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Nanana’s Buried Treasure Volume 10 Chapter 4.5

「Thank you all for coming to our meeting again. Now, regarding this meeting, rather than us, I have someone who has something to say to you. I’m sure there is no challenger who doesn’t know him, but I’d like to introduce him again.」

Isshin’s eyes widened as the two entered the classroom.

「This is Juugo Yama, the winner of the <<game>> held at the end of the first semester.」

A loud chatter erupted as everyone started talking excitedly.

Juugo stood on the podium, with Yukihime Fugi standing behind him, seemingly in the background.

「Hello, I’m Juugo Yama, the man who outwitted you all and obtained the <<Sword of Nanana>>.」

Juugo confidently introduced himself, eliciting laughter.

「Actually, I spent the first half of summer vacation visiting my parents, and during that time I learned later that various problems had been occurring around all of you challengers here on Nanaejima.」

Everyone’s expressions darkened at this statement. The robbery incident had still not been reported as resolved.

「I felt that something had to be done, so I started a company.」

At Juugo’s words, the lecture hall fell silent.

3

Almost everyone in the auditorium was dumbfounded by my completely incoherent presentation. It’s true. So let me get straight into the explanation.

「The company name is <<Rakuichi Rakuza>> which is based on a famous person from the warring states period. The meaning behind the company name is the same. We have two main businesses.」

Then he holds up his free hand to use for pointing.

「One issuing certification for the Nanana collection. Two, related to that, insurance for the Nanana collection. …Well, I don’t think my explanation is very clear, so I made a promotional video.」

He signals to Yukihime, and the classroom façade becomes dark. Then, a video begins to play on the screen that descends at the front of the classroom.

The promotional video begins. The setting is an empty room somewhere. Two girls are standing there.

「Yay, I got a Nanana collection」, Sora-neechan, also known as Actress A, shouts as she holds up a blue jewel. (It’s <<Yuugutoth’s One Eye>> She’s acting freely, and as always, she’s as lively as ever.

Ulysses, also known as Actress B, approaches Sora-neechan.

「Congratulations, Kunon.」

She smiles awkwardly, delivers her lines monotonously, and her acting is overly forced. Surprisingly, she’s a terrible actress, but that’s all the more reason she’s cute.

」Well, let’s take the Nanana collection we just acquired and head to Rakuichi Rakuza.」

And then the two of them disappear off-screen. The setting changes to an office-like room. Seen there is Yukihime, who is also on stage, clad in a suit. The two from before appear from off-screen to present the blue jewel they are holding to Yukihime. They ask for it to be appraised.

「Now, let’s begin the inspection. It has been confirmed. This is the genuine Nanana collection. I’ve compiled details of its abilities and other details here.」

After returning the Nanana collection and the detailed document, Yukihime asked them, 「So, who would you like to designate as the owner?」

「For now, it’ll be me.」

Seeing Sora-neechan raise her hand, Yukihime nodded.

「As of now, this Nanana collection is certified as your Nanana collection. I will now issue you a certificate.」

With that, Yukihime-neesan hands Sora-neechan a piece of paper that says ‘certificate’. (or something like that) Sora-neechan then raises both hands in joy.

「Yes! Now this Nanana collection is mine!」

「But Kunon, what if someone steals it? If it gets stolen, we will never know who it belongs to.」

「That’s not a problem. This Nanana collection has been certified as mine, so even if it’s stolen, it’s still known to belong to me. Insurance was also purchased at the same time as the certification was issued, so even if it does get stolen, you can rest assured. The excellent staff at Rakuichi Rakuza will fully support you.」

Yukihime nods.

「The excellent staff at Rakuichi Rakuza will definitely catch the culprit and recover the stolen Nanana collection. We’re also prepared to deal with any other troubles that may arise.」

She gives a thumbs up.

Then the three of them spoke in unison.

「If you get your hands on a Nanana collection, contact Rakuichi Rakuza immediately. Here’s the phone number.」

The video then ends with the three of them waving and pointing at the phone number written on a homemade caption.

