Act 4: Skincare Products

Act 4:
Skincare Products

 

IN THE FIFTH MONTH after my summoning, Jude found me in the middle of distilling an essential oil from lavender I had harvested in the garden.

“What are you up to over there?” he asked. “Is that for a potion?”

“No, no. It’s for a facial moisturizer.” That day, I was after the floral water that was a by-product of making essential oils.

Since my arrival in this world, I had been forced to engineer my own skincare products. I had a prior interest in homemade cosmetics, but now I was driven by necessity. It wasn’t that this world lacked any concept of skincare, just that such lotions were exclusively luxury items targeted at the nobility. Lucky for me, I worked at the Research Institute of Medicinal Flora. I had all the tools and facilities I needed to concoct my own skincare routine, not to mention access to any ingredient I could imagine.

“Huh, so you can put herbs in those, too?”

“And flowers! Like roses and so forth.”

I should note, while this world had the concept of skincare, the products were…let’s say, unlike potions, most of the recipes were questionable, as in they contained ingredients that I had zero intention of putting on my face in any form whatsoever.

I actually tried using potions at first, but I quickly realized that I was on the wrong track. Potions were only meant to cure wounds; they didn’t have any moisturizing or brightening effects like I needed my lotions to do.

“Weren’t you making some earlier, too?” Jude asked. “Did you use lavender then as well?”

“I did, but it wasn’t for a moisturizer.”

“Aha. Was it something with a different effect?”

“I suppose you could put it like that, though generally the outcome is pretty similar.”

“Is that so. Well, whatever you make, I’m sure it’ll be incredibly effective.”

I smiled wryly at Jude’s comment.

The skincare products I made were indeed potent. Once, on a whim, I imbued one of my lotions with magic while stirring, and it came out exceptionally well. The difference in effectiveness between the cosmetics I made with and without magic was like night and day. It seemed my Pharmaceuticals skill and that fifty-percent-bonus curse were to blame.

When I realized that my Pharmaceuticals skill could impact cosmetics, I asked one of the other researchers to try making the same kind of lotion. Just as I expected, his lotion came out quite a bit differently. I had made an inadvertent discovery; the researchers hadn’t seen the link between cosmetics and Pharmaceuticals skill before, and they were pretty surprised.

They probably never noticed because, for one, only a limited number of wealthy people actually used skincare products in this world, and two, the researchers were all men who didn’t really have any interest in cosmetics in the first place.

When I reported this to Johan, along with the persistent interference of my fifty-percent-bonus curse, he laughed about how this was like me with cooking all over again. Though, his laugh sounded somewhat weary to me.

“Did you start making your skincare products after you came to the research institute?” Jude asked.

“Yup.”

“I knew it.”

He did? I looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Jude smiled sheepishly. “Since you arrived, you’ve only gotten prettier.”

“Huh?” Where’d that come from?! I gaped openly, every thought ejected from my brain. I knew I understood him though, because I could feel my cheeks begin to glow. No man had ever said that to me before. I was unexpectedly shy. “Wh-why would you say something like that?”

“Hmm? It’s the truth though.” Jude laughed in a totally matter-of-fact way, even though he had to see my cheeks were burning.

I supposed that between the absence of late-night overtime in this world and my ability to live a well-regulated life, my appearance was changing. The dark circles that had been a universal constant under my eyes for so many years were now vanished, and my hair and skin were supple and shiny. What’s more, my eye cream had somehow improved my eyesight, and I didn’t even need glasses anymore.

Back in Japan, my late-night every-night schedule meant beauty routines and dressing up were way outside my energy quota, so men never really paid any attention to me. But thanks to the changes in my appearance brought by my new life, I had kinda started looking forward to seeing myself in the mirror.

Still, an unpopular woman is unpopular for a reason. I might have changed on the outside, but inside, I was the same mousy old Sei. On that count, I was completely flustered by this sort of situation.

