kscans

Chapter 83 - Chapter 3: Second Half - Quality is Key to Increasing Quantity

My words, which seemed to dismiss effort and demand only results, silenced the room.

"You've shown your true colors. Natalie, you absolutely must not sign this."

"Then let me ask. What's so noble about effort?"

"Because I've been watching Natalie work so hard for so long. Her efforts will bear fruit someday."

"I see. With her effort, the bean jam might be a success someday. She may eventually produce results."

"Th, that's right. I believe she will."

Well, I believe it too. In a way, Vinaldira is more admirable than I am, since I already know the answer. But that's irrelevant right now.

"So, when that time comes, where will I be, where will you be, and where will she be?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"I'm talking about where the three of us will be when Natalie's efforts finally bear fruit and produce results."

When I said that, Rilka and Belmini looked as if they understood.

"But still... I don't understand..."

"Then I'll spell it out. Let's say Natalie's effort pays off, the jam is perfected, and it starts earning a lot of money. When that happens, Natalie will be there. She's the creator, after all. You'll also likely be by her side. But me?"

What Vinaldira was saying is correct. Even if you fail temporarily, if you continue to put in the effort, you might use that as fuel to reach success. Of course, there's no guarantee, but there are no guarantees of that level in the world to begin with, so that's fine.

But ultimately, the only one your effort will never betray is yourself.

So it's fine to acknowledge the value of your own effort. In fact, you should. But what you can share with others are the results you have right now. You can't demand that others share in your potential. This is a story based on the assumption that her effort is genuine and will eventually succeed, an assumption that might not be as sweet as honey, but is far sweeter than Natalie's current jam.

"As a complete stranger, my circumstances are different. So, while effort is noble, you can't force it on others."

Of course, that's an extreme argument. The effort that bears fruit before my eyes today might be the same effort someone else supported ten years ago. Someone like Dorefano... In that case, it wouldn't be completely illogical for me to support her effort today for the sake of the entrepreneur who will be by her side in ten years.

But that's not what we're talking about right now. The problem is that Vinaldira is confusing her different positions as a friend, for herself, and in relation to a stranger.

"Th, that is..."

Vinaldira looked down.

"Vinder just has a way with words, you know." "...Yeah."

Rilka and Belmini said.

And then, Natalie's hand reached for the pen.

"Wait, hey, this guy is, but..."

"No. I'll trust him. He never once called my jam 'anko' to me. And I want to believe the look on his face when he ate my jam. Of course, if Vina, who's helped me all this time, is completely against it, then I'll give up."

"...There's just one thing I want to ask."

Vinaldira looked not at me, but at Rilka and Belmini.

"When you ate Natalie's jam, neither of you looked very pleased. As families of Silver Member companies, you must be incredibly busy. Why do you get involved in this man's work?"

"Well, for one thing. Vinder doesn't do things that'll cause him to lose, but he also doesn't do things that only benefit himself. And you could say he's helped us out before... right?"

"There's also the fact that I see potential in Natalie-san's jam. ...But Vinder-kun's actions have too great an impact when he makes a move. Vinder-kun is getting involved with beans. Unfortunately, I can't imagine having the option of not being involved. Thanks to that, the stress is incredible, though."

Rilka and Sherry gave their opinions, each with an extra comment. Vinaldira stared intently at their faces. The two of them calmly met her gaze. Vinaldira bit her lip once.

"...I understand. But I won't let my guard down."

"Yeah, of course. That's fine."

Just as my position differs from hers, her position differs from mine. That's how it should be.

Still, this stings a little. In my case, before all this talk of effort and results, I have the cheat of modern knowledge.

"Setting aside Vinder's brutally honest talk. Tasting it again, hmmm. Sherry, you don't dislike it, right?"

"Right, I was a bit surprised that the bean flavor and sweetness go well together."

"Hmm. I want to trust Sherry when it comes to vegetables, but..."

Now that we had an agreement, we once again sampled what could be called anko toast.

"I also want to believe in the potential of beans, so take my opinion with a grain of salt."

The result of the second tasting was the same. I started to wonder why they couldn't understand. Anko is a taste Japan can be proud of. Well, then again, tasting it now, it does clash with the complex flavors of the bread, and it's not sweet enough.

I see, Plural's words were an accurate assessment. Unlike Japanese white bread, this black bread has a strong sourness and a rougher flavor profile. Unless you're captivated by the anko itself, like I am, you might find that bothersome.

"Alright, can you prepare 'that' for me?"

I asked Sherry.

◇◇

A white bread baked with the highest-grade flour was prepared on the table. It was the same quality as the one used for the "Matsu" dish at the exhibition. And of course, there was butter from Rilka's family shop, which deals in dairy products.

I toasted the bread and spread it with butter. Then, I spread the anko on top. The Nagoya specialty, Ogura Toast, was complete. Along with Rilka and Sherry, Natalie also took a hesitant bite.

"See? When the bread has a simpler flavor, it goes well with the anko, doesn't it?"

