Inside the office at Kaito's home, Anima and Caraway were poring over a mountain of documents.
"As I thought, making it a lottery system was the right choice. If this many people had swarmed the shops at once, it would have been absolute chaos. The competition ratio is staggering, but our supply chain is stable, so the backlog should clear up in time."
"Indeed. Although, we have to consider that many of these entries are fakes... nobles likely used the names of their private soldiers to pad the application numbers. We shouldn't take the raw figures at face value."
Nifty, the brand that had officially launched earlier that day, was already a sensation. By morning, every shop and trading company carrying the line reported that their daily allotment had sold out instantly. However, both Anima and Caraway had anticipated this; given how much Nifty was already being talked about in social circles, it was a natural outcome.
"With sales like this, we should probably start seriously considering opening dedicated flagship stores."
"If we want to maintain a sense of fairness, though, we’d need to open shops in all three countries simultaneously, which isn't easy to execute. Of course, every nation is going to insist on having a store on their own soil... In fact, we’ve already received letters from the various monarchs subtly hinting at exactly that."
"It seems the stock sold during the Arclesia Empire’s Founding Anniversary Festival became quite the topic of conversation among the nobility. We were getting inquiry letters even back then. They were phrased in incredibly roundabout ways, though..."
"Naturally. They wouldn't have dared to tell Master to 'open a shop and sell to us' at that stage. Well, now that he's officially established a brand, it's likely made it easier for them to make formal requests."
When items were sold at the Arclesia Empire stall, it had strictly been a matter of selling off surplus pottery. Even the tea-related products were just the excess of what Nebula and Illness had produced as a hobby. However, now that a dedicated black tea brand had been launched, requests for permanent storefronts had begun to arrive in earnest.
"I see... By the way, Anima, when do you plan on resting? You've been working non-stop lately. Our evaluations and countermeasures are sufficient, so don't you think it’s about time you took a break?"
"No, there is still the possibility of unforeseen trouble. If there were a problem with the launch of Master's brand, I wouldn't be able to face him. Between on-site inspections and future rollout plans, I must remain vigilant for at least a few more days..."
"Hmm. But you haven't slept in about ten days, have you?"
"It is not a problem. My physical capabilities have improved significantly. If I put my mind to it, I can operate without sleep or rest for several months if necessary."
"I see, I see... Did you hear that? She’s really talking a big game~."
"............Huh? Eh? Ah... M-Master..."
Anima had been replying to Caraway matter-of-factly without looking up from her paperwork, but she reacted instantly to those last words. She raised her head and saw Kaito standing in the office doorway, his arms crossed as he looked at her with flat, judging eyes. She turned pale in an instant.
"Anima... what was that conversation just now about?"
"Ah, n-no, well... It-it's true that I haven't slept, but... r-r-right, I've been taking proper breaks..."
"She's only been resting for about ten minutes at a time while she eats~."
"Cara!?"
The earnest and hardworking Anima had a tendency to overdo it—especially when it came to matters involving Kaito—and she had been cautioned by him multiple times.
She was clearly aware that she was in for a scolding. She tried to gloss over it in a panic, but perhaps because she couldn't bring herself to lie to Kaito, she admitted to not sleeping while trying to deceive him into thinking she was getting enough rest.
However, Caraway had easily exposed the reality of the situation. Seeing Kaito’s eyes narrow, Anima broke into a heavy sweat, her gaze darting around the room.
"...Caraway, can I leave the rest to you?"
"Yes, it’s no problem at all. Honestly, it’s just that Anima worries too much; we've already adjusted the systems so that everything runs fine without us doing much. We have plenty of leeway to handle any trouble that pops up. So, never mind just today—it wouldn't be a pr-o-blem at all even if Anima were gone for several days."
"I see. In that case, sorry, but I’ll leave things here to you... Anima, you’re coming with me... Understood?"
"...Y-Yess."
Though his tone remained as calm as ever, Kaito exuded a quiet, simmering anger. Anima, looking as if her composed demeanor from moments ago were a total lie, shrunk back and nodded.
She looked exactly like a puppy being scolded by its owner as Kaito led her out of the room. Watching them go, Caraway let out a wry smile.
"...Well, knowing Kaito-sama, he’ll probably give her a light lecture and then force her to sleep. She really has been working herself to the bone lately, so it’s for the best if they go off and flirt for a while. Honestly... the real problem is that she loves Kaito-sama so much she refuses to delegate anything and tries to do every single task herself..."
Muttering to herself about Anima's charming yet troublesome habit of wanting to hoard any work related to her beloved Kaito, Caraway sat down at the desk Anima had been using and began organizing the remaining documents with a relaxed air.
Serious-senpai: "Ah, I see. Because she gets so fired up over any job related to Kaito, she stops resting entirely... In a way, that's very much like Anima."