Reviving a Bankrupt Academy: My Financial Battle

Laura returned in less than 10 minutes.

She had a bright expression on her face, as if she had been lucky.

"Adam, I got in touch with the Raven Trading Company representative. They're coming right now."

"They happened to be at the academy?"

"Yes. We were lucky."

"Lucky…"

"Adam?"

"Let's go. You take notes on the negotiation details from the side."

"Okay."

Right now, we're alone, so we can talk casually, but when we go to an official setting, the difference in rank between Laura and me is like heaven and earth.

Even in front of the academy staff, Laura has to use honorifics with me, let alone in an external meeting or negotiation.

Therefore, the atmosphere changed completely as we left my office and walked to the meeting place with Laura.

"Finance Director Adam, here are the details regarding this contract renewal."

"Thank you."

I didn't feel any sense of superiority from being in a much higher position than my classmate. If I hadn't accidentally seen the financial documents in the Headmistress's office, I would be in the same position as Laura.

However, it was also problematic for me to treat Laura too casually.

"Hey, isn't that Finance Director Adam? And next to him…"

"That's the newbie from the food supply department. The second daughter of the Edelvine family."

"The second daughter of Edelvine? Isn't she classmates with the Finance Director? It's only been two years since she joined."

"You're right. The Finance Director must be so lucky."

That was roughly the gossip I overheard.

No matter what her intentions were, it felt impressive that Laura came to me for help in this atmosphere.

Laura, who had become very polite unlike in my office, glanced at me once, and I quickened my pace. It was probably best to just get to the negotiation room quickly.

And so, in the academy's reception room we arrived at.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Hans Raven, the new representative in charge."

"I'm Adam Keynes, the Finance Director."

"Finance Director… I see."

The young man, who looked a few years older than me, seemed momentarily flustered but then smiled and shook my hand.

By the way, Hans 'Raven'.

I had some thoughts after reading the report about those bastards at the trading company back in my office. It seemed like I was starting to see the whole picture of this situation.

"By the way, I was surprised to see that the Finance Director of Grandis Academy is so young."

"I started working last year."

"I see. If you don't mind me asking, how old are you…?"

"I'm 22 years old."

"That's truly impressive!"

He asked about me and my age, and then…

"So, about this matter."

"Wow, the academy's reception room is just as grand as they say. There must be dozens more like this. Such facilities for a small trading company like ours. It makes us feel quite insignificant."

He deliberately downplayed their company as "small," and he implied, "You guys have so many reception rooms like this? You must be loaded."

This guy.

"Besides, I'm also a Grandis Academy graduate, and the professors here—"

"I understand Raven Trading Company's intentions. We'll end our discussion here."

"W-Wait. Finance Director? What do you mean all of a sudden?"

"You've used merchant-like rhetoric well. Your skill at beating around the bush without being direct is impressive. Now that I understand Raven Trading Company's true intentions through that, I'll simply act accordingly."

"Finance Director! What are you talking about all of a sudden!"

"Contract renewal terms that are obviously unreasonable at first glance, the negotiation manager of a company that has been trading with the academy for a long time not knowing me at all, engaging in small talk while intentionally avoiding the topic of the deal even though they know they've been disrespectful."

"Excuse me…?"

"Raven Trading Company intends to terminate its dealings with the academy. I understand."

Of course, our finances were on the verge of bankruptcy, but on the surface, Grandis Academy appeared to be a wealthy institution that could easily last for decades.

In a deal with Raven Trading Company, which supplied food ingredients to such a place, Grandis Academy clearly held the upper hand. According to the report, 30% of Raven Trading Company's profits came from their dealings with the academy.

So, they were going to handle the contract renewal with their most important VIP like that? Making the outrageous demand of delivering fewer ingredients for the same price?

If they had any sense, they would have realized this deal wouldn't go through. So there must be some other ulterior motive.

'I couldn't figure out what that motive was.'

But after hearing the name of the newly appointed person in charge, I could roughly understand.

Hans Raven.

He must be the son of the head of Raven Trading Company.

'According to the report, the head of Raven Trading Company has been in seclusion for several years due to old age.'

They were probably planning to hand over the position to one of their children. I heard the head of Raven Trading Company had five sons.

So, Hans Raven wanted one thing: achievements he could use to appeal in the succession competition.

But would someone who wanted achievements try to cut ties with the academy, the trading company's biggest client?

No way.

Of course, I was bluffing.

"F-Finance Director! I think there's been a misunderstanding!"

"Is there anything else to misunderstand? Then why didn't the head of the trading company's son receive a proper handover when he took over?"

"That's because!"

"I've met the previous person in charge a few times. As the Finance Director, albeit lacking, if you had received a proper handover, you wouldn't be unaware of me."

