The Angels were flying through the sky above the winter village, maintaining a beautiful formation. As always, it was a magnificent display of flight. "Perfectly synchronized" would be an understatement. I noticed they weren't even turning their heads, which made me wonder how they managed to track everyone else's positions.
Apparently, they could tell by the movement of the wind and a general sixth sense. Reginleiv, who was acting as my escort, explained it to me. I see. I had no idea they were capable of that.
"If we couldn't, we wouldn't be able to react to attacks from the ground," she said.
With those words, Reginleiv threw a spear with incredible force toward the Angels overhead. For a second, I thought she was actually going to hit someone, but the Angels in the sky dodged the projectile with grace. It was impressive. The spear continued its parabolic arc and disappeared into the forest.
The formation was momentarily disrupted by the dodge, but it was corrected almost instantly. I'm sure she threw it knowing they would dodge, but it still seemed like a dangerous thing to do.
"I aimed at the ones who were paying attention, so it was fine. That will help sharpen the focus of those who were being careless."
It seemed those who had fumbled the formation were the ones slacking off. Well, I'll refrain from mentioning their names. At any rate, we had to go retrieve the spear.
"That’s already being handled."
Three Angels broke away from the formation and dove toward the spot where the spear had likely landed. They were the ones who had just disrupted the formation. Leading the group was Granmaria's mother, Razmaria. I suppose she also knew exactly who had been daydreaming.
"Even if these are familiar skies, this is the Forest of Death. This is not a place where one should let their guard down."
I understood her point, but I really wished the village could be a place where they felt comfortable enough to relax. Being on edge all the time wasn't healthy.
"My apologies. However, while in flight, one must never be careless."
She was right, of course. I couldn't argue with that.
Later, a portion of the Civil Official Girls had gathered in one of the large conference rooms back at the mansion. For them, winter was supposed to be a vacation period, but there were some who felt restless if they weren't working. The girls here were exactly like that. While I wanted them to rest when they could, I was also hesitant to forcibly stop those who genuinely wanted to work. I decided to trust Frau, who was managing their workload and health.
"Thank you for coming, Village Head."
Today was the intermediate briefing for their investigation and analysis of Village Five. I had left the day-to-day management to Yoko, but I felt it was necessary to have a report from a different perspective. I would listen to their findings, and if there were no issues, they would continue. Eventually, I would report their suggestions to Yoko or the village council.
Once I took my seat and tea was served, the meeting began.
"Now then, starting with my group. It's regarding the cake sales in Village Five."
They were talking about the Western Confectionery Shop Fairy Fairi. It functioned as the production factory, and the cakes were sold via mobile food stalls. Apparently, they were selling incredibly well. I expected them to be popular—we had started the business specifically because of high demand—but the fact that they far exceeded our projections was a concern. Even if it was a positive deviation, it meant our data was off.
The girls had investigated the cause.
"To state the conclusion first: it’s the women and children."
I knew they were the target demographic, but the results were still surprising.
"It seems to be linked to local lifestyle habits. Generally speaking, commoner households in the Demon Kingdom don't eat out. Meals are meant to be eaten at home."
That made sense. Those with families usually ate at home, while eating out was mostly for single people who didn't want to cook.
"However, in Village Five and Shashato City, the number of shops providing attractive meals has increased. Consequently, the number of families eating out is on the rise."
Right. But those who work outside have more opportunities to eat out than those who stay home.
"Exactly. However, because public order is so good in Village Five, women and children are eating out more often than before."
So that's why the cakes sold better?
"No, there's one more factor. While eating out is more common, not everyone can go every time. It seems those who do go out buy cakes as souvenirs for the wives and children who stayed behind."
Ah, I see. Eating out became a special event, and the cake became the 'peace offering' or gift for those who missed out.
"Yes. For an ordinary household, cakes aren't exactly cheap, but they are incredibly popular. We’ve even heard stories of men being instantly forgiven for upsetting their wives as long as they brought home cake."
