Chapter 3: The Direction of Affection

Chapter 3:
The Direction of Affection

 

I WAS TENDING to the drugstore as usual when Ririka dropped in for the first time in a while.

“Long time no see,” I said. “How’d the hunting festival go?”

“Thanks to your help, I won.”

“That’s great! Congrats. I heard from Noela that you came by to say thanks, but I haven’t had a chance to ask how you did. I’ve been wondering about it this whole time.”

“You have…?” Ririka turned away, fiddling with her hair.

She must be here to either complain about Kururu or ask for advice.

Paula apparently wasn’t dropping in today, so I gestured Ririka to the chair the other shopkeeper had stashed in my shop for her frequent visits.

“Ah. Thanks.”

Hrm. Ririka seems off. Is she feeling okay?

The elf girl sat across the counter from me. She refused to look me in the eye; I was just gazing at her profile. “Mina’s not here, is she…?”

“She’s out shopping with Noela.”

As long as Mina wore her brooch, she could leave the house freely, so lately she’d enjoyed going for walks or out shopping when she was done with the housework.

“I thought so. I…um…checked to see whether she was here before coming in,” Ririka said quietly.

Had something involving Mina happened to Ririka? Did they get into a squabble without my knowing? I doubted Mina would engage in that kind of thing.

“What brings you here today, Ririka?”

“I’d like to learn more about…Mina.” Ririka blushed.

“Mina? Why? Ah…”

I get it now. Ririka must’ve awoken to her true self, like her big brother had. This would’ve been too difficult to talk directly to Mina about, so Ririka was going through me, knowing that Mina and I were close.

Even Paula thought that Mina was adorable—although probably not in that way. The adventurers who’d come by the drugstore a while ago fell in love with her, too.

Talk about popular. It’s kind of ironic that Ririka really can’t complain about Kururu now, though. Picturing cute, ditzy Mina and beautiful Ririka together made for an image, that was for sure.

“Ask away!” I encouraged Ririka. “What do you want to know?”

“I’m not very good at housework,” she told me. “What about Mina?”

“Oh, she’s incredible! She can literally do anything. Plus, she’s amazing in the kitchen.”

“She is?” For some reason, Ririka looked downcast.

Was she thinking of making Mina sweets to earn extra points? I see. Ririka’s not very good at cooking, and now that she knows that Mina is, she probably thinks her homemade baking wouldn’t go over well.

“Don’t worry, Ririka,” I said. “If you put your heart into making something, it doesn’t matter how good a cook you are.”

“R-really?” Ririka’s expression brightened.

Awesome. I cheered her up.

“I forgot to ask something important,” Ririka continued. She stared straight at me. “Um, Reiji…what kind of relationship do you and Mina have?”

I understood why that would be one of the first things Ririka checked. I gave her a thumbs-up. “No worries, Ririka. Mina and I aren’t like that at all.”

“Oh, I see!” She glowed. “I figured you weren’t in that kind of relationship, but it’s just…you know, I’ve seen you two together…completely coincidentally! I didn’t mean to or anything.”

Yup, there’s that calm, collected explanation.

“It’s important to confirm this kind of thing,” I reassured Ririka. “It’s scary how easily people get caught up in misunderstandings.”

“What’re you grinning about? Hmph!” She turned away.

“Anything else you wanna know?”

“No. That’s enough for today. I confirmed what I wanted to, so I’m satisfied. But…” Ririka cut herself off for a moment and then said, “I refuse to lose to anyone.”

She refuses to lose, huh?

If the elf girl was aiming to win Mina’s heart, she certainly had numerous rivals. I wondered how Mina felt about other women. Would she be interested in dating Ririka?

At the end of the day, that was Mina’s issue to deal with. Besides, when Ririka gave her all, I couldn’t help cheering her on, as I had during the hunting festival.

“You know what? I got this,” I promised Ririka. “I’m going to transform you into the strongest, most beautiful elf the world’s ever seen!”

“Really?! Thank you so much, Reiji!” Ririka exclaimed. “Wait…I feel like we’re not on the same page. Maybe that’d be…over the top?”

Ririka was beautiful, but if she wanted to avoid losing to anyone, I’d support her. “Instead of covering up your weaknesses, I say we improve your strengths!”

“Oh…um…yeah. That sounds good.”

I took a long look at Ririka. The beauty gel I’d given to Lady Flam was great for skincare, but I didn’t think the elf girl needed it. “Your skin’s so beautiful.”

“What?!” Ririka backed away. “Gosh, what’s the matter with you?!”

I closed the distance. “Your eyelashes are long, your eyes are big, and your eyebrows are thin.”

“You’re too close, Reiji! Too close!”

The perfume I’d given Elaine, and the one Elaine gave to Noela, both had distinct scents that didn’t suit Ririka.

“Is there a scent you’re particularly fond of?” I asked her. Creating a perfume she disliked would make the whole thing pointless.

“Huh? Um…” She glanced at me and then quickly looked away. “M-medicinal odors.”

“Hunh. Odd favorite.”

Ririka sighed. “It’s less that I like those smells, and more that…”

She grew quiet; I couldn’t make out what she said at all. What? Is she saying she’s not fond of medicinal odors?

