Episode 1: “The Magic Doll Shop ‘Lux’”
“Fiine, wake up! It’s already morning!”
The blanket got yanked off with a loud voice and a violent tug. Sunlight streamed through the window, blinding. She reached out for the blanket on reflex, but her hand was caught before it got anywhere.
“G-o-o-o-d morning. I told you, no oversleeping. Breakfast’s already ready, you know?”
“…Mm, morning, Yuria.”
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and managed some kind of greeting back. Yuria smiled and ruffled her hair.
Pink hair in twin buns, eyes clear as sapphires, and a voice cute enough to match — this beautiful girl was Yuria von Cornelius, Fiine’s closest friend.
“It’s steak for breakfast today, so buck up!”
“…Can I really eat that much this early?”
“Of course you can. You always eat plenty, Fiine. Besides, you need to eat a lot if you’re going to grow.”
“I’m already twenty-two, you know.”
“It’s fine. You’re probably still growing.”
“I’ll eat, just — let me sleep a little longer first…”
“Nope!”
Yuria put her hands on her hips and raised her voice, then scooped Fiine up under one arm like a piece of luggage.
“I can walk! I can walk on my own!”
“It’s faster if I carry you.”
Struggling would only get her dropped, so Fiine gave up and let herself be carried.
Reflected in the mirror was a body small enough that even Yuria could tease her about it.
A height and build too slight to belong to an adult woman. Her silver hair, grown out to her waist, was matted with bedhead, and her bangs hid her right eye.
(To think that someone like me is ‘Lux’s’ owner as of today…)
She let out a sigh, and Yuria caught it immediately.
“Fiine. If you make a gloomy face like that, the customers will run off. Smile while you’re working the counter!”
“…I’ll do my best, but…”
Sighing again, Fiine’s anxiety was blown away by Yuria’s picture-perfect smile.
“Come on, come on, eat up!”
On the table in the living room, just as Yuria had said, breakfast was already laid out for her. Fresh-baked bread and butter, and a beef steak topped with a fruit sauce made from apple and honey.
“There’s more bread if you want it.”
As she spoke, Yuria began combing out Fiine’s hair. Meanwhile, Fiine hurried to shovel down her food.
(Today’s steak is definitely nicer than usual…)
The beef, well-marbled with fat, was tender enough to melt the moment she bit into it. And yet there wasn’t a trace of heaviness to it.
It paired perfectly with the fruit sauce — she felt like she could keep asking for more bread indefinitely.
“Is it good?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then you’re fine. As long as you can still taste that something good is good, you’re okay.”
“I hope you’re right…”
Yuria said this, but Fiine felt nothing but anxiety. Still, she couldn’t keep complaining forever, so she finished breakfast in silence.
◆
These days, Fiine lived with Yuria in a two-story house. The handsome stone building had been commissioned by Fiine last year, built to Yuria’s specifications as much as her own.
The house had finally been finished last month. Building a house in the royal capital cost a fair amount, and there was almost nothing left in her purse. That wasn’t exactly why she’d opened a shop — but at Yuria’s enthusiastic urging, Fiine had decided to do it anyway.
“I wonder if we’ll get any customers.”
Yuria said this cheerfully as she opened the curtains on the ground floor. Morning light poured in through the large window, and the shop interior brightened all at once.
(Feels almost too bright, but I guess that’s about right for a storefront.)
The second floor of the house was living space; the first floor was the shop. The second floor was tidy thanks to Yuria, but the first floor had been cleaned even more thoroughly — not a speck of dust anywhere.
“…I doubt we’ll get any customers on the very first day. We haven’t really advertised much.”
“But we put up flyers all over town, didn’t we? And we asked the Central Guild to post notices at branches everywhere too.”
“That’s true, but…”
“It’ll be fine. There’s definitely demand. Because this is something only you can do, Fiine.”
Being looked at with such sparkling eyes made her feel like she was deceiving her.
(I don’t have as much talent as Yuria thinks I do.)
Honestly, she’d never meant to open a shop like this at all. But she didn’t want to disappoint Yuria any more than she already had.
“…Right. I’ll do my best, at least.”
◆
“Boring.”
“Yeah…”
About two hours since opening. It wasn’t the kind of shop people wandered into casually, so it couldn’t be helped — but with zero customers, there was absolutely nothing to do.
“Maybe I’ll go hand out flyers outside.”
“Wh-what if a customer comes while you’re gone?”
“You’ll handle them, Fiine. You’re the owner, aren’t you?”
Just as Fiine was starting to despair at the thought, a bell chimed. She cut off the conversation and turned toward the entrance.
The person who walked in was a refined gentleman with dark brown hair. Judging by his clothes, he was almost certainly someone of considerable standing.
“Come on, come on, Fiine — say hello.”
Yuria whispered in her ear. I wish you’d do it, Fiine thought, but she pasted on an awkward smile anyway.
“…Welcome to the magic doll shop, Lux.”