That was good to hear, but I wondered if these sales would last.
"I spoke with Rorone, the Acting Shop Manager of Fairy Fairi. She believes things might slump eventually, so she wants to maintain interest by developing new products."
I'd have to tell Rorone that new products only need to happen about once every six months. If she forces out too many, interest will only peak at the beginning and then fade. I wanted her to focus on flavors that would be loved for years.
"Please leave the tasting to us! Also, we'll make the souvenir factor a larger part of our future projections."
I was relieved they found the cause, though they were quick to point out it might not be the only reason. They planned to continue their research.
"Also, we have a proposal that came up during the investigation," one of them added. "It's about meals for children. At food stalls, you can buy exactly what you need, but in restaurants, a single serving is the standard. It’s often too much for a child."
"A kids' menu?"
"Yes. If the shops related to you, Village Head, began offering small-portion menus for children, we believe other shops in the village would follow your lead."
That was a good point. We usually focused on making portions larger for races like the Giants, but we hadn't really thought about smaller portions. I went through the list of shops I was involved with: Kuro and Yuki, Cafe Blue, Korin Sweets Shop, Sake & Meat Niz, and Noodle Shop Buritoa. Then there was Maruura in Shashato City and my own occasional ramen stall.
I didn't need to worry about Cafe Blue or Sake & Meat Niz since children rarely went there. My ramen stall was mostly a late-night thing, and Korin Sweets Shop was retail. Kuro and Yuki was a cafe where portions were already manageable... or so I thought.
"Actually, they've started serving a red noodle dish called Napolitan lately," a girl pointed out.
Ah, right. I taught them that.
"They have Katsu-don too."
Guilty. I taught them that one as well. I'd have to talk to Kinesta, the Acting Shop Manager of Kuro to Yuki, about a child-sized version.
As for Noodle Shop Buritoa, a "half-ramen" might be tricky because of food waste and kitchen efficiency. I'd need to consult the staff there. Maruura's curry would be easy to scale down; it was just a matter of pricing and the right plate. I'd talk to Marcos and Paula about that.
"Village Head, regarding the kids' menu for Kuro and Yuki... how about that plate dish you served to the children here in the village?"
"The Kids' Meal?"
"Yes! The children were absolutely delighted by it."
"They were, but those are incredibly labor-intensive. Putting all those different dishes on one plate takes a lot of time."
When we made those for the village kids, almost every High Ogre Maid was recruited to help.
"Wasn't that just because the adults saw the Kids' Meals and wanted them, too?"
I looked at the girls. "You lot wanted them too, didn't you?"
"It was delicious."
"Having all those different things to try was great."
"And that pudding for dessert... it was the best."
That pudding was supposed to be for the next day! You can't just whip up pudding on a whim. Still, if we prepared a set amount in advance, it might be feasible. I promised to look into it, but told them not to get their hopes up.
The intermediate briefing continued with the same serious energy.
Reginleiv: "Aiming at the slacker is dangerous, so I'll aim at the one next to her... Hah!"
Targeted Angel: "That scared me! That scared me! That scared me!"
Razmaria: "Take it as a compliment. Now, you lot who were slacking off, go get the spear."
Careless Angel: "I-I'm so sorry!"
Civil Official Girl A: "Our group is reporting on the Ladies' Association, which includes the mothers and grandmothers of the high-ranking nobles."
Civil Official Girl B: "...We were played like fiddles."
Civil Official Girl C: "They saw through every single one of our tactics."
Civil Official Girl D: "We're currently drafting a counter-strategy."
Frau: "The ones who want to work are all the newcomers. The Initial Group, on the other hand..."
Rosalind: "You should rest while you have the chance."
Kurakasse: "Let's just take it easy."
Roage: "We're going to be busy enough to die once spring comes anyway."
Rasshashi: "Everyone, I brought samples of the new cakes!"
Initial Group: "Yay!"