"What the hell is going on here?" Matsuda Mitsuhiro stepped into the reception hall, so every other adult went frozen.
"They're cheating!" Valerie half said, half cried. "Don't buy salt mixture from them!"
" We were simply running before their order..." The young man smiled innocently.
"Not true! I ordered and paid the mixtures! They still had them at the time of ordering!" Valerie cried.
"Unfortunately, it always happens that one color runs out!" The young woman smiled at the girl. "You can definitely buy it elsewhere!"
"Miya!" The old man said, and Valerie raised her head to the word. "Show me the order."
Miya couldn't do anything, but gave the order to her grandfather. He watched the order, sliding screens, and sighed.
"Giorgio! Please lead Miss Bond and Miss Oly to my office!" He said, and the assistant obeyed.
"This way, please!" He bowed, but Valerie didn't follow him.
She turned to the old man.
"Is she your Miya?" She asked and pointed to the young woman, who laughed on them before. The old man nodded, and Valerie stepped to the woman, and looked up to her. "You are not welcome to play with us anymore!" She said, and ran back to Elie. The two girls and the old man's assistant left the room.
"Close the doors, Mitsuo!" his grandfather snapped at the young man. He reluctantly obeyed. "Serve the guests and then come to your father's office!"
The others waited as the old man close door of the office of his son, and breathed deeply.
"Your grandfather is very strict!" Evie said.
"He started to get too old." Mitsuo said, and picked up another tablet to write down the order of the Noble family.
"He doesn't understand the business of nowadays." Miya nodded. "He should retire. As soon as possible."
The older Eve Date agreed. She did not understand how an upscale business could allow to enter such inferior peoples, let alone serve them! In this, however, Miya agreed. When the Date sister left, Miya and Mitsuo went to their father's office. They were very angry, because their grandfather almost destroyed their rich customer. But they had to behave because they were raised. And their grandfather owned the whole business.
"I heard you didn't want to serve our customers." Their father looked at them.
"They were just common people..." Mitsuo began but his grandfather cut into his words.
"A customer is a customer! What do you think will happen if word goes out that Matsuda Corporation does not serve customers?"
"For example, we don't have to serve small customers to the detriment of our large customers!" Miya talked back to her grandfather.
"The members of the Noble family were harassed by them! You don't have to explain how important partners they are, do you?" Mitsuo asked coldly from his father. " We just wanted to solve a situation to keep the richer customer, and the bigger business."
Matsuda Mitsuki was in a difficult situation. He wanted to keep his father's authority, but his kids were right. Damn that Fireworks Festival! The corporation wouldn't take part the next year.
"Miya! Find a bag with ribbons, or some girlish pattern, and some sweets. Mitsuo! Get the salts, they ordered, and rocket sleeves for them."
The youngster left the room. Mitsuki sighed a bit. This conversation should have happened a long time ago, but it was always dragged and postponed. Maybe it's time just now.
"Father! Maybe it's time for you to retire." He said, and looked at his father.
"Why do you think so?" His father asked calmly.
Mitsuki was surprised. He was expecting a tantrum, a threat, or some other, rougher thing. But his father was just sitting there, and calmly asked his reasons.
"The kids decided well." He said. "We need to maintain good relationships with wholesale customers. Even if it means, we can't serve other people."
"Like that girl."
"Like that girl." Mitsuki nodded.
"Your grandfather began to sell salt mixtures for rockets in a small shop at the front yard of their house." Mitsuhiro began the old tale, but his son didn't want to listen the story again.
"And we are also grateful for what he has done for us." Mitsuki said. "But times are changing. Maybe you could let those who feel better about the new winds and be better able to set up the sails lead the legacy."
"To new waters." The old man nodded.
Mitsuki sighed. It was easier, than he thought. His children returned with the order and the gift. Mitsuhiro picked the pink back from his granddaughter's hand, checked the content, and left to his office.
"Was it very scary?" Miya asked.
