01x05 - Daily Life at Parallel World Pharmacy and Cosmetics

[bunniefuu]

Hmm

It's been a month since we opened

but things aren't really going how I'd hoped.

It's unavoidable.

It's always hard in the beginning.

Elen

Commoners normally go to the longstanding

shops of commoner pharmaceutists,

whereas nobles simply call

a physician or pharmaceutist

to their estate if they need one.

A pharmacy for everyone

The road ahead is a long one.

Parallel World Pharmacy

Episode 5

Daily Life at Parallel World Pharmacy

and Cosmetics

Even in the empire, there are

few Royal Pharmaceutists.

On top of that, you're the

second son of an archduke.

It's no wonder commoners

would feel trepidation.

Hmm

I wonder what we could do to

increase traffic to the store?

Patients in the greatest need are

the ones I most want to come.

They're the ones with the

least access to medicine.

Um, Master Farma!

Regarding that matter, I conducted

a survey of the townsfolk!

A survey?

When did you even

I frequently chat with people in the city!

Ahem. Let me announce the results!

"A Survey of 100 Imperial City Residents:

Feelings About Parallel World Pharmacy

(Multiple Responses Allowed)"!

Starting with the most frequent response:

"The imperial seal outside scares me."

Oh. It scares people?

Next, we have:

"I don't know the etiquette

for talking to a noble.

I might slight them and be punished."

"I don't have the appropriate clothing

to enter a noble's shop."

But I don't care what anyone wears here.

"The knights outside are intimidating."

That's understandable, but if they were

all smiley, they wouldn't be guards

"The proprietor is a child."

Well, there's nothing I can say to that.

We have issues at a pretty fundamental level.

It's a shame. People don't know

anything about the medicines.

There were also responses like this:

"They say prices are 'negotiable.'

I'm scared to find out how

crazy expensive that is."

But it's not expensive!

The prices are crazy fair!

Oh, I see. I put "negotiable" with the

intention of helping patients afford it,

but it was received the other way around.

It seems we should specify

concrete prices and exam fees,

and display them in front of the store.

Let's do that!

Lotte, was there anything else?

"I can't read, so I don't really

understand the signs out front."

Of course. The literacy rate

Let's brainstorm to see

what else we can improve.

Great! I see some hope for us now!

Welcome!

Hey there, Mr. Proprietor.

Mr. Jean!

I'll take three of those candies for sailors.

Certainly! Thank you

for all of your business!

I'll grab myself some water.

That old man came back again.

Yes! He's the pharmacy's

first regular customer!

I wonder when we'll get our

second and third regulars

Young man, the water you

make is really great!

Mr. Jean, are you out at sea often?

Huh? Me?

Yes. In order to prevent scurvy,

the "Sailor's Candy" contains

something called vitamin C,

which sailors tend to need.

Well, you see

Oops! Someone's waiting

for me. I'd better go.

Please come again!

My, oh my! What a lovely store!

Hello. Are you the proprietor of this store?

M-Mother?

And Father?

Oh, dear. You recognized us,

even though we came in disguise.

Those were meant to be disguises?

Mother, you could have simply

told me you were coming.

We were only going to sneak a peek and

leave. We didn't want to interrupt business.

They were trying to be sneaky?

Proprietor.

Y-Yes, sir?

Might we take a look around?

Allow me to give you a tour.

As you can see,

the first floor is the main store area.

It has a merchandise area,

a compounding lab,

and a waiting room.

The second floor is for medical

care and patient rest.

There are four beds and an isolation room.

There is also a bathroom.

The third floor is a

break area for the staff.

My, you even have a kitchen!

The fourth floor is a research lab.

It's purely a place for me

to develop medicines.

This is quite the fine store.

So, what is your customer traffic like?

You seem to have sporadic visits

from nobles and merchants.

But are commoners coming?

Well

Figuring out how to make commoners

feel welcome is our current challenge.

Here's an idea. Why not start by

selling cosmetics to aristocrats?

Huh?

They'll become popular among aristocrats,

and if the prices are affordable,

commoners will start using them, too.

Cosmetics, you say

I did once participate in a joint R&D project

with a cosmetics company to test products

and conduct safety evaluations.

That may be a brilliant idea.

What products would you suggest?

I personally would go for skin products.

Something long-lasting with a

pleasant fragrance would be grand!

Farma,

if you deal in cosmetics, promise me:

no white face powder.

