abcnovels
Chapter 16 - Here comes the Vertical Curls, Part 2
Chapter 16 - Here comes the Vertical Curls, Part 2
Chapter 16 - Here comes the Vertical Curls, Part 2
Chapter 16: Here comes the Vertical Curls, Part 2
“Rollie rolls, why come?”
“Oh my, Noela-san, good day to you. Is Reiji-sama in?”
“Master, not here.”
Noela-. I’m here in the medicine room, though-?
While I’m thinking such, my hands continue to work.
It seems like the feudal lord’s daughter, Elaine, has come to the shop to play.
But man, Noela dislikes Elaine as usual, huh.
“Today I have important business to do with Reiji-sama, so when will he return?”
“... ... Day after tomorrow.”
Oi oi.
Or like, she totally knows that I’m in the medicine room, right?
“What time on the day after tomorrow?”
“I don’t know.”
When I heard that, I showed my face in the store.
“Noela. I’m here, though-?”
“Reiji-sama, so you’re here, aren’t you. Good day to you.”
“Yes, I was using the medicine room.”
When I returned a suitable greeting to her, Noela came over and tightly squeezed my hand.
When she saw it, Elaine’s eyes went round.
“... You are quite close, I see.”
“Well yeah. And what did you need from me today? Did you come to chat?”
No; Elaine shook her head.
“I have received permission from Father-!”
Her eyes are sparkling with delight, but I have absolutely no idea what she’s talking about.
“Permission for what?”
Eheh; Elaine took up a grand pose with her hand on her waist.
“Permission to work at this store!”
“First of all, you haven’t received my permission to work at this store, though.”
Un, un; Noela nodded her head vigorously next to me.
“The feudal lord, my father, said working at Kirio Drug for two days would be fine. Since it would be a good chance to learn about the world, he said.”
“No, why didn’t this go through me, the shopkeeper?”
“? Father said so, though?”
Smack; I gave Elaine a head chop.
“Ow-!? Wh,what!? Why did you hit me!?”
“And who do you think your dad is, a god or something?”
“I told you earlier. Father is the feudal lord.”
“That ain’t what I’m talking about. I’m asking if you think everything will go exactly to plan just because the Feudal Lord-sama said so.”
“Of course, right? That’s how it always is.”
And this is why you’re Vertical Curls!
What’s with this aristocrat supremacy way of thinking...
“Rollie rolls, why this store?”
“Heh-? Th,that’s because Reiji-sama is an acquaintance, after all.”
“Since it’s to get world experience, different store is better.”
“Flinch-!”
So there’s actually a person who says “Flinch,” outright.
Noela’s deductive reasoning didn’t stop.
Sniff, sniff; Noela’s nose twitched.
“Perfume. Rollierolls, has it on.”
“Ah, you’re right. This is that nice smell from the previous perfume...”
“A,and what about it?”
“If just to work, unnecessary. Definitely, because you’re meeting Master, have on.”
“Flinch-.”
“Motive. Impure.”
Snap; Noela pointed her finger at Elaine.
“Reiji-sama ... is it no good...?”
“Well, well, isn’t it fine? If she helps out with our work, then won’t we be able to teach this Vertical Curls Lady-sama the world?”
“Understood. Rollierolls, Noela will teach.”
Even if we say she’ll work for us, did we have any set work?
“Oh my. Noela-san will be teaching me?”
“Not Noela-san. Instructor Noela.”
Instructor Noela is unexpectedly going Spartan.
As expected, Noela is going to be tsun-tsun with Elaine as her opposite, naa.
“First of all,”
Instructor Noela’s guidance began immediately.
“Werewolf, different from beastkin.”
Starting with that?
“Um, I, I’d rather my instruction for work come from Reiji-sama, though.”
“Master busy. Has no time to mind you.”
Woosh; Noela told it to Elaine straight.
I wonder if these two will be alright.
When I returned, while being worried, Mina was watching the inside of the store while smiling.
“You seem to be in a good mood, huh?”
“Yes. Noela-san, you’re getting along with the Vertical Curls-san that you hated so much, aren’t you?”