She and her brother was afraid of their grandfather wanted to kick them off from the corporation. Although the old man was very family-centric, and never threatened them anything like that.
"No. Not at all!" Mitsuki shook his head. "He was very calm."
"Did that senile old man simply agree to hand over the company to you so smoothly?" Mitsuo was surprised.
"Yes." Mitsuki said with a sharp voice. His father wasn't senile, but old fashioned. He knew it really well. But nowadays old-fashioned leading styles were not suitable for a big company. Although his father insisted that he run the company, in reality he was leaving more and more tasks for Mitsuki.
"Let's wait for his official resignation. He can still change his mind!"Miya said ominously.
Father and children looked at each other helplessly, with dark face. Miya was right.
Miya was far from being right, but so far only Matsuda Mitsuhiro knew that. He was nauseous from what his son had said. New winds! New waters! Maybe they just wanted to replace the captain on the ship. The old man sighed. Maybe it was a good sign. He did everything he could to ensure a stable future for them, so he didn't want to get in their way. Because he's in their way. This was clearly stated. Their betrayal did not surprise the old man, but it saddened him. He already knew what to expect in his old age when his son married that elite girl with wealthy relatives. Luckily, he had enough sense to insure himself in the event of a financial emergency. He sighed as he had arrived to the door of his office. There was a lively chat in the room. So he forced a smile on his face and opened the door.
Electra Oly, and Valerie Bond were sitting on the couch, and examined the drink, which Giorgio gave them. The little girl seemed to be calmed down.
"Do you want another drink?" Mitsuhiro asked her. "I could give you, if you don't like the orange juice!"
"I like it very much!" She smiled, and suddenly the smile on the old man's face turned to a real one." But look!"She turned her hand device to the old man! "There is Carbon in the drink!" She laughed.
"Not really Carbon, but carbon dioxide!" Mitsuhiro corrected her automatically. The little girl did not take the training to her heart.
"Elie said so." She nodded jus as cheerful, like before. "But isn't it exciting that the coal we mined and hunted, and transformed into yarn, is in the drink, too, what do we drink every day?"
"Yes. It is very exciting!" He agreed. "By the way, here is your order. I'm sorry for the trouble."
"I am sorry that we caused inconvenience." Elie said, and grabbed the bag. "Do you want to hold it?" She asked Valerie, who who shook her head reluctantly.
"Could you store it in your device?" She asked her friend. Elie nodded, and the bag is vanished in her device.
"Don't you want to see, what's in the bag?" Mitsuhiro asked, surprised.
"I suppose, the salt mixtures." Valerie said, in sad voice. "Thank you very much for giving them to me."
"Don't you want to check them?"
"No. Elie will give them to my brother and K.O.. They will make the rockets, when they arrive home."
"Where are they now?"
"In the kingdom of Sulfur." Elie said. "They are collecting material for the rockets."
"Oh! That's very exciting!"
"I wish I could have gone with them! I wouldn't mind the smell at all!" Valerie erupted.
"If you don't want to drink your drink, I'll drink it!" Elie distracted the little girl's attention from the gloomy subject. She was successful, because Valerie drank the carbonated orange juice.
"It was very tasty! Thank you very much!" She bowed to the old man.
"You are welcome!"The old man bowed to her.
"It is high time to leave!" Elie stood up. "Thank you very much for everything!"
Valerie said good-bye to the old man, who sent Giorgio with them. The way in the glassy elevator was less fun, but it was very good. When they arrived to the ground level, Giorgio whispered something into Valerie's ear. The girl's face was brightened at that moment.
"What did he tell you?"Elie asked, and she was glad, that Valerie left her gloomy state in the elevator.
"He told me, that I was drinking a special drink, and Evie Date never ever tasted that!" Valerie said cheerfully.
As they were walking back to the caravan, Elie pondered how quickly the little girls' moods were changing. If she had let her, Valerie would tear her cousin's hair again. Now she looks like a role model. Maybe she should make more friends with Toyama Miya.