Chapter 84 Management Plan and the ✱✱ Plan
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The time came just as the development of our employees’ rear entrances – that is to say, the development of the new analogue line of products – was winding down. I gathered everyone in the living quarters to explain the future plans for the shop’s management.
”And so,” I announced, “I intend to solicit investments.”
”What do you mean, ‘And so’?”
My concise explanation drew a dissatisfied murmur from Satsuki, the Royal Court Mage. The other members were all quietly waiting for an explanation, wearing expressions that suggested, ‘Well, if Kento (or Sir, or Master) says so…’ But Satsuki, ever the conscientious one, seemed compelled to fulfil her duty as the tsukkomi¹ of the group.
”Indeed. You all understand that the shop’s finances suffered considerable damage during the incident concerning the halt of ‘Tremble-Ddo-Buddy’ sales, do you not?”
”Eh? Is, is that so…?”
Good-natured Satsuki showed a look of concern, worried by the report of the shop’s situation from a little while ago. Yet, that had been before the resumption of sales. It was no longer a situation that warranted such worry.
”Well, it wasn’t enough to bankrupt us, mind you. Furthermore, the investment we received for resuming sales and developing the heated magical tools has already compensated for that loss.”
”I, I see. That’s good, but then why do you need new investment now?”
”That is an excellent question. Firstly, money was spent on establishing a mass-production system following the re-release of ‘Tremble-Ddo-Buddy’. To be specific…”
Satsuki nodded along as she listened to my explanation. The initial expenses for the mass-production system were employee wages. Lily, being an experiment subject slave, and Satsuki, whose salary came from the Royal Palace, were exceptions, but Tania and Laika, who were originally adventurers, needed to be paid a corresponding amount.
As for Sister Amelia, we pay her wages in the form of a donation to the Church of Demon-Subjugation. In this regard, the Trantestar Archbishop was a bit more shrewd than Your Majesty. As we were the ones asking the favour, and the sum was not much different from what I had intended to pay the person herself, it was not a problem.
Adding to this were the costs for procuring materials for mass production, ordering multiple taiyaki²-shaped moulds for simultaneous manufacturing, and, above all, the purchase of the adjacent house to serve as storage. When all the income and expenditures were calculated, the shop was slightly in the red.
Moreover, we then had the added costs of developing the heated magical tool and the analogue product line.
”What?! N-No, that’s terrible! I thought we were making a huge profit, seeing how hard everyone worked, but we’re in the red?!”
Satsuki gave precisely the reaction I had expected. As someone who works for the Royal Palace, the management of a street-level magical tool shop seemed to be outside her realm of experience.
”Now, now, calm yourself. On the flip side, we have more staff, more equipment, and new products, so we have a clear path to earning money in the future, which is good. Our standard of living is being maintained at a high level, too. The only problem is that we lack the ready capital.”
”Ah, so that’s why the investment…”
”Exactly.”
Satsuki, with a look of understanding, began to nod again. It was a good thing that she could apply her curiosity and comprehension to matters such as this. It made the conversation worthwhile for me.
No, the others were also listening intently, and I believe they would have asked a similar question had Satsuki not been here. Just as I was thinking this, Lily raised her hand and promptly asked a question.
”So, to whom will you appeal for investment this time? The Tasogare Merchant Guild, with whom we have a long-standing relationship? Your Majesty, who invested previously? Or perhaps the Grizzly Merchant Guild or the Garou Merchant Guild, whom we failed to approach before? Is there a dark horse like the Church of Demon-Subjugation or the Adventurer’s Guild?”
”That, too, is an excellent question, Lily,” I said, putting on a show of self-importance in response to her inquiry. Then, looking around at everyone, I gave my answer in an affected manner.
”The answer is, all of them! Our shop will solicit investments from all related parties with whom we have a connection!”
”Huh?! W-Wait a minute! Investment, in other words, is borrowing money, correct?! What do you intend to do with such a large debt?!”
