Chapter 99

During our regular morning check-in, Yoshioka reported that the rental agreement for the property had been successfully finalized.

Apparently, the interior renovations were set to begin immediately.

The building we were renting was a three-story structure.

The first floor would serve as the storefront.

We planned to use this space for selling tableware and wristwatches, alongside a café area where customers could read the newspaper.

For coffee and tea, we decided to serve them as samples using the actual teapots and cups we were selling.

By having customers use genuine Earth-brand teacups, they could experience their superb quality firsthand.

We also planned to offer light meals and sweets, and we were even considering serving alcohol.

The second floor of the building would become an aesthetic salon.

It would come fully equipped with a spacious bathroom—a long-held wish of ours—and function as a skincare salon utilizing Earth-made products. Of course, I wouldn’t be standing on the sales floor myself.

Even without using my God Finger skill, Earth-made beauty serums alone were more than enough to promise noticeable improvements to skin and hair texture, so the local staff would handle the treatments.

We kept the prices relatively reasonable (though they still started at 10,000 marques per session).

The only times I would perform a treatment myself would be if a customer was introduced by someone of Chancellor Count Nurenberg’s stature, and if they were capable of paying a fee of 30 million marques.

Even then, I intended to do it only when I was free and in the right mood.

As for the third floor, we would set it up as the living quarters for Shonai and Kawagoe.

Whether they would actually live there remained to be seen, but even for cover identities, being of no fixed address would look suspicious.

Starting tomorrow, I would be away from the city of Dresden for about a week.

I had to travel around the neighboring villages on an escort mission for a tax collector.

Just this morning, Lady Clara and I had gone over to the Ministry of Finance to discuss the workflow.

Since no actual money collection would take place, they told us that a single squad would be enough for the escort.

The tax collector turned out to be a rather laid-back noble middle-aged guy.

Normally, the job involved properly investigating village populations and cultivated acreage to determine tax rates, but his subordinate clerks handled all of that.

So why was the tax collector himself traveling? Apparently, it was a pleasure trip under the guise of an inspection tour.

In reality, it was just a noble who had grown tired of city life going out to play in the countryside to blow off steam.

Naturally, each village would treat the tax collector with the utmost hospitality.

Depending on the place, they might even ask a village widow to provide sexual hospitality at night.

In short, my job this time was to escort a noble who was taking a breather on public funds.

Because the tax collector was a noble, they needed to make sure nothing went wrong, so they requested highly capable personnel. That was how the choice fell on me.

After all, I was currently considered the top fighter among the soldiers at the South District Guard Post.

As we walked a short distance from the gates of the Ministry of Finance, the temple bells tolled to signal midday.

The daytime temperature had risen, making it another warm, pleasant day.

Days like this always made me hungrier than usual.

“Lady Clara, why don’t we grab a bite somewhere before heading back to the barracks?”

“Good idea. If we head back to the barracks now, it will be late.”

Since the two of us had to report to the headquarters inside the city walls this afternoon, going all the way back to the barracks felt foolish.

“Hmm, we have to go to headquarters later anyway to apply for your travel expenses, Kota. Let’s eat somewhere.”

“Right. I’ll call Yoshioka over as well. Since that contract went through smoothly, you should hear the details too, Lady Clara.”

Lady Clara was an investor, so she had every right to hear the details.

Her initial capital had been 100,000 marques, but because she kept reinvesting her dividends, her money had grown to tens of millions of marques by now.

Since this venture would incur significant expenses from the rent, renovations, and equipment, it was only right to keep her informed.

Stepping into a spot away from public view, I pulled out my radio and contacted Yoshioka.

“Hey, it’s Hinoharu. I’m about to have lunch with Lady Clara, so why don’t you join us, Yoshioka? I think it’s a good idea to brief her on our future plans. Over.”

“Roger that. Actually, I’m at the shop with Miss Bianca right now. Over.”

I had previously told Miss Bianca to visit Kawagoe at the Hotel Berlin.

“That’s perfect. There were things I wanted to discuss with her too. We’ll head over to your location, so wait for us there. We’ll use the food from my Spatial Storage. Over.”

“Roger.”

When we arrived at the storefront on Annen Street, Yoshioka was waving at us, and Miss Bianca was waiting with a quiet smile.

This was the first time I had seen Miss Bianca under the sun, and her complexion looked incomparably better.