"..."

Raven Trading Company had never directly negotiated with me. Even though I was the Finance Director, I oversaw everything but didn't personally meet and negotiate with every trading company.

It was like the difference between a field worker and an executive. But it didn't make sense for them to know nothing about an executive.

Especially about me, who had been the subject of gossip due to the perceived special treatment. If they had any connection with the previous person in charge, they would know even more.

From Raven Trading Company's perspective, it was an opportunity to get closer to higher connections. There was no way they wouldn't have informed the next person in charge, the head's son, about me.

"We'll terminate our dealings with Raven Trading Company after this year. Instead, we'll entrust it to Albatross Trading Company."

"A-Albatross, you say!?"

"Is there a problem?"

Albatross Trading Company was a traditional rival of Raven Trading Company, dealing in the same food ingredients.

Losing their biggest client to a rival? That would be grounds for immediate dismissal, let alone hurting his achievements.

This wasn't just a bluff to draw out Hans' true intentions. If they were genuinely willing to trade two-thirds of the food ingredients at the same price, I would switch to Albatross without hesitation.

"..."

Still hesitating?

Then let's remove any room for doubt.

"The negotiation is over. Laura, let's go."

"Yes, Finance Director."

"W-wait a minute!"

Hans hurriedly followed and stopped me as I got up to leave.

Alright, let's at least hear what his scheme is, why he's causing all this trouble.

"I don't think there's anything more to discuss."

"I'm truly sorry! The truth is… Raven Trading Company currently doesn't have the capacity to supply the amount of food ingredients you require!"

"…What do you mean?"

"After my father, I mean, the head of the company collapsed, Raven Trading Company has been in turmoil. Of course, we have no intention of severing ties with the academy! But the others aren't properly supplying the ingredients…"

Aha.

So, after the head of the company collapsed and the sons started fighting amongst themselves, you, Hans, became responsible for the academy's dealings.

And if the deal with the biggest client falls through, you're out of the running, so your brothers are making all sorts of excuses not to give you the ingredients, right?

But if that happens, Raven Trading Company as a whole will falter, losing 30% of its profits.

Are they selling their future to buy the present? Stupid bastards… Well, I can't really say that.

'The Headmistress did the same…'

Well, I understand the situation, but.

"Ultimately, isn't it Raven Trading Company's responsibility for failing to prepare the ingredients?"

"Yes, it is! We're truly sorry!"

"And yet, you're saying you want to receive the same payment as last year?"

"..."

Don't tell me, you're afraid that if you take less money, your brothers will attack you for it? Seriously?

If you were one of the higher-ranking sons, you wouldn't have gone this far since you'd have the justification. You must be the fourth son or the youngest, huh?

But what does that have to do with me?

Are you saying the academy should sacrifice for you?

I'll acknowledge it if your finances are in worse shape than ours.

"Th-that's…"

There was a reason he hadn't received a proper handover. If he took less money, his brothers would relentlessly attack him, and if he took the same amount, the academy would obviously flip out, asking what nonsense that was.

He must have been too confused in this predicament to remember the handover details.

Leaving this stammering guy aside, it seemed like the best option was to meet with Albatross Trading Company and sign a new contract.

Laura seemed to think similarly. She glared coldly at the flustered Hans and whispered to me.

"Finance Director, should I contact Albatross Trading Company?"

"…Laura, wait a moment."

"Yes?"

"Mr. Hans, I have a proposal for you."

"Yes…?"

"We'll continue our dealings with Raven Trading Company."

"A-Adam!? I mean, Finance Director? What are you saying…?"

"Finance Director! Thank you so, so much!"

Hans instantly broke into a smile, expressing his gratitude and joy, and Laura hurriedly tried to stop me.

I haven't finished yet, you two.

"Half."

"…Excuse me?"

"Instead, we'll only pay half of what we paid last year."

"Wh-what are you saying…?"

Well, if the amount of food ingredients is reduced to two-thirds, it would be normal to pay only two-thirds of the price if we were to continue the deal.

But there was a reason why I offered half.

"There's no way you'd accept such a deal!"

Then did you think we would accept the deal you offered? You hypocrites.

"In exchange, the academy can offer something else."

"Money is what matters to a trading company! Even if you're the Finance Director, such an absurd suggestion!"

"To be precise, we can offer it not to Raven Trading Company, but to 'Hans Raven'."

"..."

Originally, I was planning to switch to Albatross Trading Company, but I changed my mind a bit.

If I played this right, I could save even more of the budget.

"We'll pay half the previous cost. We'll accept two-thirds of the food ingredients this year only, and from next year, it'll be back to the original amount."

"..."

