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If it's a Crane, I Can Fold it

(Translation: I Can Only Fold Cranes)

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

*****

I'll start with the conclusion.

The command to close the window is 「Ctrl+W」!

For those who might not know, I should clarify that this is the shortcut key for "Close the active window" in the world's most popular PC operating system. If you have a PC and a keyboard in front of you, try it right now! This window will close!

While we were pondering how to get rid of that pink board we had no idea how to close, Hana-chan let out a stray mutter.

「If this were a computer, it would disappear with Ctrl+W...」

At that exact moment, the pink board vanished without a sound.

「If it opens with 'Open,' shouldn't it close with 'Close'?!」

I couldn't help but shout, and Hana-chan nodded along emphatically.

(I mean, there must be plenty of people who don't even know shortcut keys! It's lucky that Hana-chan happened to have that knowledge!)

Actually, if the other two Flora-chans ever opened this, wouldn't they be completely stuck? This world doesn't even have PCs.

「...But then again, do we really have many opportunities to say 'Status Open' in daily life?」

At Hana-chan's words, the pink board dutifully reappeared.

「I wasn't calling you!!」

Hana-chan said with a look of disgust, immediately closing the window with 「Control and W!」

「It’s true that being able to see your status is a staple trope of the 'reincarnated in another world' genre, but...」

Hana-chan sighed and took another sip of tea.

「Is there any point to a status window that just spits out errors and is completely useless?」

「...I don't think so.」

It was hard to say, but that was the reality.

In the original game, there were no such things as "skills." Therefore, the only things you could actually check in the status window were the ranks for the shop and its reputation.

Also, in the game, a four-headed-tall chibi version of Flora-chan would be displayed next to the window, and you could spin her around with the mouse. Plus, if you pressed the P key, Flora-chan would perform a random action. It was so cute that I used to spend a lot of time just watching her whenever I got stuck in the game.

「Is it possible there's a second page where your cheat skills—reincarnation boons from a God—are listed...? Situations like that happen, right?」

When I said that, Hana-chan muttered a reluctant 「Status Open.」

I peered at the pink board from behind Hana-chan's shoulder. ...But it was exactly as we had seen before. There was nothing suggesting the existence of a second page.

Hana-chan reached out and made a gesture as if swiping the window up, down, left, and right. Absolutely nothing happened.

The conclusion: That board is a completely useless white elephant. The end.

(Seriously, why does it even exist! ...No, there's no point in nitpicking the occurrences in this world anymore.)

Hana-chan and I both drank our tea for the time being to calm our nerves.

(Ah... Irina-baasan went to the trouble of preparing these, so I might as well eat the sweets...)

I munched on the Rakugan, drank tea, ate the jelly, drank more tea, and as for the tuna... that looked like it would make me thirsty, so I'll skip it for now. I'll have it later.

「Even though the shop rank was bugged, events have still been happening, haven't they?」

When I spoke up, Hana-chan stopped folding a crane out of the tuna wrapper and looked at me with a nod.

「Yes. Even though I've moved the 'encounters' themselves significantly forward, I believe I've seen the general run of events.」

(By the way, Hana-chan is quite dexterous! She's already finished one silver crane! I can fold cranes too, I guess. And those trash bins—or rather, containers?)

「That would mean events will happen for the other Flora-sans as well...」

In fact, one had already happened at the greengrocer's. According to Franz, after that, Daikon-niki boasted, 「I finally understand the difference between cabbage and lettuce!」 only to be thrown into confusion when Flora-chan put frilly lettuce out at the storefront, wondering, 「Is this a new enemy?!」

It was an incredibly stupid occurrence, but it was indeed one of the events.

By the way, apparently Flora-chan (the greengrocer) completely ignored him. Good luck, Flora-chan! You're making great progress in crushing that route!

「That's where I have a favor to ask of you, Ann-san...」

Hana-chan, having finished folding a golden crane, placed it gently beside the silver one and looked at me.

「Could you keep a close eye on the fishmonger's movements...?」

「Do you... feel that way too?」

Hana-chan nodded at my question.

「Yes. So far, no events that are common to all shops have occurred. That means either they won't happen until all the shops are in sync, or...」

「Or perhaps the fishmonger, who is likely the main focus, acts as the flag.」

「Yes.」

Whether it's an otome game or a bishoujo game, there is always a 'main capture target.' Usually, they're the one with the highest difficulty, the most fleshed-out scenario, and in some cases, the key to the 'true route.'

The 'main hero' in this game is, needless to say, the Crown Prince, who holds the most noble rank. Even the game's title includes his name, 'Saba' (Mackerel). Furthermore, in terms of the 'management game' aspect, the fishmonger has the highest difficulty. This is due to how quickly the goods spoil.

