60 - Plush Toy and Custom-Made Shoes
"......That's right, Tina. After you eat lunch today, could you come to the fortress once?"
I see Leonardo off to work, walking out to the front gate. The purpose is supposed to be seeing Leonardo off, but for some reason I'm being carried in his arms. It's really strange, but since Leonardo, who's supposed to be heading to work, looks happy, I'll let it slide for now. As for being carried by Leonardo, that's old news at this point.
"I'm a regular perthon and a child, but ith it okay for me to go to the fortreth when there'th no real reathon?"
Whether it's helping with the quarantine zone, or Leonardo being too busy to leave the fortress, I can't imagine it's okay for a child to go without any real reason. Even without thinking too hard about fortresses or knight commanders, it's probably not great for a kid to just casually drop by their guardian's workplace.
"The shoes I ordered for Tina the other day are finished, and the shoemaker is supposed to deliver them to the fortress. He said he wants you to do a final check on the spot, whether they turned out as ordered, how they feel to wear, that sort of thing."
"That'th a really dedicated shoemaker."
"I suppose that's why he has a good reputation."
It's a bit pricey, but if you're looking for quality, customer feedback is valuable. I made quite a few requests when ordering the shoes, so the shop is probably concerned about my satisfaction too.
"......Also, since you haven't shown your face at the fortress lately, there are a few guys who've gotten a bit troublesome. Just toss them some charm or whatever."
"Troubleshome?"
I don't particularly want to go near troublesome people of my own accord. If my guardian Leonardo says to do it, I intend to try my best, but I'm not exactly enthusiastic. My confusion must have shown on my face. Leonardo gives a wry smile.
"Knights, by the nature of the job, tend to be looked at with admiration and respect by boys, but feared by girls. So having a girl like Tina, who doesn't run away even when she sees an intimidating face, probably makes them happier than they can stand."
Just humor them a bit and steer them toward focusing on their work, Leonardo added.
......Come to think of it, when I was helping out in the quarantine zone, there were knights who peeked in from outside too.
When our eyes met, they'd wave, or if they ran into me on the way to or from the quarantine zone, they'd give me snacks. There were knights who fussed over me. I could understand the urge to make a fuss over a small child, so I thought the knights of this fortress just all loved kids, but apparently that wasn't the only reason. It seems there was a somewhat pitiful male heart there, happy about a little girl who doesn't run away even from an intimidating face.
At Leonardo's request, I head to the fortress in the afternoon. Bart offered to accompany me, but since it's practically next door, I politely declined. Even I can manage an errand to the neighbor's place. Besides, even if something happened, I'd be within sight of both the mansion's gatekeeper and the fortress's gatekeeper. Even if a random kidnapping occurred, the culprit would be apprehended right away.
......I can't imagine there's a kidnapper stupid enough to try something right in front of knights.
While thinking such things, I arrive at the fortress's main gate. It's a fair distance on a little girl's legs, but still just a single straight road. As I thought, there's nothing to worry about.
"Oh? The Commander's..."
"I'm Tina. Leonyaldo thaid I thould come. May I pleathe come in?"
"Yeah. The Commander told me. While you're at it, go show your face to the guys in the West Wing too."
"Where ith the West Wing?"
"If you go straight down this road, you'll reach the fortress's front entrance. You see that building on the right? That's the West Wing."
......I see, a detour.
Leonardo also told me to toss around some charm, so I was planning to go anyway, but if it's a detour, I'd honestly rather not. It might not be a big distance for an adult, but for me right now, it's quite a trek.
The gatekeeper knight sends me off with a smile, and I start trudging toward the West Wing. The fortress I'm actually aiming for is straight ahead, so why do I have to take a detour?
"Excuse meeee~"
I knock briefly, then open the door. I was told to go around the West Wing, but since I'm an outsider in the wrong place, I sneak inside.
......Um, should I go meet someone? Or am I just supposed to walk through the West Wing?
