The Cleanup
“Thank you for agreeing to help.”
“Leave it to me.”
Mitsuha was in the courtyard of Otsuki General Hospital in Japan with McCoy. She contacted the doctor ahead of time and arranged to meet with him outside. Fortunately, he managed to leave at the end of his shift without having to work overtime. He was holding a suitcase that contained medication.
Larusia had described her injuries as bruises and broken bones in her letter to Lephilia. The latter could be serious if the bones were misaligned and healed improperly or if the nerves or blood vessels were damaged, so Mitsuha decided to have McCoy examine her. It took days for the letter to reach Lephilia and it likely wasn’t until a few days after the attack that Larusia recovered enough to write. Maybe it was too late, but Mitsuha wanted to do all she could. Her young business partners were friends and kindred spirits.
“Jump!”
“Larusia, how are you feeling?”
“V-Viscountess Yamano?!” Larusia gasped.
Mitsuha jumped to Larusia Trading with McCoy and found the young store owner in her office giving orders to employees. Her face was swollen and bruised around her right eye and cheek. The bruise had likely faded in the days since the attack, but the fact that it remained so prominent meant it must’ve been much worse. Her left arm was in a cloth sling.
Larusia rushed toward Mitsuha.
“I’m so, so sorry! The precious products you’d entrusted me with were all ruined, and my dedicated employees got injured… You left this important mission in my hands and yet I betrayed your expectations! Once we clean up this mess, I will pay with my life─”
Man, this girl takes her job just as seriously as Lephilia.
The other employees who never met Mitsuha looked at her in shock upon realizing she was Viscountess Yamano, the woman upon whom the company’s entire business depended.
I need to calm her and the employees down and let them know Larusia Trading will be just fine.
“That won’t be necessary,” assured Mitsuha. “I’ll deliver new stock to replace the unsold goods that were lost as soon as I can. I can allocate some of the stock intended for the stores in other countries. Try to fulfill the preorders you already have within their promised deadlines. Don’t worry about paying for the replacement stock. The Yamano family will bear the losses from everything that was damaged before sales.
“I know it’s been days since the attack, but I brought a skilled doctor from my country. Can you please gather everyone who was injured? Also…”
“Also…?”
Mitsuha grinned at the girl. “The Yamano family has a creed: Divine punishment comes quick. Sow evil and reap evil. Should anyone decide to mess with me, I must pay them fairly.
“Dr. McCoy, can you take a look at Larusia first? After that, I’m gonna have a nice, long talk with her. I want to know what happened in full detail.”
Huh? Why is Larusia shrinking away from me?
McCoy, not you too…
Mitsuha sent the employees out of the room so McCoy could examine Larusia. She couldn’t let a girl bare her shoulders in front of the men (other than the doctor). In the meantime, the employees went to gather the others who were injured.
After finishing his examination, McCoy concluded that Larusia’s broken left arm had been properly reset and would heal without further treatment. The swelling and bruising on her face, too, would disappear completely.
That’s a relief. Inflicting a scar on a pretty girl’s face is an unspeakable crime. Not that it’s okay to do the same to a girl who’s less attractive, of course.
The fact that she would make a full recovery changed nothing, however. The criminals still viciously attacked a girl, harming and scarring her. That was an evil and irredeemable act.
Even worse, one of the guards was killed. He was likely a hard-working man of strong moral fiber to lose his life on duty.
A merchant’s weapons were his profits and entrepreneurship. Bringing violence and crime into that space, now that was an act of war. There were no international laws or Hague Conventions here to protect the criminals. They were about to pay with their blood.
Feel the wrath of the Yamano Clan!
McCoy used medicated tape to ease the swelling and pain on Larusia’s face. She looked quite helpless in the bandage.
I forgot McCoy is the head of the internal medicine department, not the surgery department…
He also handed Larusia oral painkillers, which Mitsuha explained how to use. After that, McCoy went into another room to examine the other injured employees.
It was Mitsuha’s turn to speak to Larusia.
Hmm, I see. Interesting…
There was a clear suspect but no evidence. The authorities showed no intention of investigating the case, and that wasn’t going to change. Nothing about that was surprising.
“I’m sorry,” whimpered Larusia. “There’s nothing we can do without evidence… Even if we did find something, I’m afraid it would just be destroyed. Any witnesses would be ignored, too…”
Larusia hung her head low. Small dark spots formed on the floor, one drop after another.
So you made her cry… You made my dear friend cry…
“Eek!” Larusia looked up and flinched at Mitsuha’s expression.
Whoops. I thought I was smiling to reassure her, but was I doing a bad job? This reminds me of what Micchan 1.0 once said when I was trying to suppress my boiling rage with a smile:
“You look like a psychopath!”
McCoy had finished examining the other patients by the time Mitsuha was done questioning Larusia. She was relieved to hear none of them would suffer complications from their injuries.
Apparently, people in this world know how to reset broken bones, speculated Mitsuha.
Next, she summoned all the employees and guards who were present during the attack. She started by thanking them for their efforts, and then warned them not to put themselves in too much danger by resisting if the store was attacked again. She made it clear that their lives came first, avoiding injury came second, and the money and goods couldn’t matter less.
That might’ve made it sound like the deceased middle-aged guard died for nothing, but that wasn’t the case. He protected a young female employee who was about to be targeted by one of the assailants and ended up being beaten to death. He died saving a young woman’s life, not the goods.
After Mitsuha finished her briefing, she handed out gifts to the employees and guards in recognition of their hard work. Everyone received one ruby, emerald, or sapphire pendant that cost around a hundred dollars each.
The gems were synthetic, of course. That didn’t mean they were fakes─they had the same chemical composition as natural gemstones. They just happened to be man-made.
Mitsuha considered giving each person one gold coin, but the gems were much cheaper. The metal settings and chains could drive up the price of synthetic gemstone jewelry, but even then, they were practically free compared to natural gems.
Nonetheless, in this world, these jewels had the same value as natural gemstones. Mitsuha told everyone they were free to sell them, but they all vigorously shook their heads and insisted on keeping them as family heirlooms.
You guys have no idea how cheap those are… Eh, whatever. I guess it’s a once-in-a-lifetime honor for a commoner to receive jewels from a noble lord, even if she’s from another country.
Mitsuha considered buying cultured pearl pendants─usually a single pearl worth one or two hundred dollars, as opposed to a full beaded necklace─but pearls were organic and degraded over time. They only lasted around twenty years with proper maintenance─two or three without it─before they lost their luster and changed color. The metal fittings would rust too. Synthetic gems were a better option.
Seeing that they wanted to keep the gifts forever, Mitsuha made the right choice.
Oh, I guess the necklace I gave Lady Iris won’t last very long either. I didn’t know at the time that pearls degrade so quickly… At least she’ll probably be able to wear it at Beatrice’s wedding. That’ll have to be good enough for her.
Giving gifts only to the injured would’ve made it look like I was rewarding them for resisting the thieves. That might’ve sent the wrong message, so I decided to give gifts to everyone who was present during the attack instead.
Including the person who couldn’t be here today… Or ever again, for that matter…
“It is with a heavy heart I’ve come today to…” Mitsuha started to mumble the rest.
Trailing off and mincing your words during these occasions is the Japanese way, apparently… But I’m not going to beat around the bushes to say what I’m actually here for.
Mitsuha was visiting a woman today. She was telling her about how the guard died an honorable death protecting a young female employee. She also gave her a ruby pendant, three hundred and one gold coins, and certificates of gratitude (for protecting the employee, not the goods).