263 - Marketing
“The wooden sword...”
“Sorry... I'm tired, so I'll head in first...!”
Having finished her report on the Korea trip to the Katsuhata family head, Emika fled into her room and undid her tightly bound hair. Just in case it might fall off by mistake, she gently touched the translucent horn with her fingertip.
As expected, this horn was an artificial organ formed by clumped mana, much like an Aura Heart. Tap tap—a faint vibration transmitted only to her head, but there was no sensation in the horn itself.
Emika knelt in seiza position, sitting demurely. After more than an hour of meditation, with no sign of growth, she finally contacted Nami again.
“No. Today was still vacation anyway. I might have to pull an all-nighter, but let's hang in there a bit.”
Through meditation, she became aware of things she normally wouldn't notice. The poignant cries of evening cicadas echoed from all directions, and the footsteps of the Katsuhata household staff thumped against the ceiling. But even the novelty of perceiving such details wore off quickly.
It's boring... Sleepy...
After battling boredom, her eyelids began to droop. Meditation required closed eyes, but she couldn't let herself fall asleep. Every time drowsiness hit, Emika pinched her thighs to stay alert.
Around the time Emika was fighting her inner battle behind the firmly shut door, the oblivious people outside murmured worriedly about her well-being.
“Must be the shock from Korea.”
“She was fine even on the plane...”
“Tsk. Puberty hitting after all.”
“Puberty...! Our little Katsuhata lady...!”
Since returning from the trip, the girl had refused food and locked herself in her room. Clearly, the defeat in Korea was weighing on her. In the main Katsuhata residence, where breakfast preparations were in full swing, worries poured out for the young heir pegged as the next family head.
“Call Miss Katsuhata. Tell her there's something to discuss about the Autumn Equinox event. If she's later than the elders, she'll face reprimand.”
An elderly man appeared and issued the summons in a firm tone.
From March to May, and September to November, the Katsuhata school mandated training camps. No exceptions, not even for the heir.
Creak—Katsuhata Emika, who had nearly become a high-risk hikikomori, entered the dining hall.
No matter how famous someone was publicly, living and training together long-term dulled the awe. To outsiders, she might be a mysterious genius swordswoman, but to the Katsuhata household, Emika was just their adorable youngest.
She appeared more disheveled than ever, rubbing her eyes with her arm as she shuffled in.
“Hup!”
“Wh-what's that?”
“Headband?”
“Devil cosplay?”
As the incomprehensible scene unfolded, her close senior Tachibana approached and placed a hand on her head.
“Emika, what the hell is this look! You're not some middle school edgelord—don't pull this embarrassing crap in front of everyone!”
Emika was exactly middle school second-year age at 14. The saying went that quiet kids acted out the most, but no one in the conservative Katsuhata family had imagined such antics.
“What's this? Why won't it come off?”
“That's my horn...”
“Huh?”
“It's a horn growing from my head.”
“Ehhh?!”
Shh—She parted Emika's hair with both hands. Naturally, no plastic band or attachment point was found.
Emika's face turned beet red.
As the family head and elders entered the dining hall, the commotion quieted. But sharp gazes still poured onto one person. Sensing the odd atmosphere, the elders squinted and pointed.
“That... that one!”
“Such indecency!”
“This is no place for pranks!”
“I can explain everything!”
Emika slammed the table and stood in the center, facing the family head.
“This isn't a toy—it's magic! I'm not going through some middle school phase! And definitely not cosplay!”
Confessing the truth before an average age of 45—and over 50 people—required immense courage. Katsuhata Emika swallowed hard and pulled out her newly acquired wooden sword in haste.
The dining hall was the prime example of a Kaikengaku—a place where carrying swords was strictly forbidden. Seeing the heir violate etiquette and rules, the elders rose and bellowed.
“Calm down first and hear Emika out. You all know she's not one to act like this normally.”
The family head at the center finally intervened to quiet them.
“Speak, Emika. But if there's no valid reason, prepare for punishment for this disturbance.”
“So... this is...”
Emika bowed her head slightly and squeezed her eyes shut. She just had to explain as Nami told her.
“Then what magic is it? Explain quickly, Katsuhata Emika.”
“Demon King's Horn...”
“Demon King? The one I'm thinking of? Are you saying you've become the Demon King now?”
