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And So, the Stage is Set

Translated by: ME

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

Still Hana-chan's POV

*****

The joint mission between the three shopping districts from Districts 1 through 3 organized a visit to the Rice Empire.

Being the meta-inspiration for the United States, the Rice Empire is a superpower in this world as well. Its territory is about ten times that of the Sei-Sene Kingdom, its civilization is advanced, and it is militarily formidable. Apparently, it is even referred to as the "World's Knight Order."

(...The "World's Knight Order," really? I mean, even in this country, the knights are basically just a police force. The patrol knights have a serious "neighborhood beat cop" vibe going on.)

This Rice Empire is also a leader in agriculture. Making use of their vast land, they push for rationalization, managing colossal ranches and fields with only a small handful of people. They then export those low-cost crops to other countries. Even after factoring in shipping costs and tariffs, there are plenty of items that end up cheaper than homegrown crops.

The idea was that while we couldn't copy their methods entirely, surely there were parts we could adopt? Hence, the inspection tour. However, looking at the itinerary my father showed me, about half of it was just sightseeing and play. "Kayaking at the Lake" definitely has nothing to do with agriculture.

Since this is a world without cars, trains, or planes, travel to another continent is done by ship. While carriages roam the land, the shipbuilding technology is strangely advanced. ...Well, at this point, I have no intention of nitpicking the logic of this world.

The Sei-Sene Kingdom where I live is a small island nation. To give you an idea of how small, it’s about the size of Kyushu. Looking at a world map based on that, it’s clear that this entire world is considerably smaller than Earth. Even the "vast" Rice Empire is only a fraction of the size of the North American continent.

There is a regular shipping route between the Sei-Sene Kingdom and the Rice Empire, taking about five days one way. Apparently, high-speed ships with expensive fares are even faster.

By the way, the world map is infinitely similar to Earth's. It’s a sloppy kind of map where if you handed a pen and paper to a passerby and asked them to "draw a world map from memory," most people would probably draw something like this. The coastlines of the continents have very few indentations; it’s a map composed of large, vague circles, loose squares, and triangles.

If you place the Sei-Sene Kingdom at the center of the map, the Rice Empire is straight across the sea to the right, due east.

The inspection tour (a.k.a. the sightseeing trip) consisted of three people from each shopping district and two officers from the Chamber of Commerce acting as interpreters—a total of eleven people. The President of the Chamber of Commerce reportedly asked the officers to "send word as soon as you arrive." While maritime accidents aren't common, they aren't non-existent. He just wanted to know they had arrived safely.

Five days one way. The only means of communication is by letter. There are no means of instant notification like phones or emails. A letter also takes five days (plus a little extra) to come wobbling back across the sea by ship.

By simple math: five days to reach the Rice Continent, then another five days for a letter to be written and reach us. Ten days total. Even considering that cargo ships are slower than passenger liners, it should have arrived within two weeks—fourteen days.

Yet, three weeks passed with no word.

Sensing something was wrong, the President wrote a letter to the inn where they were scheduled to stay. He asked if the individuals named so-and-so had arrived safely, attaching his business card to prove he was the one responsible for their travel plans.

The reply came eleven days later. It said: 「We did indeed have a reservation for Mr. ○○, but on the day of arrival, we received a cancellation from him. The cancellation fee was paid in full according to our policy.」

And that reply arrived well after the group's scheduled return date.

What on earth had happened? Had they been caught up in some kind of incident or accident? Even if they had, it was strange that there was no word from the Rice Empire's side. This was an official visit coordinated with their Undersecretary of Agriculture (despite the high percentage of sightseeing).

***

Our family was summoned to the Chamber of Commerce, and we stood there dazed as the President told us the news. What surprised me even more was that among the families of the "missing persons" were the "Flora-chans" from each respective shopping district.

Three girls with identical appearances, differing only in color, were gathered in one place, but no one around seemed to pay it any mind. Well, I suppose they had bigger things to worry about.

「...And so, I intend to head to the Rice Empire myself to confirm their safety. I have already spoken with our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and they have informed me that several foreign service officers and knights will accompany us. Now, if the families would also like to come along... ah, not everyone! We can't take everyone, so please, one representative from each shopping district!」

At the President's mention of "families coming along," the eyes of more than half the people present lit up. It made sense. The Rice Empire is a dream destination. It’s the cutting edge of culture. Fashion, music, entertainment—it all spreads to the rest of the world from there.

