Chapter 210 – Horikita Manabu's strategy

"What? Higashi Nicho ordered ten pieces and plans to see if they can sell them first? If they can, they'll increase their orders?!"

"And other stores? Also ten pieces? And another one! Oh, this one ordered seven pieces. No problem, no problem. Classmate, it's not a slight on your efforts and diligence. Ordering a small amount for the first cooperation is understandable, cautious merchants and all that!"

"Anyway, you all did great, really great! Yes, yes, yes, I will definitely increase your commissions and ensure your class gets more points. You can rest assured, we adults always keep our promises! Yes, absolutely!"

After hanging up the call from the Yukio class member, Takahashi jumped three feet high from his office chair, nearly ecstatic with joy.

Since the Yukio class collectively took the bus and left the yukata workshop a second time, he had given up on that class entirely.

Upon inquiring, he found out that the other three classes participating in the project were all third-year students, while Yukio's group was only first-year.

This immediately made Takahashi realize that the third-year students were here to seriously undertake the project, while the first-years were just here to goof off and have fun, making him even less hopeful about Yukio's group.

But who could have imagined that the first-year students, in just a few hours, managed to secure so many orders for him!

Although the order quantities were small, these were from shops that had previously not been secured! If this batch of yukata sells well and those merchants are particularly satisfied, wouldn't they be ordering from Takahashi in the future?

Just thinking about it this way made Takahashi ecstatic. He never expected that a casual attempt would yield such unexpected results, where the first-year sales team managed to secure so many orders!

However, the now overjoyed Takahashi had no idea what kind of trap Yukio had left for him.

So now, Takahashi was jumping for joy, humming with delight, already envisioning a future filled with a blizzard of orders flying his way.

"Knock, knock." Just then, a knock on the office door brought Takahashi back to his senses. He quickly pulled his boss's chair back into position after it had slid away due to his jumping.

Sitting back down, he straightened his attire, checking to ensure his clothes and tie were in order before coughing twice, "Come in."

President Horikita entered in response, his keen eyes behind thick glasses immediately catching the lingering excitement on Takahashi's face, "Mr. Takahashi, did Yukio's class bring some good news?"

"Ah." Takahashi instinctively wanted to touch his face. Was he that obvious? Could a high school student see it so easily?

However, Takahashi restrained the urge to touch his face in front of President Horikita, which would have been too awkward. He comforted himself, reminding that President Horikita was the student council president of the prestigious Advanced Nurturing High School, so it made sense for him to be perceptive.

After a bit of internal pep talk, Takahashi decided not to hide anything, "Ahem, Horikita-kun, you're right. Just now, several students from Yukio's class called."

"They successfully secured a lot of orders for us. Although the quantities are very small, the important thing is that they have established initial business relationships."

"This way, as long as our product quality is up to standard, there will definitely be follow-up orders."

Takahashi thought it was quite simple. Over the past two days, despite the strange and unpredictable nature of Yukio's class, the third-year classes were the ones to watch.

President Horikita's team was diligently working, holding down high-paying, high-scoring positions. The third-year classes B and C were cooperating and competing against each other.

It was a classic case of internal competition. What does a workshop owner like Takahashi worry about most? He worries most about his employees slacking off. What does he like the most? He loves internal competition like what he saw at Advanced Nurturing High School.

When employees slack off, there's no productivity. But with internal competition, every employee works harder, putting in overtime, which increases efficiency and profits for Takahashi.

Even though the internal competition at school was already intense, Takahashi still wanted to use Yukio's achievements to stimulate President Horikita further, hoping that Horikita would push even harder, resulting in even greater profits for him.

So, without holding back, Takahashi laid out all the business orders Yukio's class had secured, even taking the initiative to praise Yukio in order to stimulate a greater "work enthusiasm" from Horikita.

Unfortunately, President Horikita remained as calm as ever. Even though Takahashi was practically praising Yukio to the skies, almost saying, "Oh, you third-years aren't even as good as the first-years," Horikita maintained his expressionless demeanor.

It was as if Horikita had mastered some supreme internal martial arts, remaining unaffected by any external praise or provocation, like the wind brushing past a mountain or the moon shining over a river.

Takahashi praised Yukio's class until his mouth was dry, only to stop and awkwardly realize that Horikita was not playing along. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he reached for the teacup on his desk to rehydrate, "Uh, Horikita-kun? Is there anything else?"

"There is." Horikita responded promptly, like the most precise instrument, "Now that it's gradually becoming autumn, it's the season for the Harvest Festival, Inari Shrine Festival, and Maple Leaf Festival, which is the second-best season for selling yukatas."

"For this reason, there is a large yukata design competition. If we can place well, it could significantly increase our revenue. This is the proposal I made, and I've already sent the electronic version to your email, Mr. Takahashi. Please review it."

With that, Horikita handed over a stack of printed papers, clearly well-prepared.

As he handed it over, a glint flashed in Horikita's eyes. Yukio was indeed very strong, having found an unconventional path to benefit Takahashi Yukata Workshop in ways it hadn't before.

This formidable opponent sparked a strong competitive spirit beneath Horikita's icy exterior. For the first time, he felt a strong desire to win against someone.

Because of this, Horikita had stayed up late last night to draft this proposal.

Takahashi felt a thrill in his heart—such good news all at once! Indeed, stimulating competition worked. By showcasing Yukio's accomplishments, he had spurred Horikita into action, making him more competitive. This was great!

Takahashi understood Horikita's point. Autumn was approaching, bringing with it various festivals like the Harvest Festival, the Inari Shrine Festival, and the Maple Leaf Festival. These events would provide many opportunities for selling yukatas.

During such festivals, many girls would definitely want to wear yukatas to participate. It creates a more immersive and beautiful atmosphere, making it an excellent time for selling yukatas.

Previously, Takahashi had only focused on running around for collaborations and seeking orders in the autumn. He had never thought about the existence of such a large-scale yukata design competition.

If they could really win a prize and gain attention and traffic, wouldn't his business be able to reach new heights?

"Great, great! As expected of the student council president of Advanced Nurturing High School! As expected of Horikita-kun!" Takahashi took the proposal. Although he couldn't understand some of the technical details inside, the overall feasibility seemed strong.

He didn't hold back his praise, showering President Horikita with compliments...