Saint Evan City, Central City District.
Outside the Garratt Duchy's Saint White Women's Academy, a group of youthful, beautiful girls in matching academy uniforms streamed out through the school gates, chattering like a flock of orioles.
They wore fitted grass-green formal uniform jackets above the waist and light-gray skirts that fell past their knees below, with exquisite black, white, flesh-colored, and purple silk stockings wrapped around their long, straight legs.
Now that the duchy's Petroleum Industry was developing at high speed, nylon stocking production had increased dramatically. They were no longer the scarce luxury goods they had once been.
Beauty-loving women all over the world sang their praises. Descriptions like, "As fine as spider silk, as strong as steel wire, as beautiful as silk thread," might have been exaggerated, but they were not entirely unreasonable.
Yet even the glaring logical flaw of claims like "warm in winter, cool in summer" could not stop these women from flocking to them in every season, driven by their love of beauty.
Beep!
Although the extended school bus at the gate, bearing the Gemstone Crest emblem and powered by an Internal Combustion Engine, had already started up, the girls all rushed across the street from the school.
They crowded shoulder to shoulder around a coin-operated cigarette and perfume vending machine, a common sight throughout the duchy.
After a copper coin was inserted, a puff of colorless fragrant mist sprayed from its silver-plated nozzle.
"Top notes: tea leaves, mugwort, orange blossom. Middle notes: pepper, cardamom, moss. Base notes: hibiscus, rose, Molly.
"That's right, it really is the Pure Joy White Tea Series we developed. The vending machine company has already begun full-scale distribution!"
"Wonderful! With this achievement, we can join Sekhmet Biomedical Company directly after graduation."
"Hahaha!"
As the lovely girls clapped to celebrate.
Pop!