“If you can really bring that blood serum of yours into society, a fierce competition is bound to start.” [Serge]
“People looking to steal the bloody slimes be it by force or by authority are sure to appear.” [Elize]
“But if you make them less scarce and we mediate, then it might be possible to soften the blow.” [Reinhart]
“Putting the blood slimes in different places should also mitigate the risk of them getting wiped out in case of a freak accident. And above all, Pioro-san is someone I can trust. I have a branch store at Renauph too, so communicating shouldn’t be a problem.” [Ryouma]
“Sounds like a heavy responsibility… For starters, why don’t I borrow your bloody slimes for some ‘exsanguination’? I want to see how big of a change a bloody slime’s exsanguination can bring. And besides I need to prepare first anyway. After all, I can’t just start taking care of the slimes without knowing anything, now can I? You need to teach me first.” [Pioro]
“Right. It would probably be for the best that we take our time talking about this.” [Ryouma]
For now, we decided to put a close to this topic.
After that, the next person to speak up regarding my desire to help them was Reinhart-san.
“Would it be possible to put up a branch store of your laundromat in this town? In Gaunago?” [Reinhart]
“Yes. It shouldn’t be a problem. In the first place, I’ve been intending to build more branch stores, so I’ve already been cultivating managers. It’s also the reason why I’ve recently been hiring more guards. I still need to find a good spot for the store, but… Why would you ask for a branch of our store to be built here?” [Ryouma]
“Haven’t I told you about it before? The Jamil family has been working to improve its territories since the time of my father. We have been especially hard at work in preventing epidemics and reducing diseases.” [Reinhart]
Come to think of it, when an epidemic was about to occur because of the latrine pits, Reinbach-sama was really mad.
It’s only natural to be mad, but…
“It is said that keeping the body clean is a good way to keep the disease demons away.
And you said it yourself too, right, Ryouma-kun? About stuff like airborne infections and infections through contact?” [Reinhart]
“Yes. I remember. It was when we first met, if I recall correctly. It sounds like such a long time ago, but it hasn’t even been a year yet.” [Ryouma]
“Yes. I was wondering why you knew so much, but when you revealed to us yesterday that you’re Melia-sama’s disciple, it all finally started to make sense. If Melia-sama has taught you the importance of keeping the body clean, then having your store in town should serve a role in limiting the occurrence of diseases.
I have also heard of your store’s reputation. Not only does your store make clean clothes affordable to the commoners, it also saves them the effort of having to wash their own laundry. This is true even for those sloppy men that are neglectful of their own cleanliness. That’s why I want to use your store. If your store can really lower the occurrence of diseases, then it will truly be a matter worthy of celebration.” [Reinhart]
I see. So it’s because of his territory and his people that he wants to have the store nearby so he can observe it. A practical reason.
…But if that’s the case, then perhaps there’s something else I can do.
…Come to think of it, what kind of place was the adult store that Hyuzu-san and the others went to?
…What if a rumor went around saying that ‘women liked clean men’?
I don’t know what would happen, but people that go to those kind of stores probably aren’t very popular with women. And I’m sure the people working at those kind of stores would prefer it if their customers came in clean instead. The cleaner people are, the less likely it is for diseases to spread. Having more customers also won’t hurt our store.
…Even stores like that are bound to produce filth. As of now, we’ve had business dealings with people working at normal inns, but I don’t think we’ve ever had any customers from those kind of establ— Wait. Have we had dealings with those kind establishments? Now that I think about it, I’m actually not so sure, but even if we have had dealings with them, there shouldn’t be a lot. As such, we might have an opportunity here.
But wait, if that’s the case, then wouldn’t it better to have a store, after all? I’m worried about the gangsters that we might end up attracting should we get involved with this side of the business world, but our store’s defenses are…
“Ryouma-kun?” [Reinhart]
“! Yes? I’m so sorry. I just lost myself in thought there for a moment.” [Ryouma]
“Will it be difficult?” [Reinhart]
“Oh, no. I was just thinking what direction would be most effective for our business.” [Ryouma]
“Oh, so that’s what. Of course, I would be glad if you did your best, but you don’t have to push yourself. I just want to see what kind of changes your store will bring when introduced to this town.” [Reinhart]
If that’s the case, then there’s no problems on my end either.
But the specifics will have to wait until after I’ve consulted Carm-san.
Just as I was thinking we would be moving on to the next topic…
“I’ll prepare you a good store for your branch here at Gaunago. The nobles and their servants might come, so if you want I can introduce you someone who can teach your staff how to deal with such customers—” [Reinhart]
“There’s a newly developed camping magic tool meant for adventurer use. Would you like to try it? By all means, I would love to hear your opinion after trying—” [Serge]
“If food is a problem, I’m sure I can help. Our store handles packed meals, but Ryouma, you can use Dimension Home, right? In that case—” [Pioro]
“Our familiars are raised on sprint rabbit, which reproduce very quickly. They can turn into a troublesome pest, so one needs to receive training from the tamer guild first before handling them, but—” [Elize]
Before I knew it, the conversation had shifted back to the adults helping me out.
I’m really grateful to them, but what happened to the topic of me being the one to help them out this time?
…But then again, they look really happy, so I guess I’ll just leave it at that.