Let’s go to the market.
I was basking in the bright, spring sunlight while reading a book. I felt some kind of gazes on me. It was Jend, Pochi, Nex, and Mary.
“… What’s the matter?”
“Rosarin, let’s play!”
Everyone’s representative, Jend, spoke up. Jend has recently stopped calling me Oneechan and started calling me by my name.
Receiving the play beam of adorable children, I decided to play with them.
“You guys, what happened to helping out?”
After playing with the children for a while, Gator came over.
“Ah, I forgot!”
“Rosarin, come with us.”
“Oneechan, together…”
“… (Pull, pull).”
Mary, Jend, and Pochi, each spoke up while Nex pulled on my sleeve.
This is not worth worrying about, but during these few months, the children exceeded my height. What a formidable growth! Especially Jend! His bones have been apparently creaking during sleep recently.
The children have a part-time job of selling Elder brother’s plants and carrying luggage. I’m told they buy sweets on the way back. When I agreed to accompany them, Rabisha-chan decided to join us as the guard.
“Wow…”
The market was crowded with various things lined up on the sides. This is the Capital’s biggest market, and you can apparently get your hands on nearly everything here.
“Oneechan, let’s hold hands.”
“Eh?”
“We are preventing the child from getting lost. I leave it to you, Mary.”
Being asked by Elder brother too, Mary said: “Leave it to me! I won’t let Oneechan get lost.” They have no trust in me. I can’t say anything since I got lost during the Country Foundation Festival. Being led by Mary, I walked while looking around curiously. I had come here before while making rounds, but I have never taken a good look.
(Help me…)
“Eh?”
I heard a weak voice within the bustling market. It was a frail voice seeking help.
“Oneechan…”
“I hear…”
(It’s painful…)
It was faint, but a child was crying. I thought I had to do something for this sorrowful voice.
“Oneechan?”
“Mary, a child is crying.”
“Eh? … I can’t hear it? Rabisha! Rabisha!”
“… I can’t hear it either?”
Rabisha-chan also listened carefully in the direction I pointed to, but she couldn’t hear. Elder brother and others returned to us who quite weren’t moving.
“… Rosarin, you are that uneasy about the voice?”
“… Yes.”
I am bothered by it. They are crying so I want to lend a hand. I can hear the crying child’s voice now. I have to help!
“It’s really bothering me. Niisama… please!”
“Rabisha, follow her. Rosarin, promise me to not do anything unreasonable.”
“”Yes!””
Receiving Elder brother’s permission, Rabisha-chan and I broke into a run.
We approached the voice little by little… these are… cages?
“This place is… a store that sells magic beasts as pets.”
The game had a pet rearing component in which you could hunt for monster materials to feed your pets. I did raise one. Rin did raise one. Incidentally, Rin’s magic beast was a fluffy Kesaran Pasaran furball, but it grew super strong and became an S-ranked, savage furball. Its name was Mofumaru.
The difference between monsters and magic beasts is their intelligence. Properly trained magic beasts don’t attack people and depending on the type, it can even be used as a mount. It was possible to ride on my Mofumaru.
“Was it you who called for me?”
I squatted before one of the cages. Inside the cage was a light-blue colored goldfish. It was sprawled on the cage’s bottom.
(Help me… I need water…)
“Oh my, Customer’s eyes are refined! This is a rare magic beast, you see…”
“Which part of it?”
A flash of light glittered in Rabisha-chan’s eyes.
“A little magic beast like this… it can’t be mounted, it looks weak too… it’s cheap, isn’t it?”
It appears that Rabisha-chan intends to bargain. Leaving the price negotiation to Rabisha-chan, I secretly let the light blue goldfish drink water I created with magic.
“Is this fine? Do you need more?”
(Yes… thank you, yummy.)
Fish can smile too, huh. It’s palm-sized too, very cute.
(Oneechan, I have a request.)
“Ojousama! It’s done!”
Rabisha-chan was showing a smile of accomplishment. She drove it to half-price. As expected of her.
“Well then, here you go.”
Recently, I converted my money into gems. They are not heavy and are convenient during transactions of a large sum.
“Rabisha, is there any magic beast to your liking? I will buy anything you like. I can buy all of the magic beasts here with this gem, right?”
“Ojousama!?”
“Sorry for making you flustered, Rabisha-chan.”
Our actress immediately matched me when I apologized to her in a low voice.
“As expected of Ojousama! You will naturally give us a freebie, right? You can buy an entire mansion with one of these gems, you know?”
Rabisha-chan started negotiating the transportation costs right away. I quietly took out the goldfish from the cage and put it in the little pool I made.
“Does it feel good?”
(Yeah! Thank you!)
The goldfish looked lively swimming in the pool, so I was happy.
However, this is a pain. I promised Elder brother not to do anything unreasonable, but I wasn’t able to avoid doing something of the unreasonable level. The innocent-looking light blue goldfish made an outrageous request to me, after all.