Today, I arrived at school without any issues. I walked into the classroom with my bag on my shoulder. After greeting Jiyu and Yumi, we chatted for a bit, and before I knew it, class time had arrived.
Today was music class. It wasn’t part of the curriculum in the first semester, but now that it’s the second semester, we received a music textbook and had a separate class for it.
To be honest, music class doesn’t bring back great memories. I’ve always been tone-deaf and couldn’t sing well. Whenever I went to karaoke with friends, we’d sing popular songs, but sadly, my voice didn’t sound as good as the singers’.
It sounded more like a dog barking. Of course, my friends weren’t much better, so we all sang our hearts out anyway. On the internet, everyone seems to have high standards for singing, but in reality, it’s a mess. Most people sound the same when they sing. There’s a huge gap between how singers perform and how regular people sing.
I’ve seen YouTube videos where a regular person sings while busking, and even though they’re good, they don’t get much attention. Then, a famous singer coincidentally takes the mic and sings the same song, and suddenly, a crowd gathers.
There’s an enormous gap between regular people and singers. Of course, I don’t plan on becoming a singer, so as long as I don’t sing badly enough to make people uncomfortable, I’m fine.
“Today, we’re going to learn a children’s song~”
When the teacher displayed the computer screen on the big TV, the kids started buzzing.
“Teacher, can’t we sing a pop song instead?”
“We’re in third grade! Who sings children’s songs anymore?”
“Teacher, you’re not very MZ generation-like…”
Realizing the kids’ strong resistance, the teacher quickly switched from the childish song to something else. Kids these days seem to grow up fast and have higher mental ages. I remember we used to learn children’s songs back in my day.
“Okay, the song we’ll sing today is…”
Luckily, it wasn’t a super recent song but one that was popular in the past. Though, true to the teacher’s stubbornness, it still had a bit of a children’s song vibe.
“On the branch, like a thread~”
It was a song by Cotton Candy that was really popular back in my day. I hummed along to the familiar melody, but the other kids seemed unfamiliar with it. Well, they were born after this song came out, so it made sense.
I was the only one singing it properly. Since it was the kids’ first time hearing it, they didn’t know the lyrics. My voice had changed a lot since I transformed, and for the better. It became clear and melodious, and even my speaking voice was pleasant enough that my friends complimented it.
Jiyu and Yumi even said I could become a singer.
As I sang enthusiastically, the teacher seemed to take notice and called me.
“Hana~”
“Yes!”
“Come up here for a second.”
The teacher asked me to sing as an example. Since the kids were hearing the song for the first time, they were having trouble following along, so the teacher thought having me demonstrate would help them learn.
“Do I… really have to sing?”
“It’s the teacher’s request. Can’t you do it?”
“Then I’ll sing with a friend…”
I hesitated because while singing with others was fine, singing alone would probably put everyone to sleep. I needed at least one friend to sing with me.
But judging by the teacher’s expression, that wasn’t going to happen. I had no choice but to prepare to sing.
“On the branch~”
My delicate voice filled the classroom. As the accompaniment played and I sang, the kids clapped and cheered. Encouraged, I sang even more passionately.
“Why am I so sleepy?”
“Same…”
As the song reached its midpoint, I noticed the kids nodding off. By the time the song ended, no one in the classroom was awake. Even the teacher was slumped over the desk, fast asleep.
Feeling awkward, I stood there quietly, waiting for the kids and teacher to wake up.
This is why I said we should sing together.
—
Initially, Walmart planned to sell Tangle in all its U.S. stores. The strategy of selling it quickly without giving competitors time to react seemed effective. However, Starlight Food expressed concerns about this approach.
“As I mentioned last time, the yield for Tangle still isn’t sufficient. We need more time…”
Walmart, with a face full of disappointment, made the best choice it could. Sending the company’s workforce to Starlight Food was a bonus, and they chose a factory in the U.S. that was just sitting idle, working overnight to produce Tangle.
After all, when it comes to farming, the U.S. is the place where modern and cutting-edge technology gathers. If those high-end talents could help Starlight Food, a groundbreaking increase in production was expected.
Anyway, Walmart started by introducing Tangle to hundreds of stores in major cities. Sadly, they decided to introduce Tangle to less populated cities later. It was a sacrifice for the greater good. And since not having Tangle wasn’t a life-or-death situation, they could slowly roll it out to rural areas later.
The rumor that a fruit with a 50% chance of curing baldness was being sold sparked hope among bald people living in the U.S.
The rumor that Walmart, the most successful retail company in the U.S., was selling a fruit good for baldness spread far and wide. While Walmart did some advertising, the network of bald people, intertwined like a spiderweb, was already heating up before Tangle even hit the shelves.
The rumor about Walmart selling a new product had the most immediate impact on Wall Street traders. This product was bound to affect the stock market. Whether the rumor was exaggerated and the stock price would plummet, or it was true and the price would soar, it was one or the other.
“Did you hear Walmart is selling a fruit that cures baldness?”
“They say it’s a 50% chance. Isn’t that a crazy good deal?”
“Do you believe that? There have been drugs to slow down or alleviate baldness, but nothing that completely regrows hair. Curing baldness is like playing god!”
“Seems like Walmart is making a desperate move to counter Amazon’s threat.”
The heads of Wall Street workers, who were working harder than most, were shining. For those working over 10 hours a day, hair loss was a given. They were paid well, but the workload was just as heavy.
Baldness and stress go hand in hand, and the traders working on Wall Street lived with baldness as their constant companion.
“But still, a 50% chance seems worth a shot, right? That’s a pretty good deal.”
“True, but will it really work?”
“We’ll just have to try it and see. It’s not like we’re risking anything but our overflowing dollars.”
After work, the traders headed to the nearest Walmart on Wall Street.
When they arrived at the store, they didn’t even need to look for the Tangle section. The endless line left them in shock. The line stretched far beyond the store entrance.
And everyone in line was bald—and all men.
“What’s with that line?”
“Did every bald guy on Wall Street show up or something?”
“Wait, the line wasn’t this long when I came to work this morning.”
The only downside of Tangle was that it only attracted bald people. It tasted okay, but that was it. Aside from growing hair, it had no other advantages. While food ingredients are sought after by all 330 million Americans, Tangle, which is good for baldness, only appealed to bald people in the U.S.
Still, with a population as large as the U.S., there would be tens of millions of potential customers. But since only half of them would see results, the number halved again. It was definitely profitable, but there was a limit to how much money could be made.
Later, if production improved, they could look for other markets outside the U.S. Europe, for example. The world is big, and there are plenty of bald people, so there was no need to worry too much. That was a problem for later.
Right now, Tangle was in short supply. But after a few rounds of major construction, the supply of Tangle would explode in a short time. As farming efficiency improved, production would skyrocket, and they could explore other markets.
