I Have Something to Tell You
When Father saw Rosa dragging me along, he said,
“Hardt, what have you done now?”
Since I didn’t speak, Rosa explained about the dorayaki festival in Savai Village.
“Have you learned nothing from the exhibition?”
“Well, I was overwhelmed by their enthusiasm and just nodded along.”
“Why didn’t you report it?”
“I didn’t think it would become a big deal, just a small village festival…”
“Has there ever been a time your actions didn’t become a big deal? Learn already.”
Father sighed, but since I had already promised, he said it couldn’t be helped. He told me to start thinking and preparing now, rather than panicking in early spring.
“Father, the expectations from the villagers for the new town are really high, but I want to avoid the kind of crowds we had at the exhibition.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“Since the sweets we’ve developed are getting attention, how about making them available in the capital and Eminira?”
Father sighed. “Which sweets are you thinking of selling?”
“Dorayaki and ice cream, I think.”
My idea was to have ice cream shops in summer and autumn, and dorayaki shops in winter and spring.
“The exhibition in the capital was themed around ice cream, after all.”
So it wouldn’t be strange to have ice cream shops in the capital.
“Hardt, in that case, don’t you need magic tools to produce more?”
Ah, right. Right now, everything is done by the chefs manually.
We’ll need large magic tools for factory use to achieve mass production.
“I understand. I’ll work with the chefs to plan the magic tools.”
I was also told to consider increasing production of red and white beans.
“Do I arrange it myself?”
“If you don’t do it, who will?”
“Father, maybe you?”
“Fool, the person who proposed it should do it themselves.”
Lately, nobody seems willing to help.
When I looked at Rosa, she turned her face away.
I confirmed with the chefs what we’d need and discussed it.
They said it would be best to create factories for ice cream, bean paste, and dough to standardize quality.
If the shops only handle sales, the risk to employees is lower, the shop can be smaller, and fewer staff are needed.
We’re short on people who can manage operations, so staff numbers should be kept low.
It also simplifies quality control, and larger magic tools would allow prices to be set lower.
They explained that many magic tools could be shared between the two sweets.
For example, a large pot used to heat milk and dissolve sugar for ice cream can also boil red and white beans and mix them with sugar. A machine for mixing ice cream at cold temperatures can also be used to make dorayaki dough or waffle cones for ice cream.
We’d also need larger fruit-pressing machines, a dorayaki baking machine, and a machine to mass-produce ice cream waffle cones.
While I was thinking,
“We also need mass production of milk, sugar, and wheat.”
To prevent wheat price increases, we need large-scale production.
Rice, wheat, petit barley, red beans, white beans… can we increase production of all of them?
Milk is being handled by the ranchers, but we’ll need them to expand further.
Sugar must be further expanded in Southcourt.
As for grains like wheat, red beans, and white beans, I’ll have to ask the grain merchants.
Suddenly, Raziel came into the administrative office.
“I have something to discuss.”
His expression was terrifying.
I wanted to run, but couldn’t.
“What is it?”
“I heard you want to open several ice cream and dorayaki shops in the capital and Eminira.”
“That’s right. I proposed it to Father to alleviate congestion in the New Town.”
“Who will manage them?”
“The company?”
He slammed the desk.
“Impossible. The company is already busy managing shops in the New Town and handling the new products... they can’t do it.”
This is bad.
He’s furious. More than I’ve ever seen.
“Shall we find staff ourselves?”
“Can you do it?”
“I don’t know, but we have to try, right?”
“Understood. But promise me you will only act after finding staff. Understood?”
His intensity made my spine straighten, and without thinking, I blurted, “Understood.”
What do you think about this chapter?
