Chapter 182: Operation to Win Sheila 5
「Haa～, it was delicious」
「Right」
Sheila-san and Asmo - who had finished eating the gohei mochi and grilled onigiri - said looking satisfied.
「These soy sauce and miso, both of them were delicious」
「Even just adding them on the dish like with the grilled onigiri and gohei mochi really made it have a completely different taste isn’t it~」
「I think it’s going to be quite delicious by just adding miso to vegetables」
「Aah, that sounds good～. If it were fresh vegetables then it will really go well with the strong taste of the miso!」
Asmo and Sheila-san are having a casual conversation while Torr and I were considering the negotiation we’re about to have.
I can understand when it comes to Sheila-san, but that Asmo has an expression that said that he got nothing to do with this.
Hmm, that’s actually the case, but I think it’s fine if you show a little more willingness to cooperate.
I cleared my throat as if to concentrate, even while thinking about that kind of thing.
「Can we continue our conversation before now?」
「Sure～. Umーm, what was it again?」
Sheila-san asks me while smiling when I asked her again.
It appears that she’s completely satisfied after eating delicious food and being inside the room with such a comfortable temperature.
If Torr or Asmo were to smile like this and say something as if feigning ignorance then I would hit them lightly, but this is Sheila-san we’re talking about so she probably doesn’t have that kind of thought.
「……me and Torr’s request」
「Aah! That was it! So what is Alfried-sama and Torr’s request?」
I wonder if she’s feigning ignorance while actually understanding what we meant? Is Sheila-san acting like that to maintain her superiority?
I’m wondering about it but I can’t glean any information from Sheila-san who curiously tilted her head.
Just, how should I proceed now?
While I’m examining Sheila-san’s expression, Torr - who is beside me - says evasively,
「What we ask for is that, y’see. That, the exchange Al and I made a while ago……」
「Aah! The matter of you speaking ill of Ema and Eleonora!」
Sheila-san said as though she understand what Torr was about to say.
I knew it, she overheard our conversation before.
「So your request is, you want me so I will say nothing of it?」
「……well, that’s right」
Torr answered in my place.
……I wonder, I feel like Sheila-san is the one who has got the upper hand right now.
We have to seize the upper hand, so that we will be able to silence Sheila-san, or else she will betray us and going to cause problems later.
I want our side to seize the upper hand somehow so that we can proceed with the negotiation and have the advantage.
「Using Ice magic, we have provided Sheila-san with a comfortable place even though it’s currently summer, and entertained you with delicious food made with seasonings from a foreign country!」
「……I think it’s sly of you to say something like that after I ate all the food?」
When I said such words with a bit of pressure in them, Sheila san replied with a sullen look on her face.
「That’s because this is a negotiation. Rather, the one who hastened our plan is Sheila-san. I was originally planning to negotiate with Sheila-san when you were about to eat them」
「Aah! So if I didn’t nod at that time then you’re going to take the grilled onigiri and gohei mochi right!?」
Such a processing power of her brain to guess this far from a few words.
Even when everyone had the impression that Sheila-san is the absent-minded type, she’s still a woman of Koryatt village after all. You can’t underestimate her.
While raising the level of wariness for another level in my mind, I confidently say,
「Let’s see, what was it again? I mean, Sheila-san said it yourself at the beginning, right? 『I’m fine with just being in the corner』, right? So we actually didn’t need to treat you with the food, don’t you think?」
「……but I also helped to cook right?」
「That’s because Sheila-san begged us to help so it has nothing to do with this」
Fuh, it’s easy for one to think that they will also get the food when they only helped us a bit.
No one said that Sheila-san can also eat food with us.
「Muu～, now I think I understand what Eleonora-sama said about Alfried-sama being so cunning」
Sheila-san said while puffing her cheeks.
Eleonora-neesan, please don’t spread a blatant rumor of me being cunning or such……
Now Sheila-san is having a strange misunderstanding because of that.
「Al is like a merchant somehow」
I’m a noble. What does Torr take me for anyway?
「That’s true. You give a somewhat unpleasant feeling with that sort of roundabout manner of talking」
So you’re saying that I’m an unpleasant guy?
Anyhow, let’s hit Torr and Asmo later.
「So since Sheila-san had received those aforementioned favors, you can’t tell our neechans about us bad-mouthing them. And so, now the deal is closed」
「That favors, it was all done by Alfried-sama though, is that fine with you?」
……hmm, if you say it like that, then certainly almost all of it was due to myself this time……
The one who used Ice magic to make the room cooler is me, and the one who brought Kagura’s seasoning as souvenirs is also me. Most of the food is also made by me, Torr was responsible for shaping his own onigiri and grilling the onigiri, I guess?
And so I was questioning in my mind about the same condition that I’m going to receive after all sorts of things that I’ve done, and about Torr who only did that much.
「Oi, Al! Don’t be deceived by her!?」
「No, but now that she said it like that, it’s true though………」
「……we’re in the same boat, aren’t we?」
Torr said while putting his hand on my shoulder.
