Mr. Halton was waiting for us
“Welcome, Mr. Takumi and Lady Claire! We were expecting you!”
Inside, Mr. Halton greeted us with a smile. He was also rubbing his hands together…
Clearly, he was in a good mood.
“I came to see the progress with the slippers… I suppose you have good news?”
“Why, of course!”
Mr. Halton nodded with excitement.
He was very happy that I asked him.
“The slippers are mostly finished. We just need you to see them and give your approval. And then we can start with the advertising before they are sold. Though, we have already received many preorders.”
“Advertise…and preorders? That many?”
I didn’t think he needed my approval. But I suppose I had helped him with the idea.
Regardless, Mr. Halton had received enough preorders for him to feel that the product would be a success. That was why he was happy.
“Indeed. Even the samples were well received. I think the hats with ears also helped. We have almost a thousand orders now.”
“A thousand!?”
I had heard that there were around ten thousand people living in Ractos. So that was almost ten percent.
“People like that it will make cleaning easier. Also, they match well with the hats.”
“In that case, we do not have to worry about sales and production costs anymore.”
“Yes, we have nothing to worry there. However…not everything is good news”
“Oh, really?”
Mr. Halton’s tone changed a little then.
“Well, we are struggling a little in producing enough of them. And so I am thinking about getting the help of other tailors again.”
“I see… In order to make more, like with the hats. But then… Will you have enough rubber?”
“Exactly. And that is why I was waiting for you to come and visit us.”
“I could make a little more… But I could not make that much in a short amount of time…”
After all, I relied completely on Weed Cultivation for that.
And unlike the other herbs, it would be difficult to mass produce it…
“We would be happy if you could provide more. However, that is not what I meant. Mr. Takumi, we want permission to use a different material.”
“And what material is that?”
“It is something harvested from trees… Please wait one moment. I will bring it to you.”
And then Mr. Halton disappeared to the back of the store.
From trees…? Could it be actual…real rubber?
“…Sorry to keep you waiting. Here it is before processing. And here is the processed material attached to the slippers.”
Mr. Halton carried two things in his hands.
One was unfamiliar and a yellowish color. And on the other hand he held a slipper.
“Can I touch it?”
“Yes, please do.”
Mr. Halton placed them on the counter and I inspected them.
The material was quite hard…almost like glass.
While it would be better than normal cloth, was it really the best idea? Well, I suppose it was different after being processed.
And so I picked up the slipper. The tip was open for the toes, and it also had ears attached to it…
Thanks for the treat.