“Victor, are you really sure about this? If we lose, the club we’ve worked so hard to build will be disbanded! And, I… I don’t want to help Rebekah. I don’t know what she’s trying to find in the Leshgad Forest, but…”
During a brief moment in the late morning.
Nike seemed very worried about our future.
Our revenue was only around 5 million Rene.
However, the revenue of the 「Ludens Gourmet Society」 had already reached 20 million Rene.
That’s four times our number.
Enio said,
“Perhaps the gap will widen even more in the afternoon. Last year, the swordsmanship club that won sold secret manuscripts and earned a total of 30 million Rene. This year, the Gourmet Society might earn even more…”
Everyone’s shoulders visibly slumped at Enio’s pessimistic outlook.
Of course, I didn’t think so.
“Do you know what kind of food the Ludens Gourmet Society is selling? They’re selling steak dishes that cost 500,000 Rene per plate. Mostly dinner courses. Enio, you should know what ingredients those are.”
“Me…? Well… probably something like 「Grade A Marble」.”
“Correct. The same ingredients you used to make your bento. The merchant Deos sells portions for only five people per day. For your information, 「Grade A Marble」 can be stored for about seven days.”
It’s common knowledge among D&A gamers that the NPCs have a limited number of items for sale each day.
So even if the Ludens Gourmet Society collected all the limited ingredients over seven days, the total amount of 「Grade A Marble」 would be 5 servings times 7.
35 dishes.
Their maximum sales quantity is 35 dishes.
Assuming each dish sells for 500,000 Rene, it amounts to approximately 17.5 million Rene.
However, since they said they had already earned 20 million Rene, it’s likely they were using a mix of Grade A and Grade B Marble.
Plus, if we add another million Rene for various side menus, the Ludens Gourmet Society’s earning cap would be around 30 million Rene.
“Thirty million.”
That’s enough to catch up.
“In the afternoon, we will reverse the situation in one go. We just need to sell more cheap food. From the beginning, the food we sell in the afternoon makes that possible.”
“Can we really do that…”
Nike seemed a bit worried, but I looked at the sky with confidence.
“This Ludens does not favor the nobility. This Ludens belongs to those who sweat and toil.”
Growth comes to those who work hard. Sometimes, luck plays a part as well.
Unlike reality, in games, the amount of effort you put in honestly reflects in your growth.
That’s why it’s fun to see yourself grow as you invest time.
This is Ludens.
A world of enjoyable play.
“In this place, the one who works harder wins. You’ll see when the results come.”
And I’m sorry, but I’ve been working hard in this Ludens for over ten years.
From the start, my foundation is different.
“Then, it should be about time. Nike, bring it out.”
“You mean the Snow Lily, right? I bought everything Dearmid and Melvin provided this week with money! There’s a lot! Are we going to make shaved ice with this?”
“No, we are going to crush the shaved ice.”
Ice snacks sold at snack bars.
On such a hot day, carrying one in a cup would surely attract attention.
“We’re going with slush.”
Making slush is relatively easy.
And in this mysterious system of D&A, it was even easier.
All we needed was fruit syrup and crushed ice.
Fortunately, I had plenty of both.
“We’ll go for volume. Let’s sell it for about 5,000 Rene per cup.”
Selling a slush cup for 5,000 Rene.
Honestly, it’s expensive, but people coming to the club fair are prepared to open their wallets anyway.
“We don’t need to be intimidated by something like the 「Ludens Gourmet Society」. My dream is to own all the Renee in Ludens. Today is just the beginning.”
* * *
“It’s hot. It feels hotter than being at sea. When on earth is the ship going to arrive?”
Flora Arkwright, a graceful lady with a parasol.
She frowned as she looked at the horizon of the harbor.
Then she quickly consoled herself, saying, “No, I must not let my face wrinkle if I am to prepare for the Miss Ludens contest in the second semester.”
Forcing a smile, Flora still couldn’t escape the heat.
