"I’ve managed to pay back half my debt, ssu."
"…In the game?"
"She should’ve finished paying that back already, right-o?"
"No, my real-world debt, ssu. This meat is incredible, ssu."
It had been a few days since Penpen started selling meat. Since then, the meat ordered via SP had all arrived safely in her world, and she even had enough of a surplus to gift a single steak to the Merchant-san NPC.
"I don't know exactly how much you owed, but are you really earning that much…!?"
"I'm making so much that I'm wondering if I should just make this my full-time job, ssu."
"For real-o…!?"
"Though obviously, I can't really base my career on game prizes, ssu."
"That’s true."
That would be even more unstable than living off ad revenue from a video-sharing site.
"So I figured I have to earn as much as I can while the going's good… for now, I’m putting all my SP into steaks instead of level growth! It's an all-you-can-eat meat fest, ssu!"
"Ugh, I'm so jealous!!"
"Well, if I actually manage to clear the debt this way, I’ll stop, ssu. Yeah… Gin-chan, I’m counting on you for today's SP Request, ssu!"
"Understood, Milady."
Gin-chan set off to handle the SP Request.
"By the way, this is somewhat related, but Penpen Milk is selling like crazy, ssu!!"
"Penpen Milk… Ho. I see. I get it-o?"
"No, ssu! It’s not from my breasts, it’s the milk being produced at this ranch, ssu!"
"I-I know that-o!"
Apparently, it was a massive hit.
"It looks like Merchant-san pitched the product to nobles and royalty, so the unit price of the milk has skyrocketed, ssu. I even increased the number of cows!"
"Ho ho."
"A boost in productivity-o."
Regarding the milk: milking a cow yielded one large Milk Tank, which could then be processed into one hundred individual bottles of milk.
"And so, I thought I should differentiate the packaging when selling to nobles and royalty, so I made this, ssu!"
"What’s this?"
"O? That’s the icon for taking screenshots, right-o?"
"It’s a Camera, ssu! You need a physical camera to use the function in-game, ssu!"
Indeed, it was a camera. She’d likely used Crafting to make it.
"I see. And you’re going to use this for…?"
"Like this, ssu!"
When she pressed the button, a shutter sound effect played. With a mechanical whir, a piece of paper that looked like a screenshot slid out.
On it was an image of me—Tria. Oh, how cute. An angel. Yes, yes, the print quality was excellent.
"Then, I adjust the settings like this, and do this, ssu. And then—"
Penpen picked up the printed screenshot and fiddled with the interface.
"Craft, Milk!"
Pop! A bottle of milk appeared. On its label was the screenshot she had just taken.
"Yay! It’s Toria Milk, ssu!"
"Oh! I see, it’s one of those, right? A producer’s label that says 'I made this'!"
"When Penpen says 'I made this,' it sounds suggestive-o."
Don't say that. Even if I was thinking it, too.
"And so, I want you to take photos of me, ssu!"
"Got it. A photoshoot for Penpen, then? Let's make a label that’ll really sell."
"Understood-o. A photoshoot for Penpen (suggestive), right-o!? You should put on the Cow-print Bikini-o!"
"…I’ll leave the photography to Tria-shi, ssu!"
"Why-o!?"
Give it a rest, Alto. If you’re too blatant about it, it actually won't sell as well. This is an accessory to a food product, after all.
"Since it’s food, I’m not sure about the 'sex sells' angle, ssu. This milk is high enough quality to compete on its own merits, ssu."
"Urgh! It’s true that people might only buy a novelty item once just for the joke-o… If you want to sell widely and get repeat customers, it’s better to keep it classy-o."
"Exactly, Alto."
If anything, sex appeal and legitimate food products usually didn't mix well.
Women and children would be buying this too, you know? If it was too lewd, we’d get complaints in no time. What a socially tone-deaf salesperson.
"Well then, let’s take some shots of you working the ranch and pick the best one."
"Please do, ssu!"
"Leave it to me. First, one shot. A single portrait from the front."
I snapped a photo of Penpen in her usual overalls.
After that, I tried taking photos of her stabbing hay with a large pitchfork and milking one of the cows.
"…Hmm, it’s pretty plain-o."
"Plain is fine for this. Being plain means it’s refined and accessible."
It wasn't a work of art; 'normal' was better.
That being said—
"…Maybe we should take at least one shot in the Cow-print Bikini, Penpen?"
"Mu? If Tria-shi is suggesting it, do you have some kind of plan, ssu?"
"The SSR—the super rare that only shows up once in a blue moon. People are naturally drawn to that kind of thing."
"Gacha… so that’s how it is, ssu!! I see, if it’s for that, then it’s a different story, ssu!!"
Precisely.
The SSR is the one where they strip… that was the ironclad rule!!
"Then I’m taking over the camera-o!!"
"Well, if it’s a jackpot SSR, then I’m on board, ssu. I wonder what the drop rate should be, ssu?"
Ultimately, the label selected for the SSR featured Penpen carrying a Milk Tank while wearing a Cow-print Bikini top.
…
Later, Penpen triumphantly tried to deliver the labeled milk to the Merchant, but…
"Um, I don't believe we really need this sort of thing…"
"Eh, you don't want it, ssu!? It’s an SSR, ssu! Won't it sell for a premium to the nobles, ssu!? Won't they buy it by the case, ssu!?"
"…If this were mixed in randomly… I believe noblemen with wives and children would find the breakfast table quite awkward."
"Ah—"
It would be a guaranteed way to turn a refreshing morning into a very chilly one indeed.
"…Then please just sell them through a separate channel, ssu."
"Well, if you're okay with that…"
…And so, they were supposedly accepted as a limited-edition special run.