Kakou's shop, the White Fragrance, was not particularly spacious.
Granted, considering that Kakou ran it by herself, one could say it was adequately sized.
Inside, various cosmetics were displayed crammed together in every available inch of space.
"…Is this really okay?"
Displaying merchandise out in the open like this was something other shops did as well, but only when they had the confidence to handle theft themselves, employed a bodyguard, or were selling fakes.
From what Rei could see, the cosmetics lined up here did not look like fakes. Given that Kakou had been standing outside talking to Kenny without leaving anyone to watch the shop, it was no wonder he had such a thought.
"Ahaha. Well, this shop gets a lot of business from Guild Staff Members and adventurers. There are quite a few people who use the perfumes Kakou blends, you know? Do you think they'd just let anyone who harmed this shop off the hook?"
Hearing that, Rei had no choice but to accept it.
He knew just how much money women spent on beauty. Even back in Japan, he had seen with his own eyes his mother buying one cosmetic product after another.
Watching Kenny take off her coat and heavy layers, Rei asked about something that had been bothering him from her explanation.
"But if that's the case, then you don't really need me, do you?"
If Guild Staff Members, Female Adventurers, and even a small number of male adventurers were buying cosmetics, she shouldn't be struggling with sales.
The one who answered Rei was not Kenny, but Kakou, who had been playing with Set.
"No, you can't—. I want as many people as possible to enjoy perfume, if I can—. Besides, there's perfume meant for adventurers too, you know—"
"Perfume for adventurers?"
What came to Rei's mind was perfume used to mask body odor. When heading out on subjugation or gathering requests, there were monsters and animals—while not on the level of wolves or dogs—that possessed keen senses of smell. In such cases, perhaps perfume was used to become scentless… or to mask one's scent with the body odor of another monster or animal.
But he immediately shook his head. He felt that could no longer even be called perfume.
"That's right—. Men might not care much about it, but women worry about all sorts of smells, you know—. Besides, there are bugs and things in forests, aren't there—?"
"Ah, that kind of thing."
Rei vaguely remembered reading or hearing somewhere that perfume had originally developed as a way to mask the body odor of people who didn't bathe. Of course, that was strictly knowledge he had acquired in Japan. It wouldn't be strange if things were different in Elgin.
"That's right—. But, like I said earlier, I'd really like other people to use perfume too, if possible—. I wonder if there's some way—?"
Kakou tilted her head and asked, but since Rei had almost no knowledge on the subject, he had no answer to give.
"Even if you say that… How about making an incredibly foul-smelling perfume as a weapon against monsters and animals with sharp olfactory senses?"
What Rei imagined was tear gas. Of course, a bad smell wouldn't necessarily make someone tear up, but if considered as a weapon, it wasn't such a bad idea.
That was what he thought, but…
"No—. I want you to think of a more peaceful use—!"
Perhaps displeased with Rei's suggestion, Kakou cried out.
"Peaceful… well, normally perfume is used peacefully, I suppose. But even if you ask me how…"
Rei thought back to his time in Japan, but asking someone who had never even used perfume properly to come up with a peaceful use for it was asking too much.
Still, seeing Kakou looking at him with tearful eyes made him feel that maybe he should try to do something.
"Please, do something about that—"
Looked at with moist eyes and told that, Rei struggled with how to respond. Was there anything from his experiences in Japan?
The next moment, an idea flashed through his mind. He hadn't come up with anything because he had been thinking of it as perfume. Perfume was a scent—which meant it was related to that field, so…
"Deodorizers?"
"So I said, not the kind adventurers use, but something more peaceful—"
"No. Not that. A room deodorizer."
"…A room, deodorizer?"
People probably decorated with flowers to enjoy their scent and appearance, but the concept of using a deodorizer inside a room likely didn't exist. Kakou directed a surprised look at Rei.
"Yeah. All sorts of smells build up inside a room. The sweaty smell of adventurers, cooking odors, and various other smells on top of that. How about making a deodorizer that eliminates… or rather, overwrites those kinds of smells?"
Once, when Rei had visited a friend's house in Japan, the room had smelled of lavender the moment he stepped inside. Rei wasn't particularly neurotic about smells, but that friend was quite sensitive about the odor of his own room. Recalling that, Rei thought that a room deodorizer might sell.
"…That might… be good?"
Kakou must have felt that Rei's idea wasn't bad either. She looked at him with deep interest.
Rei opened his mouth again to address her.
"But you should try to make it as cheap as possible. If it's expensive like real perfume, people won't want to buy it. …Let's see, ideally around a few copper coins, if possible."
"Ehh—!? T-There's no way you could make it at that price—!"
Perfume was cheap at a few silver coins… and expensive ones could cost several platinum coins. How could she possibly make perfume for a few copper coins?
Even with her easygoing nature, Kakou couldn't agree with Rei's suggestion. She wore a displeased expression as she looked at him. Kenny also seemed to think Kakou had a point, eyeing Rei with an exasperated look.
"Even so. The reason perfume doesn't sell is ultimately because it's expensive, right? Then, even if you sell it a bit cheaper, if you get people interested in perfume through that, it should ultimately turn a profit, shouldn't it?"
Rei hadn't expected this much opposition. He muttered, slightly surprised. For him, the price he mentioned was based on what deodorizers cost when he was in Japan, roughly speaking.
Selling cheap on purpose as an entry point to perfume, to get people interested in perfume itself. Hearing Rei's explanation, Kakou pondered.