Father

There you go again. Because of your

insistence on this, I don't use any myself!

The more avidly that ladies use it,

the earlier they tend to die.

It runs counter to the path of medicine.

You're overthinking it!

Impressive as always.

He caught on to that through

his own observations.

White powder makeups used to contain

substances with harmful heavy metals

like white lead and mercurous chloride.

The heavy metals could even be absorbed

by getting the powder in your mouth,

so great care was needed in its use.

It seems that lately,

some ladies have even undergone

repeated bloodletting to obtain pale skin.

You have someone remove excess blood.

It seems to be becoming popular at salons.

To injure yourself in pursuit of beauty

gets things absolutely backwards.

It's the height of foolishness.

But I do understand the impulse.

You have no need to resort to such things.

You're already perfectly beautiful.

My!

Darling

Oh, goodness. You find me

"perfectly beautiful"

Come, now. Not in front of our child.

Th-These two get along with ease

Pardon me!

Is the pharmaceutist here?

The lady I serve has collapsed.

Might she be examined?

Mother, Father, I'm afraid I must go now.

The pharmaceutist has arrived! Make way!

Come this wa—

What? A child?

I am a Royal Pharmaceutist.

Excuse me.

Lady Chloé, the pharmaceutist has arrived.

Thank you.

How are you feeling, Miss?

Her face is awfully pale.

Her ability to converse with attendants

suggests no disturbance of consciousness.

No abnormalities in central nerves.

Circulatory and respiratory

systems appear normal.

She has slight tachycardia and

a slight fever, but no sepsis.

Better examine the surface level.

What's going on?

She has multiple cuts on her arm

Vein incision marks?

Self-harm? No. Can't be.

The veins were too precisely targeted.

It's a procedure by someone

with specialized knowledge.

Which means, these are from bloodletting!

You have no particular ailment.

However, bloodletting has

caused you to feel unwell.

What? But a doctor performed it!

You're undergoing bloodletting

even though you aren't ill?

The repeated incisions have also caused

the wounds to become infected.

I'll provide appropriate medicine,

so please come to my pharmacy.

Someone I had feelings for rejected me.

He He said he liked girls with pale skin,

so I thought maybe he would

like me if my skin were paler.

But your current complexion

looks quite healthy.

I want to have pale skin!

But bloodletting procedures will put your

life at risk if you undergo them too often.

Who is this young lady?

I believe she is the daughter of the Marquis

de Châtillon, a prominent entrepreneur.

Here is a syrup to remedy your anemia

and a medicine for infection.

Take them three times a day:

morning, noon, and evening.

And also,

please stop using white powder.

Such makeup may shorten your life.

I can't stop! I need it!

I want to be desirable to

the gentleman I yearn for!

Master Farma, is there

something you can do for her?

A safe foundation that also

contributes to a pale appearance

I understand.

Lady Chloé, please return

to the pharmacy in a week.

I shall prepare suitable cosmetics for you.

Farma, I have to ask.

What in the world did you do to your face?

Well? Is my skin pale?

I'd say white itself pales in comparison!

I must say, it is a surprising

level of whiteness.

Master Farma, it's lovely!

It's a prototype for Chloé. I figured

I ought to test it on myself first.

But the master said

overly white makeup was bad.

Is it okay for it to be this white?

No need for concern.

This doesn't use any lead

or mercury compounds.

It's made of safe ingredients

that are easy on the skin.

What's wrong with lead and mercury?

Everyone uses them for face makeup.

They're toxic.

What?!

When too much is absorbed into the body,

it can cause damage to the nerves or kidneys.

B-But then, shouldn't cosmetics

with those ingredients be banned?

That's true. I intend to bring that up

the next time I see Her Majesty.

Amazing, Master Farma! You're even

informed about ladies' cosmetics!

Good day, good pharmaceutist.

Are the cosmetics ready?

Welcome.

Yes, I have them ready as promised.

Let's begin with the face wash

and moisturizer.

After that is finished,

please apply this product.

That's the makeup? It's not powder.

Indeed. To make it more suitable for use

on the face, I chose to make it a cream.

It also helps prevent sunburn and suntan.

It does? That's possible?

The titanium oxide that I used in this

CC cream reflects ultraviolet rays.

"Ultraviolet rays" refers to sunlight

that falls outside the visible range

I-I don't really understand

of wavelengths of light and has a

shorter wavelength than those—

Basically, it blocks sunlight.

