One hundred and forty-eight pages Attraction Showdown (Mid)
Customers cannot directly choose and buy bread, pastries, or okonomiyaki themselves; all transactions must go through the hands of two maids. This is the rule for the final showdown.
I could see that okonomiyaki would be more popular; Ling Xiaoye surely understood this as well. The moment she heard the “gunshot” from the pajama maid, she ran to Morishita to get an okonomiyaki and requested it to be cut into small bite-sized pancakes.
Then she inserted toothpicks and went out to sell them, moving quite nimbly, clearly with prior planning.
Although the judges in this round were just for show, Grandpa Tuohai couldn’t help but explain: “Oh? This little maid is preparing to seize the okonomiyaki market by enticing customers to buy from her through tasting, getting ahead.”
Even if Senior Changpu took similar actions, she would still be one step behind Ling Xiaoye. Manager Shenyang would definitely complete Ling Xiaoye’s order first.
But to attract customers through tasting…
“Hold on! Isn’t that against the rules!”
I slammed the table and stood up, recalling what Master Kamehameha had said.
“One cannot use benefits to sway customer choices; I remember Manager Shenyang said this before, right?”
“No, this isn’t against the rules; it’s just a common promotional tactic.”
In the end, it was Master Kamehameha who explained: “You misunderstood, old man. I said ‘prohibiting any external benefits.’ If she now uses the Peach Cat discount coupons to entice customers, that would be against the rules. But letting customers taste the okonomiyaki as a sample is not, of course, this sample okonomiyaki should be considered part of the promotional cost and deducted from her revenue.”
Quite strict.
So does the sales revenue for scoring refer to net profit?
Selling items at a discount, even if you sell more than the other party, might still lose due to low profit margins, but taking no action could also result in losing customers.
Just like the pajama maid said, waiting in place has its limits; only by taking the initiative can there be a chance of winning. Thus, Ling Xiaoye went out to promote the okonomiyaki.
Although she had to bear the cost of one okonomiyaki, the income from tasting was significant. In a blink, several had already been sold. To speed up the process, Manager Morishita, who had poor hearing, started cooking three okonomiyakis simultaneously.
Ling Xiaoye’s purpose in promoting was also very clear. She specifically targeted young men, who found it hard to resist her smile. Even if they felt embarrassed initially, once they tried it, they were likely to buy it…
She wasn’t as naive as she appeared?
Although okonomiyaki could be sold by two people, only Manager Morishita could make it, limiting production. Ling Xiaoye had already monopolized this sole outlet. If Senior Changpu also started selling okonomiyaki, it would mean giving up victory. What was she doing now…
— “Hey, Senpai is eating the bread!” —
…It wasn’t just the bread.
This legendary maid known as the “Angel” was now taking apart everything except the okonomiyaki and sitting down to taste them seriously.
According to Manager Shenyang’s statement earlier, these items taken apart should all be counted under Senpai’s head, which is more expensive than an okonomiyaki.
Grandpa Tuohai spoke again.
“Before promoting a product, one must understand it first. Although this approach is costly, it shows responsibility.”
Senior Changpu was well-known, with many supporters eagerly awaiting her start. Her slow and deliberate eating was cute, yet it made people anxious. After all, the competition had only half an hour left, and she spent precious five minutes tasting the items, while Ling Xiaoye had already sold over twenty okonomiyakis.
Xiaolu pouted and said, “Could it be that she thinks she can’t win and plans to eat her fill before going back?”
This troublemaker was boasting again.
The merged “me” dared to knock her head, but I didn’t dare. I could only cross my arms and refute.
“Senpai isn’t like Xiao Lei, a fool. She must have her own thoughts… Look, she’s taking action.”
After finally tasting the last packet of butterfly cookies, Senpai licked her fingers and stood up.
Grandpa Tuohai squinted his eyes and said, “Huhuhu, how will she retaliate? I’m really looking forward to it!”
Senpai pushed the tasted snacks in front of her and whispered, “Excuse me! Is anyone willing to buy these tasted snacks? They can be sold at a discount!”
Xiaolu commented, “She probably thinks she ate too much and wants to recover her costs. But no one would buy something others have eaten…”
“I’ll buy! How will Xiao Saki prepare them?”
In the crowd, a long-haired, chubby brother stepped forward, flicking his hair flirtatiously.
Senpai cupped her cheek and asked, “I only ate a little bit, can it be sold at an 80% discount?”
“Still a discount? So cheap! Then I’ll take them all!”
The long-haired fatty prepared to buy everything, and selling at an 80% discount could still recover some costs. Just as he was about to pay…
“Hold on! How can you sell Xiao Saki’s tasted snacks at such a low price!”
Another fatty brother with a camera around his neck angrily grabbed the long-haired fatty’s collar and shouted dramatically, “Don’t you know the rules of this round? Since you decided to support Xiao Saki, you should aim to increase her sales. Yet you plan to buy discounted goods from her. It’s despicable! You’re taking advantage of her kindness!”
…Is this even human?
The long-haired fatty was devastated and sat on the ground helplessly.
The camera fatty said to Senpai, “I’ll pay the original price… No, twice the price! Please pack everything!”
Senpai looked at the long-haired fatty who seemed lost on the ground.
“Oh? But the owner with beautiful hair has already decided to buy them, and I’m not running an auction. Selling tasted bread and snacks at twice the price makes me feel guilty…”
Whether this was a tactic or Senpai’s genuine words, the fatty brothers were almost in tears.
“Three times the price!”
Either the camera fatty was awakened by the word “owner,” or he was excited by Senpai’s call. The long-haired fatty raised three radish-like fingers and stood unsteadily.
“I’m willing to pay three times the price!”
