Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

Chapter 43 – Bear-san Becomes Commerce Rank F

I’m already exhausted.

I’m sad about my nonexistent writing ability.

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That certain location was the Commerce Guild.

The Commerce Guild was crowded with people, just like yesterday.

I don’t want to think that all of this is my fault.

As I stood in the middle of the crowd, looking at the entrance, I noticed that Tirumina-san was there.

My eyes met Tirumina-san’s.

「Yuna-chan.」

「Hello, Tirumina-san. What’s wrong, for you to be standing in this place?」

「I came to the Commerce Guild to see if there was work here.」

「Work?」

「Yes. In reality, I intended to return to being an adventurer, but I was stopped by my family. I thought that, in that case, since I am able to read, write, and calculate, isn’t there work in that direction? So I came to the Commerce Guild to look.」

Reading and writing...

Calculating...

「Tirumina-san, would you like to work at my place?」

「At Yuna-chan’s place?」

「I started a new business a bit ago, but if I had Tirumina-san’s help, it would be greatly appreciated.」

I wanted a manager for the egg business, and an intermediary for the Commerce Guild.

「By the way, what kind of work?」

「Oh, right, though explaining it here is a bit...」

There were a lot of merchants around us.

I didn’t want to release the information about the eggs yet, so we moved to a different location.

Though it was troublesome, we returned to the Bear House.

「So then, what’s the business?」

「I intend to sell Clucker eggs.」

I took an egg out from the Bear Box.

「A Clucker’s egg?」

「For now, I’m raising Cluckers at the edge of town. That’s why, I want to ask Tirumina-san to work as a manager.」

After that, I explained the situation simply to Tirumina-san.

About raising the Cluckers at the orphanage, making them lay eggs, and selling them at the Commerce Guild.

「As for the management, is it about managing the Cluckers? I’ve never brought up a bird, or anything else, before.」

「I’m going to have the children from the orphanage handle the management of the Cluckers. Tirumina-san, please handle the sales to the Commerce Guild.」

「Sales?」

「After this, I intend to go to the Commerce Guild and set up the sales contract for the eggs. I want Tirumina-san to do the management and accounting for that, like confirming the number of eggs, the price, and checking the accounting books for accuracy. The children from the orphanage can’t do that, after all.」

「I understand the situation. However, isn’t this a considerably serious matter? Are you okay with me?」

「I don’t have very many acquaintances in this town, so if it’s Tirumina-san, I know fairly well what kind of person you are.」

「I understand. I’ll take this job then. It seems like my daughter and I will become even more indebted to Yuna-chan after this.」

I had acquired a manager for the eggs and money.

With this, I was reducing my workload at a steady pace.

I headed to the Commerce Guild for the second time, along with Tirumina-san.

The Commerce Guild was still overflowing with people, even now.

I spiritedly ventured into the crowd and looked for a receptionist.

I searched for Mylene-san, who was in charge of me. (Self-decided)

She wasn’t at the reception desk.

I wonder if she is taking the day off?

「Ara, Yuna-san, what are you here for today? Also, who is that person?」

A voice called out from behind me.

When I turned around, Mylene-san was there.

「Why, from behind me?」

「I was on a break, so I had gone outside for a bit.」

「I have something to consult with you, but...」

Mylene-san’s eyes lit up.

It’s kind of scary though.

「Yes, I understand. I’ll show you to a separate room.」

I was caught by Mylene-san and taken away.

Tirumina-san followed behind us.

「So then, what did you want to talk about?」

「I want to sell this, but...」

I took an egg out from the Bear Box.

「Is this an egg from a Clucker?」

「It’s good that you can tell from just a glance.」

「That’s because I have worked as a receptionist for many years. So, you want to sell this? Of course, it’s likely that customers who want this will come here.」

「Can you sell this regularly?」

「Regularly? Roughly how frequently?」

「For now, around ten to twenty a day, but in the future, I hope to reach around a thousand a day.」

「...Yuna-san, are you actually saying that?」

「That’s what I’m saying.」

「The Clucker’s habitat is far away from this town, and it also takes time to catch them. Moreover, the eggs are only edible for a few days after being laid, and it is impossible to keep them for a long period of time.」

「It’s all right, because I plan to raise Cluckers.」

「To raise them...it can’t be, the land around the orphanage?」

「Correct. I plan to use the children from the orphanage to raise them.」

「You don’t say! Such a thing-」

「Well, it’s fine even if you don’t believe me, as long as you properly buy the eggs. So, what’s the possibility of selling eggs everyday?」

「That’s right. It depends on the price, but it’s possible.」

「I’ll leave the pricing to you, so please take care of it.」

It’s best to leave specialized things to an expert.

「But, is that okay?」

「About what?」

「If the number of eggs increases, it is inevitable for the price to drop. That’s why it may not be necessary to forcibly increase the supply.」

「There are many reasons though; I want normal people to be able to eat eggs. After that, the fact that the eggs are being produced at the orphanage will eventually be revealed. When that happens, a large number of cheap eggs is less likely to be stolen than a small number of expensive eggs, and the children in the orphanage will be safer as well.」

In addition, in “this” world, there weren’t many egg dishes because the value of eggs was too high.

