"Huh?"
Alice blinked, then said with a strange expression:
"Erina, didn't you say the place was cleared?"
"Even if you ask me that, I don't know." Erina clutched her clothes in front of her, at a loss for words.
"Was this place cleared?" Luo Shu in the water looked puzzled. "Dōjima didn't mention anything to me. Besides, I was escorted here by the staff..."
After a pause, he added:
"Wait, was I brought to the wrong place?"
Hearing this, Erina facepalmed in resignation: "Alright, I think I understand what happened."
That afternoon, Erina had witnessed Senzaemon Nakiri gathering the resort staff, showing them Luo Shu's photo and explicitly stating he was an honoured guest of the Nakiri family who should be treated well.
Given this context, Erina realised that when she'd instructed the staff to clear the area earlier, she hadn't actually specified that she would be using the hot spring - she'd only mentioned the clearing timeframe and water change.
"I suppose my words were taken as arrangements to entertain distinguished guests..."
Erina Nakiri looked utterly helpless.
"Wait, wait, what do we do now?" Alice Nakiri flusteredly asked. "Erina, can we clear the one next door?"
Just as Erina Nakiri was about to suggest waiting two hours for the other hot spring to be cleared, Toyomi Fujiwara suddenly walked past them and entered directly.
"Ara, it's Shu-kun! You came for a soak, too!"
"Yeah."
Luo Shu nodded, then glanced at Toyomi slipping into the water and swimming over to lean against the artificial rock beside him, tilting her head back contentedly. He hesitated to speak.
"Some sake would be perfect right now," Toyomi said blissfully.
'This woman has nerves of steel,' Luo Shu thought internally before replying:
"Pretty sure you're the only one here legally allowed to drink, though?"
"Eh, really? What a shame."
Toyomi's disappointed expression left Erina and Alice standing dumbfounded at the edge.
"Hmm? Aren't Erina and Alice joining? The hot spring's lovely!"
Hearing this, Erina and Alice exchanged glances once, then twice more. Finally, Erina sighed at Alice's obliviousness to the need for an excuse to leave, tested the water temperature with her foot, and stepped in.
Seeing bold Erina enter, Alice hesitated before following suit. However, both Nakiri sisters kept their distance from Luo Shu, finding secluded spots obscured by rocks where they could lean against.
An awkward atmosphere permeated the space.
Toyomi, completely at ease, casually asked:
"Speaking of which, Shu-kun's collaboration with the Nakiri family is finalised, right?"
"More or less."
Grateful for Toyomi's conversation starter amid the awkwardness, Luo Shu relaxed slightly and elaborated to ease the tension:
"Old man Nakiri was surprisingly generous. 45% of Totsuki's shares - even Lacus couldn't object to that offer."
"Lacus?" Toyomi's curiosity piqued. "You mean Supreme Chairwoman Lacus Clyne? The legendary SDS leader?"
At this, Erina and Alice perked up their ears.
The SDS Supreme Chairwoman? And from the name, a woman?
"Legendary, huh..." Luo Shu chuckled. "That's her."
He paused before continuing. "Before coming here, I spoke with her. Originally, we agreed on a 15% profit share from the entire Nakiri family's businesses."
Erina's heart skipped a beat.
'The SDS intended to take 15% of the Nakiri family's profits?'
Toyomi pressed further. "The entire Nakiri family?"
"Right." Luo Shu exhaled deeply. "That means 5% from each of the three branches — the division led by Mana in America, Tōtsuki International in Europe, and the main house in Japan — totalling 15%."
Erina couldn't hold back. "Grandfather would never accept terms like that, would he?"
Luo Shu cast her a measured glance. "Miss Erina seems to have misunderstood something."
He added, "That 15% was merely the prerequisite for me to come to this resort."
Erina was stunned. "So when Grandfather mentioned 45% equity earlier, he actually meant surrendering an additional 45% ownership stake, on top of the 15% profit share from cooperation?"
In simple terms, Luo Shu — representing the SDS — had initially proposed a 15% profit share. But Senzaemon Nakiri considered that too little, and insisted on yielding an additional 45% equity to secure the partnership.
Instantly, both Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri had the same thought.
'What kind of new ingredients could have compelled Senzaemon Nakiri to make such concessions?'
"Miss Erina seems to have grasped the situation."
Luo Shu's words directly confirmed Erina Nakiri's speculation, even adding with a subtle tone:
"I must say, the old man is surprisingly sensible!"
"I expected him to simply accept the profit share, but instead he offered to exchange it for equity and hand it back."
"Though there's suspicion of currying favour, this willingness to sacrifice is truly impressive!"
In reality, as the controller of resources, the SDS almost never grants its partners more than a 3% profit share. Yet despite this, countless collaborators still scramble to form ties with them.
The reason is simple: while SDS is stingy with monetary gains, it's extraordinarily generous with mystic side resources.
This financial frugality stems from the Research Department's budget-devouring tendencies. Scientific research consumes vast quantities of basic materials, and in modern society, these materials require monetary transactions; hence, the SDS's tight budgets and emphasis on liquid capital.
Conversely, the various mystic resources derived from these budgets - successfully replicated monster flesh, plant essences, and various pharmaceuticals - are treated with far less stringency.
Each partner receives annual quotas to purchase these mystic products.
What collaborators like Senzaemon Nakiri urgently desire are precisely these mystic resources.
Senzaemon Nakiri is betting on the SDS's research capabilities to elevate the Nakiri family further, hence his decisive surrender of equity in the family's core enterprises.
Truth be told, 45% equity is more than enough for the SDS to execute a bait-and-switch manoeuvre.
After all, within Totsuki Group's core enterprises, Senzaemon Nakiri, Sōe Nakiri, and Mana Nakiri combined only hold the remaining 55%.
Should the SDS ally with either Mana Nakiri or Sōe Nakiri, Senzaemon Nakiri risks being ousted entirely.
This explains why Luo Shu praised Senzaemon Nakiri's boldness.
"Grandfather..." Erina Nakiri's expression turned complicated, puzzled why such a crucial decision hadn't been properly explained to her.
As Erina wrestled with mixed emotions, Alice Nakiri suddenly interjected:
"Can I participate in that new ingredients research too?"