156 5.45 Aizuwakamatsu, Yonezawa and Shibata. Battle Starts!!

"Seniors, How was your feeling as the first day of being a normal resident at this moment?

"After I reached home, I changed our gear and the first thing I saw that the house was very clean and tidy and all our clothes have been arranged neatly. There was no smell of mustiness unlike before when the clothes were folded and sitting on the floor. This creation was simply genius!"

Miroku praised at the idea of using Hangers for the clothes and was thankful that I had performed a good job maintaining his house.

"Then I took a shower using the soap and the smell was super refreshing and invigorating and I felt that we had just been awakened from a very deep sleep with no signs of fatigue or soreness in our body. I spent a long time soaping myself and used the brush to scrub everywhere. The feeling is simply beyond words!"

Hide added that he enjoyed his shower more than ever and he wished that a lady was with him last night sharing the bath and scrubbing his body and engaged in a woo session afterwards.

"Same here. After that, even the feeling of tipsiness had gone away like as if I had never drunk a drop of sake yesterday. When I lie down to rest the smell from my head to my toes felt so nice and it is like I had bathed in perfume instead of water."

Toshi explained how he felt after the shower and he felt as if he was lying down on a bed of flowers.

"Same here too. I had some cuts and bruises and this morning I noticed that they had healed overnight. This Karada Soap is a miracle soap and it is as if it has its own healing properties. My face is no longer oily and I felt so clean like a newborn baby!"

Kami praised the product and nearly guessed right that the soap happened to have its own healing abilities.

Hiko-sama looked at me and smiled that they had so many good comments about Karada Soap." So now it seems that our managers here have the first-hand experience of this miracle Karada Soap that has its own healing properties, right? Hiko-sama began as he knew that this would be a great selling point for Karada Soap.

"We believe that this product alone would be a success. I have so much faith in this fine product."

"Don't worry, all of you could have 3 bars each of your own choice of scent every month, once the product has been packaged."

Hiko-sama reassured them that they could receive our products for free since they were our key personnel in creating opportunities for the corporation.

"Furthermore, we are glad that you have put so much faith in this product. And what you said is true. Just look at the orders from our local cosmetic shop here in Kitakata that has only 10,000 residents.".

I showed them the orders and they were so surprised that the lady boss had simply ordered 150 pieces of each 29 scents for the Karada Soap alone. And they gasped at the amount since this is the shop's first order.

"4,350 gold coins in one order! What if the lady boss order just 50% more for the next order... Wow! All the gold coins would soon trickle in!"

They looked at the order and found that this product alone would push the corporation up.

"We believe in diversity, if one only just depend on a single trade, once the trade becomes redundant, the chances of survival would be next to zero, am I right? If a person can't survive, then how is the person going to move on? If the person can't move on, they would have to take the easy way out and that is to rob."

I spoke to emphasis on why certain villages had more crime rates than others.

The managers nodded their heads as they listen and figured why people turn to be robbers not because they wanted to but their situation made them turned that way.

"In order to survive, we have to create and innovate so that the situation around us would revolve and evolve."

The managers were deep in their own thoughts, as they had never expected the boy in front of them, can speak in a very professional and mind provoking way.

One of the workers signalled to me that they wished to speak to us. I motioned him over and he reported, "Excuse me, Senior and Young Masters, please forgive me for disrupting your discussions. We wished to report that the works for the warehouse have been completed. The foreman had gone back and informed us to report to you instead of for the next instruction."

"Gather all of them over here so I could talk to all of you."

"Yes, Young Master." he placed his fingers in his mouth and blew a sharp shrill short whistle and everyone came over immediately."

"These men here are our Regional Managers and were from the Samurai Shogunate. From now on, you may call them Seniors. They would be responsible for matters outside Kitakata and if they happen to need your assistance, please do not hesitate to render your expertise, is that understood?"

"Yes, Young Master. We will render assistant to our Seniors whenever they require our expertise." one of the workers replied and everyone bowed deeply. They may have noticed the "medallion" that hung from our necks and thought they were some kind of award from some officials.

"Do you know what to do tomorrow?" I asked as I have zero tolerance for skiving and malignancy.

"We will report here by 6 am and await your instructions." one of the workers replied.