That was considered ‘getting along’ ...?
Within the store, they’re at the point where Noela is explaining each product to Elaine.
If you look at both the beast girl and vertical girls like this, then you can’t tell they aren’t friends.
“It would be nice if this causes them to become friends.”
“Wouldn’t it? Noela-san doesn’t involve herself much with other people, so it would be nice if she had a friend.”
An ojisan we’ve seen a number of times came to the store.
He’s someone who always buys several energy potions.
Noela bowed.
“’elcome.”
When I wasn’t paying attenting, she shortened “Welcome,” to “’elcome”...
The gentle-looking ojisan also greeted her.
“Yaa. Noela-chan. ‘ello.”
Hmph; Elaien made a triumphant-looking pose.
“You’ve done well to come-!”
Swish swish; Noela shook her head.
“Rollierolls. Greeting, different. When customers come, it’s ‘’elcome.’”
That’s also wrong, after all.
What kind of authoritative greeting were you taught?
Ahem; Elaine cleared her throat.
“’Elcome.”
She actually said it. Why is she following it to that degree?
“Now then, what is it that you wanted today? This me will aid you specially today.
It’s customer service that seems like it would make you break into laughter at any moment.
At this point in time, the ojisan was understandably pulling back.
“U,uuum... can I get three energy potions?”
“Oh my. For an aristocrat like me to have to prepare goods for a commoner! How disrespectful!”
That’s what you’re there for.
I really want to go into the shop right now and lower my head.
However, cautioning her to changer her attitude is Instructor Noela’s job...
Right now I have to endure it, endure it...
Speaking of Noela, her eyes are sparkling as she drinks a potion with it’s lid taken off.
It’s the one bottle a day I gave her.
She’s already gulping it down like it’s delicious.
“... I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.”
I, who gave up enduring and returned to the store, made both of them bow their heads.
“Master, what is it?”
“Wh,wh,y-?”
“Our clerks were rude.”
When the three of us bowed our heads, the ojisan laughed as he forgave us.
When I prepared the three energy potions, I added one bottle as a freebie.
“Is that alright? You gave me one extra.”
“Oh no, it’s fine, it’s fine. It’s our apology.”
“Even though you don’t have to mind it. Then since you bothered, I’ll take it. Thank you.”
The ojisan actually left satisfied.
I turned around to face Elaine and Noela.
“Elaine. A customer is a customer. It doesn’t matter if it’s a commoner or not.”
“But I’m a noble and that’s a normal citizen. It’s a fact that was decided the moment we were born, wasn’t it? To say I have to do something about it now.”
“Punishment-!”
Smack; I gave Elaine a headchop.
“Ow-!? You hit me again-! Why are you being so violent?”
“Don’t make light of commoners, Vertical Curls. Listen. Let’s say Elaine went to buy bread.”
“I wouldn’t buy bread. That’s something servants do.”
“I’m saying ‘if.’ Let’s set aside whether you actually would or not for now.”
Has Elaine never done an errand before...?
“And so, what about the bread?”
“What would Elaine do if the storekeeper asks why did you come and out with it if you had business and cops an attitude? What do you think?”
Hmph; “What are you saying?” Elaine said matter of factly.
“I’ll tell Father and immediately crush that store.”
“You’re already a fool using your parent’s influence. I’m saying that what you did is like that.”
Thinking for a little bit, Elaine said, with a serious face,
“Reiji-sama. That commoner doesn’t have political influence, so he won’t be able to crush the store, right?”
“That’s not the part you should be worrying about! You noble-status-wielding fool... so you measure the worth of people by whether they have political power or not ... If you do that, the customers won’t come. Because you make them feel bad. Okay? Lady Elaine.”
This is a pharmacy so I’ll come when there’s truly a need for me to, but I absolutely have no intentions of watching after the movements of others selling the products.
“U,um. Can you say, “Lady Elaine”once more ... ? I,I’m going to store it in my heart.”
Elaine is glancing at me in embarrassment.
“...Lady Elaine.”
