A milky white liquid with a faint hint of green.

  It looks just like the liquid I often used back in the game era.

  "What do we do with this?"

  "Hmm, well, it's a cosmetic, so maybe we should try applying it to our skin?"

  "Wait, you're going to put this on your skin?"

  It doesn't look bad.

  But even in the game era, I never used this item myself, and the fvor text was just filled with marketing buzzwords from a cosmetics company.

  Someone has to try it.

  If something goes wrong, like weird rashes or something, I'd feel terrible, so as the one who brought it up, I'll take the lead.

  Since coming into this body, I've been getting healthier, but my lifestyle is far rougher than in my previous life. My palms are rough and calloused.

  "......"

  Under their gazes from both sides, I scoop up some of the liquid with a dle-like tool and let a small amount fall onto my palm. I rub my hands together, spreading the liquid evenly.

  "How is it?"

  "What do you mean? It's not like the effects will show right away..."

  A slight slickness, followed by a glossy, moisturized sheen.

  If I keep this up for about a week, I might start to see some real results. I'll observe it like a clinical trial.

  "...It's working."

  "Huh?"

  "No way."

  I thought that, but this is another world after all.

  If magic exists, then it makes sense that cosmetics would have magical effects too.

  Just a few seconds after applying it, the effects start to show. What's going on?

  My previously rough and hardened palms are now smooth and soft, and the back of my hands looks cleaner than before.

  "Wait, what's happening!?"

  "Liberta, let me see!!"

  My right hand is grabbed by Nell, and my left by Amina, as they examine it closely.

  "It's so smooth!"

  "Yeah, it's so shiny!"

  They're staring so intently that it feels like they might bore holes into my hands.

  After about ten seconds of staring...

  "......"

  In silence, both of them grab the dle and start pouring the rice-based lotion onto their palms.

  Wait, I get Nell, but Amina, you're covered in feathers. Does it even do anything for you?

  The two of them apply it meticulously, their expressions serious. Even though they're young, they're still women, so I guess they'd take beauty seriously.

  They're both staring at their hands after applying it.

  This might take a while.

  Which makes me wonder why the effect was so dramatic.

  But I can pretty much guess why.

  Material-wise, this rice lotion is simir to a potion.

  It's close to a life potion that heals wounds, and the method of making it is almost the same as a low-grade one.

  The difference is that life potions use regur water instead of rice water, and they have a bit more herbs, along with an additional ingredient called "Kuchi no Mi," a red fruit from a tree. They also use more magic stones.

  There are differences, but they're simir.

  The rice lotion might not heal injuries, but it probably has enough restorative power to fix skin issues.

  Actually, maybe using too much would overdo it, so a smaller amount of herbs might be better.

  I've heard somewhere that rice water contains components that are good for skin and hair.

  So then...

  "Look, Liberta! My skin is so much prettier now!!"

  "Me too! My feathers are so shiny!!"

  If we market this right, it could be a huge hit, don't you think?

  They both show me their hands with big smiles.

  "Wow, they really did get prettier."

  So this is the effect of the magical rice lotion.

  The difference between the areas where Nell applied it and where she didn't is striking. The same goes for Amina's wings.

  "This will sell! It'll definitely sell!!"

  "Yeah! If it were me, I'd buy it even if it were a bit expensive!!"

  Any woman who sees this effect would definitely be tempted to buy it.

  Just look at Nell and Amina's reactions. There's no doubt about it.

  "Then, we need to secure a distribution channel."

  "About that... can we show this to my mom?"

  Once we figure out how to sell it, we'll definitely have a solid money-making pn.

  "To Teresa?"

  "Yeah, if we show it to her, she'll understand its value. Then she might agree to stock it in her shop. If we try to sell it ourselves, people might look down on us because we're kids, and things could get complicated."

  "That's true. I've heard that scary people often show up when kids are running a stall."

  "..."

  In the game, I never heard about stalls being attacked.

  In the game, fighting in the city was restricted.

  That's why the public order was perfect, and you could do business safely.

  The only issue was pyers compining about high prices, but even that could be shut down easily. It makes you realize how privileged the business environment was in the game.

  "True, we should be careful about that. Maybe we can give them a cut of the sales?"

  I can understand and agree with that.

  There's no reason to push ourselves to do the selling when we don't have to.

  Considering the pros and cons of relying on adults, it's better to py it safe and secure.

  "I'll handle the negotiations!!"

  "Alright, then I'll make some prototypes for you to use in the negotiations."

  "Okay!"

  Outsourcing is a legitimate business method too.

  I quickly pour the remaining rice lotion from the pot into small bottles I bought from the alchemy shop.

  They're not transparent gss bottles, but small ceramic jars shaped like sake fsks.

  They're made from magic cy, which is cy mixed with magic stones, and they're convenient for storing magical potions.

  In the game, gss bottles were the norm, so I didn't know about these.

  "Three bottles per batch."

  "We'll have some materials left over."

  "Well, we did defeat a ton of mochi monsters, so we have plenty of materials."

  I bought a hundred bottles, so we can make a decent amount.

  But given Amina's mana capacity, there's a limit to how much we can produce in a day.

  "Alright, I'll head out now!!"

  Nell grabs the three prototypes and quickly heads out from the stable.

  "What should we do?"

  "Let's mass-produce while we wait."

  "Okay!"

  "Make sure to wear your training bracelet. If your alchemy skill improves, the quality will go up, and mana consumption will decrease."