“N-no... It's not set, I don't really know either, but it kinda seems right...”
“Hah.”
“That's not how I meant it... Sniff... Waaah! Why won't you let me finish?!”
In the end, Emika burst into tears first.
* * *
“Whoa, Nami, this is huge. How'd you snag such a big fish?”
“Hold on. You got the order right?”
I blocked Baek Ho-chan from plopping down next to me, gripping my cafe chair. He took a deep breath.
“Caramel Frappuccino with whole Java chips. Espresso whipped cream, mocha syrup, caramel drizzle. Right?”
“Pass.”
“Kids your age shouldn't chug caffeine... Anyway, check this article.”
I slowly stroked my chin, taking in Emika's exploits.
In Japan, Autumn Equinox Day was a national holiday. Especially for venerable families like Katsuhata, they held their own ancestral rites. The school's educational policy direction was announced through her mouth.
In her speech praying for and encouraging young Japanese magic swordsmen's growth, Emika mentioned the Adella spell and foreshadowed a shift in swordsmanship focus.
“Just teasing it is enough. And she mentioned our company during the magic demo!”
“Yeah, yeah. I told her to.”
“This kind of marketing is priceless—even billions couldn't buy it. Aww, our Nami's all grown up.”
“Get off me! Let me read in peace, please.”
Unfortunately, Emika hadn't reached the level to destroy the Sacred Succession Sword. Instead, by solo-demonstrating the 1st Circle Adella magic, she plunged countless theoretical magic scholars grinding away into despair.
She proved it could be self-cast with existing spells, instantly drawing all media spotlight.
But it veered slightly from my expectations. The public praised the magic's potential less than they fixated on cute Emika sporting horns.
Trends spread like plagues. And in capitalist society, companies sniffed out money like ghosts.
Toy and headband makers raced to produce “Demon King's Horn Emika Editions” for a seasonal fad. Free promo for BioAkashic's magic—we had no reason to stop them.
“Magic costs a ton not just in labor, but insane advertising.”
“How far along is the MS treatment?”
“Passed preclinical last week, straight into Phase 1 trials.”
“Still?”
“This is super fast? Preclinical usually takes 2-3 years; we did it in 2 months.”
“No, too slow... Skip Phase 2, shortest timeline all the way—what's the total?”
“Skipping Phase 2? Near impossible, but even if approved, FDA clearance is at least 3 years.”
Three years was too long. Vaccines got emergency approval in 10 months—why not treatments?
“So, Nami, retail price per year: $10,000. You studied econ, so you know inflation later...”
“Absolutely under $3,000. No compromise—don't even dream.”
“Fake pills with no effect go for $50k-$100k... Sigh, fine.”
“Shorter dev time means easier cost recovery anyway. So make it happen fast, Mr. Baek Ho-chan.”
And I'd basically given away my past life's knowledge for free.
“Outsourcing trials costs a fortune! National grants are bleeding out.”
Everything circled back to money. Money to solve problems, money even to make money.
I half-closed my eyes, interlacing my fingers. Sipping the Frappuccino through the straw, I pondered.
“Delay the Demon King's Horn launch.”
“Why? We need a cash cow ASAP to keep the company afloat.”
“Katsuhata school investment coming soon. Whatever amount, it'll buy a month at least.”
“Reason for delay?”
“Release two versions. One simplified 3rd Circle cast, the other full 5th Circle original. Sell the latter high-end for big bucks.”
“How? By your specs, it's not that appealing.”
Naturally, Demon King's Horn was tailored for demons—humans got minimal effect, a fatal flaw. Mana purification was niche outside Middle East or mana plants, and atmospheric mana sensing took massive effort.
“Heard this somewhere: Companies making what people want are second-rate.”
“...?”
“You agree the true first-rate stirs desire even in the apathetic?”
“Uh? Yeah, rings a bell.”
“This time, I'll handle the marketing.”
[Reply: Seferon Foundation]
[Your participation in the Academy Tournament is approved.]
Middle school division had no height limit. No one under 120cm had ever entered Seferon Academy's middle school anyway. My guess was right—rules hastily made for injuries only applied to elementary.
Inquiry confirmed: A bit of a stretch, but as a middle schooler, I could join the Academy Tournament.