"Only for tomorrow, I don't need you to report so early, be here by 830 am would be fine. As for the remaining of the days, you will report to work and be assigned to your roles by our Senior Master."

"Please take note that your roles would be rotated accordingly so everyone has a chance to learn something new. If you are unsure of ANYTHING, you are greatly advised to APPROACH us for advice."

"Never presume and assume, because we do not wish to be an " Ass U Me", do you understand that term? If any of you do not understand, it means to not be an ass, and complicate matters for you and for me."

"Yes, Young Master, we will ask Senior or Young Master if we are unsure of our roles and duties."

"Thank you for your understanding. We have to clear our doubts before we could take another step. Does anyone of you here does not know how to read or write?"

"Everyone here knows how to read and write, Young Master."

"That's good before you leave, there is a little something for your job well done. We thank you for your efforts for building this shelter and the warehouse. The curing for the cement would take 24 hours?"

"No, Young Master. We had added a hardening agent into the mixture which we are not supposed to do to speed up the curing process because it is very expensive. It is liquid form and I heard a bottle cost about 1 gold coin and we had used 10 bottles for the flooring. The reason that we had done so because we wanted to get back at the foreman as he does not pay us today for our work as it was not a complete full day's work. That cement floor would be cured in 8 hours."

"Very good! Tomorrow, at 830 am. Report here straight for your 1st day of briefing towards your future and lifetime employment with Fasuto Japan KabushikiGaisha. The first of many to come. Now please hand out your right hand over your left hand like this."

I briefed them of tomorrow and showed how to hold their hand when I told them to do so.

I then took a gold coin each and pressed into their hands.

"This is not your salary but this is a way of a reward system for a job well done. Go and spend it for the family and do not ever gamble your money away. Is that understood?"

The workers had never expected to receive anything for their work from the owner of the land or project manager, except for the salary from their foreman. It is like heaven-sent when they received the reward and this could at least feed their families for at least 7 days ahead.

The workers thanked us and bowed deeply before we dismissed them from the site.

The managers were looking at me from head to toe and seemed that it is a normal everyday thing when I passed down instructions and it seemed to them that I had ever served in the militia before. They had learnt something new today, which is (ASS U and ME), go figure!

"Well, right now that we just discussing how to create and innovate so that we would revolve and evolve, am I right? So let's began the first order of the day. I am sure that you have a very strong mind as well since we would be needing you to remember a few certain things."

I began again after the workers had left.

"The next time around, we would provide you with sketchpad and reed pen so that you would be able to take notes during the meeting. No one can recall everything."

"Seniors, can anyone tell me how many villages or town are there in our Fukushima Prefecture since you had been around these places for quite some years?"

I asked them since they had years of experiences in expeditions and should know the area quite well.

"CFO-san, if I may recall, there are 6 villages that are around Fukushima Prefecture excluding our village here. They are Aizuwakamatsu, Nishiaizu, Kitashiobara, Bandai, Aizubange and Yugawa. These villages or towns are slightly more developed than us since there are mainly near the other borders of Yamagata and Niigata Prefecture."

Miroku spoke first regards the general geographical of our prefecture

"That's very good. Out of these 6 Town or villages, which are the ones that you think are more prosperous, densely populated and equipped with more technology that we can harness than Kitakata?"

"CFO-san, the most prosperous one would be Aizuwakamatsu Town which had about 40,000 residents, followed by Kitakata Town at about 10,000 residents and Aizubange Town at 5,000 residents. The rest had about 400 to 2,000 residents at most and they are less develop villages."

Hide answered the second question.

"Yes I agree, CFO-san, on the estimated figure given and Aizuwakamatsu Town is the most prosperous of all. The trading business is booming and they had 4 lakes, 4 rivers and 2 hot springs. They had 11 ooaza within that town Itself. We would normally visit there if we are near its town."

"The distance between Kitakata and Aizuwakamatsu Town would be about 4 and a half-hour by foot or slightly 2 hours by horse."

Toshi added about other factors.

"So Aizuwakamatsu Town has about 40,000 residents, that are 4 times as much as our town. Please take note that we are going to set up camp there."

I informed Hiko-sama that Aizuwakamatsu would be targeted next for the advancement of our plans. Preparations have to be made well ahead.

