Chapter 91

"Hmm, what would be good...?"

It's the third day of Thanksgiving. Today, I have a free day, so I'm strolling around town with Carol, who is also free, thinking about what gift to give to Orun. Log has some helping to do in the morning, so we plan to come up with a few candidates first, and then decide together with him after lunch.

In other countries, it seems there's a custom of giving gifts on birthdays. While we don't have such a custom here, the three of us had agreed to give Orun a gift during his birth month to express our gratitude. However, we never had the chance to ask Orun when his birth month was, and when we finally did two days ago, we found out it was June, which made us quite anxious. I regret not asking earlier...

But, at least he hasn't passed his birth month yet, so it's still better than that!

Plus, this season, there are many items for sale that aren't usually available, so there should be plenty of unique options!

I want to give him something he'll really enjoy...

"Right, what would Orun like...? When I think about it, we don't really know much about Orun..."

"Shisho doesn't talk much about herself. We should have asked about her hobbies and such...!"

Carol and I couldn't think of anything Orun might like.

"Still, there are so many people... It's a festival, after all!"

"Right. We should probably avoid staying here for too long."

As Carol said, this area, with its rows of food stalls, has the highest population density in town. Staying here for too long might make us feel dizzy, so we want to move to a different location.

"Hmm, maybe something made by a craftsman would be better! How about we go to the craftsman's street?"

After hearing my suggestion, Carol immediately proposed moving to a different location. I think she's trying to be considerate of me. Carol often gives the impression of being free-spirited, but in reality, she's very considerate. I think it's one of her virtues, but she tends to suppress herself to respect others' wishes, which is a bit sad.

I've known Carol for about a year now. After being around her for so long, I can tell that she has some kind of trauma. I think this excessive consideration is related to it.

I wish I could help her overcome her trauma, but I can't think of a way to do so. There's not much I can do now, but I hope that one day Carol can be more open and honest with me without any reservations.

"Sure, let's go to the craftsman's street."

Following Carol's suggestion, we moved from the crowded market street to the craftsman's street.

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"Hmm, maybe something useful for exploring would be good?"

After arriving at the craftsman's street, Carol looked at the items displayed in a nearby weapon shop and spoke.

"We probably already have everything we need for exploring. Orun's sword is already a fine one, and even if there's something she wants, we might not be able to afford it..."

"That's true. In that case, something for daily life?"

"I think that would be good. For example, accessories...?"

"Good idea! Let's look for something in that direction! ——Hmm?"

Just as we were about to start looking, Carol seemed to notice something and walked off briskly. I hurried to follow her. What's going on?

"Are you feeling unwell, miss? Are you okay?"

Carol approached a bench where a woman with indigo hair was sitting, head down.

"Me?..."

The woman looked up at Carol's voice. ...She's really beautiful.

If Carol is a cool and beautiful type, this woman is a cute and beautiful type. I think she's younger than Carol. She's dressed like a mage, so she's probably an explorer.

"Yeah, you looked like you were having a hard time. Did you get dizzy in the crowd?"

"I was just thinking. I'm not unwell, so I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."

The woman smiled in response. However, her expression was sad, and it was clear she was forcing a smile.

"Troubles, huh? Actually, we're also in the middle of a dilemma. You see, it's Shisho's birth month, and we're trying to think of a gift to give her, but we can't come up with anything good..."

"A gift for Shisho during her birth month? ...You are... I see, it's already June, isn't it?"

The woman muttered something and seemed to understand.

"That's right. We only found out Shisho's birth month is June two days ago, so we're in a hurry to think of a gift. I wish she had told us earlier. Then we could have taken our time to think about it."

"Hehe, you really care about your Shisho. It's enviable to have such cute disciples."

"Hmm? Do you not have any disciples? You're really strong, you know? I think even the two of us together wouldn't be a match for you. I don't think it would be strange for you to have disciples."

I thought the same thing. Magic power is usually invisible and even hard to sense, but I could feel a strong concentration of magic around her. ...Maybe it's just my imagination.

"I don't have any disciples. I can't take care of others when I'm being swayed by my surroundings..."

I thought she might be feeling a bit better after talking with Carol, but her expression turned sad again.

"Being swayed by your surroundings, is that your problem?"

Carol delved into the woman's situation.

"......Yes, that's right. It's embarrassing to say to someone younger, but everything I do lately hasn't been going well. And because of me, even my stepfather—"

Maybe because Carol shared her own troubles first, the woman opened up about hers. I think it's due to Carol's personality and her excellent communication skills. She's amazing... I couldn't have such a conversation.

Still, if everything you do isn't going well, it's understandable to feel down. Anyone would feel negative in that situation.

...Come to think of it, Orun gave us advice on how to deal with feeling like things aren't going well. The advice was—.

"I see. Hey, miss, is everything really not going well?"

"......Huh?"

"Shisho said that when you feel things aren't going well, your perspective narrows. So, it's important to stop and reflect at such times! 'Behind what you think is a failure, there's always a small success hidden. If you can recognize your own good qualities that you didn't even realize, your thoughts will naturally change. First, you should face the 'real' you, not the 'ideal' you.'"

"The real me... Indeed, I may have been pursuing ideals too much recently. Thank you for your advice. Your Shisho is truly remarkable."

After hearing Carol's—no, Orun's words, the woman's expression seemed to clear up a bit.

"Hehe, she's our pride and joy!"

"Then, I'll go to a quiet place and reflect on myself. I'll take my leave now."

"Okay! Goodbye, miss!" "Goodbye."

In the end, I didn't get a chance to speak, even for the final goodbye. I'm not very good at talking to people I don't know, so I didn't try to join the conversation.

"Ah, right. As a thank you for your advice, I have some advice for you. Your Shisho is always eager for new information. Since merchants from other countries are here this season, I think she would be delighted with a book published in another country."

That's right! Orun always reads books in her free time!

Why didn't I think of giving her a book? I'm sure she would be very happy with that!

Orun seems to be quite busy during the festival. Even on the first day when she was supposed to be free, she didn't get to walk around town much, according to Carol.

So, the chances of Orun buying a book from a merchant from another country this year are very low!

"Books...? You're right, Shisho does read a lot! Thank you, miss!"

Carol seems to agree.

Let's decide to give Orun a book from another country. Books are expensive, but if we pool our money, we should be able to buy a few!

"You're welcome."

"But how did you know Shisho reads a lot?"

"Hmm, well... The spirit told me."

A spirit? Not a person's name, right? What does that mean?

"Hmm?"

Carol also seemed confused and tilted her head.

"Hehe, if you're curious, you can ask Shisho. I think she can explain it more clearly than I can. Well, goodbye."

The woman left with a light step, leaving us with something to think about.

"I don't know what a spirit is, but at least the miss seems to be a bit more cheerful. That's good!"

"Carol, you're so kind."

"Hmm? Not really. I did it because I wanted to. I wasn't doing it for others!"

I can't tell if she really thinks that or if she's just being modest, but Carol's consideration is definitely a virtue. I probably wouldn't have spoken to the woman if I were alone. I want to learn from Carol in this aspect.

"Let's go look for books. If we wait too long, someone else might buy them."

"That would be bad! Sophie, let's hurry!"

After that, we met up with Log and carefully selected books published in other countries, each buying one. I hope Orun will be happy with them.

Thank you for reading to the end.

I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter as well.