Orario and balance 2.301

After saying goodbye to Semiramis and Scheherezade, Viggo traveled to the Bishamon family home located on the left side of the grounds of Viggo's mansion. He took longer to go downstairs and leave the mansion than to walk down the sidewalk until he reached the door of the house. Viggo entered the Bishamon family home, a spacious and comfortable place where Bishamon, Siegrfried, his sister Teresa and Hitomi lived. The latter was the administrator of the family's finances, in addition to doing various jobs for Semiramis when she had time left. Almost all, her work was focused on keeping accounts.

The house inside was a white color, with furniture with a dark varnish and chandeliers on the ceiling. The floor was parquet of a light, bright and lustrous color. Viggo arrived in the middle of the main hall, it does not seem that Siegfried or Teresa was there. Surely Ana and Sakura took them early in the morning and took them to the dungeon.

Viggo climbed some wooden stairs to the second floor, a place that instead of having concrete walls and wooden doors, had sliding doors and ukiyoe paintings on the walls. All by choice of Bishamon. Viggo walked ten steps, came to the sliding door with paper squares and noticed the beam on the right side painted with a dark varnish. He hit it twice and waited for someone to answer.

The sliding door opened within a few seconds, and a girl of about six years old. She had dark hair, slanted eyes, and wore a gray kimono. She sat on Viggo's left seiza, prostrated herself in front of him touching the ground with her hands and forehead —go ahead, Viggo-sama— said the girl, all in a ceremonial and very respectful act. Viggo raised his eyebrows, but let it be, Tsubaki also had her ways inherited from her mother, someone from the same land as this little girl.

—Thank you, Taki— said Viggo, took off his boots, left them on the side of the hallway and entered the room with tatami mats on the floor. Bishamon was reclining on a futon in the center of the room. On the right side was a dressing table with a small stool and a large half-length mirror for Bishamon to groom. On the left side of the room was the Far Eastern screen with a cherry tree painted on white paper squares. Viggo walked at a slow pace, Bishamon tried to get up from the futon, but her prominent belly prevented her. Twins, Viggo thought. Inwardly he let out a sigh and prepared for the worst thinking that it could be two rascals like him of troublemakers. However, he maintained a gentle expression so as not to worry Bishamon.

Viggo stopped in front of Bishamon's futon and sat in seiza, somewhat uncomfortable, but little by little he was getting the trick.

—How are you?— asked Viggo looking into Bishamon's eyes with purple irises as her long blond hair was neat in a braid that passed around her neck and rested on her chest.

—Today I felt a little bad, but Taki helped me to carry my discomfort— Bishamon said with a tired look.

Viggo took his right hand and took Bishamon's left, stroked her fingers while looking into her eyes and she responded in kind.

—What concern does danna-sama bring today?— asked Bishamon.

Viggo smiled, he could lie, but he didn't —first I wanted to see how you were and the second thing was to give Hitomi the purple stones we collected the other day— he replied.

—So you're coming to see Hitomi?—

—No, don't twist my words— Viggo replied, bent down and gave her a little kiss on the lips.

Bishamon blushed, she was not used to these frivolous customs of kissing the loved one so casually, but it is not that they bothered her either. Usually, the men and gods of the Far East are very secretive and serious, but Viggo was a world apart from those people.

—I came to see you— Viggo insisted as he straightened his back —then comes the rest—

—Thank you— Bishamon replied with a broad smile.

—How are those two?— asked Viggo.

—Well, a little restless and kicking every so often. As it is for two, the movements are continuous—

—Can I?—

Bishamon blushed, looked at Taki who was next to the sliding door, and the six-year-old girl immediately understood. She left the room and left them alone. Bishamon looked at Viggo and nodded. Viggo put his hand to the blanket and uncovered Bishamon. Then the round and prominent figure was lighter under a gray kimono. Viggo released the ties of the kimono and opened it. Bishamon's clear, smooth skin was exposed. Viggo brought his face close to the pronounced belly and gave her a kiss. Then he rested on the right side of his face, closed his eyes, and felt the movement of the two little guys inside. They kicked three times, so the message was clear to Viggo. He pulled his face away from Bishamon's belly, fixed her kimono and covered her to the ribs with the blanket. Then he lay down next to Bishamon and they talked about simple things, such as the state of Orario, how the day was and what they had done lately.

After leaving Bishamon asleep, Viggo went down to the first floor and went to a room, at the back of the house. It was a library or the closest thing to that. In the center was a large desk with a window in the wall for the best lighting. Hitomi, the red-haired elf, was sitting with her head down and writing documents. The whole atmosphere oozed silence and dedication.

—Hitomi— said Viggo, closing the door.

Hitomi jumped up in her seat and threw the pen she was writing with into the air. She looked forward and saw Viggo, tall, red-haired, dressed as a nobleman, but his eyes emitted a golden glow. She stared at him for a moment, but then shook her head, got up and picked up the pencil.

