Chapter 43

In the early afternoon, we had rare visitors entering the shop.

It was Rumiru, the catfolk traveling merchant, and his daughter, Rachel.

I immediately noticed them this time, as the atmosphere inside the shop stirred when they entered.

I promptly stood up and greeted them across the counter.

“Long time no see.”

Rumiru smiled, his characteristic narrow-eyed grin that only cats can manage.

If there were a person who loved cats, they would be knocked out instantly.

“It’s still quite hot, isn’t it?”

“Hey there, bro! It’s Rachel!”

“Y-yeah, you’ve been doing well… Wait, what?”

As lively as ever, the energetic girl.

Before, only half of her head was visible over the counter, but today she had her entire head out.

I glanced at Rumiru.

“You’ve grown taller, haven’t you?”

“Haha, we catfolk grow up quickly.”

I’ve never owned a cat, so I didn’t know, but it seems kittens grow up fast.

…Well, I guess I’ve adapted to recognizing this size as that of a kitten.

This conversation was already in Catfolk language, and the chief’s eyes widened.

Come to think of it, it’s his first time seeing this. It might be annoying to hear us meowing, so let’s continue the conversation in the plaza outside.

The women definitely looked displeased… Sorry about that.

When Rumiru and I sit on the bench, Rachel takes a seat next to me.

It seems she’s not going to rub against my legs this time.

When I ask, “How’s work?” he replies, “It’s going okay,” in a manner typical of a traveling merchant.

When I inquire about what Rachel has been up to, she eagerly starts talking as if she’s been waiting for the question.

She shares various stories about her travels, and I listen for a while.

“Today, I brought the requested items.”

Saying that, he pulled out two small brown packages about the size of pocket tissues.

Inside them are cigarettes.

There are 10 cigarettes in each package; this seems to be the selling unit in this country.

The thickness and length are roughly the same as the ones I have now, and the paper they use for rolling is also somewhat brown. Well, it’s cheap because it’s paper to burn.

Of course, there’s no filter or anything like that. If you don’t smoke carefully, you might end up inhaling the leaves.

He made a single sample of each, so I decide to try smoking them.

First, the first one.

Suu――…Fuu――

An instant, a powerful aroma with a tingling sensation on the tongue.

The flavor is almost identical to the Marlboro I’m currently smoking.

“Oh, it’s quite similar to the current one… I’m surprised.”

“Is that so? I’m glad.”

Next is the second one.

Suu――…Fuu――

This one, after the tingling sensation on the tongue, had a sweet berry aroma.

“This one is similar to the fruit-flavored type of tobacco we have in our country. This one is good too.”

“The taste is almost the same, but the scent is a bit different, so… I was worried, but I’m glad you like it.”

“Fruit-flavored ones tend to be smoked by women.”

“I see.”

Today, Rachel is quiet. She sits next to me, watching my movements closely.

I wonder if she finds it interesting…

“How many of each do you have now?”

“I thought I’d wait for you to try them, so… I only have three packs of each.”

“Hmm… then I’ll take them all.”

“Huh? Is that okay?”

“Of course.”

My consumption rate is about one cigarette per day, so a little more than a pack per month. 

The last time Rumiru came was almost a month ago, so with six packs, I should be good for a little over two months.

However, recently—since coming to this world, to be precise—I’ve almost died twice.

It has been quite a mental strain, and I ended up smoking more for a while.

There might be occasions where my smoking rate increases in the future.

With three boxes, even if I smoke two per day, it will last me for a month.

“It was perfect timing since I had just run out.”

It seems there are shops selling tobacco in this town, but I don’t know their locations.

Honestly, I’m still a bit wary of going anywhere other than the main street.

It’s not a trauma, but I’ve become inclined to avoid narrow alleys.

I’d rather not go through the trouble of getting lost or, worse, getting attacked.

If someone comes to sell it to me, that’s even better.

I receive the cigarettes and pay the money.

I glance at Rachel. She looks bored…

Hmm… Alright, let’s have a little fun.

“Rachel, how about I make something nice for you?”

I give her a pat on the head, and she shows interest.

“Huh…What do you mean?”

“Just wait a moment.”

With that, I quickly return to the guild.

“Lily, sorry to bother you. Could you grab a few sheets of paper from over there?”

