So that's how it is...

"...!"

As indifferent Melinda was once again walking out without sparing her a glance to anyone, the blue-haired Bjorki flinched and trembled, moving from her place to catch a glimpse of her gold-haired classmate but got immediately blocked by yet another young noble with a fake smile plastered all over their face…

"Young Lady… if you want to get closer to the exchange student, why not invite her for a tea party?"

"...mhmm… Eh?!"

The suggestion of one of the female students was so unexpected that, at first, the blue-haired girl didn't quite comprehend it, but when she did, she flinched and gasped as the others went silent.

"That's… that's a good idea… although I've never hosted one… would Young Lady Fenrioette be interested in something like that?"

While the girl who proposed the idea was getting some seriously scrutinizing looks, Bjorki muttered to herself and nodded before raising her head and inquiring.

"Well… no one actually…"

"She's a noblewoman. Of course, she enjoys social gatherings!"

Another girl mumbled under her breath with a guilty expression but the instigator spoke over her with a confident expression.

"Then I could…! Oh… but I never actually hosted a tea party…"

Bjorki perked up with a hopeful gasp but then slouched back down upon a realization.

"Don't worry about a thing, Young Lady! If you allow, I'll gladly assist you in all preparations! The academy is quite lenient about such events since hosting gatherings of that sort does fall under learning independence for the aristocracy like us. Which means we can even hire a proper chef to ensure the quality of the snacks and so on!"

The female student declared with confidence, making the blue-haired princess's face lit up with hopeful excitement.

"In that case… I'll be in your care, Miss…?"

"Lidia En'vegio, Young Lady. I will do my utmost best for you."

Bjorki exchanged glances with her older brother before nodding and smiling politely at the female student, who hurriedly introduced herself with a flushed face.

Later on, as the pair of siblings was walking towards the boys' dormitory, Magnus glanced back at the girls' dorm on the opposite side of the main building.

"You do know that they are planning something, don't you?"

"Of course. Mom would scold me if I couldn't notice that Miss En'vegio has some sort of hidden agenda, although I already know what it is."

The man pointed out, to which his younger sister nodded with a stern expression.

"Still, even so, I do want an opportunity to approach Young Lady Fenrioette in a natural manner. I'll simply have to keep an eye on how far Miss En'vegio is willing to take it."

Bjorki added, raising her head high with confidence.

"If you don't mind, I will hang around too. I haven't had a chance actually to ask her about her Kobold's egg. But on a side note…"

Magnus gave his sister a quick nod of approval before looking away with a slightly bothered expression.

"While it makes sense for me not to openly approach Young Lady Fenrioette considering the rumors already circulating the Academy, what reason do you have not to simply strike up a conversation?"

He said offhandedly.

"..."

"...?"

His sister stayed unusually quiet, making Magnus raise his brow and glance down at her.

"...she has the same air around her as mom when she's working…"

After a few moments of silence, Bjorki eventually opened her mouth and admitted, appearing ashamed of her experience.

"Well… unlike our mother, she does have a lot of people openly talking behind her back without a care in the world."

"And what does it have to do with anything…?"

Magnus pointed out, to which Bjorki frowned and asked back in a scornful voice.

"Her presence doesn't have the same magnitude, so maybe you shouldn't be bothered about it. It's not as if that Young Lady can weaponize it."

"...hmm… you meant it like that… True…"

The blue-haired man shrugged his shoulders lightly and retorted, making his younger sister nod her head in acknowledgment.

—----

While the tea party preparations were underway, Melinda, who had not yet been invited, checked up on the shady enterprise she had invested her ideas in.

"The initial backlash of introducing new girls early and having patrons support and shower them with gifts for a chance to have their first night at their 18th birthday is a lot more than we originally hoped."

Victor explained while Molly passed on the documents to Melinda alongside a cup of freshly brewed tea.

"For it to work, your girls need to showcase themselves as the providers of an exclusive premium experience. The aim is to create a niche in an already saturated market, not to appeal to everyone. Also, don't lean too hard into the first-time experience. Making it a business debut for the initial hype is desirable, but we don't want the interest to end just there."

"...for example…?"

Melinda took a sip of the beverage while shifting through the pages to get more details on the situation, which made the crime lord let out a tired sigh and ask.

"Spend more money on the girls. All. Not only the new ones. Give them bodyguards. Make it impossible for an average drunk to grab and pull them into a dark alley and shove a handful of loose change as payment when they're done. Invest in them. Oh, maybe teach them manners and make it so they can be bought on non-sexual dates or to official meetings as showgirls."

The gold-haired girl perked up and pointed out with a bright expression.

"...I have a hard time coming up with a response that would not be rude, Young Lady…"

After a moment of silence, Victor took a deep breath and leaned forward, staring at Melinda.

"Then try even harder."

The gold-haired girl snickered, leaning back in her seat and nodding at him magnanimously.

"While I can see the potential for long-term gains, currently, if our girls don't earn money, we don't earn money. We cannot operate a business at a constant loss! Not to mention, there is no guarantee that after receiving our support, the educated girls won't ditch us, getting protection from the rival organization!"

The black-haired man scoffed in anger, doing a pretty good job at holding back the wards he actually wanted to use.

"..."

In response to him, Melinda stayed silent, merely enjoying her tea.