Chapter 724

At the Mayor Company
After leaving the Bastea Company, Mariel-chan and I headed to the Mayor Company.

Unlike the Bastea Company, which was overflowing with an oriental atmosphere, the Mayor Company had a calm, refined appearance. They carried a wide variety of products and large quantities of stock, yet everything was neatly organized, with easy-to-understand displays that left a strong impression.

They're definitely making full use of knowledge from a previous life, aren't they?

In the stationery section, there were displays that showcased products both standing upright and laid flat, creating a three-dimensional and effective presentation. There was even a testing corner where customers could try writing with the pens.

Men particular about writing comfort and girls squealing as they wrote the names of people they liked were gathered around the area.

Mmm, it looked fun.

"Oh? Ojousama, welcome back. You're home earlier than I expected."

A young male clerk who had noticed Mariel-chan casually called out to her.

"I'm back. It's not early at all. Right on schedule, actually."

"Oh, come on. When you're with Cristea-sama, sometimes you don't come back until after being treated to dinner…"

Then he noticed me peeking out from behind her.

"Ahwahwahwahwah! C-Cristea-sama!?"

Perhaps because he was closer to Mariel-chan's age than the older employees, he'd been speaking quite casually. But the moment he noticed me, his face went pale.

His reaction practically screamed, “I messed up!” I couldn't help smiling wryly as I greeted him.

"Good afternoon. I just stopped by for a bit. Would it be all right if I looked around?"

"H-Huh? Ah, y-yes! Welcome, Cristea-sama! My deepest apologies! Of course! Please ask for anything you need!"

The clerk answered while looking stiff as a board.
Sorry for dropping in without any warning.

"Heh. That's why you can't let your guard down while serving customers, right? Never let your guard down!"

"Ughhh... I'm terribly sorry!"

The clerk apologized resentfully while looking at Mariel-chan, who was grinning broadly.

Ohhh… maybe because he was considered one of her own people, Mariel-chan was conversing with him perfectly normally instead of stumbling over her words.
So her shyness goes away once she gets used to someone.

Come to think of it, she talked normally with Sei these days too.
She still seemed nervous around Byakko-sama and Suzaku-sama, though. Probably because they were Sacred Beasts and far too beautiful to approach casually.

"I'll be looking around with Mariel-san, so it's all right."

"Yep, yep. We'll call if we need anything!"

"... Please enjoy yourselves."

After shooting Mariel-chan a dubious look, the clerk composed himself, straightened his posture, and bowed.

"Mariel-san, you shouldn't bully the staff."

"It's fine, it's fine. They've been getting a little lax lately, so this probably put some spirit back into them. Maybe it'd be good if Cristea-san visited once in a while?"

No thanks. I don't want to visit for that reason.

Apparently word of my arrival spread through the store immediately. The employees stationed here and there skillfully guided other customers away and quietly cleared a path for us to walk through.

Wow, that's kind of amazing.

Though part of it was probably because people were keeping their distance due to how striking Kurogane and Mashiro looked.

"Cristea-sama!"

While Mariel-chan was showing me around the store, Baron Mayor appeared. Apparently he had been informed by the staff.

"Oh my, Baron Mayor. Thank you for having me."

"Ah, yes, umm, welcome. I heard you went to the craftsmen's district with my daughter today."

"Yes, that's right. And I had the delivery destination for the item I ordered changed to your company. I hope that's all right?"

"Of course it is! Shall we have it delivered to your estate? Or to the special dormitory?"

"For now, please send it to the estate. If it seems satisfactory after I've used it, I plan to place additional orders, so I'd like those to go through the Mayor Company as well."

"Understood."

After speaking with Baron Mayor, I checked how well the shortbread corner was selling, offered some advice on flavors for new products, bought several cute sheets of stationery, and then left the Mayor Company.

I invited Mariel-chan to dinner, but perhaps she felt the pressure coming from Baron Mayor. Reluctantly, she declined.

After promising to pick her up when we returned to the academy tomorrow, I headed back to the estate.

What do you think about this chapter?