If it became inexpensive, the number of dishes would probably increase, I think.

「Please pardon me. For you to have thought about this to that degree. Though I try not to, in this line of work, thoughts about how to make a profit tend to come first.」

The three of us , including Tirumina-san, discussed together and drew up a contract after that.

Someone will go to the chicken coop at the orphanage everyday to pick up the eggs.

The selling price will be left to the guild.

The feed of vegetable scraps will be arranged by the guild.

The money will be delivered once every ten days.

Tirumina-san will oversee and carry out the delivery of the eggs.

The acquisition method of the eggs and the people involved will be kept a secret.

Oh, and one more thing was put in at the end of the contract.

「Is all that for the contract?」

「Yes.」

「With that, Yuna-san, I need to do the registration for the Commerce Guild, so I’ll have to ask for your guild card.」

「Registration?」

「Yes, you have to register, otherwise it isn’t possible for you to conduct business.」

Can you please stop with the “even a child knows that much” face?

「Is it okay if I am the only one to register?」

「No, Tirumina-san too, please. At the time when you deliver the eggs, it will be necessary to check your guild card.」

「So, is it okay to use the card from the Adventurer’s Guild for the guild card?」

「Yes. The guild card is the same everywhere, it is just that different contents will be added to the card.」

She placed the guild card on the quartz plate at the corner of the room and operated the plate.

The registration ended within a few minutes, and the guild cards were returned to us.

「Now then, I’ll explain about the Commerce Guild and the card.」

I checked my card.

Name: Yuna

Age: 15 years old

Occupation: Bear

Adventurer Rank: D

Commerce Rank: F

As usual, my profession remains as a Bear.

「Commerce rank?」

「The commerce rank is similar to the adventurer rank, and indicates the level of a merchant. When the rank is high, your credibility will rise as well. That is why, when you engage in business in a new town, there will be a lot of advantages if your rank is high.」

「Advantages?」

「Such as being given land with good locations to rent, introductions to important people, or borrowing items. After all, a great merchant is likely to bring good benefits to the town.」

I see.

The higher the rank, the higher the trust. It was the same with adventurers then.

「How do I raise my rank?」

「It depends on the degree you contribute to the Commerce Guild. Or, in short, it becomes a measure of how much tax you have paid.」

Somehow, it was easy to understand.

「Other than that, it is the same in any town. You are obliged to report any ongoing transactions to the Commerce Guild. People who conduct business without permission will be punished, so please take care.」

「What about when I sell monster materials?」

「There are no problems for the portion you sell to the guild. However, please notify us if you open a shop or a street stall.」

「Understood.」

I don’t have any plans to start a store at the moment.

「Also, similar to the Adventurer’s Guild, money can be entrusted to us. Just know, the money looked after by the Adventurer’s Guild and the Commerce guild will be linked. It is possible to withdraw the entrusted money at either the Adventurer’s Guild or the Commerce Guild.」

I had received an explanation in the Adventurer’s Guild, but I wasn’t using it.

There was the Bear Box as well, but the money I brought from Japan was a huge amount.

Even if ten billion yen became ten billion and one million yen, it didn’t make much of a difference.

「So then, Yuna-san, what will you do with the proceeds from the egg sales? Will you receive it in cash, or will you establish a recurring transfer to Tirumina-san’s card?」

「To Tirumina-san’s card, please.」

「Please wait a moment.」

Tirumina-san called out for us to wait.

「What is it?」

「Do you mean all of it?」

「That’s right. There is the matter of Tirumina-san and the children’s wages, as well as any necessary expenses. It will be troublesome for me to prepare it every time, you see.」

「I see, you say...? Although I’m happy that you trust me this much, I cannot agree to the possibility of having to manage a large amount of money.」

「In that case, what about deciding on a set amount of money beforehand? Just transfer the necessary amount over to Tirumina-san’s card. The rest can be entered into Yuna-san’s account?」

「Is it possible to do it that way?」

「Yes. In situations where the merchant and the payroll manager is different, it is often done this way.」

I decided on the necessary amount of money for Tirumina-san and the children’s wages, and placed the remainder onto my card.

Having planned to this degree, we left the rest of the decisions to the Commerce Guild and left.

It would be fine if I came back again when something else was necessary.

I handed over the eggs I brought today as a free sample.

It was for the sake of having regular customers.

To ensure regular customers, you must be able to take a loss.

After we left the Commerce Guild, Tirumina-san and I headed towards the orphanage to introduce her, as well as to hold the rest of the discussions.

Basically, I asked the Director to continue overseeing the management of the orphanage.

I handed over the remuneration for the children’s work and asked her to take care of the food, clothing, and shelter.

I asked Liz to help take care of the children.

Of course, I also paid Liz a wage.

Tirumina-san would manage the money for the eggs and be the one to deal with the Commerce Guild.

What about me?

I didn’t do anything.

I made the henhouse and the surrounding wall, as well as procuring the birds and establishing the contract with the Commerce Guild.

There was no role left for me.

If I had to name one, maybe it was that I should get more birds at regular intervals to increase the number of birds?