CH 35

On the way back to the academy, Carol told me about a stationery store that sells plant paper notebooks.

But, it was expensive.

Perhaps because they are still making each sheet by hand, the price is tremendous.

This is because one sheet of plant paper is three times thinner than parchment paper, and since it’s thinner than parchment, the price seems fair.

I want it, but I can’t afford it.

“Oh, gosh, it’s too expensive, isn’t it?” I said.

“It’s expensive, but it’s thin and light, so it’s still popular, hence I’m sure it’ll be cheaper in the future,” Carol said.

Yeah, I’m sure in the distant future you can buy it for about 100 dolancs.

Right now, it’s an aggressive price of 10,000 dolancs.

No matter how much I am who I am, I can’t draw BL manga in a million dolanc notebook.

I wonder how much the price will go down by the time I graduate.

I have high hopes for the future.

With that in mind, I left the stationery store.

As I walked with my shoulders down, Carol patted me on the back and comforted me.

Uooohn, Carol~.

“Why are you writing in such a ridiculously expensive notebook, Carol?” I asked.

“I just wanted to try out the usability of plant paper,” Carol said. “It’s light and thin and very easy to read afterward.”

I know, I used it a lot in my previous life.

The brand of choice was Tsubame Note, which does not show through even when written on with a fountain pen.

If you can still write on parchment, you might think that it’s fine, but it’s naive.

Parchment is difficult to carry around, and it’s stored rolled up, like a scroll.

So it’s bulky and hard to read back through it.

Furthermore, since it is not bundled, it is difficult to find one because you could lose something in the shuffle.

Well, better than bamboo strips.

I’m glad I didn’t reincarnate in Ancient China.

Or rather, someone should develop a personal computer, preferably a laptop.

Now that I think about it, we’re just about in Hiyoko-Do’s area.

I say hello to Cliff-nii-chan and buy bread for tomorrow morning.

Carol also bought bread that she hadn’t tried before, perhaps because of the sample bread box’s effect.

If you pass Hiyoko-Do, the school is right there.

I can hear the echoes of the voices of distant students, unique to the atmosphere of after-school.

“It’s just been three days, hasn’t it?” Carol said.

“Hmm, what has?” I asked.

“Ever since I met you, Makoto,” Carol said. “I feel like we’ve been friends for much, much longer.”

“Right?” I said.

She’s an old friend of mine.

Carol from the game, though.

But Carol in action in real life is cuter.

She’s surprisingly mischievous and scary, but Carol is good after all.

I want to brag about my previous life to the million Carol fans all over the country.

I’m friends with the Real-Life Carol.

When I thought about it, I felt an unexpected sense of happiness.

Ufufu.

“What is it, Makoto?” Carol asked.

“No, it’s just that, I’m so happy,” I said.

“Fufufu, you’re so strange, Makoto,” Carol said.

We entered the girls’ dormitory, separated by the stairs, and I went to room 205.

Oh, there’s only Corinna-chan inside.

I wonder if the maid pair are out for work.

“Welcome back,” Corinna said.

“I’m home, Corinna-chan,” I said. “Sorry to get you roped into the faction war.”

“Well, it can’t be helped, it’s not your fault either, Makoto,” Corinna said.

Corinna-chan was flipping something like an abacus made of red pebbles.

“What is that?” I asked.

“An abacus, it’s an aid for mathematical calculations,” Corinna said.

Hmm, I guess it was like an abacus, you put it vertically and distribute the stones to the left and right.

Corinna-chan’s fingers are rhythmically going paku-paku-paku-paku, she flips the stones quite quickly and writes down the result on the parchment.

“So, what are you doing?” I asked.

“I went to Albright-sama’s… rather, Ca-Carol’s room and got the alchemy store’s ledger from the eyepatch maid, and now I’m doing their bookkeeping and accounting,” Corinna said.

“Are you already serving as a yoriko, a capable civil official?” I asked.

“There is no rest in the work of a civil official, you have to be on the move all the time,” Corinna said.

A great civil official looks for work and finishes it before being ordered to.

How wonderful.

“I wonder if I’ll make some tea, Corinna-chan, would you like to drink it too?” I asked.

“If you are, add cookies, too,” Corinna said.

“On it,” I said.

I take the kettle from our room and go to the sink in the hallway.

Before I knew it, a small chair was placed in front of the magic stove.

Someone put it there.

I sit back and wait for the water to boil.

If there is someone who can use Fire magic, I can easily boil water in the room.

Conversely, if there are people who can use Water magic, they can cool drinks.

Thinking about it like this, Light magic is just good for making things bright.

I don’t know what to do with it.

Making glowing toys, maybe?

A toy?

Umm, I’m going to give Light magic to that kind of thing that was delivered under the label of “carriage parts,” and make it shine like this…

Hmm, it doesn’t make any sense.

Children seem to be happy when toys light up on their own.

When I was thinking about stupid things like that, the water boiled.

I go back to our room and make some tea.

