If anything, its too cheap.

I-I understand Christa said. Ill prepare the deposit on this

Thats strange. its clear that somethings up with Christa. Just a little while ago, she was overjoyed to have us serve crepes and puddings, but as soon as we started talking about money, she lost her energy.

Did Helene have any orders about the budget? Is she over budget?

But if the situation was so urgent that you had to abandon your usual plans and outsource it, I dont think the Bayen Duchy, of all people, would be stingy with this level of expense. Compared to the costs of the evening partys impending failure, this amount is too cheap.

Well then thank you for listening to my unreasonableness, Floto, Christa said. Also, thank you very much, Mr. Hugo and Ms. Bianca.

For the time being, the story was settled and Christa decided to go home, so I saw her off. Christa, who is a high-ranking aristocrat, bows even to Hugo and Bianca, both commoners. Thats not normal. But I knew well that Christa is a child who can do it. If Helene had come to ask, she would never have bowed. And we would have never accepted her request, either.

Dont worry about it, I said. It was my selfish decision to help my friend. If anything, Ive caused trouble to both Hugo and Bianca sorry to you both.

No, no, I feel its normal if I get swept up in your schemes, Sir Floto. Hah-hah-hah, Hugo chuckles.

Hey dont say that too, Hugo. Maybe he was trying to calm things down, but Bianca seems to be nervous about Hugo joking around with me, the owner.

Anyway, Christa went home after I saw her off, so we changed venues and continued talking at Caanzas Head Office. Since it is necessary to consult with Bianca about the pudding production, Bianca will be included in addition to the executives already there.

Since smart top management and general staff gathered, brass-tacks talk such as the manufacturing method of pudding, the personnel to entrust the production with, and the sales price was decided smoothly. Then the topic moved to Christa.

Ms. Christas demeanor changed as soon as we started talking about money, didnt it? Hugo said.

Thats right I said. I dont think a House as large as Bayen cant afford to spend this much

Hugo tilts his head in confusion at the words.

Normally, it would be worth paying twice as much for it. We are not making a profit, we know that we will lose money by taking this on, so we are presenting this price. It is because it is clear that it is a free sample for advertisement. Even so, the minimum labor costs and material costs were all I asked for.

Is it because the budget is so small that shes so upset? Christa promised to pay in advance, but it would be better to think that the situation is still unpredictable. In the worst case, it is necessary to consider that House Bayen will not pay their dues.

We dont have anything to worry about if its this amount of expense, but if House Bayen doesnt uphold their end of the bargain, it would be better to think about some future measures. The economy will not work if the nobles are allowed to default on their payments.

I have to dedicate a hand to these measures. It was a real hassle. Im not hesitating if its helping Christa, but I couldnt help but hope that it wouldnt become an unnecessary dispute in the future.