“Hehe!”
Hana happily showed the family newsletter to Maru. Maru carefully read the newsletter I handed over. The reason for Hana’s joy was written in the family newsletter.
“Next week, we’re going on a picnic to the amusement park?”
Maru finished reading the newsletter and spoke. Come to think of it, Maru also had the experience of going to the amusement park on a school trip when she was young. But that was when she was in the 6th grade, and now Hana, in the 3rd grade of elementary school, is going to the amusement park…
Indeed, as time passes, many things change. Maru had graduated from elementary school decades ago, so elementary school students might call her an auntie. Maru thought she would be hurt if she heard someone call her an auntie. She hadn’t even gotten married or dated yet, so being called an auntie by kids seemed too early.
“Then, we just need to prepare the necessary items separately.”
“Yeah! There’s not much to prepare, Maru. It’s a day trip! Although it ends a bit late!”
It was written that they would leave early at 8 a.m. and return from the amusement park at 6 p.m. Usually, Hana finishes school around 2 p.m. and returns home, so it was definitely a late dismissal time. But since it’s summer, the sun wouldn’t set even at 6 p.m. at the amusement park.
It seemed like she brought the family newsletter just to get her parents’ permission. Hana could prepare the rest herself.
Maru had to report it first, so she told Hana separately.
“I’ll check and let you know.”
Hearing that, Hana’s face turned pale, as if she thought it was a sign she couldn’t go. She probably imagined being left alone in the classroom while her friends Jiyu and Yumi went to the amusement park. It was said that those who didn’t go on this picnic would stay separately in the classroom. Of course, there wouldn’t be a single student who wouldn’t go. No student would miss out on a fun trip.
Seeing Hana’s expression, Maru smiled and said.
“Hana, you can go to the amusement park. It’s just a simple check.”
“Really, Maru?”
“Yeah!”
“Then I’ll trust you, Maru!”
After saying that, Hana disappeared in a flash. Maru took the family newsletter and went to inform her superior. She would get permission anyway. As long as no gate appeared, Hana would be the safest elementary school student in the country. The ring Hana was wearing was an incredible artifact that could even block bullets from a rifle.
Kim Sehee had to spend a fortune to buy it. The artifact Hana was wearing was that expensive. Even high-ranking politicians used it.
So, Hana’s picnic was easily approved.
———————————–
I looked in the mirror and composed myself. Since today was a special day, I had to dress up a bit. My reflection in the mirror looked like a magical girl straight out of an anime. I was wearing the Little Magician Lumi’s outfit for the first time in a while.
In the mirror, I was holding a sparkling magic wand. I looked at my reflection with a content smile. I couldn’t help but laugh at how perfect I looked. If I went to school in this outfit, the kids would look at me with envy. It was that good of an outfit.
“Hana, are you ready?”
Maru opened the door and came in. I happily approached Maru. It was my turn to show off my outfit. But Maru was shocked when she saw me.
Was she shocked because I looked too pretty? But my expectations were soon betrayed.
“Hana! You can’t go dressed like that!”
“Why? Maru!”
“Really, Hana… This won’t do. Leave it to me.”
“Waaah!”
I was brutally forced to change my clothes by Maru. Maru hid the Little Magician Lumi’s cosplay outfit in a corner. She said she did it in case I tried to take it with me.
“Ugh…”
I ended up wearing the outfit Maru chose. My reflection in the mirror was that of a typical kid’s outfit. But I was sad. I thought the Little Magician Lumi’s outfit was prettier!
My argument wasn’t accepted. I pouted and followed Maru around. I didn’t like Maru’s outfit choice, but I had to get in the car.
——————————————
After tasting the Starlight Wine once, Tanaka immediately went to Japan. The price was reasonable, and most importantly, the taste was excellent, making it a perfect fit for Karasushi. And if they couldn’t include the wine in Karasushi franchise stores, it would be fine to sell it separately in supermarkets.
It was a wine of that level.
At least in this price range, there was no competition. Tanaka didn’t know much about wine, but he thought that to find a wine with this level of taste, you’d probably have to look for high-end wines sold in France.
The taste of Starlight Food’s products had already been proven, so they could smoothly supply wine to Karasushi franchise stores.
However, unlike Starlight Rice, which is essential for sushi, Starlight Wine was something Japanese consumers had to choose to buy, so Karasushi had no choice but to take a roundabout approach.
[Kara Sushi Wine Released!]
[A wine boasting incredible taste and flavor!]
[A wine available at Karasushi franchise stores nationwide!]
Regarding the design, they had a separate discussion with Kim Sehee from Starlight Food. Since the quantity of the prototype produced was small, there was no issue with changing the design. And since it wasn’t the wine bottle but just the label that needed to be replaced, it wasn’t that difficult.
First, they included the word “Starlight” very small on the wine label. They made the wording as simple as possible so that others would think it was a new wine made by Karasushi. The origin was written in tiny letters, so you wouldn’t notice it unless you looked closely.
Kim Sehee felt a bit uncomfortable, but after Tanaka’s passionate argument, she decided to change the design. For Tanaka, it was a huge relief. He thought that with this level of taste, Starlight Wine would naturally become popular. Karasushi successfully took the lead in introducing Starlight Wine to Japan. He was confident that Karasushi would grow into an even bigger company.
“Clearly, if it’s known as alcohol made in Korea, it won’t sell well. People might feel a bit of resistance if they know it’s Korean alcohol.”
Tanaka had also felt this way throughout his life. As a Japanese person, he didn’t have strong feelings about Korea, but he could read the atmosphere around him. And he had also absorbed that atmosphere, not having much fondness for Korea.
That changed after he tried Starlight Rice once. But other Japanese consumers weren’t like that. Many Japanese still didn’t know that Starlight Rice was made in Korea. Many thought it was just delicious rice produced by Karasushi. From Tanaka’s perspective, there was no reason to correct that misconception.
“First, it’s very important to get them to try it once.”
Once people tried Starlight Wine, they were likely to keep coming back for more. That’s how delicious it was. Even after getting addicted to Starlight Wine and finding out it was Korean, they wouldn’t stop drinking it. It was that addictive.
So, they started selling it without mentioning that it was alcohol from Korea.
Since Starlight Food had already produced it, it was supplied to Karasushi franchise stores nationwide. The franchise owners also thought it was a wine specially made by Karasushi and sold it. Who would check the food list in detail while buying wine?
And the franchise owners had also tasted Starlight Wine, so they were confident it would sell well. A wine this delicious would surely pair well with sushi, and the price was reasonable too.
Later, it was said that a premium line of wine would be produced, and that wine would be supplied exclusively to VIP rooms. The exact price hadn’t been revealed yet, so the store owners were curious. But even when they asked the headquarters, they wouldn’t tell.
Still, since they had already tasted Starlight Rice, they didn’t have any major complaints. Businesspeople were the type to do anything if it benefited their company. Maybe that’s why the wine they chose turned out to be so satisfying.
On the first day alone, thousands of bottles of wine were sold. Many customers who tasted the wine ordered extra bottles to take home. Since it wasn’t yet available in supermarkets, they bought the wine from Karasushi to take home.
