While I was rolling around in bed, my fever rose just as
That's what I thought, and three days passed.
I was getting irritated by the fever that wouldn't break, but if I got out of bed on my own, I'd get scolded, so even though lying around made me sluggish, I had no choice but to stay in bed.
...Aaaah, I'm so bored.
Today was the pig-slaughtering day. Unlike last year, I'd apparently earned enough trust this year to be left alone at the house by myself, so the family had headed out early in the morning.
They'd left me a sandwich for lunch and filled cups with water for everyone in the bedroom, so I wouldn't end up starving or parched.
The room was silent. I could move around if I wanted to, but I knew it would only prolong the fever, so I had to stay in bed. But there was no one to talk to, and I was bored—so impossibly, unbearably bored.
If only I had a book...
I'd brought home a large quantity of failed paper sheets, but they were still untouched, carefully stacked at the bottom of the wooden box where my clothes were kept. After the prototypes were done, I'd been busy, plus I wanted to put real effort into making my first book.
More than anything, since it was failed paper, the quality was all over the place—the sizes varied wildly too. Some sheets were nearly successful, while others were completely ruined, flimsy fragments that looked like they'd disintegrate. Some were so thin you could almost see through them that I was afraid to touch them, and others were so stiff they'd crack if you applied too much pressure.
The ones that were nearly successful—just slightly wrinkled during pasting—were still usable enough. But the sheets that developed big holes when I failed to peel them off after drying would require me to get better at using a knife before I could cut out the usable portions. What I really needed was a sharp, precise cutting tool as easy to handle as a small box cutter with a thin, narrow blade.
To make books from such paper, I figured I'd need to spend plenty of time carefully working with it. This winter was shaping up to be a very productive season.
...Oh! Come to think of it, I didn't have any books, but I did have
I remembered that Benno had told me, "Read through this when you get home," before the fever hit. Lying in bed, I should be fine just reading through this.
I slowly sat up, opened the lid of the wooden box with my clothes in it, and pulled out a board about A4-sized from inside my tote bag.
I lay back down on the bed and started reading.
"...This is an apprentice training curriculum."
It listed the minimum things that had been decided a new apprentice must be taught. Broadly speaking, the content was as follows: To be presentable and able to greet people properly.
To be able to write all basic alphabet characters and numbers.
To be able to use a calculator.
To be able to handle money calculations to some extent.
To memorize the products being handled.
To memorize the names of the traders who come and go.
"Hmm, over the winter, I think the two of us can study the characters, calculations, and money handling. The lower items are things that new apprentices gradually learn during their training, so it should be fine to put those off..."
Muttering to myself, I started putting together a study plan for the winter.
Now then, how much of the basic alphabet and numbers did Lutz already know? Even if someone teaches you, you'll forget if you don't use it. I'd need to check what he knew and reteach the parts he'd forgotten.
For practice examples, what if I taught him how to write order forms and appointment request cards? They used work-related vocabulary, so memorizing them wouldn't be a waste.
Honestly, I didn't know many words outside of work-related ones either. The people who had taught me here were
"As for the calculator, I know how to do addition and subtraction with it, but for multiplication and division, I'd have to ask Mark..."
I could do calculations by hand on a slate, but I also needed to learn how to use a calculator. I wanted to blend in with the other apprentices and not stand out, so it would be best if I could keep up with everyone else.
"I want to teach Lutz math on the level of grades one to three of elementary school, but without textbooks or problem sets, it's going to be tough. In terms of priority, the most important thing is learning to count and converting large numbers into money. Then I'll drill single-digit addition and subtraction into him. After that, at least the concepts of multiplication and division... Wait, there's no way I can do all that in just the winter."
Even if I narrowed the content to just numbers, there was no way I could cover in a single winter what would normally take three years.
I let out a sigh, and I felt the fever shift deep inside my body. It was like a pressure building up, pushing to come out. I tensed up near my temples and clenched my teeth.
Don't you come out. You're not wanted.
I pushed it down with the image of slamming a lid shut tight, and let out a slow breath.
It wasn't for very long, but the tussle with the Self-Eating fever had made me hungry. I grabbed the sandwich my family had left me and took a big bite, chewing away as I thought about appearance and greetings.
"The biggest problem is this: being presentable and able to greet people. I have no idea what 'being presentable' actually entails, or whether there are merchant-specific greetings and expressions."
If you looked at the people working in Benno's shop and on the third floor of the commercial guild, it was clear that you needed to buy proper work clothes.
I'd need to ask Benno exactly how much those clothes cost.
As for greetings, I wanted to learn about that too. I knew that the deep bow used here wasn't done, but I didn't know the correct way to greet someone. I'd been getting by with smiles when meeting new people, but that was just muddling through.