The mood had shifted from "worried about family" to "a trip to the glorious Rice Empire!"

Each shopping district held a discussion (a.k.a. a Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament), and my mom ended up going as the representative for our district. ...When she won, she had a huge smile on her face and shouted, 「Yes!!」

I mean, the moment the three districts were told to "please have a discussion," everyone formed circles and started shouting, 「Rock-paper-scissors, shoot!」

***

As the representatives for each district, just as I had expected, the "mothers of Flora" were selected.

So, while my parents didn't actually die in an accident, the protagonist's parents are (temporarily) gone. I suppose the stage for the game has been set. Or are they really going to die from here on...?

The game begins on April 1st of Flora's sixteenth year. Since the culture is "80% Japanese," most schools and businesses treat April 1st as the start of the fiscal year. In game terms, it’s likely just easier to start in the spring.

Fortunately, our family has enough savings for me to live on my own for a while without working. My mom told me, 「You can keep the shop closed while you're alone.」 But living by eating away at our savings felt a bit wrong. I had helped with the shop until now. And I had the "knowledge of my past life" cheat as well.

I told my mother not to worry and sent her off. If anything, I was more worried about her, as she seemed fully intent on playing around, having bought everything from new suitcases to clothes and shoes.

That was at the end of my fifteenth year.

About two weeks after my mother’s departure, a letter arrived from her. It said, 『Apparently, your father is doing well.』 It was written as hearsay because she had only heard it from the officials over there and hadn't met him to confirm it yet. It also said, 『We plan to return as soon as I can link up with your father.』

Thank goodness...! Since this is a comedy space-time, the setting of "the heroine's parents die in an accident" felt terribly out of place and I couldn't accept it. They aren't dead! They're alive!

But I couldn't relax just yet. The game starts in April. There’s still a possibility the return ship could meet with an accident.

Feeling somewhat restless, I decided to try running the shop by myself for the time being.

In the game, the equipment you can place in your shop is determined by your "Shop Rank." At the start, it's at the lowest, Rank E. This also affects the size of the store. In the game, the shop is tiny at first, with maybe five types of items at most. The amount you can stock is also small.

However, thanks to the renovation when I was six, our shop is quite spacious. We have two refrigerated display cases, a showcase and shelving for side dishes, a freezer, and a refrigerator for drinks. The workspace is fully equipped with a commercial deep fryer and oven.

In the game, you can only install this level of equipment at Shop Rank C or higher. Side dish sales can start at Rank D, but at that point, the only equipment you could buy was an oven.

(...I guess "reality" really doesn't go according to the game...) I thought idly.

There’s no way to check my Shop Rank or the other parameter, "Reputation Rank." So, I decided to just ignore those "game-like elements." I would just do my best with what I could do. Having made that decision, in February of my sixteenth year—once I had grown a bit used to my parents being gone—I decided to reopen the shop.

U-chan, who is one year older than me, is attending the Knight Academy. Since it's a boarding school, he stopped coming by to play. Even so, letters arrived regularly. He had heard from his mother that my father was missing, my mother had gone to find him, and I was all alone at home. He was very worried. I was so happy that I cried a little while reading the letter.

When I wrote back saying I intended to reopen the shop on my own, he replied with shocking speed. 『Good luck! But don't work too hard!』 it said, written in U-chan's characteristically messy handwriting, which made me cry a little bit more.

Yeah. I’ll work hard. I'll work hard, but not too hard.

Apparently, once U-chan graduates, he’s hoping to be stationed in the area where the District 1 Shopping District is located. According to him, it’s because: 『If I don't keep an eye on you, it feels like Hana’s gonna pull some kind of stunt.』

U-chan is way too cool... I feel like I've succeeded so much in raising U-chan that I almost feel bad for the other Flora-chans...

U-chan said his stationing request would likely go through without a hitch. Graduation is in March of this year. From April 1st, barring any issues, U-chan will become a knight. ...Well, if he could become a knight even with that blockheadedness in the game, the current U-chan is a sure thing.

