Rebeka's voice rang out, and Estella's face suddenly twitched.
The expression on her face shows her struggle, 'What should I do? ...... I can see my ears so much. ...... Should I pretend I can't see them for now?
We are now playing hide-and-seek in a koji factory that we have visited three times.
It's a friendly game in which we're going to ask for help from the self-proclaimed "professional" hide-and-seek player, Rebeca.
The future of this sport is bleak if the only professionals are those who are discovered the moment they turn around.
...... not a sport.
'All right!Let's find Yashiro first!
'Mmmmmmm!
I'm not sure if you've ever heard of this, but I'm sure you've heard of it. He's in a good mood.
It's ......, they'll know. Don't make a sound.
Although...
I can't let Estella find me so easily.
Hide and seek is a mind game that requires more than the body. ...... If you can find her, you can find her!
'Oh. That craftswoman has really big tits.
'Seriously?What time is it?
'Yes, I found Yashiro.'
...... this woman ............
''The genie's .......''
'Wait. Look, it's her.'
Estella looked in the direction she was pointing. ...... d*mn!A beautiful craftsman with really big tits was looking at her.
'Thank you so much for using such a cowardly trick!
'I'm a mixture of angry and grateful.
Darkness was approaching, and the area was tinged with subdued colors.
It is time for the craftsmen to finish their work. The earlier the morning, the earlier the finish time.
Rebeka welcomed us with open arms as we kept coming back.
Bertha was in her usual work clothes. ...... I'm glad. I'm really glad.
I said, 'You look better in that dress,' so you won't be wearing a mini-skirt again. ............ I'll at least give you this kind of lip service. I'll give you this level of lip service if it means saving your life!
'Come on, Yashiro. You'll have to help me find Rebeka-san.
Since you're the demon, you'll have to do it alone.
If you find her, she'll turn her back on you. That troublesome role is part of being a demon. If you lose in rock-paper-scissors, you are obligated to bear the burden.
Pretending that you haven't found ...... is a painful thing to do when you're alone.
You'll be able to see it from behind a stack of crates.
How can you call yourself a professional when you can only think of hiding in the shadows?
'Well, I'll go look over here, and you take care of that crate.
'What?No, can't we do it the other way around?
I ignored Estella's suggestion and was about to walk away when the ...... rabbit ears started to move.
...... I see.
I'm sure you've heard of it. So, when the demon approaches, you can move and change your hiding place.
If you're serious, you might be a pretty tough opponent,............, if you're a little more intelligent.
'd*mn, you're not here!
After confirming that Rebeca had moved, Estella peeked behind the crate.
Currently, the rabbit ears are swaying behind a barrel some distance away from Estella's location. ...... So, hide them, ears!
'Estella. I need a minute.
I don't want to waste any more time on this nonsense. I'm not just saying that because you found me early.
I'll end the hide-and-seek in a way that will keep Rebekah from bending over.
I'm not saying this because I found out early.
...... Listen to me carefully, Rebekah.
'Don't tell anyone you've come to invite Rebekah to the party at the church, not yet.
'Is it true?
From behind a large barrel, Rebeka jumped out with such force that even Blackbeard was surprised.
'Yes, I found her.
He points to the spot where she jumped out and says so.
'Mmm, mmm!It's not fair!It's not fair!
'It wasn't going to end unless I used a cheat move like this.
'Mmm!I'm a bad man, my knight!So, you lost by foul play!
Voilà . We've got a winner.
Losing quickly is the best way to end this quickly.
However, cutting corners is likely to backfire, so it's better to be declared a loser by the 'rebecarl'.
Then, if you keep the interest moving to the next round, you can prevent 'One more round! ' can be prevented.
'So, is it true what you said earlier?I won't accept it if it's not true!Stop selling miso only to the Forty-Two Wards!
I'm scared.
He's going to use his emotions to exert a terrifying amount of power, this guy.
'Oh~, you've been found out...'
I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it.
'I can't hide anything from you!
Your sister had the delicacy to read the air in such a situation. Learn from her, little one.
So!I'm invited, aren't I?
'Riveka, and Bertha, too.
'Oh, I see!I'll have to take Bertha with me!So, when?Now?
'No, the ...... schedule is .......'
Estella, buoyed by Rebekah's energy, asks me for help.
This guy has been relying on me more and more lately. ...... Don't think you can just look at him and get an answer. ............ Well, I can help you now. I'll help you out now, though.
'Actually, we just need to make a few preparations before we can throw that party.
'What?What are you doing?I'll help you, so hurry up and get ready!
Rebeka's eyebrows furrowed in frustration as she missed her sister.
You really wanted to see her, didn't you? ......
