kscans

Chapter 26 - Chapter 6: Part One - Establishment

"Alright then, I shall be off for a walk... a stroll to deepen my thoughts. Don't you forget our promise."

"I understand, Sage-sama."

Once Fulsy had left the room, the participants noisily settled into their seats.

There were five of them, including Rilka. Among the companies pushed out by the real estate surge, six were in the food and drink business. Five of those had gathered here. It was quite an achievement that two were from Kenwell. This must be the power of a social butterfly. A skill completely foreign to me.

My job was to get these five members on board. In the now-spacious laboratory, the attendees took up positions as they pleased. Other than their commoner-style clothes under their uniforms, they were a motley crew.

The moment the Sage was gone, a well-built male student plopped down and crossed his legs on top of the desk. He was a third-year, the son of the Dalgan Company which dealt in meat. Dalgan was apparently an independent company. He had the vibe of a jock.

A slender, long-haired boy, also a third-year, smoothed his hair without even looking this way. He was the son of the Plural Company, an independent merchant dealing in confectionery ingredients like black sugar and refined wheat. He was characterized by his dandyish gestures.

A girl sitting nervously between the two was a classmate of mine. I recognized her face, but had we ever spoken? Of course not. She was apparently the daughter of Belmini, a vegetable dealer. The way she kept looking at Rilka for support told me she was under the Kenwell umbrella.

Meanwhile, Rilka, the daughter of the dairy-dealing Tritt Company, ignored her classmate's distress signal and sat quietly.

The last member, a male student, sat in silence. He was from Roston, a Kenwell subsidiary that handled rare fruits and grains. Even his expression was still.

Rilka aside, none of them looked happy to be here. It was understandable. They were all heirs to Silver-rank companies or held similar positions. What's more, besides Rilka and Belmini, they were all my seniors.

"Thank you all for coming. I'll get right to the explanation," I said, greeting them with a humble bow. I knew this wouldn't be easy. I immediately began drawing an organizational chart on the stone slate. The content was the same as what I had explained to Rilka and the others the other day, to build a shared food court in the courtyard and launch a temporary company to run it using a stock system.

I explained while feeling their distrustful gazes. The fact that no one got up and left was probably less a testament to my powers of persuasion and more a reflection of their own desperate situations.

"So, all the companies here will invest to create one company on top. Then we'll all fight the big companies as one. Is that it?"

The butcher's son nodded to himself, then glared at me.

"And you, Vinder, will be the one running it. Sounds like a sweet setup for you."

The athletic butcher's son grinned, baring his canine teeth. And here I thought you were a well-bred young master... Of course, "sweet setup" was directed at the part where I would be in charge. But the fact that he stopped at a mere threat was proof that he still had some lingering hope.

"Three of you are from Kenwell. I'd bet Rilka here is the mastermind. You're probably just a figurehead. Your family is only Copper-rank, right?" said the high-strung third-year from the confectionery company.

"I... I had already given up. Rilka was just so insistent. But still, a method like this, I've never heard of it, never..."

The vegetable merchant's daughter glanced repeatedly at Rilka. The other two followed her gaze. But Rilka didn't react. I needed her to feign neutrality. It would be a disaster if they suspected I was colluding with Kenwell to take advantage of the independent companies.

"Regarding that suspicion, please hold your judgment until you've heard what we actually plan to build in the courtyard."

I switched places with Mia. Rilka waved at Mia, silently cheering her on. So much for being neutral...

"I will now explain the specific numbers regarding the seating capacity of the space we will prepare."

Mia began to explain the number and arrangement of the seats. At the news that Kenwell would provide spare desks and chairs, Dalgan let out a whistle of approval. Plural's face twisted as if to say, "I knew it." The Kenwell members, aside from Rilka, looked relieved.

"In short, we can prepare eight tables, for a total of thirty-six seats, in the courtyard with minimal expense. That's 7.2 seats per vendor. It's about half the seating you all had last year when you used classrooms."

I had done my research. At the same time, they were probably calculating how many seats they could possibly secure on their own this year.

"However, if you consider the reduction in empty seats, you can expect to secure a space comparable to last year."

While Mia was explaining, I drew eight staggered tables on the slate. I also added the lines of foot traffic from the empty rooms in the school building.

"That's a strange thing to say. There are six participating companies, including Vinder. That means six seats per vendor."

"Yeah, and it's doubtful we'd even be treated fairly. What're you gonna do if you run out of seats? I'm not gonna stand for it if you prioritize yourselves."

Plural pointed out the numbers with displeasure, and Dalgan agreed. But I just shook my head.

"Vinder will not be selling anything at the food court. We will manage the holdings and only receive dividends corresponding to our investment. This should guarantee fairness."

"How noble of you. But then what's in it for your company?"

Dalgan glared at me, his gaze more intense than before. There was a benefit. Given my circumstances, it was a benefit far more valuable than gaining a reputation at the Shoken Festival. But since it had nothing to do with them, I wouldn't say it.

