Chapter 76

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The party proceeded in a warm and friendly atmosphere, and it was decided to end when all the prepared dishes and desserts were gone.

The topics of conversation were varied, for example, the talk about the royal party that the three elves attended was quite lively.

"A-tan's hair ornament. It really suited her, and all the ladies were captivated by it. It also drew attention as a technology that could be subject to law."

"Eh? A law was issued!?"

"Yes, it was issued today and will be officially enforced from the fourth month. It seems that the registration of technology will be handled by the Merchant Guild, and the handling of existing technology will be managed by the Craftsmen's Guild."

"Mamamaru's... I mean, Effet Papillon's technology will also be made public in the fourth month. It would be good to prepare a few more hair ornaments by then. Since we can't question the princess, the girls were pressing Marie, who has a similar hair ornament, to act as an intermediary."

"Understood, I'll let Elise know."

With a nod, the three elves also nodded.

The next topic was the mysterious phenomenon that occurred from New Year's Eve to New Year's Day. It seems the residents of Kikunoi think I did it.

"Why do you think I did it?"

"Because we heard the young master's song. The flowers in the sky and the stars, we thought the teachers helped you, as Grandpa said."

"True, I did sing, but the magic was helped by the gods."

"Really!? The gods are amazing!"

"Yes, but please keep it a secret that the gods helped?"

"Then, shouldn't we say that the young master did it with the help of the teachers?"

"Ah, that's a good idea."

Hmm, my conscience is a bit troubled, but if it gets too noisy, I might not be able to meet the gods anymore.

I don't want to reduce the number of people I can talk about musicals and plays with without reservation.

Maybe I should consult the teachers.

When I thought about it and called the teachers, Mr. Romanov said, "I was thinking it was about time."

"About time...?"

"Of course, for the investigation."

"Right, when did you get close to Princess Hyōrin? Gods usually appear suddenly, but this time it was especially sudden."

Victor's point of view, with a shrug, was quite reasonable. After all, Princess Hyōrin appeared out of nowhere at that time.

While choosing my words to explain, Mr. Romanov and Victor tilted their heads.

"But, is that person really Princess Hyōrin? Princess is a title given to women... that person is, well..."

"Doesn't look like a princess at all, right?"

Ah, I understand.

Actually, when my image was materialized, Princess Hyōrin looked like a handsome and sharp-featured man. Strictly speaking, it was a male role actor from the Violet Garden who was made to look that way.

Then, Lara's eyes widened.

"Alyosha, Vitya, are you blind!?"

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

"I can tell! That person is the same as me! Right, Mamamaru!?"

"Same as you...?"

"Same as me, a woman who likes to dress as a man! That appearance shows a lot of dedication!"

"Oh... I see..."

So that's how you interpret it.

Well, but that was a form that matched my preferences, not Princess Hyōrin's. However, explaining that would require talking about the Violet Garden, which might dig a hole for myself.

So, I apologized to Princess Hyōrin in my heart.

"Right, that's it!"

"Of course! I thought so! The makeup around the eyes is amazing, sharp and cool!"

Lara, excited, made the men, including Kousuke, a bit uncomfortable.

In the midst of this, Regulus, who was unwavering, approached with a dessert plate.

"Big brother, when did you grow taller? Did you go out in secret?"

"I didn't go out. Weren't we always together when we went somewhere?"

"Then, why did you grow taller?"

"Um, the princess heard about me and came to meet me."

"Is that so? The princess grew taller... Is the princess well?"

"The princess seems to be well."

Regulus' eyebrows, which had been drooping, perked up.

It seems Regulus understood from the princess's name and didn't say anything more, just handed me a cream puff.

Thinking he wanted me to eat it, I tried to bring it to his mouth, but he said, "Big brother, eat it." So, I gratefully ate it, and he gave me another cream puff.

After eating it, Regulus reached for another cream puff and tried to give it to me again. But I couldn't eat so many cream puffs, so I put it on Mr. Romanov's palm.

While chewing the cream puff, Mr. Romanov tilted his head again.

"Did you meet for the first time through the princess's introduction that day?"

"No, actually, the first time I met was the day the 'Sisi's Star Flower' I presented to the princess was completed."

At my words, Victor furrowed his brow.

I was given another cream puff by Regulus, but this time I passed it to Victor.

"Why did you keep it a secret for so long?"

"Well, there was no ill intention, but since Princess Hyōrin comes at night, I didn't want to cause a commotion... Last time, she was there long before the fireworks started, but she didn't show herself to everyone..."

"Ah, I see. Well, it's unreasonable to expect people not to be surprised when a god suddenly appears."

I nodded, and it seemed they understood.

Regulus pouted when he saw Victor eat the cream puff, but I wonder why.