I remove the cookies from the chest and arrange them on a plate.

“Tea is ready,” I said.

“Hmm, wait a minute, a little more, yeah, I’m done counting,” Corinna said.

The numbers on the ledger seem to match.

After writing the results on the parchment, Corinna-chan came to the tea table.

Corinna-chan crunches cookies like a squirrel and is, after all, very moe.

The door opened and Karina came in with my uniform.

“Ah, Makoto, you’re back, are you, was Ojou-sama with you?” Karina asked.

“Melissa-san said that she was going to change classes with Yurisha-senpai’s help, they’re at the staff room,” I said.

“I see, I see, here is your uniform, I fixed the buttons and washed it,” Karina said.

“Wow, thank you,” I said. “Huh? But, Anne-san said she’d wash it for me.”

“I begged Anne-san to give it to me because I can only repay you like this,” Karina said as she put my dry uniform on the balcony.

Curtis’s jacket was hung next to my clothes.

It seems that both have been washed.

“You don’t have to worry about repaying the favor,” I said.

“That’s not true, Ojou-sama might have drowned, you saved her life,” Karina said. “And when Appleby-sama said she would make yorikos of House Andrea, Dan’na-sama jumped for joy. It’s all thanks to you.”

“I did no such thing, Yurisha-senpai is the one in charge of yorikos, so I’m not alone,” I said.

Karina-san looked at me and shrugged her shoulders as if to say, “Good grief.”

“You’re the great one here, I’m a person with little faith, and maybe there is a goddess somewhere, but it though I’m just an ordinary human, even without what the people around you and the Temple say, even I can understand that you’re a saint, Makoto. You’re special.”

“N-No, it’s not like that, I’m normal,” I said.

“Isn’t that foolish?” Karina said. “Is it not a saint who will get naked and jump into a pond to save a lady she is not even allied with or likes? Everyone would call a person who can do that a saint, regardless of their magic or backing of the Temple.”

No, let’s stop, I’m easily carried away with things, you know.

I will become so high and mighty.

I’m going to get really smug.

“Well, Makoto isn’t normal, is she?” Corinna said. “If Light magic or something like that comes out at the magic appraisal ceremony, a commoner then meets the king and even becomes a noble herself, she should become arrogant and boast more. Besides, such an eager-to-trust idiot isn’t normal.”

“No doubt,” Karina said.

They both laughed happily.

Geeze, even Corinna-chan, stop using those compliments that I can’t tell if you’re praising me or putting me down.

“My Melissa-ojou-sama is spoiled and selfish, but she really is a good and honest girl underneath,” Karina said. “Please take good care of her. I’m sure she’ll be at ease in your faction, Makoto.”

“Yeah, I think it would be nice if we could get along well,” I said.

Fuu, I’m not used to being praised, so I get embarrassed when I get praised this directly.

There was a knock, so I said go ahead and Anne-san came in.

“Ceverus-sama, I will pass on a message from Caroline-ojou-sama,” Anne said.

“Oh, it’s for me? Okay, okay,” Corinna replied as she cleaned up her abacus.

“Ojou-sama would to give greetings to the Head of House Ceverus for their appointment as a yoriko, so please tell me a convenient date and time to do so,” Anne said.

“Ah, it’s better to do it early, I’m going to go to my parents’ manor now and ask,” Corinna said.

“Thank you very much,” Anne said.

When the faction moves, thank you letters and greetings will occur frequently.

I also have to meet Marilyn Gogol, whom Curtis wants to recruit to the group.

I’m sure she’s a lovely young lady.

After all, she’s named Marilyn.

“Ah, Anne-san, this book has been completed,” Corinna said. “Take it and show it to Carol.”

“Is it already done? That was quick, wasn’t it?” Anne said.

“I just changed the calculation and the notation,” Corinna said.

Anne-san turned over the parchment and confirmed it.

“Certainly, this will make it easier to see and reduce mistakes. Very impressive,” Anne said.

“Since House Ceverus are low-ranking officials of the Royal Capital Sewerage Bureau, you can leave the paperwork to me,” Corinna said.

“Thank you very much, I will show it to Ojou-sama immediately,” Anne said.

House Ceverus sounds like a warrior retainer family with a bite like they were wild wolves, but are they working on the royal capital’s sewers?

Anne-san turned to face me.

“Makoto-sama, please entrust Ojou-sama’s uniform to me.”

“Eh, I can’t do it if haven’t washed it yet,” I said.

“Anne-san, I will wash and deliver it,” Karina interrupted.

“No, that would be too much…” I said.

“It’s okay, you get mochi at a mochi shop, I’ll show you the work of a housemaid,” Karina said.

“Thank you, Karina-san,” I said.

“Don’t thank me, I want to help you, Makoto,” Karina said.

Anne-san smiled softly.

“Well then, I gladly leave it to you,” Anne said.

Hmm, I wonder if housemaids are better at domestic duties than intelligence maids.

I can’t tell the difference, though.

The ways of the maid run deep.