Chapter 22: Knocking Reveals a Stone Bridge - 2

"Hah, there's so much to do. First, I need to make the rounds to the academies..."

February 9th.
Market share 0.001%, approximate monthly income 30 million yen.
Toured the academies near the land given by Wakamo to give my greetings.

That was probably the last entry I wrote in my journal about the state of The Farm.

A time when I was ecstatic over a single factory, desperately trying to build a new store, getting pushed around by Kaiser, and even getting kidnapped.
Recalling those days, I intend to start writing in my journal once again.

Today is July 8th. How much has The Farm grown in the half-year that has passed?

"Everyone, please gather on the second floor~"

"Is it 7 o'clock already?"

"Yes. Where are the three directors?"

"The Director of Internal Affairs is working out at the gym, and the Director of Security is having her breakfast. The Director of Practical Affairs is..."

"Sleeping again?"

"Yes."

First, this. We've become well-off enough to build a new corporate headquarters. To preserve the feeling of living together on the second floor of the factory, the seventeen of us, myself included, now live in dorm rooms built on the third and fourth floors of the main office building.

We also have a cafeteria, a break room, a medical office...
Ah, and we finally have toilets and showers. No more having to go to a public bathhouse to wash up.

"Ah, President. You're here."

"A. Any problems?"

"Nothing major, aside from the Gourmet Research Society attempting to break into the cafeteria at the Millennium Branch 2 dormitory."

"Are those bastards still at it?"

"It would seem so."

We've built dormitories next to each factory, allowing the employees to live there. They have to give back a portion of their salary, but it's cheaper than typical rent.

Moreover, most of our employees are former Helmet Gang or Sukeban members. It's impossible for them to find a decent place to live. This is part of a management philosophy of mine; I believe people can change, so I've decided not to discriminate based on their origins.

To be fair, those in the key positions aren't exactly normal either.

Walking along, I soon arrived at the conference room. We hold meetings like this occasionally, and all administrative work, including these meetings, is handled on the second floor of the headquarters. It's for the convenience of those coming from the third-floor dorms.

Inside the conference room, Sarin, Arin, and Wakamo were seated in their respective chairs, with only my seat empty. Didn't you guys say you were all in different places? You're fast.

Since I was the last to arrive, I took my seat.

"Alright, let's begin the meeting."

"Yes. I am Goto Arin, Director of Internal Affairs, and I will be leading this meeting. Before we begin, I will report on the current status of The Farm."

Normally, a director doesn't lead the meeting, but we're not a company that's strict enough to care about such things. Everyone here, from the directors to the president, are people who couldn't have imagined being in such a position a year ago.

As Arin operated her laptop, a graph appeared. It was a graph summarizing The Farm's factories, stores, market share, and monthly revenue.

"Currently, we have a total of ten factories and fifty retail stores established."

Two factories and ten stores each in Gehenna, Trinity, and Millennium.
One factory and five stores each in Hyakkiyako, Shanhaijing, and Wildhunt.
Plus one factory and five stores in other shared districts.

That was the current number of branches under The Farm. It was a level of growth that was difficult to even compare to six months ago, when we had just one factory and one store.

Of course, it took quite some time to get here. Building the factories, constructing the stores, scouting for employees... Then dealing with any incidents that occurred, developing additional products, ensuring the logistics didn't get tangled, expanding the buildings...

But even so, once we got on track and word of mouth began to spread, it wasn't an impossible growth, however difficult.

Ah, there's another reason we were able to grow like this. Ever since the employee kidnapping incident, Kaiser hasn't been bothering us.

It's not like them to just give up, so my guess is that it's now difficult for them to interfere illegally, and they're planning to use the terms of our contract instead.

There's a clause in the contract between me and Kaiser that goes like this:

Performance and Management Evaluation
At the time of contract termination, if the business performance is significantly poor by 'A's' standards, or if it causes a major problem in credit or reputation, 'A' may immediately terminate this contract.
In the event of the above, the said business and all assets and operational rights belonging to it shall be transferred to the ownership of 'A'.

Other Clauses
In the event of a dispute regarding the interpretation of this contract, an agreement shall be reached based on the judgment of the General Student Council.

The contract ends in five months, and I expect them to try and devour us then, even if they have to force the issue. The General Student Council will likely side with Kaiser, who has more influence.

This meeting was convened to eliminate that risk.

"Our current market share is."

The next screen displayed a graph of the munitions market. As expected, Kaiser still has the upper hand.

"15%. The estimated monthly revenue is approximately 268 billion yen."

268 billion yen. If you had told me six months ago that I'd be earning this much, I would have told you to screw off. To take it a step further, it's an absurd amount for a student to be earning in the first place.

But we did it. In half a year. Of course, when you factor in labor, materials, maintenance, and other costs, the net profit is around 200 billion yen.

Well, that's still a hell of a lot of money, so let's move on.

A 15% share is enough to be considered a major corporation in this industry. The problem is that the remaining 85% all belongs to a single company.

"However, as you all know, we must achieve a level at least equal to Kaiser within the next five months."

