āā¦ah, sorry, please sit downā (the commandant)
The commandant who finally noticed that weāre still standing said so and suggested us to sit on the reception seats.
And he also got up from his office chair and moved to the reception seat.
As expected, we canāt sit down before the commandant does, so we have to waitā¦
Soldier-kun, too, seemed to have received adequate education even though he is at the bottom of the rank, and he responded adequately.
Well, in the military world, it is said that when getting in a passenger car, the higher-up comes first, and when getting on a bus, boat, or elevator, the higher-up comes afterā¦ my Oniichan said that.
Then, taking up his offer, I unreservedly proceed to sit following the commandantā¦ Soldier-kun, too, quickly sit down!
āā¦well?ā (the commandant)
āYes, I asked everyone who was accustomed to drinking expensive alcohol to sample. If the result shows that itās going to be popular, I was thinking of selling it hereā (Mitsuha)
āSelling it? ā¦ah, before that, stop with that way of talking. Somehow itās unpleasantā (the commandant)
Urusai wa!
Well, itās not that my way of speaking is strange, itās just that the honorifics that Iāve attached may not come out right since we used to speak casually at the bar. It would be unpleasant if a good friend suddenly spoke in honorifics one day. Itās the same as that, maybe.
āā¦got it. However, you canāt drag us to a court-martial over improper behavior or rudeness later!ā (Mitsuha)
āWhich tyrant do you take me for!!ā (the commandant)\n
Setting me aside, I would feel guilty if I were to drag Soldier-kun into trouble as well. So I have to make sure about thatā¦
āMy family imports food, alcohol, and many other things from other countries. That liquor is one of them, and I wanted to see people who were used to drink liquor of that level to taste it. And it doesnāt help anything by just listening to compliments and words, so I observed how everyoneās reaction.
And then, we decided to import it because it seemed to be well receivedā¦ but it was very popular even in the country of origin, so it was hard to obtain, and it was only affordable at a high price. So, thereās only so much amount that can be importedā¦
Well, there are some from other makers that have almost the same quality, so if youāre good with a similar one, itāll be convenientā¦ itās roughly comparable to that oneā (Mitsuha)
Right, the 12 y/o single malt from Hakushu I brought that time is out of production.
Well, thereās no way the 12 y/o product would be [rapidly mass-produced due to favorable reception], after allā¦ Even if they were to prepare a lot now, it wouldnāt make sense if the popularity subsidedĀ 12 years later.
Of course, I still could get some if I searched on the internet and pay tens of thousands yen for it, but thereās no need to do that far.
Indeed, I think even if I get it at a super high price, I still can sell it to nobles, riches, or military officials at several times the price I paid.
But I donāt want to do that far, and I would feel bad towards all sake enthusiasts on Earth. So the other products from the same maker or the equivalent products from the other makers should do just fine.
āPlease do!ā (the commandant)
Immediate answer!? And I feel like I heard [kukukuā¦] from the foul face of hisā¦
Aaah, heās not only thinking to drink and enjoy it himself but also brags about it to others, absolutelyā¦
Most senior officers in this country are nobles, so no matter how expensive they are, the price wouldnāt be a problem. The problem is to get what others canāt get, no matter how much money they haveā¦
However, Japanese sake is already in circulation among the nobles and wealthy people of the royal capitalā¦\nWell, the number is still few, and indeed, the ones that equivalent to the Hakushu 12 y/o hasnāt been sold yet.
And, for this commandant, Iām just [a daughter of a naval favored noble family that he met at his favorite bar] and [a female friend of a young soldier who is working in the fleet]. Still, if the liquor I prepared were to spread through this person, it will be exposed sooner or laterā¦ the fact that I am the [Viscount Mitsuha von Yamano], who is now famous in the royal capital, I meanā¦
Be it noble or military officialāif theyāve been working in this town of naval port and never got the chance to go to the royal capital, and that they havenāt attended a noble party, of course, they wonāt get the opportunity to know me. And of course, about the alcohol that weāre handling, too.
But if theyāve attended a party Iāve been to, or if theyāve drunk the alcohol the Rephilia Trade handlesā¦
If they just drank the alcohol, then they would just think [Ah, itās the Rephilia Tradeās liquor], but I just said [weāre importing] earlierā¦ then they would deduce that I am either of the Rephilia Trade or the Yamano Viscounty. And if anyone who knows that far hears the name [Mitsuha], then they would realize that I am the Viscount Yamano herself.
But itās not like I need to hide that fact, so I donāt mind. If I wanted to hide it, I wouldāve been using an alias from the beginning.
As long as thereās no contradiction about my actions in terms of the number of days it takes to move between the royal capital and this city, thereās no problem. I didnāt really show up in public anyway. ā¦since I usually live in Japan or the Old Continent.
And even if thereās a contradiction, I donāt think anyone would bother to look up the number of days Iām staying and compare them. Thereās no point in doing that after all.
Well, thatās that. But Soldier-kun has been in figurine state without even saying anything since we entered this room.
Well, it canāt be helped. I was the one who was called this time because there was a request, and Soldier-kun is just a sailor, so itās not weird if he has nothing to talk to the commandant. Heās just tagging along to accompany me. He just came as a bonus, so to speak.
But I would hate it if our relationship becomes awkward after this, now that he learned that I was in a position to talk with the commandantā¦
āAnd that knife, can I get another?ā (the commandant)
Yes yes. Just like Theodore-sama said, all men like knives. My Oniichan also said that, thoughā¦
But I guess it would be boring if itās just a similar folding knife. Letās hear if he has a request thenā¦\n\nOf course, thereās no way we can make a profit just by selling such a thing as a container.
So I used it as a container for salt or spices.
Ā I buy what the territory folks made, and put liquid, powder, and pasty products from the Earth in them and sell as a whole. The people of the New Continent who bought it are free to reuse it as a container or throw it away after they used up the content.
ā¦so, what Iām trying to say is that itās all good if the people of the New Continent who saw those containers thought that our civilization level isnāt that much different from theirs.
We have spices, delicious foods, and jewelry, but from their point of view, weāre just a country that doesnāt seem to have that advanced civilization.
Yeah, itās a [good country] that they donāt have to be vigilant at all. Umu-umu.
And so, after confirming the budget for the knife and the alcohol, how many he wants within that budget, what type he wants, whether he wants stronger or weaker alcohol, whether he wants whiskey or brandy, etc.ā¦ we finally left his officeā¦
By the way, Soldier-kunās attitude towards me hasnāt changed at all since then.
Apparently, he seemed to think that I was a daughter of a wealthy house, and from my facial features, he thought that we were an immigrant house from the beginning.
So itās no wonder that I have relatives in other countries, and itās quite possible my parents are traders because of that connection. He said that it was within the range of his assumption.
Well, since Iāve been acting as a rich girl since the beginning, itās not strange if he thinks so.
But it was wonderful of him that he doesnāt let me pay for him or try to use me even though he thinks Iām rich. As expected, a gentleman of the Vanel Kingdom!
Thereās no way he has an ulterior motive or something like that, of course.