“You know, you’ve really come a long way in such a short time. At this rate, you should be fine being in charge of your own clients,” Garfiel said as he leaned forward, bringing his face to Winry’s level. “Right now, we’ve got a twelve-year-old boy in the shop. You mentioned having made automail for a boy around that age, no? This is a great opportunity. Would you like to manage his case?”
“Me? Manage? Are you sure?”
Winry was surprised by the unexpected offer, and also a little uncertain. As an automail mechanic, she was pleased by the prospect of overseeing a client and personally handling their case from the design to the creation of the automail. At the same time, she had been told at the start of her apprenticeship that she would be doing nothing but drafting, maintenance, and repairs for a while.
Noticing her hesitancy, Garfiel’s face suddenly broke out into a kind smile.
“It would have been stressful for you to manage a client before getting used to your surroundings and tools, but you’ve completely mastered my tools now, and you’ve gained quite a bit of knowledge too. You’ll be fine.”
“Mr. Garfiel …”
Winry realized that Garfiel had been looking out for her to ensure that she wouldn’t push herself or fail to take care of her own health after arriving in Rush Valley. She felt a belated swell of gratitude at his laid-back watchfulness for her well-being.
“Of course, in the end it’s up to you. What do you say?” he asked.
When he raised his eyebrows teasingly, Winry realized that she hadn’t accepted his offer yet and hastily raised her hand.
“Yes, I’ll do my best! Please let me do it!” Winry stood up so suddenly that her chair clattered, and Garfiel nodded, satisfied.
“Your constant enthusiasm is one of your loveliest charms. The boy I’m entrusting to you is over there. Good luck.”
Looking where Garfiel had directed, Winry saw a group of waiting adult clients and a noticeably younger boy sitting among them. This boy was to be the first client that Winry would manage at Rush Valley.
Reining in her joy and excitement, Winry dusted off the metal shavings that still clung to her person. She prepared one of the blank charts they used for brand-new customers, straightened herself, and then approached the boy.
“Hello there!” Winry called out, even more cheerfully than usual. The boy was sitting, his head tilted downward. He looked slightly annoyed as he raised his head.
“Wait a sec,” Winry said. He looked slightly familiar.
The same thought apparently crossed the boy’s mind. His brows furrowed as though he were trying to remember something. They simultaneously reached the same conclusion.
“We’ve met before.”
She knew that black hair, cropped short. His dark eyes, veiled with gloom. He was on the smaller side, and he wore a white T-shirt with green knee-length shorts. It was the boy Winry had collided with on the first day of her apprenticeship. He had been looking for a prosthetics shop then, and it appeared he had yet to find one.
The boy was accompanied by his mother. The girl who had been sleeping on the mother’s back the last time Winry saw them was awake today and standing on her own, her brother’s crutch gripped firmly in her hand.
“Hello. I’m Karen Harling.” Karen, the mother, bowed her head. Her brown, shoulder-length hair bobbed with the movement. “I’m terribly sorry about the other day. I see you’re a mechanic.”
“Yes, I am. I apologize for the other day as well. Am I correct in assuming that you’re here today to make an automail order for your son?”
“Yes, we’re looking to get custom-made automail for my son’s right leg, but, ah, he …” Karen turned her tawny eyes to the silent boy, but he didn’t notice, as he was once again staring at his own feet. “I’m sorry. His name is Darish. Thank you for meeting with him.”
At the sound of Karen introducing him, Darish hastily raised his head. Apparently it wasn’t that he wasn’t paying attention—he had just been lost in thought.
Winry didn’t let his attitude bother her, and she bent at the waist and extended her hand. “I’m Winry. I’m the mechanic in charge of your automail. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
But Darish only glanced at her hand and didn’t take it.
“It’s not like we’ve decided on this place,” he said coldly, turning his face away from the hand presented to him.
“Darish!” Karen’s voice held reproach this time.
Winry, however, simply smiled at Darish and withdrew her hand. “That’s all right. You haven’t put in a formal request yet, after all. I’ll take your measurements to start, give you a quote, then draw up some blueprints for your plates. Then you can make a decision.”
After all, there were many businesses in Rush Valley. Clients were free to choose which places to patronize. All Winry could do was give it her best.
“For now, I’m going to take your measurements, all right?” Winry said as she pulled a tape measure out of her pocket and knelt at Darish’s feet. Doing that brought her exactly to eye level with the girl standing nearby who was holding the crutch. Their eyes met.
Surrounded by unfamiliar people and tools, the girl’s eyes were wide, and Winry felt as though she were being sucked into the pupils’ dark depths. The girl’s black hair curved gently around her shoulders, and a white bow perched atop her head. She wore a sky-blue dress embroidered with small flowers along the hem that were to a little girl’s taste.
The crutch was about as tall as she was, and threatened to topple her over, yet the girl hugged it to herself with both arms. Winry paused, her hands still extended and holding the tape measure. She gave the girl a smile.
“Hello. What’s your name?”
The girl, who up till now had been excluded, immediately perked up upon being spoken to. Her face lit up with a smile as she enthusiastically answered. “Lettie!”
“Little Lettie, is it? And how old are you?”
“I’m six! I’m a grown-up,” the girl said, apparently displeased at being spoken to like a small child. Her petite mouth scrunched into an adorable pout.
“Can you hold on to that crutch while I speak with your mother and brother?”
“Uh-huh. I sure can!”
Holding a large, heavy crutch for an extended time should have been tough on the six-year-old, but Lettie apparently believed that doing so was her duty to her brother. She hugged it even closer. Winry wasn’t the only one who couldn’t hold in a smile at the sight of the girl’s adorable bravery, and chuckles escaped from other clients waiting nearby.