This was what you call a perfect response. Satsuki returned a good reaction once again. Lily and Tania were deep in thought, processing the information, while Amelia and Laika were looking back and forth between Satsuki and me, unable to decide whose argument was correct.
”Well, if I answer your question directly, the money we need in the future will mostly come from investment. First, there’s the capital for mass-producing the new analogue product line, correct? Then, the funds to continue the production of our existing product line, and also the development costs for even further new products.”
”Even further new products…?! Are you planning to develop something else?!”
”Yes, I have ideas. However, up until now, I have only developed products with a high feasibility of success, so from now on, there will be products whose development might not go well. This is a long-term development plan.”
”I-Is it really all right to challenge the development of such products with borrowed money…?”
”The judgement is that it will be fine. The money required for that side of things is minuscule in the first place, and we can easily repay the debts with the sales of the analogue product line and our existing products. Furthermore, if the ban on the ‘Hot-Hot Ddo Buddy’ is lifted during the development of the new products, a path to an even greater leap forward will open up.”
”I suppose there’s a certain logic to it… But why go out of your way to increase our debt so much…”
Satsuki muttered under her breath, still troubled, with an expression that was half-convinced and half-doubtful. She had no reason to worry about our shop’s affairs, but I was grateful for her concern.
”Master, you haven’t yet explained why you must borrow money from so many different places,” Lily said.
”Ah, you are right. Let’s get straight to the conclusion on this point too. The biggest reason is to avoid making any outcasts.”
”Outcasts…?”
”Indeed. This is an essential strategy for maintaining good relations with all the involved parties in the future. After all, wouldn’t they be displeased if they were the only ones not offered a chance at a profitable deal? Whether they actually invest or not, we must at least approach them with the offer. Otherwise, it could cause trouble in future transactions.”
After hearing the explanation, Satsuki and the others groaned and hummed as they absorbed the information. Only Laika, upon hearing “to avoid making any outcasts,” instantly brightened her face.
She praised my decision, saying, “Being excluded from the pack is painful! Kento’s judgement is correct!” I responded by wiggling my ears at her with all my might, showing her affection. So, that’s the kind of value system the Beast-persons live by. It makes sense that the Beast-person Association is such a tightly knit organisation.
As I continued to playfully interact with Laika, the others gradually changed their expressions to one that suggested, ‘It’s better to be on good terms with everyone, so I suppose it’s fine.’
”Well, in light of all that, I plan to go around to various places starting tomorrow to ask for investment. Is that acceptable to you all?”
I would go on a roadshow, carrying documents for the investment proposal and explanatory materials for the new products. As I showed them the documents and explained the plans, everyone nodded in agreement, indicating their approval.
”Right, then that’s the plan. Oh, Satsuki, could you speak to Your Majesty before I go?”
”Eh, m-me? Me, explaining that… that magical tool to Your Majesty…?”
”I will explain the details, but just tell them that I will be visiting soon and hand over the documents. That should improve Your Majesty’s impression of you, don’t you think?”
”Ah, I see… Thank you. I feel bad that you’re going to this trouble for me.”
”Nonsense. Your help has truly been invaluable, Satsuki. If you hadn’t been here, we couldn’t have started developing the new products this quickly.”
Thinking about it, the same applies to the other members. It would be better to send them on errands so they would be valued at their respective organisations as well.
I decided to send Amelia to the Church of Demon-Subjugation, Laika to the Beast-person Association, and Tania to the Adventurer’s Guild. I would talk to Sera-chan when she visits regarding the Tasogare Merchant Guild.
After finalising those consultations and taking a breather, I looked around at everyone again. In truth, I had one more important matter to discuss today. Perhaps sensing the atmosphere, everyone straightened their posture.
”And now, there’s, ah, one more thing I need to talk about. This is if the investment and the subsequent sales of the new products go well…”
Involuntarily, the back of my neck began to feel hot. I thought there was no need to hide anything or feel embarrassed around the members gathered here now… They, too, wore doubtful expressions at my unusual demeanour. I summoned my courage and spoke the words.
