"I'm opening a chain store!" (Mile)
"Again, out of the blue, what are you talking about..." (Reina)
"Well, it's Mile-chan, after all..." (Pauline)
"Well, it's Mile after all, right..." (Mavis)
At this point, Reina, Pauline, and Mavis were no longer surprised no matter what Mile suddenly said.
"So, you use your superhuman strength to bend iron bars and make chains. You buy short bars of various thicknesses from the blacksmith, and then you bend them with your bare hands in no time, so there's almost no overhead and you make a profit, right? ...Should we also make chainmail?" (Mile)
"Let's do it! Using Mile-chan's storage magic, we can keep a variety of iron bars ready at all times, so we can meet any need, and if we do the work at night, it won't affect our work as hunters. Mile-chan's manual work doesn't produce any noise or smell, so it's fine to do it at an inn or at night!" (Pauline)
Pauline totally agreed.
"What kind of black company is this, where I'm the only one working day and night? It's a 'chain store', not a 'chain shop'!" (Mile)
"...They're the same..." (Mavis)
Mavis also didn't seem to understand the difference between the two.
That couldn't be helped. In this world, even if a large merchant opened a branch, there was no concept of chain stores or franchises.
"A chain store is a management model in which a large, well-funded company opens many standardized stores, you know. They make the store names, signs, and exteriors the same, and they also document the products, services, and other details so that they are all exactly the same. This means that the quality of the products and the service are the same at every store, so you can feel at ease no matter which store you visit, as if it were a familiar store, you know. There's no need to worry about going in and finding the prices too high, the products to be of poor quality, or the staff to be rude." (Mile)
"I see! What's more, it shows how many branches the store has, and emphasizes how well-off they are, right! Moreover, if the products are common, you can negotiate aggressive discounts because you purchase them in bulk, and you can prevent lost sales opportunities by exchanging inventory with other stores. It is also easier to train employees, and you can smoothly dispatch help when you are short-staffed. Mile-chan, that's a great idea! Apart from a few problems..." (Pauline)
Pauline highly praised her.
Well, if it's a story about making money, she usually praised it highly...
"...So, what are these 'few problems'? Well, I can pretty much guess what they are, huh..." (Reina)
Yes, of course, there was no way that Reina would miss Pauline's suggestive words.
And then, Pauline continued speaking after hearing Reina's words.
"First of all, at the beginning of the story, Mile-chan mentioned the phrase 'a large company with ample funds.' ...Crimson Vow does not fit that description, right? It takes a huge amount of money to open many stores. Much more money than I had planned to save in order to start up my own small trading company. And to open many branches, you need a lot of employees. You need capable and trustworthy branch manager candidates who can be trusted to manage each store, and a lot of earnest employees to work under them. I'm glad that Mile-chan decided to help me set up a trading company so quickly, but I think we're taking business a little too lightly. First, you need to build up a track record at the main store and gain the trust of your customers, then gradually expand the scope and scale of your transactions..." (Pauline)
"Wait a minute! Of course, it's up to Mile to help Pauline start up her trading company, and I'm not stingy in cooperating in various ways, such as contributing my share of the party's assets and accepting requests to escort the company's merchandise transport, but... that's after I become an A-rank Hunter! I'm not even B-rank yet, so I'm not going to let Mile be poached away!?" (Reina)
"Me too! Until I reach A-rank and receive an offer to serve as a knight from the royal palace or some other high-ranking noble, I can't let Mile leave!" (Mavis)
And Mavis agreed with that.
This was only natural, as the two of them were aiming for A-rank in order to achieve their goals.
But…….
"Are you worried about Mile-chan being plucked out?" (Pauline)
"Ah……" (Reina + Mavis)
They stepped on the tiger's (Pauline) tail.
Reina and Mavis noticed it, but it was already too late...
"I see... So, you'd be worried about Mile-chan being poached? And the way you say it makes it sound like you wouldn't mind me leaving, right..." (Pauline)
(Crazy!!) (Reina + Mavis)
Reina and Mavis turned pale as they remembered the previous "Pauline left behind" incidents twice.
"And so, your plan to reach A-rank is relying on the power of others..." (Pauline)
"Guh!" (Reina + Mavis)
Reina and Mavis seemed to have suffered great damage, but Mile was in awe after hearing this.
(But that’s what Pauline-san, who is planning to set up a trading company with the hopes of using my storage magic, should say…) (Mile)
Anyone standing, even Clara, could use it.
Mile thought that way, and since they were her companions and friends, she didn't mind being of use to them. However...
