Volume 1, Chapter 8: A small child became attached to me.
The day after I made bread.
I holed myself up in my room after breakfast to think about the future. Although I now had the choice between pasta and bread for the main dish, my repertoire was still too small.
I wrote out the ingredients I was missing on some parchment. First was the Japanese staple, rice. Then the seasonings, soy sauce, miso, vinegar, wine, tougarashi1. It was really painful to only have salt and sugar out of the 5 essential seasonings2. I’m worried for the future.
I flung my feather pen onto the table and leaned back into my chair. The ceiling that I gazed up to did not have a single stain or spiderweb. Atop the luxurious chandelier sat a spirit…wait, a spirit!?
Thud, went something that landed on my face. I grabbed whatever it was that covered my eyes, nose and mouth and it flailed desperately, finally escaping my grasp to land on the table.
“…w-what?”
It didn’t hurt, but I was surprised by the unfamiliar feeling. I stared at the table.
“U-uhm, I’m so sorry! I didn’t do it on purpose!”
A small girl with mint-color hair was apologizing profusely to me on the table. It seems this girl had fallen onto my face.
“Huh? Aren’t you one of the spirits I met in the forest…?”
It was the leader of the group of spirits who guided me to the main road when I was wandering around in the forest. I hadn’t seen them again since I was brought to the Claudes, so I thought they had gone home.
“Gil said I was entrusted to him by the spirits, so I thought you had returned to the forest…”
“…Actually, I’m the only one who’s here.”
“Eh? Really? Why?”
“I was worried…you were suddenly dropped into this world, so there was no way you wouldn’t be anxious. I didn’t know what to do if you were troubled…”
The girl looked up at me worriedly, her hands tightly gripping the clothes that were the same color as her hair. Speaking of which, I never got to thank the spirits for guiding me to the road since I had collapsed the second I saw it.
“Is that so? Thank you for leading me out of the forest. The Claude family has taken good care of me, and I’m all right now! It’s all thanks to you. Thank you so much.”
“Oh, that’s a relief! I thought perhaps you didn’t like us, so I’m glad to hear that’s not the case.”
Thinking about it, I had been really confused at being dropped into another world so suddenly. I must have lashed out of them, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable for them to think I hated them.
That wasn’t my intention, and I felt bad thinking back on it.
“I’m sorry for having such a bad attitude back then. I had never met any spirits before, so I was so surprised… I don’t hate you at all! In fact, I’m very grateful.”
“Phew, I’m glad.”
She smiled, relieved.
“By the way, why did you drop down from up there?”
The girl flushed with embarrassment as I asked her about her ambush.
“…t-that is…I was watching over you from the chandelier, but you suddenly looked straight at me. I was so shocked I lost my footing…It really wasn’t on purpose, I promise!”
Just as an apple falls from a tree, so does a spirit fall from a chandelier. I couldn’t help but laugh at the concept, too which the poor spirit only blushed a deeper red. I decided to change the subject.
“Did you have something you wanted to say?”
“…y-yes…I thought I could help you out since you looked so troubled. I’m a spirit so I know a lot! I can use magic too!”
She seemed hellbent on helping me. Perhaps she likes me? It seems Gil’s words that people who can see spirits are well liked by them are true. Either way, this is better than being hated.
“Thank you. I really do have a problem, so I’m happy you’re offering! By the way, what’s your name?”
“I don’t have one.”
No name…do spirits not have names? What should I call her, then?
“Uhm, if you’d like, please give me a name!”
The girl looked at me with giant, puppy dog eyes.
“Would you be okay with my naming you?”
“Yes, yes!”
Hmmm…even if you’re willing, I don’t have a name on the spot… I hadn’t interacted with her enough, so I could only think of names related to her appearance.
Hm, a simple style and green hair…
“How about Basil?”
It’s simple but I thought about it after looking at her hair. I hope she doesn’t think I’m obsessed with food when even her name is a food name. It’s a nice and cute name, I think…
The girl placed her hands on her cheeks, mumbling “Basil…Basil…” over and over again and smiling. It seems she liked it.
“I didn’t introduce myself, did I? I’m Kurok…sorry, Risa Kurokawa Claude. Nice to meet you, Basil.”
“Nice to meet you too, Master!”
“…eh? Master?”
“Yes! You gave me a name, so you’re my master!”
Basil replied to my surprise.
Speaking of which, Gil did say that spirit magic cannot be used without a contract with a spirit, and that a contract was signed by something or other about a name and the spirit…Did I just sign a contract with Basil?
She affirmed my suspicions. I couldn’t tell her to annul the contract when she smiled brightly at me and confessed her joy in signing a contract with me. She was also very excited about helping me in any way she could. Having already decided through my stomach, I asked her.
“Does this world have rice?”
“Yes it does!”
…what!?
I might be able to get rice much sooner than I thought!?
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