“Change our name? The 「Ludens Gourmet Society」?”
“Yes, and from now on, your activities will be under my supervision. That was the bet. Don’t pretend you don’t know. There are plenty of witnesses.”
I slightly threatened Rebekah.
When someone as tall and muscular as me lowers their voice, the riff-raff can’t help but snap to attention.
I was even thinking of putting my hand on my sword if there was any unnecessary resistance, but fortunately, Rebekah wasn’t that foolish.
“How do we change our name…?”
“You will now be called the 「Victory’s Restaurant」. And you will pay 10% of your monthly revenue to our club. In other words, you will become our franchise.”
“Th-that’s nonsense…!”
Rebekah shouted, unable to bear my words.
Well, it doesn’t make sense for a restaurant to become a franchise of a diner.
But if you didn’t want this, you should have won.
“You were ready to shut us down, right? If you were prepared to destroy another club, it’s only natural to be prepared for your own club to be destroyed as well, isn’t it?”
I’m letting you continue your business without shutting it down.
Isn’t this quite a moderate treatment?
Of course, it’s not out of generosity or mercy for the real deal.
This is purely a strategic move.
One day, I’ll take control of all the Rene distribution in Ludens, build a villa, and relax on a sunbed by the pool.
For that, it’s essential to expand our business into all age groups and social classes. One of those strategies is upscaling.
It’s a bit much to sell a 500,000 Rene steak in a diner. So, I’m creating another entity.
The 「Ludens Gourmet Society」 was perfect to manage as a puppet club.
They already have know-how, so there’s no need to train them from scratch.
If I give them one or two recipes, they could do even better than now.
“By the way, we will lower the unit price of the products to be affordable for students.”
“Kuh…”
Rebekah was visibly frustrated.
It was clear she cherished this 「Ludens Gourmet Society」 dearly.
“Because of Miss Rebekah…”
“Our 120-year-old Ludens Gourmet Society… Changing our name after losing…”
“Miss De Winter. How could you let this happen…?”
Rebekah was heavily criticized by others.
Honestly, it was a bit satisfying.
But it’s also annoying to see those who did nothing blame the one who worked the hardest.
“Idiots. Don’t talk when you don’t know anything. Do you think it’s easy to cook B-grade meat to the level of A-grade meat?”
I’ve learned something in life.
There’s a reason for making a lot of money.
Most of the time, that reason includes ‘effort’.
Of course, luck and inherited wealth play a part, but maintaining that also requires some effort.
Especially in the food industry.
The food industry is so ruthless that places where the chef doesn’t put in effort struggle to make money.
The fact that this Ludens Gourmet Society made 32 million Rene in a short time wasn’t just a stroke of luck from connections with nobles.
Of course, there’s a bit of an issue with selling B-grade meat, costing 100,000 Rene, for 500,000.
But on the flip side, it means you can aim for high profit with little money.
Perfect for setting up a franchise.
Then Rebekah asked.
“Could it be… did you plan to take over Ludens Gourmet Society from the beginning…? Did you set up a club in the same food industry and deliberately catch my eye to drag me into the world of competition…?”
No, I didn’t even know who you were.
But before I could answer, Rebekah seemed to have already reached a conclusion.
“Victor, you’re scarier than I heard. Even allowing the club to continue instead of shutting it down… showing mercy…”
“Yes, Victor is more meticulous and terrifying than everyone knows. Sometimes even I can barely figure out his intentions.”
For some reason, Enio answered confidently.
So, is the situation roughly settled now?
No, it seemed like Nike still had something to say.
“…A-apologize for taking our club room! And also, also… for taking the Mokemoke’ habitat in the Leshgad Forest…!”
So, Nike and Rebekah had a local grudge.
A historic day when Nike, always beneath, stood above Rebekah for the first time.
“And apologize to Victor for being rude!”
Nike’s hands, clenched into fists, were trembling slightly, and her face was very red.
It takes quite a bit of courage to demand an apology.
“And apologize to this Arnoy too! There’s no particular reason, but Arnoy just really feels like receiving an apology…!”
The world of competition is cold and harsh.
A bet is a bet.
In the end, Rebekah had to bow her head on behalf of everyone.
“I’m sorry…”
She apologized more cleanly than I thought.
I expected her to say something more pathetic like, “I can’t accept this!”
Then Rebekah added a word.
“But… the Leshgad Forest is a dangerous place. It’s one of the few remaining enchanted lands on the mainland. The beasts and monsters living there are dangerous to people. It’s better to subdue them.”
“It’s not dangerous! They’re all good friends…! They’re not dangerous at all if you don’t recklessly enter the forest…!”
Nike protested, but at this point, it was better if I asked directly.
“Rebekah, what is in the western forest that makes the De Winter family deploy troops to clear it? I don’t think there are any dangerous monsters on the mainland, not in Ludens.”
Rebekah sighed softly and said.
“You can tell from the name Leshgad Forest. There’s a terrifying Lesh living in that forest. It’s fine in spring and summer, but the forest is extremely dangerous in autumn and especially in winter.”
“……”
I was slightly shocked.
…Leshgad wasn’t the name of a swimsuit?
I thought it was a name the creators added for fun.
Like how there’s a resort called Bikini Island in the sea near Ludens after Act 3.
I thought it was a forest named after a swimsuit.
