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Matching Item
「Waa, this bracelet is so pretty!」
As we are looking around the items inside, Nina stops at the accessories corner.
It has a small gem embedded in it with a silver chain.
It's not a luxurious accessory, but an item that can be used as an everyday accessory or even for a modest bit of fashion.
It's also priced at 1 silver coin, making it a reasonable price. It's also cheap enough that even the people of Howling Village - who rarely spent money - could easily afford it.
「Hoh, the gems come in a variety of colors, they’re pretty ja」
「It’s the same color as our hair!」
When I try looking at the gem accessories lined up as Nina said, they are embedded with gems with colors such as light purple, gold, indigo blue, and black, the same as our hair color.
「You’re right」
「It somehow feels like fate」
「Eh?」
The words Camila utters next to me are so surprising I let out a weird, involuntary telp.
「What ‘Eh?’, that’s rude, Kureto-dono. I’m also a woman. I sometimes think about things like that too」
「I, I’m sorry」
I never expected to hear something like that from Camila’s mouth, so I ends up with a rude response.
I can only apologize to her, feeling apologetic.
「……this, should we buy this」
「Um, good idea! It’s a rare opportunity ja, let’s all buy and wear them!」
Arte suggests something unexpected, taking advantage of Nina’s remark.
At that, both Camila and I let out dumb cries at the same time.
「「Eh?」」
「 Don’t worry. I will also buy Kureto and Camila’s share as a token of my thanks」
Buying and matching a bracelet with someone else is something I’ve never experienced before as a man, so I can only feel very confused.
I won't wear something like that with my male friend, and even if I had a girlfriend, I would never give them a present like this since I thought it would be a bit too heavy. I don’t know how to respond.
And it seems like Camila also doesn't do that kind of thing very often either.
I realize she's clearly also troubled.
「I’m so happy we all have matching bracelets!」
We're confused about what to do, but seeing Nina’s extremely happy face, we can't refuse in the end.
「Ah, yeah」
「Thank you very much」
Arte pays for our bracelets, so we decide to accept her kindness.
Nina takes the bracelet with the embedded gem with the same color as her hair to the register, and Arte takes her own, mine, and Camila’s and pays for them.
「Here, Kureto and Camila’s bracelet」
As soon as she finishes paying, Arte returns and hands the bracelet to me.
I guess the two of them immediately put them on, as the silver bracelet is shining on their left arm.
Arte has a small, light purple gem like an amethyst, while Nina has a lemon-colored gem like a topaz shining on her arm.
It matches their beautiful hair and seems to further draw out their charm.
「You two also put them on!」
After receiving the bracelet and the gaze that shines as brightly as the bracelets themselves, Camila and I put them on.
Camila has an indigo blue gem like a lapis lazuli, while mine has a black gem that looks like obsidian.
At the two’s request, I hold out my arm with the bracelet to compare, and I feel a strange, itchy feeling.
「Now the four of us, match each other!」
「Right!」
Nina and Arte break into a bright, bursting smile.
Just seeing that alone made me happy. I’m sure Camila - with her cheeks relaxing - also feel the same.
I wonder how many years it has been since I’ve bought matching items with my friends like this?
I definitely would have never bought them on my own since I would feel so embarrassed. I’m grateful to Arte’s kindness in buying them for me as a gift.
Even so, I wonder if it’s really a coincidence to find gems with the same color as our hair?
Perhaps Emilio and Rodney secretly replaced them? Nah, I don’t think they’d go that far, as expected. Let’s just honestly think it's a coincidence.
●
The four of us, me, Nina, Arte, and Camila, go around looking at the stalls, sometimes sitting down and chatting with the villagers, and heading out to buy stuff――we basically spend our time happily like that and time passes in an instant.
「It’s already evening, unnoticed」
The sun has set before we knew it, seemingly hiding the mountains in the distance. The crimson light streaming from between the mountains somehow looks melancholic.
「It's over in the blink of an eye. But, I'm able to have the best of time thanks to Kureto and Nina」
「Yeah, I also thought so」
I'm quite busy during the Nation Founding Festival back then and can't participate that much, but the Howling Village Harvest Festival is the one I'm able to participate in for the first time. There are some difficult parts such as the harvesting work and negotiations, but I’m extremely satisfied that I'm able to participate from the start until the end.
The moderate feeling of exhaustion also felt good. Being tired but satisfied is something that I have never experienced before when I was working in that black company.
「Eh? The Harvest Festival isn’t over yet, you know?」
「「Huh?」」
Just as we are immersed in our thoughts, Nina’s words solemnly brought us back to reality.
I feel a little embarrassed since I'm just sharing my impression of the Harvest Festival.
「It’s true that a lot of people have closed their stalls, but they are still so lively. Rather, it’s as if the real thing is about to begin」
Camila says while calmly looking around the surroundings.
Most villagers seem to have closed their stalls, but not all of them.
People bring wood to the central square one after another, and in exchange for the stalls, they set up large tables and long chairs. With the exact opposite of the somber atmosphere of the festival ending, the atmosphere buzzes as though the real event is about to start.
「Nina, what are they going to do next?」
「It’s a campfire! We’re making a large fire, and then everyone eats, sings, and dances together!」
Nina speaks while spreading both her arms to show the scale of the fire.
It’s like the closing event of a cultural festival.
「I see. We can’t go back if there was such a large and exciting event coming up!」
「Right. We have to enjoy it till the end」
It will be a shame not to enjoy it if there is such a large event at the end.
Throwing away the somber atmosphere, I decide to switch back to the festival mood again.
Although, there is nothing we can do until the preparation is over.
We help the villagers clean up their stalls and carry the tables and chairs to the designated locations.
「Kureto! Sorry, can you help move the wood with magic?」
「Sure. I can help」
Just when I'm helping out the villagers, Andre calls me over so we move to the central square.
There are wood pieces lined up there with a height taller than me over there. It's quite difficult to continue putting them together with human effort.
However, for someone who can use Space Magic like me, I can do it right away.
「Where should I put them together?」
「Please put them on the raised ground around there」
Looking at the ground, as Andre said, I see that it has been heaped up.
It's probably a measure for the fire to prevent the ground and other things from getting too hot and breaking or something.
After grasping the place to put them together, I cast my Space magic.
「Teleport」
The wood that would become firewood is teleported there one after another, and I put them together so wind would be able to easily pass through.
As I continue to stack them up with Teleportation so they won’t collapse on themselves, a tall bonfire as high as a one-storey building is completed.
「What do you think about this?」
「Uoooohhh! Perfect! It was usually hard and took a lot of time to prepare the bonfire and set it up, but it was a breeze this year thanks to Kureto!」
The men who had been roped in for setting up the bonfire - including Andre - let out cheerful voices.
It's so heavy that it took around 3 people of Andre’s size to lift one after all.
I’m glad I was able to help. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
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