Episode 2 – Tenosyvinotis and Mimeograph (Part 2)

 

 

「Good deeds should be done quickly」

Falma ordered base paper and specialized thin paper painted with wax and petroleum jelly from the paper shop, and received it within three days.

「What are you going to do with that?」

Ellen and Lotte approached him very curiously. They approached expecting something interesting will happen……

「Let’s draw with everyone」

「Waa! I want to do it〜!」

Lotte raised her hand. Using the stencil made beforehand that is placed on top of a file folder, a drawing was made as if to scratch the base paper. And then, the base paper was damaged. That base paper was then fixed onto a silk covered wooden frame, the ink was applied to a roller, and pressed into the printing paper. The ink came out of the parts removed from the base paper, and would be printed on paper.

「Amazing! To think that you can print something so easily!」

Ellen was impressed by the outcome of the printing.

「Ellen, what did you draw?」

Ellen seems to have printed a somewhat advanced art. Although Falma thought it was rude, he did not know whether it is a person or an animal.

「It’s Falma-kun! How is it?」

「This is, me? I see……haha, thanks」

「What’s with that reaction?!」

On one hand with Ellen not having an artistic sense, Lotte seems to be very talented on the other. That which looked like a copy of a bouquet decorated in the pharmacy, looked like an art decoration painting, and really seemed like art.

「Lotte-chan, that illustration of a flower’s really beautiful! What do you think about becoming an artist? I’m sure that this would sell!」

「Ehh?! Is that so! I’ll sell it! This is very interesting! It’s so fun!!」

Looking at Lotte who innocently continuously printed rolling the roller, Falma thought she was so adorable and felt soothed.

「Lotte-chan, you printed too much? Are you planning on selling all of them?」

A mountain of works was created very quickly.

「By the way, you can print it with different colors by changing the color of the ink」

“If you want to be a printmaker, it would be a good idea to add some style”, Falma suggested to Lotte. Lotte seemed to like it a lot, and might become her full-fledged hobby.

 

After one week, the newspaper sibling came as promised. This time, they were wearing masks similar to Venetian masks.

「How does your wrists feel? Is it still painful?」

「Thanks to the medicine, it does not hurt anymore」

But even so, it seems like their amount of work of writing newspapers haven’t changed, although they are doing it while drinking pain reliever for the last week.

「Sorry to keep you waiting. I made a mimeograph, so please use this starting today」

「Mimeograph?」

Falma thought them how to use it, seeing that they seemed clueless. The sibling who tried to actually use the mimeograph like they were told to were surprised to its easiness to use and printing quality.

 

「It is printing so ridiculously! This is revolutionary! Tomorrow’s article could be made even with just this mimeograph invention!」

The elder brother acclaimed. The letters can be deciphered properly, and even the fine illustrations and pictures would be printed as they are.

「Is this your invention?!」

「No, it is not me」

“It is an invention of the great inventor, Thomas Edison.” Or at least, Falma wanted to say, but he is only a fictional figure in this world.

「T-T-This means, we only need to write copy?!」

The younger sister timidly asked Falma.

「That is true, you two only need to write a copy. That’s why, I thought it would be great if your tenosynovitis would get better, and your debt would be paid」

「UOOOOO?!!」

The elder brother raised a weird voice.

「Ahh, oh God, I cannot believe this! Nii-san」

「We did it, little sister……T-Thank you very much, Apothecary-sama, no, you are not a simple Apothecary-sama!」

The sibling held each other’s hands. They looked exaggeratingly happy, but for them, it is a revolutionary invention.

「It is great to be your help. The work afterward can be done by your other hand, and if you like, you can also leave it to another person」

Falma decided to sell them the base paper and ink at a very low price. They happily bought a lot of them.

「With this, we can make a hundred or even two hundred with just making one copy!」

“We cannot believe this”, the sibling was moved to tears.

「I don’t think that you can print that much. The base paper would get damaged so, well, I think it should be enough for a hundred……」

When Falma said that, they said they were happy because even so, it would still be an increase in their earnings.