There’s no other day where his words seem more annoying than today.
「Ahー! Mou! Come to your senses, Al! This is Sheila’s trap! She’s trying to disrupt our relationship and use that as an advantage! There’s no meaning in for a falling out right now, right!? 」
「Yo, you’re right!」
Indeed, it’s just like what Torr said. Even if there’s a falling out among us here, there’s nothing to gain.
Even if, say, I or Torr betrayed the other one, then we will just tell the bad-mouthing to our neechan as a result of the grudge for being betrayed. So the two of us need to survive here.
Though I think like that in my mind, it’s also true that I feel kinda discontent with the situation.
This, Sheila-san. She managed to shake me like this with just a few words from her………
I try to keep calm and strengthen my mind and straighten my posture to pull myself together.
「I mostly did the work, but that’s fine. So do we have a deal?」
「U～n, incidentally, do you only have those jars of soy sauce and miso?」
Sheila-san said while sending her gaze toward the soy sauce and miso jar placed in the kitchen.
「I’m planning to give Torr’s family and Asmo’s one jar of soy sauce and miso with that size」
「The people in my family eat a lot, so since it’s the first time we’re going to try and use it doing experiments as the seasoning, I wonder if I can have more ～」
Just as you’d expect from Sheila-san, she immediately moves her aim toward food now that the topic with the cold air is over, huh.
「Ahh, this woman! You’re extorting us!?」
Torr - who took Sheila-san’s words seriously - unintentionally leaned forward and shouted so.
「Eh? I got the urge to meet Ema somehow～」
「Oi oi! That, that’s a different thing, isn’t it!?」
「Calm down Torr. We’re going to enter the next negotiation from hereon」
「Ha, haa?」
After I restrained him and calmed the excited Torr down, Torr sat down with a strange look on his face.
This guy is talented in thinking of doing sneaky things but weak in this kind of negotiation.
「Why is there going to be another negotiation now? We can somehow manage it with the cold air and food, right?」
「I know. But, the other side still has our weaknesses in her hands. So it’s only natural for her that she wanted to gain a little more profit off of us」
「Dang it! This is why a woman is so………!」
Let’s just repeat the words Torr said at the start as is.
It can’t be helped, which is frustrating.
We need to probe each other out and find a common ground.
「Then, is it fine if I add one more jar of miso and soy sauce to Sheila-san’s house?」
「Mm～, add more!」
「That’s going to be difficult? We reached Kagura after a week in a carriage and another week on the ship. The price of miso and soy sauce themselves are expensive, and the whole thing doesn’t add up. Truthfully speaking, the only amount of soy sauce and miso that I can give you is the amount I have suggested to you」
Actually, I can just get them in an instant, and miso and soy sauce are also mass-produced over there, and comparatively price to the level that ordinary people can buy them. Though I don’t store a lot of them in the mansion, I saved a lot of them with Space magic.
The reality is actually like that, but I strongly argued with her without expressing all the above reasons.
「……if you think about it realistically, perhaps this is really expensive?」
Torr raises the soy sauce jar nervously.
「The important thing is that the other side must properly recognize the value of this, but if you bring them to the proper place then you can sell it at quite a good price」
「O, ooh. Thank you for giving us such delicious and valuable things 」
「……somehow it feels unpleasant being thanked by Torr」
「What the! You can just say thanks!」
Sorry, but I can’t do that.
「Neechan, please let them off with this 」
Asmo - who had been silent until now - finally start to pacify Sheila-san.
Rather, why don’t you do it sooner if you can do something like that?
We could have somehow managed to do this if Asmo sincerely asked her from the start, right?
「Yeah～. We’re normally also indebted to Alfried-sama aren’t we」
If you thought like that then I wish you would keep silent from the start.
Let’s just keep that retort inside my heart. It’s important to finish the negotiation without any worry.
「Then, we have our deal!」
「Yes!」
When I stretch my arm toward her, Sheila-san received it while grinning as we shook our hands.
「Fuuh, this will kept us safe」
「That’s right」
As Torr and I sighed in relief, we can hear the sound of the door being opened coming from the entrance.
「Hey Torr, Asmo! Just how long are you going to take a break now! It’s time to go back to your work――, ehh what’s this cool air!?」
「Ehh!? Mother, how come it’s so cool inside the house!?」
After that, Myula-san and Ema-oneesama came in and enjoyed the cool air, but we were able to spend the time peacefully as Sheila-san - who were also there with us - don’t tell them about us bad-mouthing our neechan.
◆
「……neechan, you actually didn’t hear about Alfried and Torr bad-mouthing their sister, didn’t you?」
「Ehehe, so you know it huh? I heard them shouting next door but, I don’t know the details of what they talked about, see」
「I knew it. I mean, neechan’s face, when you were negotiating, was the face of someone who doesn’t know anything」
「But, it’s fine, isn’t it? We now have more soy sauce and miso that can be used at home! You knew about it so Asmo should be quiet okay?」
「Un, with this we will be able to eat a lot of grilled onigiri and gohei mochi at home」
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