'Well, if you can help me, that would be great. Actually, I came here to ask you for a favor.'
'What is it?Money?Power?'
...... scary statements with an innocent face and voice. ............ If he grows up like this, he's going to have a lot of problems, this guy.
'The koji factory was a sponsor of the information paper, right?
'Mm. I'm sure they'll take care of a few things for us since we've loaned them quite a bit of money.
Money and connections really do have power, don't they?
'I'd like to use the front page of the information paper to advertise for a waitress to work at a certain nobleman's house.
'Oh, that's easy enough.
'But there's a condition.
'Conditions?
'Something a little out of the ordinary, something interesting--beastmen only.'
Yeah.
This is what Ma'ul asked me to do.
Ma'ul had asked me to introduce him to some unusual people. He'd like to hire a waiter, but a stereotypical young man would be boring.
Unlike other nobles, Mahrul is an eccentric who likes new things and dislikes old customs and traditions.
But even so, he hadn't been able to get rid of the old stereotypes that had been ingrained in him as a matter of course.
That is, a person who works in a nobleman's house should be human.
The candidates for serving in Mahrul's mansion were all human.
Perhaps the people applying for the job are also caught up in the fixed concept that only humans can work in a nobleman's house.
Therefore, no one would question it.
But Ma'ru...
That eccentric aristocrat will surely overturn such old-fashioned stereotypes.
He is so eccentric that he loves the crazy 42nd district and visits it many times himself.
He didn't seem to have any particular feelings about Gilberta either.
You can find a lot more information on this topic at ....... You may find that Gilberta is not well-liked by the other nobles.
It's also possible that the small size of the sense of touch is an advantage in this respect. ...... Well, that's just speculation.
Lucia loves the beastmen.
But it's hard to expect other nobles to understand and accept that.
She may even "hide" it if she has to. Those little antennae.
Even so, Lucia, who trusts Gilberta and keeps waking up beside her, is still quite an eccentric person.
Even in the Thirty-Five Wards under Lucia's rule, the rift caused by discrimination against the beastman race had been deeply ingrained for many years. Only recently has it shown signs of being resolved.
That's why it hasn't spread yet.
The idea of employing beastmen as servants...
But Mahrul...
I'm sure he'll understand. No, he'll jump for joy!
And if Ma'ul invites the beastmen into the house, ............ we can catch Donnis!
At least he'll listen to us.
At least he'll listen to us. After all, he and Ma'ru are the same!
I'll find him.
The best and the brightest!
There must be more than a few beastmen out there who need work.
Even if you look at Wendy's parents, it's obvious that there are people out of work in every ward. Especially in a district that still thinks of beastmen and humans separately.
I'm sure there will be a rush of people looking for good jobs.
We'll have to do some selection before we let them meet Mael.
It would be a disaster if we were to suddenly throw everything at him. We have to avoid a situation where we cannot take responsibility.
I can't let Ma'ru see him unless I can trust him.
When granting someone's wish, it is effective to go two steps beyond their imagination.
By doing so, you can make a more favorable impression than you imagined and ingratiate yourself greatly.
For example, if a person asks for a hat, you can give him a bag or a pair of shoes to go with the hat, or if he wants to go on a trip, you can take him to a good restaurant after doing some research beforehand.
People are creatures of imagination.
That is why we must go beyond their imagination.
People are not satisfied with what they imagine.
That's why we need to sift through the mountains of people who will be flooding in. ...... I thought...
'What is the beastman race?
Rebekah tilted her head.
Bertha looks up at her. ...... Crush your eyes.
I'm not sure what you mean by that.
This means that even if you write "beastmen only" on your information sheet, you will not get any beastmen .......
Oops. ............ Do we use the word "subhuman"?
I'm not sure if you've ever heard of the term "subspecies" or "subgenus".
Even Donnis, the first love delusional typhoon, would have a hard time using the word "subspecies" to refer to ....... It's just the way the word sounds.
Well, Rebekah would be classified as a subhuman, not a sub-strain, but that's not the point.
'If we're going to do this, we might have to spread the word about the beastman race first.'
Estella has a good point, but we don't have that much time.
What should we do?
Do we give up on the information paper?
But we can't just start looking for the beastmen now. ...... The people in the church might be able to interview them, but ...... would they want to go to a nobleman's mansion in another district to serve him? I don't know.It's not like they're staying in a closed church.
I'm sure their wounds are not limited to their bodies. ......
'Rebekah-sama. Sir, why don't you take ...... or even Yashiro-san to see the reporter?'
'Wait a minute, Bertha. What's that malicious misspelling?'
'Yashiro. Don't interrupt me.'