Then again, neither Benno nor the Guild Master seemed to have any particularly distinctive greeting style.
While thinking over the board I'd borrowed from Benno, I must have dozed off. The next time I opened my eyes, my family had come home and was carrying today's pork products into the Winter Preparations room.
"Welcome back."
"I'm home. You're awake? How's the fever?"
"...It probably broke."
I felt much clearer when I woke up, so the fever must have gone down. I'd probably have to spend the whole day indoors tomorrow just to make sure, but I should be up and about by the day after.
The next day, Lutz came to visit. He'd originally been planning to go to the forest, but he showed up at my door with his basket on his back, still dressed to go out. Even though my fever had broken, I was stuck in bed for the day, so I was genuinely happy to have someone to talk to, even for just a little while.
"Yo,
"Yeah, it broke last night. Today's just to see how it goes, but I should be able to move around tomorrow."
"Good. It's been a while since your fever dragged on this long, so I was worried."
It seemed I'd caused quite a bit of worry to my family and Lutz, since I hadn't had a prolonged fever for some time.
"You couldn't join the pork processing again this year, huh?"
"Ahh, it's just that time of year, I guess."
I'd gotten a little used to butchering poultry and fish by now, but I still wasn't at the point where I could join in with the family's enthusiasm of "Alright, let's do this! It's the once-a-year highlight!" If anything, I was quietly relieved that I got to sleep through it.
"Yesterday I read through the board Benno lent me and made a study plan. Tomorrow I'm going to Benno's place to return it and also talk about whether I can buy a calculator."
"...Come to think of it, what was on that board?" Lutz said, snapping his fingers as though he'd just remembered the board Benno had lent me. He leaned forward eagerly, fully ready to listen.
"It was about apprentice training. Hey Lutz, how much of the basic alphabet and numbers do you remember?"
"I remember everything I was taught?"
He tilted his head as he answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I, on the other hand, was wide-eyed with shock, since I hadn't expected him to remember everything.
"Really?! Even though you don't normally use them, you haven't forgotten?!"
"...I don't get taught things very often, so when I do learn something, I don't want to forget it. I practice by tracing letters on the ground and walls with my finger, and once I got a slate, I practiced on that."
"Lutz, that's incredible!"
Lutz was more of a hard worker than I'd expected. Or maybe my way of thinking was just too naive—being someone for whom receiving an education was taken for granted, someone who could get whatever information she wanted whenever she wanted.
I'd never once thought about not wanting to forget something I'd learned. If I forgot, I could just read the book again. As long as I remembered what was written in which book, I could always get the information I needed. There was never any need to memorize everything.
"That's amazing. You're the impressive one, Myne, since you can read all the big numbers too."
"Then I'll teach you how to read big numbers. Get your slate out."
I taught him the units as they increased: one, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand... He could read up to the hundreds easily enough since they were used at the Market too, but anything beyond that was apparently a mystery.
As I held down his slate and counted through the place values, Lutz counted along with me. After practicing a few times, I scribbled a random number on his slate.
"Now then, here's a question. How do you read 78,946,215?"
"Uhh... one, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million, ten million, so..."
Lutz was working on it with an intensely serious expression, and within moments he was able to read up to the ten-million place. Was it the difference in concentration, or the difference in memory? Either way, Lutz's capabilities exceeded my expectations. He was really going to improve a lot over the winter.
If he turned out to be smart too, then I'd have absolutely nothing left that gave me an edge over Lutz!
I was feeling a little down about this when Turi came back up from drawing water and spotted Lutz, letting out a loud exclamation.
"Huh, Lutz?! Weren't you going to the forest? Everyone already left!"
"Whoa—! Sorry, Myne, I've gotta go. Thanks for teaching me!"
Lutz scrambled to his feet and took off running. With the speed Lutz ran at, he should be able to catch up to everyone before they reached the Gate.
The next day, my family gave me permission to go out, so I headed to Benno's shop with Lutz starting in the afternoon when Benno would have some free time.
The shop's entrance door was closed, with just a single guard standing there.
"Huh? Looks like they're still on their lunch break."
"Should we go back to Central Plaza and sit down while we wait? Standing here the whole time has gotta be rough."
"Yeah, today it'd be nice if there were somewhere to sit."
While we were discussing how to kill time, the guard—who clearly recognized us from before—beckoned us over.
"I'll go ask the master if you can come in. Could you wait here a moment?"
"Thank you."
The guard ducked inside the shop briefly, then came right back out and opened the door wide to let us through.
The shop was dim with the window shutters closed, and the guard strode through to the back room, opening the door for us. The back room was bright with sunlight streaming in, and a warm fire was burning in the hearth.
