Chapter 31

I thought that patchwork is just sewing scraps of fabric together, author ← Hey!

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That day, Yūri was smiling. Well, he always smiles, but that day he seemed particularly happy. No one knew why he was so happy. After all, he always looks very happy even about things that others find unremarkable.

What Yūri was holding were several fabric bags. They were mostly seams, as if he was sewing scraps of fabric together. To be precise, they were bags made by sewing together pieces of fabric cut to the same size. ...In other words, he was making fabric bags using patchwork. The patterns varied, but the basic shape was the same for all of them. And there were 20 of these fabric bags.

He was arranging the bags he had made, but at the same time, Yūri was doing something different from his usual routine. That was airing the pillows. Not just his own, but everyone's. While airing a futon might be a bit much, airing pillows wouldn't take up much space. All the pillows were aired, and they were now puffed up and warm, stacked on the table in the living room.

"Sure enough, they get warm when you put them in the sun."

Yūri smiled and started stuffing the pillows into the fabric bags one by one. The pillows, now covered with the fabric bags, were carried to each room by the apprentices. Occasionally, if the person was there, they would receive it on the spot.

The pillows in the hideout were filled with straw. They weren't very high, but they were a bit hard. Yūri found them hard, but apparently, they were common in this world. They were not very expensive and were practical. ...Yūri secretly thought that if you threw these pillows, they might even become weapons.

He subtly changed the patterns of the pillowcases for men and women. For the women, he used warm colors and floral patterns. For the men, he used plain, cool colors. For his own, he chose a design that was masculine in color but feminine in pattern, a choice that combined his taste and practicality. He was good at making items that didn't feel out of place even when he used them himself.

"Wow, so cute!"

Leray was hugging and rubbing her cheek against the pillow with the pillowcase, looking very happy. Being of mixed human and cat beast descent, her emotions were very easy to read. If she had ears and a tail, they would have made it even clearer. Leray, with her rich and honest emotional expression, immediately switched to the cute pillowcase Yūri made for her from the plain, white pillows they had before. Simple as that.

Of course, the others also seemed happy in their own ways. The pillows they had before were essentially communal items in the hideout. If they were all aired at once, it would be impossible to tell which pillow belonged to whom. So, having a personal pillowcase was a bit of a treat. There was no deep meaning; it was just nice to have something that was yours. ...And since each design was different, it made it even more special.

"Ah, this is Rihito's, right?"

"Thanks."

"The inside is lined with cotton, so it's soft."

"…Huh?"

Rihito, who received the pillow covered in a black and blue pillowcase from Yūri, took it and thanked him. However, when Yūri casually mentioned that it was lined with cotton, everyone in the room looked at him with a question mark.

Rihito, the oldest at 24, who had previously been a regular adventurer but decided to relearn the basics and joined Arlie, touched the pillow. It was soft. The straw pillows were hard, as they were filled with straw. Poor people couldn't afford fluffy pillows filled with feathers or cotton. They could just take straw from around and replace the filling. That's why the pillows in the hideout were straw pillows. But when he touched his own pillow, it was a bit softer.

"...Yūri, my pillow is soft?"

"Yes. I heard you have trouble falling asleep with a hard pillow."

"Well, I did say that, but that and this..."

"The old lady at the fabric shop gave me some extra cotton, so I sewed it in. So, Rihito's is double-layered."

"Wow..."

Rihito, who couldn't think of anything else to say, just kept patting the pillow. He was the oldest among the trainees at "Scarlet Lynx," at 24. He had originally been a regular adventurer but decided to relearn the basics and joined Arlie. He was a front-line fighter with the jobs of swordsman and spearman.

He was a reliable older brother when he kept quiet. But in reality, he was a rather sensitive and easily hurt older brother. He didn't say he couldn't sleep if the pillow changed, but he had trouble falling asleep with a hard pillow, and the dark circles under his eyes were a trademark. It was quite disappointing.

"Wait! Why only Rihito!?"

"Eh?"

Leray shouted, "That's unfair!" Yūri looked confused, but Leray pointed at Rihito, who was happily using the pillow with the added cotton, and shouted again.

"So, why is Rihito the only one with a custom pillow? That's unfair!"

"Well, you were the only one who said the pillow was too hard to sleep on..."

"Sure, I can sleep, but a softer pillow is definitely better! That's unfair, unfair!"

Leray grabbed Yūri's shoulder and shook him while shouting. Yūri, who was being shaken, looked like he was saying, "What can I do about this?" The others, judging that Yūri might get hurt, pulled Leray away and gave her a little lecture. Tiphana's lecture, with her smile that didn't reach her eyes, was very scary. Very.

"Leray, I understand how you feel. I understand that you want one too. But is it right to shake Yūri around like that?"

"...Yes."

"That child is different from you. He hasn't been trained at all. And yet, you were shaking him with all your might. What if he lost consciousness?"

"No, I didn't use that much strength..."

"You can't think that a human who hasn't trained and a mixed human and beast like you have the same strength, can you?"

"I'm sorry!"

Even though she was smiling, it was very scary. The others subtly looked away. They didn't want to get involved. Probably, the concept of "touch not the unmentionable" applies in this world too. Like, don't touch the tail of a sleeping dragon.

"Anyway, let me hear your thoughts on how it feels to use it."

"Okay."

"Hey, Yūri, I want one with cotton too."

"No cotton or fabric, so it's impossible."

"...That's harsh."

Kuresh pouted, rejected with a smile. He was touching the fluffy pillow with the apprentices, saying, "Rihito is so unfair!" He was technically an adult, but it was best not to mind the details. Probably, he felt like, "Mom always favors my brother!" Everyone felt the same way.

The pillowcases were made to open and close with buttons since zippers didn't exist. While looking at the pillow in the case, and glancing at Rihito's pillow, which looked a bit bigger due to the added cotton, Brook nodded slightly. Frau next to him also had a slight smile on her lips.

The adults thought. After hearing the conversation between Yūri and Kuresh, they thought.

If we buy the materials and ask him, he might make them, right?

They were right. Yūri would even be overjoyed to make them. He loved making things, and being asked to make something by someone was even more exciting. They weren't predicting this, but they judged that Yūri would make them if asked, which showed their calmness.

The young and apprentices didn't think of this because they didn't have the money. They didn't have the confidence to gather the right materials. If asked why Yūri could gather the materials, it was because he had saved money from the free mayonnaise, hair ties, and hairpins he made. It was a patent-like system. Yūri, who received a cheat in this world but didn't use it, instead made money in a different direction, was strong in a certain sense.

"Rihito, let me touch it again!"

"Sure, sure."

"Ugh, so fluffy, I'm so jealous...! I'll definitely buy a fluffy pillow someday!"

Leray was burning with enthusiasm in a different direction. Behind her, declaring with a raised fist, were four other apprentices. Kuresh wasn't among them, but he had taken the pillow from Leray and was enjoying the fluffiness. Compared to the hard straw pillows, just having a fluffy surface made a big difference in comfort. It was very envious.

Arlie and Jake didn't join in the commotion. One of them hardly needed pillows, and the other preferred hard pillows. Still, they seemed to appreciate the pillowcases and looked satisfied with their pillows before heading to their rooms.

Later, Brook, Frau, and even Tiphana would ask Yūri to make pillowcases, with the cost of materials covered by themselves.

Through this, everyone would know that "if you give him the materials, he will make them."

If he can make it, he will make it.

To be honest, if you bring fruit and say, "Make a snack!" he will make it.

I look forward to your comments and feedback.