285 - Curry Rice
The seated chair was completed, and so the merchant came to deliver it. My order for a seated chair with a rotating seat seemed to have been handled by completely separating the legs from the seat surface. Perhaps it was the result of trial and error, but the shape was slightly different from what I'd taken for granted in my previous life, giving it a fresh novelty. I inspected the product while the merchant watched with a tense expression. The conditions I'd set had been met, so I was already satisfied, but checking the details was still necessary. Especially since the merchant had said "give me a challenge" and made a rotating seated chair for me. I thought that carefully examining every detail was the best way I could repay him.
I touched it all over and checked the finish. The wooden chair was polished beautifully, with not a single splinter anywhere. There wasn't a single streak from pooled varnish in the gloss finish, it was truly beautiful. So then, how did it feel to sit on it? I sat down and tried moving the seat, but the rotating part didn't make any scraping or creaking sounds. I wondered how it would hold up for someone heavier than me, so I had Aaron try it too, but there was no sound. At this rate, it should withstand Leonyaldo's weight too.
Satisfied with the seated chair, I next checked the cover for it. Ingenuity had been applied, along with the kotatsu cover, to keep the heat from escaping. As for specifications beyond what I'd ordered, I suppose cushions shaped to fit the buttocks had been added to the seat. With this, heat wouldn't escape from the gaps between the armrests and my body either.
"I'm completely satisfied, thank you!"
was what I wanted to say, but a lady didn't say such things. Suppressing my inner excitement, I gave my impressions and evaluation through my lady's maid. "I am most satisfied. Good work."
"...And those?"
A total of six baskets woven from rattan, in large and small sizes, were brought in, and I tilted my head. I didn't remember ordering these, but considering Kalisa had begun inspecting the goods, they were probably her order.
"...They're the framework for the young lady's bed guardian. We'll put a sturdy core inside so it won't collapse even if the young lady uses it as a hug pillow, like Jinbei."
"Bed guardian" referred to the large stuffed toy she was making. I'd noticed that the bear stuffed toy had a core inside, not just cotton, but I never thought the core was a rattan-woven basket.
"With this, it will finally be complete."
Kalisa smiled warmly, looking truly satisfied.
Because I relied on her so heavily, Kalisa's workload was considerable, but she had been working on the stuffed toy in the gaps between her duties. About a month had passed since she'd said she would make it, and now that the framework was going in, she could see the finish line, she was probably feeling a sense of accomplishment already. I was thinking it would be nice to have a large stuffed toy on my bed at the detached palace too, but the very next night, a large black dog stuffed toy was seated atop my bed.
"...Kalisa, I'm happy about the stuffed toy, but please get some proper sleep."
The fact that the stuffed toy was already finished the day after the baskets arrived meant that Kalisa must have stayed up all night adding the cotton and core and sewing the fabric together. Considering Kalisa's workload, it was safe to assume she'd cut into her sleep time.
"...I'm not, young lady."
"I'm not angry, you know. Thank you for the stuffed toy. But I'd hate it if you collapsed, Kalisa. Please rest properly."
"...Yes."
Having said what I needed to say first, I looked at the black dog stuffed toy now occupying my bed. The head was a dog, but the body was not much different from the bear stuffed toy. This was probably because if it were made to dog proportions, it would be hard to use as a pillow. Like the bear stuffed toy, it was dressed in a sheet-like outfit that could be removed for washing.
"What should I name it?"
I immediately started pressing and stroking various parts of the stuffed toy, enjoying its texture while thinking of a name for the black dog. I felt it didn't particularly need a name, but I'd named all the other stuffed toys I'd been given. I couldn't very well leave only the one Kalisa made me unnamed.
"Should I name it 'Leo' this time? Or maybe 'Teo', recommended by Leonyaldo Big Brother-sama? But Teo sounds kind of weak..."
I stroked the black dog stuffed toy all over while seriously thinking of a name. It had been made as a black dog because there were black dogs around me, but the face was modeled after Kokumaro, the black Shiba Inu. Its triangular ears stood up straight, and right above its eyes, thick eyebrows had been recreated with white cloth.
"...Since Kalisa made it, how about Talisa?"
This was what had popped into my head from the names of the Alisa, Kalisa, and Salisa sisters. But feeling a sense of unity with the sisters' names through this name was probably something only a Japanese reincarnator would experience. In the words of this world, there was no particular connection to be seen.
"Hmm? But 'Tali' doesn't sound great... Then how about from Kalisa. Kalisa... Kali... Kali?"
Speaking of Kali, when curry was pronounced clearly, it sounded like that, I recalled, and from there it was fast. A divine revelation that this was the only choice flashed through my mind.
