I heard a similar story about the “fairy” that same day from Sento Isuzu-san, while I was taking a breather after having finished my day’s work. I’d parted ways with my colleagues, and had just ordered a baked fish lunch in the employee cafeteria when I saw her. She had already finished her meal and was enjoying a cup of tea while she fiddled with a laptop; she seemed to be working.
Normally, I’d have sat down in a seat far away from Isuzu-san and limited our interactions to casting her a smile any time our eyes met. But Wanipii-senpai was also present, sitting in his usual seat, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to talk to him today.
It’s not that I don’t get along with Wanipii-senpai... Things were just a little awkward between us. We’d been at a cast drinking party the other day; Wanipii-senpai happened to be sitting at our table, and Salama-san was teasing him, asking him which of the four girls of Elementario was his type. Wanipii-senpai was pretty drunk, and he ended up saying “If I have to name someone” and choosing me. It wasn’t anything that serious; at the time, I just laughed it off as silly small talk.
I respect Wanipii-senpai a lot. It took someone really special to stay in this kind of work for so long, and there’s a lot a reserved person like me could learn from someone like him. But as a romantic partner... well, I’m sorry to say it, but... maybe if I lowered my standards a lot, it wouldn’t be out of the question, but generally speaking, I wouldn’t go for him. After all, he was the kind of person who would spend six figures on his favorite idol, and if he found out she had an overnight partner, he’d valiantly sweep in to defend her honor. He just took it so seriously. I couldn’t take it.
Maybe it’s because I read lots of manga about beautiful characters that people get the wrong idea, but I’m not actually very superficial when it comes to real-life people. Wanipii-senpai was okay for me, looks-wise. It’s just...
I’m sorry. I know it’s the height of arrogance for a plain-looking spirit like me to act picky about men. Forgive me. I’ll watch myself in the future.
Anyway, that night in the cafeteria, I was a little hesitant to sit next to Wanipii-senpai, so I just shot him a nod and moved in Isuzu-san’s direction. I thought it would look like a very natural gesture. Wanipii-senpai would probably think, “Oh, she has to talk to Isuzu-chan? That doesn’t bother me, pii.” He actually just kept his eyes cast downward, skewering the hamburg steak on his plate again and again, but I was sure he understood.
“Kobory. Are you finished for today?” Isuzu-san asked. Her eyes were locked on her screen.
“Yes,” I said. “Are you working, Isuzu-san?”
“Yes, I’m making a want ad. But I’m afraid it’s going poorly... None of the adjustments I make to the design seem to work out,” she sighed. “I wonder why...”
“May I see?” I asked her.
“Yes,” said Isuzu, handing her laptop to me. “I’d appreciate a candid opinion.”
The laptop felt heavy. That was natural, since it was such an old model, but for some reason, Isuzu-san was able to hold it very easily... That strength must have served her well when she was pointing that bulky musket at Moffle-san and the others.
“......” I didn’t know what to say. The want ad’s design was almost completely identical to the one they had used in April. One could say it was a reliable design... One could also say it was boring. They hadn’t even adjusted the copy; ‘If you’ve got what it takes, come join us!!’ and such. It made it sound like they were hiring people for a blue collar bar. “Er, can I ask... What part were you adjusting?”
“Well...” Isuzu-san sounded less than confident “...previously, it said, ‘Come join us if you’ve got what it takes.’ I reversed it to try to make it sound more catchy, and I also added two exclamation points.”
In other words, it went from “Come join us if you’ve got what it takes” to “If you’ve got what it takes, come join us!!” And that was it.
“You... really worked hard on this, then?” I hazarded a guess.
“Yes,” she told me. “But Kanie-kun and Tricen’s reactions were less than favorable. Even though I strengthened the illustration as well...”
“You mean, this image of Mirai-kun’s face?” I asked. There was an illustration of Mirai-kun in the corner of the want ad. He was a veteran member of the fairy cast who looked like a globe with arms and legs. He was a very minor character, who I don’t think many people recognized.
“That’s right,” Isuzu agreed. “I thought about using Lord Moffle, but since this is what we used before...”
Anything but Mirai-kun, I thought. His expression in the illustration looked like he was mocking the reader, too—which was, in fact, a good reflection of his actual personality, but... it didn’t put AmaBri in a good light.
Isuzu-san seemed to be aware of this, too, and I guess that’s why she looked so depressed. She whispered, with a sigh, “I wonder if the fairy will save me again.”
“Fairy?” I asked.
“Ah. Forgive me... I’m just venting,” she admitted. “It was inappropriate.”
“I see,” I said neutrally. “Could you tell me more about that?”
“About what?”
“About the fairy,” I clarified. “Wrenchy-kun-san mentioned it, too. There are apparently rumors going around.”
“Well... it has nothing to do with the advertisement.”
“Right, but you seem to have hit a creative wall,” I pointed out. “Banging your head against it won’t bring out better ideas. You need to get your mind off of it.” To be honest, I wasn’t really very interested in the fairy. I’d just pushed the topic because it sounded like a good way to get her mind off of her problem.