"Ehehe…"
"Hmm…"
"You two…"
I wasn't that pleased now after these two got the wrong message from my request of showing me around in the city of Iwaki.
"What's wrong, Iwasawa-sama~?"
"Are you being pleased with our service~?"
"Can you two let go of me already? This is just getting awkward."
The thing is, ever since we left their estate, Aimi and Eimi has been clinging to my arms, wrapping it around their arms while taking all the opportunity that they can take to press their chests on it.
"Ehh~? So, you really are feeling us up, aren't you?"
"Mm… Iwasawa-sama, you naughty boy~."
"Argh! For heck's sake!"
I didn't want to be that rude, but I was just not liking it anymore. I pulled my arms away from them and fixed my yukata and haori coat that has been creased because of their clinging before crossing my arms together.
"Hmph…"
"Mmmm…"
"Quit pouting! This is your fault!"
We proceeded with our sightseeing with the two walking beside me, they were and kept on nudging me at times and at some point, I just gave up and opened my arms to let them cling to me again.
If Chiyo can see this, she'd probably be sad. But for the sake of my own sanity, I just gave up and appeased their wants just for this moment.
"Hehe~."
"We know you can't help but spoil us."
"Shut up or I'll take my arms away again."
Setting aside the situation happening right now, let's get to a short history lesson.
Iwaki wasn't always an oligarchy led my monopolistic merchants. Back in the Naisen Period 400 years ago, this country was led by the Taka clan, a powerful Samurai family related to the Miyamoto Shogunate. Being one of their many branch families, the Taka clan has to pay the main family a tribute of grain ranging between 50,000 to 70,000 Koku of rice.
(T/N: That's 180 liters of rice, the common average that a single person can eat in a year back then.)
As unfair as it may sound, it was a really great deal. Hashidate is an extremely fertile land composed of plains and irrigated by the plateau springs that dotted the land and the seasonal monsoon rains that bring just enough rainwater for the last few months of the rice's growth cycle. Thus, the Taka clan has tricked the Shogunate into believing that they had the upper hand when it was actually them who looked at the tribute as nothing significant.
This later became apparent to the Shogunate after their failed offensive against the Northern Provinces in the later parts of the Naisen Period. With the border provinces and coalition armies being decimated one by one, the supply of edible resources from those areas are becoming less reliable. It was at this moment that they turned to their branch family, raising the tribute to 100,000 to 200,000 Koku just to supply their men in the battlefield, but even though they can easily fork over such vast amounts of food, the Taka clan refused and even closed their borders from the Shogunate's delegates and messengers.
"And that's that?"
"Yup. The Miyamoto Shogunate fell and from their ruins, the Taka shogunate rose to power using their overflowing food resources as their forte to gain the acceptance of majority of the then ruined provinces that are tethering into famine and starvation."
"The easiest way to get a man is through his stomach… just on a larger scale."
"Yeah. It's just like our teacher used to say back then. We humans are always just one dinner away from savagery. If someone can fork over some food when you're dying from starvation, you'd most likely serve that person so long as he feeds you."
We got a bit tired after a while and once we arrived in the central plaza of the city, we took a short break and went into a snack shop to order some mochi and green tea.
It was then did the two sisters narrated me the story behind Hashidate's history and how its present symbolic ruling family came to become a great power once and how they ultimately declined later.
"Their rule was short lived. The Taka clan only took the Shogun title for a short time to let themselves be recognized as a resource and economic power. They handed it back to the remaining members of the Miyamoto clan who surely took a note of their past activities and never looked down on them again."
"Then the situation after the fall of the Miyamoto clan…"
"What? Oh. When we the Northern provinces banded together to conquer the capital for themselves this last year, the Miyamoto clan fell for a few months and rumors about the last remaining heir flew around which caused quite a few problems in the central plains. It was only when the heir was found, and he took the throne again did the Northerners suddenly fell back for some reason."
I wanted to tell them that it was nothing more but a fake heir, but I knew that I couldn't tell such an important information to them especially now that I confirmed that someone who came from our world is after my life.
"I see… How did that affect Hashidate?"
"Well, we didn't really care."
"Huh?"
"We're a mercantile state. The other provinces around us are aware of that too, so they had some kind of unspoken agreement about staying away from our borders and not staging their attacks on our trade routes. They knew that if our trade routes will be damaged, they might lose their line of trade from us and even invite distrust among the traders, crippling their ability to wage war solely because of the stagnation of their economy."
Hearing all of that terminologies and web of events gave me quite the headache.
"All of this is making my head hurt. I studied under the ACES program for Medicine, so I only have basic to intermediate knowledge about economics. But I get the gist of it. While they are shooting BB guns to each other, they left out that one guy who sells BB pellets, sandwiches and water that will keep them in the fight."
