Night Parade (Trial Run)
Latifah Fleuranza, first princess of Maple Land, did not spend all day in the rooftop garden communing with birds and drinking tea. She had refused to have attendants, so she did most of the housework herself. She made breakfast, cleaned her room, and made her own bed with ease. On days when she was in better health, she would clean and tend the garden. She’d even bring out her stepladder and prune branches in the trees—at this, she was better than most gardeners.
Her blindness was an inconvenience, but she had excellent senses of hearing and smell (and of course, taste!), and she knew the castle like the back of her hand. On top of that, Latifah was a resident of a magical realm, and she was also of royal blood. This granted her a sort of magical sixth sense that let her perceive deeper truths about the things around her. For instance, when choosing her clothing in the morning, she couldn’t really see the colors for herself. Yet somehow, she knew when she was holding a white silk dress. It was a bit like instinct, but far more accurate.
She had a knack for identifying deception, as well. Latifah could immediately tell when there was filler mixed into the minced meat she used for making her special croquettes. She wouldn’t fall for faked sell-by dates or production regions, and she was especially sensitive to toxicity. Merchant scams were no match for Latifah Fleuranza.
And so, all in all, she had no real issues getting about her day. After tending the garden, she would have a light lunch; she might invite Isuzu and Moffle over, and other cast members might stop by, as well.
In the afternoon, she would practice her music. Lately she’d been very engaged with the piano, though her performances there were rather questionable. She wasn’t tone deaf by any means, but her hands were so small that she found most songs difficult to play well (although in that regard, it was an eternal mystery as to how Macaron played as well as he did with mere hooves...). At any rate, she was unlikely to ever play for the park guests.
Then, sometimes, she would talk on the phone with the owner of Saigo-tei Croquettes, her own personal cooking instructor. That day, they were discussing the issue of mass production.
Lately, sales of the park’s croquettes had been surging. With more and more guests visiting, it was only natural that demand for its most famous treat would go through the roof. They used to sell few enough that a single girl could make them all, but that no longer applied— Even when she worked as hard as they could, they always ran out during the lunch rush.
Kanie Seiya would tell her, “Don’t push yourself too hard. It’s best if they stay rare anyway,” but Latifah felt an obligation to her guests. What kind of hostess would she be to the people who came all the way to the park if they couldn’t enjoy the food that was their pride and joy?
Even so, making croquettes in large numbers made quality control extremely difficult. It was hard enough for a professional restaurant, but such techniques were completely unknown to Latifah. She came away from the discussion with her instructor that day with the conclusion that, given her skill and stamina and the facilities available at Maple Castle, there was no way to increase her output without a drop in quality.
She thanked him politely, hung up the phone, then sank into depression. Everyone else was working so hard, yet she was contributing nothing. Of course, she knew that sulking wouldn’t help. She was the park’s leader, and projecting an aura of negativity was the worst thing she could do.
All right! she told herself. Then let us prepare for tomorrow! She changed into her kappogi, a full-body work apron; she used to make croquettes in her princess dress with a regular apron on top, but these days, she didn’t have time for such “elegance.” Revving herself up as much as she could, Latifah headed for the Maple Castle kitchen, where Nick, the head of the food division, was just bringing in the ingredients.
Nick was a cast member who had a cartoon hunk of meat for a head. She’d heard that he’d come from the magical realm of Cookingdom. Latifah had been worried that he might serve pieces of his head to his guests, but Nick’s response was “Don’t worry, niku. I only do that as a party trick, niku.” They were peeling potatoes in the kitchen when Kanie Seiya arrived.
“Kanie-sama,” Latifah greeted him.
“Hey,” he replied. “I went up to the garden and you weren’t there... So this is where you were, huh?”
“Yes. I am working diligently to make croquettes.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” he told her. “Just don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”
“Of course.” Latifah smiled brightly.
“Ah... right,” Seiya agreed. “I’m counting on you too, okay, Nick?”
“Got it, niku. I won’t tell anyone about you crushing on Latifah-sama in her kappogi, niku.”
“Sh-Shut up!”
“Niku-niku-niku,” the meat-man laughed. “Should I leave you two alone, niku?”
“N-No... Keep on doing what you’re doing,” Seiya told him. “The business I’m here on isn’t exactly top secret.”
“You got it, niku.” Nick resumed peeling his potatoes.
She could hear the sound of Seiya flipping through documents. Clearly, he must be here on some work-related purpose.
“Now, how may I help you, Kanie-sama?” she asked.
“Well, ah... I’ve been looking through the new proposals that the cast submitted earlier. I’ve more or less narrowed down the candidates, and I wanted to get your opinion on them.”
“New proposals?” she questioned.
“Yeah. Most of them were pretty ridiculous... but a few seemed usable, at least.”
