Chapter 534

Continuing Orders
“Takumi-san, you said you didn’t have any particular plans today, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Perfect. Then could you spare me a bit of your time?”
“Of course.”

At breakfast, Rebecca-san asked about our plans for the day. Since Kaiser had gone back to the sea last night—his ID had worked just fine—we really had nothing scheduled. I’d been planning to just take it easy today anyway.

““Is something happening~?””
“I’ve invited a jeweler to come by today. Remember how you said you wanted to make matching hair ornaments? I thought you’d like to join in.”
““Ohh!””
“Ah~ right. Thank you for remembering.”

Now that she mentioned it, I had told Rebecca-san I wanted to make hair ornaments using those butterfly crafts I’d brought as souvenirs. And I also needed to order an extra brooch for Elena!

“Well, well, if it isn’t Takumi-sama. It has been a while.”
“Long time no see. Thank you for coming today.”
“Allow me to reintroduce myself. I’m Cordy, in charge of management and customer relations at the shop. And this is our designer, Tzen. We look forward to working with you today.”

The jeweler duo—Cordy-san and Tzen-san—were people I’d met before. They were the ones who had made the pearl jewelry I’d given to Rebecca-san and also bought pearls from me. Apparently, they remembered me too, because after greeting Rebecca-san, they addressed me directly.

“We’ve heard you’d like to make matching hair ornaments today.”
“Yes, that’s right. —Takumi-san, would you bring out those butterfly pieces?”
“Yes, gladly!”

Spoken to in Rebecca-san’s refined “noble lady mode,” I ended up answering a bit too enthusiastically.

“Oh you, Takumi-san, honestly.”
“M-my apologies. Anyway, here they are…”

I took out four glass butterflies of different colors from my Infinite Storage and lined them neatly on the table.

“Oh my, these are incredibly delicate pieces.”
“Since they’re glass, they’ll need reinforcement treatment.”
“Thank you for the warning.”

I made sure to point out the one thing they needed to be careful about.

“And as for the design—I’d like it to have a similar feel to this one.”
“Oh, what a splendid piece!”

When Rebecca-san showed them the butterfly brooch I’d given her as a souvenir, Cordy let out an impressed murmur.

“Hehe, thank you. Takumi-san gave me this as a gift. He said he got the butterfly crafts from the Dungeon of Precious Stones and had it made into a brooch at a shop in Glad.”

Rebecca-san had already confirmed with me beforehand how much she could reveal. She’d decided to mention only the general locations—the dungeon and the city—so they could make something matching without prying further. It was also a subtle way of saying, If you want one too, go dig through the labyrinth yourself.

“You may leave it to us. Our artisans will give it their all… though, I must admit, there’s a slight issue.”
“Oh? Is something wrong?”

Cordy-san’s cheerful expression dimmed a little.

“Unfortunately, our shop currently has no pearls in stock. So making something that matches this brooch exactly will be difficult.”

Ah, right—the brooch had small pearls set into it. Without pearls, matching the design would be tough.

“That’s fine, I’ll provide them. Umm…”
“W-wait, please! They might get scratched—use this tray.”
“………… Sorry.”

As I was about to place some small pearls straight onto the table, Cordy-san quickly produced a velvet-lined tray.
I’d gotten so used to pearls that I’d started treating them like seashell stones, the way the merfolk did. But right, they’re precious gems here. I should handle them properly.

“Would this be enough?”

We’d be making nine hair ornaments in total, but the kids’ versions wouldn’t use pearls, so I set out enough for about five pieces. I also added the necessary glass butterflies—one extra for good measure.

“Oh, before I forget—”

I took out the brooch I’d borrowed from Feat and showed it to them. The design resembled Rebecca-san’s brooch, but for the kids it had no pearls and featured interchangeable stones instead.

“I’d also like to order another one of these, in a different color.”
“Ah, yes, for Elena-chan, right?”
“That’s right!”

We couldn’t have Elena waiting forever for hers.

“This one doesn’t use pearls, I see.”
“It’s for a child, yes. But the stone part can be swapped out later.”
“I see—you mean, when she grows up, it can be replaced with a pearl or another gem.”

Cordy-san examined it for a bit, then handed it to Tzen-san, who began furiously sketching.

“By the way, for men’s jewelry—what kinds of items are common?”

Once we’d settled the details for the hair ornaments, I asked something that had been on my mind.

“For men, there are lapel pins, tie pins, cufflinks, collar chains, and so forth.”
“Ah, I see.”

Up till now, I’d mostly dealt with accessories for the ladies, but it’d be nice to make something for the men, too.

“If I were to use pearls… what would you recommend?”
“You’ve handled quite a number of pearls already, yet your supply seems endless. I must say, I’m impressed, Takumi-sama.”
“Let’s just say I found a secret pearl spot.”
“My, how enviable.”

That “secret spot” was, of course, the merfolk’s trash heap—the ultimate treasure trove.

“So what would you suggest?”
“With pearls, the simpler the better. Minimal metalwork or ornamentation would suit them best.”
“Hmm, then maybe something like a single pearl on a plain base—perhaps a tie pin or lapel pin?”

I took out a larger pearl from my Infinite Storage and held it up alternately near my lapel and my chest.

“Something like this? Would it work as both?”
“Yes, I believe it could be worn either way.”
“That’s perfect.”

Two uses for one item—I love practical designs like that!

“Alright, let’s go with that then. As for the pearls…”

White, black, blue, pink, yellow—honestly, they’d all look great. Maybe I should just make a full set of colors? That way everyone could match their outfits or moods.

So, let’s see… for the Ruven men: Mathias-san, Velio-san, and Wald-san; for the Risner men: Cedric-san, Patrick-san, and Isaac-san; plus me and Allen—that’s eight total. Lucario-kun… hmm, they’d probably get mad if I made him one. So eight it is.

“Let’s pick the best-shaped pearls…”
“T-Takumi-sama!? Please, wait a moment!”
“Eh?”

As I began pulling out pearls, Cordy-san suddenly panicked.

“You don’t need that many!”

She stared at the growing pile with alarm.

“I want everyone to have a five-color set to choose from depending on their mood.”
““F–Five!? Per person!?””

Both Cordy-san and Tzen-san’s voices cracked in perfect unison. A little overdramatic, maybe?

“My, oh my, oh my, Takumi-san~ Are those perhaps for our household’s men?”
“Yes. For Matthias-san and the others, plus the three Risner brothers, and then for me and Allen.”
““Oniichan, what about Kaiser’s?””
“Ah! I forgot about him. We should make his too, just in case. So, nine in total then.”

I hurriedly pulled out another set of pearls.
Even if Kaiser never used it, now that he had a human ID, there might come a time he’d need formal wear. Better to have it ready.
… Oh wait, what about Joule and the others?
I’d already made accessories for Feat and Mile, so maybe I should have ones made for Joule and his brothers too. I could always ask later and add more if needed.

“Now, now. Takumi-san, you’re usually so modest, but when it comes to this sort of thing, you really go big, don’t you?”

Rebecca-san smiled in amusement as I continued sorting the pearls, completely unfazed.

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