"Curry Rice! Let's name it Curry Rice!"
"...Is Curry Rice strong?"
"It's not strong, but it's delicious!"
Since it was delicious, Kalisa wanted to know the recipe for curry, but unfortunately I couldn't answer. For me, curry was an easy dish made by buying roux blocks, I'd never once made an authentic version from spices. Even if all the spices were laid out before me with the measurements all set, I'd probably run away claiming I didn't know the mixing order. That was how much curry for me was something made from store-bought roux.
Even though I didn't know how to make it, Kalisa pressed me on what kind of food it was, so I searched my memories. I was aware I didn't have even minimal knowledge, let alone a perfect understanding, but I answered that it was a brown, thick, mildly spicy soup flavored with spices. The only other things I could remember were really vague, like onions sauteed until they turned amber, or that turmeric was used for coloring, I think.
...They say apples and honey, but where did those go in, I wonder?
Seeing my thoughts drifting, Kalisa withdrew, sensing there was no more information to be had. The recreation of curry would be set aside for now, it seemed, and Kalisa began explaining about the black dog stuffed toy that had been named Curry Rice.
"As per the young lady's request, I've added a safe to its belly."
She flipped up the sheet-like outfit and showed me the stuffed toy's belly. I'd thought the curves and fabric cuts were for three-dimensional sewing, but Kalisa ran her finger along the center seam and pushed it into the stitched-up belly. She must have created a spot to hook her fingers there. I felt her apply a little force, and the stuffed toy's abdomen opened along the seam.
"That's amazing, Kalisa! No one would ever think there's a door in its belly!"
"The young lady said she wanted to store her precious things, so I've put a safe inside."
"Here is the key," she said, handing it to me, and I peered inside the belly. As expected of the rattan basket commissioned from the merchant, a safe was fitted perfectly inside.
"Let's put away the jewelry box Basilia-chan gave me right away."
Leaving the black dog stuffed toy's belly open, I went to fetch the jewelry box placed on the vanity. I opened the lid, checked the contents once, and placed the jewelry box inside the stuffed toy's belly.
"This should be perfect against thieves."
I hung the key around my neck and stroked the stuffed toy's belly. Since the seam and the door were one piece, once I closed the lid, no one would ever know there was a door there. When I put the sheet-like outfit back down, even the belly seam was hidden. I wanted to display it somewhere visible because it was cute. But precisely because it was cute, I was afraid of it being stolen or lost and wanted to hide it. Caught between conflicting emotions, I chose the latter. Precious things should be kept safely as precious things.
It seemed that a large stuffed toy on my bed was an indispensable thing for me. I'd thought I'd be fine without one, but when I leaned against the black dog stuffed toy to rest, I realized it calmed me down. Maybe having something big at my back was soothing, or maybe I was homesick without Leonyaldo. Come to think of it, ever since Leonyaldo took me in, there had always been a big backrest behind me. On the horse from Mey Village to the Wiyack Valley, Leonyaldo had held me to keep me from falling off, and soon after the fortress settled down, the bear stuffed toy arrived at the residence. When walking even short distances, Leonyaldo would pick me up, and during the time I used the attic room until I got used to the residence, I'd come down to my third-floor room and relax against the bear stuffed toy. On days when I was unwell, I'd spend all day in bed with the bear stuffed toy at my back.
...Feeling at ease with something big at my back is a habit I've developed since being taken in by Leonyaldo-san.
Feeling a little lonely, I shifted against the black dog stuffed toy's belly. Come to think of it, there had been times when I was apart from Leonyaldo for about a month and a half in winter, but being apart for an entire season was a first.
...I wish he'd come home soon.
He'd said he'd be stationed at Lugmilama Fortress until winter, so he probably wouldn't be back during autumn. After that, would he spend winter at one of the four fortresses like in previous years?
...Huh? Even if he comes back in winter, the time we can be together is only a little?
If he spent winter at the fortress, he might only show his face in the capital briefly. And if the issues with the neighboring country weren't resolved, he'd probably be stationed at Lugmilama Fortress from spring onward too.
...Ah, I'm getting seriously lonely now.
Too lonely. And pathetically, I cried a little.
[Author's Note]
It's short, but it feels like a good stopping point, so I'll cut it here. I keep talking about Kokumaro and Curry Rice, but the author is a stew person. Runner-up is Hayashi Rice. I like the Indian curry served with naan at restaurants. But my number one favorite is pot-au-feu with mustard.
I just took an unexpected break yesterday, but I have plans tomorrow, so I'll be taking a break from updates.