I wound up saying something sharp like, “Oh, stop making fun of me.”

But for some reason that just made Jude smile even more, though he did seem a little abashed.

 

***

 

All that said, my morning routine didn’t differ hugely from how it was back in Japan. I woke up, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and applied my skincare products. The effect was startling, granted. My homemade products were clearly doing their job; I looked much healthier in general. I smiled gleefully as I examined myself in the small compact mirror I had brought with me in my purse when I was summoned.

However, I still didn’t have time for makeup—in part because I didn’t have any. I knew how to put together basic skincare products, but I didn’t know the first thing about producing makeup, so it was out of reach. I didn’t mind so much. I never really liked wearing it anyway.

Once I was satisfied with my appearance, I got dressed.

Today was my day off, so I got my wild start by lounging around and doing absolutely nothing at all! But that could only last so long.

“Stats,” I chanted to check my current condition.

 

Sei Takanashi – Level 55/Saint

HP: 4,867/4,867

MP: 6,067/6,067

Battle Skills

Holy Magic: Level ∞

Production Skills

Pharmaceuticals: Level 30
Cooking: Level 8

 

Hmm. Both my Pharmaceuticals and Cooking skills had increased. A little more food prep and my Cooking level was bound to continue growing, but lately it had become harder to bump up my Pharmaceuticals skill, even when I made high-grade HP potions.

Could there be a potion more valuable than the high-grade ones I already knew how to make? The herb and medicine books in the research institute didn’t describe any such thing, but maybe in the palace’s library I could find a book with stronger recipes?

You’re going to start a new project on your day off? You workaholic! I thought to myself, but alas, there was nothing else I really wanted to do.

I supposed I could have gone shopping in the capital, but I’d never been off the palace grounds before and honestly felt a bit nervous about it. It would probably be different if there were someone to go with me, but…

Whatever! I’ll spend the day in the library and read books.

Jude spotted me as I descended the stairs from my room on the third floor to the first floor. “Oh? Are you going out, Sei?”

He was carrying a box in both arms, and it was overflowing with herbs. Unlike me, he was on duty today and was bringing supplies from the storehouse into the institute.

“Yup, I’m headed for the palace library,” I told him.

“I see. Today’s your off day, isn’t it?”

“Sure is.”

“See you later then.”

“Bye!”

I stepped out of the institute and set off toward the palace. It took a familiar thirty long minutes to get there, though I supposed it was good exercise. I didn’t get enough of that nowadays, seeing as I spent all my time cooped up in the institute fiddling with potions, so I probably needed to get out and move around more often.

Though admittedly, it was a pain…

At length, I made it to the palace. I had been to the library several times for work, so I knew my way around. Along the way, I took in the vases and paintings that decorated the halls. As you would expect from a palace, each and every one was exquisite. Delicate patterns graced the ceramic vases, and the elegant paintings depicted lush scenery. I enjoyed just getting to see them; I guess it was the same feeling I got from a museum art exhibit featuring pieces that originally came from castles.

Before I knew it, I reached my destination. When I opened the library door, I was met by the sight of dust motes wafting through the sunlight trickling in from a high window. The opening door must have stirred them up.

There weren’t many windows in here in order to protect the books, so the lighting was faint. In that dim, I began hunting through the books on the shelves. I picked out a number, settled in a nearby chair, and began to read.

Interestingly enough, the contents of the books weren’t written in Japanese, but I could understand them. Maybe insta-translation was an effect of the summoning. I think I read them in Japanese in my head, though. It gave me a funny brain feeling.

I don’t know how long I was there all by myself, but just as I was making my umpteenth trip back to my chair from the bookshelf, I heard the door open with a creak. This wasn’t odd in itself, since anyone who worked in the palace had free access to the library. I glanced at the door, assuming it would be one of the usual officials, but to my surprise I found a lovely girl in an extravagant dress. Her neatly curled blonde hair hung in a partial updo and her blue eyes were keen.

