kscans

Chapter 37 - Chapter 1: Part One, Greetings

"Vinder-senpai. Good morning."

"Good morning, Vinder-sama."

I had missed the first two days of the second semester for work, so I was walking down the hall feeling like it was my first day back. That was when the unexpected happened, two female students greeted me.

"...Ah, um, good morning. ...Sama!?"

I don't recognize them. They're probably underclassmen, so 'senpai' makes sense. But there's no reason for them to call me '-sama'. Wait a minute, I don't remember any underclassmen greeting me at all during the first semester.

This is definitely strange. Is it just my 'bad at remembering faces' skill acting up again? No, both of them had faces you'd remember after seeing them once. It's a powerful skill, but even it makes an exception for information rooted in a man's basic instincts.

"Hey, what was that about?"

"What do you mean, 'what was that about'? Wasn't that just a 'normal' greeting from a passing first-year to 'just' a senior?"

In times like these, I turn to my secretary. But Mia's reply was curt.

"No, I get that it was a greeting, but..."

A greeting out of nowhere from a complete stranger. To me, that's a magical attack. There's a serious risk of being afflicted with the 'confusion' status ailment.

What even is a greeting, anyway? In my opinion, it's a reflex. The most important thing for a human is safety. To ensure that, judging whether the person in front of you is a threat is the highest priority. This judgment, like deciding what to do when a car comes hurtling toward you on the street, is something you don't have time to think about.

Greetings are a tool for that purpose. You signal to the other person that you are not an enemy, and if they return the greeting, you can be assured they aren't an enemy either. You decide whether to greet someone the instant you see their face. There is no room for reason or thought to intervene. What I'm trying to say is that I, who starts pondering the other person's intentions every time I'm greeted, am socially awkward.

Well, given the current situation, I'm wary of anyone connected to that one guild master I was forced to crush or that certain vice guild master I had no choice but to depose. So you could say this is a proper form of self-preservation.

As I was lost in these pointless thoughts, another underclassman approached. She had blonde twintails. A cute girl with a small face. Her large, slightly upturned eyes met mine just as I reflexively tried to look away from a stranger. The girl adjusted her course toward me.

"Ah, good mor..."

"Hmph!"

The underclassman girl went out of her way to walk right up to me, glare, and then change direction. My prepared return greeting missed its mark completely.

"...Somehow, that made it feel like I'm really back at the academy."

Incidentally, there are advantages to being socially awkward. You don't get flustered even if someone doesn't return your greeting. People with normal communication skills get complacent about it. They unconsciously assume that if they greet someone, they'll always get a response.

So, on the rare occasion they don't, they get as thrown off as if they'd missed a step on the stairs. That doesn't happen to me. I'm always considering the risk of my greeting not being returned.

"...Before you awaken to some strange new fetish, senpai, I should tell you. She's the daughter of a merchant house that did business with both Dorefano and Calest. You should be cautious."

Mia explained with a sigh. I see. When Dorefano was in power, Calest just followed the guild master's lead like anyone else. I suppose there are merchant houses that take that kind of position.

"Good morning, Mia. It's a new semester, you should cheer up a little. And good morning to you too, Vinder."

"Ah, good morning, Rilka. Mia's in a bad mood for some reason. On top of that, underclassmen have started greeting me and it's causing me problems. You have any info on that?"

"That's the first time anyone's ever asked for information that way... Well, it's probably because you're the heir to the Vinder Company, the rising star who made it to Silver rank in just four years."

"What's that about? We were the only Copper members attending the academy. Even with a promotion, we're still at the bottom. Isn't the standard reaction for newcomers 'go drop dead'?"

"Oh, come on... It's not just that, is it? They want to get close to Her Highness Alfina, the Saintess who saved the kingdom and goddess of the commoner students. They want a connection to Her Excellency Eufilia Bertold, the Grand Duchess of the West. And, if I may be so bold, they want ties to the Kenwell Company, the head of the Food Guild. There are mountains of reasons for people to approach you."

So those first two greetings weren't reflexive, but the result of deliberate thought. That's even more terrifying. It's gotten to the point where the blonde girl who glared at me seems like a straightforward, nice kid.

"This is a massive pain. Who's been sticking all these troublesome labels on me?"

"Well, that would be Dalgan-senpai and Plural-senpai... and me too, maybe?"

"Mia, you should choose your friends more carefully."

"No, no, that's not it. You have to understand Mia's concerns too. You're worried about him, aren't you Mia? It's sweet... like honey..."

"Rilka. Perhaps I should be more selective about my friends."

"That's so harsh."

Rilka spread her arms, pleading for Mia's pity. Yep, seems like Mia is her usual self when it comes to Rilka.

"...Um, so I wonder if Alfina-sama won't be coming in today either."

Unable to bear her friend's withering stare any longer, Rilka blatantly changed the subject. For the record, any time I notice someone has changed the subject, it's defined as 'blatant'. If it were even slightly subtle, I wouldn't notice.

"That's it. If anyone asks about the princess, I'll introduce you as her friend. You're also part of Kenwell. That should send half the trouble your way."

