Chapter 37

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Regarding the parts that have been published in book form, I have intentionally left the typos, omissions, and additions as they are, hoping that they might serve as reference material later on.

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In this world, it seems that young children can split the ground.

I want to say, "No way!" but neither Genzaburo, who saw the ground split right in front of him, nor Utsunomiya, who described what he saw without any particular agitation, seemed particularly surprised. They even reacted as if to say, "Is that something to be so surprised about?"

But, I can't do that, can I?

So, does that mean I'm just weak? Is that it?

...Seriously?

This is a world where magic exists and you can meet gods; it's no joke.

It seems better for me to give up teaching Regulus swordsmanship and leave everything to Genzaburo.

I'll focus on gardening with Genzaburo and strive to grow delicious cabbages.

I want to be able to eat chicken sukiyaki and pork and cabbage hot pot in the winter.

After lunch, the time between Regulus's nap and snack has become my recent hobby.

For some reason, while Regulus is sleeping on my bed, I try making hairpins by attaching triangularly folded silk to a small base.

There are two types of tsunagi-zome: maru-tsunagi and ken-tsunagi. Simply put, if you unfold the triangle after folding and attaching it, it becomes maru-tsunagi, and if you don't unfold it, it becomes ken-tsunagi.

The base is wrapped like a kumihimo, and the silk for the petals, which are either maru-tsunagi or ken-tsunagi, is attached, and then a decoration is placed over the center to hide the attachment point.

I made two pins this way.

Mine is a red plum, and for Regulus, whose bangs have grown, I made a white plum.

Thanks to the "Blue Hand" and "Superlative Skill" bonuses, it seems I can complete one much faster, and I finished before Regulus's nap was over.

The morning of the day the princess returned arrived.

With a cheerful heart, I sang as usual and went to the inner garden with Regulus, holding his hand. A very sweet breeze made the gorgeous peonies sway.

When we greeted her together with "Good morning," the large flowers swayed as if in response and began to sparkle.

"Indeed, it has been a while. Are you well?"

"Yes, thanks to you."

"Me too, I'm fine!"

Wearing a dress that would have been called a kariginu in my previous life, the princess, holding a fan with thin silk stretched over it, appeared with the scent of flowers. Regulus and I knelt together.

Then, the white plum tsunagi-zome in Regulus's hair jumped up.

"Hmm, something interesting has happened to the chick's head."

"Big brother made it for me~"

When Regulus, who had lost his polite manner of speaking, startled me, the princess didn't seem to mind and held out her hand, saying, "Show me."

When Regulus obediently took it out of his hair, he furrowed his eyebrows.

"This is mine."

"I know. I just want to see it."

"Okay... no... yes."

It's cute how he corrected himself.

Just as I was feeling relaxed, the princess's eyes sparkled.

Ah, I've seen this before.

For a moment, she looked distant, but then, as expected, she ignored it and held out her hand to me.

"I don't intend to take the chick's. Instead, here."

"Here...?"

"I'm giving it to you, so take it."

With a hurry-up-and-give-it-to-me vibe, I shook my head firmly in refusal.

Because this is a prototype. No matter what, I can't give it away.

At my refusal, the princess's eyebrows shot up.

"...Are you saying you don't want me to take it, even though I'm offering to take it?"

Dark clouds gathered in the garden, and Regulus gripped the hem of my shirt. But I have my pride too. I can't back down here.

"Princess, I would be happy to give you something I've made if you would be pleased with it. But this is a prototype. I don't want to give you something I made with a careless attitude, thinking 'a little extra glue is fine.' If you wish, I will gladly make something for you. I will design something that suits you, choose the appropriate fabric, and put all my current skills into it. Therefore, please don't take the prototype. Giving you such a thing would be a disgrace to me as a maker."

The princess nodded at my words.

The dark clouds in the garden disappeared, and a beautiful blue sky appeared.

The princess is not an unreasonable person.

"Upon reflection, I was in the wrong. Please forgive me. As a maker with the 'Blue Hand' and 'Superlative Skill,' you must take pride in what you make. It would be a disgrace to offer something inferior, especially to a god like me, who would naturally want the best."

"I know that, Princess. I understand that you are not unreasonable."

"Hmm, then, let me rephrase. I desire that tsunagi-zome."

She removed the thin fabric, like a shawl, from her shoulder and placed it on the thin silk fan, offering it to me.

Even without touching it, I could tell it was not just any fabric, with its beautiful gradient from white to light pink, then to pink, and back to light pink and white.

"This was woven for me by a lower god of weaving. However, it has fallen out of fashion in the heavens. I liked it, but I was wondering what to do with it. Take it and make a tsunagi-zome that suits me."

"Wait, can I really cut this beautiful fabric with scissors!?"

"It's fine. I like it, but I must be sensitive to trends. I am a flower of the heavens."

The fabric on the fan gently floated into my hands.

This is no time to cut corners. I was already determined not to, but now I'm even more motivated.

"You may use the leftover fabric as you wish. I permit you to handle the fabric that will become a god's possession."

"Thank you."

I feel like I've received a grand permission.

Anyway, the word "permission" reminded me of something.

"Princess, there is something I would like your permission for..."

"Hmm, what is it?"

It's about the permission to transcribe the songs from another world that Victor asked for.

I explained that Victor had offered to teach singing in exchange for this, and her cool eyes narrowed in a good mood.

"Hmm, that's fine. It aligns with my wishes. I will give the elf another reward."

"Thank you. I will convey my gratitude to Victor."

"Hmm. Work hard with Victor for me."

When the princess laughed, it was as beautiful as a bell.

Just moving her sleeve to her mouth made the scent of flowers stronger.

As I was lost in the scent, the princess suddenly opened her eyes wide, and her smile disappeared.

With a very serious expression, I held my breath.

"...No, I almost forgot. It's about your illness."

"Yes."

That's it, the "Dissociative Identity Disorder" that Igor told me about.

She must have sensed my thoughts, as she nodded solemnly.

"You met Igor, I hear. He told you the general outline, didn't he...?"

"My soul is easily separated from my body, and since it's not a physical illness, it's not under Igor's jurisdiction..."

"That's right. So, I consulted someone who knows a lot about souls."

The princess paused.

Regulus, sensing the seriousness of the situation, gripped the hem of my shirt again.

"Houou, do you want to hear the good news or the bad news first?"

"Can I just hear the good news?"

The princess looked taken aback by my immediate answer.

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