Chapter 52
Chapter 52
The day after the ball where the noble's wig was blown off.
It had turned into something outrageous.
Yes, if you had to sum it up in one phrase, it would be "What is this?!"
A massive line had formed at 'Ohana Bookstore', a magazine retailer. It looked like the kind you'd see on a department store's first day of sales, a theme park ride, or a limited-time sale of a popular dessert.
The line started at 'Ohana Bookstore' at the end of First Avenue of Greifner Street, crossed the 'Bridge of Encounters' into Second Avenue, and the end couldn't even be seen.
This is scarier than I imagined......
They're really all here just to buy the fashion magazine 'Eimy', right?
If this many people are lining up before the store even opens, how early did those two girls at the front get here? I could cry from gratitude. I want to give them a big hug. I'm fat, though.
When Clarice and I arrived at 'Ohana Bookstore', the store manager and Black Brian, who was supposed to help with sales, came running up with frantic expressions.
"Lady Ellie! Please look at this line! All 500 copies of the book, priced at six thousand Ron each, are guaranteed to sell out!"
"What should we do? Five hundred copies won't be nearly enough......"
The store manager was slightly chubby, with a gentle face that screamed book lover, and he was practically snorting.
Meanwhile, Black Brian, perhaps due to his strong sense of responsibility, seemed overwhelmed with guilt toward the customers waiting in line.
"Manager, you've got the change ready, right? Black Brian, go call the printing team. I brought the original reservation forms just in case something like this happened."
"Of course I did!"
"Okay!"
The manager returned inside the store for a final check before opening.
I handed the original reservation forms to Black Brian and told him to make 1,000 copies using "Copy." It was a simple process: copy the original onto bill-sized sheets, stamp them with Ohana Bookstore's seal, and handwrite numbers from 1 to 1,000. Since they were stamped, forgery was unlikely. The paper was small and printed in black and white. It wouldn't take much mana or time.
When I informed the manager about the reservations, a young male clerk came out and shouted toward the long line.
"The first edition is limited to 500 copies! For those who can't buy a copy today, we are handing out reservation forms for priority purchase! Only those who are okay with that, please stay in line!"
The clerk shouted as he crossed the 'Bridge of Encounters', walking all the way to the unseen end of the line.
Even after hearing the announcement, almost no one left the line.
As a kind of side-effect, a fight broke out in the middle over line-cutting or not, which turned into a bit of entertainment. It's great to have passionate people, but I don't think it's okay for adults to beat each other to bloody noses and end up in the care of the patrols.
Thirty minutes before opening, Misa and Joe arrived and were surprised by the line. Soon after, the copywriter Boing-chan and Ariana's younger brother, the fox-kin reporter Frank, showed up, so I told them to help with sales and sent them to the manager.
Then the lecherous photographer arrived, and I had him take some random photos—well, he was already shouting "Faaaantastic!" and snapping away for no reason, so I ignored him and went over to Misa and Joe.
"My lady... what on earth is this......"
Misa looked like she couldn't believe the scene in front of her. Her mouth opened and closed like a koi fish.
Joe kept repeating, "This is amazing."
Then a girl ran out from the line and called out to Misa. She didn't seem to know Misa personally.
"Um! Where did you buy that outfit? Who designed it? Did you make that magazine? Where can I buy the clothes? Are there clothes in my size too?"
The girl who fired off questions appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Misa in gaucho pants.
Misa composed herself and answered the cute young girl with a beaming smile.
"You can buy this at my store, 'Mirrors.' It was designed by Lady Ellie here and Joe, the exclusive designer for Mirrors. Lady Ellie also made the magazine. She's truly amazing. We do have your size, but even better clothes than these gaucho pants would suit you, so please come to the store."
"Wow, really?! Where is the store located?"
"It's written in the magazine you're about to buy."
"Got it! Oh, um... when I saw the poster in First Avenue, I was so shocked it felt like my heart jumped out! She was so beautiful, smiling so adorably, wearing such wonderful clothes... I stared at it for hours during my errand and my dad got mad at me. When I saw a fashion magazine was being released, I came with my friends!"
"Thank you for that. I'm Ellie Golden, the designer and editor-in-chief of the magazine."
I thanked the energetic girl and pinched my hem to give a curtsey.
"But you know, if you're going to ask questions to a stranger, you need to act like a proper lady. Appearance matters, but what's most important is what's inside. Look, like this—bow properly. Oh no! Your shirt's sticking out! Did you even look in a mirror?"
"Um... I left the house in a hurry..."
"No matter how rushed you are, you must still look presentable."
For some reason, I started lecturing her.
I want sincere, energetic girls like her to grow strong and become fine women. Yes, yes.
After a while, the girl returned to the line, and it was time to start selling. It was 9 a.m. The capital city of Greifner, a melting pot of people—those heading to work, delivery boys running, loud peddlers marching, groups of adventurers, patrols checking in—was bustling as always. And the line for the magazine only added to the chaos.
"Now then, everyoneee! We're starting the sale of the Kingdom of Greifner's first fashion magazine, 'Eimy'! Please have your money ready and don't push!!"
When the manager of Ohana Bookstore called out loudly to open, cheers and applause rang out from the line. As expected, a high-energy reaction from the citizens of Greifner.
