Frau-san brewed some coffee and brought it over. It was served in a mug instead of a teacup, which seemed to suit Akane-san’s personality perfectly. They likely had proper coffee cups for guests, but since she was hosting me, I suspected she had chosen the mugs on purpose.
"Oh, that’s a lovely scent. As expected of a product from Kuro’s company, the quality is top-tier," Akane-san remarked.
"Miyama-sama, please be careful not to be deceived," Frau-san interjected. "She’s acting like a connoisseur, but this Chairman usually only drinks the cheap stuff."
"Hey, what’s wrong with that? I’m perfectly happy with drip or canned coffee. Well, not that this world has canned coffee, anyway," Akane-san huffed.
"Is that so? You picked a bag out so quickly after just a glance at the samples, I assumed you were an expert..." I said.
While Akane-san clearly liked coffee, I had the impression she wasn’t particularly picky about the specific variety. She seemed more like a salaryman grabbing a canned coffee on the way to work or a cup from a convenience store—just a quick morning fix to start the day. However, because she had chosen a bag so easily and was now praising the quality based on the aroma alone, she did give off an air of expertise.
"Hm? I am an expert... Ah, I see what you mean," Akane-san said. "No, it’s not that I’m an expert because I drink all sorts of things myself. It’s more that I can recognize quality because I deal with trade. I have a good eye for it. As for what I drink personally, I don’t really have a preference. Besides, if I stock the really high-end beans, Frau and the other idiots just drink them without asking."
"I believe it is the fault of the one who leaves luxury items within our reach," Frau-san replied dryly.
"That’s why I don’t leave them out... Ah, Frau, there were some sweets we received as a gift on the shelf. Bring some out for Kaito. You can have two."
"...In this situation, let’s go with ten for me, and one for him."
"Try to negotiate a bit more modestly! You get three. Any more than that comes out of your salary."
As usual, their exchange was like a comedy skit. Even as they bickered, the sweets were already placed in front of me, a testament to Frau-san's efficiency. She had even managed to sneak a cup of coffee for herself. That was very much her style; I could certainly see why she and Luna-san got along so well.
"So, Kaito, you've been promoting this to your various acquaintances? If you’re the one doing the marketing, I bet your audience is full of some really incredible people."
"Hmm, let's see... Ozma-san of the Five War Generals, the High-ranking God Shia-san, and Amel-san, the Leader of the Winged Race... people like that."
"You... honestly," Akane-san sighed. "You say it so casually, but those aren't exactly people you just run into on the street."
I had also given some to Elise-san, but she was a commoner, and I had only spoken to Machina in a dream, so I hadn't given her any samples.
"Well, since Kuro is the one who requested it this time, she could promote it herself if she really wanted to," I noted.
"Ah, that’s true. Chrome-sama has a massive network. If she were serious about building a sales strategy, she’d handle it herself. She probably just asked you as an afterthought while handing over the samples."
"True... Oh, by the way, the sales for the accessories I asked you to sell on consignment seem to be doing quite well."
"Of course they are. They’re accessories made from the Dragon King-sama's scales; there’s no reason they wouldn't sell. The Dragon King-sama is widely worshipped, especially by merchants, so plenty of people want them. In fact, we’ve had to set purchase limits."
I had heard from Anima and Caraway that the sales of the accessories made from Magnawell-san's scales were very strong. Come to think of it, Lilia-san had mentioned once that some people treated Magnawell-san like a God of Commerce. I’d heard it had something to do with the Wyvern Service and the trade of monsters, but I didn't know the specifics.
"If those are doing so well, your own Black Tea Brand must be thriving too," Akane-san continued. "You got a huge boost from the initial hype, but the fact that people keep buying suggests they really value the quality. Aren't you planning to open any physical stores?"
"There seem to be plans for that, but it sounds like there would be political friction if we didn't open them in all three kingdoms of the Human Realm at once. So, it would have to be a Simultaneous Three-store Opening. Since we don't have anyone who can oversee a project of that scale yet, it’s on hold."
"Ah, yeah, that makes sense. If you're going to expand across three countries, you'd want a manager who can at least use Teleportation Magic. Even if you focused on just one country, traveling between branches would be a nightmare. Plus, since your target audience is the wealthy, you have to be very careful with the management."
"True. Well, we’ll see about that eventually... once the right person comes along."
As Akane-san said, someone capable of Teleportation Magic would be easier to trust with the job. Using a Teleportation Magic Tool would be an option, but ideally, I wanted someone who was well-versed in magic itself. There was no need to rush, so I decided to just keep the idea in the back of my mind.
???: "Since an Almighty Class is on standby, no problem... Yoshi!"
Serious-senpai: "Which part of that is Yoshi!?"