'Why is he the only one growing taller?'
Kinemya, roughly measuring Eiyan's height with her eyes, raised her hand. The hand that moved from the top of her head reached just below Eiyan's chin.
'Why...?'
I'm the one eating all the good stuff, though.
Hmm. Kinemya grumbled at this unsatisfactory situation, then noticed Eiyan wasn't carrying anything and raised an eyebrow in question.
"Why don't you have a basket?"
"It's right here."
Eiyan opened the leather pouch tied at his waist.
Even this is so detailed! I just have a plain old basket!
These people...! Did they mistake who's giving the money?!
Kinemya tightened her grip on the basket.
Next year, I'll definitely go with a concept that has at least a page worth of settings.
With that firm resolve, she walked, swishing her tail. Eiyan's gaze followed it back and forth.
Kinemya, who had been watching Eiyan with narrowed eyes, suddenly asked.
"By the way, Eiyan. Is there a magic that gives you animal ears?"
"There's no such magic."
"Useless mages," Eiyan muttered, almost inaudibly, clicking his tongue.
What? Kinemya's eyes twitched.
The first place Kinemya and Eiyan headed to was Behemoth's workshop.
"Oh my, oh my, oh my!"
"Oh my goodness!"
The sisters widened their eyes and mouths as they saw the two in disguise.
"..."
"..."
Unlike the sisters, who clearly showed their delight, the two who entered the workshop stood stiffly at attention.
It seemed like they had to do something...
Kinemya quietly asked.
"...How do we do this?"
"Well, it's my first time, too."
Should we shout 'Trick or Treat'? But that's not a phrase used in this world. Kinemya's eyes spun in confusion.
"We used to dress up like this and go from house to house back in the day."
"That's right. It brings back memories."
As the sisters reminisced, Kinemya and Eiyan exchanged glances, trying to assess the situation.
Eiyan stepped forward first.
"I'll give it a try."
"Okay."
He took a step forward, untied the knot of the leather pouch at his waist, and held it open. The sisters' eyes were filled with anticipation. Eiyan gave them a sly smile and spoke in a sweet voice.
"If you don't give us treats, I'll kill everyone in this workshop."
What?!
Kinemya's jaw dropped as she read the sincerity in Eiyan's expression.
But the sisters, perhaps enchanted by the pretty boy's smile, couldn't hold back their laughter and filled their fists with candy.
"Kya! So scary!"
"Kya! Rana, hurry and give them treats!"
'No! They're both mistaken! This isn't a joke! He was serious!'
While Kinemya was flustered, Eiyan shook his pouch with a smile, as if to say this was how it's done.
'Isn't this just straight-up threats and extortion?!'
Now the sisters' expectant gazes turned to Kinemya.
"…!"
Kinemya's eyes darted around.
She had been excited to come out for the festival, but now that it was time to act, she was incredibly embarrassed.
'Why, why are they looking at me with such expectation?!'
Furthermore, Eiyan had joined the list of people expecting Kinemya Leon to extort treats.
"Mia, aren't you going to do it?"
Eiyan urged her. Kinemya, her shoulders hunched, blushed deeply.
"I-I'll do it..."
"Okay."
Just get it over with! Bright red, she raised both hands and bent the middle joints of her ten fingers.
"R-Roar! If you don't give us treats, I'll eat you!"
Kinemya glared fiercely and waved her hands, her ears and tail twitching in unison. The sisters gasped.
"Rana, my chest hurts."
"Mine too, Seiyer…"
"So cuuuute!"
"Big sister loves you sooo much!"
The sisters squealed and hugged Kinemya tightly.
Gasp! Before her embarrassment could fade, Kinemya, caught in the sisters' embrace, began to struggle for breath.
As the sisters filled her basket with all sorts of things, Eiyan took some candy from his pouch and added it to Kinemya's basket.
"Why are you giving that to me?!"
"Isn't it because you're cute?"
"No!"
Kinemya, who had been asked by the sisters to do it one more time, imitated a tiger three more times. Seiyer spoke up.
"Ah, Grand Duchess. Just a moment."
"Huh?"
"We had some mithril left over after making the sword. It wasn't enough to make another sword, so we thought about what to do and made this."
What she handed over was a wooden figurine with a rabbit's head. Kinemya looked at the small carving that fit in the palm of her hand and asked.
"What's this?"
Then Rana pulled the rabbit's ears back.
"If you flip it back like this—"
Click!