The director, scriptwriter, and cameraman was Juugo Yama.

The promotional video ends.

I quickly look around the classroom. In a corner of the classroom, which is gradually getting brighter, Yukihime-neesan’s face is clearly bright red, but I ignore this. (Because I don’t’ want to get teased or punched)

The rest of the room’s reactions vary. Most of the challengers are in a state of confusion, with question marks visible above their heads. But at the same time, there are a few who clearly have difficult expressions on their faces. In other words, the challengers have clearly understood my intentions.

I pick up the microphone for the time being.

「I’d like to start taking questions now, and I think I’ll designate the first person to ask. What do you think, Ikusaba-san?」

So, with a smile, I decided to talk to Hiiyo Ikusaba-san, one of the people with an unimpressed expression.

Ikusaba-san put his hand over his mouth and thought for a moment before slowly standing up.

「First of all, the simplest interpretation is that this is a company that can certify and guarantee that the Nanana collection you acquire is yours, right?」

「Yes. Up till now, we thought that the Nanana collections that we’ve acquired up until now have been owned by the people who acquired them, and this was the rule that we established with goodwill amongst each other. However, now that this unspoken rule has been broken, we can no longer rest easy. That’s why I thought it was necessary to clearly decide who each item belongs to.」

‘Do you need a certificate for that?’

「Yes, that’s what our company will do.」

「In the video you just watched, you said you would also provide an appraisal.」

「Yes. We’ve decided to have Sashimi, an online game player, join our company.」

This caused a stir in the lecture hall. There wasn’t a challenger here who didn’t know about Sashimi, the online game player who would appraise Nanana’s collections. Of course, few people knew that her true identity was the earthbound spirit, Nanana Ryuugajou.

I continued, 「So, if you contact us, we’ll handle everything from appraisal to certification. I’d like to say it’s free, but since we’re a company, we’ll charge a flat fee of 100 yen for the process. However, for that fee, we’ll even issue a certificate and cover your insurance needs.」

‘There are several ways to obtain the Nanana collection besides conquering the <<ruins>>. One example is trading with other challengers, right?’

「If you contact us about that as well, we will process it, and we will be present if necessary. The point is, at this stage, by clarifying who owns which Nanana collection, we hope to completely eliminate any trouble. If the ownership changes through a sale or trade, we will of course issue a certificate for that, and we will also keep this information strictly confidential.」

‘What about in the event of theft, which is currently an issue? You were being very upbeat in the promotional video we just saw.’

I grin when I hear that question.

「Yes, that’s right. All Nanana collections certified by our company are insured. In the unlikely event of such a mishap, we (the members of Rakuichi Rakuza) will take responsibility for recovering the items and returning them to their owners.」

The murmur of the crowd grows louder. The clear solution to the recent thefts has made itself clear.

Once the commotion has died down somewhat, Ikusaba-san speaks with a serious expression.

‘I’ve got another question to ask. Since the organization doing this is a company, as in a corporation, that means it must have of course been approved by the governing board of directors, right?’

「That’s right. The company I’m setting up on Nanaejima is a properly approved company that has gone through all the necessary procedures.」

‘Does that include issuing certificates and handling insurance?’

「Yes.」

‘Yama-kun, is that all there is to it?’

「That’s it.」

He didn’t say it out loud, but he implied it. Of course, most of the people in the classroom didn’t understand the true meaning of this exchange. However, Ikusaba-san, one of the few who did, delved further.

‘What’s the current situation?’

「Sansa Kuroso has already agreed to register all of her Nanana collection. I’ve already made an appointment with Shunjuu Ikkaku for the same thing.」

‘What are your chances of success?’

「You don’t think he will?」

After a moment of silence, Ikusaba-san, THE Ikusaba-san, grinned and spoke.

‘Yama-kun, I’ll be honest with you. You’ve done something amazing.’

「Thank you.」

Ikusaba’s praise caused another murmur.

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「Hey, Tensai. What does this mean? I don’t really understand.」

D’ark tilted his head while listening to the exchange between Juugo and Ikusaba.