Straw Grandpa and the Giant Bear
After carrying the beaming Jiyoon on my back for about five minutes, we arrived at Maestro's shop, [per l‘Imperatore], faster than expected—mostly because I wasn't matching her steps.
"Whoa... the building's all sparkly..."
The place clearly reflected Maestro's aesthetic sense, and it must have looked dazzling in Jiyoon's eyes. I gently set her down, took her hand, and we stepped inside together.
A neatly dressed woman bowed to us in greeting.
"Thank you for visiting [per l‘Imperatore], esteemed customer."
"Hewwo~ Pretty big sis! I'm Jiyoon~"
Jiyoon bowed back at the staff member with a perfect belly-button bow. That set off another frenzy in my in-earpiece.
...At this rate, I was starting to suspect there was some unofficial fan club for Jiyoon within the Calione family.
...It really exists?
While I was distracted by the chatter from the other organization members in my in-ear, something tugged at my arm. Looking down, I saw Jiyoon staring up at me.
"Oppa~?"
"Yeah?"
"Pretty big sis says to follow her."
"Ah, sorry."
This was getting chaotic... What the hell do these guys do all day if they're not working? What even is Calione? As I pondered that, we arrived at the room.
"Maestro is inside. I hope you have a wonderful time."
The female staff member who had escorted us to Maestro's workshop—the same one I'd visited before—bowed once more and vanished down the hallway.
"Maes-tro? Stro means straw!"
Jiyoon proudly declared her interpretation of "stro." I couldn't help but grin.
"Stro does mean straw, but you can't call the man inside that. He's Papa's friend."
"Straw? Friend? Okay!"
I ruffled her hair a few times, then lightly knocked on the door to Maestro's workshop and turned the handle.
The moment I opened the door, there he was.
"You've arrived, young master. And young lady."
Maestro beamed at us. Jiyoon flashed a mischievous smile and shouted,
"Straw!"
Her cry jogged my memory of something I'd forgotten: Jiyoon was still just a seven-year-old kid. At that age, kids want to do exactly what they're told not to. The silver lining, though...
"Yeees~ I'm Straw Grandpa~ Heh heh heh heh."
...was that her cheekiness was too adorable to call rude. Maestro smiled warmly at her innocent grin.
"Eee hee! Eee hee hee!"
"Hahaha! The young lady has such spirit. Now, fly far away~"
"Straw Grandpa's fun!"
Maestro was completely smitten, scooping Jiyoon up and playing with her. Maybe it was his years as a craftsman in his field, but even just his arms—lifting her effortlessly—showed how meticulously he maintained his physique.
"The Don mentioned it. You're here for the young lady's outfit today."
He kept playing with her while addressing me.
"Yes. Thanks to that, I got to see you again just a day after yesterday."
"Ha ha! Splendid. It means such esteemed guests recognize my skills. Up you go!"
He carefully set Jiyoon down, then knelt to meet her eye level, smiling kindly.
"Pleased to meet you, young lady. I'm Roberto Haber—the grandpa they call Maestro."
"Yeah! Straw Grandpa!"
"Ha ha! Indeed. To you, I'm Straw Grandpa."
He chuckled at her playful jab.
"Now, I'm going to measure things like your height. May I, my lady?"
"My wady...! Yes...!"
"Thank you."
With her consent, Roberto stood and activated his ability. Just like with me, blue measuring tapes materialized in the air, wriggling like living snakes to take Jiyoon's measurements.
"Eee hee! Eee hee hee! Oppa~! This is fun!"
Jiyoon giggled nonstop at the squirming tapes. Soon, they vanished, and Roberto clapped with a grin.
"All done. Thanks to the lady waiting so patiently, it was quick."
...Maybe because she was smaller? It felt way faster than with me.
"Was Jiyoon good?"
"Of course. I've never seen such a well-behaved lady."
"Hee hee hee! Straw Grandpa's a good grandpa!"
"I'm honored by the praise."
He patted her head, then stood and checked the calendar on the wall.
"Since the young lady is petite, the outfit will be ready soon. Of course, I'll prioritize the young master's without delay. We'll contact you once it's done."
He bowed with a smile.
"Thank you for your consideration. Jiyoon, shall we head somewhere else now?"
