Chapter 1-29 : The Girl Makes A Contract With An Artificial Spirit
「Welcome, Little Lady. I’ve been waiting for you.」(shopkeeper)
「Eh? Have been waiting for me…?」(Elle)
「Yup. You have a rabbit plushie made by us, right?」(shopkeeper)
「I do, but…」(Elle)
「Haha! You look confused. The stuffed animals with serial numbers made by our factory are special. I can tell their presence. That’s why I knew you were coming.」(shopkeeper)
「Is that so?」(Elle)
Elle wondered if it was some kind of magic.
She took out her rabbit stuffed animal from her bag and showed it to the shopkeeper.
「Alright. Before you make a contract with it, can you tell me this little guy’s name?」(shopkeeper)
「Make a contract…? Name…? What do you mean?」(Elle)
「Hold on… You didn’t come to make a contract with it?」(shopkeeper)
「Umm… No?」(Elle)
「Don’t tell me… You haven’t name this rabbit yet?」(shopkeeper)
「I haven’t…」(Elle)
「Hahh… So you don’t have a name, huh? What a poor little guy.」(shopkeeper)
The shopkeeper looked at the rabbit stuffed animal in Elle’s hands with pity for some reason.
「Is there something wrong with that?」(Elle)
「Of course! Normally, you would give your cute stuffed animal a name!」(shopkeeper)
「I, I see…」(Elle)
Elle glanced down at the rabbit.
Apparently, kids normally give names to their stuffed animals. Elle hasn’t really thought about it.
「If you didn’t come here to make a contract, then why did you come?」(shopkeeper)
「To gather information.」(Elle)
「Information?」(shopkeeper)
「It’s been a long time, but do you remember the man who came to pick up this rabbit?」(Elle)
When Elle asked that, the shopkeeper grabbed the rabbit’s leg and looked at the serial number on its sole.
「Ah, I remember him. Not many people came to buy serial-numbered stuffed animals here after all.」(shopkeeper)
「Really!?」(Elle)
「Yeah. A tall blonde man with drooping eyes about two years ago. Right?」(shopkeeper)
「Y, yes! That’s him!」(Elle)
The characteristics he mentioned matched with Elle’s father, Hugo.
Elle then explained to the shopkeeper that he had gone missing and that she was currently looking for him.
「Do you know where he is? Or did he come here recently?」(Elle)
「I’m sorry, but I have no idea, and he hasn’t come here ever since he picked this rabbit up.」(shopkeeper)
「…I see…」(Elle)
Elle had expected it, but still, hearing the shopkeeper’s answer, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
「…Thank you for your time, Sir…」(Elle)
Thinking about asking around at other shops, Elle turned around.
But the shopkeeper stopped her.
「Wait. Since you’re here, why don’t you make a contract with your rabbit?」(shopkeeper)
「Make a contract…」(Elle)
Elle was about to put the rabbit back in her bag, but listening to what the shopkeeper said, she pulled it back out and looked at its eyes.
For some reason, she felt like the rabbit was staring back at her, telling her to make a contract with it.
「Before that, can you tell me more about this stuffed animal?」(Elle)
「So, you really don’t know anything, huh? Didn’t your dad tell you anything about it when he gave it to you?」(shopkeeper)
「No, he never said a word about it.」(Elle)
「Are you sure? You probably weren’t listening.」(shopkeeper)
The shopkeeper was probably right. Elle felt like Hugo had said something back then, but she wasn’t listening because she was so happy to see him return home after months of working in the royal capital.
「Anyway, this rabbit is not an ordinary stuffed animal. It’s an artificial spirit.」(shopkeeper)
「Artificial spirit?」(Elle)
「This rabbit has a magic stone in its body. It will come to life after you make a contract with it.」(shopkeeper)
「Wait… What?」(Elle)
「Stuffed animals with serial numbers made by our factory are actually artificial spirits who will become playmates and guardians for children.」(shopkeeper)
「So you say that… This rabbit is… alive?」(Elle)
「Yes and no. Since its life is artificial, you can’t say that it’s truly alive.」(shopkeeper)
「…..」(Elle)
Elle returned her gaze to the rabbit in her arms. She could feel its gaze probably because it was ‘alive’.