“I see... Do continue.” Latifah straightened up. This was her chance to really show responsibility as the park’s manager. If she was going to feel useless constantly, she could at least appear stately once in a while!
“A-Are you okay?” Seiya asked.
“Ah?”
“Um... the knife? It might be dangerous to do this while you’re holding it.”
“Ah.” She had put her hands on her lap while still holding the peeling knife and the potato. It had likely looked a bit dangerous. “F-Forgive me...” She quickly laid the knife and potato on the table. “All right... n-now, the new proposals?”
“Right,” Seiya continued. “One’s for a new exhibition hall. We can sell discounted brand overstock, do cross-promotions with regional specialties... things like that.”
“Ahh...”
“We’ll be aiming at local housewives. It seems like a pretty solid plan to me... I think it’d make a good addition to Etceteland.”
“Y-Yes...” Latifah thought it over carefully. “Forgive me for being critical... But are such places not quite common? In department stores and trade centers and the like...”
“Hm. True enough,” he agreed.
“I wonder how the children who come to see Unc—ah, Moffle-san and the others—might feel about such a sight,” she mused seriously. “It might feel out of place.”
“Hmm.”
“If you will allow me a moment to speak freely, I believe that those who come to this park do so to experience something extraordinary. The sight of a mere discount store amidst all the wonder...”
“Yeah, that probably would ruin it,” Seiya agreed.
“Yes... O-Of course, it would surely prove profitable as well. Perhaps I should not be so quick to criticize...”
“No, you’re right,” Seiya said warmly. “I was thinking the same thing. It’s a relief that you share my opinion... I’ll knock that proposal off the list.”
“W-Will you?” Seiya seemed willing to breeze past it, but Latifah was uncertain. A member of her cast had submitted this proposal; he (or she) must have worked very hard on its submission. And then she, with her ‘voice of authority,’ had simply brushed it aside...
“What’s wrong?” Seiya asked.
“Ah, nothing...”
“Oh? Well, let’s go over the next one...” She heard again the sound of Seiya flipping through documents.
“Ah,” he said. “No, we can’t do this one...”
“...?” Latifah waited for him to continue.
“It’s the bunny hunt proposal,” he explained, “but it’s out.”
“Ahh...”
“It’s a Tiramii idea, so it’s pretty gross. I don’t know how it got mixed in with the others. I was sure I’d thrown it out, but...”
“Oh, but I do wish to hear it... What kind of proposal is this ‘bunny hunt’?” Latifah pressed him curiously.
Seiya just groaned. “Look, it doesn’t matter...”
“But...”
“Forget about it! Next one.” Forcing an end to the subject, Seiya went back to flipping through his documents, muttering all the while. “Huh? ...These are all off. Some weird sex parlor, a war movie thing... Ah, here’s a decent one. Here.”
“Yes?” she inquired. “Do proceed.”
“Right... It’s a parade!” Seiya proclaimed at last with confidence.
“A parade?”
The next day, at the planning meeting...
“...And that’s what Latifah had to say.” Seiya proclaimed to the various department heads. Moffle, Isuzu, and the others frowned, falling deep into thought.
“Moffu... Well, the parade idea’s a good one, fumo. You want to try it, Seiya?” Moffle asked.
Seiya nodded. “Yeah. The parade is a strong contender. The issue is the funding... but we can manage it with a little creative consideration, I think.” They were currently well-funded, thanks to the sale of the second park. They weren’t exactly rolling in dough, but they could afford to be a little extravagant when investing in their future.
“Then shall we proceed with the parade proposal?” Isuzu suggested. “We may need to rush things, but it might be possible to arrange before summer vacations begin...”
“Yeah, I think we can manage it.” He looked over those present and saw no signs of objection. He could say, “Let’s do it,” and move them right into the planning stages. But Seiya balked, wondering if he should say the other thing that was on his mind.
“Kanie-kun. What’s the matter?” Isuzu was still calling him by his surname during meetings, even though when it was just Moffle or others like him around, she had taken to calling him Seiya-kun.
“Ah. Well... I was thinking, maybe...”
“Fumo?”
“Could we put Latifah in the parade?” Seiya blurted out. “She’s got the look, and she certainly qualifies as a princess.
Moffle furrowed his brow. “Latifah? In front of a crowd, fumo?”
“Yeah... Is that not a good idea?”
“Moffu... Hmm. Well, I see what you’re getting at, but...”
Latifah was a really beautiful girl. When they’d shot the swimsuit PV, Latifah had held her own in popularity with Isuzu and Muse. They hadn’t brought out Latifah much since then, due to Moffle’s fervent objections. But they’d still gotten regular calls and emails from guests asking when they’d get to see “that blonde beauty” again.
“If she gets too popular, she might get busy, and she’s the kind of person that won’t say no to anyone. I just think it might get overwhelming for her, fumo.”