"Huh? We goin' somewhere else?"
Jiyoon spun around from where she'd been playing in front of the full-length mirror.
"Papa's errand's done, so now we play for fun~?"
"Yay...!"
Her face lit up at the promise of playtime, and she hugged me tight.
"Oppa's the best!"
Maestro watched with a satisfied smile. A bit embarrassing, but... not bad.
We left Maestro's tailoring shop, [per l‘Imperatore], and headed straight to our next stop.
As the team lead said over the in-ear, our next stop was an ordinary family restaurant. Sure, Calione ran one nearby, but it catered to adult tastes—heavy on bars, pubs, and wine-friendly dishes. Not much for kids.
So we'd chosen a plain... well, not plain one. In game terms, it was a hidden gem family restaurant.
"Oppa, oppa! Wook at that!"
Jiyoon, holding my hand obediently, pointed down the street and yelled.
"Gun pew pew!"
There was a shop called 'Survival'—a game center centered on shooting wooden blocks down with toy guns.
"Wanna try it?"
"Nooo... not me, wanna watch oppa do it...! And... the pwize doll too!"
Ah, she wanted the doll—the top prize for marksmanship. The problem?
Awakened individuals may not participate.
The notice on the signboard.
"Eh... you wanna see oppa pew pew?"
"Yes!"
I needed backup. I turned, pressed my in-ear, and murmured,
"Mother bird here. Mother bird here. Request support. Need to buy out the shooting game ahead."
I crouched to meet Jiyoon's eyes, keeping her gaze off elsewhere.
"Jiyoon, your hair's messy here."
I smoothed it naturally, closing her eyes. Then, voices in my in-ear—from the escort team and shop owner.
They handled it flawlessly when it mattered.
"Alright, ready for pew pew?"
"Yes!"
With everything sorted, I stood and glanced at the sign. The notice was gone. Walking over with Jiyoon, a man—grinning awkwardly in owner disguise—spoke up.
"Oh my! What a pretty little lady and handsome young man! Especially the lady—she's so cute, play for free!"
"Yay! Thank you!"
Thrilled at the compliment, Jiyoon gave him a belly-button bow. The in-ear erupted again.
A belly-button bow worth 5 million credits. The escort had earned it. He'd bill it to familia expenses anyway.
"Oppa! Pew pew!"
Jiyoon's sparkling eyes urged me on. She was so excited—I'd go all out.
"Alright, oppa'll win you the biggest doll up there."
"Yes!!"
She nodded trustingly and clasped her hands like in prayer. Her eager sparkle turned to fiery determination. Grinning, I loaded a cork-like bullet into the toy gun.
"You get three shots, young—er, student."
"Got it."
I shouldered the stock, steadied my breath. Knocking them all down in one shot would look coolest to Jiyoon. Focusing every nerve, I aimed where they'd fall and pulled the trigger.
—Pop!
The cork flew weakly, grazed a block, and dropped. No dice.
"Aw, so close!"
"Oppa so cwose!"
Escort and Jiyoon groaned in unison. I'd hit dead-on, but the block didn't budge—probably glued down. Or weighted with rocks or metal inside. Classic arcade trick.
No choice then... I reloaded casually, amped the in-ear, and muttered,
"Sudden issue. Blocks glued. Sniper support requested."
A red dot appeared on the bottom block. Key was the sniper firing the instant my cork hit. As an escort sniper, he'd time it visually easy.
Pulled the trigger.
Cork flew straight.
Whoooosh—Bang!
A brass bullet streaked in, smashing the block.
Clang!
The wooden tower crumbled.
"Wheeee!!"
Jiyoon threw her arms up in awe.
"Oppa's super stwong!"
We'd cleared the blocks, but top prize needed all in one shot. Irrelevant—I'd "rented" the place.
"Congratulations! First place! Here's the giant doll for the lady!"
"Yay! Big Bear!"
It was that familiar character plush—a Big Bear. Jiyoon hugged the half-her-size doll and toddled over, looking up.
"Oppa!"
"Yeah?"
"Jiyoon's so happy today!"
...In this world of endless training and tasks, had I ever seen her smile like this? Her pure joy made me pat her head.
"Wanna come play again next time?"
"Yes!!"
I'd had a blast too.