Published: August 3, 2025
“Fluffy bread, huh? So you want to know how to make Natural Yeast-chan?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
I pursed my lips and thought it over.
Originally, making fluffy bread was a trump card—a secret weapon to stay ahead and not be outdone by other shops. Even if the chef who learned the recipe got poached, we would still hold the advantage.
The only potential rivals I could think of were the Guild Master and Ilse, but they were already cooperative joint investors, exchanging recipes back and forth between Hugo, Ilse, and themselves.
Honestly, in the current situation, there’s no real need to put fluffy bread on the menu.
“Since my Foster Father probably looks forward to unusual meals, I’ll hand over the Natural Yeast-chan in advance at the dinners where the lord and high priests gather. Hugo and the others already know how to use it, so they’ll be able to make fluffy bread. But I’ll keep the method and everything else secret. For now, please run the shop without fluffy bread.”
“Huh!?”
The bread I ate at the Guild Master’s house and the bread at Father’s house weren’t fluffy bread. The Italian restaurant is attracting customers with the concept of serving meals for nobles, so there’s no need for fluffy bread.
“Why is that? Wasn’t fluffy bread supposed to be the unique selling point?”
Benno’s eyes widened, and Mark and Lutz looked surprised. Since Benno seemed quite fond of it, I suspected he probably wanted to know the recipe too.
“It was necessary so that others couldn’t imitate the Italian restaurant. But now, with the Guild Master on board, even if someone wants to copy it, which merchant in this town would dare to face the combination of the Guild Master and Benno head-on? We’re basically unbeatable now, right?”
“...Well, yeah, that’s true.”
There are other big shops that deal with nobles, but none would win against the duo of the Guild Master and Benno. The Italian restaurant targets wealthy customers, so if there were many similar restaurants, they would just drag each other down.
As Benno struggled, considering the hassle and cost of procuring ingredients and assembling chefs and servers, most merchants would quit. Benno started out with a sense of rivalry against Ilse and the Guild Master, but normally, no one foolishly starts a new business just because of some heated words.
“Besides, fluffy bread is actually more necessary for me.”
“For you? You already eat it every day, don’t you?”
“...Since I became the lord’s adopted daughter, I have to become a trendsetter.”
Following the crowd is not elegant. This isn’t just my mother’s theory; apparently, it’s something upper-class noblewomen must do. By picking up new things themselves and spreading them, demand is created. This also revitalizes the local economy, which is part of a noble’s role.
In other words, as the lord’s adopted daughter, I now have to create trends that make nobles eager to spend money. So I want to use fluffy bread not just as a product but as an item to establish my position.
“Because of these complicated noble affairs, I plan to spread fluffy bread starting from the lord’s castle and upper nobles. So it will eventually spread, and once it reaches my mother’s faction, I might allow the recipe to be shared with the Italian restaurant. If we cooperate with the Guild Master, we don’t really need a trump card like Natural Yeast-chan, right?”
“It’s better to have as many trump cards as possible, isn’t it?”
Benno frowned and looked at me, but then nodded, showing some understanding. “I guess there are a lot of things going on.”
“I intend to have the Gilberta Trading Company continue making and selling the things I want, so please give up on putting fluffy bread on the menu from the start.”
“Alright. There’s a proper order to things.”
Things flow more smoothly from top to bottom. Especially for luxury goods. It’s easy to forget since they’re homemade and close at hand, but Rinshan, plant paper, hair ornaments, and picture books aren’t cheap enough for everyone to get. Buyers are limited to those with money. And if lower ranks can’t copy, it’s all the more necessary to spread it from above.