'I'm not breaking it!No, rather, let me break it willingly!
Estella has left one of the biggest obstacles in my life unaddressed and she's resuming her story.
'Who is this reporter?'
'Hmm. I'm not a reporter, I'm a painter. Bertha's an old man, so she calls everyone who works for the paper a 'reporter'.
Yeah, I know what you mean.
The proprietress also called all anime and novels 'manga', and all games 'Famicom'.
'Just now, I'm here.
'What?You're in here now?
'Hmm. He brought me a sample of the latest issue.
'Are you sure you want to leave it at ......?
'Because I heard the footsteps of my knight and Estella-chan. I had to show them my professional skills, so I hurried to pick them up.'
Yeah. You really did come out at the perfect time to surprise me, didn't you?
And you challenged me to rock-paper-scissors as soon as you saw me.
I was able to deal with it, but Estella, who was caught off guard, panicked and made a 'par'.
She must have started out with "Goo", and as a result of her absurd belief that she would lose if she didn't change her move to something else, she came up with "Par". Choki is a little bit more difficult, when you are on the spur of the moment. So, he became a demon.
'I guess ...... you can even hear the sound outside the gate when you're not in your room.
'It seems so.
'Mm-hmm. I had a feeling he might come to visit one more time, so I was paying attention.
She rests her back against Estella's stomach and takes both of Estella's arms and wraps them around her own neck.
She then takes Estella's arms and wraps them around her own neck. Estella hugs her from behind and Rebekah smiles happily.
My relative's kids used to love this pose. ......
It's a very sweet pose.
Her back is pressed against Estella's stomach, and the back of her head is pressed against Estella's chest as she gropes.
'Hey, Rebekah. Get hard ......?'
'Don't say another word or I'll stab you.'
Estella points to her bosom with her chin.
'There's a knife in there, isn't there?
'Then I'll call the press.
Bertha quietly bows her head, winks at me, and jumps backwards with the ferocity of a lobster as I run away. ...... It's a horrible demon. It's trying to eat your soul.
After making sure that Bertha is gone, Estella says in a nasty tone of voice.
'I thought you were going to seduce Mr. Bertha?
'That's because I thought I'd use my power as a sponsor of an information paper. I thought that Bertha was in charge of the money matters.'
In fact, with a single word from Rebekah, I was able to get to the people involved.
Then there's no need to get involved with Bertha. We should keep our contact to the bare minimum.
'Well, that's true.
Rebekah said, shaking her body like a minnow attached to Estella.
'I'm not much good at anything except being a koji maker. If Bertha retires, this factory may be in danger.
'You're saying Mr. Bertha has the real power?
'The real power is ...... me, apparently, but ...... I'm not cut out for this. I'm aware of that.
Well, thinking about management strategies and doing hard sales are not the image of a rebeca.
She's just a girl who specializes in one thing, using her own skills. She looks like a little girl. Philman's a pedophile for sure. Yeah. Pervert, the next lord.
'Let me ask you something.
I ask Rebekah a question to be certain.
I said one question, but I meant to ask two. ...... Well, don't worry about the details.
'So you're effectively in charge of the koji factory now, aren't you, Rebekah?
'Mm. That's right. Well, he's the heir apparent.
'The way you're talking ......, perhaps you're willing to give up your position if someone more suitable comes along?'
For a moment Rebekah is silent.
She nodded silently, debating whether or not to say anything.
Ah, one more question, I guess.
'And when that happens, do you think the people at the factory will accept your decision?
'I'm sure they will.
His answer was confident.
Very sadly.
'...... They all think I'm too much for them. No one can beat me in technology, though.
Rebekah forced herself to smile, adding a bit of a pout at the end.
She squeezes Estella's arm with her small hand.
'Is there anyone who can lend me a hand?
She asks the obvious question.
If there were such a person, he would have already lent his strength.
'They don't want anyone other than Whitehead to be at the top. It's a heavy responsibility and all that, but it's a ...... brand.
The koji factory that Whitehead put together.
That name value is a major factor in maintaining the value of the products here.
It's not uncommon for a product to be exactly the same, but to falter as soon as the familiar name is gone and the top management changes.
When a restaurant changes its name, customers leave. This happens all the time.
The same thing can happen when a manufacturer changes its name or a character used for advertising.
It is too common for a band to lose popularity when the vocalist changes.
Even if the vocalist is the same, the leader changes, a member leaves the band, or some of the members form another band, the popularity of the band will also decline.
It is also possible for the most popular member of a certain idol to lose popularity the moment he leaves the band.
Familiarity is such a powerful weapon.
It takes a lot of courage to let go of it.
"The Koji Factory run by Whitehead.