”I am thinking of asking Lily to, well, stop taking the contraceptive medicine…”
As my voice trailed off, everyone stared at me with their mouths agape, then their eyes converged on Lily. Lily, for her part, sealed her lips, looked around at the others, and finally turned back to me…
”Oh, really, there’s no helping you. Things like that should be said when we’re alone!” she said, smiling kindly despite her words, and then she jumped into my arms.
—
Summary:
Kento successfully negotiates a complex, multi-party investment strategy to fund mass production of existing products, launch the new analogue line, and finance long-term, high-risk new product R&D. His strategy is to involve all affiliated groups (merchants, royalty, church, guilds) to maintain good relations and avoid “outcasts.” He sends his staff (Satsuki, Amelia, Laika, Tania) to act as liaisons with their respective organisations to pave the way. He then reveals his personal plan to Lily: asking her to stop taking contraceptives, which she accepts with affection.
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Character Insight:
Kento is revealed to be a surprisingly adept, if unconventional, businessman, prioritising long-term relationship management (“no outcasts”) over purely fiscal efficiency. His anxiety over the final, personal announcement to Lily shows a genuine depth of feeling that contrasts with his usual self-assured business persona, highlighting the emotional commitment developing in the group.
—
Behind the Scene:
The financial struggles mentioned are a direct consequence of the previous plot point where the ‘Tremble-Ddo-Buddy’ was temporarily banned, forcing Kento to pivot and find creative funding solutions. The heavy reliance on external funding for R&D (including the analogue product line) is a classic growth-stage strategy in a business, underscoring Kento’s ambition to rapidly expand beyond a small shop.
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T/L:
¹ tsukkomi↩ – In Japanese comedy (Manzai), the tsukkomi is the straight person who makes witty retorts and points out the absurdities of the boke (funny man).
² taiyaki↩ – A Japanese fish-shaped cake, often filled with sweet red bean paste.
Notes:
• Satsuki – A talented Court Mage who was forced to analyze the shop’s adult magic tools. Miranda’s granddaughter. Now she’s the new worker at Harvest, a development she finds both humiliating and surprisingly fulfilling due to the rapid progress in her research under Kento’s guidance. Has long black hair, palace mage robe, and staff.
• Kento – The owner of the magic tool shop ‘Harvest,’ which discretely sells adult goods. He’s a former overworked, ordinary salaryman from modern Japan who was suddenly transported (isekai’d) to this fantasy world. He has dark hair and an unremarkable appearance, typically wearing a plain, slightly suspicious-looking shop owner’s clothes looks like Kazuma Satou from certain series. He has a minimal amount of magic power, enough to craft his specialty items.
• Laika – The beastwoman dog.
• Tania – An Elf adventurer who, despite her race’s reputation for low sex drive, is secretly quite passionate. She initially seemed ‘wasted’ (emotionally dry) to her friend Raika, but was easily introduced to the pleasure-items sold at ‘Harvest.’ She is easily embarrassed and attempts to maintain a dignified facade, despite her recent, frequent purchases. She wears practical but light armor over a simple cloth tunic and short pants, highlighting her grace and agility. Her primary relationship is one of friendly senior-junior with Raika.
• Lily – the sl*ve and primary experiment subject for the magic shop, ‘Harvest.’ She has striking pink hair, Blue eyes, medium breasts, which the Protagonist associates with being ‘wanton’. She has a working knowledge of magic, which she kept hidden from the slave trader.
• Trantestar – The middle-aged man Archbishop of Canarias and the initiator of the current trial. He is an alleged ally of Kento but remains suspiciously neutral.
• Amelia – The Sister of the Church of Demon-Subjugating, who usually buys from Kento, has light blue hair.
• Sera – A young, earnest salesperson from the Tasogare Merchant Guild, Kento’s supplier. She is characterized by her braided brown hair, large round glasses, and freckles. She’s serious about her job and easily flustered, especially by Kento’s adult goods business. Looks like Onodera from certain series.
• Soi – An old professor from Ajire seminary, the first to raise a question. Looks like wizardly.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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