“Have a nice day! I’ll enjoy going around the neighborhood with Wridra,” Marie replied.
She beckoned me closer with her finger, and I panicked slightly. I didn’t think she would want to do this in front of Wridra, but Marie pursed her lips, and I couldn’t argue. I crouched lower, and she gave me a goodbye kiss on the cheek.
I thought I saw Wridra mouth the word “die” with a smile, but I hoped I had just imagined it. It appeared that she considered this forgivable, as she waved goodbye with Marie before I headed out to work.
The thought of those two going out together once worried me, but I knew they’d be fine now. I was looking forward to finding out about the discoveries they would make together in this quiet neighborhood.
I walked toward the elevator, hoping they would have stories for me when I got back.
Once it got warm later in the day, they would lock the door and head out for their walk. I tightened my tie, excited to return home as soon as possible.
§
The elf and dragon seemed like a strange pair at first glance, but it felt completely natural for them. They thought of each other like sisters and could find joy in the most insignificant things together. The dragon even seemed a bit—no, greatly—amused when she was just pressing the elevator button.
“Ah... I cannot push this button as a cat, so this is quite satisfying,” she said.
“But you can press the button on the remote. You know, I’ve never heard of a cat that watches Japanese period dramas all the time,” Marie replied.
“They are truly remarkable. You can judge the director’s skills through the sword fights, and there is a sense of wabi-sabi to them. Ah, here it is.”
The elevator door opened, and they entered and descended to the lower floor. Wridra went on about why period dramas were so great but failed to pique Marie’s interest.
When the door opened, an autumn sky awaited them. The sun was shining high above, but the wind felt chilly against the skin. Both looked up at the clouds in the sky like plumes of smoke, then exhaled in unison.
“The air is so clean, and the sky seems more vast than usual. It’s harvest season this time of year, isn’t it? Maybe we could do some sort of celebratory festival on the second floor,” Marie suggested.
“Hm, I can already imagine the lizardmen going mad with excitement,” Wridra said.
A festival did sound enticing. Wridra thought about how fun it would be to have a day of delicious-smelling food stalls, drinking, and dancing.
“I shall give it a fair consideration. It is good to change things up every once in a while. I know such celebrations can enrich our daily lives.”
It had been a spontaneous suggestion, but Wridra appeared quite eager to do it.
Every world had its annual events. This would be a celebration of successfully reaching another milestone and giving thanks for a bountiful harvest. The two agreed it’d be a good opportunity to look back on the past year and nodded at each other. They walked along an empty street, enjoying the somewhat productive conversation.
“What should we do? The common ones are harvest festivals and New Year’s... Oh, it would make sense to celebrate the creation of the second floor hall,” Marie suggested.
“That would indeed be the most relevant for us. Hm, that just reminded me that something crucial is missing in our manor.”
Marie blinked. They had started walking toward the shopping district before they knew it, and they saw various shops opening their shutters.
The shopping district retained a downtown flavor, and there would likely be cats hanging out here once it got warmer. One would need to be careful walking around with dango in hand, as they could get surrounded by a mob of hungry cats.
“Something crucial? Hmm, what could it be...? The building is already done, and the lake site is being prepared as we speak. The Japanese garden is pretty much finished, so I can’t imagine what else is missing,” Marie pondered aloud.
“It is something much more simple,” Wridra replied. “In fact, we can see it all over this shopping district.”
Marie groaned and tilted her head in thought. What could it be? There were apparel stores, cafés, and children’s shops in a row. She thought Wridra was talking about some sort of sweets shop, but those weren’t “all over” the shopping district like the Arkdragon had said.
“Hmm... Can we see it right now?” she asked.
“Of course. There are so many of them, in fact, that you could not count them all. You might even say it is something the shops value above all else. Now, you have ten seconds to figure it out.”
Marie made a panicked squeal, then put serious consideration into it. However, the manor and shopping district were so different that she couldn’t find the similarities. Instead, she focused on the hint that it was something the shops valued most. As she stared at an aged shop, one thing came into focus.
“The sign...with the shop’s name on it... I know, we’re missing a name for our manor!”
