A mid-level (middle-aged) office worker's laid-back industrial revolution in another world - Chapter 158

Translator: Jasper Kadowaki | Editor: NovelMultiverse

Takeo and everyone with him arrived at the tailor’s shop. 

“Lady Alice, Kitamizato-sama. Welcome,” said the shopkeeper, in greeting. 

“I feel like we were just here. Sorry for bothering you again,” said Alice.

“Excuse us for barging in, yet again,” said Takeo. 

“Wait – is that Lady Layla?!” asked the shopkeeper. 

“Hello, sir. It’s been a while,” said Layla.

“You grow more beautiful with each time I see you. More importantly, though, you look to be in good health. And who are these people you’ve brought with you?” 

“They’re my husband and my father-in-law,” said Layla. The shopkeeper stiffened up for a moment. 

“…Are you keeping their status private?”

“Yes. We’ve kept Takeo-san out of the loop.”

“Understood,” said the shopkeeper. 

“Shopkeeper,” said Takeo, “Would it be possible to order some custom trench coats for these three guests?”

“What?!” the shopkeeper cried, looking at Layla and the other two guests. 

“Oh… Is there a problem?” asked Takeo, with a worried tone. 

“No, no. There’s absolutely no problem. I would be very glad to fill the order. I’ll prepare for taking measurements in the back,” said the shopkeeper. He started walking to the back of the shop with another shop attendant by his side.

“Oh, and one more thing… I’m sorry for making so many requests…” said Takeo. 

“Yes, what is it?” said the shopkeeper. 

“These three guests asked if they could have the trench coats right away. They would like to buy some of the brand new ones that are ready for market…” said Takeo. 

The shopkeeper was shocked into a state of speechlessness. 

“…Would that be too much to ask?” said Takeo, worried. 

“No! That’s quite all right. We’ve actually just made two of each size, so they can choose which ones they would like to take. It wouldn’t be a problem at all,” said the shopkeeper. 

“…Well, we wouldn’t be just taking them, you know? We would pay for them, of course,” said Takeo. 

“Hmm, yes. We’ve brought money to buy them with,” said the king. 

“You see?” asked Takeo. 

“Uh… Understood,” said the shopkeeper, “I’ll have the goods brought out, immediately.” He was sweating now, and he practically ran the rest of the way to the back of his shop and disappeared. 

“I wonder why he’s so jumpy…” muttered Takeo as he watched the shopkeeper go. 

Alice and Layla laughed awkwardly as they watched Takeo’s reaction. 

The shopkeeper then brought out the trench coats.

“I’ve made the necessary preparations for taking measurements. Shall we start with Lady Layla?” asked the shopkeeper. 

“All right,” said Layla, “Alice will come with me.”

The two of them headed to the back of the shop.

“Oh, and by the way, Kitamizato-sama,” said the shopkeeper. 

“What is it?” asked Takeo.

“The down jackets and vests,” said the shopkeeper.

“Yes?”[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]

“They’re ready.”

“Oh?”

“We’ve finished experimenting with test products.”

“Quick work as usual, I see.”

“Could you try them on?”

“Of course,” said Takeo. 

The shopkeeper then brought the down jackets and vests out from the back. 

Takeo thought to himself in astonishment, He was going to have me try them on, huh.

When he put one on, he noticed that the material was different from nylon, in that it was a little harder, but it didn’t bother him very much. 

“It actually feels better than I expected,” said Takeo, nodding with satisfaction. 

“Takeo, what’s that?” asked King Azupal, apparently very interested. 

“It’s my second invention in clothing. Would you like to try it on?” asked Takeo. 

“Yes, I would like to wear it,” said the king.

Takeo took off the jacket, and the king tried it on. 

“Oh… It’s warm… I see… Wow…” said the king, admiring the jacket and nodding. 

King Azupal then had William try it on. 

“Ah. This is nice and warm,” said William. “It’s quite different from the trench coat. Takeo-san, what exactly are people supposed to use this for?

“I thought it would be good for people working outside – like farmers, foresters, or shopkeepers selling their wares outdoors.”

“Ah, good. That’s a good idea, Takeo,” said the king. 

“Yes, I agree,” said William. 

The two of them nodded in agreement. 

“Kitamizato-sama and I were talking this morning about making a holiday out of the unveiling of this product. We would have it celebrated throughout the city,” said the shopkeeper. 

“Wow. A holiday. Like a national holiday?” asked the king. 

“No, no. Not even a duke could establish a national holiday, right?” said Takeo. “For example, we were talking about making one day next month a day to thank all the hard workers in this city. I was thinking it would be nice to have a day where children could show their thanks to their parents and relatives. I had a vision of a scene where a small child is presenting their father with a wrapped down vest, saying, ‘Thanks for always being there for me.’”

King Azupal and William took a moment to imagine this scene and nodded.

“It would be a great scene to behold,” said the king. 

“Yes. This idea that Takeo-sama has come up with could be the basis of many smiles across the city,” said William. 

“Yes, that’s true,” said the king. 

“Actually, there’s a union meeting with some of the shop owners later today,” said the shopkeeper, suddenly. 

“Oh, really? The owners of various clothing shops around the city are meeting for a discussion?” 

“Yes. It’s a meeting to discuss things like the invention of the trench coat and other administrative issues,” said the shopkeeper. “Kitamizato-sama, do you think you could come to the meeting and talk about the proposed holiday?”

“I don’t mind. I’m sure it will help towards making a plan to stimulate the economy in this town. I’m not informed on what kind of unions exist in this city, though… I think it would be a good idea to include not only the tailors, but also the restaurant owners, grocers, and general store owners.”

“But, Takeo, if you include all those people, won’t that lessen the profits you could make?” asked King Azupal, worriedly. 

“Hm? It’s not like a festival, so I don’t think it would really be an issue. It’s not as if we are going to hold an event in the streets, and it would just be a matter of each store offering their own sale for the holiday… Yes. For example, a restaurant owner could decide to make soup free on the holiday, and a grocer or a general store owner might choose certain products to be half price. ‘Showing gratitude’ is such a wide theme, that there are all kinds of sales one could come up with to match the theme. It’s just a matter of what the store owners come up with. If the sale attracts buyers and they decide to buy some of the other products, well, the profits might be meager, but… The shops should end up with more sales, so I don’t think it could be a bad thing.”

“I see… It’s a business plan that’s about more than just feelings, then,” said the king. 

“Business and feelings are intertwined, but if you try to business based only on feelings and emotions, your business will fail very quickly,” said Takeo. “A business can only keep going if there are profits being made. Business is harsh in that way,” said Takeo. He smiled, sadly. [Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]