—Good afternoon, Mr. Viggo— Hitomi said in a serious, almost cold tone of voice —How can I help you?— she returned to her seat behind the desk and sat down looking at him nondifferently.

Viggo walked over to the desk, sat down in front of her, and stared at her with a smile on his lips. She maintained a serious expression, but Viggo could see Hitomi's eyes wandering between his eyes and lips. The eyes were a clear subject, a golden iris was something unusual, even in Orario, but the lips... Unless Viggo had some strange mark, food, or something that stood out, she had no reason to look at him there other than to want to kiss him. However, one thing that didn't change was the resentment in his gaze. It was as Kiara said, Hitomi was upset with him for having "given her to her brother". Viggo thought at the time that he was giving the opportunity to two withdrawn people to meet, but it seems that Hitomi did not see it that way.

Viggo stretched out his hand to the right, pointing to the wall and made a gesture. The next instant two huge sacks with purple stones appeared, which was what Rosewisse, Ottar and he collected in the dungeon.

—What we picked up in the dungeon— said Viggo.

Hitomi raised both eyebrows when she saw the two sacks full of purple gems but shook her head and looked at Viggo —thank you so much for your efforts— she said professionally.

—Don't worry, we do our job. If the family continues to produce so little purple stone extraction, Semiramis will complain—

—I understand—

Viggo stared into her eyes and Hitomi seems to have felt uncomfortable, because she looked down and looked in another direction. Viggo raised his eyebrows in a surprised gesture, he didn't expect her to have such a dislike for him. It seems that the damage was deep in her heart, and she had become disenchanted. For a moment Viggo thought about abandoning his initial plan, but it was too early to give up so easily.

—I have a business; I want you to run it— Viggo said directly.

Hitomi looked forward and saw Viggo with his hands resting on the desk. She noticed his eyes and could see the golden iris with rays of golden energy running through the eye. The spectacle the other day did not go unnoticed and although no one knew who had thrown that pillar of energy into the sky, Hitomi was sure that it was this guy. Too trusting, too careless, too annoying. Above all, that cheeky smile. It was the most annoying part of Viggo, Hitomi thought and had serious thoughts of wanting to erase it with a punch in the teeth.

—Why me, sir?— asked Hitomi in a serious tone.

—Because I see that you have a lot of facility for numbers and ideas, but I see a great weakness in the social part or referred to this area, in the commercial aspect—

—Isn't that a negative point?— asked Hitomi, resting her hands on the desk and interlacing her fingers —that's enough to keep me out of this business—

—Not exactly, I think we all have a potential and that by fighting against what we fear, we can discover that potential. Whether on the battlefield, in everyday life or in business. Everyone has potential and I would like to explore how far we can go—

—I don't think I'm qualified—

—It's not about being qualified or not, it's about venturing into a new challenge. Do you want to remain hidden from the world for the rest of your life?—

Hitomi frowned and said —with all due respect, that's not your problem. Please go and offer someone else your challenges, I'm not interested—

—Sure?— asked Viggo with a big smile. Hitomi frowned thinking that there was again what bothered her most about this guy. She clenched her fist but controlled herself not to throw a punch at him. She let out a sigh and Viggo continued —I'll leave you complete authority over the finances and let you decide where to invest the money. That means that if you manage the funds with your head, any profit that is generated can be invested in the project you want. You will be your own boss—

—Dream too wonderful, what about you? Don't want the money?—

—In a sense no— Viggo replied looking Hitomi in the eye while maintaining a friendly smile —what I want is to keep several projects. To begin with, an academy, several libraries, hospitals, and schools, all to develop the city of Orario and take civilization to the next level. I think Orario has immersed too long in the old methods and needs to change—

Hitomi shed all her prejudices and as a knowledge-loving person, she understood that this project was beyond simple desires to make money. She spread her hands apart, showed the palm of her hands, and said —please tell me more—

Viggo chuckled as he understood Hitomi's character very well and knew where to motivate her. It was true, overly intellectual people had a problem socializing, but they were benevolent spirits to humanity, even if over time they became sullen.

—Well, to begin with, I have manufactured a chemical that allows to improve thirty percent the flexibility of the material and increase the strength in equal proportion. that we can make better armor—

Hitomi looked to the side and then looked at it again —Have you decided on a price yet?—

—Sure, one million valis an ounce or three hundred and fifty million valis a kilogram. It is a special product that only the best adventurers can afford—

—How many kilograms do you have right now?—

—Twenty kilograms, it's something that only I can create, so it's a scarce commodity. For now, we can sell it to my mother and have her propagandize it through her armor. That will give us an income of seven hundred million valis—

—It is very little capital to start a business that can finance the projects you hope to undertake—

—You're wrong there— said Viggo.

—¡¿Eh?! —

—It is not a short-term project, it will require time, be self-sustaining and grow at a continental level—

Hitomi's eyes widened in amazement. This was already escalating to a level that she could no longer visualize.