Chapter 36
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Chapter 36 "You look like a dog."
"...."
Everyone except Karha fell silent for a moment. It was somewhat.... True enough, but still a bit awkward. Perhaps it was the tone of voice. Still, it seemed I hadn't been discovered. As Chesa breathed a sigh of relief, Ishuel let out a deep exhale.
"Please."
"But you do look like our house dog."
"That may be true, but it sounds odd to others, so please just stay quiet."
"Okay."
Having silenced the twin brothers with harsh words, Ishuel pushed him aside and approached Hata. Ishuel's face was filled with a gentle smile. He was delighted by the hats displayed in the Hat Shop.
"Your craftsmanship is excellent."
"Th-thank you."
Hata stammered nervously. Her eyes darted about, unable to meet Ishuel's gaze directly. I had safely passed the first crisis: 'not being discovered by Karha'. But now the second crisis had arrived. It was 'not showing joy at seeing Chesa'. Hata struggled to avoid making eye contact with Chesa, who was nestled in Ishuel's arms. I was grateful that my ears and tail were hidden. If my tail had been visible, it surely would have wagged frantically without restraint. While Hata did her best to maintain composure, Ishuel asked gently with a smile.
"Do you happen to have any gentlemen's top hats for adult men and boys, and perhaps some hats or accessories suitable for this little one?"
Ishuel first pulled back his own hood, then followed by pulling back Chesa's hood as well. The moment I saw Chesa revealed, I couldn't help myself. Hata covered her mouth with her hand and murmured.
"She's so adorable...."
At the sincere tone of voice, Ishuel's expression became smug. Strangely, whenever Chesa received praise, the twin brothers seemed just as pleased as if they themselves had been complimented. 'I don't understand why they do that.' While Chesa wondered about this internally, Hata eagerly brought out the hats she had made.
"I have plenty of hats for babies! And hair accessories too!"
Besides the ones she had recently made on commission from the Costume Shop, Hata had diligently prepared hats for baby Chesa long beforehand. Having risen early to disappear and tidy up the shop, she had carefully refurbished the hats and accessories she had previously made, so there were many products to display. In an instant, about a dozen hats and hair accessories were laid out in a row on the counter. They were all perfectly tailored to suit Chesa. Ishuel's eyes began to sparkle with delight.
"Let's buy them all!"
Ishuel held up a ribbon decoration and placed it against Chesa's hair to see how it looked.
"Truly magnificent.... Far superior to the renowned artisans of the Capital, wouldn't you say? No, there's simply no comparison."
As he lavished praise upon her, the corners of Hata's mouth gradually curved upward. To avoid appearing overly pleased, Hata even cleared her throat before speaking with deliberate composure.
"Ahem, I'm delighted you approve. I shall fetch the hats I've prepared for you and the young masters as well."
Yet her retreating figure toward the Workshop already radiated unmistakable excitement. When Ishuel beheld the hats Hata returned with, his face became as radiant as spring blossoms. His tone grew as gentle as a soft breeze.
"I'll take all of these too. What about wide-brimmed hats? I want one for myself. Among those displayed outside, these two catch my eye. Do you have any other recommendations?"
Hata, having already spent time at the Basilian Mansion, had come to understand his preferences well. As expected, she had selected only those pieces that would appeal to Ishuel's taste.
"Perfect...!"
Ishuel had fallen in love with Hata's hats. It was as he tried on one hat with flushed cheeks and asked Chesa for her opinion that— "By the way, proprietor."
Karha, who had been idling about while examining the shop, approached casually. He posed his question bluntly.
"Do you make potions at a hat shop?"
"Pardon?"
Hata's eyes widened in surprise. Seeing Hata's spirits deflate instantly, Karha tilted his head quizzically.
"Well.... I happened to see something about a baby fairy or something like that before."
"That is, I'm not entirely certain what you mean...."
"Ah, I wasn't looking intentionally. I just happened to catch a glimpse of the back room."
Hata, unprepared for the topic of potions, began to perspire nervously and grew flustered. It seemed she needed to redirect Karha's attention elsewhere. But Chesa had no need to intervene. There was someone who would protect Hata of their own accord.
"Why does that even matter!"
Ishuel trembled with indignation and cut off Karha's words.
"Why are you looking for a baby fairy? She's right here!"