For me, April 1st is a "Day of Destiny" in many ways. I counted down the days with a strange mix of anticipation and dread.

Running the shop alone was tough, but thanks to the understanding and cooperation of the neighbors, things were going relatively smoothly. However, the reactions of the people around me were... well, they treated me like a "poor, pitiable child." I didn't really feel like there were any pitiable elements, though...

***

Mid-March, two weeks until the "Day of Destiny."

U-chan had successfully graduated from the Knight Academy, his stationing request had been approved, and he was set to begin patrolling this area starting April 1st.

「I graduated!」

He came over to show off his diploma, laughing happily.

As a congratulatory gift, I gave him his favorites: cheese-stuffed hamburgers and meat-and-potato croquettes. He was so overjoyed that it made me happy too.

A while after he entered the Knight Academy, he had written in a letter, 「I’m thinking about growing my hair out.」 I remember replying, 「I think I prefer it short.」 U-chan, laughing happily as he clutched the bag of hamburgers and croquettes, had a very neat, short hairstyle. It was a small thing, but another difference from the game.

***

Two days after U-chan came to report his graduation, a letter arrived from my mother in the Rice Empire. A photo was enclosed, showing my father and mother standing side-by-side, smiling.

According to the letter, the Rice Empire had offered a tour of the entire country as an "apology for the trouble and worry caused." 『So, my return will be a bit later ♡ I’m going to enjoy a honeymoon with your father after ten-plus years ♡』 she wrote, her tone incredibly high-spirited.

Well, running a shop makes it hard to take a long break. My father and mother had worked hard all this time, so taking a little rest was fine. Above all, the most important thing was that the two of them were safe.

Apparently, everyone who had traveled there was in full agreement with the Rice Empire’s offer, so it was confirmed that the parents of the other Flora-chans wouldn't be coming back either. A tour of the Rice Empire by carriage... that’s going to take a considerable amount of time...

I was relieved to know the people who went to the Rice Empire were safe, but for some reason, rumors were flying in the shopping district that they had "perished." When I tried to trace it, it seemed a terribly sloppy game of "telephone" had been played among the residents and customers.

Some people offered me their condolences, and I politely explained the situation to correct them... but I couldn't keep up with the speed at which the rumors spread. Is this the narrative force of the game...!?

The fateful April arrived, and in the eyes of the public, my parents had died in an accident and I was running the shop alone. Looking only at the situation, it was exactly the same as the game. Yet the actual circumstances were completely different.

What a sloppy world...

With a sigh, I opened the shop again today.

*****

Read it, skip it, whatever you do here comes the cultural corner....

The Rice Empire is called the "World’s Knight Order." This is a direct jab at the real-world trope of the United States being called the "World's Police." Even in a fantasy world, the Rice Empire involves itself in everyone’s business. Hana points out that the "Patrol Knights" in her country are just neighborhood beat cops, making the "World's Knight Order" title sound absurdly over-the-top.

The parents are supposedly missing/in danger, but they end up going on a "Honeymoon" across the Rice Empire. The "tragedy" that was supposed to leave the Heroine an orphan is resolved by a corporate apology. The parents are so shallow that they prioritize a free vacation over returning to their daughter, who they think is "doing just fine" (while the rest of the town thinks she’s an orphan).

Even though Hana tells everyone her parents are alive and on vacation, the entire town insists on treating her like a "pitiable orphan." This is a meta-joke about Narrative Force (the idea that the plot must happen). The townspeople are so stuck in the "Otome Game Script" that they ignore reality.

Hana has successfully "re-educated" Taurus into a sensible human being, but she’s worried she’s "monopolized" him. She feels bad for the other Flora-chans (the palette swaps) because her Taurus is now a "Refreshing Ikemen" (handsome man) while their love interests are likely still "Mackerel" and "Daikon-bro." She jokes that she "raised him herself" like a Tamagotchi or a specialized RPG unit.
Hana accidentally expands her business by bribing a landlady with fried pork.Hana realizes that in this world, Tonkatsu is a superpower. She didn't mean to become a corporate tycoon, but her "cheat knowledge" of Japanese fried foods is so powerful that it creates loyal customers even when she’s trying to be a recluse.

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