As I walk down the hallway thinking about what to do, a knight who apparently heard my voice peeks his face out.
"Oh? The Commander's little sister. Haven't seen you in a while."
"Hello."
I smile and greet a face I vaguely remember. Since I was told to toss around charm, this should be fine, I think. The knight's voice seems to have reached other knights too, and just walking down the hallway, several knights call out to me. Every time, I greet them cheerfully, and before I know it, both my hands are full of snacks and toys.
......No, that's weird, right? Coming out of a fortress where knights are stationed, snacks aside, but toys? That's definitely strange.
Snacks wouldn't be that surprising since they've turned up from Leonardo's desk too. They might keep them as emergency rations or something. But when it comes to things like accessories and plush toys clearly meant for little girls, that's definitely odd.
With both hands full of snacks and toys, I stagger down the hallway. Knights emerging from corners and doorways are a little scary right now.
......It's heavy! I can't take any more! I can't carry anything else!!
A hallway that would take an adult less than five minutes, but every time I'm stopped, I exchange greetings and toss around charm. With each stop, the mountain of offerings gets heavier, and my arms are about at their limit.
......West Wing complete!
Seeing my full hands, a knight gives a wry smile and opens the door for me. All that's left is to go through the covered walkway leading to the fortress and head to Leonardo's office. If I escape there, the offerings shouldn't increase any further.
"Whoa!? What the--!?"
As I toddle down the hallway, a surprised voice comes from above. At this point, it's hard for me to even check what's ahead. But still, if something's happening, I can't just keep going. Carefully, so as not to drop the mountain of offerings, I turn my body to look down the hallway, and see the knight guarding the door to the office staring at me with wide eyes.
......Ah, so "whoa" was about seeing me.
The knight whose eyes meet mine makes a guilty face and calls Leonardo from beyond the door.
"......That's quite a sight."
The first thing said to me when I step into the office is this. Since this is the result of tossing around charm just like Leonardo told me to, having him brush it off like it's someone else's problem is deeply unsatisfying. He probably can't see my face behind the offerings, but apparently he notices my displeased aura. The next moment, the view blocked by offerings suddenly opens up.
"Where did all these snacks and toys come from?"
"I did jutht like you thaid, Leonyaldo, I threw around tharm, and then thith happened."
All the offerings in my hands are transferred to Leonardo's, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Individually, none of them are that heavy, but this time there are too many. Looking at the mountain of offerings piled up on the couch, I'm impressed I managed to carry it all here alone. More likely than not, these offerings were prepared in advance to give to me when I came.
"Dolly."
I pick up one of the toys, a rabbit plush. Its fluffy texture feels like it's made of real fur.
......Using fur for a plush toy... that must be insanely expensive...
How much would something like this cost? Thinking about it makes me a bit dizzy.
"A rabbit plush, huh. Do you like things like this, Tina?"
As I'm enjoying the fluffy texture, Leonardo's hand reaches from the side and snatches the rabbit plush. I look up at him, and the too-cute plush looks incredibly out of place in an adult man's hands.
......What is this. I feel like if I answer wrong, something terrible will happen.
Or rather, I have a bad feeling about this. I wouldn't mind if rabbit just ended up on the dinner table, but I have a feeling I might end up being bought a mountain of rabbit plushies, or presented with a giant rabbit plush.
"......I wath jutht thinking it'th fluffy."
After agonizing over it, that's the answer that comes out. I haven't said I particularly like or dislike it.
"You like fluffy things?"
"Well... the texture ith nithe, but it theemth like it'd be hard to take care of."
"......I see. For a child to play with, considering they'll get it dirty, something easier to care for would be better, huh."
......Safe? It's safe, right? That was definitely a crisis involving an all-fur giant plush toy!!
