“Two of something this hard to get? How…?”
While Haruna was wondering in confusion—
Creak, creak—
The ugly teddy bear who had gifted her two magic wands was riding a bicycle out of the restroom.
Realizing who that bear was, Haruna unconsciously grabbed the long handle attached to the back of the tricycle.
As the bicycle pedals spun round and round in midair, the ugly teddy bear looked back.
- What is it?
Haruna held up her phone.
“Are you Jjapso?”
The ugly teddy bear’s eyebrows shot all the way up to the top of its head.
It seemed to be hesitating over whether it should tell her, so Haruna hurriedly continued.
“I will not cause harm.”
- ……
“The reason is simply because. I have something I want to ask you.”
After a brief silence, a gruff, altered voice came from the bear’s mouth.
- What do you want to ask?
After checking the meaning through her translation app, Haruna’s face lit up.
Then she tapped firmly at the keyboard with a rather serious expression.
“Do you enjoy crafting?”
Behind the phone she held out, Haruna’s face was visible.
Her expression was so resolute and earnest that it clearly showed she had no intention of mocking or looking down on the other party.
- ……?
The half-finished teddy bear tilted its head slightly to one side.
- That is a strange question. Making things is always fun.
After checking the meaning on the translator, Haruna gave a bitter smile.
[“I suppose so. After all, there isn’t just one or two people lined up……”]
Even just the people standing in line at the pop-up store right now looked to number easily over a thousand.
[“If so many people love what you make, crafting must be very enjoyable.”]
Geuru blinked after checking the words Haruna had murmured through the app.
- Of course it feels good when people like it, but… is making things not fun in and of itself?
[“But……”]
Haruna, looking dispirited, lifted her phone.
“Is crafting that no one likes not meaningless?”
The Unfinished Bear opened its mouth in a triangular shape, its face shocked. It had never once thought of it that way before…!
- I-Is that so?
Haruna pressed her lips together and nodded.
Then, after hesitating for a moment, she continued through the translation app.
“I am thinking of quitting crafting.”
Eeeh?!
Geuru was genuinely startled and asked back with a blank, stunned face.
- Why? Inoue Haruna, are you not a talent of Japan who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Kazuki?!
Haruna opened her mouth as if to answer, then swallowed her words and smiled bitterly.
She looked so lonely that Geuru’s eyebrows sprang all the way up to the top of its head.
- Is crafting no longer fun for you?
“Crafting has never been fun for me.”
Haruna firmly shook her head.
“Not even once.”
Rumble—!
At her resolute words, Geuru froze as if struck by lightning.
Soon, a groan slipped out along with rapid words.
- How can that be? Making things is the most fun thing in the world?!
[“I……”]
- That cannot be. Inoue Haruna, you are greatly mistaken. This one shall personally teach you the supreme joy of crafting.
At the sudden torrent of words, Haruna fumbled with the translator in confusion.
Just then, Geuru put the bicycle into its inventory, trotted over, took Haruna’s hand, and came out of the restroom with her.
“Who is that?!”
Serhi, who had been waiting in front of the restroom, asked in surprise at the sight of Geuru suddenly emerging with some girl.
But Geuru simply took Serhi’s hand with its other hand and scurried along.
Following behind them, Serhi met Haruna’s eyes and opened his mouth.
“Inoue Haruna?”
Haruna flinched.
Just then, Gidan, who had finally managed to secure a table in the experience zone, waved at Serhi and Geuru.
“You’re here? But who is that over there…”
Gidan, who had been looking the girl Geuru had brought up and down, raised his voice.
“Inou-something—!”
Serhi swiftly clamped a hand over Gidan’s mouth and checked the gazes around them.
If he loudly announced that Inoue Haruna had come to the pop-up store, they were certain to draw an enormous amount of attention.
“You want to stand out?”
When Gidan shook his head, only then did Serhi let him go.
Gidan lowered his voice as much as possible and whispered.
“No, but that’s Inoue Haruna…!”
“I know that too, idiot. That thing picked her up in the restroom.”
Even amid their confusion, Geuru cleared its throat and perked up its ears.
Thanks to the fact that quite a few kids had come to the pop-up store cosplaying as Jjapso, it was fortunate that no commotion broke out over Jjapso appearing.
