Lutz's Apprentice Preparations

"Mine, what should we do today? The weather's bad."

The gloomy, overcast sky visible through the window wasn't suited for papermaking. We could go gather materials in the forest, but if it started raining midway, I'd be a serious burden, so it'd be better to stay behind.

This spring, whenever the weather was good, we'd throw ourselves into papermaking to earn money, and on slightly overcast days, I'd wander around town with Mark to help with workshop preparations.

But the workshop was almost complete, and we'd already taught the process. After checking the finished samples the other day, we could safely say our work was done.

"Benno said our Baptism Ceremony is on the next Fire Day, so I wanted to do one last round of papermaking, but there's nothing we can do about the weather."

"Even if we don't finish the last batch, the amount of money I've got now is... honestly, I surprise even myself."

I received a small silver coin as my regular payment, and handed it over to my family each time we sold paper. Our living conditions had only improved slightly, so there wasn't much change in our daily life, but the money deposited at the guild had grown into a truly impressive sum. It was thanks to the good weather, relatively smooth papermaking sessions, and the high price of Trombe paper.

After the last buyback, my savings had surpassed two large gold coins. Lutz was just about to hit two large gold coins as well. No matter how you looked at it, that was far too much money for a pre-Baptism child to have.

Well, once the Baptism Ceremony was over, we wouldn't be able to earn for a while.

I was thinking about whether there was anything I'd forgotten to do before the Baptism Ceremony when it suddenly hit me.

"Lutz, let's go to Benno's today. I completely forgot."

"Huh? I didn't promise the master anything."

"We didn't make a promise, but the Baptism Ceremony is on the next Fire Day, right? We should check whether there are things you need to prepare to become an apprentice. ...Your parents aren't merchants, so they won't prepare the tools for you, will they?"

"...Ah!"

After the Baptism Ceremony, work as an apprentice would begin, so Baptism Ceremony presents were always work clothes and work tools. Parents who had walked the same path would choose and present the tools to their children as a way of saying "do your best."

But Lutz's parents wouldn't prepare them.

The reasons were: his father still opposed it, his parents weren't merchants so they didn't know what tools to prepare, and they had no idea how much an merchant apprentice's preparations would cost.

Benno had told him that clothes were necessary, and they'd already been ordered, but that alone didn't seem like enough.

When Turi had started her tailor apprenticeship, she'd received work clothes and a complete sewing kit from her parents on the day of her Baptism Ceremony. It was highly likely that merchants needed tools beyond just clothing, too.

Fortunately, we had savings, so I could buy whatever was needed myself. If I asked Benno or Mark, they'd surely tell me.

"I don't really know what tools besides clothes you need. I'm guessing you'd need a Slate and a Calculator for the training, but what else would there be?"

"At this point, we can buy just about anything. Like Mine said, it's a good thing we saved up."

Aunt Karla had started taking Lutz's side, but there wasn't much she could actually do about him becoming a merchant. She didn't have any connections to merchants either, and Uncle's opinion hadn't changed. But Lutz said that life had gotten a bit easier since she started scolding his brothers when they were too harsh.

"Since Benno is going to be your guardian and sponsor you as an apprentice, the best thing to do is go ask him."

With the usual tote bag in hand, Lutz and I headed toward Benno's shop under the gloomy sky.

"Oh? Wasn't papermaking scheduled for a few days from now?"

Mark, who generally knew our schedule, spotted us and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"We came to consult with Benno. ...Would it have been better to talk to you first?"

Come to think of it, Mark was supposed to be in charge of apprentice training at this shop.

"What is it?"

"We want to ask about the tools an apprentice needs to prepare. Lutz's parents aren't merchants, so they don't know what work tools to present at the Baptism Ceremony, and we need to prepare them ourselves..."

"Ah, yes. That didn't occur to me."

After briefly raising his eyebrows, Mark furrowed them slightly and pressed his fingers to his temple.

"The Baptism Ceremony is coming up soon—will you have time? If Benno is going to be the sponsor, shouldn't you consult with him?"

"Yes. It would be best to discuss it with the master and then act accordingly."

We were led to the back room as usual, where Benno was busily scribbling away, papers and boards piled on his desk.

"Master, Lutz and Mine are here to consult with you."

"What is it?"

Without pausing his writing on the board, Benno asked. I gently nudged Lutz's back, urging him to speak for himself.