She’s gotta be some noble’s daughter. A high-ranking one at that.

People like her were everywhere in the palace, but it was the first time I had ever seen a highborn lady in the library. I must have been staring because she noticed me as well. She positively beamed; I bowed my head reflexively.

I was pretty sure it would be rude to gawk at her any more than I already had, so I took that as the signal to return to my reading. But a few moments later, a book was placed in front of the chair opposite mine.

When I looked up, I found the young noblewoman had started to read. There were plenty of other seats available. I wondered why she chose the seat so close to mine, but I decided not to fixate on it and once more buried myself in words.

Just as I finished going through the last of the books I had picked out, I heard the afternoon bell chime three times. I realized I had been in the library for quite a bit longer than I meant to be and decided it was high time to get back to the research institute.

Right when I stood, the lady spoke to me. “I beg your pardon.”

“Ah—yes?”

“May I see that book?”

I guessed I had grabbed a book she was interested in, and she hoped to read it before I put it away. I was finished with it, so I gladly handed it over. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw how many other books I still had in my hands.

“What an arcane collection you have there. Are you from the research institute?” she asked.

“That’s right.”

“I suspected as much. I noticed everything you were reading was written in Classical Salutanian! I always have such trouble getting through it.”

Huh. My magical insta-translation meant I didn’t even notice when I was reading something written in thick classical language. I chuckled awkwardly in an attempt to cover up the fact that I hadn’t felt the books were hard to read at all.

“Does my lady possess an interest in herbs as well?” I asked her, trying but probably failing to imitate the noble way people like her spoke.

“Yes, that is correct.” She smiled awkwardly, too.

Was it my question? Or my terrible attempt at imitating her speech? I wasn’t sure which faux pas had made her uncomfortable, so I figured I should just see myself out as quickly as possible—before I caused her any further distress.

“If it would please my lady, come visit the Research Institute of Medicinal Flora someday,” I managed. “Every herb in these books can be found in our garden. Oh, and, um, my name is Sei, and I work there.”

“My thanks, Sei. I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Elizabeth Ashley.”

“If you would excuse me, I should be getting back to the institute.”

“Good day.”

I shoved the books back onto the shelves and scurried away.

The second I stepped outside, I was assaulted by a wave of heat. Summer was definitely here. I hadn’t noticed in the library, as it was typically cooler in there than in the palace corridors. They must have engineered some way to control the temperature for the books.

I fanned myself as I made my way back down the road to the institute. On the way, I heard hoofbeats approaching from behind. When I looked over my shoulder, I was met with a whole herd of horses. The people astride them looked like knights, and I had a feeling I knew the person leading from the front.

“Sei!” the leader called to me. It was Knight Commander Albert of the Knights of the Third Order.

“Oh! Hello.” I waved tentatively.

As the knights drew closer, I realized I recognized some of them. They must have been the rest of his squadron.

“Are you on your way back to the institute?” Albert asked.

“That’s right.”

“Climb on and I’ll give you a ride there if you like.”

An odd, wavering feeling stirred in my stomach. There was a long way to go before I reached the institute, and I was grateful for Albert’s concern, but, well… “Thank you for the offer, but I’ve never ridden a horse before.”

Albert held out his hand. “Grab hold.”

I hesitantly took his hand and, easy as anything, he pulled me right up onto the horse’s back so I was seated in front of him. I knew I didn’t weigh much, but what strength he must have to just heave a woman up like that—and with only one hand! Were all knights so able?

“Let’s go.” Albert took the reins while I was still reeling and spurred the horse forward.

I clutched the saddle horn. It was a bit unnerving being high up on a horse like this. A low chuckle came from behind me as Albert wrapped an arm around my waist.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” he said.

“Th-thank you.”

Did we have to be so close? It was the first time I’d ever felt someone else’s body pressed fully against my back. For a woman like me who had never had any admirers before, let alone a boyfriend, this degree of intimacy was a bit, um, difficult?