I said. In truth, a blander base like dango would be better, but this was delicious enough.

"Yes. It's certainly completely different from ordinary bread. Such fine bread... I couldn't afford it even in the past."

Natalie said.

"..."

Vinaldira was stuffing her cheeks, a frustrated look on her face.

"It's certainly much easier to eat now. I see, the flavor is unusual, different from fruit. But, sorry to say, with this bread, it's better with just butter. It would be amazing with strawberry jam, or honey, or even made into French toast."

"Rilka, you're getting off track. But it's definitely very different from before."

Just as I thought, a better base makes the charm of anko easier to understand. Though if I'm being greedy, I'd still want dango. No, it's precisely because the base improved that a new problem has emerged.

"Um—"

Knock, knock.

Just as I was about to point out the next problem, there was a knock on the door.

"Let's take a short break."

Sherry received a tea set from a maid and arranged it before us.

"The Belmini family's prized herb tea, I see."

"Oh, you handle tea as well?"

"Not fermented teas like black tea, but herbs are vegetables, so yes."

I see, so that's the classification. In that case... No, I don't have the leeway to get involved with something even riskier than anko. And pairing it with bread would be difficult.

"So, Vinder, lover of anko, what's your plan?"

Rilka asked as she set down her cup.

"Ah, the biggest problem is the anko itself."

"Hey, are you making fun of Natalie?"

"No, that's not it. I mean it's not for beginners, Vinaldira-san."

"What do you mean?"

"What did you think when you first ate the anko?"

"...W, well, at that time, it wasn't as... um..."

"Hee hee. Didn't you say you never wanted to eat something so weird again?"

What Natalie made was coarse bean paste. Coarse paste is fine as a filling for monaka, and it's irresistible to people who like the stronger remaining bean flavor. But the bar is high for beginners. Children prefer the smooth paste. This is even more true when there's a culture gap.

"It also lacks the sweetness to appeal to the general public."

The other thing is sweetness. At first, nostalgia won out, but after eating it several times, it's clear it lacks the sweetness of modern Japanese versions. And that's even more apparent on flavorful bread, which is richer than dango, even if it is high quality. This too means Plural's assessment was correct.

"The sugar in this, it's the ordinary kind, right?"

"Y, yes. There's the cost, but adding any more than this..."

The sugar here is brown sugar. In other words, an unrefined sugar made simply by boiling down and neutralizing sugarcane juice. Even on modern Earth where white sugar is overwhelmingly dominant, brown sugar's distinct flavor is still used in wagashi. I don't dislike it either. But in this case, it clashes with the delicate taste of the anko.

"First, we need to improve the sugar."

"Huh? Sugar is sugar, isn't it?"

It would be easy if I could just buy white sugar, but it doesn't exist here. If you don't have it, you have to make it. In short, I just need to separate the sugar itself from the impurities. The problem is how to refine sugar with the technology available here.

Right, since we're talking about wagashi, I have no choice but to reference 'that'. Season-wise, it's perfect.

"It's going to be a pretty tough job, are you okay with that?"

"If it's to make the anko delicious, I'll do my best."

"There's something I'd like your help with too, Vinaldira-san. It's your specialty, after all."

I asked the glaring Vinaldira to procure several products for me.

In the end, improving the quality of the anko is the surest path to success. If I can just do that, it should be accepted in this world too. The taste of Japan should be effective worldwide. No, internationally. No, inter-universally. Absolutely.

◇◇

"By the way, about the trade with the Empire, it looks like things have started moving in earnest."

Rilka said, pulling her lips from her refilled cup of herb tea. Thanks to our plan being decided, the atmosphere had loosened up considerably.

"So it seems. I got a message from Jean-senpai that the lumber is finally arriving. Just one piece, though."

"Lumber? What's a honey merchant going to use that for?"

"Ah, it's for another job. ...I'll have to consult with the Director, too."

"You're not trying to dodge the question, are you?"

"Vinder is also close with the Great Sage Fulsy-sama. Haven't you heard the story about how he and his secretary, Mia, helped the Sage with his Monster Flood predictions?"

Rilka said. Natalie, who had been taking small sips of her tea, lowered her cup in surprise, and Vinaldira's face clouded with confusion.

"I thought that was just a rumor... What in the world is your main line of work?"

"Honestly, I just want to focus on business. So what I'm doing right now is my main job."

I said. This is much better than, say, accompanying the Knight Order on a dragon hunt.

"...What about the improved carriages? We're even getting inquiries through our connections, asking if they can get their hands on one soon."

Sherry said something unnecessary, causing Vinaldira's face to twitch even more.

"Um, Belmini-san. In that case, I have a small favor to ask. It might depend on that."

Since it's come to this, I might as well ask about that other thing I just thought of.

"...I shouldn't have said anything."

"You get a little bold on your home turf, don't you, Sherry?"

Rilka rubbed the back of Sherry, who had her head down.

"No, it's not that strange of a request."

I picked up my cup and wet my throat. I just hope that thing exists in this world, too.