  "I know. I'll make sure to wear it properly."

  Negotiations will probably take a while.

  Thinking that, Amina and I start mass-producing the rice lotion.

  "Huh? Did you hear that loud noise just now?"

  "From Nell's house, maybe?"

  While working on the third batch, we hear a loud noise, like a door smming open, coming from Nell's house. Then, the sound of someone running toward us.

  "Liberta!!"

  "T-Teresa?"

  The stable door bursts open with enough force to almost break it, and Teresa storms in with a frantic expression.

  "What is this!? Expin!"

  But it's obvious she's used it—her face and hands show signs of application, and she's holding one of the prototype bottles of rice lotion.

  "What do you mean...? Didn't Nell expin it to you? We were pnning to sell it, so we left the negotiations to Nell... Is there a problem?"

  The fact that Nell isn't here and Teresa came directly means something must have happened.

  She's wide-eyed and clearly excited.

  Amina, a little scared, hides behind me.

  "Problem? Oh, there's a problem alright!! What is this!? My dry skin became moisturized in an instant, like pouring water on sand! I look five years younger! And my hair's shine! It used to get damaged every time I washed it, but now it's like it never happened!!"

  "So, the effect is too strong, and that's the problem?"

  "That's not what I mean, Liberta. Ugh, Mom, I get that you're excited, but calm down a little."

  Nell peeks out from behind Teresa, who's still buzzing with excitement.

  "Mom's a merchant too. If she sees something with potential, of course she'd want the exclusive rights. And this thing is so good that she got too excited and rushed over here to secure the contract before anyone else."

  "A little?"

  "Just a little."

  Nell seems a bit embarrassed by her mom's actions, holding the contract in one hand and expining Teresa's behavior with a wry smile.

  "Well, Liberta. You haven't signed any contracts yet, right?"

  Being called out by her own daughter seems to have calmed Teresa down a bit. She clears her throat and takes control of the situation.

  "No, not yet."

  "That's what I said! I was handling all the negotiations!"

  "In times like these, merchants want to secure the source! If you're satisfied with just being the middleman, you're still green!"

  She brushes it off as a merchant's enthusiasm, handling it like an adult.

  "It just looked like you were running wild to me."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "Should we go to another store?"

  "Oh, I feel like buying some good meat today."

  "Let's go with that. I haven't had beef in a while. Enough for three, of course."

  "Ugh, fine."

  Watching the mother-daughter negotiation over dinner, it seems Amina and I are in for a feast too.

  "Alright, I'll count this as a business expense. So, Liberta, Nell told me you're okay with giving me exclusive rights to sell this, right?"

  "Well, more like having Jinx's shop handle it. Given our production capacity, it's hard to supply multiple pces, so it's better to focus on one outlet."

  "Right, that's what I wanted to confirm. I'll go shopping ter, and I'll do some promotion too. I'll leave the contract here, so work out the details with my daughter."

  Now that she's calmed down, Teresa leaves the stable after saying that.

  "The contract, is that it?"

  "Yeah, let's go over it together. If everything looks good, we'll sign it ter."

  Left behind, Amina and I start reviewing the contract Nell brought.

  Contracts usually have tons of tedious terms and conditions, but in this world, they're surprisingly simple.

  To summarize, it boils down to three main points:

  Jinx's shop gets priority as the distributor.

  Our identities as the creators will be kept secret.

  Each bottle will be bought for 80 zeni.

  "80 zeni per bottle... Seriously?"

  "Seriously. They pn to sell it for 90 zeni in the shop."

  "Will it sell at that price?"

  I was thinking 50 zeni would be a good price.

  But this is way above that.

  "It'll sell, no doubt."

  "Liberta, you're underestimating women."

  "Exactly. Women will cut into their husband's allowance to buy something that makes them beautiful."

  "Did I just create a product that's going to make a lot of men miserable?"

  If this works out, it'll be a huge help for our finances. But the problem is, they might expect us to keep producing it consistently.

  While we're based here, it's fine, but personally, I pn to go to the academy and then travel the world.

  I can't focus solely on producing lotion.

  "On the flip side, you'll make a lot of women happy."

  "Don't worry, men will just have to endure a little."

  "Really? Well, if that's the case, then it's fine."

  I might need to think of a solution for that ter.

  Either way, it's pointless to worry about how busy we'll get now. There's always the chance it might not sell at all.

  If that happens, we'll just make and sell something else.

  "For now, Amina, keep making it until you run out of mana. I'll return the cart and buy more bottles. Nell, you—"

  "I'm heading to the dungeon!!"

  "I'll keep making more!!"

  For now, the fact that we've regained their motivation is the biggest win.

  We know what to do next, and as long as we keep them from getting bored, we should be fine.

  Once we have money, we can do more things, and with the other two items I got from the skill shop, we can really start rolling.

  Nell takes the dungeon key from me, grabs her bamboo spear, and heads off to challenge the dungeon.

  Amina, having made a few batches with me, remembers the process and starts making the rice lotion on her own.

  It's probably not good to count your chickens before they hatch, but honestly, I can't help but wonder how much we'll earn.

  Spurred on by their enthusiasm, my steps feel lighter too.

  "Huh? Is that..."

  While pulling the cart back, I spot a familiar face.

  "Wasn't that Dasse?"

  He's grinning and leading a donkey, not noticing me as he passes by. Seeing him like that, I think he's in a good mood, and I'm relieved he didn't spot me.