The 'events common to all shops' Hana-chan mentioned are 'management-related events.' Things like loan offers or preferential treatment from suppliers—well, those don't really matter in this case. Rather, there's an event referred to on walkthrough sites as the 'Last Boss Battle.'

The Last Boss Battle occurs when the shop rank is at its maximum and the reputation is at Rank A or higher.

The ultimate boss for a shopping district—yes, in other words, 'The Opening of a Large Shopping Center.' It's that entity like an avatar of void that wipes out all individual shops and entire shopping districts, only to eventually withdraw itself.

So far, I haven't heard any talk of such a facility being built in the Royal Capital. Besides, is there even any land to build such a thing? Who would fund it, and where would it be built?

「As of now, is there any talk of a 'Jasco' opening...?」

「No, I haven't heard a thing.」

(Seriously, that name... It really was called that in the original source, though...)

「Since it's a large shopping center, I thought information would likely reach you easily, Ann-san, being a noble.」

「Well, I suppose so.」

After all, the amount of money and people involved would be massive. And the only ones who could build such a thing would be either nobles or wealthy merchants. It takes a thief to catch a thief—or in this case, a noble is most familiar with the movements of other nobles.

「I'll try mentioning it to my father, just in case.」

「Please do.」

Hana-chan bowed her head politely.

The 'Last Boss Battle' in the game isn't exactly a direct fight. When Jasco opens, they release flyers every Thursday. You have to counter those flyers. You could sell the same products even cheaper, or put out items they don't have as 'loss leaders.' You could even spend money on advertising and put out your own flyers.

In any case, you have to take some kind of measure to stop the flow of customers to Jasco. Since it's a game, the total number of customers is fixed. Thus, Jasco and the individual shops in the district fight over a slice of the pie. If you manage to hold onto the customers and increase your regulars, Jasco will eventually raise the white flag and withdraw. That is the victory in the 'Last Boss Battle.'

In the game, Jasco withdraws in three months with ultra-efficient play, or in six months to a year with normal play. If you lose, it's naturally Game Over. 'Game Over' in this game occurs if Flora-chan ends the month with her funds in the red. The moment even one payment for monthly overhead is delayed, it's Game Over.

(...Come to think of it, those 'Game Over' conditions could probably be handled a bit more flexibly in reality.)

In a game, you could just load a save file and try again. But this world is reality. There are no such things as save data...

「...Hana-san, do you think it's possible to save data?」

「'Save' was in the menu, wasn't it... We often talk about opening the status, but how on earth do you open the menu...?」

「For starters, maybe it's 'Menu Open'?」

「Then... 'Menu Open'!」

And... absolutely nothing happened! Hana-chan got a bit sulky and started folding a paper balloon out of a tuna wrapper.

Hana-chan blew into the small paper balloon to inflate it and gently placed it next to the cranes.

(...A rather cute little corner is starting to form here...)

「Well, even if we could save data, there's no telling what would happen if we loaded it, so in a way, I'm actually relieved we can't.」

I nodded along with Hana-chan as she adjusted the angle of the crane.

「That's certainly true. Things like 'Isekai Reincarnation + Regressive Time Loop' get very complicated.」

「Given how sloppy this world's logic is, I wouldn't be surprised if you regressed but didn't keep your memories. Even though having memories is the whole point of 'doing it over.'」

「Ah...」

(That sounds high-ly plausible.)

Actually, a 'regressive loop where you lose the memories of the regression'...

「Thinking simply, wouldn't that just become an 'infinite loop'...?」

「From the perspective of an 'Amazing' story, that's probably how it would go.」

Hana-chan nodded with a look of distaste.

In a 'regressive loop,' it's precisely because one inherits memories that they act to 'follow a different path than last time.' Without those memories, it wouldn't be strange at all for the development from the point of the rewind to be exactly the same as before. In fact, it's more likely to be identical. In other words: something happens → wouldn't it be better to go back to the past? → go back → the same thing happens → if we go back to the past... and you would simply repeat the same actions over and over for all eternity.

That sounds like a development that would already exist in 'Amazing' or 'Twilight Zone'-style stories. Also, it's likely the kind of thing you'd find in a mysterious item sold by a certain pudgy salesman. From the perspective of a third party looking in, these developments would be a Bad End. Although the person in the loop themselves wouldn't be able to notice it.

Hana-chan picked up another piece of tuna, quickly popped the contents into her mouth, and started folding something with the empty wrapper. I wonder what it is this time?

「The opening of a large shopping center is only discussed because they expect to attract customers and make a profit there, right?」

「Normally, that would be the case.」

(A certain large membership store that charges annual fees is famous for having strict conditions for opening a new location. Even if it's not them, anyone would at least do research on the location. Just building the structure itself costs a significant amount of money.)

