第１８９５堀：そういえばお店はどうなってる？ (Part1)
Chapter 1895: Come to Think of It, How’s the Shop Coming Along?
Side: Agil
"Yoo-hoo."
For once, I had stepped away from the laboratory and the work sites in the southern part of the New Continent to visit Yuki’s office.
"Oh, you’re here."
Yuki looked up, saw my face, and set his work aside. Around him lay mountains of documents—some waiting for review, others already processed. I didn't expect the pile to shrink, but man, it really is a lot.
"What’s wrong? Did you find something unusual?"
Perhaps noticing my distant gaze, Yuki scanned the room.
"No, no. I was just thinking that even with all our technological advancements, this mountain of paperwork never seems to change."
"…Ah, I see."
Understanding my point, he picked up a sheet of paper and flicked it, opening his mouth to speak.
"Our processing speed has increased by leaps and bounds, you know."
"And in exchange, mountains of new documents come flying in, right?"
"That they do. The speed of communication has improved, too. Work comes in one after another. And as our capacity to handle it grows, we just end up reaching our limit again. That’s how it goes."
"What a nasty cycle."
I understood. Yuki’s explanation was perfectly logical. In the end, work is something that never truly disappears.
"Still, if the work were to vanish, that would mean there’s no room left for development. That’s a different kind of terrifying."
"True. Anyway, enough small talk. Here, I’ve brought the report that Aslin and Firia requested."
I handed the documents to Yuki.
"I did receive the data, you know."
"Well, it’s a matter of preference. Sometimes you only notice certain things when you see them on paper."
"Visually, you mean?"
"Exactly. There are things you only catch because you’re reading a book. Not that I’m knocking digital, mind you."
Digital is, well, a bit too convenient. You don’t even have to reach for a bookshelf or a file cabinet. Often, it’s in that very process of reaching that you happen to spot another book or document, which leads to your next idea. With digital, everything is right there without you having to move a muscle. That kind of serendipity is lost.
"I suppose nothing is perfect. Well then, let me check the contents."
With that, Yuki began verifying the documents and the digital data. Since Hovis had brought me some tea, I accepted it and sat on the sofa to wait.
"Come to think of it, Hovis and the others mentioned they were opening a shop in Glass Port Town. How is that coming along?"
"Ah, now that you mention it, I haven't heard much about the progress either."
It seemed Yuki didn't know the status either, so he asked while continuing to check the papers.
"Yes. Currently, we are preparing a shop focusing primarily on small goods, using the vendors that Yuki-sama sat in on and vetted for us."
"I see. So you settled on small goods."
"Yes. We’re also thinking of selling cookies and candies in beautiful little glass jars as a special item."
"Hmm, that sounds good. Cookies and candies are easy to arrange. I often make them myself when I get stuck in my research."
"…Huh?"
Everyone froze at my casual remark.
"What? Is it that strange for me to cook? I am a woman, you know?"
"No, cooking isn't about gender. It’s just that with you, Agil, the image I have is 'research' rather than 'cooking'."
"Exactly. I thought the same thing. I assumed you couldn't cook at all."
"Ah, is that the image? Well, I suppose it’s not entirely wrong. Before I came to Weed, I basically had the maids bring me food, or I’d use lab equipment to make something in a beaker."
"How did you not accidentally drink a lethal concoction!?"
Yuki raised his voice in a rare moment of shock. Ria and the others nodded in vigorous agreement.
"Haha! Well, Prism found me foaming at the mouth once. Thanks to that, cooking in the lab was banned."
"Well, obviously."
"I followed the order obediently, of course. Man, I’m lucky I survived back then."
"What did you drink?"
"A maiden’s secret."
Well, it was what you’d call a growth potion. I thought, *if it works on plants, why not people?* But it tasted like absolute garbage. Chemically, it wasn't harmful to ingest, but I later found out it used the seeds of a super-bitter plant often used as smelling salts. I had only been thinking in terms of 'poison' or 'no poison.' I learned that flavor is important. And realizing I’d fainted from ingesting too much of a stimulant base, I learned that moderation is key in all things.
"Sigh, we’ve digressed. So, cookies and candies. Do you have samples?"
"Yes, we have them prepared. Yayui."
"Yes."
At Orelia’s prompt, Yayui brought out the prototype cookies and candies for us.
"Oh, they look like normal cookies and candies."
"They do. No issues there. Though, they do have some unusual colors."
Indeed, while they looked standard, for some reason, some of the cookies and candies had a bluish tint.
"The blue ones are made using edible food coloring. The taste is honestly the same."
"I see. A sort of 'lucky draw' element?"
"Yes. We included about three of them alongside the normal colors as an accent. The cookies are themed after seashells, and the candies after the color of the sea."
"I see. A very fitting concept for the sea. I think it’s good."
"Thank you. Also, we’ve made it so the cookies and candies can be bought individually, without the jars. We’ve kept the unit price low enough for children to afford."
"I see. So you’re targeting children as customers, too."
"Well, given the location, I do wonder if children will actually come by clutching their pocket change to buy them."
No matter how you look at it, the main street of Glass Port Town is geared toward the wealthy. Most shops are accessible to the general public, but the prices are high. It’s rare to see children shopping alone. Just as I was thinking that, Ria crossed her arms and puffed out her chest. Her breasts, which were quite substantial, jutted forward, making me wonder if she was trying to pick a fight.
"What’s wrong, Ria? Are you offering me those?"
"No, why would you think that? I’m not giving them to you. They belong to Yuki-san. And about your concern that children won't come to shop—that’s not true at all, you know?"
"Is that so?"