Volume 13 Chapter 235 Fuji Department Store-aneki, The War Begins
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It was such a peaceful day.
”Hm…”
What’s that?
It’s so loud outside.
I sit up in bed and throw on my fluffy cardigan over my pajamas.
What’s going on this late at night?
I bet it’s one of them──Aqua-sama, Emily-sama, Kaede-sama, or Yukari-sama──up to something.
After all, if something’s happening here in the Shirogane Kingdom, it’s likely one of those 4 is involved.
I step out of my room and head towards where it seems people are gathered.
”Still not used to the idea that I’m here…”
The posh hallway, my elegant room, even this employee-only mansion──it all feels like I’m living in a high-end low-rise residence in Matsuo.
Originally working as a foreign buyer at the Shinjuku and main stores of Fuji Department Store, I now live and work in the Shirogane Kingdom as one of the ladies-in-waiting for Aqua-sama.
”This is serious! Very serious!”
”I need to wake everyone up, quick!”
It seems something really is happening.
And everyone’s faces… it’s not their usual playful selves with Aqua-sama.
Just as I’m about to join their conversation, an unfamiliar sound pierces my ears.
”What is this!?”
”An air raid siren!?”
The employee-only mansion in the Shirogane Kingdom suddenly falls into a panic.
Could it be that some country is declaring war on us!?
No, with Prime Minister Habu and Aqua-sama both here, there can’t be some fool reckless enough to pull a stunt like that.
As we’re all in a fluster in the lobby, a woman in a special maid outfit appears.
Everyone in the lobby tenses up at the sight of her.
That maid outfit is a clear sign of her close proximity to Aqua-sama.
”Kanon-sama’s contractions have started. Please follow the instructions in Emergency Manual 5, section 3. I repeat. Kanon-sama’s contractions have started. Follow the emergency manual procedures…”
Oh no, this is bad~!
I want to tell everyone on the bulletin board… but I can’t!!
The special maid’s words make everyone gasp in shock, yet each one calmly starts taking action.
All the staff gathered here are such brilliant women.
Everyone except me, that is.
I make a show of looking like I’m on top of things, misleading the scene, and quickly return to my room to change clothes.
After that, I shove into my mouth the ultra-thick domestic banana, similar to Aqua-sama’s famous one, which Hagetoru recommended on the bulletin board.
Munch, munch… who knows when I’ll be able to eat a proper meal again.
Gotta keep up my nutrition so I don’t collapse during work, after all.
Once I finish the banana, my phone rings.
Ah, it’s my boss from the main office.
”Hello?”
”Sorry to call so late. As you know, Kanon-sama’s contractions have started. Therefore, our Fuji Department Store will initiate the birthday plan in preparation for the upcoming grand commemorative sale. Make sure you’re ready to head over as support staff if we call a scramble from the Shinjuku or main store.”
”Understood,” I reply to my boss’s words.
Since the day Shumi──Kanon-sama’s pregnancy was revealed, we at Fuji Department Store have been secretly preparing for this X-day.
I see, so it’s finally starting.
Our battle is…!
With renewed determination, I leave my room and head towards the Fuji Department Store Shirogane Kingdom branch.
When I arrive at the branch, despite the late hour, my team, all dressed to the 9s, is neatly lined up and ready.
”As you all already know, Kanon-sama’s contractions began a few hours ago. We’re predicting the birth around 4 to 5 AM. Do you all understand what this means?”
I scan the faces of my assembled subordinates.
It seems that in this room filled with the top elites of Fuji Department Store, there’s not a single employee who doesn’t grasp the meaning of my words.
”Just hours after Kanon-sama gives birth, our Fuji Department Store will be launching the world’s fastest commemorative sale starting this morning. Several staff members, including myself, have been chosen to be sent as helpers to the understaffed store. I’ll be calling out names one by one, so please step forward.”
To be honest, we all want to stay here.
If we stay, we’re bound to hear all about Aqua-sama, Kanon-sama, and the newborn from the ladies of the Shirogane Kingdom who’ll come to celebrate the birth.