"In return, we will only listen to the voice of Hans Raven from Raven Trading Company. Similarly, only you, Mr. Hans, will be able to hear my voice."

"…!!"

Fortunately, it seems he understands this level of wordplay.

Us saying we'll only listen to Hans Raven means that if he's replaced by someone else, we won't communicate at all.

And we can't keep him as the academy's contact person even if he loses his position. This is Raven Trading Company's biggest client, and they wouldn't leave such an important client in the hands of a fallen brother.

From Hans's perspective, this is practically the academy declaring their support for him.

Hans gains the powerful justification of support from the biggest client, and the academy gets food ingredients at half the price.

It was a mutually beneficial deal. Of course, our side benefited much more.

"Isn't this enough?"

"…It seems the Finance Director is well aware of our internal situation."

"Well, I am the Finance Director."

You're the one who told me most of it, you fool.

…I couldn't say that, of course. If, by any chance, Hans won the succession struggle, I'd have to see his face again.

Well, that was unlikely.

"Could you put that in writing in the contract?"

"Of course."

Hans, looking nervous, took out a contract, wrote down what we had just discussed, and signed his name.

With this, the contract was in effect. Even if Hans was ousted, they couldn't just ignore it.

That was enough.

"Thank you so much for your support, Finance Director. I will definitely repay your trust."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Anyway, good luck."

"Yes!"

Creak.

Unlike our first handshake, Hans bowed deeply to me and left the reception room with a much more confident stride.

Now, in the room where only Laura and I remained.

"…Adam, are you sure about this?"

"About what? The academy just saved a tremendous amount of money. The cost of the ingredients is astronomical, and we're only paying half now."

"Yes, we gained in the short term. But what if Hans loses his position and another person takes over? And this time, we only received two-thirds of the usual ingredients. How will we make up for the rest?"

"Of course, we'll deal with Albatross Trading Company. They'll be thrilled at the chance to snatch Raven Trading Company's client."

"What? But you just said you would only listen to Hans Raven."

"I said we'd only listen to Hans Raven from 'Raven Trading Company.' I never mentioned other companies. If Hans can't even figure out this wordplay, he has no chance of becoming the head of the company."

He spilled internal information about the faction fight affecting their ingredient supply just because he was cornered a little, and he didn't even catch the wordplay despite signing the contract.

There's no way someone like that could become the head of the company. And if he did? The academy would have a fool to exploit. Either way, it's a win.

"…So, from next year, we're switching to Albatross Trading Company?"

"No way. From next year, we'll receive the original amount of ingredients at half the cost. We have to keep doing business with Raven Trading Company."

"What if another person in charge comes? They'll be from Raven Trading Company, right?"

"We just won't listen to them."

"But how—"

Laura, who was about to ask me again, looked at me with an expression that said, "No way, right?"

"I never said I wouldn't do business? I just said I wouldn't listen to your voice."

"…You're going to conduct business through written communication?"

"As long as I don't speak or listen, it's fine. We've already signed the contract, so we have to uphold it."

Cutting the cost in half just for not speaking and communicating through writing? This was too good to pass up.

However, Laura seemed a bit uneasy.

"Will they accept such wordplay?"

"They have to. If Hans comes back next year, there's no problem. If he's ousted and someone else comes, we can just say we only heard the proposal from Hans. Even if they try to renegotiate, they won't be able to get the original price. We can always switch to Albatross if they keep changing their terms."

"W-was it intentional that we bought the remaining ingredients from Albatross this time?"

"Of course. They'd be nervous if they knew we already had dealings with Albatross last year. We might not get half price, but we can definitely negotiate a significant discount."

In the end, no matter how things played out, the academy would save on food ingredient costs. And that would extend the time until bankruptcy.

Thanks to Laura, we gained unexpectedly.

Ah, to be precise.

"And tell the head of the food supply department that I appreciate them giving you this great opportunity."

"Huh? W-what do you mean?"

"There's no way a low-level employee like you would handle a deal like this alone. Your department head must have known. Since you're close to me, they probably wanted to test my abilities."

"…Sorry, Adam."

"What's there to be sorry about? You passed your colleague's test, and we saved a significant portion of the academy's budget, so it's all good, isn't it?"

"I'll definitely repay this favor."

"Sure."

More importantly, the negotiation was over, so it was time to get back to work.

As I stood up, Laura looked at my pocket, which seemed to hold something.

"Hmm? What's that in your pocket?"

"This? It's a long-distance magic communication tool."

"That's really expensive, isn't it? Where did you get it… Did the Headmistress give it to you?"

"Something like that."

"But why did you bring it?"

"To sell it."

"What?"

"Tsk, it's a shame there's no opportunity."

"...…"