"That's… quite the analogy."
"Ehehehe… It sounds childish and boyish. Is Iwasawa-kun missing his childhood?"
"Argh… stop placing unnecessary meanings on everything I say."
To tell the truth, it indeed reminds me of something from the memories I inherited from my progenitor and original self. I can remember him playing laser tag in an amusement park when he was an elementary schooler, so I just mixed it up a little to make it more related to the thing I am trying to explain.
"If that is so, then how did the Taka clan lose their power and the governance was handed to the Republic Consuls?"
"It's basically the same way as how the Taka clan outsmarted the Shogunate before. The merchants serving them began to gain more influence over the farmsteads and the markets outside of the province. With that, they slowly but surely removed the influence of the Taka clan and claimed the earnings and credit for themselves."
"Karmic justice, huh?"
""Yup.""
With that in mind, I was bothered with something.
"If there are monopolies and the mercantile flow in Hashidate is turbulent, then how does the consulate know who has more power over the other?"
The two looked at each other before saying this.
"Iwaki has a stock exchange, you know."
"HUH?!?!?!"
What the heck? How?!
"Calling it a monopoly is quite inaccurate. To put it simply, it is an oligopoly but each of the businesses are not friendly nor dependent of each other. All of them are competing to become the ultimate business power and thus, become a true monopolistic power in the province. Because of that, the stock exchange was made to turn each business into numbers that can be easily rated and made known."
Hearing that, I became… a "bit" interested with this situation.
"Tell me more, Eimi-san."
"Okay."
She spoke with a dignified expression while her sister calmly drank her tea.
"There are five groups in the present that are competing over the opportunity to become a monopoly in Hashidate and are also holding a position in the republic as a consul. Last in the list is us, the Yutaka clan who owns the Houjun Monetary company. We own the largest and most well-known bank in the central plains and even in the Southern triad. The next one in the pecking order is the Isayama clan who owns the Eastern Iwaki farmstead. A huge rice and vegetable plantation that stretches from the western edge of the city to the south-western borders of the province. The third one is the Kashima Merchant Alliance who owns the Kashima Transportation Company that has a monopoly on the land trading routes of Hashidate. The second one is the Houseki Minting Group, the local minting institution of Hashidate that creates the local Kan, Koban and Mon coins. They profit greatly through investment projects on our loaning services. We and the Houseki group are not too friendly but both sides accept that each profits greatly alongside the other."
"The last one is the Yamada Clan, owning the Kashima Seafaring Corporation, Danzo Farmstead that encompasses the entirety of Hashidate's northern plains and the Kaishi Mercenary Guild, they are the only one among the five groups who can easily attain monopoly over Hashidate's businesses if they wish to."
"And what are stopping them from doing so?"
""Us.""
Hearing their reply, it puzzled me for a moment.
"We are Otherworlders, Iwasawa-kun. It was only because of Me and Eimi's actions that the Yamada clan hasn't owned the entire province yet. We suspect that they are already aware of our counter-actions to their activities, but as long as they would continue with their schemes, we will do our best to preserve the current status quo in this province."
"What are those actions?"
"They once tried to buy the Eastern Iwaki farmstead of the then bankrupted Isayama clan. We thought something was up and after an investigation from our mafia men, we discovered that the Yamada clan ordered their mercenaries to sabotage the farm's tenants by burning their warehouses during a storm, making it look like it was hit by lightning. There was also the breaking of the dam in the plateau spring near the farmstead, it flooded the paddies and drowned the stalks that bore the best grains for that harvest."
"Bunch of greedy bastards…"
"We said the same thing back then too."
They finished the story just before Aimi took the last piece of mochi and I drank the rest of my tea.
"We managed to help the Isayama clan back to their feet by bulk buying their produce with an elevated price. We had to do it without their knowledge, or else, it would be a burden to them to know that they now owe the Yutaka clan a second chance."
"And the Yamada clan?"
"They backed away and wiped their hands off of the blame. It seems like they knew that someone meddled and kept their selves low for a moment to not be detected."
"I see…"
I understand now. Hashidate's problem is the abundance of micro-businesses under a free-for-all fight of the few giant enterprises. If that is so…
"Can we visit Hashidate's stock exchange then?"
"Sure. Let us lead the way."
We paid for our food and went out of the tea shop to walk to a large building near the middle of the city plaza. Just as we approached the area, I heard a series of shouts.
"120,00 Koku drop in Hashidate's internal grain stock! 0.80% price increase for Iwaki white rice!"
"When?!"
"50 minutes ago! The transport left the city and is heading for Ensou province!"
"Got it!"
"A report from Houjun Central Bank! Stagnation again today for Mon prices! Copper and Iron coins is still too high in circulation for luxury item purchases!"
"Did the Houseki mint say the same?"