“Tsu–. I can imagine sneaking out of the mansion and meeting many times at night –. B,but I and Reiji-sama are noble and commoner, so the difference in status is –“
Right, I don’t really get it, but now for Noela.
“And so. Noela, you’re an example to Vertical Curls, so you have to shape up. And also, you’re not allowed to drink potions in front of customers.”
“Ruu...”
Slump.
Noela’s ears drooped.
Swish swish; I patted Noela and Elaine’s heads.
“Everyone makes mistakes, so pay attention next time?”
“Master. Noela, work hard.”
Her eyes are burning with drive. Her beast ears also stood up sharply.
?????????......???????????????????
“I,I also ... even though I’ll be dealing with commoners, I will also work hard.”
Clenching her small, cute fist, Elaine nodded.
The ‘dealing with commoners’ was unnecessary, though?
I’m still worried after all, so I secretly observe the inside of the store from the door.
Elaine’s attitude is overbearing, she tries to sell products forcefully, she wields her parents’ influence on her sleeve, and she was completely Vertical Curls; watching her makes me shiver.
Noela is working briskly, but she’s working too hard, and it seems like she can’t follow up on Elaine yet.
“Rollierolls, do it right.”
“I am doing it properly.”
“You’re not.”
“I am. I said I am, so I am.”
There was also that kind of conversation. To say it nicely, the two are vigorously exchanging opinions.
They say you’re close if you can fight, but I wonder if that’s true.
Looks like it’s pretty difficult to teach an aristocratic young lady about the world.
The second day I have her help me in the medicine room, not the store.
“I,I’ll be alone with Reiji-sama in his room...”
I take a merciless stance with Elaine, who’s somewhat red and fidgety.
“Pick that up. This time, this – , wrong! Listen to me, Vertical Curls. That, take that tool this time and mash –“
‘Th,this is different from what I thought ‘being alone together in your room’ would be~”
Shriek; saying so tearfully, Elaine did this and that as I told her to in the medicine room.
“I thought that being together, alone with Reiji-sama would deepen our relationship...”
“Don’t look down on work, you brainless head filled with flowers.”
Finishing with the day’s worth of medicine, when Mina entered with tea for the two of us to drink, Elaine looked around at her surroundings and quietly said,
“... Um, Reiji-sama. There’s something I want to make as well... but can I...?”
When I asked what it was, it was an understandably excellent idea so I approved it.
While giving Elaine advice, we made preparations for making medicine.
I left all the cutting, mashing, kneading, and draining work to Elaine; I did the last touch of seizing the bottle and shaking it.
If I don’t, then Drug Discovery skill won’t activate.
And with her two days of personal work experience complete, Elaine headed to the carriage.
Seizing the sides of her skirt, Elaine bowed her head a little towards us.
“Everyone, it was just two days, but I was in your care. ... Um, Noela-san, there is something I’d like to give you.”
Elaine took out the bottle she had secretly hidden and made Noela grasp it.
“Ru? Rollierolls, what is this? Potion?”
“Ah- ... Ahaha, it’s not a potion. Please try opening it.”
Pop; when Noela opened the bottle, a pleasant scent wafted out.
“This is perfume, isn’t it?”
When Mina said so, Elaine smiled shyly.
“Yes. That’s... it’s perfume that suits Noela-san and I made it with Reiji-sama’s help. It would be nice if it please you.”
Sniff sniff; Noela’s nose twitched.
“Nice smell. Rollierolls, thanks.”
Paa; Elaine’s uneasy look was cleared away.
The entire time while she was making it, she had been concerned whether or not Noela would like it.
“Is it alright if I come again...?”
“Alright.”
“Thank you very much, Noela-san.”
With a smile, Elaine gave Noela a simple hug and waved her hand at me as the carriage left.
“Aren’t you glad, Noela?”
“Ru-“
With her tail swaying back and forth, Noela went back inside.
When Mina and I went to secretly peek in on her, she had opened the lid to smell it, and when done she shut it. Then once again she opened it to smell it.
She repeated that many times.
Mina and I watched that and smiled at each other.