A small section in the Southern Area of Symphonia Kingdom. Inside the store, which was supposed to be closed for the day, two people were facing each other across a desk, with what appeared to be an attendant waiting behind them.

  [……And so, we would like to purchase a certain number of these items.]

  [I see, I suppose it isn’t a bad deal.]

  The chairman of the Mikumo Trading Company, the purple-haired Mikumo Akane, clad in her leopard print clothing, proceeded with a smile on her face.

  Her purpose this time was to negotiate the purchase of a slightly unusual item sold at this store. The reason being that the item had recently become popular in the Hydra Kingdom, and there were signs of a sharp rise in its price, so she wanted to be the first to procure it.

  The Mikumo Trading Company, which uses Teleportation Magic to move from place to place, is known for its mobility and speed of purchase, and such a situation was a great business opportunity for them.

  Although there were signs of its price rising, the prices hadn’t really skyrocketed yet, and they believed that there was a high possibility that they would be able to purchase a large quantity.

  (……Well, from what I see, it will almost certainly rise in price. We were lucky to procure it early…… I’d like to get a good deal out of this if I can…… Now then, I wonder how much I’d be able to get from this representative of theirs?)

  The person facing Akane wasn’t the manager of this store, but an investor who had invested in this store, and she was here this time in place of the store owner, who was inexperienced with negotiations.

  [Of course, being a short notice, we’re willing to pay a little more than the market price.]

  [Hooohhh, that sounds really great…… By the way, is that market price “Symphonia Kingdom’s market price”? Or perhaps…… “Hydra Kingdom’s market price”?]

  Hearing the words told to her with a smile, Akane kept her smile on her face, but inwardly, she was feeling a little frustrated.

  (D*mn it…… A roundabout way of restraining. If she especially mentioned Hydra Kingdom, she’s got a good grasp of the signs of the soaring prices…… Dealing with capable people’s troublesome.)

  Hearing Hydra Kingdom being mentioned by the investor, Akane realized that the person in front of her has the same information as she does, and she changes her perception about the person in front of her to be quite capable.

  If possible, Mikumo Trading Company would have liked to conclude the contract on terms favorable to them…… but as they proceeded to probe each other, Akane decided to revise her target.

  (……This is bad, she’s very good. If we carelessly tried to pull out favorable terms from them, we might get a painful blowback here, and if we were even more careless, we might end up with an unfavorable contract. It can’t be helped. I guess I’ll just have to stop being greedy and switch my target to signing an equal contract with them.)

  Akane, thinking that the investor in front of her was extremely skilled and that it would be difficult to win against her in a battle of words, decided to revise her lower her target and aim for a 50-50 contract.

  Thereupon, the maid Frau whispered to Akane’s ear.

  [……It seems that there is a store in Archlesia Empire that deals with similar products.]

  Hearing the words whispered to her in a voice only Akane could hear, she quietly pondered.

  (I can see why Frau expressly told me that. Indeed, I could probably get a better deal that way, and as expected, there aren’t many people who’re as capable as this person in front of me…… If we go there now, it wouldn’t take us that much time. Now then, what should we do……)

  After thinking for a while, Akane let out a light sigh, took out her calculator magic tool, and entered the numbers into it.

  [……How about this much?]

  [Oh, this is quite a bit higher than the market price. Is that really alright?]

  [Yes, we are almost certain that this item will soar in price, so purchasing them at this cost will be sufficient to make us a profit.]

  Akane was certain that this negotiation would go through. The amount of money she offered wasn’t a good figure for her. It would definitely be considerably lower than the profit she had originally expected.

  However, the other party’s store didn’t have a strong sales network to other countries, so there was no way for them to sell to Hydra Kingdom on their own, so with such favorable terms, she thought refusing wouldn’t be an option for them.

  As Akane had read, she agreed to the price she offered, and the contract was successfully concluded.

  As they left the store and walked towards the mobile trading company’s carriage, Frau asked Akane.

  [It’s all good and all, but with the contract we had just now…… I think it would have been more profitable for us to go to Archlesia Empire to purchase the items.]

  [Yeah, I think so too.]

  [Then, why?]

  [Hmmm…… I feel like it would be better to make a connection with her even if we lose some profits. No, well, I don’t have a clear reason for it either. I guess all I can say is that it’s my hunch as a merchant.]

  In fact, Akane feels that it would have been more profitable for them to go to Archlesia Empire to purchase the goods as Frau said, and even if that weren’t the case, she could have concluded a contract with them for a price lower than what they used for this negotiation.

  However, Akane felt in her gut that even if they were to be at an advantage, she should make a good impression on her, and she went with her hunch.

  [……That investor is quite capable, and with that self-confidence she had earlier…… I think her financial power is considerable. I think it would be beneficial for us to make a good impression on her in the future.]

  [I see.]

  [Well, it was a complete miscalculation that we’d end up negotiating with such a big guy in that small store……]

  [Indeed…… Also, she’s probably a Count-rank. That attendant who came with her too……]

  [No way……]

  [I’m sure of it……]

  [She’s probably someone famous…… I’ll try checking with my connections…… If I’m not mistaken, I think her name is “Anima”.]

  Fate is a strange thing, and Akane’s intuition as a merchant…… Her actions based on that intuition mysteriously led her to make a connection with Kaito.