Ishuel thrust Chesa forward before Karha and cried out forcefully.
"Stop bothering the proprietor with pointless remarks! She needs to keep making hats!"
"Uh, well...."
Ishuel was already of one mind with Hata. Karha fell silent under the force of Ishuel's passionate outburst. Having safely weathered the crisis, Hata gazed at Ishuel with eyes full of affection. Karha might not realize it, but at the very least, Ishuel and Hata seemed destined to get along splendidly from this point forward. As I navigated through the series of events, my thoughts crystallized into certainty. 'So that day, Karha really did come to the Hat Shop to investigate something.' There would be no other reason for him to have ventured into the Laboratory hidden in the deepest recesses. While I was turning over Karha's actions in my mind, Ishuel finished his hat purchases. It was such an enormous acquisition that one could exaggerate and say he'd bought the entire shop outright. Now wealthy, Hata accepted Ishuel's check while casting a sidelong glance in my direction. A nod. I gave an imperceptible nod in return. Hata drew in a breath. And then executed the task I had assigned.
"By the way, are you perhaps not interested in clothing?"
"Clothing?"
"There's a Dressmaking Establishment that sells garments that pair beautifully with the hats Hata creates."
Hata fell silent for a moment. It seemed difficult for him to praise Miya's Dressmaking Establishment—the very place he despised most. Originally, Hata was the sort of puppy who wouldn't even spit in the direction of Miya's Dressmaking Establishment. But since I had ordered it, he gritted his teeth and ultimately succeeded.
"If you'd like, I'd be happy to show you the way!"
As expected, Ishuel showed interest. He fixed Karha with eyes brimming with anticipation. There was no one in the world who could refuse Ishuel at a moment like this. Karha, lounging in a chair tucked away in the corner with a bored yawn, asked through half-lidded eyes.
"Go there?"
"Yes!"
"Fine, let's go... If I don't, you'll kill me anyway..."
Even as Karha uttered his curses plainly, Ishuel grinned from ear to ear. He was in an exceptionally good mood. Having successfully guided them toward Miya's Dressmaking Establishment, I clenched one fist tightly. 'Excellent, everything's proceeding smoothly.' But if matters always unfolded so smoothly... The Underworld wouldn't be the Underworld for nothing. Guided by Hata to their destination, the twins let out brief exclamations of wonder.
"Oh."
"Wow."
Karha and Ishuel each uttered different expressions of admiration as they gazed upon Miya's Dressmaking Establishment. Miya's Dressmaking Establishment possessed the unmistakable appearance of a true Underworld Shop. Windows fitted with iron bars. Walls adorned with scissors and massive needle-shaped iron ornaments and such. The enormous door was fashioned from thick iron, and...
"Why is the door handle like this?"
A small hand axe had been embedded into the door handle. Ishuel murmured in bewilderment as he gazed at the smiling face drawn on the iron door. Then his eyes drifted upward to the signboard. 【Miya's Costume Shop】 The signboard was equally chaotic. The jagged lettering combined with wavy decorative marks created absolute pandemonium. The most striking feature, however, was the carriage perched atop the shop's roof. A black carriage decorated with a skull motif and the letters spelling "Miya" painted in massive characters had been placed on the roof as ornamentation. 'Why on earth would she put that up there?' No matter how many times I saw it, I could never grow accustomed to such peculiar taste. In truth, Chesa had long since resigned herself to it, but arriving with first-time visitors made me feel embarrassed anew. 'I just hope she hasn't done anything too strange.' Chesa harbored this modest wish in her heart. But Chesa's wish would not be granted. The moment I stepped inside the Costume Shop, my face flushed crimson.
"Hoo. Hoo. Hoo. Hooot."
Accompanied by that strange laughter, Miya appeared with an absurd hand gesture.
"The arrival of little aristocrats to the Underworld Dressmaking Establishment...."
She made a growling sound while baring her teeth menacingly.
"These naive children must learn to fear the Underworld, meow!"
She even wore claw weapons on her hands. Miya clacked the sharp claw-shaped weapons together and burst into high-pitched laughter.
"Hehehehe! The soft, tender flesh of young noble lords is nothing but a snack for us Underworld denizens, meow!"
She struck a pose like a villainous boss and shouted.
"Know that you are already dead, meow!"
It was a truly dreadful sight that was almost unbearable to witness....
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