"Myne, has your fever gone down?"
Benno, who appeared to have been working, set down his pen and stood up.
"Yes. I came to return this board. Also, I have a question, if that's all right?"
"Sure, go ahead. I have something to talk to you about as well, but let me hear what you have to say first."
Benno gestured toward the usual table with his hand, inviting us to sit, then prompted me to ask my question.
"Thank you very much for this board. Thanks to it, my winter study plan is mostly taking shape."
"Oh?"
"Um, while I was reading it, I had some questions. I understand that being presentable and being able to greet people properly are required, but I don't know what level of 'presentable' is expected, or whether there are merchant-specific greetings and expressions. We wouldn't know that kind of thing."
As I spoke, Benno gazed at the two of us.
"For now, the two of you are commoners from near the South Gate, but you don't look scruffy at all, so all you really need are proper work clothes and shoes. About ten small silver coins should cover the bare minimum, so if you start saving now, you should be able to manage by summer."
"Ten small silver coins... I'm glad I've been saving like Myne."
Lutz murmured in a dazed voice. For someone whose mother used to spin yarn and sew clothes, being told that the bare minimum was clothes and shoes costing ten small silver coins must have been quite a shock.
It was a shock for me too, but there was no such thing as ready-made clothes here. If you were getting something custom-made, that price was to be expected. It was expensive, yes, but if I worked hard making paper come spring, I'd be able to save that amount by summer.
"Also, Myne aside, Lutz, you need to work on your speech. You won't be able to stand in front of customers as you are now if you can't use polite language."
At Benno's pointed remark, Lutz faltered, at a loss for words.
Without people around you who use formal language, it was hard to pick it up. I thought about who among the people around us would be the best reference for Lutz.
"You should model your speech after Mark's way of talking."
"...Ugh, something about it feels awkward, though."
I could somewhat understand why suddenly changing the way you spoke would make you feel like you weren't yourself, creating an uncomfortable sensation.
But if he couldn't do it, he wouldn't be able to stand before customers. Benno's shop in particular was going to keep expanding its business with the Nobility. If Lutz wanted to climb up, he'd have to learn the dress, speech, and manners.
"You'll be fine. Once you try it, you'll get the hang of it. Benno talks like this normally, but he's perfectly proper with customers. Lutz just needs to learn to switch depending on who he's talking to."
I'd never actually seen Benno use polite speech even with the Guild Master, but he could surely switch into it easily if he wanted to. If he couldn't, he wouldn't be a merchant.
"You don't need to use polite language with family or with me, do you? Besides, the words I use with Lutz are different from the ones I use with Benno or the Guild Master. Does it feel awkward?"
"...Now that you mention it, you're right. You talk so naturally, I never really noticed."
When you switched casually, it didn't feel like such a big deal. Even if it felt strange at first, you'd get used to it quickly with use.
"So why not treat it as a language you only use during work, and try learning Mark's way of speaking? To start with, I think you could begin by using 'desu' and 'masu'..."
I corrected myself to use polite speech for just that last bit, and Lutz nodded as though convinced.
"Ah, I shall do desu."
"That's not right! You say 'I shall do it.'"
"Pfft! Ahahahahaha!"
Benno, who had been watching our exchange right in front of him, burst out laughing heartily, pounding the table. Tears were forming at the corners of his eyes as he clutched his stomach, cackling.
"I don't know how much you'll be able to improve over the winter, but well, give it your best shot."
Glaring lightly at Benno, who still couldn't suppress his laughter, had absolutely no effect. I clenched my fist with strong resolve—I would improve by a shocking amount, no matter what.
At the same time, I remembered my request.
"Ah, that's right. Benno."
"What is it?"
"For my improvement, I need a calculator. It's the kind of thing you really have to practice with to internalize."
Mark, for instance, used a calculator with his fingers and mind moving in perfect sync. I probably wouldn't reach that level, but even with an abacus, practice was everything.
"A calculator, huh? If a used one from the shop will do, I'd sell it to you for six large copper coins. Will the two of you share one?"
"Yes, please."
Benno matched our guild cards and charged me and Lutz three large copper coins each, transferring a calculator to us.
"Now we can study calculations, Lutz."
"Yeah."
"Is there anything else you want to ask or say?"
When Benno asked this, something suddenly clicked in my mind.
"Ah, yes. Before spring, I need to place an order for Screen Frames sized for contracts..."
"Just write up the order form. Mark already knows about it, so I'll have him handle it."
"Huh? But..."
Mark had told me that placing orders required personal responsibility, because who knew what trouble might arise. I shouldn't just hand it off.
"I need you to handle something else separately. Here, just write the order form first."