‘Isn’t this almost like summer? If spring is like this, how hot will it be in the summer…’
A cool breeze gently brushed against Flora’s shoulder.
Turning her head, she saw people carrying paper cups with straws.
The source of the cool breeze was clearly those cups.
“What are those?”
Listening carefully, she heard people chatting.
“Mine is grape flavor.”
“I have orange. Want to mix them?”
“This reminds me of when I was in the North. We often ate syrup over snow like this.”
“It was so hot, but now I feel alive. This slush even slightly increases heat resistance. I’d better buy some during the summer too.”
Slush?
She recalled the merchants who occasionally sold crushed ice in the summer.
It was a dessert similar to shaved ice, with various fruit syrups drizzled over it.
In this unbearably hot spring day.
She was about to ask where they were selling it, thinking she would gladly pay ten thousand Rene for a single bite.
Buuuuu-.
With the sound of the ship’s horn, an anchor appeared on the distant horizon. A sail adorned by the blazing sun.
It was the ‘Helios’, the Arkwright family’s merchant ship.
As the large merchant ship dropped anchor, a crowd of people disembarked.
The first to appear was a tall, strikingly handsome man with platinum blonde hair.
“Look at him.”
“He’s handsome.”
Some women started whispering about his good looks, but Flora was different.
She only grumbled within the limits that wouldn’t crease her face.
“Brother Orca, you’re late. You said you’d arrive in the morning. It’s already the afternoon.”
“We encountered a brief storm. Besides, it’s my first time back at Ludens since graduation. Although it’s only been three months, it feels quite unfamiliar. It feels strange not to be a student here.”
“Yes, I’m sure it does. So, where would you like to go first? Your sister Victoria should be over there. As for your fiancée, Rebekah, she should be running a store over that way.”
“I’m not here for such trivial matters. I’m here as the acting head of the Arkwright family, Flora. Where is he?”
“If you mean….”
“Victor.”
Instead of looking for his own sister or his promised fiancée, he was looking for Victor, a complete stranger.
That’s just the kind of man Orca was.
Though Flora knew this about him quite well, she was slightly exasperated.
“If you mean that Victor, he should be over there, in the alley. I was just about to head there myself.”
She swallowed the words, “They seem to be selling something cool over there,” along with her heat.
At the same time, she thought her brother Orca was a fearsome person.
Despite the sweltering weather, he didn’t frown or break a sweat.
‘I wonder how that Victor will handle this….’
* * *
“This Arnoy, boiling eggs is difficult, but making this slush is incredibly easy…! It’s a very Nymph-friendly cooking method…!”
“Just take the money from the customers.”
I diligently moved my hands, putting the Snow Lilies into a round dish and crushing it.
Scooping a ladleful of the coarsely ground ice into a cup, then mixing it with the pre-prepared fruit juice mixture, produced a sparkling effect.
「Fruit Slush: The cold ice particles are delicious. Slightly increases resistance to heat.」
With one Snow Lily and one fruit, I could make over 50 cups of slush, so the profit margin was high.
The method was simple and convenient enough that even Arnoy could do it.
That’s why we kept it a secret until the fair, and now the slush was selling like hotcakes.
Jingle. Jingle.
“Money, money is pouring in! Victor! Money is pouring in!”
Nike was overwhelmed by the flood of money.
Even though the slush was an expensive 5,000 Rene per cup, the unexpectedly hot afternoon weather meant we had to keep moving our hands without rest.
“Enio, if you’re tired, you can take a break.”
“No, this is fun. It’s cold.”
Assistant Chef Enio, Nike at the cash register, and Arnoy serving.
As each person efficiently did their part, our sales soon reached 20 million Rene.
“Domina, what’s their sales figure now?”
“Let’s see. Just over 30 million?”
“We’re almost caught up. We’ll be ahead before the afternoon is over.”
We were actually running low on paper cups.
