"Where is this?"
"This is the residential quarter of the more well-off families. This is away from the markets and the production quarters so it's quieter here than there."
True to her reply, I looked around and it did give out the "exclusive village" atmosphere. It's like it wasn't located in a bustling trade city at all.
"Nevertheless, I guess introductions are due. My name is Miyazaki Hiro, a travelling doctor that is currently under the roof of the Yutaka clan."
"A-ah! Ikehara Machiko. Stock exchange Price manager for floor 2 and 3. It's nice to meet you, Miyazaki-dono."
"Hehe! Likewise."
After introducing ourselves, I asked a few questions to the young woman. It was mostly based on her work.
"It was my first time to visit the stock exchange building. I didn't expect for things to be that hectic."
"Hehe… Dad is always like that. He's the serious type who would even get physical if someone screwed up big time."
"Yeah. I even saw the guy who lost the rice price chart thrown to a wall and getting a few cuts. It scared me a little."
"That's quite lenient of him to be honest. The accountant before that guy actually lost a few teeth when Dad punched him for a slightly bigger offense of losing the Monetary bonds of the Houseki Mint which caused a sudden fall in the worth of money in the city."
"Oh. Which inflated the prices of products and limited the ability of consumers and producers to buy items vital to their daily life?"
"Huh?"
"Ohoho… You messed up big time, Hiro-kyun~."
"Mm,mm… Ya messed up."
Just after my reply, the twin suddenly said that as Machiko seemed shocked of my response.
"You… You know about economics?!"
"H-huh? Well… the basics, I guess?"
"That's not basic at all!"
She held my shoulders and suddenly shot out one question after another.
"What will happen if the price of Iwaki white rice drops from 10 Kan per Koku to 7 Kan per Koku?"
"Umm… More consumers will be able to buy more, causing a excitement in the market that will be abused by sellers who would open their storages?"
"What if it was a price rise of 20% from 7%?"
"Uhh… The price will be inclusive so the consumers will buy less, causing sellers to hoard the products and wait for the raised prices to subside."
"What about silk and linen cloth? Will they be affected by common resource prices?"
"In the general scheme, it would in the form of transportation due to the salary of cart drivers and laborers who has to transport it from carts to warehouses to carts again. There is also the possibility of abundance in supply as demand deceases as consumers prioritize the buying of needs like rice and firewood. So, my answer would be yes. It would be affected."
"-!!!"
What the… why is she so surprised? I am not that knowledgeable but this reaction from her seems like she is looking at some expert.
"Ai-chan! Ei-chan!"
""Huh? What?""
"Is he really just a doctor?!"
Oh… I see. So, that was what they meant with me messing up big time.
"Well… he is, but he has another work that he doesn't want to be made known."
"Yeah. It's quite dangerous, he says."
I nodded along with their reply which somehow calmed the young lady.
"I-I see… I'm sorry for that, Miyazaki-dono. I-it's just that… I don't get to talk with that many people who knows about Economics too."
"I understand. Don't let it bother you."
She bashfully apologized which I received politely. From there, she switched the conversation to a story about this quality of hers.
"I wasn't like this at all before. I usually stayed at our home while Dad manages the stock exchange and Mom taught me female etiquette and indoor activities."
"How did you get into economics then?"
"I've always been interested with Dad's work. The fact that you are managing the flow of this province's financial and economic status is something that I looked up to as a way to be part of Hashidate's development. But at the same time, I am also aware of just how great that kind of responsibility is to those who bear it."
"…"
"I used to remember how Dad would go home and not talk to anyone because he became hoarse with shouting commands and announcements to everyone. There were also our workers who sometimes lose sleep due to the demanding work they face when it is their shift. There are times when a business owner would come to the building and force our people to artificially raise the net worth of their business in order to attract more investors which is illegal. I can't count how many times the workers of the stock exchange had their lives placed on the stake just because of the greed of a few people."
I can relate to her to some extent. In Kiko, I have also enacted a non-governmental organization that manages the economic activity of both businessmen and consumers. It is where people with the right money can buy a portion of a certain business' ownership or fund someone's business using their money.
To put it simply, Kiko also has a stock exchange organization run by the merchant alliances and clans of Kiko. Our very own stock exchange organization.
However, unlike in Kiko where laws and rules has been set in place to make it a land with purely free-market economy, Hashidate doesn't have the same safeguards about monopolization, market manipulation and humane working conditions. It is a corporatist state with employees that are stuck in a work almost analogous to slavery.
For a moment, I felt the sadness of being in this kind of place.
"Do you get it now, Hiro-kun?"
"Huh?"
"Hashidate is dead. Under all of this economic success and convenience that the abundance of products brought to this land, everyone is dying with a work that in the end, would lead to nothing."
I understand their point now. So, this is what Hashidate's problem is.
"I heard that some land in the south has suddenly rose to become an economic power. It's name is Kiko, I believe. I heard that the Daimyo of that land adopted the same free-market policy as Hashidate and also opened his province to foreign trade. But even with all of that, Kiko hasn't turned into the same state as Hashidate."
"That's because I laid rules that gave workers rights and humane working conditions."
"Huh?"
"Just keep it a secret, Ikehara-san. Just like how Aimi and Eimi said it earlier, it would be harmful for my true identity to be known here."
"What… do you mean?"
As I said that, I took out a gold badge out of my sleeve pocket and showed it to her.
"Daimyo of Kiko, Iwasawa Hiroshi. That is my real name."
"-!"
She finally processed her thoughts and immediately bowed towards me.
"I-I am sorry for not immediately recognizing you, Iwasawa-sama! I-"
"Let it go. And don't call me in that way."
"H-huh?"
"Someone might be listening."
"A-ah!"
She bowed and bowed again to apologize as I simply sighed and asked something.
"Aimi, Eimi… What is your real goal for making me meet her?"
""It's simple, Hiro-san.""
The twin spoke and bowed towards me with a request.
"Please help us fix our new homeland. Help Hashidate to become the same place as your own land."
"…"
As I expected. They want me to help this place that has become their new home.
"Is that also what you want, Ikehara-san?"
"Yes. I want Hashidate to become a better place."
Well, you already know my response.
"I guess I have a few businesses to topple then."
"-!"
"Got it. I will do what I should do to make this land more like province that I created as a balanced haven of comfort and development."
I really am a person who just can't look away from the suffering of the innocent. As much as I hate to have this quality, it is also something that people admired from me.
"And to do that, we must first overpower everyone else."
"You mean-"
"Aimi, Eimi. I'll make a business in Hashidate. Will the Yutaka clan help me?"
""With all of our power, Iwasawa-sama.""
With that, it has started.
Let the Hashidate Trade Wars commence!