First Encounter
...
More than two hours have passed since the promised time, but the Journey member I was supposed to meet is nowhere in sight.
Then, all of the sudden...
?!
*Chomp* *Chomp*
Uuugh... Petra's so, so pitiful... No, beyond pitiful—utterly miserable...
...Why on earth was my new Journey member eating grass by the roadside?!
Nyahaha! Thank goodness! Running into you right now totally saved Petra some cash, Captain ♪
Mmm...! Did I order too much? But Petra's been eating weeds for days, so there's so much I've been craving.
...
So be generous! Just admire Petra's cute face and relax! Spending this much is fine! If money's short, Petra can work it off with her body!
...Why were you eating grass?
That's... obviously...
Because I was dieting!
Keeping a glamorous figure like this isn't easy, you know? Curves where they should be, and slim where it counts—
...
...N-nyahaha... You don't believe me, do you?
Petra's losing trust already!
All right, all right. I'll be honest. Actually, Petra runs a little business ♪
It's called Petra Construction!
You might not know this, Captain, but as the head of the company, Petra has to worry about all sorts of operating costs that really add up.
So you could say that I've been borrowing a bit from my personal living expenses to make ends meet.
Oww, my back... If only some nice, kind person would fall for Petra's cute face and offer a bit of investment money.
...From her carefree attitude, I'd assumed she was just some shopaholic wasting money like a certain someone I knew.
But despite her young looks, she was a responsible business owner trying to keep her company afloat.
I felt a little guilty for judging her so rashly.
Cutting your own living costs just to keep your company running...
That's pretty impressive.
Nyahaha! That's also why Petra joined the Journey!
Petra will use the support money she'll get for finishing the Journey to keep Petra Construction running!
How much does it even cost to operate?
Mm... I haven't broken it down line by line, but... maybe around this much?
...
...How many zeros is that?!
Nyahaha! Can't be helped! Petra only just found out how expensive running a company is too!
Just this time alone we had a team dinner, snacks for our employees, bought a new fryer, a new bag, and— Oh, mood-boosting nail art too...
And since the season changed, we had to refresh the office interior to match.
There's just too much to spend money on. In the end, poor little Petra has to shoulder the expenses all by herself. *Sniffle...*
...
...Maybe my first impression was right after all.
She might not be so different from a certain compulsive shopper I know...!
What kind of company is this anyway...?!
Anyway, that's why Petra joined the Journey!
With the support funds from Candle Square, I'll cover the expenses and invest what's left into Petra Construction to make it huge!
Then we'll overtake the undisputed industry titan, Kemet Industries ♪ That part's a lock!
Maybe you should start by cutting personal spending first...?!
But even tightening the belt only gets you so far!
And without investors, the company can't make it big! Cutting costs alone won't beat Kemet Industries!
Petra's dream is becoming the CEO of a massive company and sitting pretty on a mountain of cash ♪
Nyahaha! Aren't you excited to have such an amazing person as your Journey member, Captain?
..Uh... sure...
Hmm? Still don't recognize Petra's charm, huh?
Fine! Since this meeting is fate, Petra will give you a special chance!
The chance to go on a date with the future big-shot CEO, Petra ♡
A date...?
Petra's going to blow up soon, so later you'll need an appointment to meet me!
Getting close to someone this incredible is a rare opportunity for you too!
Actually, Petra doesn’t really mind you, Captain.
We just met today, but took pity on Petra and even treated her to a meal!
At a nice restaurant, at that!
You let me order whatever I wanted!
And promised to cherish Petra forever and ever!
When did I ever say that last bit?!
Now that I think about it, you'd make a pretty great husband candidate too... maybe?
All right! Petra will even throw in the chance to marry her!
All I did was buy you a meal...!
That's enough to earn me a marriage offer?!
Nyahaha! So Captain's the playing-hard-to-get type? What a complicated man you are!
But I'm warning you... Your window to steal Petra's heart is closing fast!
Once Petra's successful and sitting on her pile of money, it'll be too late!
Winners act while they still can!
Just watch! Petra Construction will surpass Kemet Industries in no time ♪
...Honestly, I have no idea where to even start correcting her.
Petra's cute, so that's just how it's gonna be ♪
...And I have no clue where all that confidence came from either...