"You're the very first customer! Congratulations!"
The girl at the front of the line paid and received her magazine, hugging it to her chest with delight as she hopped away from the line. Their smiles were dazzling. Worth more than a million dollars—priceless smiles.
I'm really glad I made this magazine. Sure, I had the grand ulterior motive of making miniskirts and hot pants popular, but seeing women smile is a wonderful sight. I really am a genius.
○
After confirming the magazine had sold out with Clarice, we headed to Mirrors.
It was packed with people too.
The muscular doorman who was always standing like a gatekeeper was struggling to keep order, while Usax stood beside him with his bunny ears perked up, efficiently dealing with customers. Ninety percent of the people in line were women, ranging from teens to twenties. They were all desperately peeking into the magazine, chatting about what looked best.
To be honest, the magazine's contents were thin. And the book itself was thin.
Due to budget and "Copy" limitations, we couldn't increase the number of pages. Including the cover, there were nine color pages and nine black-and-white pages—for a total of eighteen pages. We featured seven carefully selected outfit combinations.
I took the magazine from Clarice and opened to the page I had checked countless times.
'Eimy'
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'Style Over Defense!'
Pages one and two.
A giant photo of Amy across the spread.
She's smiling in a breezy striped one-piece dress, with a cardigan wrapped around her shoulders.
So cute.
——————————————————————
'Will You Protect Me?'
~I don't need defense anymore. I'll let the one I love protect me~
The same as the cover: a knee-length skirt with a design of tiny spirits of water scattered over a blue background, and a slim-fitted white button-up shirt.
Amy's bright smile is aimed right at the reader. So cute.
——————————————————————
'This Year You'll Be Popular With This! Even That Special Someone Will Fall Hard!'
A red flared skirt, similar to what Elizabeth wore at the ball. The summer knit top was an unusual short-sleeved style in Greifner.
Amy is glancing up adorably. So freaking cute.
——————————————————————
'Capable Women Wear Gaucho Pants'
Amy is wearing khaki gaucho pants and studying intently in the magic academy library. The photo breaks the Greifner norm that says pants are taboo for women. Amy looks so mature and sharp. So cute.
——————————————————————
'On Days Off, Relax at Your Favorite Café'
A long white skirt with bold red stripes. A light brown jacket over a white turtleneck. Her earrings are fluffy balls made from the tails of F-rank mini-mini rabbits.
The café where it was shot is the most popular among youth and is located across from 'Ohana Bookstore'—'Italleria'.
Ugh... if I were a guy, I'd want to meet Amy at a café. So darn cute.
——————————————————————
I flipped through the pages.
The remaining two outfits were adventurer-style and a simple look incorporating Greifner trends.
The black-and-white pages turned out quite entertaining.
An interview and photo of Misa. The article about how we defeated the Bone Lizard included a picture of a swarm of Little Lizards, taken by the lecherous photographer at the risk of death.
Other pages included info about the clothes, how to wear them, features on meeting spots, and tips on how to capture the heart of your crush—typical women's magazine content.
Satisfied, I closed the magazine and handed it to Clarice.
I tried to enter the store without bumping into the people in line.
Immediately, a woman in line shouted, "No cutting!" As I wondered what to do, Misa came out of the store with a smile and loudly called out, "Isn't that the designer, Lady Ellie Golden!" letting me through. Everyone looked at me with puzzled eyes, thinking, Isn't that the fat girl?
The inside of the store was less crowded than I expected.
They must be limiting the number of people allowed in.
"Did you see that huge line, my lady, that amazing turnout! I feel like I'm going to explode from happiness!"
Misa exclaimed in joy.
Please stop shaking my shoulders so forcefully. My belly and upper arm fat are jiggling so much I feel sick.
Joe was seriously helping a young girl choose clothes. He hadn't noticed us. Still, the popularity was incredible. The girls were swarming like cats after food. Well, Joe is handsome after all.
"At this rate, we'll sell out the inventory today!"
"Keep selling! We're rewriting Greifner's fashion history!"
"Yes, indeed, my lady!"
And ten percent of the profits are coming to me as design fees. Misa said it wasn't much, but this amount is fine. If Mirrors couldn't make new clothes because I took too much, that'd be a problem.
○
And thus, the first day of magazine sales came to a successful close.
I launched my own business called 'Kobashigawa Trading Company' and decided to leave operations and such entirely to the magazine editorial team. If I didn't establish my own company now, it seemed like things might get troublesome later.
Several sharp-eyed merchants, sensing a business opportunity, came to negotiate with Ohana Bookstore and Mirrors. To prevent others from snatching away the profits, the plan was to quickly consolidate advertising, distribution, and sales under 'Kobashigawa Trading Company'.
I'm good at promotional and planning sales, but I'm completely useless at management and administration. I'm seriously bad at clerical work. So I made myself the president, appointed Usax and Clarice as vice presidents, and gave the other members fitting positions.
We need to produce the second issue of the magazine, and we might as well plan collaborations with other stores and do features on cosmetics, makeup, and hairstyles. For now, the direction is to have 'Kobashigawa Trading Company' support Mirrors with a focus on magazine planning.