C 55
"Sister, you came."
"Oh? Yes, I'm here... I thought you were eating with me, but was I mistaken?"
Sharnae felt her joy diminish a bit.
"Well, obviously we hadn't arranged to eat alone together, but..."
Having said that, I didn't even think he'd come accompanied by Vienna sausages.
Sharnae looked at Erno Etham and his two cousins, then slid into a chair next to Eirin and sat down.
"Cousin, why are you pulling a chair here with an empty seat over there?"
Callan Etham, feeling uncomfortable about it, clenched his jaw and confronted Sharnae, who had come between him and Eirin.
"Because my Eirin likes me. Isn't that right?"
"Yes, ... I like you!"
Eirin rolled her eyes once, as if embarrassed, and then responded with a wide smile.
"Ah, Eirin. You're my cure..."
Sharnae hugged Eirin and said.
As soon as she arrived here, the somewhat sad feeling in her heart disappeared like melting snow.
Sharnae widened her eyes when she saw the black stuffed tiger in her cousin's arms.
"Is that the stuffed tiger from back then?"
"Yes, Dad was taking care of it."
"You only got one?"
"Yes!"
Sharnae looked at Erno Etham.
His gaze, which had been resting on the boy with his chin in his hand, slowly moved to Sharnae. He smiled.
"After Eirin disappeared, he made several stuffed tigers and put them on the desk..."
Erno Etham, acting like a person missing a screw, seemed very stable.
"Something is strange... ..."
Of course, it is true that Sharnae loves and likes cute and charming girls very much, but she was especially attracted to Eirin.
"As if someone is forcing her..."
As if this were a predetermined destiny.
It's not that she hates it.
Surprisingly, it's true.
No one would have thought she would go crazy if the girl she was looking at with curiosity disappeared.
"Sister...?"
Eirin shook her head and leaned it. Sharnae closed her eyes and hugged Eirin.
"It's forced or something, as long as it's cute."
To be honest, anyone could see that she was a lovely girl. Because she was honest, cute, and even mysterious.
"Why, Eirin?"
"Do you like orange juice or grape juice?"
"I like both! Which one do you like more, Eirin?"
"Hmm... orange!"
"Then, your sister will have orange juice too."
I smiled and tried to touch the girl's cheek, but Eirin suddenly floated in the air.
"Eirin, you have something on your cheek."
Erno Etham, who dared to sit Eirin on his lap, ran his fingers over Eirin's chubby cheeks as if showing off.
"......"
"Really?"
"Yes, I'm fine now."
Erno Etham began to feed the girl.
"...Uncle, Eirin can eat by herself."
"I know."
"What?"
"I just want to feed her."
Sharnae clenched her fists and trembled at the unfortunate words that came out with a bright smile.
In the end, Sharnae had no choice but to start eating while watching Eirin open her mouth like a little bird.
"Eirin."
"Yes?"
"Tomorrow! Let's! Have! Fun! Together!"
Sharnae spoke forcefully, emphasizing each word.
"...Tomorrow?"
Erno Etham's expression, who was listening, turned completely dark.
Sharnae smiled and gently kissed Eirin on the cheek, and Eirin lowered her head, her face flushed.
"Goodnight, Erin."
"Yes, sister, goodbye..."
Sharnae turned around triumphantly.
"Daughter, tomorrow... Where are you going?"
Sharnae laughed at the slightly nervous voice she heard from behind.
"Oh, the sample I ordered earlier must have arrived, so I'll have to display it at the market."
Previously, she urgently requested a "moving image" of the magic tower.
Sharnae took a sample of the moving image of Eirin that had arrived and left the room with her robe and mask.
The door opened when the points card was recognized by the machine in front of the market, which was open from 9 p.m. until sunrise the next day.
"Well..."
When she entered, she saw a spacious interior.
From the outside, it looked like a small cabin, but once inside, it wouldn't be strange to say it was a large two-story building.
"I wonder who opened this market, but..."
It was the rule of this floor that one shouldn't even wonder about that.
Sharnae went to the new product display corner, placed her mobile card in the empty spot, and listed 250,000 loste as the price.
<Product for Sale> Moving image collection of "Eirin" No. 14, 250,000 loste (High quality, limited edition of 30 pieces, on sale on XX day) - AAA>
The price included the basic printing cost of 100,000 loste for the moving images of the magic tower.
Sharnae, who skillfully wrote cards and sales notes, took a slow look at the new products.
Among them stood out a lizard doll.
<Product for Sale> Life-sized plush tail of "Eirin." 300,000 Lo. (High quality, limited to 10 due to production difficulties, 99% true reproduction, sales begin on XX day) - 098>
"98-nim, you've made a new one. The quality of this one is good."
Each exhibitor could write an anonymous name, such as 98 or Sharnae's nickname Triple A.
And 98 was mainly someone who produced high-quality products.
Is this person skilled?
Sharnae, who had been reading the phrase while thinking, reached out with a curious expression.
It's soft.
Sharnae's eyes widened.
"Soft...? Isn't it soft...?"
Somehow, her eyes opened wide, and Sharnae rubbed the plush tail sample several times.
It was made of a material she had never seen before. And it was surprisingly soft, chewy, and fluffy.
"Oh my God, I haven't even touched its tail yet..."
It was because she thought it would be a great disrespect to Eirin.
Furthermore, Eirin seemed to think it was embarrassing because she often hid her tail, maybe because she hated it.
"Is this a 99% true reproduction...?"
Limited to only ten.
Sharnae, who had been petting it for a while, tightly closed her eyes.
300,000 loste is not cheap for a plush, but it's worth it.
Money didn't matter anyway.
From these limited editions, the good ones would have a premium price later, so she could afford it.
"I must buy it."
I need to buy it.
She couldn't even imagine how happy she would be if she could hug and feel this softness every time she sleeps.
"...When should I start queuing?"
Sometimes, serious people would queue up one or two days before the market opened.
In a word, you could say they were exposed to the elements.
She had seen people bring things like bread or light soup.
It would be easier to hire someone, but...
"They can't even queue up here."
She had to fend for herself.
Someone who had queued up as a representative last time had their right to enter the market completely revoked.
"Wow, so many new photos came out."
Not only photos of Eirin but also photos of Erno Etham and Michael Collin, she didn't know how they took them.
These two people were especially the main selling products in this "market."
"Look at those prices..."
Both started at a whopping 400,000 loste despite the image quality not being very good, probably because taking photographs was difficult.
There were many low-quality ones, but there were also many high-quality ones.
Magical items from the Magic Tower were easily distributed to commoners, so there were likely many commoners among the "Market" users.
This "Market" was a place where everyone, regardless of their social class, could mix peacefully.
"It would be nice if Eirin's space were a bit larger..."
There were still many people who didn't know who Eirin was, so it couldn't be helped.
Even so, Eirin's products always sold out shortly after they were released.
It seemed that there were people who bought them out of curiosity.
"She's adorable just by looking at her face."
Sharnae also bought many products, including new ones, and put a new photo album on the counter.
"I need to spend moderately this week in preparation for next week's market. I'm sure that plush tail will definitely be the target of many."
"And next time, I'll definitely buy a cushion!"
Today too, Sharnae, who unexpectedly spent money, moistened her lips.
With a determined mind, Sharnae quickly left the market with a load of products in her arms.
