Theme Park
"Hum-hum-hum~"
Tomorrow was finally the day I would go to Rumi's Theme Park — the very place I had been longing for. Grinning until my cheeks hurt, I threw myself into preparing for the trip down to the last detail.
First, I nestled Rumi's magic wand carefully inside my bag. A true little magician, after all, ought to be able to draw her wand at any moment, anywhere.
In the anime, of course, the heroine had only to reach into empty air for her wand to appear with a bright little chime. Sadly, I had not yet attained that lofty realm.
"And this... and this..."
Anything I could get my hands on, I stuffed into the bag. There was no telling what might happen, so my preparations had to be thorough.
Those thorough preparations, however, could only wither before Bora's gear inspection.
"Hana, why did you pack this? And this?"
Bora pulled out the snacks and all manner of secret tools as she spoke. I offered perfectly sound reasons, but she said we were only going and coming back the same day, so there was no need to pack this much — and proceeded to empty most of what was in the bag.
She even took the pillow I had meant to use in the car. I stared up at her, thoroughly deflated, but the sight of me didn't seem to move her in the slightest.
So mean!
Still, she wasn't wrong, so I resolved, in the generosity of my heart, to forgive her.
Vroooom.
We were heading for the theme park in a rather luxurious car. It had been months since I had been outside, and I stayed pressed right up against the window, drinking in the view.
People walking the streets, shops standing side by side — seen after so long, it all felt strangely unfamiliar. And no bold driver dared tuck in close to our car. The moment one drew near, it fell well back.
I was still people-watching when we arrived. Bora and Haru got out first and lifted me from the back seat.
Thump!
Hard asphalt under my feet felt pretty good. There were an incredible number of cars around, too, and knowing so many people had come to see Little Magician Rumi, just like me, left me oddly proud.
From the parking lot onward, the air was already thick with the theme park. Most of the visitors seemed to have come as families. There were plenty of little kids like me, but a fair number of adults like Bora and Haru as well. Adults clearly loved Rumi too.
We made our way out of the lot and arrived at an entrance so enormous that the mere sight of it looked as if it might overwhelm you.
Rumi's huge illustration, visible even from far off, was like a lighthouse. Watching the children swarm toward it, that thought struck me for a moment.
Bora stepped away. She was probably buying tickets so we could get in. I held Haru's hand and looked up.
"Haru, aren't you excited?"
"Y-yeah... I guess!"
Haru looked tired. She had worked late into the night and come out early this morning, so of course she was worn out. I plastered myself against her so she might get her energy back. If I stuck close like this, wouldn't she perk up? She always liked it when I did.
Just as I had hoped, Haru smiled and stroked my hair.
"Hehe."
I laughed, happy.
Before long, Bora came back with golden tickets in hand.
"Here. Be careful not to lose this. Let's go!"
I accepted the admission ticket from her with great care and marched forward, ready to enter the theme park with my head held high.
At the gate, a staff member dressed as an extra who often appeared on Little Magician Rumi was checking tickets. I clutched mine tight and joined the line.
Perhaps because it was a weekday, few guests had come to play. My turn arrived before I had waited more than a few minutes.
"Welcome to Rumi's Theme Park! Would you show me your ticket?"
I produced it with pride. The staff member, however, held out a hand, as if they wanted me to hand it over.
I hesitated, seized by the feeling that my ticket was about to be taken, and the staff member, seeing me like that, spoke.
"I'm not taking it. I'll just check it and give it right back~"
The tone was gentle enough that they really didn't seem to be stealing my ticket. I handed over the ticket, shining gold.
The staff member looked it over for a moment, then gave it back. Beaming, I tucked the ticket carefully into my pocket. I had been told I must not lose it no matter what, and I meant to keep it safe.
"That concludes the presentation."
With those words, the screen in the Starlight Cosmetics conference room rolled itself up. An employee near the wall hurried to the door and threw every switch beside it.
The dim room brightened at once, ordinary light returning. The afterglow of the meeting, however, had not faded. Kim Seyoung, president of Starlight Cosmetics, had never dreamed a day like this would come.
On any other day, atop a meeting cold as ice, she would have sighed over the monthly sales report — or else gone hunting for a solution. Today's meeting was different.
The mood had been warm from the very start. Even Kim Seyoung, walking into the room last, could tell at a glance that the air inside was pleasant.
Normally she would have snapped at them.
"You're paid to earn that pay. Do you really think you can sit here laughing it up?"
Then she would have put on a frosty face and taken her seat... but she herself could tell this month's results were good without even attending, simply from the market's reaction, so there was no need to spoil the mood.
The way to handle one's subordinates was carrot and stick, was it not? Rely on the stick alone, and things could go badly wrong.
With that in mind, Kim Seyoung listened to the report and applauded.
"Truly excellent."
Starlight Lotion had posted record sales. Despite a steep price of two hundred thousand won, they had sold five hundred thousand units in a single month. One item alone — Starlight Lotion — had brought in a hundred billion won, if only for that month.
Next month the price would rise to three hundred thousand won, but judging by the current market response, a complete sellout was likely. If so, that single lotion could achieve 1.8 trillion won in annual sales.
Set against the fact that the third-ranked cosmetics company's entire yearly revenue did not even reach two trillion, it was an absurd figure.
Starlight Cosmetics, which had failed even to crack the top ten, could enter the ranks of the top three cosmetics firms on the strength of one lotion.
"Not at all. It's thanks to you, President, for securing the ingredient yourself."
"All we did was set a spoon on rice that was already cooked."
Even the executives' eager flattery left Kim Seyoung in a fine mood. The one small flaw was that whether this happiness would last depended entirely on the Starlight Research Institute.
"You haven't forgotten that a certain amount of the ingredient must always be kept in reserve?"
There was no telling when the supply might be cut off. They had been assured it would never be cut off completely, but building a stockpile, so they could keep feeding the market steadily, was essential.
If they released even the reserves now and made more lotion, sales could climb higher. But if the ingredient ran dry, there would be no answer. It was one step back, taken so they might advance two.
And better news still awaited Kim Seyoung.
"These are the sales charts for the other cosmetics companies — our competitors."
A laugh nearly escaped her, but for the dignity of a president she held it down.
The moment Starlight Lotion launched, the use of other cosmetics had dropped sharply in response. Rather than buy another company's lotion, people bought Starlight Lotion.
This, too, was zero-sum. If a customer used another company's lotion, theirs did not sell. Common sense.
The graphs showed that sales of rival products said to be good for the skin — lotions included — had fallen by more than half.
Apply Starlight Lotion, and your skin improved even without the lotion, nourishing cream, or toner you used to wear, so the result was only natural. Aside from the cosmetics required for makeup, sales of everything else were dropping at a record pace.
That, however, was not Kim Seyoung's concern. Rivals stumbling was, if anything, good news for her. The company's stock was surging as well, and Kim Seyoung, having predicted exactly this, had used that advance knowledge to buy up shares in bulk.
Enough to empty even her private purse. There was no chance of outside forces shaking her control of the company.
Barely keeping the corners of her mouth from climbing, Kim Seyoung brought the meeting to a successful close.
She stepped outside, got into her car, and headed for the Starlight Research Institute with a smile. She meant to bring a gift to Hana, the one who supplied this precious ingredient. And looking at Hana felt a little like looking at an adorable niece.
But when she reached the floor of the building where Hana lived, there was no sign of anyone.
Both arms full of gifts, Kim Seyoung stood blankly in the hallway, staring at nothing.