It almost feels like he’s hugging me from behind. When that thought crossed my mind, my ears began to burn.

“Why were you at the palace today?” Albert asked.

“Oh, it was my off day, so I decided to go read in the library.”

“Is that so. What kind of books did you find?”

“You know, ones about herbs. There was something I wanted to look into.”

Every time he spoke, his voice vibrated through my back. Although my heart was pounding like crazy, I was gradually able to find my center while we talked.

“You went to study on your day off? That sounds more like work to me.” He sounded genuinely surprised.

“Hmm, well, I think of it more as a hobby,” I declared.

“Do you have any other hobbies?”

“Good question…” I was at a loss for an answer. I mean, I spent so much of my time working—here, but especially in Japan—that I didn’t really have much time to find any more hobbies.

As we continued chatting, we approached the fork in the road. One branch led to the research institute, the other to the barracks. Knight Commander Albert told his knights he intended to take me all the way back to the institute and broke off from the rest of the group. I assured him I didn’t mind being let down so he could stick with his knights, but he insisted that it wasn’t that far out of his way, and he wanted to be sure I made it the rest of the way home.

And so, he did.

 

***

 

“Sei, I find this sentence somewhat difficult. Might I request that you tell me what it says?”

“Hmm, let me see…”

I had run into Lady Elizabeth—Liz for short—in the library again, and we were talking books. However, it seemed like I was always on an errand whenever we ran into each other, so we never got to chat for very long.

Every time we met, Liz would ask me about the contents of books written either in Classical Salutanian or in a foreign language that she didn’t understand. It seemed like she was conducting some kind of study, and she always wanted to discuss parts that were especially difficult to decipher.

At first, she asked me about the grammatical structures, too, but unfortunately, I couldn’t explain anything about those. I was limited to digging into the content of any given book.

“I see. So that is what it means. My thanks,” Liz said.

“No prob. Glad I could help.”

“I apologize for always being such a bother while you’re working.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s a nice break.”

Compared to before, I had adopted a much more casual way of speaking to her. Also, after the third or fourth time we ran into each other, she told me to call her “Liz” instead of “Lady Elizabeth” and urged me to address her like I would any of my other friends. How could I deny such a pretty lady’s request?

“You have such lovely skin,” Liz remarked suddenly.

Our heads were pretty close at the moment, due to poring over the same book while we were talking, so I guess she was close enough to notice. I was still taken by surprise by this compliment from such a striking girl. Liz’s skin was perfect, like a porcelain doll’s—even nose to nose, I couldn’t see her pores.

Also, well, I really wasn’t used to compliments and wasn’t sure how to respond. The best I could come up with was, “You think so?”

She smiled—gorgeous!—and insisted. “It is so very easy to tan in odd places in this season, no matter how much care one takes. Did you not tell me before that you work in the herb gardens at your institute? Yet you haven’t taken on any color at all. The tone of your skin is flawlessly even.”

“Really? You don’t look at all tanned to me either.”

“Oh, of course, I ensure I take proper precautions against the sun every day. However, I cannot help but wonder what kind of lotions and ointments you use.”

Given everything we had talked about, I wasn’t surprised that Liz was interested in skincare, though she was more passionate about it than I would have guessed. Maybe it was because she was a noble; most adults in Japan didn’t share her depth of knowledge on the topic, let alone regular junior high school students. When I was her age, the most I did was slather on sunscreen.

Was she what you would call a girly girl?

“I make my skincare products myself,” I admitted.

“Truly?” Liz’s eyes sparkled.

The very idea of making your own cosmetics had to sound ludicrous to a noble like her. However, Liz was a student of herbology, and she unleashed a flood of questions, such as what ingredients I used and what effects they had. I rapidly got the feeling she was more interested in this than the books she was always asking me about.

At length, Liz trailed off. Then out of nowhere, she took me by surprise yet again. “But I’m sure that skincare isn’t the only reason you’re so pretty.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You fell in love recently, didn’t you?”