「So, this rabbit will be able to move on its own?」(Elle)
「If you make a contract with it, yes.」(shopkeeper)
「That’s hard to believe…」(Elle)
「Haha! I can show you if you don’t believe it. Gree, get down and say hello to our cute customer here!」(shopkeeper)
Right after the shopkeeper said that, the teddy bear who was sitting on the top of the shelf behind him suddenly jumped down and landed on the counter right in front of Elle.
「Uwa!」(Elle)
Elle was surprised and took a step back.
「Haha! I’m sorry he surprised you. This is an artificial spirit that made a contract with me. His name’s Gree.」(shopkeeper)
「Hello there~」(Gree)
The teddy bear greeted Elle by waving its tiny hand.
「Whoaa…!」(Elle)
「As you can see. It can move on its own. It can even talk.」(shopkeeper)
「Incredible!」(Elle)
「Right? Thanks, Gree, you can go back now.」(shopkeeper)
「Yes, Sir.」(Gree)
As its master commanded, the teddy bear jumped, climbed up the shelf, and sat on its original spot.
Although it was a stuffed animal, it had good motor skills and moved just like a real living being.
「These stuffed animals had artificial lives. They are really hard to make, that’s why we can’t mass produce them.」(shopkeeper)
「So that’s the reason why it takes at least five years to make one.」(Elle)
「Exactly. Your rabbit is one of them. It’s been sleeping since it was made, but it’s time for you to wake it up.」(shopkeeper)
「Alright. So, how do I make a contract with it?」(Elle)
「Normally, you have to infuse your mana into the magic stone in the stuffed animal’s body and give it a name, but your dad had already infused his mana into this rabbit when he came to collect this little guy two years ago, so you just need to give it a name to complete the contract.」(shopkeeper)
「Dad did…」(Elle)
「Most parents who ordered these special stuffed animals inject their mana on them before giving them to their children, your dad included.」(shopkeeper)
「I see.」(Elle)
Elle couldn’t help but smile. Her heart felt warm when she learned that the rabbit she was hugging was a one-of-a-kind stuffed animal filled with her dad’s mana and love for her.
While staring at the rabbit’s eyes, she started thinking of a name she would give to it.
「Hmmm…」(Elle)
While Elle was thinking, the shopkeeper leaned forward on the counter and shifted his gaze downward toward Yoyo who was hiding behind Elle’s legs.
「That cat of yours… It’s a fairy, right?」(shopkeeper)
「Eh?」(Elle)
「!?」(Yoyo)
Elle and Yoyo were surprised.
「You can tell?」(Elle)
「Yup. A cat fairy, huh? It’s rare to find one of them nowadays.」(shopkeeper)
「…..」(Yoyo)
It seemed that the shopkeeper wasn’t just an ordinary man.
Yoyo looked away. Trying not to look him in the eye.
He had been behaving like a normal cat and he thought he was doing great at that. He didn’t expect someone would realize his true identity.
「Ummm… I’ve decided!」(Elle)
After thinking for a while, Elle finally got a name.
「This rabbit’s name is… Neige!」(Elle)
Neige means ‘snow’ in ancient language. It was the word that came to mind when she was looking at its white fur.
Soon after she named it, its red eyes began to glow.
The rabbit stuffed animal named Neige then jumped off Elle’s arms, landed on the counter, and put its tiny hands on its waist, looking somewhat angry.
「You’re late!」(Neige)
「Eh?」(Elle)
「Too late! You’re two years late!」(Neige)
The first thing Neige did as soon as he got an artificial life was… scolding Elle.
*TL : The pic of Hugo on the gallery shows that he has brown hair, but the raw said that he had blonde hair. I don’t know what’s happening, or there’s probably a reason behind this, but for now, I’ll stick with the raw.
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