Catato Patch 

“....Sigh...This is so troublesome….,” a breathy voice said from inside the sewing guild as I arrived.

 

This voice….Ms. Nanna?

 

I entered the sewing guild somewhat puzzled.

 

“Good Morning. What are you sighing for?”

 

“Ah...Mr. Io.” She gave a quick jump. Not bothering to fix the bangs that subsequently feel out of place, she let out her voice that seemed to envelop me as I entered the guild, “Actually, something troubling has happened….nevermind, what’s brought you to the sewing guild today?”

 

“Ah, well….I’ve come to deliver the Crawler cocoon.”

 

“So it’s that? I’ll go prepare the payment now, then.” Turning her back on me, Ms. Nanna rummaged through the shelf behind the counter. She placed a coin filled leather pouch on the counter and took the linen wrapped package from my hands.

 

“Thank you as always.”

 

“No, my thanks go out to you.”

 

As I pocketed the money, Ms. Nanna’s body clapped down against the counter. With only her head facing up she looked off into the distance vacantly. “......Sigh….”

 

“......Um, what in  the world?” I decided to ask her indirectly what’s on her mind.

 

Ms. Nanna’s gaze moved to my face. “To tell you the truth, I’ve got a showcase for a new product coming up, but…”

 

I’d had heard that the sewing guild held a showcase to reveal to the world their new products every six months. This wasn’t just for the sewing guild, the leatherworking guild, the blacksmiths guild, and the metalworking guild all have  similar showcases. It looked like that while they were tailoring some new outfits for the showcase a problem arose.

 

“The young tailor that we got to wear the outfit was injured….and can’t go to the showcase.” He’d collided with a carriage while in the middle of doing some shopping and was seriously injured, breaking his leg. While it’s great that his life wasn’t ever in any danger, he absolutely couldn’t participate in the showcase now. It seemed that the man was a valuable member of the guild, and they were having some difficulty finding a substitute on such short notice.

 

“The outfit we made this time is for men. It isn’t designed to be worn by a woman. Therefore, we’re quite troubled.”
 

“.....So that’s how it is.” I tried to suggest indirectly, “If it’s like that, why don’t you try to make a formal request for an adventurer to appear in the showcase for you?”
 

“I thought of that...but adventurer’s tend to be more fit, so they end up being too big to fit into the clothes.”

 

“....I see.”

 

It's true that with adventurers moving around daily there are plenty among them that training their bodies, even among the magic users. This is all the more true for the men.

 

Ms. Nanna’s eyes suddenly opened wide. “....That’s right. Mr. Io, why don’t you come?”

 

“....Yes?”

 

Ms. Nanna got up and leaned over the counter. “Please. Would it be possible for you to appear in the showcase in place of the child who can’t now that he's been injured?”

 

“Wha-?” I stared flabbergasted at Ms. Nanna. “You want….me?”

 

“It’s an easy job where you only need to stand on stage wearing the outfit. You don’t need to do anything special, so I think you’ll be fine.”

 

I certainly do have a slender figure, and I’m probably just the right sort of person to wear the clothes Ms. Nanna tailored, but…..isn’t that sort of thing suited more toward someone who is more handsome? My looks are average at best. No one’s going to ever call me exceptionally handsome. Even if I wear a fashionable outfit, if the person wearing it isn’t fashionable, won’t it’s charm be diminished?

 

“You should wear your glasses when you appear on stage, that way you’ll appear more intelligent. Aaah, my imagination is overflowing. You'll be a fantastic model.”

 

Please don't get excited by this Ms. Nanna! I haven't said I'll do it yet! That being said, I think it’d be fine to accept, since the job of being a model is by no means dangerous.

 

Yet, I can't shake off the duty to wear the clothes.

 

“I'll pay you significantly for your work as a model, so please accept.” Ms. Nanna grabbed my hand and locked my down with the power of her gaze.

 

…. It doesn't look like I'll be able to refuse this.

 

Her eyes pleaded with me, showing no indication of letting go.

 

I warned myself to calm down in front of Ms. Nanna, and agreed to take on the job.

 

Her delight was unnatural causing me to draw back from our recent conversation slightly.

 

….Say, if I return to the adventurer’s guild, I can report this to Mr. Hansel.

 

“The showcase is in 2 days. Since we'll need to have the outfit fitted before that, please come back tomorrow evening.” She'll keep making adjustments until it fits just right by the end of it.

 

As I exited the sewing guild, I scratched the back of my head. That was a bit different than I expected.

 

Now then, to go report this incident. Mr. Hansel, I wonder what in the world you'd make it this.