What?! My jaw fell open, and I couldn’t remember how to close it.

Liz giggled, hiding her lips behind her folding fan.

Why in the world would she think something like that? Fell in love? Me? No way, never in a thousand years! When would I even have the time?

Liz’s eyes sparkled over her fan. “The other day, I happened to overhear a rumor that Knight Commander Hawke has taken to spending much of his time with a certain lady.”

I frowned at her, even more bewildered. “Who’s Knight Commander Hawke?”

Liz snapped her fan shut and peered. “You do not know Lord Hawke?”

The only commander I could think of was Knight Commander Albert. Was his last name Hawke? I really couldn’t remember. Not to mention, Johan was always just calling him “Al.”

Tentatively, I offered, “By Knight Commander Hawke, do you mean the knight commander of the Knights of the Third Order?”

“So you do know him.”

“Yes, he’s friends with the head researcher at the institute.”

Okay, we were talking about the same guy. But I wasn’t about to assume I was the only woman Albert spent time with.

“Well,” said Liz. “Someone said they saw a woman riding on horseback with him the other day.”

Erk. Okay, the rumor was definitely about me. Ever since Albert and I ran into each other on my way home from the library that first day, he had taken to ferrying me back to the institute every time I went to the palace. On horseback no less, just as the eyewitness had seen.

I still felt unbearably self-conscious riding like that with him, so I often tried to say no, but then Albert would get such a sad look on his face that I wound up saying yes anyway. On top of that, the first few times he took me straight to the institute, but recently he’d started taking detours to show me around the palace grounds. That was probably when someone saw us.

“Ah…that probably is me,” I admitted.

“I knew it.” For some reason Liz looked relieved, which left me confused and a little concerned.

“Why did you say it like that?” I asked.

“Hm?”

“You just seem kind of, I don’t know, like you have one less thing to worry about. Would there have been a problem if it were someone else?”

Liz’s lovely countenance twisted into one that seemed to say “Oh, I wish she hadn’t asked that!”

I hurried to tell her that she didn’t have to divulge anything to me if she didn’t want to when she sighed and shook her head. “No, no. You see, for my part I was sure that it must have been you. However, there are rumors at the academy I attend that the woman was someone else.”

“Really?”

“I’m afraid so.”

According to Liz, the other woman was rumored to be one of Liz’s classmates. That meant this other person was about fifteen years old as, if I remembered correctly, the oldest students at the academy were fifteen.

A fifteen-year-old and the knight commander? Oof, I could see how that would be suspicious.

“Lord Hawke’s a lot older than girls your age though. Wouldn’t that be a problem?” I asked.

“Oh, not at all. It would be a little unusual, but I wouldn’t call it problematic.”

Different worlds, I guess… But then what was the problem? As I pondered this, Liz wrinkled her nose and finally explained herself with some reluctance. “You see, it’s more of an issue for the girl herself.”

“How so?”

“Unfortunately, she has been the cause of quite a bit of trouble…since she’s grown unusually close with a number of boys who already have fiancées.”

Fiancées?! Of course I knew the word, but practically speaking, the concept was pretty foreign to me. Nevertheless, I could see how it would be a problem for this girl’s fiancé to hear a rumor that she had gone riding with a knight.

As I understood it, the noble children attending the academy were often engaged by around that early age. In this kingdom, you were free to marry once you were an adult, and adulthood was the ripe old age of fifteen. So, maybe it wasn’t “that early” after all.

In any case, I was curious to hear more. “Say, does Lord Hawke have a fiancée?”

“I do not believe so.”

“Ah. From how you described the situation, I thought he must.”

A spark of mischief had returned to Liz’s eye. “If he did have a fiancée, then it would be a problem for him to go riding with any woman at all.”

“Oh, hm. That’s true.”

“Hee hee. Lord Hawke is a gentleman who minds his manners, so I believe you have nothing to worry about.”

