Chapter 35 – Rina’s Shop (3)
I felt like I had reached my limit.
I’m so useless.
I can’t do what other people can.
Getting too full of myself, I became careless.
And throw away my own reason.
Even though I have no regrets about that choice.
But still….
“Mmh.. can’t reach it. A little more… aah~”
“Ah~h.”
The cloud-shaped candy he bought earlier slowly floated up into the sky. He hadn’t even taken a bite yet. He just missed catching it.
He tried to retrieve it with a hook borrowed from the candy store’s eaves, but his dull-wittedness caused him to fail.
Swoosh… swoosh…
If only I had just asked the store clerk to do it for me instead of trying to show off.
The children around me looked at me with a “you messed up” expression.
If I bought another one now, it would feel like a defeat.
I really wanted to eat it after such a long time.
As he regretfully looked on, a red eagle swooped down and ate it.
“Wanna take a bite?”
A little girl offered him the half-eaten candy with a worried expression, but he weakly shook his head.
“I gave it to the bird on purpose, it’s my pet.”
He didn’t want to accept charity from a child.
“‘Lie!”‘
The boys behind him chimed in.
“Yes, yes, it’s a lie. So what?”
That was one of the reasons why my eyes were glued to it.
####
The cotton candy maker, the daily special product at Rina’s shop.
If only I had this.
With that, I could have all I wanted to eat.
Ugh… it’s pretty expensive, though.
“Oh, Aix-kun! Welcome, Aix-kun! What are you looking at today?”
“Umm, this…”
I hastily hid it behind my back.
“A cotton candy making machine?”
“No, I thought maybe Rina would like it.”
Damn it, I was careless and got caught. This is the second time already in this shop.
I used Rina as a pretext because I was frustrated.
“Hmm. I wonder if it would be more profitable to offer a service rather than sell a machine?”
“I don’t know…”
The aunty didn’t even bother to listen to my words until the end, humming as she disappeared into the back of the store. She’s so carefree.
“Rina~ Aix-kun is here~”
“Aix nii-san! Rina will do her best to serve you.”
Uh…I’m hearing some ominous conversation and want to leave.
But I want to eat cotton candy.
Somehow, I’m saying that. If I go home now, I’ll probably get teased more.
“Where was it again? Hey, Rina, do you know where the crystal clouds are?”
“I don’t know. But we have some strawberry ones?”
I hear the sound of things being searched.
“Well, then let’s go for those. Help me, Rina.”
“No, Lina is busy being fashionable.”
I thought about leaving, but Lina walked out with her ice candy in her little hand.
She handed it to me.
“Here you go, Aix nii-san. Enjoy.”
“Ah. Thank you.”
As I put it in my mouth, the crunchy and cold texture melted with sweetness and spread throughout my mouth.
It’s cold.
The trees in the forest had started to shed their leaves, and before I knew it, the season was about to change.
Rina looked at me with anxious eyes, as if expecting something.
I was about to say something, but stopped myself, remembering the days when my Elven master scolded me for speaking without thinking.
“Look closely,” she said
Got it!
“Rina-chan, you have a beautiful hairpin. It suits you.”
“Hehe,” she giggled.
She occasionally brought up that quiz that women sometimes did. I wonder what it is? The difficulty level seems to be increasing.
“By the way, do you have any Sky Magic Stones?” (Aix)
“I have some. Wait here,” the aunty said, holding a heavy box. Inside were many Sky Magic Stones.
It was getting cold because of the ice candy, so I thought about making something that I lost last year.
She looked at me with hopeful eyes, apparently having enjoyed it during her recent noble life. Hehe.
“What are you doing, Aix-kun?”
“Fire enchantment,” I said, casting a weapon strengthening magic that increased firepower by one for everyone.
I adjusted it by about +0.01.
It glowed slightly red, a fake magical tool. The portable heater was complete.
“What’s this?”
“This will come in handy when it gets cold,” I said, and the aunty touched it hesitantly.
“Wow, it’s warm. This will be amazing in winter, Aix-kun! Thank you! How can I repay you?”
“Aix-nii is amazing, right?” Rina said.
“That’s enough for this,” I said, grabbing a handful of Sky Magic Stones.
“But if you receive something like this, it might not be enough. How about paying with my body? Only for Aix-kun, though. A special service.” she said jokingly.
“Hey! Aix nii-san belongs to Rina–“
Even though she didn’t mean it, she was trying to appeal while rubbing her ample chest. I didn’t like her lightheartedness when she’d probably say “okay” if I really asked her. Rina pulled the aunty along forcefully.
“Excuse me!”
“Welcome. Please take a look around first.”
It seemed that other customers had arrived.
It was delicious.
I think the ice-candy is almost finished.
The spoon made a clanging sound as it hit the bowl.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Please come again. Aix-kun!”
“Aix-nii, see you later!”
Feeling satisfied, I started to head home.
Looking up at the clouds playing in the sky.
My cloud candy disappeared into the sky.
“Hot.”
I didn’t have any money, but my pocket was warm.
I might have been too eager to jump the gun on the season.
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