It literally means a forest guarded by a Lesh.
So that’s why it’s called Leshgad.
Then Enio spoke.
“A Lesh… I’ve heard of it too. It’s a monster that can transform into a ferocious beast or alter the environment of the forest to make people lose their way.”
Transforming into a beast or changing the environment of the forest─ it reminds me of a druid.
Considering Nike’s 《Toge Root》 ability and her skill in taming beasts, it seemed likely that Nike’s father wasn’t human.
Nike exclaimed as if that was a good thing.
“…Promise! Promise not to invade Leshgad Forest!”
“That is…”
It was better to side with Nike here.
Nike was my business partner, after all.
“You lost, so make the promise willingly. If you didn’t want this, you should have won.”
“…”
After a long silence, Rebekah finally seemed to relent and said, “I’ll write a letter to my father.”
With this, the cute Mokemokes of Leshgad Forest would have their habitat protected.
* * *
The weekend.
Originally, it was a day I should have spent busy preparing ingredients, but today I leisurely slept until 7 AM.
Since I usually woke up at 5 AM to prepare ingredients and cook ramen, just sleeping for two more hours made my body feel incredibly refreshed.
“Indeed, people need leisure.”
━Kkkkkkkk!
“Today is a rest day. Kongkong, you can play around catching mice instead of cleaning today.”
━Mew…!
As I told the wolf spider, I planned to rest today.
I made a ton of money at the expo the day before.
Even after distributing the profits according to each role and share, I earned about 7 million Rene for myself. I made 7 million in one day.
“There will be more to come.”
Before sunset yesterday, I went to the student council and formally incorporated the 「Ludens Gourmet Society」 into Victory’s Cook Club.
Now, the Ludens Gourmet Society was gone from Ludens, and only the 「Victory’s Restaurant」 remained.
Ten percent of their earnings now belong to us.
I even gave them a recipe, so they should do well and sell a lot.
Flutter.
Flipping through the newspaper placed in front of the club room.
“Victory’s Cook Club wins the Club Fair! A fierce competition until the end with a victory margin of 50,000 Rene…!”
Yesterday’s events were heavily featured.
Imagining Daily’s beaming face while reviewing these articles somehow annoyed me.
He had an article-worthy story no matter who won, so it was a no-risk fight for him.
He’s the real winner, sitting back and reaping the rewards.
“It was really a close match.”
50,000 Rene.
If Ludens Gourmet Society had sold one more 50,000 Rene glass of water, who knows what the outcome would have been.
Especially with the sudden appearance of Orca Arkwright, who was such a wildcard that even I was a bit nervous.
If he had sided with his fiancée and ordered expensive items from Rebekah’s store, I would have had to use my secret weapon.
“I’d like to save that until the second semester if possible.”
It’s called 「Secret Weapon No. 1」.
It’s still too early for you to appear.
━Beeeeep.
Buzz.
At that moment, Queen Bee Elizabeth, who was resting in a high-hung birdcage, flapped her wings. It meant someone was coming to the club.
“Is it Domina? This morning, I plan to indulge a bit with some army stew─.”
Clank, as I opened the door, I corrected myself upon seeing who was standing there.
“Oh, it’s you, Victoria.”
“…What’s with that reaction? Are you disappointed it’s not Instructor Domina?”
“It’s not that.”
“Besides, does Instructor Domina come here for breakfast every morning? Even if she’s a teacher, it’s inappropriate for her to come to a student’s place for breakfast every day. It’s unwholesome.”
“What’s unwholesome about just having a meal?”
When I questioned her back, Victoria was slightly flustered.
“Isn’t it unwholesome to have meals together, just the two of you?”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Imagine if I came here for breakfast every morning. Wouldn’t that be unwholesome?”
“What’s the problem with that? Of course, if you came for breakfast every day, I’d make you pay for it.”
You have to pay to eat; you can’t just get free meals.
Maybe it was because of my thorough personality, but Victoria trembled slightly.
My blunt facts probably left her reeling.
To lighten the mood, I asked.
“So, why is someone who should be busy wrapping up the fair coming here? It’s not like you came to hang out with nothing to do.”
“…I, I wouldn’t come here without a reason! But Orca made an appointment. He wants you, me, Rebekah, and himself to have dinner together tonight.”
What kind of combination is that?
Are they planning a social gathering of engaged people, 2-on-2?
No, that can’t be it.
Orca is the type who wouldn’t care if his fiancée lost a bet and was humiliated.
Including Rebekah in this appointment is probably just to make the numbers even.
It’s likely a simple ploy to lure me into a casual dinner.
“Orca, huh.”
I was already wondering why Orca arrived at Ludens.
Normally, he doesn’t properly appear in the story until around Act 5, at the end of the first semester.
My broken engagement probably set off a series of events.
He’s the person most likely to disrupt my healing life.
He’s troublesome to have close, but also dangerous to keep far away.
“…Maybe we should refuse this invitation? Orca is sharp. If it gets out that we falsely broke off our engagement…”
Victoria seemed to know her brother Orca quite well.
A half-hearted lie wouldn’t work on him.
Normally, refusing such an invitation would be the correct course of action.
“But there’s no need to refuse. You said tonight, right? I’ll attend with you.”
“Are you sure?”
Victoria somehow looked happy.
