Elysia learned all sorts of things while attending the Accessory Crafting Club.
At first, she could not even tie a single thin thread properly and had to undo her knots over and over again.
Her fingertips put far too much strength into picking up tiny metal ornaments,
and even cutting ribbons to a uniform length was not as easy as she had expected.
But as time passed, she gradually changed.
A way of moving her hands that was different from when she held a sword.
Not cutting, but weaving.
Not pushing through with force, but holding only firmly enough that it would not snap, and pulling only tightly enough that it would not come loose.
Elysia slowly learned that sensation.
Now, her skills had improved enough that she could make simple accessories on her own.
Small hairpins, decorative cords, little brooches that could be pinned to the sleeves of a school uniform.
She still could not make pieces as intricate as the seniors did, but compared to the tangled mess of thread she had started with, it was a considerable improvement.
I sat on a cushion in one corner of the clubroom and watched her.
‘She’s improved a lot.’
At first, she had felt like a noble knight lady who knew nothing but the sword,
but lately, even when Elysia made small ornaments, her face showed quite a bit of concentration.
That expression was a little different from the one she wore during swordsmanship training.
It was not the face of someone trying to prove something, but the face of someone slowly learning.
It was nice to see.
And I, too, had grown in my own way.
Of course, I do not mean that my accessory-making skills had improved.
I cannot hold a needle with my forepaws, nor can I weave thread.
Instead, my skills as a model had improved.
At first, I would only barely move after the students said, “Haku, could you turn your head just a little to the right?”
But not anymore.
Now, when the students spread out their paper and picked up their pencils, I could roughly tell what sort of pose they needed.
Whether they needed a front-facing view.
Whether they needed a side-profile silhouette.
Whether they needed my tail curled into a round shape.
Whether they needed me sitting quietly on Elysia’s lap.
Now, even without being told, I naturally took the proper pose.
“Haku, today we’re……”
Before the senior club member could even finish speaking,
I curled my body into a ball on the cushion and brought the tip of my tail slightly forward.
The senior’s eyes widened.
“……That’s right. Today, I wanted to draw you curled up in a ball.”
“As expected, Haku has a talent for modeling.”
Should I call it talent?
I had simply gotten used to it after doing it over and over.
Thinking that to myself, I half-closed my eyes to just the right degree.
If I opened them too clearly, I would look mischievous, and if I closed them completely, it would become a sleeping pose.
What they needed now was “Haku resting peacefully.”
This angle was best.
“Amazing……”
Someone murmured softly.
“Haku understands composition better than we do now.”
I do not think that is quite true.
But since I had no way to deny it, I simply sat there quietly.
Then, one day, as club activities continued like that,
the atmosphere in the clubroom was slightly different from usual.
Instead of finished accessories, several design drafts and material samples were spread out over the worktable.
Small badges, bookmarks, ribbon ornaments, scabbard decorative cords, mini brooches that could be pinned to uniforms, and even bracelet-shaped accessories set with magic stones.
The club members had gathered in front of them and were talking seriously.
“We need to decide what items to put out at our booth during the Star Radiance Festival.”
“If they’re too expensive, students won’t be able to buy them, so wouldn’t small badges or bookmarks be good?”
“But we’re the Accessory Crafting Club. It would feel a little disappointing if we only sold badges.”
“I think the students from the Department of Magic Knights would like scabbard decorative cords.”
“For the Department of Elemental Magic, magic-stone bracelets or pendants would suit them better.”
The Star Radiance Festival.
At the mention of that name, I twitched my ears slightly.
There was still time before it would actually be held, but it seemed that each club had already begun preparing.
The Accessory Crafting Club was no exception.
At first glance, it looked like ordinary club activity, but as the Star Radiance Festival drew closer, this place would surely become busier and busier.
The problem was—
“What should we do about Haku-related goods?”
The moment those words came out, I opened my eyes.
Here it is.
In the end, this topic had come up.
The gazes in the clubroom subtly turned toward me.
I quietly rose to my feet.
I said nothing, but I conveyed it clearly.
Do not make anything strange.
Please.
The president of the Accessory Crafting Club met my gaze and cleared her throat.
“First of all, let’s exclude anything Haku himself dislikes.”
A good start.
A very good start.
“Let’s put on hold any badges with Haku’s face too large on them, or ribbon ornaments that are excessively cute.”
I nodded in satisfaction.
Excellent.
This club really did have common sense.
However, one student beside her cautiously raised a hand.
“Then how about a bookmark with a small Haku silhouette on it?
Not his face directly, but something like a tiny fox silhouette beside a moon-shaped ornament.”
I thought about it for a moment.
If it was only that much…… it might be fine.
It was far better than a badge with my face plastered all over it.
Another student offered an opinion as well.
“If we use too much silver and pale pink, it might look like a toy,
so how about making the base silver metal and only adding a very faint pink glass piece at the tip?”
“Good. Let’s make it elegant.”
“Haku is cute, but we shouldn’t make it only cute.”
I liked those words.
At last, someone had understood the key point.
