The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 4 - Chapter 172

Chapter 172:

I’m the Representative?

“Thanks, Ivy. I think this should make people a little more open to the idea of eating ryce.”

“I’m just happy to help, sir.” I hope everyone likes rice. Wow, I’m starting to get a little nervous.

“For today’s formula, we’ll register Druid, myself, and Ivy, with Ivy as the rep. If there are any dividends, we’ll split them five-to-two, five-to-two, and five. That sound good?”

Hm? What’s he talking about? Register what? Dividends?

“Yeah, that should be fine. Thanks for setting everything up, Dad.”

“What?!”

Druid had answered for me before I even had a chance to sort out my confusion. When he said “register,” he was talking about the sauce we just made, right?

“Um, Mr. Druid, what’s all of this about?”

“The patent for the sauce. If we’re going to sell the sauce you made, we’ll need to pay a fee to own the rights to it. Then, even if we make improvements on the recipe later, the patent will be based on the original version.”

Oooh, that’s neat. Wait…what?

“Um, what does it mean to be the representative? As the shopkeeper, wouldn’t it be better for you to be the representative instead of me?”

All I’d done was run my mouth and have Druid and his father do all the work to make the sauce.

“No, Ivy, you’re the whole reason why we made this sauce in the first place,” Druid insisted. “And since you took the initiative and thought up the flavors, you should be our representative.”

Really, though? Well, I should probably take Druid’s word for it. But is this really all for the best?

“Don’t worry, Ivy. My father always knows what to do.”

“Really? Well, I guess it’s okay, then.”

I’ll just worry about technical things like patents after we actually get people to like our sauce. The food shortage is the bigger problem right now.

“When are we going to start selling it?” I asked Druid’s father, who’d finally finished writing down a bunch of notes and numbers on a piece of paper.

“Yes, about that… What’s the best way to do it?”

The best way? “To advertise, sir?”

“Yes. If people hear the word ‘ryce,’ it’s hard to believe anyone will show up to buy it.”

I guess people really are resistant to the idea of eating rice. What’s the best way…oh! Maybe we could lure people to the store with the smell of rice? It worked with his wife and daughter-in-law.

“If we grilled some onigiri in front of the shop, I think that might draw people to your store.”

“Like it drew the ladies here?”

The ladies in question had each eaten three grilled onigiri before running back to the front counter to work.

“Yes, sir.”

“You’ve got a point,” Druid said. “Judging by their reactions, the smell of onigiri does have an alluring effect.”

We all looked at each other and chuckled. Still, I was quite impressed by how eager those women were. Once they figured out that the burnt bits were tasty, they both obsessively tried to char the onigiri just right when it came time to grill the third batch. I was content to just smile and watch them, but they swept me up in their wave of fervor, and I found myself staring hard at the onigiri, arguing passionately with them over just how much char was best. I’m kind of ashamed of myself, thinking back on it now.

“Was that okay, Ivy? My mom and sister-in-law both love getting people worked up into a frenzy.”

“It’s okay. I was a bit startled, but I had a good time.”

I felt like I’d experienced a new side of myself. I’d never gotten so passionate about grilled food before. It was fun, too.

“Well, I still feel bad. When those two ladies join forces, all hell breaks loose.” From the sentimental tone of Druid’s father’s voice, I could tell he was speaking from experience. I bet his eldest son got caught up in plenty of their shenanigans, too. But Druid’s father looked pleased rather than upset. This family must have had a lot of fun times together.

“Well, I’ll take this sauce to the guild. Then, tomorrow…”

Since Druid’s father is going to make all the arrangements, maybe I should just start cleaning up? I started to wash the giant pot I’d cooked the rice in. Wow, I just realized that we ate all the rice even though I cooked such a huge amount. Well, I didn’t think Druid’s father would actually eat five whole onigiri. Ooh, maybe I should add some spices to today’s sauce and grill some more. I’d better run that by Druid’s father.

“Um, excuse me, sir?”

“Hm? Oh, Ivy, Druid, thanks for washing up.”

“No problem, sir. Your wife tidied up a bit before she left, so there isn’t much to wash.”

“Glad to hear it. Oh, you wanted to ask me something, right?”

“Yes, I was thinking we should add some spices to the leftovers of today’s sauce.”

What would go well with it? We could add some fiery spice or maybe some texture…

“Ah, good idea. We’ll need some different types of sauce when we grill the onigiri in front of the store.”