Following his prompt, I took out the order form set from my tote bag. I only had one more wooden tag left for order forms.
"Benno, I'm running low on these order form wooden tags..."
"Yeah, we've been ordering a lot. I'll give you some more."
"Wow! Oh, and while you're at it, my ink is running low too."
I'd been writing a large number of order forms, plus doing test runs with ink was essential for making prototypes, so I'd used quite a bit.
Benno's cheek twitched at my words.
"...I'd like to charge you for that, but fine. I'll count it toward initial investment."
That made me perk up. Otto had said that ink was expensive and not something children should be using. But I'd never actually heard a specific price.
Hesitantly, I asked Benno.
"Pardon me for asking, but if I had to pay, how much would the ink cost?"
"About four small silver coins."
"Urk?!"
Even if I pooled all of Lutz's and my savings right now, we couldn't afford it!
"Use it sparingly."
"Y-Yes! Of course!"
I'd wanted ink for making my own books, but I'd just have to give up on buying it. Using what Soot Pencils I had left would be the best I could do.
I scratched away at the order form. I'd gotten the hang of it by now. The wooden pen nib rounded off quickly, so I had Lutz sharpen it for me, then asked Benno for a standard contract, measured the size with a ruler, and completed the order form for the Screen Frames.
Benno looked over the order form I'd written and raised his eyebrows slightly.
"No mistakes, no typos at all. I'll pass this on to Mark. ...Myne, I'm just as stuck as you are without the Screen Frames being made and the paper being produced. I'll take responsibility for it, so don't look so worried."
"Thank you very much."
Benno had said he'd take responsibility, so I'd put my trust in him and wait. I slowly exhaled and put away the order form set.
"...Is that the end of your business?"
"Yes."
When I nodded firmly, Benno straightened up and his expression turned serious. Sensing that the conversation was about to turn to business matters, both Lutz and I straightened up as well.
"Then I'd like to talk about something on my end. Myne, it's about that hair-washing solution you told me about."
"Yes."
I was pretty sure I'd explained how to make Simple-chan Rinshan to him when we exchanged keys while I was working on the paper prototypes. I'd completely given up all rights through Contract Magic, so I had no idea what this could possibly be about. I tilted my head, and Benno opened his mouth with a troubled expression.
"You told me that Merrill was the best oil to use, so I waited until this season..."
"Huh? Isn't Merrill season almost over by now? You haven't made it yet?"
Lutz and I exchanged glances at Benno's words.
Merrill season was nearly over. Our family had harvested a lot of Merrill too, and it was already made into Simple-chan Rinshan. Benno was the type to chase profits, so we'd assumed he'd long since made it and sold it in bulk.
"Well, we collected the harvested materials and had them processed at a workshop, but we've been getting reports that even when made exactly the way you described, the result isn't the same. Can you think of any reason why?"
Benno's words made me furrow my brow. Basically, you just crushed the berries, squeezed them, and added fragrance. I couldn't think of anywhere that could go wrong.
Lutz, who had helped me make it several times, tilted his head just like I did.
"...Even if you say it's not coming out the same, making that stuff isn't exactly a complicated process, right?"
"No, right?"
If we had the ingredients, there were a few improvements we could make, but I couldn't fathom how something so simple could fail. Whether Turi made it or Lutz made it, it always came out pretty much the same.
"I really didn't want to bring you out there in your state, but if that solution can't be completed, it would be a violation of Contract Magic. I'm sorry, but could you come with me to the workshop?"
"Yes."
The penalties for breaking Contract Magic were supposedly extremely harsh—in the worst case, you could die. Motivated by pure self-preservation, I immediately agreed. Lutz grabbed my arm.
"Myne, I think you should stay home today. Your fever just broke and you're still not at full strength, right?"
Lutz was right, but this was the season when it was hard to ever be at full strength. It was the time of year when a moment's carelessness could bring the fever back. If I only counted myself as healthy when I had no fever, I'd never be able to do anything.
"But who knows how long it'd take to feel normal again, and if I just space out, it'll start snowing before I know it. Isn't it better to go while I don't have a fever?"
"That's true, but still..."
Benno gently patted Lutz's head to reassure him, light and casual.
"Don't worry too much, Lutz. I'll carry Myne myself if I have to—I won't make her walk. I can't keep up with her speed."
"...In that case, I guess it'll be all right?"
Lutz's acceptance meant I'd once again be carried by Benno to get where I needed to go.
As for the cause of the failure, even if they told me about it—I'd never failed at making it before.
I wonder if I'll actually be able to figure it out.
The preparations for what we'll do over the winter are mostly in place.
My Winter Preparations are now complete.
Next time, we head to the workshop where they make Simple-chan Rinshan.