I presented a different "fact."

"To be frank, this whole affair is a nuisance for the Vinder Company. I think it's clear we had no intention of participating, since we didn't even enter the bidding. This is basically harassment from Calest and the student council. As long as we can meet the condition of opening a shop in the courtyard without going into the red, that's enough for us."

"Is that really true? I find that hard to believe."

"Then let me ask you this. Is there any benefit for our company in making a profit at the Shoken Festival or appealing to noble customers? Even if a Copper-rank company caught the eye of a noble, could we sustain that business afterward?"

"Well, that... I suppose you have a point."

"Hmph. So you know your place. Once you accept an order from a noble, you can't refuse it. It's a nightmare to have a flood of large orders come in when you can't prepare the goods."

Even in my old world, countless companies were crushed when a sudden surge in orders outstripped their production capacity, allowing larger corporations to snatch their market share. Others went bankrupt from overproduction after desperately meeting a demand that subsequently vanished. Given the level of production coordination and logistics in this world, it was an even greater risk.

Of course, that wouldn't be the case if I could fully unleash the power of our apiculture project, but to do that, I had to finalize the investment negotiations with the Grand Duchess. And for that, I had to demonstrate the power of a joint-stock company. That was my hidden agenda.

...On second thought, maybe we are doing this for the sake of our reputation with the nobility. The thought dampened my motivation a little.

Well, it didn't conflict with the interests of the people here. So I wouldn't mention it.

After I displayed this self-preservation technique of revealing half the truth, the two boys finally fell silent and began to think.

"I get it. Honestly, securing customer seating is a huge advantage. And this 'holdings' thing, you'll manage it, but you're saying we all have equal rights as capitalists."

"I find it unpleasant that my delicate sweets will be eaten at the same table as barbaric meat dishes and plain vegetable meals. But it's true that we're sunk without seats. Tch, if only Calest hadn't been so unreasonable..."

"Barbaric meat, you say?"

"V-vegetables aren't plain..."

Just when I thought Dalgan was finally opening up, Plural stirred the pot. Wasn't that Belmini's first time speaking up?

"I'm fine with agreeing." "I have no objections either. We can't just back down quietly from Calest's tyranny."

Roston and Rilka spoke up. A clever move. In this situation, a common enemy is the best ally. Indeed, Rilka's words stopped Dalgan and the others from arguing.

"But is it really okay to build something this big in the courtyard? I've never heard of anything like it."

Dalgan's point about the lack of precedent was certainly a cause for concern. But this wasn't my idea.

"Operating in the courtyard was a direct suggestion from Student Council President Hilda herself. I've also received permission from Her Highness Princess Alfina, who manages the courtyard."

"Really?" "A Copper-rank talking to Her Highness..."

A wave of murmurs filled the room. Just then, the door clicked open. Could the timing be any more perfect?

"Oh, was the meeting still in session? Pardon me, but I'm just going to grab some materials for my lecture. Please wait a moment, Princess."

Fulsy returned to the room with Alfina. He made it seem as though she had simply come to receive instruction from the Sage.

"Sage-sama... and Her Highness, the Princess!"

At the sudden appearance of the princess, everyone shot to their feet and bowed their heads. Amazing. I'm positive I would have been a beat too late. The lowered heads turned toward me. Their piercing gazes seemed to ask what I was going to do.

"Your Highness Alfina. These are the candidates for the mock shops."

"Oh, so these are the people who will be opening shops in the courtyard? This is my first time serving as a Shoken Festival officer, but I will do my very best. I look forward to working with you all."

The members nodded at Alfina's words. That sealed it. I was reluctant to rely on Alfina, but considering the time constraints, it couldn't be helped. She had been asking me to let her do something, so I had asked her to make an appearance in the most casual way possible.

"So, are we all in agreement on establishing the Mock Shop Holdings?" I asked, once Fulsy and Alfina, holding a prototype antenna, had left the room.

"Yeah."

"Hmph. I'm in."

"We don't have any other options..."

"Understood."

The four of them agreed, each in their own way.

"Alright, let's give it our all in the next bidding! We'll show Calest a thing or two."

Rilka took the lead. The four others responded, albeit with looks of resignation. She had a great sense of timing. I could never create that kind of energy. After all, someone who can't read the room certainly can't build momentum. Especially since I wouldn't even be participating in the bid.

"There surely won't be any competition for a room this small."

"Hmph. It's not befitting of our company's name, but I suppose it can't be helped."

"If it's a small shop, our losses will be minimal..."

The members started discussing the bid while looking at the floor plan. And with that, I had avoided being left out. The biggest hurdle was cleared. But conversely, it meant these members and I were now all in the same boat. There was no way to create seating in a vacant storefront on the first floor, no matter how hard they tried.

And that meant I was now responsible for them. My stomach began to ache. Why was I, a mere second-year from a Copper-rank company, stuck in this mess? I would never forgive Calest and the Grand Duchess's daughter for this.