That’s why I, who should be staying as the superior, volunteered to be dispatched to another store first.
To do the jobs no one else wants, to take one for the team.
That’s the kind of example a young supervisor should set.
I bow my head to the staff whose names I’ve called.
”I’m sorry, everyone. I really wanted you all to stay…”
”Don’t worry about it, Chief!”
”Chief! If you think you can feel the excitement of the commemorative sale, then this is worth it!”
”That’s right! Let’s skillfully manage those lines of customers with lewd looks on their faces waiting for the sale!!”
Thank you, everyone.
I’m a little moved to tears by my subordinates’ kind words.
And… I’m sorry.
Your boss… I’m the one with that lewd look, soaked into that notice board…
Yeah, the pervy one.
”Now, for those staying here until the birth, please stay alert and respond accordingly. Those of us being dispatched, including myself, will rest in the temporary dorms. Everyone, get some sleep while you can.”
I enter the dorm and fall asleep, wearing Aqua-sama’s eyemask.
Several hours later, I’m woken up by an announcement over the speakers.
”Kanon-sama has given birth! Kanon-sama has given birth! The children are healthy twin boys and girls!! Both mother and children are well! Also, the Kanto Aqua Lovers won against the Kansai Aqua Challengers with a score of 14-10! Aqua-sama led to victory with a grand slam in the bottom of the 9th!!”
Huh?
The Kanto Aqua Daiskies (Lovers)?
The Kansai Aqua IteMaez (Challengers)?
A grand slam by Aqua-sama!?
Huh?
Why are they playing baseball at a time like this!?
Ah… this must be a dream…
I crawl back into bed, trying to sleep again.
But then, I’m shaken awake by my subordinates, who tell me this is no dream──it’s reality.
”I’m counting on you all to hold down the fort!”
”””””YES, MA’AM!!!”””””
I head to the Shinjuku store.
Unlike the main store, the Shinjuku store is packed with young people──it’s a true battlefield for the seasoned billboard warriors.
When I arrive at the Shinjuku store, I find people with Hagetoru-like determination already lined up outside.
Quick thinking!
These folks, without even seeing a flyer, guessed from the moment Aqua-sama was added to the father’s list that there would be a sale here. They must have taken time off work to loiter around the area.
I’m faced with the harsh truth that the veterans who’ve survived past Aqua-sama events are not to be underestimated.
Indeed, coming here was the right choice.
I walk past them, heading towards the staff-only entrance.
”That clerk… I’m pretty sure they’re not from the Fuji Department Store branch, right?”
”Yeah, they’ve got that same sketchy look as us. That guy must really love her stuff.”
”When you’re at our level, you can tell someone’s billboard power just by looking at their face.”
”True. By the way, Shumi’s billboard power is only a 5.”
”Why? That guy’s no amateur, she’s a billboard elite!”
Why can they tell I’m from the Fuji Department Store branch?
Ugh!
Inside the Shinjuku store, I help prepare each floor for the start of the commemorative sale.
Oh, I want one of these commemorative bentos…
I gaze at the contents written on the POP.
………………………………………………………………
[Commemorative Bento]
・Inside are menus thought up by Aqua-sama and Kanon-sama’s friends.
・Rice with bamboo shoots using the rice harvested from Tenga-senpai’s family farm.
・Sweet rolled omelette with Mayuzumi Shintaro’s family’s direct transmission Mayuzumi-style sweet sauce.
・Salt-grilled sea bream so delicious even cats would jump for it, by Nekoyama Toa.
・Yukishiro Emily’s tempura sampler──complete with that mysterious wild-green tempura on the side.
・Morikawa Kaede’s kinpira, topped with freshly-shaved bonito flakes she actually caught herself.
・Kirika Kotono’s mom’s legendary simmered veggie medley──home-cooked, straight from her family’s kitchen.
・Tsukimachi Ayana’s crescent-cut pickled radish, handmade just for the moon-viewing festival.
・Kohina Yukari’s signature Kyoto kusa mochi, wrapped in oak leaves──family secret of the Kujou clan.