It's unlikely you'll be able to overturn it.
'What about the previous generation and the generation before that?
That's another nasty question.
They're not here now because there's nothing they can do.
And just as I thought, Rebekah shakes her head.
'My dad and grandpa ...... are here. My father and father before me were also craftsmen. They've never been useful in management.
In other words, they left the management to Bertha for a very long time.
'Well, that can't be helped, can it? The Whitehead family is expected to stay in the room for as long as possible and make good malted rice.
'Hmm. I've been told since I was a kid, 'Leave the management to others and make koji' .......
I'm still a kid.
'Then there's that. If you can find a family member of Whitehead's who isn't suited to working in a room and who you can rely on, you're in the right place.
Rebekah's ears twitched.
And then her big eyes sparkled in her small face.
'...... That is, if...'
This guy must have been going to the church just to see her, without any calculations or calculations like that.
'If you come back, everyone will be happy. Your sister.
'What?
Rebekah's face lit up in a flash.
She imagines the future I've described and writhes at the sight.
Excitement washed over him like a wave, and he flapped his feet again and again, stomping on the ground.
'No, it's okay!That's the best!Then I'm ...... I'm ............!
--I'm going to !' And then, as she's about to say something, Rebekah's face instantly turns bright red.
What did you imagine, you little brat?
'You can ...... work in the room, even if you're a commuter, but you can't ............ work in the room.
Philman, rejoice!
As long as you don't insist on being a housewife, Rebekah might go to your house!
' I hold back the urge to shout.
'Oh, yes, yes. Rebeka-san.'
As if she couldn't stand the embarrassed Rebeka's cuteness, Estella gently whispered into her long ears.
'...... Maybe the person you love will come too. To the party.
'Phew!
Rebekah's ears fluffed up.
She jumps away from Estella, turns around, and closes the distance between them to zero in an instant.
'Mmm, mmm, mmm, did you find it?I've never even seen this person before, and yet Estella-chan has found that person!
'Yes. I'm pretty sure it's you, the prince whisperer.
It's a good name for a ............ whispering prince .............
I'm not sure what you're talking about.
I wonder what kind of fresh young man is being projected on the screen in Rebeka's imaginary brain.
But if you've never seen his face before, then the whispering prince must be Firman.
...... The sky is getting darker.
It's going to take a letter to convince the Filman.
The invitation to Donnis will have to wait until later.
Anyway, we need to pick up Natalia and bring the sinking Filman back up to the surface just in time. It's hard to keep him afloat when he's doing whatever he wants to do while we're not around.
Now, we have many things to do, but we can't go to the 24th district so many times.
I have to finish what I have to do.
'Rebekah, that party, I'm planning to make it a 'party'.
'Banquet?...... What's the difference?'
Rebekah was about to jump on Estella, but she turned her attention to him.
I have a favor to ask you. Or rather, there is something I need to get.
'Well, the name is for my convenience.
Donis said we should have a feast together when Filman's problems are solved.
I'm going to have a party to celebrate the resolution of Filman's problems and Donnis'. We'll have a party to celebrate it.
'To make the feast a success, I need you to give me something. And a lot of it.
What is it?Sasaya......, it's a banquet where you might be able to meet your sister!Whatever it is, I'm willing to help!You can say that!
...... She put a man before her family. ............ Bad girl.
Well, it's a feast for Rebekah to see the two people she wants to see. I'll take your word for it and let you help me.
'Koji. Give me the koji.
'Koji ......, is it okay?I've got plenty of that, no problem. ......?
I don't know what she thought I was going to say, but Rebekah looked like she was out of sorts.
'Well, I guess I'll give you some homework.
'Estella, lend me a pen and paper so I can write the recipe.
'Recipe?For what?
'I'll have you make what we need for the party here too. It's hard to bring them from the Forty-Two districts.
'I see, ............, but what?'
'Well, it's okay, it's okay.
The sky is getting darker.
I don't have much time, so I'll just write down the main points in an easy-to-understand manner.
Do you have time to taste it? ............
'Sorry to keep you waiting.
Then Bertha comes back.
Oh, yeah. The reporter from the paper ......, the painter, right?
I'm afraid I can only exchange business cards with this guy.
You'll have to ask him about the details later.
You'll be able to find out more about the situation at a later date. This way, you have to think about how to expand the name of the beastman tribe and how to attract good people ......?............?
'............ Ah!
The one who raised his voice in surprise was the painter of the information paper.
This is a great way to get the most out of your time and money.
'You're the customers we met in the sycamore field, aren't you?
'Mokoka!
Yes.
Just like the name Estella couldn't help but let out, there was Mokoka, the daughter of the Aphid people.