"Um, what exactly is all of this?" Ananias asked, pointing tentatively at all of the various stacks of crates filled with products that this particular Anna was not known for selling.
This caused Anna's head to pop out from behind a few of these stacks and give Ananias a gleefully smug smile. "Oh, nothing," she said. "Just the products of every other Anna's monetary demise! Mwa ha ha ha ha! Mwa ha ha ha ha!"
Ananias glanced back at them and gave them a mild look of confusion before asking, "The product of our family's demise is to purchase a bunch of products that you don't even know will sell yet?"
Anna placed her hands on her hips and cried, "Ha ha ha! Laugh all you want, mister!"
"I wasn't laughing."
"But this loot will give me the edge I need to edge out my competition!" She then let out a laugh and said, "'Edge out'. Ha! You see what I did there?"
Ananias simply nodded. "Clever."
"I know, right?" She then cleared her throats and went back to explaining her ingenious plan. "You see, dear nephew, the only way to take two steps forward is to risk taking at least one step back, and that's exactly what your sweet and beautiful aunt Anna is doing right now."
"Most assuredly guaranteeing a net loss in the hopes of your next sales being a double net gain?" Ananias asked.
Anna snapped her fingers and nodded. "Exactly! As long as I offer a commodity that none of the other Annas sell, then my reputation will surely rise even further than it already has! Now," she made a few quick strides towards one of the stacks of crates and indicated towards it proudly, "feast your eyes on this!" She took one of the new products out of its designated crate and held it up for Ananias to see. "Hair dye. Guaranteed to temporarily change the color or your hair to the color you want it to be! I mean, sure, it may burn your skull a bit when using it, but the satisfaction one will have when it does its job will definitely make it worth it!"
Ananias stared at the hair dye in this Anna's hands for a moment before casually replying, "Don't we already have an Anna who sells that kind of stuff?"
Anna blinked in confusion upon hearing this. "S-Say what?"
Ananias nodded. "Yeah. She's the one with the hot springs and yukatas, remember?"
Anna blinked for a moment before realizing that Ananias was right, there was already an Anna who sold these types of things. "O-Oh, right." She threw the bottle of hair dye back into its crate and let out a lighthearted chuckle. "Silly me. Must've slipped my mind."
Ananias nodded. "It happens to the best of us."
"Y-Yeah, of course, you're right." She then led Ananias towards another stack and said, "But no worries! After all, a good merchant is always prepared for setbacks such as these. And what better way to bounce back then to reveal to the public my next best secret seller," she then pulled one out of its crate and displayed it to him, "the swimsuit! The perfect commodity for trips to the beach or bathing in the sun's beautiful rays! And look how daring and provocative it is compared to the rest of the clothes in this world! It's sure to be a killer!"
"I'm pretty sure another Anna already sells those in bulk," Ananias pointed out.
Anna froze and anxiously frowned at him. "R-Really?"
Ananias nodded. "Yeah. And she sells them by the beach too."
"Drat!" Anna angrily muttered. "The beach! The perfect place to sell them too!"
"Yeah. That's why she sells them there."
"Don't rub it in!" Anna cried, throwing the swimsuit at Ananias's face and storming towards the next stack of products. "Well, mister, since you've already proven that I've absentmindedly chosen two duds that two other Annas already sell, then maybe you should set your eyes on one of these bad boys!" She then ripped the object out of its crate and held it up between Ananias' eyes. "Gemstones! Pure, unadulterated gem stones fresh from the mines themselves! Do you understand how much wealth even one of these bad boys will give me?! Huh? Do you? Do you?!"
Ananias nodded. "Yeah, I do. A bunch of Annas mine and sell the exact same stuff. In fact," he made a sideways glance towards all of the stuff that Anna had just bought to sell, "are you sure that all of this stuff isn't just from other Annas in the first place?"
Anna could only gape at him in absolute shock for a moment before dropping the gemstone that she had been holding, looking at all of the stacks of crates lying around them, shaking her head, and murmuring, "I... I honestly don't know."
Ananias placed one of his hands onto her shoulders and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I think that maybe you should sit down for a bit..."
"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Anna screamed, clutching her head as she began to run around in a frenzy. "What was I thinking?!"
Ananias simply stood where he was and sighed before answering, "Apparently, not about where your sources get their sources."