"Master, I came to consult about the tools an apprentice needs to prepare."

"Tools an apprentice needs to prepare?"

Having reached a good stopping point, Benno set down his pen and looked up. Seeing his puzzled expression, I added an explanation.

"Normally, I think parents would prepare these, but Lutz's parents aren't merchants, so they don't know what's needed. What does an apprentice need when they start? It's not just clothes, right?"

"Ah, yes, that's right. Mark, take them shopping. There was a report that the clothes we ordered earlier are ready, so pick those up on the way, and have a few changes of clothes made."

"Understood."

Next to me as I nodded, Lutz tilted his head slightly.

"Changes of clothes? Several?"

"Of course. You can't work in the same clothes for days on end—they'd get wrinkled and stinky. That'd be a disaster."

Since the shop dealt with Nobility as well, appearance mattered a great deal. You couldn't appear before customers in wrinkled or dirty clothes. In fact, all the employees at this shop dressed neatly.

"You change every time?"

"Yes."

"...Seriously?"

The same was true for Turi, but at Lutz's house too, they probably only washed work clothes once a week. It was the mother's job on rest days, and the idea of changing work clothes every time simply didn't exist.

Even for everyday clothes, they didn't have many, so you'd keep wearing the same outfit until the laundry dried. And since washing gradually wore out the fabric, many households avoided washing anything except underwear until it absolutely couldn't be helped.

Unlike Benno, who had domestic help, Lutz was at the bottom of the household hierarchy. Asking his mother to do laundry every time would be difficult. But it was a necessity if he was going to work.

"If you can't ask Aunt Karla, why not wash them yourself? Apprentices do get days off during the training period."

"Ugh..."

"If you're a live-in apprentice, you'd have to do it yourself anyway."

"That's... true."

I could tell he was surprised—this was different from everything he'd known so far. But there was nothing to do but accept that this was the norm in the society he was about to join.

"I know it's shocking when you run into a different set of rules, but you just have to get used to it. It's necessary so you don't make customers uncomfortable. That's the difference between craftsmen and merchants."

"I see."

As Lutz nodded, I noticed Benno also had a somewhat culture-shocked expression on his face. He blinked slowly and murmured.

"Life really is fundamentally different at the most basic levels."

"That's why, if anything seems off, please point it out. I really don't know."

"Ah, I'll be careful. ...Mark, I'm entrusting them to you."

"Yes, sir."

We waited for Mark to finish his work, then the three of us went to pick up the finished clothes. Being carried by Mark for movement had become a fact of life during the workshop preparations, so I'd long since given up.

"Welcome."

The shop clerk greeted us, took one look at Mark and us, and immediately understood our purpose. Lutz and I were ushered to the back room.

"Here, please try it on."

The clothes the clerk held out were a simple blouse and skirt, but since they'd been made to exact measurements, they fit perfectly. Just having new clothes without any patches was enough to lift my spirits, and these were custom-made.

I raised and lowered my arms, crouched down and stood up, checking how they felt, and they were incredibly comfortable—not too loose, not too tight anywhere.

"They're amazing. They feel so good to wear."

"Oh, I'm glad. Mark said you'd be wearing these today, so I'll wrap up the other outfit."

While I was trying on my clothes, Lutz had apparently ordered two more in the same size and design, and Mark and Lutz, who'd been talking to the clerk, noticed me and turned my way.

"You look very lovely. Just changing clothes makes you look like a young lady from a good family."

"Ah, she really looks like a young lady."

Being praised by both of them lifted my spirits. I pinched the hem of the skirt.

"Really!? Cute? Like a young lady? Just from the clothes?"

"If she stayed quiet and kept her mouth shut."

"Hmph. ...But Lutz has been improving his posture lately too, so he looks properly like a young gentleman."

Lutz had been told by Benno about personal grooming, so he'd been doing his best to remove stains and occasionally wash his hair with rinse water. Lutz's blond hair was now shiny and gleaming.

And ever since I'd praised Mark's good posture and told Lutz to use him as an example, he'd started paying attention to his posture and movements, so when he changed clothes, he looked the part of a young gentleman. He didn't look like his clothes were wearing him anymore.

"Now I can go shopping at other stores without a problem."

Being turned away at the door because of your clothes wasn't uncommon. After settling the payment using our guild cards, Mark led us, now properly dressed, to the next shop.

It was a stationery store.