"Hmm—… If you think about it that way—… But—…"
"I think it's a good idea too, you know? Besides, the room deodorizer Rei-kun is talking about is just an entry-level product, right? Then the quality of the perfume itself doesn't need to be all that high, does it?"
"That's true, but—. What about the deodorizing perfume—? The kind adventurers use is meant to be applied to a specific area, you know—?"
"Hm? Isn't it enough to just open a perfume bottle normally?"
In Rei's mind, he was picturing the spray-type deodorizers he'd seen in TV commercials, and the kind you could just set down and leave. He thought doing the same thing would work, but Kakou shook her head.
"No good—. If you do that, the perfume will run out too fast, and only the spot where you placed it will have a strong smell—"
"…Is that how it works?"
"It is—. If we do what Rei-kun suggests, we'll need to make a proper specialized tool for it. And like Kenny said, we'll need to blend a relatively cheap perfume too—"
"But if it works out, wouldn't this shop have a monopoly on deodorizers? I don't know how many other shops in Gilm deal in cosmetics, but… well, someone will start copying it right away, so I don't think it'll last for very long."
"Hmm—… What should I do—. If we could proceed the way Rei-kun suggests, I think the number of people using perfume would increase, but—…"
Turning a profit was almost certain. That was what she thought, but "almost" meant there was also a chance of failure… Kakou didn't have the courage to take that kind of gamble all on her own.
"Then how about inviting others? Gather a few people who deal in perfume like Kakou does, and have everyone chip in money. What you need is a device to keep the perfume from dissipating too quickly, right?"
Of course, that means you won't be able to monopolize the profits, Kenny added to conclude.
Kenny's suggestion must have been appealing to Kakou as well. She immediately began thinking about who to invite, naming people one after another: this person, and that person, and also…
"Are you okay with earning less profit?"
Seeing Kakou so readily choose the safer option, Rei asked Kenny.
"Yes. Kakou is the type who originally enjoys doing things with other people, after all. …Of course, I also enjoy doing things with you, Rei-kun?"
Kenny cast a flirtatious glance at Rei, but he showed no sign of noticing as he watched Kakou.
(Since she's a dog beastman, does she just prefer being around lots of people?)
Dogs like to act together with their pack, while cats are individualists. That was strictly Rei's image of them, but even among beastmen, such tendencies might exist.
"Hey, Rei-kun. Are you listening to me?"
"Hm? Ah, sorry. And?"
"……Haa. Well, whatever. About perfume—do you have any other good ideas?"
"There's no way I could come up with something that fast. I just barely managed to think of the room deodorizer. …Oh, but bug-repellent perfume might be convenient to have."
Whether it was due to Rei's magic or the power of Gryphon Seto, he didn't know, but insects like mosquitoes never approached Rei or Set. In that sense, bug-repellent perfume was something he didn't strictly need, but he thought it would be convenient to have when traveling with someone else.
"Oh—. Then, here, here, and here. I'll give you these—."
Hearing Rei's words, Kakou casually handed him three bottles of perfume with bug-repellent effects.
"Is it okay for me to take these? Perfume is basically expensive, right?"
"Yeah, it is—. But, you taught me about perfume, Rei-kun, so—"
Three bottles of perfume would certainly be worth more than silver coins could cover. Rei was surprised that Kakou so readily handed over something so valuable, but what came back was a characteristically laid-back response from her.
Her attitude made him hesitate over whether it was really okay to accept the perfume, and Rei's gaze turned to Kenny.
But Kenny, receiving his look, nodded without any sign of hesitation.
"It should be fine to take them, shouldn't it? Kakou is actually able to try out a new way to use perfume thanks to Rei-kun, after all."
"That's right—. Thanks to Rei-kun, there'll probably be a lot more people using perfume too—, so if you think of it as payment for that, it's not a bad thing at all—"
Kakou told him that Kenny's words were not mistaken.
"You think so? …It's not like I accepted a request or anything, so I don't really need any reward. Well, if you're giving them to me, I'll take them."
Judging that refusing at this point would be rude to the other party, Rei stared at the bug-repellent perfume.
Perhaps because it was made for adventurers, it had a cruder construction compared to other perfumes. If it were perfume used by nobles, there were quite a few where even the container itself was like a work of art. Some were made with materials infused with magic other than glass, and there were even ones where an Alchemist had used gemstones to create them.
But there was no need to fuss over the container that much for perfume used by adventurers. Considering it might break during combat, there was no need to carry something so expensive.
…Of course, there were also people who carried such perfume bottles not as perfume, but as highly liquid assets in place of gemstones. This was not a particularly unusual story. It was only natural that items crafted from gemstones would be more expensive than plain gemstones. It wasn't limited to gemstone perfume bottles either; carrying something with high cash value was not uncommon.
"Yeah—. Now I can teach everyone how wonderful perfume is—"
Kakou smiled happily, pleased that Rei had quietly accepted the perfume she handed over. For Kakou, business was important too, but… having many people learn about and use the perfume she was so passionate about was her top priority. That it would also expand the scope of her business was an undeniable truth.
After this, the novelty of a deodorizer for room use would cause it to become reasonably popular within Gilm… and when nobles in the Royal Capital learned of its existence, they would buy it up without regard to cost, making the deodorizer one of Gilm's specialty products.
Naturally, merchants from outside Gilm would try to make something similar, but because some of the ingredients required materials that could only be obtained in the frontier regions, they would end up giving up.