"Positive! The stagnation will last until next week as they projected!"
"Got it! I'll take these out to the boards now!"
Just after those shouts inside the hall, a woman came racing to the large bulletin board that covers the entire wall of the hall that is filled with rows upon rows of tables each with a person operating an abacus and swiftly sorting through the stacks of paper around them.
"This is Hashidate's stock exchange building. The accountants and statisticians here take shifts to manage the province's mercantile flow 24/7."
"Suijin Hot spring Resort is selling stocks again! Put up a notice outside for investors and stock buyers!"
"Y-yes sir!"
While we are passing through the aisle, a young woman frantically took a set of wood slabs from a pile and ran outside of the building.
"Oi, Ma-chan!"
"E-eh? Ai-chan, Ei-chan?"
""Chizu!""
"A-ah… Chizu!"
Wow, this girl knows gal talk?
"Machiko! Go hang that up first before you play around!"
"A-AHH!!! Y-Yes, sir!"
A strong voice shouted out which caused the young woman to tremble before running out. I turned around and saw the source of the voice. It was an old man wearing a black haori over a white hakama kimono while a red scarf is tied around his neck with the ends of the scarf going down his chest.
"Hold on a second, is that-"
"Yep. We had the same thing in mind too when we first saw it."
I knew it. It's similar to a business coat mostly worn by corporate men in the modern world. The general color theme is right, but this… this combination of Japanese clothing that aims to replicate the western entrepreneur look seems to look so out of place in this feudal world.
"In any case, that's Ikehara Tsutomu-san. The general manager of Hashidate's stock exchange organization and the one responsible for the unbiased management of the prices and net worth of all the businesses in the province. The girl from earlier is his daughter and our close friend, Ikehara Machiko."
Now that I saw the two of them, they did look a bit alike. The girl had bright, brown eyes behind her thick oval glasses and their black hair had the same shiny texture.
"Can we approach him no-"
Just before I can say the rest of my question, a guy came flying to the wall behind us which sent the wood slabs with numbers crashing away before a loud shout rang out from the man himself.
"Idiot! How can we manage the rice prices now that you lost the report from the Danzo farmstead?!"
"I-I am sorry, sir! I will run now to the Yamada clan and ask for a copy of the report!"
"Go before I fire you from your job!"
"Yes, sir!"
The man gnashed his teeth as he stood up even with his light injuries. He then ran out and we heard the neigh of a horse as it galloped away from the building's front."
"What are you blanking out for? Go back to work!"
"""Y-yes sir!"""
This old man sure is in rage mode at work. It seems like he would be unapproachable for now.
"U-umm… Ai-chan, Ei-chan…"
"Oh. Machiko! Glad to see you again!"
"It's been quite a while, isn't it?"
"E-Ehh? You visited just last Monday. How can three days be that long?"
The twins sandwiched the bespectacled and shy girl between their selves. Because of their height difference, Machiko was stuck between their chests which rubbed on her firm, blushing cheeks.
"A-anyway! Let go for now!"
"Umu… Ma-chan doesn't like us…"
"Yeah. Not cool."
"Oh, come on! I am at work, you two!"
She scolded them for a bit before tidying her hair and adjusting her glasses as she turned to face me.
"H-Hello sir, I am Ikehara Machiko from Hashidate Stock exchange organization. How may I help you?"
"Ah… No, no. I am just here to visit. I'm with Aimi and Eimi right there."
"Ah! Oh… I see, thank you for clarifying sir. Umm…"
She really is shy. She immediately turned around after I said that I wasn't here on a business and hid her face which seemed to be blushing hard as I saw even her ear was flushed red.
"Ehehe… The usual shy, Ma-chan."
"This is why we love to buwwy her~."
"Argh! Cut it off, you two!"
I had a short giggle from the sight before the old man shouted again to our direction.
"Machiko! Take a break for today! We won't have much to do until the rice price chart is out! Go home or… oh, it seems like your friends are here."
"Heyo! Tsutomu-san!"
"Good work today!"
"Argh! Get off my workplace! Machiko, go play with them outside if you want. Just be back at home before nighttime!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Urp! Go now, this is not a place to fool around."
After being shooed away from the building, we found ourselves outside again where a crowd of merchants are voicing their complaints.
"Where's the rice price chart?!"
"What the hell, stock exchange? How am I supposed to buy grains now?!"
They were all complaining about the lack of a piece of paper at the bulletin board which tells the day's price of Hashidate's main and most valuable product.
"Come on, I don't want to listen much about that stuff right now."
"Me too."
"O-Okay…"
I followed the three and soon, we arrived at the common park at northern Iwaki which had a Koi lake and a few families enjoying the relative quiet of the area.
(Psst! There's something in the Author's note. Please read it please.)