Gidan gestured toward Haruna with his chin and asked Serhi.
“…Is she alone?”
“Yeah. No one was following her.”
“Sowwy. Sowwy.”
Haruna, looking as if she might cry, repeatedly apologized in awkward Korean.
‘From the looks of it, our Geuru really did pick her up…’
Gidan crossed his arms and examined Haruna with a displeased look.
Fine, say they had met in the restroom and dragged her out. But she must have come all the way to the pop-up store on her own two feet. Even wearing a hat and mask so she wouldn’t be recognized…
He wondered what a girl who looked so timid at first glance had come here alone for, but it didn’t take long to figure out what had happened.
It was because of the envious gazes fixed on Haruna, who held a magic wand in each hand.
‘Was it because of those?’
An S-rank crafting-type had come all the way here just to buy those?
While Gidan was wondering, Geuru declared proudly in its gruff, altered voice.
- Haruna will assemble a drone with us as well.
At that, Serhi let out a sigh.
“Why are we suddenly doing it together? She looks troubled too.”
When Haruna’s eyes met Serhi’s, she bowed again.
- It is just… there are circumstances.
Instead of explaining Haruna’s inner situation—how she had said she would stop crafting—Geuru vaguely said there were circumstances.
After all, that sort of thing was not something to tell others so easily.
“What kind of explanation is—”
Just then, Gidan, who seemed to have thought of something, cut off Serhi’s words with a sly smile.
“What else would it be?”
Gidan picked up two pieces of a drone’s head and set them down with a thud.
“It’s a Korea-Japan match.”
Haruna looked back and forth between her phone screen and Gidan.
A Korea-Japan match? Had the translation gone wrong?
At that, Gidan tapped on her screen, then made a circle with his thumb and index finger.
“That’s right. Korea-Japan match.”
*
“No skills at all. We’re settling this with pure assembly. First, we finish them, then we see whose toy is stronger. Got it?”
After briefly explaining the rules, Gidan smiled with eyes full of mischief.
The one who protested was Geuru of justice.
- If it is a Korea-Japan match, then it is three against one. That seems villainous.
“The host country always gets a buff.”
- Oho! I see.
“What do you mean, ‘I see’?”
Serhi, who had retorted, pointed at Haruna with a jerk of his chin.
“I’ll go on this side. That works, right?”
At that, Gidan’s eyes trembled with a sense of betrayal.
“So you’re really going to become a traitor to your country?”
“My country collapsed ages ago.”
“You’re Korean. I even made you a Korean name, and you’re doing this?”
“What did you do? Are you actually insane?”
“Jin Sehui!”
“Shut up!”
As Gidan and Serhi bickered, Haruna was at a loss and tried to stop them.
Geuru stopped Haruna and shook its head.
[“Boys originally grow up like that.”]
[“Is that so?”]
[“It is. Let us assemble.”]
Haruna nodded before she knew it.
Was this really all right? While Haruna was watching the others’ reactions, Geuru was absorbed in assembly. Its immersion and concentration were incredible.
After some time passed, Gidan and Serhi joined in the assembly too, and before long, the table was filled with the clacking sounds of parts being put together.
Haruna fiddled with one piece and rolled her eyes around.
‘A-A Korea-Japan match.’
To think she would suddenly end up assembling a toy as Japan’s representative in a department store!
She really had to go back now, but she had gotten caught up in something Hyeonak’s group had started on their own.
In truth, she could have simply gotten up and left, saying she had to go.
‘I’ll return the magic wands…’
Haruna looked at the magic wands she had placed on the table and pressed her lips together.
“……”
But there was no way she could do that.
Haruna had never once insisted on her own opinion.
Haruna began assembling, slowly and hesitantly.
She had made swords and pottery before. But toys… she had never made one.
While Haruna was wondering what kind of toy she should make—
Gidan asked casually, as if tossing the question out.
“Why did you come here? You can easily make kids’ toys like that, can’t you?”
“Ah……”
Gidan glanced at the magic wands she had set on the table.
Haruna hurriedly put the magic wands into her bag. Then she rapidly tapped at her phone keyboard and pressed the speaker icon.
“I cannot make toys.”