I had to bring in a large supply of paper cups from nearby sellers.
While we were busy earning Rene, I heard murmuring from the people standing in line.
Turning my head, I saw some unexpected famous figures approaching me.
A height that matched mine.
A face as handsome as a statue of David.
Neatly flowing platinum blonde hair.
“Orca, is it.”
It was Orca Arkwright, Victoria’s brother and the one often considered a mastermind behind many things.
I said to him.
“Don’t cut in line.”
No matter if you’re a noble and show up as a mid-boss around Act 9, here, I’m the king.
“Go to the back.”
“I’m not a customer.”
“If you’re not a customer, I have even less time to deal with you.”
Busy as I was, a non-customer was bothering me? For someone who needed to make 20 million Rene by the end of the afternoon, he was just a useless hindrance.
He shrugged.
“I understand. I hear you’re having a pointless competition with Rebekah. She’s great, but she tends to get worked up over the wrong things.”
Orca sat nearby, flipping through a fallen newspaper page with his gloved hand.
“I’ll make sure you win this competition. I can purchase about 20 million Rene worth of your goods.”
Buy all my stuff instead of his fiancée’s?
That was a fantastic offer.
But Nike and Enio both looked tense.
They had realized there must be a catch to this sweet deal.
They weren’t foolish enough to miss that bait as attractive as this could be poisoned.
“This Arnoy does not like this person…! Former student council president Orca cut the budget for the Nymph Rescue Club and shut it down…!”
Even Arnoy showed hostility towards Orca.
Rejecting the offer was clearly the right choice.
“I decline. Although I may be clinging to Rene, don’t think you can sway my will with money, Orca.”
“I see. I forgot. That’s the kind of person you are. But you do know that at the club fair, customers have the right to buy goods as they please, right?”
The former student council president and graduate Orca glanced around and then spread his arms wide, smiling in a very friendly manner.
“Then, I’ll buy a share for everyone here first. And also for any future customers who come. Put it on my tab.”
“You should also know that we have the right to refuse sales to anyone, as a former student council president.”
“Is that how it’s going to be? Then I’ll just sit and talk, so listen.”
At this point, it seemed polite to listen. If I kept refusing, and Orca got angry and caused a scene, it would be a hassle.
“Orca, what do you want to talk about with me?”
“There are many things I’d like to discuss personally. But first, I should deliver the message from the family head. Victor, come to the Arkwright estate during the summer break.”
“You’re telling me to leave Ludens and head to the mainland?”
No way.
I called off the engagement because I didn’t want to go there.
What if things get complicated again?
“That’s all I have to say. I’ll be staying in Ludens for a while, so feel free to talk to me if you need anything. Let’s go, Flora.”
“Uh, I didn’t get to try that slush thing…”
With that, Orca and Flora left the place like a storm.
“Domina, check if Orca is pouring money into the Ludens Gourmet Society.”
“You really think of me as a…”
Fortunately, Orca did not visit the Ludens Gourmet Society restaurant.
It seemed Rebekah and Orca weren’t on as good terms as I thought.
Anyway, the Ludens Gourmet Society made about 32 million Rene by the end of their afternoon sales.
And how much did our Victory’s Cook Club make?
“We counted up to about 28 million Rene…”
Nike looked extremely tense, watching the clinking Rene.
Our revenue exceeding 28 million Renee meant we were just a few Rene short.
While we were busy calculating, Domina, who had been observing, returned.
“32.05 million Renee! We won by 50 thousand Renee!”
A cheer erupted.
“It’s a natural result. No need to make a fuss.”
I tried to act nonchalant, but I was genuinely happy inside.
Sigh… We almost lost because of Orca’s interruption.
Without that, we could’ve made another 1 million Rene.
Was he trying to sabotage us on purpose?
Still, it was satisfying to win without anyone’s help.
“They lost to a snack bar they looked down on. I wonder what kind of faces they’ll make now.”