(Are you all planning your future assuming that I'll be with you forever? You never know what's going to happen in this world... What would you do if I suddenly disappeared? Maybe I should give you some words of advice after all...) (Mile)
While Mile was thinking that, for the time being...
"Please don't fight over me!!" (Mile)
Her priority was to complete the series of famous lines that she would like to say someday.
"No, the premise is wrong to begin with! I have no intention of quitting being a Hunter anytime soon, and I have no intention of working as a warehouse and cart for Pauline-san’s company! ......wait, but there's no point in making that face, Pauline-san..." (Mile)
"So, this 'chain store' isn't a trading company, but just a collection of similar stores?" (Reina)
"Yes. So, it’s not like every store needs a skilled merchant. This time, I'm thinking of opening a takeaway restaurant, so I just need to be able to make the food according to the recipes, so it's not like I need a skilled chef... Anyone who is normal and can do what they're told is fine. Also, each restaurant prepares their own food and arranges their own ingredients. We don't provide funds or have a central kitchen to cook and deliver all the food for the restaurants.... So, technically, it's not a 'headquarters-directly managed multi-store operation (chain store)' but a franchise store, but saying 'franchise' doesn't make people understand and it's a hassle to explain, so we decided to use the term 'chain store' which is relatively easy to understand. Well, a franchise is also a type of chain store, it's just that it's not directly managed by the head office..." (Mile)
Reina and the other two still didn't seem to fully understand Mile's explanation.
"But if it were successful and profitable, wouldn't it lead to a proliferation of similar stores? For example, if we named it 'Saint's Shop', they might call it 'Hero's Shop' or 'Messenger's Shop', or even more obviously 'Great Saint's Shop', 'Main Saint's Shop', 'Original Saint's Shop', or that..." (Pauline)
As Pauline said, in this world where there were no concepts like patents, registered trademarks, or utility models, if a powerless person stroke it big with something new, all merchants, from big merchants to small merchants, would start copying them. It was common practice to use financial and manpower, bribe officials, or thugs to sabotage the idea by destroying or taking over the creator's store.
"In the first place, why should we get involved in something like that? We're not particularly short of money, and right now our top priority is to rise from B-rank to A-rank, right?" (Reina)
"Yeah. There's no reason to start something that's not really necessary and will take up a lot of time and get you into trouble. I agree with Reina that we should focus on being a Hunter for now." (Mavis)
It was only natural that Reina and Mavis, whose immediate goal was to achieve A-rank, would say that.
Pauline, who wasn't particularly interested in her rank as a hunter, was looking at this as a rehearsal for starting her own trading company in the future, and as a golden opportunity to teach Mile the appeal of business and making money, so she was positive about it and thought that if she could correct the problems with Mile's plan and provide guidance as a brain, everything would work out.
But still, she hadn't intended to open a shop so soon, and knowing Reina and Mavis's goal of becoming A-ranked and why they wanted it, she didn't intend to back Mile up too loudly.
"N-no, that's not true, you know! It's not like I'm going to run a restaurant or anything! I'm just going to teach them the know-how and recipes of running a restaurant, but apart from helping out at the beginning I won't be involved in running the restaurant and I won't be getting paid. So, it won't affect our activities as hunters. Well, it's possible that we might receive a request to deliver cooking ingredients..." (Mile)
"You're not going to get paid? Then there's no point in us getting involved!" (Pauline)
Naturally, that's when the Pauline bit.
"...And of course, Mile must have some reason or goal for doing so, right?" (Mavis)
"You're a nice person, but I know you're not a very charitable person. Although I may help people I happen to meet, I'm not the type of person who goes out of my way to force my kindness on others, okay? …Now, tell me what you’re planning!" (Reina)
And in response to Mavis and Reina's comments, Mile laughed, "Eheheh."
Author's Note
The fourth and final volume of the spin-off comic of "Noukin", "Didn't I say to make my daily life average?" will be released on Friday, March 12th!
This is a work by Mori Kiyuki-sensei, with its cute illustrations and sharp sense of humor that I like, and the project that was originally supposed to end in 1-2 volumes has been extended to 4 volumes.
Thank you very much. (^^)/
And Azumi Waki, who played the role of Mile in the "Noukin" anime, won the New Actress Award at the Seiyu Awards!! (^^)/
[15th Voice Actor Awards]
Trophies
Best New Actress
Airi Rin "Aikatsu on Parade!"
Kana Ichinose "Dr.STONE"
Fujiwara Natsumi "Major 2nd"
Riho Sugiyama "Listen to the Waves"
Azumi Waki "Noukin"
Mile: "They're actors... (^^)/"