For a moment there, I was concerned that I might have accidentally crossed some lines, but now my fears were assuaged. No matter what world you were in, it was no good to be involved in rumor-worthy activities with someone who was already engaged. Honestly, I had a feeling it would be an issue for Knight Commander Albert if people thought he was in a relationship with someone like me even if he didn’t have a fiancée.

Unlike me, he could take his time picking and choosing his romantic partner. If only I could make people understand that he was always bringing me to the institute because he was just such a thoughtful person. I felt awful that he might lose his chance at love because of this rumor.

“At any rate, there’s nothing interesting going on between Lord Hawke and me,” I told Liz firmly.

“Oh? Really?”

“Yes! A-anyway, tell me more about what this rumor is doing to your school.”

“Oh, yes. Well, because the rumor is that she courted the attention of the Ice Knight—”

“Wait, who’s the Ice Knight?”

Liz blinked. “Lord Hawke.”

According to Liz, Albert was known as the Ice Knight first for his expertise in wielding Ice Magic and second because he so rarely made any show of emotion.

Wait, what? He’s always smiling at me…

“Since Lord Hawke is so well-liked, they were saying things such as ‘She’s collecting again,’” Liz continued.

“Which I’m assuming means that the guys she’s friends with at school are also popular?”

“That’s right.” Liz put a hand to her cheek and sighed gloomily.

So, to summarize, a classmate of hers at the academy had all of the popular guys waiting on her hand and foot. Someone mistakenly assumed she had also gotten involved with Albert, who was popular outside the academy, and now everyone was complaining about it.

But why did Liz seem so crestfallen?

“You seem pretty upset. But I’m not sure how this impacts you… Does it?”

“I’m afraid it does. The fiancées of the lords that girl keeps around have asked me to help.”

“Shouldn’t they be asking their fiancés to stop hanging around her instead of bothering you about it?”

“They say they have already made their frustrations clear, and yet the situation has not improved.”

“I know this might sound rude, but aren’t you powerless to help this situation, too?”

“Indeed…”

Liz sighed again and cast down her eyes, the picture of depression. It made me want to help her, if nothing else. But as someone who had close to zero experience in affairs of the heart, I had no advice to give.

“The other day, one of those girls stopped coming to school,” Liz confessed.

According to Liz, the young lady’s fiancé was one of the problematic classmate’s admirers, but there was another issue.

Being fifteen, the girl was dealing with a mild case of acne and had been anxious about her appearance for quite some time. She kept trying to clear up her face, but nothing worked. As a result, she was unable to make herself look as pretty as she thought she should and felt plain compared to the other students.

One day, the young lady overheard her fiancé compliment their classmate to some guy friends of his. Liz had been with the girl at the time, so she heard his exact words. He had said that their classmate’s skin was so smooth that he wanted to touch it and that she always dressed so prettily. At any rate, it all boiled down to praising her appearance.

In that moment, Liz and the girl left quietly before the boys realized they had been overheard.

The young lady was devastated. Her fiancé had never once complimented her in such a way, and she feared he was unhappy with her appearance. Already depressed about her persistent pimples, this revelation made her so anxious that she was now unable to leave her bed.

“If only she could do something about those blemishes, then I am sure she would feel just a little bit better,” Liz said.

“That’s true.” I was mulling the situation. I couldn’t give any advice when it came to love…but I might just be able to help in my own way. “I might have a way to get rid of those pimples.”

“Really?!” Liz’s lovely face brightened immeasurably.

I nodded with a smile and proceeded to spend the next hour explaining in as much detail as I could everything I knew about how to tackle blemishes from my days in Japan.

Once Liz and I went our separate ways and I finished my work for the day at the institute, I sat down with materials to get cracking on more skincare products. I wanted to do everything in my power to help this young lady with her problems, even if it was only the acne.

Just as I was prepping the ingredients, Jude walked by. “Skincare again?” He could tell what I was up to just from looking at the ingredients on my desk.

