No Need to Shut Them Out

On the way there, Ann was eating her boiled egg with such relish that I had to ask about it.

I tried one myself, but it was a perfectly ordinary boiled egg.

"You really seem to be enjoying that."

"Hweh?! Was I scarfing it down? I use fresh eggs, so of course it's good… Ehehe, truth is, I overslept this morning. I made it to work on time, but I didn't get to eat breakfast."

"You work hard, that's admirable. Here, have these too."

"Are you sure? Then I won't hold back."

I handed her the remaining nuts and she broke into a smile, popping them into her mouth.

If this girl were ever struggling to find work, I'd have invited her to come work for us.

We arrived at Mike's house.

Ann went in first, and I followed after.

"Hello, Mike-san."

"Well, well, if it isn't Yohane-san. Thank you for everything last time. Please give the priestess my regards once more."

Mike had been in the middle of desk work but set it aside to see me. It seemed he was still grateful for Elza's healing.

"So what brings you here today? If there's anything I can do, I'm happy to help."

"Thank you."

"I'll step out, then."

"Wait. I'd like Ann's opinion too, so could you stay a bit?"

Ann had been about to excuse herself, perhaps trying to be considerate, but I stopped her. I wanted to hear from someone who regularly sold at the stalls and street markets.

"My opinion? I don't think I can say anything all that useful, but… if that's alright with you."

"More than enough."

They brought out a chair for me and I sat down.

Mike served me corn tea.

Come to think of it, corn was almost in season.

I asked both Mike and Ann to share their opinions on the central plaza and main avenue from the perspective of stall and street vendors.

"That place is incredibly popular, you see. It's practically a holy ground for merchants without permanent shops. There's even a lottery with a waiting list to get a spot. The foot traffic is so heavy that if you're selling anything decent, it's guaranteed to move."

"I set up a food stall there just once, and the mountain of ingredients I'd prepared was completely wiped out in a single day. It sold like crazy."

"I see. So it's quite an important location."

"Some shops apparently make a whole month's earnings in just one day there."

I'd known it was a prime spot, but I hadn't realized it was that significant.

It was a world apart from the stall-lined streets of Kassad, where we normally lived.

It was no exaggeration that even a single day of closure would cause real hardship for some people.

If someone had been preparing specifically for a day they'd won through the lottery, and that day suddenly got shut down, they could actually take losses.

Worst case, it might even breed resentment.

Even with advance notice, it probably wouldn't go over smoothly.

"Anatia-sama has proposed a concert, and we're currently planning it. We want as many people as possible to be able to listen, so we've been considering venues. The central plaza area was one of the candidates we'd been considering, but given all that, it sounds difficult."

"Anatia-sama, that's the new chancellor, isn't it? I know the name. I hear she and Queen Tianis have been working hard for us citizens."

The two of them were highly regarded, it seemed.

All the more reason to avoid doing anything that would invite criticism.

"Not being able to use that location is certainly a problem. There will be people who won't be happy about it. And plenty of folks rely on those stalls for their daily meals. Anywhere else is either too far away or too expensive."

Hmm.

This concert had started from Anatia-sama's wish to make everyone smile. I couldn't let it end up causing trouble for people.

I probably needed to reconsider the venue.

But if not there, the only place that could draw a crowd would be… the royal castle?

No, that wouldn't work. The coronation was one thing, but carelessly gathering large numbers of people at the castle when there was no emergency… if anything went wrong, the responsibility would fall on Anatia-sama.

Hmm, what to do?

"Um…"

"What is it?"

Ann tentatively raised her hand. She seemed to have something to say.

"I don't really understand what this concert thing is, but it's going to be a big event that draws a lot of people, right?"

"That's the plan. The novelty factor will help, and since Anatia-sama herself will be performing, I expect quite a crowd."

"Then why not let the food stalls set up to serve all the people who come? Nobody would complain about that. They'd actually be thrilled."

"Ah, that would work just fine."

That hadn't occurred to me.

Just listening to the performance. Because I'd been thinking of proper venues like theaters and formal concert halls, I'd unconsciously assumed it had to be that way.

In fact, letting people freely eat and drink from the stalls in a lively, festive atmosphere might be even better.

If the performance was outdoors, a bit of background chatter wouldn't matter.

Right, this event was for the people living in the Royal Capital. There was no need to make it stuffy.

Getting permission would probably go through now, too.

"That's a wonderful idea. I came hoping to hear from people who actually work on the ground, and this has been incredibly helpful."

"Not at all. You helped us out before, so I don't mind. Once it's official, we'll come listen. Might be from a food stall, though."

I shook Mike's hand with a laugh. I thanked Ann for the idea as well, then headed back to the castle.

I made my way to the Treasury Bureau to explain it once more.

They gave me a sour look, probably thinking I was a hassle, but I couldn't back down over something like that.

I patiently laid everything out from scratch.

The key point was how beneficial it would be to allow food stalls at the concert.

I wove in the ground-level opinions I'd gathered from Mike and Ann, emphasizing that the event would be a net positive for commerce as well.

It wouldn't generate complaints, and nobody would be inconvenienced. That much got through.

The last hurdle was the lack of precedent.

Nobody had ever done anything like this before. That fact stood in the way.

I thought it over carefully. Even if it failed, it shouldn't cause any major problems.

But the discussion still wouldn't move forward.

Just then, someone peered in from behind me.

I felt something soft press against my back.

I turned around to find Princess Yupe standing there.