As soon as he said this, the outline of his body became clearer.
“Don’t run an auction! If you keep spending so recklessly, I’ll get angry!”
Speaking like a mother, Senpai angrily crossed her arms, and the long-haired fatty shook his head hastily.
“Oh, Xiao Saki! I’m not running an auction. I’m buying just one snack, and the rest will be shared. Can’t we do that?”
The camera fatty placed a hand on the long-haired fatty’s shoulder and looked seriously at Senpai.
“Please let us buy your tasted snacks at three times the price. This is everyone’s wish. We, the regular customers of Kamehameha, can’t watch you lose to ‘Peach Cat’ and those guys!”
“Thank you, owners. Then I’ll gratefully accept…”
Senpai brought more bread and snacks to the table and scolded the fans surrounding her, “But! You paid me three times the price, so you must take three times the snacks! This is my requirement!”
Hearing this, the fans erupted.
“Xiao Saki! You’re so kind!”
“I want it too! Please leave me one!”
“I’ve decided to buy more snacks!”
The fatty brothers who had finished distributing the snacks were crying in front of Senpai…
Truly astonishing.
“What’s going on? Isn’t this equivalent to buying two loaves of bread and one tasted loaf at the original price? Why are they crying as if Xiao Saki made a huge sacrifice…”
Xiaolu was dumbfounded after witnessing this.
I sipped the cold coffee and said calmly, “Perhaps, this is the solid fan base without any watered-down elements?”
“These are die-hard fans!”
Maybe they are die-hard fans, but Ling Xiaoye doesn’t have such fans. Clearly, there are more regular customers of ‘Peach Cat’ present.
Compared to the prices of ‘Kamehameha,’ these snacks aren’t much. Even tripling the price is within the budget of otakus, let alone ten times. However, Senpai wouldn’t demand such prices.
Seeing the snacks being rapidly consumed, Xiaolu hurriedly asked the statistician beside her.
“Hey! How’s the current revenue?”
The employee of Balance Night Market glanced at the record board in his hand.
“Miss Xiaoye sold fifty-two okonomiyakis, plus various snacks… totaling thirteen hundred and thirty-six yuan.”
Wow! Over a thousand yuan over there?!
I followed up, “What about Senpai?”
“Miss Xiao Saki currently has six hundred… no, seven hundred plus.”
This answer made Xiaolu sigh in relief. She leaned back in her chair and said casually, “Ha, not much! I thought these otakus contributed a lot to GDP for Xiao Saki. Turns out only seven hundred plus among so many?”
It wasn’t that the fatty brothers weren’t trying; Senpai limited each person to buying three items. Compared to the pricing of okonomiyakis, snacks and bread were cheaper, and Ling Xiaoye had a head start, so there was still a significant gap.
By the way, half the time had already passed.
However, the statistician adjusted his glasses and added, “But Miss Xiao Saki’s revenue is still growing. At this rate, catching up with Miss Xiaoye is just a matter of time. Without changing strategy… the team of ‘Peach Cat’ where Miss might be will likely lose.”
Xiaolu asked in surprise, “Huh? Why do you say that?”
“Because they can’t handle it anymore.”
Grandpa Tuohai explained, “The orders for okonomiyakis exceed the capacity. Even with these fifty-two orders, it’s uncertain if they can finish on time.”
Manager Morishita, who was giving it his all, had entered a state of no-self. He was flipping two large spatulas to cook four okonomiyakis simultaneously, but the queue in front of him kept growing. Meanwhile, Ling Xiaoye was still enthusiastically promoting the okonomiyakis in the circular plaza, completely unaware of the problem.
Xiaolu shouted at Ling Xiaoye, “Idiot!”
Xiao Lei, who was playing with her phone behind Manager Shenyang, lifted her head.
Realizing it wasn’t her, she lowered her head resentfully.
“Stop selling okonomiyakis! Orders that haven’t been sold won’t count towards the revenue!”
Only money earned from sold okonomiyakis counts as revenue. If customers don’t receive their items, no transaction is formed.
Without solving the production issue, attracting more customers is futile. Ling Xiaoye’s side not only stagnated but if Manager Morishita couldn’t finish within the time limit, she would have to deduct some of the already recorded revenue.
Ling Xiaoye slapped her forehead, returned to Manager Morishita’s side, and then picked up two spare spatulas to assist in making okonomiyakis.
Grandpa Tuohai stroked his beard and smiled, “Deciding to protect the current revenue? The market she seized might turn into a burden.”
“As long as she can complete the okonomiyaki orders, with her current advantage, she might surpass Senior Changpu. After all, general customers won’t buy three at once.”
On the other side, after earning the revenue from the fans, Senior Changpu finally left the central area of the circular plaza. She pushed a cart filled with snacks and walked around, using her sweet smile and gentle attitude to persuade passing customers to buy her snacks.
“Isn’t it better to just let those otakus continue spending money?”
Xiaolu dug her ears unhappily, “Bread and snacks may not be as valuable as okonomiyakis, but they have ample stock. Selling a large quantity at once, Ling Xiaoye won’t stand a chance. Customers who frequent ‘Kamehameha’ shouldn’t have trouble spending a few hundred yuan, right?”
“Have you ever worked with Senpai?”
Even someone like me, who has never shopped inside but only follows the manager’s blog to learn about the maids, knows this.
“Senpai believes that her service quality must match the customer’s expenditure. In other words, without providing decent service, she won’t ask for too much money! She gained recognition based on her reputation, so she won’t ruin her reputation for one event.”
“How will she make up for the gap?”
“I think, she just needs to stay true to herself and move forward.”
Isn’t that what she’s doing?
Her cart was stopped by a mother with five children.
