After quite a lot of drama, the day finally came for the launch of my original brand... not that I actually had much of a role to play.
It wasn't like a physical storefront was opening, and since the business was structured almost entirely around consignment, there were no grand opening sales or commemorative campaigns. We had received a decent amount of help with promotion, so I believed the word was out there, but I had no idea how much it would actually sell.
Anima told me that the system for a stable supply of products was ready. For the first few days, they intended to limit the number of daily sales, with some shops even resorting to a lottery system. They were implementing these caps as a countermeasure to prevent the new brand from going on backorder immediately after the launch.
Anima and Caraway had worked incredibly hard on this project, so I really hoped it would be a success. I wondered how it would turn out. I had already distributed samples to the famous people among my acquaintances and asked them to buy any future stock through me or Anima, so that should prevent any major social chaos on that front.
While I was lost in those thoughts, a scene of a very different nature was unfolding at the headquarters of the Mikumo Trading Company. The maid Frau wore a look of utter dissatisfaction, while Akane, in contrast, stared back with an exasperated expression.
"Why won't you stock it? Couldn't you use your connections as Chairman to get us prioritized? I was hoping that being part of the inner circle would at least give me a shot at priority purchase rights..."
"Listen, why on earth would I stock consignment goods that don't fit our customer base at all? Even if we attracted more noble clientele, it wouldn't help the sales of our other products. It would just be more work for nothing."
"Then we should just increase our maid clientele! Right now, this new brand is the center of attention in the maid world. If you stocked it, our company would be held in high regard by maids everywhere."
"I don't want that! Why would I want to attract the attention of the maid world? They're even more of a headache to deal with than the nobility!"
The reason for Frau’s grumbling was simple: it had been decided that the Mikumo Trading Company would not carry Kaito’s new brand of black tea, much to her disappointment. It was true that Akane had a personal relationship with Kaito and could have likely secured the products if she really wanted to. However, Kaito’s black tea brand was a high-end luxury product aimed at nobles and the wealthy, which didn't overlap at all with the target demographic of the Mikumo Trading Company, whose main strengths were mobility and affordability.
"Besides, we've already got a near-exclusive contract to wholesale Dragon King scale accessories from Kaito’s place. If I started grabbing his new brand on top of that, we'd just invite unnecessary resentment. There’s a saying about the nail that sticks out getting hammered down, you know? You can't just go reaching your hand out for every little thing."
"...Isn't it a bit unfair of you to drop a perfectly sound argument like that only when it suits you, even though you're dressed so strangely?"
"What do you mean, 'dressed strangely'?! This is traditional Osaka middle-aged woman-style fashion! To anyone who knows their stuff, this is a guaranteed hit..."
"It hasn't been a hit with a single otherworlder we've met so far, has it?"
"Quit it! Just because I shut you down with a logical argument doesn't mean you should go gouging at my personal insecurities from a different angle!"
Akane fired back at the complaining Frau with a look of pure exasperation. To an outsider, it might have looked like they were having a heated argument, but this level of banter was a daily occurrence for them. Furthermore, once Akane had made her decision as Chairman, Frau didn't push it any further; in her own way, she respected Akane’s judgment.
Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't still annoyed, which was why she continued to tease Akane about the things she was secretly self-conscious about.
"In any case, why don't you just go buy some with your own money?"
"It’s impossible. Do you have any idea how high the competition is? I lost the lottery."
"Ah... well, I figured as much. Even our company, which has nothing to do with it, has gotten several inquiries. There's been a real uproar since even before the launch. Well, I’m sure Anima-san will use all this hype to her advantage and handle things perfectly."
As she spoke, Akane pulled a box out of her Magic Box and set it down in front of Frau.
"Here. I’ll give you this, so stop being selfish and be patient."
"T-This is... a Nifty cup?! Why does the Chairman—who has zero sense of style and looks like black tea wouldn't suit her if her life depended on it—have something like this?"
"Hey, you're really looking for a fight, aren't you? No, I got this before the brand launch... It was around the time of the Arclesia Empire Founding Anniversary Festival, I think. Kaito gave it to me back then. I don't use it, so you can have it."
"It’s an initial model! As expected of the Chairman! Truly, objects of taste gather around those with taste! This is wonderful; I am truly blessed to serve such a fine master!"
"...You've really got some nerve, don't you..."
Looking at Frau, who had completely flipped her attitude and was now frolicking as if she hadn't just been hurling insults a moment ago, Akane gave a weary smile and an exasperated sigh.
Serious-senpai: "So, she's one of the members who managed to avoid a stomach ache... No, wait, this time Nebula's skill has kept Lilia from getting one too, so I guess it’s a relief in a way?"
???: "Please stop calling Miss Stomach Pain 'Lilia'."
Serious-senpai: "It’s the other way around! It's the other way around!"