I nodded. “Yeah, I’m helping someone out.”

While I was hard at work on my new project, Liz got her friend to tell her what skincare and treatments she had already tried. Sure enough, Liz reported to me that the girl used products with terrible ingredients and dubious treatments that sounded more like some kind of sorcery.

For all I knew, one of those methods actually was the best way to banish pimples in this world, but for now, I got Liz to make her friend promise not to use any other kinds of cosmetics or treatments while she was trying out the one I made for her. We had to be scientific, or I wouldn’t know what kind of effects my lotions had. Liz conveyed everything to the girl, including how to wash her face, what food could affect her skin, and that she absolutely needed to get a proper amount of sleep.

The skincare lotion I made was a sort of insurance in case the routine changes weren’t enough. After I combined the ingredients—all of which I had heard could help with acne—into a glass container, I stirred them with a thin glass rod while imbuing it with magic. While I did so, I found myself wishing sincerely for the zits to heal and the girl’s skin to clear up.

I didn’t normally do such a thing when making these for myself, but this time was special.

As I rolled the wish over in my mind, the contents of the glass began to glow white. Nothing like that had ever happened before, so I was a little startled. I scooped some out and rubbed it on the back of my hand just to test it, but I didn’t feel any concerning prickling or anything. In fact, I couldn’t discern anything odd at all in the finished product.

I guess I’ll do a patch test just in case. I’ll give it to Liz once I’m sure it’s okay, I thought to myself as I moved on to brewing the next lotion.

 

Two weeks after I delivered my homemade skincare products to Liz, I found her waiting for me in the library, brimming with excitement.

“Sei! Those skincare products you made were incredible!”

We were in the library, but she could barely keep her voice down as she excitedly came over to me.

Liz had passed the lotions and ointments I made to her friend the same day I gave them to her, as well as making sure to repeat my instructions for pimple care. The young lady had despaired of ever ridding her face of what plagued it, so at first she didn’t seem very enthusiastic, but she went ahead and followed the instructions anyway. Amazingly, she began to see results the very next day, and everyone in her family was hugely encouraging about it.

One week later, she returned to the academy. The other ladies were in an uproar over the dramatic change in the girl’s appearance.

“Though now I’m afraid we have another problem,” Liz told me, though she didn’t seem all that concerned.

“What’s that?” I asked with a head tilt.

Once I heard the answer, I kind of regretted it. She wasn’t kidding about it being a problem.

“Now everyone wants the same kind of skincare products that you made for her.”

Not only had the young lady’s pimples vanished, she now had flawless skin. The change had stoked the other young ladies’ desires to improve their skincare as well. They demanded to know what products she was using, and since the girl told them that she got them from Liz, they were pestering her instead. Liz refused to say anything other than that they had been made specifically for her friend, but the other girls were still giving her the third degree.

“I doubted you would be able to fulfill all their requests,” Liz explained.

“You’ve got that right.”

It wasn’t just a problem of getting lotions to every interested girl but the fact that I’d have to keep making more and more in order to satisfy the needs of continuous use.

I told Liz to let me think it over a bit and returned to the institute. However, I couldn’t come up with any solutions on my own. At times like these, the best thing to do is ask others for advice, so I brought my predicament to Johan.

“So, do you have any ideas?” I asked him.

“You’ve gone and done it again.”

Despite his amusement as he laughed at me, Johan was a good person. We thought it over together and ultimately decided to give my skincare lotion recipes to a shop Johan had good relations with, which would then sell them for us. The products the shop made weren’t as effective as mine, but they definitely still worked.

When I told Liz about our plan, word of the miraculous skincare products rapidly traveled from the lips of the young ladies to the ears of their families, and soon enough those lotions were such a popular product that the shop sold out on the very first day.

Naturally, Johan had sold the recipes in return for a percentage of the profits, and it went without saying that the research institute received a very nice return.