The rabbit's head split open, and a small blade popped out.
"…!"
"Ta-da!"
"It's a mini knife!"
Whoa!
The blade, crafted from bluish mithril, gleamed in the light.
"It'll be useful if you wear it around your neck."
Rana hung the knife around Kinemya's neck.
"In case you need to skin a rabbit—it'll come in very handy."
"That's right, or when you need to gut a bear, for instance."
...It had such a brutal purpose?
Wait, will there ever be a time when I need to skin a rabbit or gut a bear? Really?
"…So that's why it's shaped like a rabbit?"
For use when you need to skin a rabbit in an emergency…?
"It's just because rabbits are cute."
"They are, right?"
Seiyer and Rana chimed in one after another.
"Uh-huh…"
The so-called cute rabbit they were talking about looked like it had gone mad.
Like Behemoth's guild emblem, the rabbit was 100% realistic. Not a cute one, but one with a long snout and a sharp face, like a rabbit gone mad. Moreover, its torn eyes were wide open and glaring.
'Where exactly is the cuteness…'
No matter how you look at it, their sense of aesthetics is out of this world… Kinemya opened her mind's eye, trying to extract the cuteness from the rabbit that seemed to have gone mad, when Eiyan spoke with a smile.
"I'll take care of the bear. Mia, just watch."
Wait, why would there suddenly be a need to handle a bear…
To put the fur on the sofa? For some otherworldly interior design?
But the sisters, uninterested in such fundamental questions, praised Eiyan for being such a reliable escort.
It seemed that among them, only she couldn't understand why they needed to handle a bear.
Anyway, after thanking the sisters, the two left the workshop.
After visiting a few more places besides Behemoth, the two became quite accustomed to enjoying the festival. This time, the two headed to the Hyeminwon for a snack raid.
They entered through the back door, passed through the hallway unnoticed, and sneaked into the Sowoonbang. (Corrected spelling of 소운방)
'As expected, he's here.'
As usual, Shen Tian was sitting at the table by the window, drinking.
Through the window, a beautifully maintained garden was visible. It seemed the garden inside the Hyeminwon was created for the purpose of enjoying the scenery while drinking.
"Shh."
Kinemya raised her index finger, signaling Eiyan to be quiet, then tiptoed closer and shouted.
"Roar! If you don't give us treats, I'll eat you!"
"…?!"
Shen Tian, who was putting down his glass, turned around in surprise.
Kinemya, with her ears and tail perked up, made a 'roar!' sound and flailed her hands fiercely.
It seemed like an animal imitation, but what kind of animal was it?
Shen Tian, who had been observing Kinemya's appearance, stroked his chin and then clapped his hands.
"A cat?"
"It's a tiger."
Kinemya pouted, clearly dissatisfied.
Since when were tigers this cute? Shen Tian let out a small laugh.
"Cats aren't scary animals to begin with, you know."
"You must not know much yet, little one, but cats are terrifying creatures. They climb onto tables, swish their tails, and spill drinks, and at night, they pop out from everywhere and knock over displayed bottles with their paws…"
Why is everything about drinks? As he grumbled, Kinemya's eyes clouded over.
"Anyway, I heard today is some kind of festival day in the Western Continent, so that's what you're doing."
Children in costumes, holding their parents' hands, occasionally visited the Hyeminwon.
The quick-witted alchemists had prepared small jellies and candies to hand out to the children.
"Yes, if you don't give us treats, the tiger will eat you."
As Kinemya's ears perked up, Shen Tian smiled.
"Little one. Go over there to those fellows. They'll give you treats over there."
Shen Tian pointed to a group of alchemists on the other side while closing the lid of his bottle.
"Okay—"
Kinemya ran over to the other alchemists and made tiger sounds. The alchemists, as if reading from a textbook, pleaded for their lives and clasped their hands together. Caught off guard, Kinemya instinctively bowed as well.
Shen Tian, a cigarette dangling from his lips, watched this scene with a satisfied grin.
'Why do I suddenly feel a chill…'
He glanced to the side. There, Eiyan, with his black hair swaying, was smiling brightly.
Shen Tian's shoulders twitched.
'…Since when has he been there?!'
Eiyan, looking straight into Shen Tian's startled eyes, said.
"If you don't give us treats, I'll kill all the alchemists in the Hyeminwon."
At that, the cigarette fell from Shen Tian's mouth.
'He's serious, isn't he?’