Anyway, it turned out that the last cream puff was the one Victor ate, and the party and the investigation of me ended there.

After taking a bath, changing into pajamas, and getting into bed, a figure appeared from the darkness.

"I am not dressing as a man out of preference...?"

"Yes, I understand. I apologize."

I apologized sincerely, and Princess Hyōrin gently shook her head. She didn't seem angry, just confused.

When I asked why, she said:

"Well, the thought of people saying I dress as a man out of preference is both exciting and scary..."

"It's fine, you are beautiful!"

"That's because the actors you project onto me are beautiful. ...Ah, look, it's changing again..."

Princess Hyōrin was enveloped in a soft light and took on a physical form.

On New Year's Eve, her hair was dark blue or black, but now she appeared as a beautiful person with silver hair and lustrous, blue-silver eyes.

"Truly, you are unstable."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. This is not boring."

She waved her hand and sat on my bed, crossing her long legs and patting the spot next to her.

I climbed into bed and sat next to her, and suddenly a vortex of magic appeared in front of Princess Hyōrin, into which she confidently inserted her hand.

She pulled out a box so large that even an adult would have trouble holding it.

"From Igor and Hyakka."

"From the princess and Igor...?"

Encouraged to open it, I untied the ribbon. Inside was another box, and when I opened it, there was—

"This is a sewing machine, isn't it!?"

The body was black, like layers of lacquer, with mother-of-pearl-like floral decorations, and the table that could be removed for sewing cylindrical objects also had decorations.

It came with bobbins and sewing needles, and the more I looked, the more it resembled a "sewing machine" from my previous life.

Surprised, I nodded, and Princess Hyōrin confirmed.

"Hyakka says that a reincarnated person from another world taught Igor the mechanism. If you like sewing, you'll surely be happy, they thought. Apparently, it was a second son who taught Igor, out of gratitude. Igor, who was looking for a birthday gift for Hyakka, was told to make it quickly."

"The princess...! And Igor and the second son...!"

"Hyakka asked me to deliver it. It seems to be powered by magic. The detailed instructions are in a manual in the box, so read it."

"Understood, thank you."

I bowed, and Princess Hyōrin slightly furrowed her brow. When I wondered what was wrong, she stroked my chin and inserted her hand into the magic vortex again.

"Are you okay with spiders? The many-legged insects?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Spiders are beneficial insects and don't do anything unless provoked."

"Is that so. Then, I'll give you this."

From the magic vortex, Princess Hyōrin pulled out a bug cage containing a spider as big as my face.

"It's big..."

"Yes, it's called a Narakumo, a spider that lives in the Underworld. The silk it produces is of the highest quality and can be woven into the finest fabric."

"Really? But how do you spin spider silk...?"

"If you give the spider magic, it will turn it into usable thread, and it can even weave it into fabric."

"What a convenient spider!"

"Yes, that's why it's also called a tailor spider."

What a convenient spider.

Since it lives in the Underworld, is it one of Princess Hyōrin's followers?

When I asked, she shook her head.

"It's a type of monster, but like spiders, it won't do anything unless attacked by humans. Its food is also monsters like hornets and giant moths."

"I see..."

But, you said you're giving it to me. So, I have to provide the food.

I can't catch monsters.

"Um... Does the food have to be monsters? I can't provide them..."

"There used to be a dungeon in this land. You can feed it once a month. Since it's a monster, it can survive for a year without food, so you can ask the guild or something to provide a corpse occasionally."

"I see! That might work."

I nodded and thanked her, taking the bug cage.

I thought I saw a slight blush on Princess Hyōrin's cheeks, but I had something important to do.

I got out of bed and took four rosettes from the dresser.

The crimson rosette with peony pinwork was for the princess, the blue and white striped ribbon rosette was for Igor, the rosette with a ribbon the color of cherry blossoms was for the second son, and the navy rosette with a crescent moon button in the center was for Princess Hyōrin.

"I was going to give these to you when I met you, but happy birthday."

"Gods don't have birthdays."

"Just because they don't have birthdays doesn't mean you can't celebrate. You said that it's about the human heart."

"True."

She smiled, her lips curling up in a beautiful way, her face like a flower.

When a beautiful person smiles, their eyes seem to disappear. She's too beautiful.

While avoiding her dazzling smile, I went to the dresser again and brought back a paper bag to the bed.

I placed the paper bag on Princess Hyōrin's lap. When she opened it, a black plush cat with white paws tumbled out.

"What is this...?"

"It's a plushie. When I was making rosettes before, you looked very interested, so I thought you might like this."

"I see... Yes, I am interested in what humans do. If that's what you call liking, then yes, I do."

Princess Hyōrin's eyes, as she looked at the plushie, had a very gentle look.

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