“Huh?”

I point to a stack of paper on a shelf.

She turns around, looks at the paper, and says 

“This?”

“Yes.”

She quickly takes a few sheets and hands them to me.

“Thanks.”

Lana and Carol turn their attention toward us. They don’t miss the cheerful me.

Then, Carol suddenly exclaimed,

“Ki… break! I’m going on a break!”

She hurriedly dashed out with an innocent expression.

Seeing this, Lana-san, with an expression that seemed to say ‘oh no,’ followed suit.

“Ah, I think I’ll take a little break too!”

Rachel quickly followed, not hiding her curiosity.

“Hey… both of you…”

Lily-san realized that she was falling behind.

While contemplating what to do with the now deserted counter, she glanced at the chief.

The chief sighed and, with a resigned expression, waved her hand indicating it was okay to go.

Lily-san nodded with a smile and headed towards the square.

By the time I reached Rachel, I heard Carol’s voice from behind.

Turning around, I saw Lana-san as well.

Both of them happily exclaimed, “We couldn’t resist coming too!” and laughed.

I involuntarily returned a smile and pointed to an empty spot on the bench.

Then Lily-san also arrived.

Since there were no tables in the square, let’s use the bench as a workspace.

I asked Carol and Rachel to make space between them, then sat down there.

Now, let’s get started.

First, place a piece of paper horizontally and fold it in half from bottom to top. Open it and fold both ends of one side into triangles.

Fold the side with the triangular folds towards the center, making sure the folded part is about 2 centimeters wide.

Fold both ends into triangles again while keeping the previous fold.

This creates a protrusion resembling a “navel” in the center, so fold that.

Everyone is watching intently, wondering what I’m trying to do.

Fold the tip of the triangular side of the paper slightly, then fold it in half so that the “navel” is on the outside.

Fold the paper diagonally to create wings. It’s ideal if the length is such that the tip and the wings are divided in half.

Finally, fold the wings back to flatten the crease, then unfold them to complete the shape.

Adjust it so that, when viewed from the front, it forms a Y-shape.

“There we go, it’s done!”

Everyone looked at the object with curious expressions.

It’s a “paper airplane.”

“Rachel, check this out.”

I stood up and slowly threw the paper airplane. It flew straight and quietly for about 10 meters.

Coincidentally, a light breeze lifted it, causing the paper airplane to make a left turn and fly even further—

““!!!””

Rachel enthusiastically followed the flying object with wide-eyed amazement.

“W-what is that… what is that?!”

“You can go get it if you want.”

Prompted, she dashed to retrieve it.

“This is called a paper airplane. It’s a toy I used to make and play with a lot when I was a child.”

I showed it from various angles.

“You fold the paper like this and throw it, and it flies like that.”

Then I taught Rachel the technique of throwing, and she tried it.

“Wow!”

“Yes, that’s it, you’re doing great!”

She threw it gently, and it flew quite well.

Lana-san was enchanted, watching Rachel chase the paper airplane she threw.

Carol pointed to herself, demanding, “Me too, me too.” I laughed and said, “Sure,” and made another one.

Lily-san silently observed me folding the paper for Carol.

Rumiru exclaimed in admiration 

“That’s amazing. Just by folding paper like that, it becomes something that can fly in the sky.”

“Hehe, it’s fun, isn’t it?”

Rachel and Carol played with the paper airplanes, and even the people in the square were surprised to witness it—

“What on earth is flying there!”

That seemed to be the unanimous reaction of the onlookers.

I asked him for another cigarette the next time he came, and we said goodbye.

I tell Rachel not to worry about losing the paper airplane.

“Paper airplanes can get caught on roofs or fall into rivers, so don’t worry if you lose them. I’ll teach you how to make them properly next time.”

Rachel held the paper airplane dearly and waved her hand.

When I returned to the guild, Carol suddenly flew a paper airplane inside the shop.

“Hey… Carol!”

Lily panicked completely. However, Carol continued to fly without caring, enjoying the sight.

All the customers in the shop had surprise marks floating above their heads, and they followed the flying object with their eyes.

And as if it were intentional, it landed on the chief’s desk.

“Wow!”

Seeing the surprised and startled supervisor, Carol laughed and rejoiced.

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