Lady Chloé, you appear to tan easily,

so if you can prevent that, you should

be able to maintain paler skin.

Goodness

And the finishing touch is this loose powder!

You just softly brush some on.

It's like you're sparkling!

It's sericite.

Since you desire a "snow-white" aesthetic,

I made a finishing powder that gives

the sparkling feeling of fresh snow

in the morning sun.

Incredible

It doesn't look flat.

This is completely different from

the products I've used before.

Is it to your liking?

At the end of the day,

please use this makeup remover.

It contains ingredients that help the skin.

If you continue this care routine,

you can have the skin you want

without white face powder.

This is wonderful.

Thank you.

This is ever so much

better than bloodletting.

We're offering samples of

our new cosmetic products!

They're very well regarded in high society!

Safe skincare that makes your skin beautiful!

Prices are currently extremely affordable!

Cosmetics that the nobles use?!

Wow, this is affordable!

I'll take a set!

Wonderful!

Thank you very much!

Can an old lady like me use them?

Yes, of course! The motto for these

products is "beauty for everyone."

Please, come inside, if you'd like.

Well The thing is, I can't read, so

That's all right!

We also have guides that

are easy to understand!

Please, feel free to come in!

A cosmetic set for me as well, please!

Certainly!

Even though it's a noble's shop,

most of their prices are unbeatable!

They're my new regular pharmacy!

I went ahead and tried a health

consultation, and it was great!

I see. Perhaps I'll get examined as well.

Business seems to be booming lately.

Yes. I'm grateful

That's a complicated look

you've got on your face.

Ah, well, I'm happy about it,

of course, but

What? The cosmetics are sold out again?!

Lady Chloé!

They were sold out the other day, too.

How disappointing.

And I brought friends to show them.

My apologies, Lady Chloé.

The truth is, production can't

keep up with the sudden demand

Additionally, there are so many customers

that my current staff

can't deal with all of them.

I see

I know! Why not create an independent

subsidiary company for cosmetics?

A subsidiary?

Yes. I'll finance it.

And I'll employ pharmaceutists

to work in-house.

You would of course be the

proprietor, Lord Farma.

How does that sound?

There should be nothing to worry

about with the de Châtillon family

as a business partner.

As for the necessary paperwork,

I can take care of it.

All right, Lady Chloé.

I'll take you up on that offer.

What do you think, Lord Farma?

Parallel World Pharmacy, store two:

the cosmetic brand "Médique."

You made this happen so quickly.

And what about the staff?

Just as you specified,

I gathered first-rate pharmaceutists

with excellent medical knowledge

and work experience.

I'm impressed you were able

to gather such talent.

I reached out to pharmaceutists whose

contracts were ended due to childbirth.

Female pharmaceutists can't get

contracts again after leaving a job.

It's a privilege to be

able to work again here.

Lady Chloé, what a wonderful idea!

Please institute maternity and family leave

so that these ladies can work

for as long as they need!

Allow me to announce the results

of the most recent survey!

"The medicine is cheap and effective."

"I have a new regular pharmacy."

"The water is great."

"The cosmetics are wonderful, too."

"I've changed my opinion

of the child proprietor."

You did it, Farma!

Now the pharmacy is on the right track.

It's thanks to all of you!

Let's keep working to improve the store!

Yeah!

So this is the makeup that

the city is abuzz about.

Yes, Your Majesty. It's filled with

beauty-enhancing ingredients.

Farma, from now on,

bring new products to me first.

Ah, yes, Your Majesty!

I beg your pardon!

However, I do have a completely

new product here for you.

I wanted Your Majesty to be the first one

to try this medicinal lip gloss.

How does it shine so?

It's incredible! My lips look luscious!

By the way, Your Majesty.

I would like to thank you for

promulgating that emergency edict.

Yes. To think those substances were

toxic and shortened people's lives.

However, I hear that the businesses

that dealt in those products

are on the verge of collapse.

It would not do to cause a state

of oligopoly with your store.

Indeed. Regarding that issue,

I will turn over some production

techniques to Your Majesty.

I would like the state to

disclose them to the public.

Well spoken.

In addition, raise the prices

of the products in your store.

If fine goods are sold too cheaply,

it will k*ll the other merchants.

Wealthy individuals—

especially nobles—

ought not trample upon

the commoners' commerce.

Your Majesty

Yes, as you command!

Episode 6

Siblings and the Sea