"That won't work. For example, I have no idea what Alfina-sama is doing right now. But you do, don't you, Vinder."

My brilliant idea was shot down instantly.

"You're seeing her today, after all, senpai."

"See... Wow, that's even more than I expected. Well, I'm not surprised at this point. What kind of huge incident are you planning next?"

"It's just a coincidence. Besides, this is legitimate business. Something perfectly solid and respectable."

All I'm doing is holding this world's first-ever shareholder meeting.

"By 'business', do you mean that perverse act of making a princess wear a maid outfit?"

"You're really not holding back anymore, are you? You'll lose your head for lèse-majesté. Besides, Mia, you were invited too, weren't you?"

"Oh, that's impressive."

"That's because I'm attending as your attendant, senpai. My position is different from yours... and Alfina-sama's."

Mia said. But your name was clearly written on the invitation, wasn't it?

◇◇

We were in the office of the Grand Duchess, located in the center of the Grand Ducal Bertold residence, one of the largest in the Royal Capital. Just as we were about to leave the room after greeting her, the Grand Duchess called out to Mia. A maid waiting at her side looked at Mia and began wringing her hands with excitement.

"...It wouldn't suit me."

"There is no need to be so modest. Consider it a token of my gratitude for all you have done for Alfy."

At the Grand Duchess's words, the maid closed in on Mia. In her hands was a spring green dress. It seemed they wanted her to wear this to the meeting. The whims of the high nobility are a real pain.

"I'll be waiting outside."

"Abandoning me like this makes you a terrible boss. Ah, um, really, it won't look good on me. Besides, I've never worn anything like... Kyaa, please don't undress me."

"Do not worry. Meia is an expert in these matters."

When I stepped out into the hallway, there was a middle-aged man leaning against the window frame. He had a worn-out look that seemed out of place in the residence of the Grand Duchess of the West.

"Ricard-kun. I'm leaving things to you today."

"No, no. Explaining management policy is the chairman's job."

"You're a shareholder too, you know, Ricard-kun."

"Actually, shareholders are the ones who are supposed to receive explanations."

"I'm a shareholder too... Hah, this whole stock system really is fascinating. The separation of ownership and management, it's something you wouldn't normally even consider."

"They aren't separated just yet. But it was necessary to get the rules passed, even with the Grand Duchess's investment. Well, she does hold veto power over major decisions."

I looked at my boss with a searching gaze. The Grand Duchess's investment was larger than planned. That meant her voting rights had been strengthened. Her investment was supposed to be kept under fifty percent. The plan was to ensure our safety by making it partially the Grand Duchess's property, while using the credibility from her investment to secure loans at favorable rates.

It was an incredibly self-serving request, but to a great landowner like the Grand Duchess, the scale of the Vinder Company was small. The key to the negotiation was to get her interested in the stock system itself, to make her think of it as an interesting toy she could observe and let us play with as we pleased. My demonstration of the system's potential at the mock shops should have given us an advantage in those negotiations.

"No, that's why, as usual, you went too far, Ricard-kun... Oh, Mia! You look just like an angel."

Seeing Mia emerge, escorted by the maid, my father's attention instantly shifted away from his son.

"I've always wanted a daughter, you know. My son, after all, has practically zero charm."

"Wait, we're not done talking..."

I turned back to say this, and was left speechless. There stood a girl in a dress that, while simple, was clearly made of high-quality fabric. The off-the-shoulder design and the embroidered flower on her chest gave her a fresh look. It was precisely because her usual attire was so plain that she looked so breathtakingly gorgeous.

"...What do you think, senpai?"

Her uncharacteristically shy fidgeting was endearing, throwing me off even more.

"A-as a subordinate, I can't very well criticize something the chairman, my boss, has praised."

I forced my gaze away, which felt like it was being drawn to her. The maid whispered something in Mia's ear. For a moment, Mia's cheeks flushed. Then, she gave a clumsy little twirl in front of me. The hem of her skirt fluttered softly. That's cheating.

"W-well. Um... you definitely look like a different person. Yeah."

"Hehe. I wasn't expecting any clever compliments from you, senpai. So I'll take it."

Seeing me flustered, Mia smiled.

"My, Mia. It suits you very well."

Just then, a young lady in a white dress appeared from down the hall.

Her lovely figure inevitably brought back memories of the dance at the celebration party. I thought I had grown fairly used to seeing Alfina in her school uniform, but when she unleashes her princess aura like this, I'm reduced to this state.

"Ricard-kun. Did you compliment her properly?"

"I-I did. Although, compared to the seal of approval from a real princess, it doesn't mean much, right, Mia?"

I couldn't stand having my skill at complimenting a girl's clothes graded. I turned to face Mia.

"...Yes. Thank you very much, Alfina-sama."

The smile from a moment ago vanished instantly as Mia gave a formal reply. The supervisor who trained new part-timers at the Vinder Company was gone. She was probably conscious of the Grand Duchess's eyes on her.

Well, Mia is brilliant. Unlike me, she can switch gears like that perfectly.