Chapter 263: It seems to be just as ugly as that messy story that although labeledShoujo had nothing adolescent about it at all.

Translator: Pink Tea Editor: ryunakama Proofreading: Reader A? Kind of? Maybe?

Day 64 Nighttime, Souvenir Store, the Capital Outskirts Branch, Girls-Only Gathering

We made huge profits. I Frontier series sold out no matter how many more goods Haruka-kun would make. The Capital seems to Frontier? Head-over-heels for it? But feeling lonesome from this long-distance relationship it began an affair with the Merchants Confederation! On top of that, the Theocracy is also trying to get closer with the Frontier with a pushy approach! Thats just like one of those soap operas! Its on the same level of messiness as that title that despite being labeled Shoujohad nothing adolescent about it at all? I dont want such shoujo! [1]

Good job~, we made super big profits by super ripping them off, a great opening day? Kind of? The salary that youve been looking for is going to be paid in kind on a daily basis. Today, we have new bags of all kinds. Well, its actually Item Bags? So here comes three items per person first-come-first-served battle royale-like salary? If anyone wants to be paid in cash or manju do tell me~? FIGHT, START? Kind of?

Kyaaaaaaaaaa!

A bustling and lively uproar. Completely exhausted after the crowded business hours, everyone entered the Maiden War, Battle of Payment in Kind!

Backpack! I need the backpack! Im of the backpack faction! Thats what I decided today!

Hey! Trade that with me! I want the yellow one, the yeeellow, it goes with the shoes.

Oh no, thats mine? Fate brought us together, but we are being torn apart!

It seems to be Multicolor, so you should be able to change the coloration? I want the yellow too! But the shape is important! After all, one can pick only three! Handbag, backpack, and shoulder bag. Since its just before the bath, no one is wearing their battle gear. Certainly, if everyone was armed it couldve been too dangerous for a bargain war. Kuh, only a few backpacks left.

Dont pull it~, I got it, I took it first!

Where is the register? Where is Haruka-kun? Or rather, where is Haruka-kun (the register)!

A storm-like battle has ended. Everyone is lying on the floor, holding bags in their hands.

Everyone is utterly exhausted, but has a blissful smile on their face, holding the spoils of war (bags) in their hands.

It seems Item Bags are incredibly difficult to produce, moreover, Item Bags made by Haruka-kun have incomparably largerStoragethan normal, which gets bigger with every new edition that he releases, and they even come with various effects now. Thats why he cant mass produce them. In other words, he was making new ones every day, stockpiling for the sake of this moment. Thats why everyone is so happy, thats why its everyones treasure.

Go into the bath first? Ill prepare dinner in the meantime. Today is viking with omusoba, jumbo gyoza, rice balls, salad with fried stuff, and vegetable skewers~. Something to scramble for after the bath? Sort of?[2] [3]

Viking! Is it a sea robbers anniversary day?

Oda-kuns group seems to be currently doing some piracy at the moment? I wonder why the side that is supposed to be protecting, ends up engaging in piracy, burglary, and robbery? Hearing this out of context would totally make us look like the baddies.

Today was an exhausting, but very fulfilling day. Everyone is delighted, carrying the bags they got as their rewards. No one probably remembers about the war anymore. Everyones head is filled with Souvenir Stores success story. Sales goals he said There are even bonuses for that! There is no time for some silly wars anymore, we have to sell out and sell off!

Over there, the Princess, the Young Lady, and Maid-san are all smiling, gazing at the bags. Grinning even. After all, these are artifact-tier items that would never be available for purchase by the general public. A highest-quality equipment granted only to close allies. Their value easily exceeds that of the national-treasure-class items, but more importantly, they must be happy to have received such special equipment, restricted only to the friends like its a matter of course. All three of them are sitting with teary eyes. They probably didnt notice, but their equipment is long since of the same level as highest quality items meant for the friends. They have already been considered as comrades for a long while? They were recognized a long, long time ago.

But the War of Maidens seems to be still too much for the people of this world. The Princess and others hair is disheveled while their clothes are undone, partially coming off. Alright, lets bathe! The first experience mustve been tough for them.

Its bathing time. Scrambling for the bath everyone shines up their bodies and then jumps into the water. The Princess and company are also here, so lets behave a bit The Princess jumped in too?

Its big, but its not that impressive compared to the White Weirdo or Murimuri Castle, right?

He seems to have no intentions to operate here for long? So he didnt bother with it that much.

Ehm, Im pretty sure this is the most splendid bath in the Capital? Even the one in the Royal Palace is smaller and more dull.

Oh no, our common sense has been corrupted!

We shouldnt consider the usual to be the ordinary. That act of Creation he calls a side job is terrific enough to destroy a civilization.

The Frontier has passed the middle-age period and began modernization. The eras are going too fast. Our surroundings are already in a magic version of industrial times, simply lacking in mechanization, or rather it might even be a modern era. In some areas things have in a way already surpassed our modern times. This place, this place alone is like another world. Only Haruka-kuns surroundings are in some sort of a different civilization. He is trying to get back what everyone has lost, but he is mercilessly taking back a lot of extra stuff? None of us lived such an extravagant life there? We are just ordinary people, you know? This is already surpassing the royal lifestyle?

He also recovered in excess what was taken away from the Frontier. This time, he mustve been planning to take back from the Merchants Confederation, making absurdly excessive profits along the way. A rip-off king hell bent on taking back everything. A murder attempt would leave the opponents massacred instead, stealing would lead to getting robbed, and evil deeds will result in a slew of all sorts of brutal and heinous acts enacted upon the evildoers. While he may be a tyrant ruling through fear, he is also a rip-off king who doesnt know how to give up. He is probably the natural enemy of the Confederation, but if they oppose him they will get ripped off?

