Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 197: Concentration
After finishing our shaved ice, we decided to head for the game stalls next.
Rose didn’t seem very confident with competitive games, so I thought maybe a lottery stall would suit her better, but it felt right to start with something you could play first.
“Let’s go to one of the game stalls next. There’s target shooting, ball scooping, candy mold cutting, and ring toss. Is there something you’d like to try?”
“I want to try shooting! I’ve never used a bow before, so I want to give it a go!”
“…I kind of want to try the candy mold cutting… maybe.”
And just like that, their opinions split.
Each had made a suggestion, but we hadn’t decided whose turn it was to choose next.
Going by order, it should’ve been Yato’s choice, but since Rose was the type who rarely voiced her own opinions, I wanted to respect that she had spoken up this time.
“I’d like to try that candy mold thing too.”
“Isabella, you’re just taking Rose’s side! It’s my turn next, isn’t it!?”
“Hm… Let’s start with the candy molds first. Then we can do shooting afterward. How’s that?”
“Gah! Even Sato’s taking Rose’s side now!?”
“It’s not favoritism. We can do both anyway, and I just thought it’d be better to go in the order of the nearby stalls.”
“Hmm… fine then. But still, Rose’s smug face is annoying!”
Yato puffed up her cheeks while Rose looked quietly triumphant.
Smiling at the two of them, we arrived at the candy mold-cutting stall.
The game was very simple: use a small needle to trace and cut out a design from a thin candy sheet.
If you managed to cut it out neatly without breaking it, you’d win a prize depending on the difficulty of the shape.
“So, what are we supposed to do in this game?”
“You pick a design and carve it out following the lines. You can pick an easy one if you want, or a harder one if there’s a prize you’d like.”
“I see! Then I’ll go with an easy circle!”
“I want those cookies, so I’ll try the star shape.”
“I’ll take the star too. What about you, Rose?”
“…I’ll do the one with three circles in a row.”
“Eh? That one looks the hardest—are you sure?”
Rose had chosen the dango (skewered dumpling) pattern—the hardest of them all.
I asked out of concern, but she nodded firmly, so maybe she was confident about it.
With a hint of unease, we each received our candy templates and needles, then started carving in silence.
The lively chatter from earlier vanished as everyone focused. I, too, got absorbed—it had been a long time since I’d done something like this.
The first one to break the quiet was… Yato.
“Waaah! It broke!”
“Hey! You startled me—mine broke too because you yelled!”
Yato’s was supposed to be the simplest circle, but it had cracked clean in half.
And because of her sudden scream, Isabella had shaved off the tip of her star.
Now it was down to just me and Rose.
Rose stayed calm, ignoring the commotion beside her, and continued carving in total concentration.
I was doing well at first, but the moment I glanced over at her, my focus slipped—and snap, mine broke too.
“Ha! Sato failed too! Now only Rose’s left!”
“I didn’t know Rose-sama had such nimble hands. You’re amazing at everything, aren’t you?”
“From what I’ve seen, it’s not so much nimbleness as… sheer concentration.”
I agreed—it wasn’t her dexterity that stood out, but her focus.
When Velvet did this earlier, she had the piece cut out in seconds, thanks to her dexterous hands.
But Rose was different—she worked slowly, steadily, and never lost focus for even a second.
And finally… she succeeded in cutting out the dango shape perfectly.
“Whoa! Rose, that’s amazing!”
“…I did it. Hehe… I’m happy.”
“As expected of Rose-sama. Would you like to exchange it for a prize?”
“…No. I’ll keep this one as a memento.”
“Eh? Are you sure? You could trade it for the highest-tier prize!”
“…Mm. I’d rather keep this.”
Roze held the fragile candy gently, smiling from the heart.
Normally, you’d trade a perfect cut for a prize, but this time, I decided she should have both.
“In that case, you can keep both the candy and the prize. The mold itself isn’t worth much anyway.”
“…Really?”
“Of course. What matters is that you succeeded.”
I spoke with Drake, who was managing the stall, and had him hand over the dango prize—the top-tier reward.
“What is that, exactly?”
“It’s a latte set. It should taste great—please enjoy it when you’re back in the elf country.”
“…Thank you. I’ll treasure it all.”
Rose hugged both the latte set box and her perfectly cut candy mold with care.
Seeing how genuinely happy she was made me happy too.
The latte set was actually a Starbucks gift set, so I was sure it’d be delicious.
I would’ve liked to see her reaction when she tried it, but that would probably be for Isabella’s eyes only.
And with that, we moved on to the next game—Yato’s pick, the target shooting stall.