141. The Stormy Transfer Student (5)
141. The Stormy Transfer Student (5)
"Huh? What's going on?"
I grabbed Sif, who was hauling a cart through the underground tunnel beneath the workshop, and hurriedly listed the items I needed her to buy. Sif eyed me strangely at the materials I'd named.
"What's the occasion? You, ordering stuff like that?"
"I've a use for them. Buy them as quickly as possible. Use the black market if necessary—"
I handed the money-loving cat girl a coin pouch I'd prepared in advance. When I gave her an entire pouch of gold coins, Sif stared in shock and opened it.
"H-how much is all this...?"
"This is extremely important, so you bear a great deal of responsibility. Understood?"
"No, no, no, no, no, no... You're giving me this much money? What if I embezzle it?"
The girl who was always obsessed with money was losing her mind now that I'd handed her so much of it.
"These are items the Saintess will use. You get what that means, right?"
At those words, Sif nodded vigorously. She wouldn't have the nerve to steal money connected to the Saintess. It wasn't as though I didn't know where her younger sisters lived, either.
"Got it. Got it. I was just joking."
Since Karina would use these items, I needed the finest materials available. If I used something cheap and it irritated her skin, Reni might give me a piercing glare that very day—or punch me in the face.
I didn't have an enormous amount of cash on hand, but I planned to begin selling prosthetic arms officially soon, so I'd have ample capital before long. I had no intention of economizing. If I was going to spend, I might as well spend freely.
"...Ah. Well, that makes sense. I thought you'd suddenly gotten into fashion or something."
"Good. How long will it take?"
"Uh... if I enter the black market right now, morning at the earliest?"
That wasn't bad. If she took too long, I'd planned to go with her and buy it quickly.
"Go straight there and back."
"What's the pay?"
"Five gold coins."
"Oh, that's pretty generous? But I've never bought expensive materials like that, so I might not be able to pick out the really good stuff, you know? You won't cut my pay if I come back with something a little subpar, right?"
"Fine. Just make sure you bring back good materials, and get plenty of them."
"Just leave it to me—"
Sif immediately grabbed the cart and raced off at the same speed she'd arrived. I glanced at the goods she'd piled to one side and began carrying them into the workshop one by one.
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"Eh, you're not coming with us today?"
"I've got work to do."
"Aww. I wanted to go with you..."
Millia seemed deeply disappointed that I was taking the day off and looked up at me with lingering regret. Elisa beside her also appeared disappointed, but neither tried to stop me. They both knew why I wasn't going on escort duty that day.
"Th-then, g-good luck with your work..."
"Yohan. I'll be back."
"See you in the evening."
Karina gave a listless farewell, and the three of them, including Reni, disappeared beyond Dawn Hall's main gate. I watched the closed gate for a moment, then turned toward the workshop. Sif had arrived ahead of me and was stacking various fabrics and silks in one corner.
"Oh? You're here?"
"Yeah. Hmm..."
Honestly, I'd never worked with silk, so some trial and error was inevitable. Still, I had sewn clothes scavenged on the uninhabited island before, even if all I had done was tear off scraps of cloth and patch garments.
Experience was still experience.
"This much should be enough."
From the slender pouch Sif handed me, I pulled out five gold coins and placed them on her small palm.
"Gold coins, gold coins~"
Apparently intent on confirming that the coins were genuine, Sif held one up to the sunlight filtering through the barred window. It glittered in her hand and scattered golden light.
"Gold coins really are pretty."
"I see."
"This is why rich people..."
Why was she glaring at me? I considered bringing my fist down on the crown of her head, then lowered my hand. I couldn't hit her every time she said something like that. If I had, Sif would have had a V-shaped groove in her skull by now.
"Y-you were thinking something weird just now, weren't you?"
"Not at all."
"I just felt a chill run down my spine..."
"Must be your imagination."
"R-really?"
Sif knew perfectly well that a mere employee couldn't interrogate her employer, so she reluctantly pretended to accept my answer. I gave her a sidelong look and began sorting the fabrics.
I set aside any fabric with flaws or other visible problems, then felt the edges to check the texture. The work itself wasn't difficult, but the sheer variety meant it took more than an hour.