"Can anyone tell me about the rest of the Prefecture, it's estimated population and structure?"

"CFO-san, as for Yamagata Prefecture it is made up of 3 other towns or villages and there are Yonezawa Town and had about 25,000 residents, Iide Village that had about 3,000 residents and Oguni Village with the same estimated residents as Iide Village."

Kami shared the recollections on the other prefecture.

"Please take note, Seniors, that we are going to shift our troops there."

I noted to Hiko-sama that our next target would be Yonezawa Town.

"CFO-san, Niigata Prefecture has 1 Town and 1 Village. Shibata Town has about 45,000 residents while Aga Village has about 3,000 residents."

I was thinking that if we have another 2 more men, then we could tackle Shibata as well. Better shelf the idea and see what Hiko-sama has in mind.

"Seniors, thank you so much for your valuable information because without that, we won't be able to know which Town we are going to set up our satellite branch office. How about the distances then?"

"CFO-san, the distance between Kitakata to Yonezawa would be approximately 10 and a half hours on foot or 5 hours on horseback and Shibata would be a 24 hours walk or a 12 hours horseback."

Miroku answered the questions and was wondering how they are going to travel 12 hours on horseback. It would take at least 4 stops on trotting speed so it won't break the horses back. If only Japan has Mustangs then we don't have to worry.

"Our targets would first be Aizuwakamatsu, Yonezawa and then Shibata respectively. We would need 2 seniors to go to Aizuwakamatsu and Yonezawa simultaneously because the distance to cover from here to these two towns would take less than half a day on horseback. How we wish we could have an extra 2 men so that we could tackle Shibata at the same time as well."

I shared with them my thoughts and asked the managers if they have any other questions to ask.

"However, for the 2 seniors who would be going to Aizuwakamatsu would be heading to Shibata once they return to give us the report, rest one complete day and then heads there on the next. Expect a change of plans in case we have an alternative way to tackle this."

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I checked with Hiko-sama if the plan would be OK because it's one day to go and one day back.

"Please take note that you would be performing extensive research on those towns since you would be stationed there in the future. Deployment would be arranged by CEO-san."

"Yes, CFO-san and CEO-san, we would not fail you."

"Remember whatever you do, your actions greatly reflect on the status of Fasuto Japan and any additional information that you may discover would be crucial on our development and growth. You are our eyes and ears as well as important ambassadors."

"Alright, as for the second-order of the day, you will need to familiarize yourself with the Mayor of the Towns, seek attendance with them and introduce yourself as ambassadors of Fasuto Japan-based here in Kitakata. State our intentions to set up a satellite office and to share our benefits for the community."

"By the way, do we need to prepare gifts when we visit the Mayors? If we need we can give them a batch of our Karada Soap and Hae Shanpu to them. Do you think it would be a great gift idea, CEO-san?"

"CFO-san, it would be the best gift since they would know the great importance of our products."

Hiko-sama quipped in and advised that it would be the best since we are moving those products into their town.

"Alright, so far you had noted of all these info in the sketchpad right? We will need someone to copy them later after this meeting. So, after you had met the Mayors, the next mission would familiarisation of the Business District. Ask them the procedures of opening a satellite office and showroom and state our main branch here in Kitakata."

I checked with Hiko-sama to ensure he got everything in order.

"Please take note that the showroom would be used to showcase the STM since the other consumable products would be directly distributed by an agent there. I will explain later."

I checked with Hiko-sama and he wrote consumables to be handled by an agent.

"Check with the Treasury about the exchange rates for gold, silver and coppers and inquire them about interbank transfers from that town to our corporate account here in Kitakata since it is not advisable to carry too much gold coins with you when you travel back here. There should be a system to change coins into a slip of paper indicating the receipt of coins received and the beneficiary towards Futso Japan. I believe there is such practise that had been ongoing."

"We will draft a proposal for the Treasury to handle the instalment scheme since the clients would be paying directly to them. We don't have to think about collecting payments and every purchase of the STM would be handled by you if it is in cash."

"For instalment schemes, the clients will sign an agreement with the treasury, and they will pay us directly for the cash price amount. How much the treasury wants to charge the clients is up to them and we just take note how much they are charging.".

Hiko-sama made notes of the importance of the above information since I would be drafting the proposal letters.

