Chapter 116 \n<h1>Mitsuha 116 â Patron</h1>\n
âWell, letâs settle down firstâŠâ(Mitsuha)
As I attempted to put an end to their quarrel, they realized that they had shown a vulgar dispute unbefitting of an artist in front of their patron candidate, both of them became stiff.
Indeed, âGiving dreams to patronâ is part of the work of the artists who received their assistance. To give such an ugly show like that, naturally theyâll losing image. Of course, they shouldâve understood that themselves. Thatâs why they went stiff.
 â⊠Just kidding! Hahaha, letâs stop joking and start the discussion with the Viscount properly, shall we?â (Lortor)
âT, Tha, Thatâs right~! Letâs stop our usual play with this muchâŠ.â (Timid Woman)
Ah~, itâs so obvious itâs a messâŠ
â⊠and that is the case. By all means, please bestow us your patronage⊠â (Lortor)
âPlease bestow us your patronageâŠâ (Timid Woman)
So, they have arrived at a common front.
Well, I have no problem with itâŠ
They only had their works placed in the same store, so they seem to know each other and became rivals. Both of them couldnât afford living with only sculpting and had a painful underlaying life due to side jobs.
Someday, find a patron and sell your name.
After a long time of dreaming and wishing for that day to come, one day they received the news came from the art shop owner.
[A noble woman bought everything they had in the store, she said she really liked it]\n
[The noble woman was that Prince Shrine Maiden of Thunder]
(Super ultra-famous person has come!!! Himemiko-samaâs Purveyor, Himemiko-samaâs Favorite, the ultimate golden attraction!!)
(Note: Idk why but author wrote this in brackets, just think of It as the artists delusions)
After that, it seems that he came here in full dash.
And somehow, while he talks about me become his patron as if itâs the most natural thing, his rival made her appearance. Far from natural, it is as if he received a fast-straight ball in the gut and become upset thinking that his patron candidate was about to get stolen from him. It seems they are usually gentle mannered. Both of them.
Well, no matter how gentle you were, if your life is at stake, would you able to keep your temper? Itâs like the slang [Itâs at the level that even Gandhi would hit someone]
(Note: âGandhi mo josou tsukete naguri kakaru reberuâ, I did some searching, seems like itâs a net slang, not even a proverb lol)
But, u~n, patrons are meant to provide financial support to a specific person. Once you decide to give support, itâs considerably hard to stop. If the patron suddenly stopped helping after the artist become professional, they will not be able to maintain living. Also, if I were become their patron, the others wonât be able to become their patron anymore. It would take the form of handing out the side of the artists I handed in from the side.
And Iâm not liked their work that much. I just thought that they were giving a very nice vibe as a âpromising newbieâs workâ.
In this situation, Iâll have to be honestâŠ
â⊠Iâm sorryâ (Mitsuha)
â âWhaaaat?!â â (Lortor & Timid Woman)
No, Iâm sorry.\nâPl, please do something about it!â (Timid Woman)
âEven a little support is fine! I beg you, himemiko-samaâs support!â (Lortor)
Lortor and Tiras, the woman who came later, begged.
Un, their initial intention towards me were âOne of the noble patron candidatesâ, but the real intention was âThe value of Princess Shrine Maidenâs nameâ. Even if the smallest form of support from the Princess Shrine Maiden will have a great impact. And it is likely that noble and rich people will get to know them as a steppingstone to made contact with me.
⊠It was a great insight.
Un, that is, I hate that kind of thing.
âRejected. If I were to give you support, itâs not just about giving you money, people who targeting me will also come after all. Also, would you really happy to sell your creations under my name, not by your own ability? Not as someone who have a hard time living, but as an artistâ (Mitsuha)
â ââŠ..â â (Lortor & Tiras)
Ah, they went silent. And their expression went darkâŠ
âAno, although I wonât giving you support, I have some request for both of youâŠâ (Mitsuha)
â âEh?â â (Lortor & Tiras)\n\nHearing that, their expression shining brightly.
Yeah well, even if I donât become their patrons, that alone will have a pretty good advertising effect.
The order was reversed, but originally, I wouldnât care if I donât get the creatorâs consent. Thereâs no need for the merchant to ask the creatorâs consent every time theyâre doing business. But if they were happy with this, it would be best.
Alright, with this, I can start selling anytime! After that I can open a small art store in the country where I got the fake identity. Itâll be a small shop that doubles as a coffee shop and sells the art pieces at a price close to the purchase price. The store maintenance costs should be enough covered by the profit from the coffee shop. And I donât even have to pay tax because of the tax exemption I got from preferential treatment from my agreement with the country.
It is flexible because itâs a small country, it sure is convenient.
Of course, I wonât manage the shop myself. Iâll throw the responsibility to the manager I hire.
Art Gallery with attached cafĂ©, what a marvelous idea. A gallery cafĂ© surrounded with art works huh. I think itâs a good Idea to put various thing other than sculpture. As a girl owner there, sometimes Iâll pretend to be an ordinary customer and enjoy the art works while drinking coffee of tea.
In the unlikely event, I might just cut the deficit gallery and make profit as a normal café.
More than that, I can think of it as a shelter when I need to hide. Not a secret base in a remote place, but a [normal place].
Somehow, Iâm getting excitedâŠ
The two young Sculptors finally left [General Store Mitsuha].
I couldnât sign the patron contract for them, but their works were sold out this time, and from now onwards theyâll have a bright sales prospect. In addition, theyâll be able to use super powerful sales attraction such as [Liked by Himemiko-sama] and [They were popular in Himemiko-samaâs homeland]. Compared to yesterday, now they have bright future.
There are a number of people who believe in their talent, continue their efforts and seize opportunities despite being in poverty. However, there are hundreds or thousands times more of those who have been defeated by poverty and giving up their efforts.
The two sculptors stopped after a few steps outside the Viscount Yamano Mansion, and shook each other hands firmly, with a wide smile on their faces.