“Welcome, Lady Clara. There is nothing in the rooms yet, but please allow us to show you around.”

“Good to see you, Akito. I am surprised by how much grander this building is than I imagined. Bianca, your color has improved too. I am glad to see you well.”

Addressed by Lady Clara, Miss Bianca became flustered.

“I am terribly sorry, but… um, who might you be?”

Come to think of it, Miss Bianca had only ever seen Lady Clara wearing a chestnut-colored wig.

“This is the first time we have met looking like this, isn’t it?”

“That voice! Could you perhaps be the mistress?!”

At that exact moment, Lady Clara blushed all the way to her neck.

“Mistress? Lady Clara is whose mistress?”

When Yoshioka tilted his head in confusion, Lady Clara’s suspicious behavior index spiked by 46 percent.

“That is, well, it is a future assumption, or rather a dream, or no, it is scheduled to become reality…”

It was a bit painful to watch.

“This is my liege, Lord Clara Ansbach, Knight Bachelor. When you met her before, Miss Bianca, she was disguised.”

My explanation seemed to help Miss Bianca grasp the situation.

“Then, the talk about being Master Hinoharu’s fiancée…?”

I wanted to make this absolutely clear.

“I can’t say it too loudly, but it is a fact.”

When I looked at Lady Clara, she nodded while blushing.

“We cannot announce it to the public yet, so please keep it a secret until the time comes, Miss Bianca.”

“Understood. I will absolutely not breathe a word to anyone.”

Guided by the two of them, we inspected the shop starting from the first floor.

Our dreams expanded as we imagined putting certain furniture over there or setting up a display cabinet for glasses.

From now on, those dreams would rapidly turn into reality.

Since the third floor was the living space, we immediately assigned the rooms.

“Miss Bianca, we’d like you to work as a live-in employee. Would that be alright with you?”

“That is a most grateful offer.”

If she lived on-site, she wouldn’t have to pay rent.

For us, having Miss Bianca around would be a huge help in many ways.

Hearing that Miss Bianca would be living in, Yoshioka looked delighted.

“Then please use this room, even though it’s a bit small. Let’s go buy furniture together this afternoon. I’ll help you move your things too.”

With Yoshioka handling it, everything would surely go without a hitch.

“To have you go so far for me makes me feel rather guilty…”

“It’s fine, really. We’re going to be asking you to take care of various household chores, Miss Bianca. You deserve excellent treatment!”

Having spent the morning together, it seemed Yoshioka had taken a liking to Miss Bianca as well.

For lunch, we set up the food taken from my Spatial Storage onto the single table we had.

“What do you want to eat, Yoshioka?”

“I want to eat sushi for the first time in ages.”

I did have assortments of nigiri sushi properly packed in boxes.

However, the hurdle might be a bit high for Lady Clara and Miss Bianca.

“What would you like, Lady Clara? I highly recommend these crab cream croquettes.”

Croquettes themselves were a dish that existed in Saxens.

Potato croquettes were frequently served alongside meat dishes as a side rather than a main course.

“Yes. I will have one of those.”

“Is a croquette fine with you too, Miss Bianca?”

“Am I to eat at the same table as well?”

Normally, eating at the same table as one’s employer would be unthinkable.

I could understand her nervousness, but we only had one table right now.

“Bianca, today is a special occasion. Or rather, it is best to understand that this Amida Trading is an exceptional establishment. I do not mind, so you should get used to it as well.”

Thanks to Lady Clara’s mediation, Miss Bianca joined us in eating, albeit timidly.

“Senpai, this is a celebration, so let’s pop some champagne. A little bit should be fine, right, Lady Clara?”

Since Lady Clara liked it too, she gave a wry smile and nodded.

Champagne glasses were filled, and a mismatched menu of crab cream croquettes, nigiri sushi, fresh vegetable and shrimp spring rolls, asparagus quiche, baby sardine rice balls, dongpo pork, bread, and cheese was crammed onto the table.

“This is kind of a chaotic mix.”

“It’s fine once in a while, isn’t it?”

Yoshioka was in high spirits, making a comment uncharacteristic of his usual gourmet self.

“I guess so. We’ll hold a proper grand opening celebration later anyway, and Fiene will pout if we don’t invite her, so let’s call this good for today.”

Inside the still completely empty, hollow shop, the sound of our clinking glasses echoed sharply.