Chapter 94

I talked with Bach over dinner, and he turned out to be quite an exceptional person. He possessed a high level of scientific knowledge, too. Apparently, he was even a member of the Royal Academy of the Kingdom of Saxens. There were two main research institutions in Saxens: the Royal Academy and the University Research Institute affiliated with the Temple. It seemed most of the educated class belonged to one of the two.

It wasn’t that these organizations were on bad terms, though; in fact, they seemed to coexist quite naturally. Some people even held positions in both, which was common among those called “heavyweights.” The factional infighting within them sounded intense, however. The Academy apparently had many people from royal and noble backgrounds, while the Temple-affiliated one had a higher proportion of religious personnel.

The workshop I was guided to after dinner was not far from my apartment—about a 15-minute walk. The first floor was a single room of about 50 square meters, which served as Bach’s workshop. The second floor was apparently his living space. It was a much more impressive workshop than I had anticipated. Since he was entrusted with work by the state, the compensation might be quite good.

In the center of the workshop, a large workbench dominated the room. Tools were lined up neatly on the walls, a testament to Bach’s meticulous nature. He and Yoshioka might get along well. I’m not exactly a slob, but I’m not neat enough to keep things perfectly clean at all times, either. I’m the type who cleans everything at once once it gets to a certain level of mess.

I opened my Spatial Storage, and the three of us worked together to set up the desktop letterpress machine. We unpacked the peripheral equipment as well.

“For now, I want you to master how to use this. If you run out of ink or other supplies, I’ll buy more.”

Bach touched the printing machine with sparkling eyes.

“Eventually, I also want you to develop your own paper and ink, so please reach out to the relevant craftsmen for that. When you need development funds, submit a concrete estimate in writing.”

“Understood. For the time being, I will master how to use this machine. If we are going to start printing as soon as possible, shouldn’t we train at least one other dedicated craftsman besides myself?”

He was right; I would need a professional to take on the printing work.

“You’re right, Bach. I’ll leave the hiring for that up to you as well. Just please prioritize character when choosing who to hire.”

After all, I didn’t want to work with strange people. I felt you could work more enjoyably with someone who had average skills but a thoughtful heart, rather than someone with brilliant talent but a selfish personality. Although, I intended to dump everything related to the printing machine onto Bach, so I wouldn’t interfere with the details. For now, he could do as he pleased.

I handed over the initial funds, and Yoshioka and I left the workshop. I had Yoshioka come over to my apartment to discuss our future plans.

“The printing machine project is officially underway, then.”

“Yeah. Everything is going mostly according to plan. How about that other matter?”

I was asking about the commercial rental property Yoshioka had found. Currently, a three-story building in a prime location in Dresden was our top candidate. The first-floor retail space was just under 240 square meters—a perfect size. We were currently in the middle of negotiations with the owner.

“They asked for a 30 million Marques deposit for a three-year lease. For the renovations, they said they would decide whether to consent after seeing the blueprints.”

30 million, huh? They were really trying to inflate the price. I had heard the market rate for a deposit was around 10 million.

“It’s not an amount I can’t pay, but I wonder what to do. What about the rent?”

“For the entire building, it’s 720,000 Marques per month.”

Compared to a prime location in Tokyo, it felt surprisingly cheap, but it was on the expensive side for Dresden. Still, 8.64 million Marques a year wasn’t bad.

“I think the rent is fine as is. What’s your take, Yoshioka?”

“I agree. I don’t think they’re serious about that deposit, either. Though it’s clear they want more than 10 million.”

I suppose it couldn’t be helped if it slightly exceeded the average.

“The documents to be submitted to the Merchant Guild are already prepared. Once the shop address is finalized, all we have to do is fill it in.”

We decided on the company name “Amida Trading.” There was no profound meaning behind the name; I just took it from the name of the mountain I was climbing when I first arrived in this world. I heard they would collect a 50,000 Marques guild registration fee. By the way, we also had to pay taxes when opening a shop. A fixed tax was collected annually based on the square footage of the sales floor and warehouse. It wasn’t a profit-based tax like corporate tax.

“I think the property we’re currently negotiating for is fine. I’ll leave the rest to you, Yoshioka.”

“Understood. I will continue negotiations until this weekend and get it finalized.”

It looked like we were finally going to settle on the shop’s location. Now, all that was left was the interior and the employees. The interview with Hans’s older sister was coming up soon. I was looking forward to seeing what kind of person she was. It would be a huge help if she could be an immediate asset. Our letter should have reached Ria by now, too. It would be a further help if Ria and the others decided to come to the Royal Capital.

