Half a month after new personnel were added.
The increase in people led to a rise in production and sales, coupled with a decay of novelty, which helped to normalize the number of people lining up at the food stall.
Of course, the absolute number had increased, so their popularity hadn’t declined.
Around this time, it was only natural that more people began to notice their popularity and inquire about making similar items themselves.
However, even though things had settled down, it didn’t mean people had disappeared, so they only came to ask when they had a chance.
As expected, no one had yet come to try and forcibly extract information during busy times.
Rather, if anyone were to disrupt their sales, they would likely be met with boos from the customers, so they were being cautious.
In any case, the food stall sales were steadily clearing the first stage that Floria and the others had anticipated.
After finishing the report from Sarasa, Floria turned her gaze to Sarasa, who was standing before her.
“You’re quite something, working at the reception. Your reports are easy to read.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Although she had submitted reports several times already, Sarasa looked taken aback at being praised for the first time and then bowed her head.
Immediately, a realization dawned on her face.
“Ah, no. It’s not that, you see.”
The report also included inquiries about future policies.
Sarasa had waited to deliver the report not just to hand it over, but also to hear the answer regarding those inquiries.
Floria let out a smile at Sarasa’s hesitation.
“F-Fufu. I was joking. Well, the report being neat isn’t a joke, though.”
After that brief preamble, Floria got to the main point.
“Indeed, looking at the report, it seems the conditions are met.”
“Then?”
“Just wait. The original plan was to observe for about a month. First, I’ll consult with the others. However, I don’t expect any opposition, so expect us to proceed.”
“Understood.”
Sarasa bowed respectfully to Floria’s answer.
Floria and the others’ original objective was not to run a food stall itself, but to spread the dishes from Kousuke’s hometown.
The initial plan was to continue the food stall with only those who knew Kousuke and his companions for about a month, and then teach the cooking method to those who showed interest.
If the curry and fried foods were not sufficiently spread among the townspeople, there would be no point in teaching them to those who wished to open new shops.
Floria and the others had estimated a month for this understanding to permeate.
However, judging from Sarasa’s current report, it seemed that they were already sufficiently spread.
This was precisely why Floria had said what she did earlier.
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Floria returned to the management layer with Sarasa’s report and headed to the meeting room to consult with Kousuke.
When Floria opened the door and entered the meeting room, Kousuke, Silvia, and Schmidt were already there.
“Floria, what’s wrong? You seem a little rushed.”
Kousuke’s sudden remark surprised Floria, causing her to stop in her tracks.
Floria, in her heart, was indeed in a hurry, but she hadn’t intended to show it.
Looking at Silvia and Schmidt, who appeared bewildered, it was clear they hadn’t thought Floria was in a rush.
“Mm. No, my apologies. Nothing bad has happened.”
Floria prefaced her statement to reassure Kousuke before getting straight to the point.
Waving Sarasa’s report in her right hand, Floria began to speak.
“Regarding the food stall. Although it’s earlier than the original plan, I’m here to consult about proceeding with the plan. Both the numbers and Sarasa’s feel indicate it has spread sufficiently.”
As she spoke, Floria handed the report to Kousuke.
Kousuke quickly skimmed the report, then handed it to Silvia as is and nodded.
“Indeed, it seems to be spreading quite well.”
As the report was passed in turn to Silvia and then Schmidt, Floria also nodded.
“Even in the original plan, we calculated it would spread quickly due to its novelty and deliciousness. It’s surpassed that. …Honestly, I underestimated it.”
“You really did.”
Kousuke returned a wry smile to Floria, who wore a complex expression, a mix of astonishment and delight.
Schmidt, having finished the report, returned it to Floria and looked at her with an expectant gaze.
“From what I see here, it seems more than sufficient. Do you have any concerns?”
Schmidt wanted to send chefs affiliated with Crown as soon as possible to learn the curry recipe.
The reason they hadn’t intervened until now was partly out of consideration for Kousuke and the others, but primarily because they had agreed with the original plan.
Schmidt also believed that the recipe Mitsuki held certainly wasn’t something Crown should monopolize.
“No, it’s not just about accelerating the timeline, but more importantly, with how quickly it’s spread, I’m concerned about how many people we should accept. I’d really like to hear Schmidt’s opinion on that matter.”
Spreading the curry recipe to others was part of the original plan, so it wasn’t a major issue.
However, among the customers at the food stall now were individuals clearly acting as agents for people of high status.
If they hadn’t noticed, they wouldn’t be making repeated bulk purchases that ordinary people couldn’t afford.
Considering that there were not just one or two, but many such individuals, it was unavoidable to have a headache thinking about the future.
If wealthy individuals wanted the curry recipe, even if Eri and the others taught them, those individuals might be taken in by them.
In fact, Eri and the others were already receiving such overtures.
Conversely, creating a patent-like system for protection would be a mistake in this particular case.
This is because, even if the recipe were protected, one would still need money to learn it.
“…Why don’t we teach it to the major culinary guilds, including Crown?”
Schmidt, after a moment of thought, said to Kousuke and the others.
“Wouldn’t that deviate from our original objective?”
“No. At least Crown has no intention of keeping the recipe secret. Conversely, if we teach it to many guilds, its exclusivity will diminish. And then, if we teach it to individuals other than those major guilds…”
“So, it would further lose its exclusivity.”
Floria anticipated Schmidt’s words, understanding his objective.
“Yes. Once the recipe is widespread, even if major guilds know it, wouldn’t our objective be achieved?”
“I see. You do have a point.”
As Floria nodded at Schmidt’s statement, Kousuke, who had been listening, looked at Schmidt with a sly grin.
“Surely, Schmidt, you’re not just thinking of that, are you?”
“Oh? Whatever do you mean?”
Schmidt adopted a merchant-like expression in response to Kousuke’s words.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. It aligns with our original objectives anyway.”
As a reminder, Kousuke and the others’ objective was to spread curry (and other dishes), not the recipe itself.
What Schmidt was likely thinking aligned with that objective.
Therefore, Kousuke saw no need to object and stopped pressing Schmidt further.
What Schmidt was thinking will be revealed in the next chapter.
It’s not a big deal, though. It’s something that happens quite normally in Japanese society.
I simply split it because I exceeded the character limit.