I gave my tail a small flick.
At that, several club members smiled as if relieved.
“It looks like Haku gave his permission.”
“Then the bookmark candidate stays.”
Elysia watched my reaction and gave a small laugh.
“Haku, your standards are quite strict.”
Of course they are.
This concerns my face.
Naturally, I have no choice but to be strict.
After that, the discussion continued.
A Haku silhouette bookmark.
A Valerion-style scabbard decorative cord.
A commemorative mini brooch for the Star Radiance Festival.
A small glass ornament that would shimmer faintly under the light of a magic lamp.
And a beginner’s knot ornament based on a design Elysia had made herself.
Elysia looked a little flustered when she heard that.
“My design?”
“Yes. If we refine the decorative cord that Lady Valerion first made, I think it could become a good item.”
“But I’m still clumsy……”
“That clumsy feeling is actually nice. Rather than an ornament that’s too perfect, it’s a form students can try making themselves.”
Elysia silently looked at the design draft for a while.
At first, she seemed hesitant, but soon her expression softened a little.
“Then…… I’ll try refining it a bit more.”
I quietly watched her from beside her.
An ornament Elysia had made herself had become a candidate item for the Star Radiance Festival.
The Elysia of the past might have felt burdened and immediately backed away.
But now, she was different.
Even while admitting she was still clumsy, she could say that she would try once more.
If that was growth, then it was growth.
That evening, Elysia told her family about the discussion of Star Radiance Festival items at the Accessory Crafting Club.
When Isolde heard about it at dinner, she smiled gently.
“To think an ornament you made might appear at the Star Radiance Festival. That truly is something to be happy about.”
Elysia lowered her gaze, seeming a little embarrassed.
“It’s only a candidate for now. And what I made is a very simple form……”
Leopold spoke in a low voice.
“The simpler the form, the more clearly the basics show. Swords and ornaments are no different.”
At those words, Elysia lifted her head.
Leopold added,
“If it is something you made yourself, you may show it with pride.”
It was brief, but weighty recognition.
Lucius smiled as if he found it interesting.
“A decorative cord made by Lady Valerion during the Star Radiance Festival.
It might draw more attention than expected. Especially after receiving the Double Crown.”
“Brother……”
“Don’t worry. I don’t mean it in a bad way. I only mean that since it will draw attention, you should prepare accordingly.”
Camilla was already completely excited.
“If it’s an ornament you made, Sister, I want one too! And the Haku silhouette bookmark!”
I folded my ears slightly.
The Haku silhouette bookmark.
That had not been confirmed yet.
Camilla saw my reaction and laughed.
“It’s not like your face is on it really big, so it’s fine, isn’t it, Haku?”
That was true.
But when I imagined Camilla actually carrying it around, I felt a little embarrassed.
Mina said quietly,
“Once preparations for the Star Radiance Festival begin, both the young lady and Lord Haku may become tired.
On days when you have club activities, I will prepare a few more snacks.”
Elysia also spoke seriously.
“I’ll make sure we don’t make any items Haku dislikes. I’ll tell the club that too.”
That reassured me a little.
A giant Haku face badge.
A Haku ribbon.
A Haku doll.
I had to prevent those horrifying possibilities as much as I could.
Of course, if it was only a bookmark…… and very small…… I could consider it.
I drew that line in my mind.
That night, Elysia spread out the club designs again in her room.
Small silver threads, blue glass pieces, and an unfinished decorative cord lay on the desk.
I sat beside them and looked down at the designs.
Elysia asked carefully,
“Haku, is this one all right?”
What she showed me was a bookmark design with a very small fox silhouette attached beneath a little moon-shaped ornament.
There was no face.
It did not emphasize cuteness too much either.
It simply looked like the shadow of a small fox sitting beneath the moonlight.
I stared at it for a long while before nodding.
‘This much is fine.’
Elysia’s face brightened.
“I’m glad.”
I then looked at another design.
A Haku badge with a large round face on it.
I immediately shook my head.
“As expected, this one won’t do.”
Of course not.
Absolutely not.
Elysia laughed and moved that design aside.
As we checked the designs one by one like that, I felt a strange sensation.
The Star Radiance Festival had still seemed far away, but before I knew it, preparations had slowly begun.
An ornament Elysia had made.
A bookmark with my silhouette on it.
The expectations of the students in the Accessory Crafting Club.
And the great event that would shake the entire academy.
I still did not know exactly what sort of day the Star Radiance Festival would be.
But I felt like I knew one thing.
When that day came, it would be difficult to sit quietly on a cushion as I did now.
I let out a small sigh.
“Kyaung……”
Elysia smiled as she stroked my back.
“It’s all right. I won’t let them make anything too strange.”
Those words were reliable.
But considering what kind of place this academy was, I could not feel completely at ease.
I looked at the tiny fox silhouette drawn in one corner of the design and thought,
‘The Star Radiance Festival…… I’m already a little worried.’
Still, it was better than before.
At least this time, only items I had personally nodded approval to would go out into the world.