“Hah, hah, correct. Without a name for the manor, we would be celebrating a nameless milestone. We will, of course, need Shirley and Kitase present when we decide on one.”
With that, Wridra pointed at a shop. Marie looked up and found the words “Tajima Model Shop” in black letters on yellow plastic.
“Team Diamond’s manor is called the manor of black roses, isn’t it? Distinctive names like that are easy to remember,” she said.
She thought Wridra would agree with “Exactly,” but the Arkdragon remained silent. Curious, Marie turned to her, then noticed she was staring intently at something in the shop ahead.
It was like a vending machine but much smaller. There was a slot to insert hundred-yen coins, with a handle on the front that could be spun around. There were transparent balls called capsule toys stuffed in the machine, which had drawn the Arkdragon’s interest. Wridra gestured that she wanted to try it once, which Marie shot down, and she made a sulking expression that ruined her pretty face.
Marie was in charge of handling money in this world. Even though Wridra didn’t have authority to overturn her judgment, she wasn’t about to back down.
“Consider it a part of social studies...” she said.
“If you buy a toy, that’s going to take away from your snack budget. Is that fine?” Marie asked.
Silence.
It seemed there was no bargaining with the elf girl. Such a pity, but when the options were between sweets and capsule toys with unknown contents, the answer was obvious.
“Hm, then I suppose I should stick with sweets,” Wridra conceded. “So, what is being sold in this store? They seem to have many cardboard boxes inside.”
“I’m not sure. Kazuhiro-san has never visited a place like this,” Marie replied.
She peeked into the building and saw the dimly lit interior with square boxes piled high to the ceiling. After living in Japan for half a year, Marie could generally figure out what sorts of merchandise stores handled, but she had difficulty knowing what this one had, no matter how much she squinted through the glass.
It had an old-fashioned vibe befitting the downtown atmosphere that starkly contrasted the colorful boxes, which spurred the duo’s curiosity. The dragon and elf opened the glass door as if drawn to it.
“Excuse me... Whoa, so many boxes!”
The walls and shelves were buried in boxes big and small. Meanwhile, the interior smelled like a faint mixture of plastic and dust. Unfamiliar ships, fighter jets, and stumpy robots were illustrated on the boxes, leaving the two in a state of wordless confusion.
“Wel...come.” A white-haired old man greeted them, but when he opened his eyes, he went to the back of the shop as if he had just remembered something. Marie and Wridra exchanged looks and waited. The old man put his glasses on, then returned with an old book in hand.
“Ah... I canto speeku...” he said in broken English.
“Hello, what do you sell here?” Marie asked in Japanese.
The old man blinked, then put his now-useless book down. The cover read, “English Conversations Anyone Can Do.” But judging by his earlier attempt, it didn’t seem to be very effective.
“Oh, you surprised me. You speak Japanese so well. Can your friend speak it too?” the man asked.
“Of course I can. I have been living in Japan for half a year now,” Wridra responded.
The man’s wrinkled eyes opened wide, impressed. He then brought over some folding chairs and gestured for the two to sit down. There was an open space in the back of the store, which might have been used to chat with customers. The two sat down as prompted, and Marie admired the room’s calm atmosphere.
The man chuckled, pleased by his unexpected guests.
“Come to think of it, I’ve heard of a girl as cute as a fairy walking around these parts. They must have been talking about you, miss...”
“My name’s Mariabelle, sir. And this is my friend Wridra.”
Wridra smiled, though she had her attention on the unreliable-looking foldable chair. The old man had a welcoming air about him.
“There’s something very special about you two young ladies, like you came straight from the cover of a picture book. I’m happy you decided to visit this old store of mine.”
Wridra chuckled and looked amused that the man had called her a “young lady.” She couldn’t blame him, though, as no one could have guessed she had been alive for a thousand years.
The old man looked up at the ceiling as if he had just remembered something.
“Ah, you wanted to know what I sell here.”
He muttered that a non-Japanese person might not know about it, then picked up a nearby box. After he placed it on the table, the duo’s pale-purple and obsidian eyes peered at it. The box was slowly opened to reveal some inexplicable objects inside.