With the help of Illness-san and Nebula, I finished preparing my original tea blend. I’d even managed to wrap the individual portions for my friends and finish writing the letters I planned to send along with them.
After discussing the logistics with Anima and Caraway, we decided to release my signature blend under the name "MK Blend." The name was as literal as it gets—just my initials. I’d decided not to lead with my surname because MK had a better ring to it than KM.
It was a simple choice, but since the alphabet was an entirely foreign script to the people of Trinia, the novelty of the characters actually made for a pretty good brand name that was likely to pique people's interest.
I’d already had Lilia-san and Sieg-san sample it, and it had been quite well-received. I wasn't expecting it to be a massive hit, but I hoped it would at least become reasonably popular.
As Lilia-san sipped the tea, I mentioned my thoughts on its potential popularity. She took a moment to think, a contemplative shadow crossing her face before she spoke.
"...No, I believe there is a very high possibility of a frantic scramble for stock if you don't place restrictions on purchases."
"Eh? But I'm giving separate batches to Kuro and the other influential people I know..."
"Certainly, and that is a very wise move. It reduces the number of things that might give me a headache, so I’m truly grateful. However, putting that aside, your name is famous among the nobility, Kaito-san. And, of course, everyone knows you’re an otherworlder."
"Ah, I see... Using otherworld characters as the brand name is basically a dead giveaway."
Now that she mentioned it, even if I didn't say it outright, people would naturally assume an otherworlder was involved the moment they saw those letters. From there, it wouldn't take much to realize it was my personal blend.
I’d wanted the name to help with sales to some extent, so I’d anticipated people might catch on, but...
"Yes. And if it’s known to be your original blend, people will assume that the Six Kings-sama and the Supreme God-sama are drinking it as well. Nobles place a great deal of importance on vanity and prestige, so these tea leaves will likely be viewed as a status symbol. Given the hype surrounding the initial launch, and the fact that tea is something nobles can easily buy and discuss, I expect the demand will be astronomical."
"Come to think of it, Anima mentioned she was planning to set purchase limits and use a lottery system just for the right to buy it."
"Yes, I believe that is the best approach. Since it’s your brand, Kaito-san, the nobility won't be able to pressure the sellers for special treatment. You can afford to be quite firm with your strategy. For your personal blend, making the purchase rights a lottery is the fairest way to handle it."
"I see. That makes sense. I’ll let Anima know."
In all likelihood, Anima had already accounted for everything Lilia-san had just pointed out, which was probably why she’d recommended the lottery system in the first place.
"Are you not planning to open a dedicated shop?"
"The idea came up, but we weren't sure where to put it. Since I don't own any land, we decided to put that on hold for now."
"A wise choice. If you were to open a physical store... the kings of every nation would undoubtedly move immediately. They would likely show up at your doorstep with land grants in hand, practically begging for the honor of hosting your shop in their territory."
"Yeah, Anima and Caraway said that if we were to do it, we should probably open stores in all three nations simultaneously. But that would be a massive amount of work, so it's a project for down the road."
As Lilia-san had noted, the topic of a physical store had indeed been broached. However, starting with three shops at once was a daunting prospect. Since Anima’s expertise was primarily in investments rather than retail expansion, we’d decided to wait until we could prepare properly.
"So, for now, we're just going to place the products in a few select trading companies and tea specialty shops."
"That is for the best. Trying to do too much at once is a recipe for failure. I own several shops myself and invest in various brands, so I believe I can offer some useful advice. Please feel free to ask if you need anything."
"Thank you, Lilia-san. I’ll be sure to consult you if I run into trouble."
Lilia-san gave me a kind smile, and I smiled back as I thanked her. Having settled the topic of the tea brand for the moment, we spent the rest of our time enjoying some pleasant small talk.
Serious-senpai: "Thanks to the Absolute One breaking the stomach pain flags, Lilia’s looking peaceful for once... It’s not that I’m being optimistic, but surely there’s nothing to worry about now? She’s already been through enough after those two Founding Anniversary Festivals back-to-back..."
???: "Well, for this once, maybe our Stomach Pain Warrior can finally enjoy a short break."
Serious-senpai: "The fact that you even have to call it a 'short break' is just too pitiful..."