Once the sorting was done, I spoke to Sif, who for some reason hadn't left and was watching me work.
"Why are you still here?"
"Hmm, I thought there might be another chance to earn some money."
Where had she sniffed out the scent of money? As if in answer to my questioning gaze, Sif pointed a finger at the fabrics.
"I know my way around a needle and thread, you know. How about it?"
"Hmm..."
"Believe it or not, I once made a living doing sewing piecework. I survived on that for about three years, so I'll be better than nothing, right? Besides, you don't care much about design, Yohan."
"I do care, though."
"The things you've made so far don't really seem like they prioritized design—"
"Simple is best. Don't you know that?"
"What language was that?"
She didn't get it? I wasn't sure whether English wasn't being translated or something else was wrong, but Sif didn't seem to understand. Come to think of it, had I really never used any loanwords before? If I got the chance, it might be worth testing later.
After all, figuring out the Traits and Skills in my Status Window was important.
Though I'd have to put it off for now.
"Never mind, then."
"You're no fun... Anyway, it's an accessory for a woman. Don't you think you need a woman's input?"
Sif sidled up to me and looked up with sparkling eyes. It was the look she wore whenever she found a way to make money.
Even while looking up at me, she kept glancing at the pouch of gold coins on the table. She must have been desperate for extra income.
I'd originally planned to ask Ashley... but perhaps I could hire Sif instead.
I was curious what three years of sewing experience amounted to, and if I made something Karina would wear look shabby, there'd be an uproar. Sif was right that another woman's advice would help, so I agreed without hesitation to pay her more.
"Fine. I'll pay you extra, so help me make the veil."
"Heh heh, just leave it to me!"
Sif's tail swayed happily at the prospect of additional pay.
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The veil.
"Yohan, how many more are you planning to make?"
"Until a good one comes out."
I'd never made a veil before, so endless trial and error was inevitable.
What color was best, how long it should be, how comfortable it felt, what fabric would allow the wearer to see clearly, what the design should be...
There was no shortage of problems, so I repeatedly placed veils on Sif's head and checked each one. Anything that seemed promising went to the left, while the obvious failures piled up on the right.
We'd been doing that simple task for four hours.
"This one's not bad. If you make the stitching a little tighter, I think it could work."
"Put it on the left."
"This one... hmm, isn't it a bit off? It doesn't feel like a veil, it feels like the bag they put over a condemned prisoner's head before they hang them. Are you sure this is a veil?"
"The right."
"This one's material is a bit scratchy—"
"The right."
"Uh... this one looks like an executioner could wear it?"
"The right."
Even while sorting, my hands never stopped. I had to constantly make veils and submit them for Sif's inspection. After lunch, some of the maids were also scheduled to help with the work.
"Yohan, how about we eat first and continue afterward?"
Was it already that time? I turned my head for the first time in hours to look out the window. Since the sunlight wasn't slanted, it seemed to be just about noon. I quietly placed the veil I was working on onto the workbench and stretched.
Quick-witted as ever, Sif gathered the scraps and shoved anything too difficult to reuse into the incinerator I'd built earlier. After repeating the process several times, the cluttered workshop became somewhat tidy.
"Food at last, food~"
"You must have been pretty hungry."
"Of course. I barely filled my stomach with yesterday's leftover bread for breakfast."
"With the money you've saved up so far, you could easily buy a decent breakfast and come in—"
"They say once your spending habits balloon, it's hard to rein them back in."
It was difficult to believe those words had come from the money-obsessed Sif.
"I see."
"There's no knowing how long I can keep this job... and I need to save an enormous amount to achieve my goal."
"Goal?"
That was the first I'd heard of it.
"Hm~ if you want to know, how about one extra gold coin?"
"Forget it."
"Tch."
Sif looked genuinely disappointed, but I had no intention of pressing her. For some reason, I felt that once I heard it, there would be no turning back.
The problems already piled up were as tall as a mountain, and I didn't want to add one more on top of them.
"...They said lunch today is chicken steak."
"Oh."
I changed the subject a little awkwardly and opened the workshop door. As if nothing had happened, Sif also started humming a tune and followed behind me.
After lunch, we would return and resume work.
I closed the workshop door.