As Leonardo curiously strokes the rabbit plush, feeling its texture, I breathe a quiet sigh of relief internally. I do like cute things. The rabbit plush might be a bit childish, but right now I'm a bona fide child, so I should be able to honestly enjoy it. But seeing how Leonardo splurges on me makes me a bit anxious. Pretty clothes and new shoes are nice, but there's a limit to everything. Children grow up fast and their bodies change, so rather than having a tailor make new clothes, it would be better to buy second-hand ones.
As I struggle alone to divert Leonardo's attention away from the plush, the office door is knocked. I heard the shoemaker was coming, but for some reason Alf is with him. The shoemaker starts delivering the shoes to Leonardo, so I move over to Alf's side and ask what his business is. If he came to see Leonardo, I want him to steal the conversation away and erase the rabbit plush from Leonardo's mind. When I quietly consult him about this, he lightly pulls my cheek.
"I got a report that the West Wing was noisy, so I went to check, and it turns out the young lady who's not supposed to be at the fortress had come and everyone was making a fuss... Any idea what that's about?"
"I'm sorry."
If it's about what made the West Wing noisy, I do have an idea, but that's not really my fault. It was Leonardo who told me to toss around charm, and the gatekeeper knight who directed me to the West Wing. It's not entirely my fault.
"......Tina, come here."
"Yes, thir."
A chair and a small footrest are prepared, and I sit down. I heard they want to check how the shoes feel, so I'm probably going to try them on. The shoemaker explains the specifications of each shoe, and I check them. I nod along with each explanation and answer when asked. Finally, I put the shoes on, walk around the room a bit, confirm the fit, and we're done.
......As expected from shoes made after measuring my feet. They're a perfect fit.
I never had such luxury even in my past life. All the shoes I wore in my previous life were off-the-shelf, meant to fit anyone with the same size.
I thank the shoemaker and Leonardo, then change back into the shoes I came in. They're such nice new shoes. I'll debut them next time I go out with Leonardo. While I'm thinking about this, Leonardo starts ordering autumn and winter shoes, so I chip in with "Same specs as this time!" and Leonardo makes a very conflicted face, while the shoemaker smiles and says "Thank you as always." My requests seem to make them custom orders, which is probably good business for the shoemaker.
I see the shoemaker out, and since business is done, I decide to take my leave too. If I stay too long, I'll only get in the way of Leonardo's work. I get the feeling Alf also came to nail Leonardo down with that in mind.
"......What should I do about this?"
I'm at a loss looking at the mountain of offerings piled on the couch and the newly delivered shoe boxes. If it were just the offerings, I could somehow carry them, but with the shoes added, it's impossible for me alone.
"When you get back to the mansion, call out to Bart. Tell him there's luggage you want carried."
"Can Bart carry it all? There'th a lot, you know?"
"He can carry it if he packs it in a bag or something. Anything Bart can't carry, I'll bring on my way back."
"......Then I'll carry thethe mythelf."
I pick up the rabbit plush from the mountain of offerings. It's a bit large for a child to hold, and this one thing takes up a fair amount of space. Even when I was carrying things earlier, it wasn't that much of a problem until this plush was added.
......Also, the image of Leonardo holding a rabbit plush is surreal.
Imagining Leonardo with his intimidating face and lifted bangs holding a cute rabbit plush puts me in an indescribable mood. Rather than having Bart or Leonardo carry it, it's better for me, a little girl, to carry it.
Unlike when I arrived, I walk with the rabbit plush in my arms, and the eyes of the knights I pass are very warm. A little girl carrying a plush toy, it's probably good for their eyes.
When I return to the mansion and tell Bart, I decide to display the rabbit plush in the attic room. I like the simple atmosphere of the attic, but a little decoration now and then shouldn't hurt.
......If I display it here in the attic, it won't be in Leonardo's line of sight either.
That way, he'll forget that I was interested in the plush, and hopefully won't buy me a mountain of plushies. Probably. Surely.
......Probably, surely.
Tina obtained custom-made shoes! Next is probably Leonardo's perspective little-sister-obsession diary.
I'm taking a break from updates on the 19th.