It was a beautiful, clear day without a single cloud in the sky. Today marked the simultaneous opening of Nifty's stores across three different countries. Seeing it finally happen gave me a profound sense of accomplishment; I had finally become a shop owner.
Well, I called it "my shop," but that was merely in name only. Canalis-san handled the actual management and operations, and Anima was the Overall General Manager above her, so I wasn't really involved in the day-to-day work at all.
Regardless, this was the first day of business, and an unprecedented simultaneous three-country launch at that. I had assumed Canalis-san, who was the Person in Charge of All Three Stores, would be overwhelmed with work, but...
"Hmm, personally, I think this one is better. Rather than something with a strong presence, I feel like a soft, warm quality matches the image better."
"I agree. I hold a similar opinion. Shall we use this as a base and add further adjustments?"
The woman who was supposed to be so busy was casually chatting with Nebula. I knew Canalis-san well enough to trust that the stores were fine, but seeing her like this right in front of me made me worry in spite of myself.
As I stood there thinking, the two of them noticed me and turned around.
"Master, good morning!"
"Ah, Kaito-sama, good morning. It's a lovely day, isn't it?"
"Good morning, Nebula. Good morning, Canalis-san. I’m sure everything is fine, but today is the opening day, right?"
"Yes, the Nifty stores in all three countries are a huge success. This time, we obtained the cooperation of the kings in advance to make Mandatory Advance Reservation a requirement. We also placed limits on Stay Time in the Store, so the flow of customers is moving smoothly. I'm not standing at the front, but I'm monitoring things from the back. The reception from the guests seems to be quite positive. Eheh... I'm so catastrophically unsuited for Customer Service that I apologize for hiding back here!"
Canalis-san responded to my query with a cheerful tone, explaining the situation as if she were watching it unfold in real-time. Or rather, she probably was seeing it right now.
"Come to think of it, you mentioned you were existing in the stores of all three countries simultaneously. Is it like a split body?"
"Ah, yes. Thinking of it that way is fine. Strictly speaking, mine is a Conceptual-type Thing. It's a sort of Rule-like Format where the entity known as Canalis exists in multiple places at once. Explaining the fine details would be long and complicated, so viewing it as something close to a split body works. If there's a difference, it's that in my case, the version of me in every country's store is Everything is the Main Body. Heh-heh... to put it very simply, it's like moving my right and left hands separately!"
"I-I see?"
I didn't fully grasp the details, but it sounded like an incredible power. If every version of her was the main body... did that mean they were all equally Almighty? It felt like a Higher-order Version of a Split Body. As expected of an Almighty God, her abilities were on a different level.
"...By the way, what were you two doing just now?"
"Oh, I was consulting with Nebula-san to select the Highest-grade Tea Leaves that we intend to carry at Nifty later on."
"It will still take some time to complete, but since this is your Black Tea Brand, Master, I thought it was only fitting to have Tea Leaves Bearing Master's Name. We are currently in the process of trial and error. Since you already devised the MK Blend, we want to include the letters MK on these finished tea leaves as well."
"I see. That sounds like it'll be something incredible. It's actually quite exciting."
"The sound of a 'special item' has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Once they're finished, I intend to place significant restrictions on purchases to maintain their rarity. It would be wonderful if owning them became a sort of status symbol. Eheh... it's a way to establish the brand's prestige!"
It seemed the two of them were developing ultra-high-quality, luxury tea leaves, much like the Glorious Tea of the God Realm.
It sounded like they were going to produce something truly extraordinary. The idea of Top-tier Items available only to a select few customers felt a little cool, and I found myself looking forward to it.
"Since you're here, Master, I would like to hear your opinion as well. If you have the time, would you care to help us?"
"Sure. I don't have any particular plans today, and if the tea is going to have my initials on it, I'd like to learn more about it too. I'd be happy to cooperate."
"Thank you very much!"
I lightly patted the head of the brightly smiling Nebula, then joined her and Canalis-san to discuss the new tea leaves.
Machina: "No, no. It seems like I'm being labeled as some Strange Glutton Character, but even I wouldn't just munch on Serious-senpai's body as it is."
Serious-senpai (Spirit Body): "R-Right... thank goodness."
Machina: "I'll make sure to change your body into a waffle first before eating you!"
Serious-senpai (Spirit Body): "That's not the point! If you're going to go that far, just use Waffle Creation normally!"