A New Project
The peak of summer had gradually begun to settle down.
The angle of the sunlight changed, and a faint coolness had started to mix into the morning and evening breeze.
Late summer.
The private room inside the company office.
Maryne was fluffing Firuru while gazing out at the sky beyond the window.
The sunlight had begun to soften.
“Meow.”
“Firuru... autumn will be here soon.”
Fluff fluff. Fluff fluff.
Burying her face into the soft brown fur, Maryne sank into thought.
Inside her mind, her next idea had quietly begun to take shape.
(Now then... what kind of business should I start next?)
Macarons.
Pudding.
Skincare cosmetics.
Her ventures were growing one after another.
However...
(Selling products is important, but building connections and gathering information from many different sources matters too. I’d like to think of a new business while taking those things into consideration as well.)
Her thoughts continued to turn.
Lately, Maryne had been feeling something.
Every time she attended another dinner gathering, her network among nobles and merchants definitely expanded.
But such meals were usually one-on-one, or at most with only a handful of people.
Wasn’t there some kind of place where far more people could gather together and exchange knowledge and culture?
(In other words, something like high society gatherings. But if I were to host those...)
High society gatherings cost absurd amounts of money.
Venue fees.
Decorations and food.
Arranging entertainment.
Every single aspect required an enormous budget.
Even the Maryne Company couldn’t afford to prepare expenses like that on a regular basis.
(I want a place where people can gather more casually and at a lower cost.)
And then suddenly, inspiration struck her.
(Of course! A salon!!)
A salon.
A gathering where people discussed economics, politics, culture, and the arts.
Not as extravagant as high society parties, yet still a proper place for intellectual exchange.
In her previous life, it had been a flourishing culture in eighteenth-century Europe.
Noblewomen would invite intellectuals and cultural figures to their estates, where they would freely debate ideas and appreciate art together.
That had been what salons were in her previous world.
(This world doesn’t have salon culture yet, after all.)
Which was precisely why it had value.
(I’m certain there’s demand for it. The upper classes possess curiosity toward knowledge and culture. If a place exists that can satisfy that curiosity, it’s bound to become highly valued.)
Maryne lifted her face from Firuru’s fur.
Her eyes were sparkling.
“Firuru. We’re starting something new again!”
“Meow.”
Firuru let out a yawn, then curled into a ball.
Maryne immediately decided to begin preparations for hosting a salon.
What do you think about this chapter?