「Which means, conversely, they won't open a store on land where they won't make a profit.」

(...Ah! It's a Yakko-san! What Hana-chan is folding is a Yakko-san!)

Hana-chan adjusted the corners of the finished Yakko-san with her fingertips and reached for another piece of tuna.

「In the game, for some reason, the protagonist's shop was singled out as an enemy by the large shopping center, but in reality, they're 'complexes,' aren't they? They don't just carry food, but also general goods, clothing, and the like. And restaurants too.」

「That's right.」

Even as I replied, my eyes kept drifting to Hana-chan's hands. Actually, Hana-chan was also looking at her hands while she spoke.

「So in reality, it should be a battle of 'Last Boss vs. Shopping District.'」

「Yes.」

(Ah... what was this one again? I definitely remember how to fold it... The steps are the same as the Yakko-san up to a point, but with origami, the first step is usually either folding it into a triangle or a square...)

「And if Jasco's enemy is the entire shopping district, as a matter of logic, if 'the shopping district already attracts plenty of customers and is bustling to the point where it wouldn't be easy to steal their slice of the pie,' then the talk of opening a Jasco might not even come up... is what I think.」

(The Yakko-san's Hakama! It's the Yakko-san's Hakama! Wow... a Yakko-san in a golden Kamishimo and silver Hakama. How cute.)

Hana-chan perched the Yakko-san on top of the crane and adjusted the angle of its legs.

「So I was thinking... wouldn't it be a good idea to make the three shopping districts as a whole even more attractive than they are now? Starting with just our District 1.」

「True. That might actually be a viable strategy.」

Hana-chan started folding something else with a wrapper yet again.

(I mean, Hana-chan is eating a fair amount of tuna. It's fine, but isn't she getting thirsty?)

「Actually, I have a few plans. I'll put them together next time, so would you mind taking a look?」

「If I can be of any help, I'd be happy to.」

(Ah! A Trick Boat! How nostalgic~!)

***

After Hana-chan went home, numerous small origami figures were left behind.

(...I was so focused on watching Hana-chan's hands that I don't really remember what we talked about in the second half...) Well, whatever.

I think Hana-chan mentioned something about having some kind of plan... I'll find out eventually, I suppose.

I gave Hana-chan's small origami figures to Irina-baasan, the provider of the tuna.

Baasan was delighted, saying, 「Oh my, how 'menkoi' (cute).」

(...It's a bit late for this, but where is Baasan from?)

Maybe I'll look into the distribution of dialects in this country sometime...

*****

Chapter 12 shifts from TV nostalgia to early Japanese internet culture and retail parodies, highlighting the logistical absurdity of living in a world governed by video game logic.

The Joke: Hana closes her magical floating status window by saying "Control plus W." In Windows and most web browsers, Ctrl+W is the shortcut to close the current tab or window. While the world uses fantasy tropes (Status Open), the underlying "operating system" is apparently running on standard PC architecture. It also implies that if you don't know keyboard shortcuts, you're literally stuck with a UI blocking your vision forever.

The "Final Boss" of the shopping district is a mega-retailer named Jasco (ヂャスコ). This is a direct parody of JUSCO (now known as AEON), Japan’s largest shopping mall chain. In Japan, the "Jusco-fication" of the countryside is a well-known social phenomenon where a massive mall opens, kills all the local "mom-and-pop" shops in the traditional shopping districts, and then becomes the only place people go. Referring to a shopping mall as a "Final Boss" is a hilarious but accurate take on urban planning in small-town Japan.

Ann mentions a "pudgy salesman who sells mysterious items" in the context of infinite loops. This is a reference to Moguro Fukuzou from the dark comedy manga/anime The Laughing Salesman (Warau Salesman).Moguro offers people items that fulfill their desires, but if they break his rules (which they always do), he ruins their lives—often trapping them in ironic, eternal punishments or "loops."

Hana is folding increasingly complex origami (Cranes, Yakko-san, Trick Boats) while discussing serious corporate warfare. In Japan, origami is a childhood staple, but folding it out of tuna wrappers (likely oily and small) is a sign of extreme fidgeting or nervous energy.
The maid Irina calls the origami "Menkoi." Menkoi is a very specific dialect word for "cute" used in the Tohoku (Northeast) and Hokkaido regions of Japan.

Ann laments that she can't press the "P key" to make Hana do a cute dance. In many 90s/2000s PC "Pet" or "Idol" sims, specific keys triggered animations (like the "Pose" or "Play" key).

The store gets bigger on the inside in the game, but in reality, there are buildings next door. This references Doraemon’s "Four-Dimensional" gadgets. Hana points out the logical flaw of RPGs: shops usually have a 10-foot storefront but are 50 feet wide inside. Since they don't have a magic cat to bend space-time, the "Game Logic" of shop upgrades is physically impossible unless they bulldoze the neighbors.

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