“I think it’d be all right as long as we manage her schedule,” Seiya disagreed.
“Moffu. Fair enough.”
“I think she feels a little bad about the croquettes being her only contribution to the park,” Seiya went on. “And... I was wondering if being in front of a cheering crowd of guests might be good for her, animus-wise.”
“You’re right about that,” Isuzu said. “Being in front of the guests as much as possible would be the best thing for her health.”
“Really? In that case...”
“But Latifah’s a VIP, fumo,” Moffle said with a scowl. “She’s the first princess of Maple Land. All kinds of bad guys have her number, fumo. Terrorists, the UPSR, the mafia...”
“True,” Isuzu agreed. “If the princess were captured, the ransom they could demand would be the equivalent of billions of yen.”
“What?!” Seiya was shocked, but Isuzu and Moffle continued on casually enough.
“Still, if that’s what Latifah wants, I’d like to give it to her, fumo.”
“Indeed. But a parade would require greater security than even what we offer at Maple Castle.”
“Yes. That’s the trouble, fumo...” Moffle folded his arms and sank into thought. He scowled, then nodded a few times as if convincing himself of something. And then— “All right, let’s do it, fumo!” he declared.
“Are you sure?” Seiya asked.
“Moffu. I’ve got some connections, fumo, and I can call in a few favors from my old battle comrades.”
“Hmm...” “I’ll do my part as well,” Isuzu promised. “I shall see to it that the princess participates safely in the parade.”
Moffle and Isuzu both stood tall, radiating confidence and decisiveness.
“No matter what enemy appears...”
“...We’ll be prepared to meet them, fumo.” they declared.
“I see. I’ll leave it up to you guys, then.” Seiya said in relief.
The park’s cheerful theme song played as an unadorned armored car rolled down the main avenue of Sorcerer’s Hill. The car moved heavily and slowly, marked by aluminum composite armor, the roaring of a crusty diesel engine, and an armor-plated underframe. It was strong enough to withstand anti-tank mines and IED explosions, and had enough horsepower to get them to a safe area if needed. Decorative lighting was kept to a minimum; it would waste electricity, and make the VIP inside more of a target.
From within that heavily armored car, sweating, Latifah waved, timidly. It was probably almost impossible for the guests outside to see her, of course. Her armored car was sandwiched on either side by two new-generation Humvees. Machine gun barrels peeked out from bulletproof glass turrets, their shooters’ eyes glinting as they scanned the scene for targets. Cast members walked beside the car on foot, armed with M4 carbines and FN Minimis. If someone dangerous was spotted among the guests, he could be instantly neutralized with a wall of fire.
“This isn’t exactly what we discussed...” Seiya whispered, crestfallen.
“What are you talking about, fumo? These are the security levels necessary to keep Latifah safe, fumo.”
“I agree,” Isuzu said. “We never know what dangerous elements could be mixed in with our cast.”
“But I don’t think even the Pope has security like this...” Seiya pointed out, but Moffle and Isuzu remained unfazed.
“Oh? That is a sign that the Pope is not as important as the princess, then.”
“That goes for the POTUS, too, fumo.”
“Oh, for the love of...” Seiya groaned.
“What are you groaning about, fumo?”
“Never mind,” Seiya said. “Anyway, how did you find the budget for all those military vehicles?”
“It’s all rentals, fumo. It’s just a trial run, after all.”
Today’s parade was a trial run: a one-time-only parade on a weeknight, which would serve as a proof of concept. They would apply what they learned tonight to shape future parade attempts.
Seiya was glad it was only a trial, of course—the guests were predictably disturbed by the military parade. Children cringed, mothers scowled... Some of the fathers seemed pleased, but even they were few in number.
And so, amidst a strangely somber mood, the first Night Parade (Trial Run) came to an end. No harm came to Latifah (naturally) and the park people applauded happily when it was over.
Seiya nodded reluctantly in response, but when he thought about Latifah’s feelings, it was hard to stay positive; she probably wanted to wave to the crowd, beaming, like that Digimaland princess. She couldn’t have wanted this. She must be despondent, Seiya thought. He came out into Maple Castle’s rooftop garden with a leaden feeling in his stomach.
But... “Kanie-sama?!” Latifah’s mood seemed surprisingly buoyant.. “Oh, the parade was just wonderful! I was so thrilled to be able to wave to the guests! They did sound a bit taken aback, but... ah, surely it was just the hesitance of meeting someone they had never met before.”
I doubt that’s the reason... Seiya thought.
“Oh, but that feeling of everyone enjoying themselves...!” Latifah gushed. “I have never felt so happy before!”
“...Right.” Now that he thought about it, this was about right for Latifah. Maybe he should figure out a way to work out the security measures to keep her in the parade. “Hmm... then we’ll be happy to have you again.”
“Forever and ever!” Latifah said, with a smile that shone like the sun.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login