………………………………………………………………
Okay, seriously──how could this *not* be amazing?
Huh?
Wait, they’ve already set aside separate lunchboxes for the staff?!
Yes! Score!
I silently thank HQ for actually looking out for us this time.
’Fifteen minutes till opening. Some staff, please gather at your assigned locations.’
It’s really happening.
I check my appearance──everything in place──then clip on the platinum nametag, the one only the very best in Fuji Department Store get to wear.
”Alright──let’s do this!”
Fired up, I hurry down to the first floor, join the morning huddle, then head to the entrance to unlock the doors.
Whoa.
That’s… incredible.
The giant birthday banner’s already hanging up out front.
”Thank you all for waiting! Fuji Department Store Shinjuku is officially OPEN! Our team will guide the line inside──so please, take it slow. And remember, there are only 2 exits: the west side taxi stand and the east bus stop! You cannot leave from the south entrance! Please keep that in mind when you’re on your way out!”
A huge cheer erupts from the crowd outside.
As the clock hits opening time, I swing open the doors and lock them in place.
The bulletin board regulars move in, flyers clutched tight, marching in slow, determined waves.
Unreal.
In just the past few days, everyone’s circled what they want with red pen──marked up their flyers, laser-focused.
They look like gentle souls, coming to the racetrack or boat races just to lose every time on purpose.
”Excuse me! Where can I find this in the cosmetics section?!”
”I’d be happy to show you.”
With brisk, elegant movements──just the right blend of speed and grace──I guide the customer to that perfect spot in the cosmetics department.
”This is a set of room fragrances, each crafted to evoke Shirogane Aqua, Kanon-sama, and their children.”
The key point?
It’s not perfume──these are room scents, meant for use at home.
For people who don’t usually wear perfume, too.
One of my team and the perfumer spent ages hashing this out, just to get it right.
………………………………………………………………
[Room Fragrance Set]
・Dyed in silver white/Shirogane ni somaru
Made to capture the scent of being wrapped up in Aqua-sama’s arms, with a little help from the wives’ opinions.
Smoky, salty ambergris, warm sweet musk, and bright English pear──the result?
A fragrance with that undeniable masculine edge.
・Princess has a sword/Purinsesu ni ken wo
Inspired by Kanon-sama’s love for Heaven’s Sword, this fragrance is all Kanon-sama: elegant rose, vivid lily, and sweet patchouli at its base.
But don’t let your guard down──there’s a sharp spicy bite, like a sword at your throat, waiting underneath.
・Son of the sun/Taiyou no musuko
This one’s for the twin boys of Aqua-sama and Kanon-sama.
The scent?
Fresh, woody──like a bright, unstoppable future made real.
・Daughter of Promised Victory/Yakusoku sareta shouri no musume
A scent for their twin girls: gentle, soft soap bubbles──just the kind everyone wants to scoop up and adore.
………………………………………………………………
Hold on, just a second!!
This is the first time I actually looked at these product names──hey, stop trying to drag Kanon-sama’s daughter into the gossip sinkhole before she even has a chance!!
Enough already.
You’re just getting carried away ’cause you’re happy… overdoing it, I bet….
”Hehehe, when Shumi’s daughter joins the next Verification Team, they’ll be dealing with this room fragrance I played with!”
Hm?
Lady, did you just say something?
I’m supposed to scan the shopping card I handed you at the entrance and give you a paper bag filled with your already wrapped items.
It’d take forever to ring each item up one by one, so for this sale, we’ve set up a system where we give you the items first, then you take your shopping card to a special counter to check out.
After you pay, you get a permit to exit, which you scan at the staffed exit to leave the store.
”Excuse me, where is the lingerie department?”
”Concierge-san, was the baby goods department on this floor?”
”Oh, um… where can I find the Kanon-sama and Aqua-sama select clothing that was advertised on the flyer?”
”Is the toy department on the floor above?”
Spotting the overwhelmed new hire surrounded by customers, I smile and gently guide each one with care.
If I were still a rookie back then, I’d probably be panicking by now.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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