"To be precise, about 70% of Kaiser's level will do. I have a plan."

"Yes. Currently, Kaiser's arms division, 'Industries', has a market share of 85%, with an estimated monthly profit of 1.518 trillion yen. Calculating for 70%, that's 1.062 trillion yen. This means we need to achieve a growth of about four times our current level."

"Well~ Isn't it possible?! It's been half a year! In just six months, we went from 30 million a month to 200 billion. We can't do that much more?"

"I'm sorry, but we probably can't, Sarin."

As Sarin spouted her usual nonsense, Wakamo, who was listening beside her, appropriately refuted it.

"Honestly, the growth we've achieved in the past six months is already close to a miracle. Building additional stores or factories will only divide our own share of the pie."

"Furthermore, unlike before when we only sold guns, we have now started selling various other items such as tanks, explosives, and bulletproof vests. It's correct to assume we've hit a growth ceiling."

"In conclusion, the majority of students who use Kaiser's firearms need to switch over to ours. And that's a matter of time."

It would be a very positive situation if we weren't so pressed for time.

"That is why we have convened this meeting today. President?"

"Okay. I'll explain. Half a year ago, I heard something from the GSC President. The Chief of Defense, Shiranui Kaya, has designated our Farm as an official partner of Valkyrie."

"...That crazy bitch?"

"Sarin. Do not use profanity in the meeting. In any case, as the President and I see it, what we lack right now is not money or technology. It is fame, and honor."

"Why the hell does an arms factory need honor?"

"Be quiet."

She's right. While we may earn less, our core employees are still working without a salary, so we're accumulating money just fine. As for technology, thanks to the hard work of Sarin and Utaha, I can confidently say it's better than Kaiser's. And thanks to the patent pass tickets, all of our core technology is protected.

Ah, speaking of which, I only have four pass tickets left. I should get some more on this occasion.

Honor, fame. In other words, customer preference. Our current goal is to raise this preference and get as many people as possible to switch their guns.

"In that sense, regardless of the other party's intentions, gaining the image of a 'Valkyrie partner' can be seen as a benefit."

"Supplying to Valkyrie will also count towards our market share, so that's another gain."

"Does anyone have any opinions on partnering with Valkyrie? If not, we will proceed as planned."

There are still items left on the agenda. How long will this meeting take?

The last one was three hours.

---

After the meeting, I'm out in Millennium for a bit.

It's the closest academy to our headquarters, and it's also where The Farm got its start, so it's the place where I feel most at ease. Tomorrow, I have to talk with the Chief of Defense about the Valkyrie matter, and next week, I plan to conduct an overall inspection.

In three weeks, salaries go out. A lot of salaries. Well, everyone's getting paid for their work, so I don't mind. I'm just anxious.

"Hey! Not that way, over here!"

Compared to six months ago, we've definitely grown, but we're still no match for Kaiser.

"Put less power into it and swing!!"

I need an opportunity to spread the word to everyone. But how...

"No, hey!!! Don't run that way!!!"

"You try running then!! I did fine!!"

"What did you say, you bastard?!"

"Ah, shit."

I'm trying to think seriously here, why is it so noisy?

I turn around and see everyone is training. Is there some kind of event going on? Whatever. I'll just ask.

Ah, not them. No need to disturb their practice. Besides, I know someone who would know all about this.

Without hesitation, I took out my phone and made a call. A moment later, the ringtone sounded, and I heard the other person's voice.

[Hey! Been a while, you punk!]

A loud, childish voice rings out. In reality, she's a year older than me, same as my sister.

Mikamo Neru.

"It's nothing much, but I saw everyone practicing today. Do you know what's going on?"

[Eeh? You don't even know about the Kourin Taisai?]

"Kourin Taisai?"

[Honestly. This is what happens when you do nothing but work! You should try to pay some attention to the outside world.]

"Skip the criticism. What is it?"

[It's a grand festival held once every two years. It's a sports festival, and the scale is so large that you can assume pretty much every major academy participates.]

"Where is it held?"

[The host changes every time, but this year... I believe it's Gehenna?]

Gehenna. The place with that weird student president?

[Anyway. While other corporations are spending money just to get a single advertisement slot, what are you doing asking about it now?]

"...Wait, what are the participation requirements?"

[For now, only students... Wait. Don't tell me?]

"When is it held?"

[There's still some time. About two weeks? The event itself is in a month. But you. Are you thinking of participating?]

"Of course."

A competition where most of the students gather and watch at the same time. What if a single company were to participate in that competition?

And what if that company was an official partner of Valkyrie?

If nothing else, it would certainly be great publicity.

[Hah! You're one crazy bastard yourself.]

"Not as much as you. Thanks for the good info."

[Yeah, sure. You do your best too. Let's meet up sometime!]

With that, Neru unilaterally hung up. ...I'm in Millennium right now, I could see her.

No, never mind. I immediately made another call.

[President?]

"Yo, A. It's nothing, just look up some information on the Kourin Taisai for me."

[What are you up to now... Understood.]

Good. With this, I can breathe a little easier.

Until the contract with Kaiser ends, D-176.