They said that they would be able to pay their debts and has a bright road ahead.

「But, be careful of fake news」

“You’d fall into more debts the more you print them”, Falma warned them.

「Yes, we can take our time to find news materials. The former edition was only scribbling up until now, but we can make good looking articles from now on」

「How much would be one set of these?」

「I will only ask you the material costs. And, also……that newspaper, can you sell one copy to the Different World Pharmacy?」

「Of course. We will give it for free as long as you promise not to sell out the information」

The sibling took off their masks and hats, and named themselves properly. Andrei Mitterrand and Eme Mitterrand sibling. Although they looked slightly famished, the beautiful sibling with green hair and eyes really stood out.

It was decided that the Different World Pharmacy would be subscribed to the Hand Written Newspaper「The Imperial Capital’s Secret Report（Le secret de la Cité impériale）」for free.

I only found out after subscribing, but this newspaper was full of the aristocrat circle’s hidden affairs, military information, and full of profitable secret commercial information that never appears in the limelight. No wonder people in that line of work would want them. The two sibling’s business policy was to make a few handwritten copies, mostly about highly priced information for wealthy people, so it couldn’t be helped that most of the information they have was ones that are difficult to get.

 

The mimeograph that was developed to alleviate their tenosynovitis were also introduced in the Different World Pharmacy. And the flow of work became remarkably efficient. Firstly, Falma examines a patient and writes a prescription. Then Ellen and the first-class apothecary part-timers would prepare the medicine.

「Here, this medicine is……」

Then, the medicine prepared by Ellen and the others would be explained by a different Apothecaries with explanation roles. They would kindly explain the medicine to the patients together with a copy of the patient compliance instruction that Falma wrote. In short, it is the so-called attachment of document that provides drug information in Japan. This was printed using a mimeograph.

Detailed counseling and explanations about the patient’s condition would be done by the apothecary with the explanation role, and if there were questions, they would be returned to Falma at once, and receive guidance. The document with the explanations would be given to the patients.

This idea does not only make the work efficient, but also provides a good merit towards the patients, Falma, and the apothecaries.

After all, up until now, those who have old age would easily forget things, and there are also those who are not taking the explanations to heart. They would ask about it many times and forget it again. That is why, having the explanation of how to drink the medicine, its effects, and how it would affect them written in a paper beforehand, would be very kind to the patients.

「Ara, this is easy to understand. This is good, I always forget about it」

The patients who received the instructions for the medicine for the first time returned satisfied.

「Oya, oya, such side-effects existed huh. I did not know」

「Eh? This medicine must be taken twice a day?! I only drank it once a day!」

There were also those who have not noticed their mistakes up until now. As usual, the mimeograph invention was registered with the Imperial Technology Bureau.

 

「Thanks to you, we’ve paid our debts so quickly」

After a while, the Mitterrand sibling visited the pharmacy. This time, they came without hiding their faces. It looks like after they made the「Weekly Imperial Capital」for the mass with information that targets commoners, it seems like it also started getting on the track. With that, they said that they want to slowly stop using informative materials with suggestive information.

「That’s great. How’s your tenosynovitis?」

Falma was also relieved that they have successfully paid their debts. After all, they seemed slightly famished before, but right now, they have healthy complexions. They probably left the lifestyle of one must work before eating.

「It is not painful anymore, it’s healed now. This time, our shoulders ache from using rollers too much」

「Haha, please buy compresses and decrease the number of print copies」

When Falma said that,

「It is exactly as you say」

They said and awkwardly laughed.

From then on, it is said that the Mitterrand sibling would walk in the daylight without wearing masks.

 

After that, Lotte had started to give artistic handouts of the pharmacy printed using the mimeograph on the street.

As a result of that, it was said that more and more customers visited the Different World Pharmacy, and Falma did not know whether to be thankful or not be thankful.

 

 

 

E2 Part 1 – Isekai Yakkyoku – E3 Part 1