Opening the wooden door marked with a pen logo, there was a counter almost directly ahead, and a gentle-looking elderly shopkeeper was polishing something.

There were shelves along the walls lined with products, but few items were displayed on the shop floor—just one sample per item on each shelf. This was a normal shop layout for this town. The small space was only for customer service; most of the store was warehouse.

It might be unavoidable for preventing theft, but it was disappointing that you couldn't compare products side by side.

"Mark, what do we need?"

"Let me see. Ink, a pen, Parchment for drawing up employment contracts. You have a Slate, stone stylus, and Calculator, right? After that, a few wooden name plaques should do it."

Hearing Mark's list, I let out a soft sigh. This wasn't the kind of price Lutz's parents could afford. We could buy these things now, but ink and Parchment weren't the sort of thing you could easily pick up in our neighborhood.

"Me too! I want ink and a pen too!"

Hopping on the bandwagon with Lutz, I decided to buy ink and a pen as well. I was moved that I could now buy ink on my own—something that had always been too expensive to reach for.

The elderly shopkeeper lined up the ink and pen for me on the counter. After paying with our guild card, I picked up the ink and pen.

"I did it! My ink and pen!"

Unlike me, who was spinning around in delight with my newly bought ink and wooden pen, Lutz wore a wry smile.

"My savings are shrinking fast. ...Is being a merchant really this expensive?"

For a small shop, you'd prepare tools to match. You wouldn't buy Parchment for employment contracts—you'd make do with wooden name plaques.

"It's not just about being a merchant—it's because Benno's shop is a big one. But you still have plenty of money, right?"

"But it dropped so much in just one day, I'm starting to get nervous. I can't exactly ask my parents for help, and I want to make more paper before the Baptism Ceremony."

"There's not much time left, so I hope it clears up."

We went back to Benno's shop to report that the shopping was done. Benno told us, "From now on, come to the shop wearing those clothes." He gave his seal of approval that we properly looked like apprentices.

"Hey, Lutz. Where should I keep these? The warehouse?"

"That'd be the safest..."

While I was discussing with Lutz about whether to borrow the warehouse key and store our purchases there—a bit of a hassle—Benno shrugged lightly.

"There's no need to put them in the warehouse. Just keep them in your own room."

"Um, Benno. He doesn't have his own room. He can only keep his things in a wooden chest."

When I pointed out the difference in living standards, Benno's eyes went wide. The house Corina lived in had plenty of rooms. It seemed that Benno, raised as the heir to a large shop, simply didn't have any acquaintances who lacked their own room.

"Mine's house is a step up from Lutz's. Even if he keeps things in his own chest, his brothers just go through it and take whatever they want."

"What do you mean?"

Benno's eyes filled with shock. As he narrowed them in incomprehension, I explained Lutz's living situation.

"Lutz is the youngest of four brothers. So his older brothers push him around all the time, and it's really tough."

"Even so, they steal their own brother's things?"

"Since he's the little brother, they think it's fine. Little brother's things belong to big brother, and big brother's things belong to big brother. That's how it works."

Hearing about Lutz's family situation, Benno pressed his fingers to his temple. The gap in living standards was probably too vast for him to even imagine.

Despite having lost his father and worked hard to support his family, Benno had never had his things rumm through by siblings or struggled with storage space. He looked stunned.

"Lutz. Why don't you put your things up high? I'll rent you one of the apprentice rooms at a reduced rate. If your carefully gathered possessions disappear before the Baptism Ceremony, or your work tools get stolen, it'll interfere with your future work. And the warehouse is too far away."

"...Thank you."

Thanks to Benno's kindness, Lutz could now use one of the top-floor apprentice rooms at a reduced rate as storage. If he put everything there and locked the door, there'd be no worry about anyone stealing his things.

"Next time we go to the shop, should we change here first?"

"Yeah, let's do that."

Lutz beamed with his whole face, having his own space for the very first time. I also decided to leave my purchases here until it was time to go home. Benno had said, "If there's time, let's go to the commercial guild," so we couldn't leave just yet.

"I need to teach you about the guild first, otherwise you won't be able to do delivery runs."

The children of merchant families helped their parents and visited the commercial guild repeatedly, so running errands like filing documents was apparently a routine task. The first job an apprentice could do from the start was making deliveries to the commercial guild.

However, Lutz hadn't been to the commercial guild since the day he delivered Frieda's hair ornament, so of course he couldn't do those errands either. He'd never done them.