What else…? I washed my hair with whatever and called it a day, but hair was super important to girls, and Ririka’s was quite long. It was beautiful, but I bet it was a pain to maintain, since longer hair required more effort.

“You wash your hair and stuff, right?” I asked. “How much time does it take?”

“Why…? Um…about two hours.”

“What the hell?!”

“That’s not special. I think it takes most people about that long.”

Ah, right. People did use something resembling shampoo in this world, and if everyone thought that two hours was normal, nobody would complain about it.

“I’m going to go make something real quick,” I told Ririka. “I’ll help you up your game big time. Just wait and see!”

“Uh…okay.” Ririka’s reply was muted.

I left the elf girl behind and locked myself in the lab.

As production at the drugstore had revved up, I’d been stockpiling fruit extracts and plant oils. Now that I think about it, I mused, Kalta’s locals might like lots of the ingredients I don’t care for.

 

Shampoo: Cleans hair.

 

Hair Mask: Soaks into hair and repairs it. Moisturizes and gives bounce.

 

Conditioner: Adds shine to hair. Moisturizes hair ends.

 

Perfect. The prototypes are complete! I bottled the shampoo, hair mask, and conditioner. Heading back to the drugstore, I gave Ririka a simple lecture on using the stuff.

“Will these be enough to beat Mina…?” Ririka demanded.

Beat Mina?

Well, Mina did like playing with other girls’ hair. I’d seen her annoy Noela countless times.

“Your hair’s so smooth, Noela! And it smells delightful!”

“Stop smelling! Bad. Perv!”

“Noela! Come back!”

Was Ririka hoping to connect with Mina by impressing her with her beautiful hair and bonding over it? “Well, either way, you’ll spend a lot less time on your hair.”

“Hunh. Th-then I guess I’ll give these a try.”

“Awesome,” I replied. “Let me know what you think, okay? I might be able to improve them, and if they work well enough, I could sell them in the drugstore.”

Ririka twirled her hair, refusing to look me in the eye. “H-hey, um, R-Reiji…would you be happy if I got prettier?”

I mean, I’d be ecstatic if stuff from Kirio Drugs helped Ririka become even more beautiful. As a pharmacist, what I enjoyed most was seeing the happy faces of those I’d helped. “Of course!”

“I see…”

“I’m rooting for you!” I added.

Ririka’s face turned bright red. “Jeez! Wh-what’s that supposed to mean?!”

She dashed out of the store, her new shampoo, conditioner, and hair mask in her hands.

 

Ririka’s Side

 

Ririka rushed out of town and back into the woods, fighting her mixed feelings.

“He’s ‘rooting for me’? What did he mean by that?! Seriously, my feelings are that obvious?! And if Reiji knows how I feel, does that mean he also l-likes…augh!”

Hurrying home, Ririka tried out the three-step haircare set immediately.

“Ah…my hair’s so smooth and shiny! Incredible!”

The haircare set worked wonderfully on the very first day the young elf girl tried it. Still, she was too embarrassed to tell Reiji, and it was a while before she made her way back to Kirio Drugs.

 

Reiji’s Side

 

Ten days later, Ririka showed back up at the drugstore. “G-good day.”

“If you’re looking for Mina, she’s shopping.”

“I-I know. I made sure she’d be out before I came by.” Ririka stood in the drugstore entrance without stepping into the store. She crossed her arms, looking over at me.

What’s up? I wondered. If she has something on her mind, she should… Hrm? Wait a sec.

Ririka’s hair had always been beautiful, but it was on a whole different level now. It shone in the light, so smooth that a little wind tousled each and every strand.

Those breezes brought a delightfully sweet aroma my way. Since I’d picked the hair products’ scent, it shouldn’t have surprised me, but I couldn’t help feeling entranced. That smell is mind-blowing.

“Um, those treatments cut the time I spend on my hair in half, just like you said,” Ririka told me. “And it turned out really nicely.”

“I’m glad they were worth making!” I replied.

Ririka ran her hand through her hair. “Wh-what do you think?”

What does she mean? “Of your hair? It looks beautiful.” There was no way Mina could ignore her now. She’ll definitely wanna sniff Ririka’s hair.

“Oh…really? W-wow.”

That was all Ririka said. She stood at the store entrance and stared at her nails. It was awkward talking to her like that, so I motioned for her to sit.

She declined. “N-no…I’m fine right here.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. Seriously, what’s up?

As I pondered that question, Mina ran in.

“Hey, Mina!”

“G-good day, Mina,” said Ririka. “I-I’ll take my leave now.”

She exited the drugstore immediately, apparently still too embarrassed to talk to Mina face-to-face. Mina turned to watch her leave and then looked at me, seeming slightly out of breath.

“What’s up, Mina?”

“I forgot my wallet.” Mina turned around again, looking toward where Ririka had been a moment ago. “What brought Ririka here?”

Whoa! Mina’s showing interest in her! “She was giving me her thoughts on some new products and…uh…other stuff.”

“You’re acting mighty suspicious, Mr. Reiji.” Mina stared straight at me. “Are you hiding something from me?”

Panicking, I tried to change the subject. Backing away, I grabbed Mina’s wallet and handed it over.

“Great! Thank you very much.” Mina nodded and left.

I nodded back repeatedly as I watched Mina grow more and more distant. I hope things work out for Ririka!