Once our discussion reached a lull, I brewed some green tea. I really do love Japanese tea the most. Today, it was leaves from Ureshino in Saga Prefecture.

“Come to think of it, Senpai, are you planning on hiring a housekeeper?”

Yoshioka asked, looking around the cluttered room. Unlike Japanese-style homes, shoes are worn inside here, so the floor was visibly covered in a thin layer of dust. The laundry basket was also overflowing. I try to make sure to wash my clothes in a washing machine whenever I go back to Japan, but during my last return, I was so busy I couldn’t even manage that.

Still, I didn’t want Juliana bringing my laundry back to her place on her own. I had a feeling she’d do something weird to it.

“What about you, Yoshioka?”

“I’m living in a hotel, so.”

Right. If you’re in a hotel, they clean for you every day, and if you pay, they have laundry services too. Since things were likely going to get busier from here on out, I decided I might as well ask for a daily housekeeper myself. If I could be freed from household chores, I could put that much more effort into my side business. When I went to work in the morning, I asked the apartment manager if they could introduce someone to help with housework, and they told me they could set up a meeting by tonight.

In the afternoon office, Lady Clara and I were spending a relaxing moment together. Emma had returned to her parents’ home for an urgent matter, and Hans had gone along with her. Fiene had gone to the headquarters to deliver documents, and Yoshioka was off doing his own thing, as usual. The light streaming through the window was warm, making me feel sleepy despite myself. It would be perfect if we could just doze off together, but this was the barracks. Lady Clara gave a small yawn, and I thought she looked adorable.

“I’ll make some milk tea with strong black tea. Please, take a little break.”

“Yes, please. I’ll finish up these documents while you prepare it.”

I brewed the tea to shake off the sleepiness. The orange-hued tea rippled in the cups, and a soft aroma began to spread through the room. Just as I set the tea in front of Lady Clara, she suddenly grabbed my hand.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

Even though she was blushing, she didn’t let go. It seemed that suddenly acting a little spoiled had become Lady Clara’s new hobby lately. It wasn’t that she stayed spoiled for long, but she would seize any little opportunity to cling to me for a minute or hold my hand like this. Apparently, the sensation of being spoiled was fresh and enjoyable for her.

Lady Clara lost her mother when she was young. Her father was a strict man, and it seemed she had almost no experience in ever relying on anyone. Despite that, because she was a person with such a strong sense of responsibility, I think she had been working hard since she was small to live up to the expectations of those around her. I felt like I wanted to spoil her even more. But Lady Clara never asks for much. She really is a modest person. Thinking of all the hardships she’d been through made my eyes sting. I wished I could do something to cheer her up. Thinking of that, I had a good idea.

“Lady Clara, would you like to play ‘makeover’?”

“Makeover?”

I took a disguise wig out of my Spatial Storage.

“Like this.”

“That’s the wig you use when you become Shonai, Kota.”

Exactly. I took out another spare wig in a dark chestnut color and handed it to Lady Clara. Lady Clara had silver hair that looked like moonlight on a full moon. So, just putting on the wig should change her impression quite significantly.

“How is it?”

I held a mirror up in front of Lady Clara.

“I look like a different person…”

Yeah. She was as beautiful as ever, but I didn’t think anyone would realize it was Lady Clara just from a glance.

“Why don’t we put that on, wear some commoner’s clothes, and go out to have some fun?”

The troubled look on Lady Clara’s face brightened up instantly.

“Is that… a d-date?”

“That’s right. This way, no strange rumors will start.”

She grabbed my hand again. Much more firmly than before.

“When would be good?”

“Tonight would be perfect!”

I thought so. Ah, but tonight was when the new housekeeper was coming to introduce herself. I explained the situation to her.

“I see. Then it cannot be helped.”

It hurt my heart to see Lady Clara look so dejected.

“In that case, Lady Clara, please help me with the interview.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Shall we pretend you are my fiancée for the disguise?”

I said it jokingly, but Lady Clara’s eyes were serious.

“Are you sure?”

So I answered her with sincerity.

“Of course.”

The kiss that day felt somehow more solemn and ritualistic than usual. But it didn’t feel unpleasant in the slightest. The milk tea I’d brewed had gone cold, but our sleepiness had vanished somewhere, too.