"Was there anything else?"

As Benno tried to recall things that merchant children took for granted, he handed Lutz several application forms and set off for the commercial guild. I decided to come along and read the wooden name plaques on the document shelves.

"Whoa..."

"This is rough."

In front of the commercial guild, which faced the Central Plaza, several freight wagons were lined up waiting their turn, and traveling merchants who'd left their wagons to companions were heading in to file paperwork—the congestion was visible at a glance.

"The second floor looks really crowded."

"The Baptism Ceremony is coming up, and the market days are near too."

Just as the wagons outside predicted, the second floor was packed. Lutz was jostled and squeezed as he followed behind Benno through the crowd toward the stairs in the back. I was being carried as usual, so I wasn't pushed around at all.

The moment we showed our guild cards to the guard at the foot of the stairs and began to climb, the noise of the crowd simply vanished. There had to be some kind of magic on those barriers that blocked sound.

"Delivery runs are pretty tough work, huh."

Without Benno to lead the way, you'd have to push through that sea of people yourself to make a delivery. Lutz let out a heavy sigh.

"Watch out—documents can get stolen, or knocked out of your hands in the crowd."

"Yes sir."

"Now then, first, this form..."

Explaining to Lutz, Benno approached the counter. I turned away from Benno and started toward the document shelves, but I got a light whack on the head and my collar was grabbed.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

"...The document shelves are calling me."

"No they're not. They're not calling. If you're going to be a Workshop Head, you'd better pay attention too."

"Fine."

Benno taught me how to use the guild. He explained the registration process, where to submit documents, and other details thoroughly.

He especially told me that since I'd be developing new products, it was important to review the registered Contract Magic.

"If you apply here, you can view the registered Contract Magic."

"Oh my, Mine."

From behind the counter, a pair of pale pink twin tails came running over. There was no mistaking her. The Guild Master's granddaughter, Frieda. She was clearly dressed as an apprentice on the job.

I was surprised to run into her here, and seeing my shock, Frieda placed her hands on her hips and pouted unhappily.

"Spring is almost over, and you haven't come to visit at all!"

"Ah, sorry. I've been really busy..."

It was true that papermaking and workshop preparations had kept me swamped, but I was sorry. The confectionery work was finished, the promise fulfilled, and I'd figured that was that. Besides, every time I went, the invitations were overwhelming, and you never knew where the conversational traps were laid. It made me uncomfortable.

"I have tomorrow off, so please come visit my home."

"Uh, but if the weather's nice, tomorrow I..."

The fingertips of the hand resting on my shoulder tensed for just an instant.

I wanted to say that I wanted to finish making the remaining paper, but I remembered we'd been told to keep our papermaking a secret as much as possible, and hastily cut myself off mid-sentence.

Frieda glanced at Benno's hand, then smiled brightly.

"If it rains tomorrow, I'll send a carriage for you. If the weather's nice, you'll be busy, I'm sure, but if it rains, you'll play with me, won't you? I was told we'd play once spring arrived, and spring is nearly over now."

"Ugh..."

When she put it that way, it was hard to refuse. If the weather was bad, we couldn't make paper anyway, so I'd have free time. As I hesitated, Frieda pressed on relentlessly.

"I have things I'd like to ask you about and discuss with you regarding Self-Eating."

"Oh, I actually had some things I wanted to ask about too."

Frieda knew more about Self-Eating than anyone around me. I'd been wanting to ask her about certain things, so having the chance to talk was a relief.

At my words, Frieda's face lit up, and she clapped her hands together.

"If it rains, that will be perfectly fine. I'll make quatre-quarts and wait for you."

"Sure, if it rains..."

The moment the promise of quatre-quarts lured me into agreeing, the fingers on my shoulder dug in harder. Benno was smiling, veins standing out on his temple.

"Mine."

"I said *if* it rains, Benno."

"That's right. *If* it rains, right?"

I latched onto Frieda's help with both hands. I swatted at the fingers trying to burrow into my shoulder and looked up at Benno.

Benno growled in a low voice, "You idiot."

"Tomorrow it'll rain."

"Huh?"

Even without weather forecasts, everyone seemed to know what the weather would be.

The rain that started in the evening didn't stop by the next day.

I prepared for the apprentice position. Lutz couldn't rely on his parents.

And then I got caught by Frieda at the commercial guild.

Next time, I'll be visiting Frieda's house alone.