Id like to go out and start with the Viking, but the bath is nice too~.

Right~?

Unless we leave the bath all together Viking War might break out, so the timing becomes important. The Princess and others still seem unable to keep up with Maiden Wars. Maiden Wars are too soon for this world, certainly, the influence is corrupting!

I thought that he will either kill or kidnap the Second Prince, but he decided to fight a trade battle through the souvenir store?

His target is the Confederation backing the Second Prince, so he is setting up economic warfare against them. Its a warning that screwing with the Kingdom will ruin them.

Claiming that the Confederation, who supposedly specializes in the economic side of politics, warfare, and finance, has its weakness in commerce, he launched a pin-point attack. Because the Confederation is profiteering off politics and military affairs, their finances cant cope with commerce. If money is taken from the country that makes money without selling actual goods, it will create a deficit, destroy the military, and crush their politics. They will lose to commerce.

According to Haruka-kuns explanationMonetary economy, or rather, credit economy is fragile and has its limitations. While its convenient, it comes with its own dangers in exchange. I mean, its merely a promise that one can buy stuff with the coins? If no one agrees to sell then its pointless. Military and politics become a guarantee for the credits, mixing all three gets you profits, but you cant go back to the way things were before. The Merchants Confederation cant fight through commerce anymore, you know? They are simply profiteering without manufacturing, transporting, or trading, so they dont have crafters, transporters, or traders. So if they become unable to solve their problems by throwing money at them, theyll have nothing left.is supposedly how it is?

Make them unable to guarantee the money huh.Does that mean the actual merchants will take back their country?

That is the Confederations own internal problems? But they will lose their real power. After all, it seems that even merchants have issues with the way the Confederation does business.

Its because they had such an easy time making money by putting pressure through politics and military threats that they lost the strength to properly do commerce, and thus are resented by the proper merchants. If they lost the only money they had in such a situation, even if they took only a slight loss, it would put cracks into their coalition. They are working together because its profitable, but what will happen if it leads to losing money? What if they are made to take losses? Losses piled upon losses to the point of collapse? After all, he is definitely going to press them that far. Trying to make money with the military and politics, only to have both crushed. Their finances cant prevail over commerce, thats why they were targeted there.

President-sama, Ill wash your back. You have such a beautiful clean skin, so smooth and lovely.

Hya. T-Thank you very much, Shari-sama, but its a bit ticklish, eh, no need to go there.

After getting warmed up we shine up the skin once again. This bubbly soap is definitely addictive, a product highly endorsed by mushroom addicts. I feel like the more I use it, the prettier the skin gets!

The Princess seems to really like washing backs, so every time we get into the bath she gets very excited. She mustve always been in the position of the one getting washed, and never could scrub others.

But Somehow, the way she rubs is Weird? Weirdly good? She is strangery skillful, but there is something off about it? Is it because she isnt used to this yet? But why isnt she using a body brush and is doing it with her bare hands instead?

I wonder if Oda-kun and the others are okay. He mentioned that they are dealing with the actually dangerous stuff, so wouldnt it be better to go there together?

But there arent enough people here as well~. With this uproar, Im sure there will be a line outside by tomorrow morning?

Whooa, the business is booming.

The Confederations aim is to take the Capital, restrain the Theocracy, take over the supply of magic stones, and make a deal with the Theocracy. The bargaining chips are magic stones and the Kingdom.

And while the Kingdom and the Theocracy are glaring at each other, theyd attack the country of beastmen. The Kingdom, that wouldve come to aid the beastmen, cant act, and their business rival, the Church, is also too busy. This is the perfect opportunity for them.

If even one of those plans goes well, they will make more than enough profits, and if both do, theyll hit a jackpot. This is a large profit on a national scale. Someone, somewhere, is going to have something taken away.

Thats why crushing both will lead to huge losses. They might be a merchant confederation, specializing in making money, but here we have the Great Demon King of Ripping Off? A regular great Demon King is bad enough, but this goes straight for the money? Thats scary, you know?

Looks like Haruka-kun wants to settle the fight in three days. Once it settled, the Confederation will either keep continuously bleeding money, or will have to run away with a heavy loss. Apparently bleeding them forever is more delicious, but it wont continue for long. Thats why its a short-term souvenir store. And once the Confederation pulls back, the Capital will lose its supply and dry up. After that comes recapture of the Capital.

And Haruka-kun will return to the Frontier on his own.

For the next thing, that no one knows about yet.

Preparing to face the real opponents, still lurking in shadows.

All alone, Haruka-kun is going to defend the Frontier.

And we still havent decided whose bras are going to be made today.

All alone, he is going to work on making bras Wait, thats just how it usually goes?

[TL Notes:

[1] Shoujo (from Japanese Girl) is a category of works targeted at a young female audience, typically characterized by a focus on personal and romantic relationships. Also, not 100% sure (only 98%) but that description sounds very much like NANA.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nana_(manga)

Its literally how the manga opens. And with all of that, it somehow was labeled shoujo despite being more adult-oriented in plot than many josei titles. It also fits year-wise with many other references, being early 2000s.

[2] Omusoba yakisoba served with a thin omelet on top.

[3] Viking () is how they call all-you-can-eat buffet in Japan. Apparently, the idea traveled to Japan from Sweden after a certain hotel manager saw it there, but as one might expect smrgsbord was a bit much so they went with an easier to pronounce viking, its not hard to make the connection between Sweden and vikings, so no need to explain how that idea came up.

]