Chapter 89

"Toru-chan!"

The laughter that echoed through the small room was from Muu, whom they thought was invisible. She was waving at the top of the stairs, calling out Toru's name. Then, she suddenly leaped onto the handrail next to her.

The child, riding the handrail backward, slid down with a swift momentum. As a result, her skirt flipped up, revealing her pumpkin panties. Muu, who had slid all the way down, stopped by bumping her bottom into the protruding decoration at the end.

Turning around, the child waved with a beaming smile.

"Did you see, Muu's smooth slide?"

"Hmm, not bad. By the way, didn't Toru-chan say it's not good to play in unfamiliar places?"

"Umm, maybe he did. But this is just too fun!"

Muu's completely unrepentant answer made Toru chuckle. Unexpectedly, Yuril, who was standing next to him, burst out laughing.

The silver-haired beauty, who rarely laughed out loud, approached Muu, who was still straddling the handrail, and helped her pull down her skirt. Then, she picked her up and gently placed her on the floor, patting her head.

"I remember this. When I worked here, many children used to play like this and get scolded."

"Did you do this too, Yuril-grandma?"

"Actually, I wanted to, but I couldn't because I was the one who had to tell them not to."

"Even though it looks so tempting?"

Muu, with a dreamy look, caressed the handrail. Compared to when they first met, her expressions had become much richer.

"Yes, it's very tempting. ... Alright, let's give it a try."

Suddenly declaring this, Yuril ran up the stairs rhythmically. When she reached the landing, she lightly jumped and sat on the handrail. Due to the sideways position, her tight skirt was pulled up, exposing her thighs halfway. However, she didn't seem to mind and slid down the handrail in one smooth motion. Just before hitting the decoration at the bottom, she gracefully landed.

Muu, watching this, clapped her hands excitedly with shining eyes.

Breathing slightly faster, Yuril returned and nodded proudly at Toru. Her expression was more radiant than ever before.

"Let's go, Toru-san, Sora-san."

"Yes, I'll come with you. Muu, let's go."

"Can't I slide one more time?"

"Maybe next time."

"Muuuu!"

As they walked down the corridor opposite the temple leader's room, they came to a door leading outside. Beyond the covered walkway, a peculiar house with a fabric roof was visible.

As soon as they stepped out of the building, Sora, who had been silent until then, took a deep breath and said regretfully,

"Ah, I wanted to slide too."

"Yeah, it's really fun! Sora-neechan."

"You're really enthusiastic about the handrail. By the way, why were you so quiet?"

"Well, talking is strictly forbidden near the gods!"

Indeed, Sora was the only daughter of the shrine that enshrined the god of time and the god of the sky. She must have been thoroughly trained in the proper etiquette for the sacred grounds by her grandfather, the priest. The girl, stretching widely as she walked, began to speak with sparkling eyes.

"Phew, I can finally talk. I had so many questions, and it was hard to keep quiet. About the ranks of the branches and trunks, and the requirement to only offer fur tails. Oh, and that necklace suits you very well, Yuril-san."

"Thank you."

"You said it's a ritual object, but it's completely different from the ones we have."

"Is that so? I'd love to explain more, but..."

Yuril stopped suddenly and shrugged her shoulders regretfully.

"We've arrived. This is Oodor's pharmacy."

"Really!"

Since the place was right there, there was no choice. The building was a single-story house with a semi-circular room attached to it. The protruding part was covered with a white, translucent fabric.

"It looks like a house made of white bread, Toru-chan."

"Wouldn't it leak if it rained?"

"The fabric is made from the strong silk of marsh spiders, so it's surprisingly waterproof."

While explaining, Yuril lightly knocked on the door, and a voice from inside responded. After being invited in, they found the interior surprisingly spacious and tidy. In the center of the room was a round table surrounded by chairs, and at the back was a counter at waist height. The right wall was filled with shelves from floor to ceiling, holding various pots and baskets. On the left were two stoves. Near them was a small work table with a round platform with handles and small bowls.

Just as Muu was about to rush over, Toru grabbed her by the collar and shifted his gaze to the back of the room. Behind the counter, a shelf filled with small drawers lined the wall, and a small door was visible at one end. This door suddenly opened, and a short-haired gray-eared woman appeared from inside.

"Welcome. Please take a seat. ... Oh?"

The woman, holding a tray with steaming cups, raised one eyebrow slightly at the wriggling Muu.

"Was that the child playing on the stairs earlier? Do you know her?"

"Yes, she's an important friend."

"Wow. How was the handrail, pretty good, right?"

While setting the cups on the table, the woman asked with a smile. Muu, sitting on Toru's lap, immediately clapped in agreement.

"Yeah! It's really fun. Right, Yuril-grandma—"

Before Muu could seek unnecessary agreement, Toru casually covered her mouth with his hand. However, it was too late, and the woman, raising one eyebrow again, turned to Yuril.

"Oh, did you enjoy it too?"

"Yes, it was surprisingly good."

Hearing this, the woman's lips curled up into a wide smile, and she let out a clear laugh. She then sat down with a smile and offered them sweet-smelling tea.

"Please, while it's still hot. By the way, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Oorindor, the herbalist here."

"I'm Toru. This child is Mumei. We call her Muu."

"Nice to meet you, Oorindor-grandma!"

"I'm Yuril. My grandmother was very well taken care of here."

"I'm Sora. This room is so nice!"

The country-raised, blunt girl looked around the room curiously.

"There are so many mysterious things. What's that for?"

"It's a tool for grinding dried herbs into powder. That one is for making them into pills."

"Wow! What's that door for?"

Sora, nodding in amazement, pointed to a door a little away from the stoves. It was a different door from the one Oorindor had come out of, with a small window at the top letting in light.

"That's a greenhouse. I can't let you in, but you can see inside through that window. Would you like to take a look?"

"Sure, I'd love to!"

With permission, Sora eagerly got up and ran to the door. The girl, pressing her face to the small window, let out an innocent cheer. Reacting to her joyful voice, Muu started to squirm, so Toru picked her up and approached the door.

Upon closer inspection, the small window was made of transparent glass, which was rare in this area. However, the most surprising thing was not just the glass window but the view beyond it, which was breathtaking.

The canopy, covered with a thin white fabric, seemed to let in all the sunlight. The interior of the greenhouse was as bright as midday. In the center of the room, a tall tree with lush green leaves grew. Golden, round fruits hung from its branches. Surrounding the tree were low shrubs with peculiar leaves. Along the walls, shelves entwined with vines were densely filled with potted plants, blooming with vivid flowers.

What caught Toru and the others' attention even more were the gem-like creatures flying around the room. Colorful butterflies flitted across their field of vision, creating a scene that could be called a paradise of flowers and plants.

"Wow. It's full of butterflies, Toru-chan!"

"Hey, Toru-chan, are those fruits edible?"

"Maybe. But this is truly magnificent."

Behind the captivated trio, the owner of the pharmacy and Yuril were sipping herbal tea slowly, facing each other. Neither spoke, only occasionally meeting each other's gaze. Finally, Yuril, as if making a decision, finished her cup and spoke.

"Where should I start? Oorindor-san."

"Hehe, are you still going to call me that? Just Oodor is fine."

To Yuril's silence, Oorindor continued with a mischievous smile.

"I can guess that your appearance is due to that boy over there. Am I right?"