Oh, good. Glad he’s on board.

“Ivy, I have a request.”

“Yes, sir?” I asked, a bit startled by the seriousness in his tone.

“I want you to help me grill the onigiri. As my lead ryce steamer.”

“You want me to be the leader?!”

I doubt that someone like me, who still messes up the water-rice ratio, is fit to be in a leadership position…

“Of course I’ll pay you for your work. We’ll start with five days a week and see how things go. What do you think?”

Work? Pay? But I’m doing this as a personal favor because he’s Druid’s father. I couldn’t accept wages…

“Don’t worry, Ivy, I’ll help you. Let’s have you earn some proper wages.”

“Okay. I graciously accept, sir… Huh?” Wait a minute, I just said yes automatically…what did I just agree to?

“Pfft!” Druid’s laugh echoed through the kitchen.

“Mr. Druid!”

“Sorry, you just looked like you were thinking over it so seriously, then you suddenly blurted out yes.”

I was just as surprised as he was, though I guess that goes to show how much I trusted Druid. Well, I suppose that’s a good thing, since he and I are travel companions.

“Druid, stop that! You’re making Ivy uncomfortable,” Druid’s father barked, getting angry on my behalf.

Meanwhile, I was weak in the knees from the way I’d agreed to the deal so nonchalantly. Words like “leader” and “wages” made my brain hurt…but I never minded lending a helping hand.

“It’s really not that complicated. I just wanted to hire you to work for me, so I called your job a lead role. Sorry about that.”

“Oh, it’s okay, sir. Though I don’t really need any wages.”

“No, I insist on paying you, since I’m going to be selling something you made. As a merchant, I take a hard line on that.”

He takes a hard line on it as a merchant… I’m not sure why, but that sounds so heroic.

“Then I accept your request. And I look forward to working with you.”

“Great! That’s good news. I’ll be counting on you, too, Druid.”

“Understood.”

“I hired Druid to be your underling, Ivy, so drive him as hard as you want to.”

“C’mon, Dad, don’t be ridiculous.”

It sounded like the two were comfortable around each other again.

“Hm? What are you smiling about?” Druid asked me.

He must have noticed me grinning over their interactions. If I told him I was smiling at their wholesome relationship, they’d probably get nervous. After all the great progress they’d made, it was probably best to keep my mouth shut.

“Oh, I’m just so excited.”

“Excited?”

“Yes, sir. I’m a little worried that people won’t like our food, but I’m still very excited.”

I was worried that our business wouldn’t go very far, but I was eager to see how everyone reacted to our product.

“I just thought of something, Dad. Do the townsfolk know there’s a food shortage? I don’t feel like anyone is in emergency mode.”

“Yeah, they know about the shortage. But something similar happened to them in the past and they managed to overcome that, so they probably figure they’ll make it through this crisis, too.”

That made sense. That must have been why nobody was panicking. I felt sorry for people like Druid’s father, who knew just how bad things were. Not only did they have to consider food security, but they needed to change the way the townsfolk thought.

“You’ve got a daunting task ahead of you, sir.”

Druid’s father smirked knowingly back at me. “Yeah, the population is much higher this time around.”

Oh, that’s right! Tokihi did mention there was a huge influx of migrants from the next village over, though I forgot to ask him why that was.

“Hm? Oh, the sun’s already setting. I’d better hurry and get to the guild.” Druid’s father gathered his papers in a bag and started getting ready to leave.

“You’re sure in a hurry, Dad.”

“Well, I’ve got a lot of ideas for sauce recipes. We need to get them on paper as soon as possible once they’re finished. I also want to consult the guild on the food shortage crisis. If I tell them I’ve got a plan to solve the crisis with our big supply of ryce, that’ll put their minds at ease a little.”

Wow, Druid’s father must really be something to talk to the guild like that.

We said our goodbyes to Druid’s mother and his sister-in-law Shurila as we left the store. Druid’s father gave us a hasty goodbye before he set off to the guild.

“That man’s always on the go,” Druid said proudly as he watched his dad walk away. His cheeks puffed up in a smile. “Hm? What?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, Mr. Druid. Let’s work hard for your father.”

“Sure. Just not too hard, I hope.”

Ooh, he’s blushing. A smile filled my face at the sight. Okay! Now I’m fired up! Let’s make the best sauce and rice so everyone in town can smile like that!