"Next we would be looking for a place to rent there. A shopfront with a glass front with etchings of our corporation name clearly displayed. It would be used to display STM, with the purpose, the cash price as well as instalment payment schemes of 6, 12 and 24 months. There would be a prevailing interest rate for the respective months, just like taking a loan from the treasury."

"As for the initial 2 towns, there is no need to have a large space, and a single storey would be sufficient. As long as there is a space to display the STM, and a space to perform paperwork, then it would be fine. Ask around and ask and always remember, the longer-term the rent, the cheaper it gets. Inquire for a 24 and a 60 months term."

I noticed Hiko-sama noted of looking for a place to rent for showroom and office.

"And last but not the least, research how many blacksmiths, beauty and cosmetics department exists in that Town. Find out who they are and their locations. As for the Blacksmiths, once you had their names and locale, we can show them a sample of the [Refined Iron] at the selling rate of 5 gold per piece. No minimum order and delivery from Kitakata are free."

"Next for the beauty and cosmetics department, you would need to carry 29 pieces of Karada Soap, 10 bottles of Hae Shanpu, 1 Detergent powder pack, 1 Floor Cleaning Agent and a few pieces of soap dishes."

"Have a small meeting with them, get to know their names and locale, and use your best charm to seduce them to get bulk orders from us. Delivery is free from Kitakata. Compile the orders and we would be making deliveries to them at least twice a month."

I emphasise on the two fast-moving consumer products.

"Look around for your choice of steed, and get yourself one. It would be your mode of transportation from here on."

"CEO-san, have you noted of everything important that has been said earlier?"

Hiko-sama nodded in acknowledgement.

"Any of the Seniors have anything to say or questions to ask?"

So far the men had absorbed whatever info and would always be able to refer back since Hiko-sama had made proper minutes of the meeting.

"OK, let's adjourned for a break. After that, there would be some questions and answer session."

"Yes, CEO-san and CFO-san. Thank you for giving us an opportunity to represent Fasuto Japan to other towns. Could we go and look for our rides first and choose to pay and collect when the time comes?

"Sure, go ahead and come back once you are done. You now have the timepieces so you all could synchronise when to return."

The managers stood at attention and saluted us before they headed to the trading district to look at the horses in the stables there. At least they would ride in style.

When the managers had left, Izumi came forward and served us afternoon tea with a small kettle of tea. "Sensei and Senpai, would you like to join us for dinner tonight? We would be able to finish up all the paper bags before dinner time."

I looked at Hiko-sama and he replied that we would like to have dinner served by them. The managers would also by then joined us too. Upon hearing that, Izumi was glad and she bowed and left leaving me and Hiko-sama to discuss on what Hiko-sama had noted in the sketchpad.

"Tonight after supper, would you like to join me at the Realm of Mind and knock out the 5 types of Karada Soap scents? We each take one type and knock them out from the moulds and then we arrange them on a pallet. Tomorrow night we would bring it back to the real world in the storage room this time."

"Sure, kid. I can't wait to get all these things completed. And once we have the 29 types of scents, I could go patent it and then delivery to the lady boss at the cosmetics department."

"That's the spirit, Sensei. So far how was everything going, I mean to ask about your involvement in this business."

"Frankly, kid. I regard this corporation as my own so I need to take care of its interests well."

"That's great to hear that from you. We stick to these current products, and once we had distributed to these 3 other towns, we can move on and see what else we can do."

Hiko-sama nodded as he munched on his sweet corn whose ears had been cleared by then girls. I took a steamed sweet potato and drank it with tea.

A short while later, all the stamp orders, corporate banner, 3 dozen of ledger books, several sketchpads with their stationery and a sample of clay bottle and porcelain soap dish arrived. The banner had been strung above the warehouse main and only door, we kept our ledger books and left 4 sketchpad and reed pens for the managers.

We inspected the quality of the sample clay bottle and found that it was perfect as it was not high quality as porcelain that would shatter if dropped and shatter. The soap dish fitted perfectly with the sides slightly angled upwards with 2 stands at the bottom to prevent skidding.

Hiko-sama wrote a note for the delivery boy that had sent the potteries and instructed the owner to resume the work accordingly and to send the whole finished products upon completion.

A little while later, the managers came back with great smiles on their faces.