042: Slippers

October 11, 2020 - 7 minutes read - 1450 words

After a delicious lunch, Elna, Eleanora, and I were relaxing in the living room. Eleanora and I were sitting across from each other; she keeps glancing down at my feet.

“Hey, what do you have on your feet Al? They’re not shoes, right?” Eleanora

“No, they’re slippers” Al

“Slippers?” Eleanora

It seems slippers are not in general use in this world. To be honest, I can’t find any evidence of them at all. Everyone just wears shoes, there aren’t indoor specific shoes. While more prosperous people will have both an outdoor and indoor set of shoes, there isn’t any difference in the construction. From my life in Japan, I feel like I should be barefoot or in socks while indoors. I usually walk around the mansion with socks, but my feet get cold in the winter.

So I made myself some slippers to wear in winter. By the way, the slipper and cloth are made from scraps, so they’re eco-friendly. The cushioning turned out really comfortable without any issues.

“They’re very easy to put on and take off” Al

“Well, let me try them for a while” Eleanora

She said it! That line means she’ll either drop it in 5 minutes or use it til it falls apart. Eleanora is annoyed when I don’t immediately respond.

“What? It’s easy to take it off” Eleanora

“Yes, yes” Al

I shake my legs so the slippers fall off in front of Eleanora. I’m a bit annoyed I had to let her try the slippers.

“Well, they’re certainly easy to take off” Eleanora

She picked up the slippers and looked at them.

“Well?” Al

“What? They’re different from what Mom is wearing” Eleanora

Eleanora checks out the slipper from various angles. I didn’t have a lot of material so I was only able to make four sets of slippers. By no means did I deprioritize making Eleanora a pair. It makes me a little sad that Eleanora isn’t interested in my pair.

“Oh, mom is wearing a pair too” Al

“Yes, Al gave me them. They don’t need to be tied like shoes and they’re easy to take on and off. Plus, they’re cuter than shoes.” Elna

“Al, these slippers are more cute than yours.” Eleanora interjects with a smile.

“Those slippers are the frog style, Gekota-kun” Al

Gekota-kun: a masterpiece from Alfred that uses luxurious green cloth. To spice things up, a yellow green cloth is used to make legs and the instep has cute round eyes added.

“Gekota-kun? Then what are yours called?” Eleanora

“It’s a pig, Tonkichi” Al

Tonkichi: another masterpiece from Alfred. This one uses plenty of light pink cloth to highlight the cuteness of piglets. A small curled tail is attached to the heel and the instep has cute ears, a mouth and eyes are drawn using black thread. There’s also a pink nose attached to each slipper.

“Well, Gekota is better!” Eleanora

I’m happy she appreciates Gekota-kun, but she doesn’t need to put Tonkichi down.

“I’ve only made one pair of Gekota-kun” Al

“Mom?!” Eleanora

“No” Elna

“I haven’t said anything yet!” Eleanora

“I won’t give you Gekota-kun” Elna

“Ugh, dang it. You sound like Al” Eleanora

“So?” Elna

I wouldn’t claim I hadn’t picked up some personality from Elna. No man is an island unto himself. Unexpectedly, Elna and Eleanora are scrambling for the slippers on the sofa. The sofa is creaking, but it should be fine.

This is a pretty rare battle to see. Eleanora has good mobility, but Elna has strong defense. She’s taking advantage of the inherent defense of holding the slipper to her chest well. I can’t help but wonder why Eleanora didn’t inherit Elna’s assets of that type?

“Hey! Tickling is a coward’s attack” Eleanora

“Ugh! Such an response…” Elna

I feel like I’m seeing a different side of Elna, this is getting awkward quick.

Gekota-kun has fallen from Elna’s hands, but Eleanora continues her attack. It seems we’re moving into something that isn’t about the slippers.

“What’s this…” Silvio

Silvio has now entered the living room, his response is completely normal for someone who just came into this situation.

“We’re playing around” Eleanora

“Uh ok, what are these?” Silvio

Silvio notices my Tonkichi slippers.

“These are slippers, a footwear specialized for indoors” Al

“Footwear? They’re quite different from shoes. Can I try them?” Silvio

“Ok” Al

At this point, Silvio took off his shoes and tried my slippers. He walked around the room and shook his feet to try the feel.

“They’re really easy to wear. I can take them off right away, and they feel nice to have in your room” Silvio

“You’d like a pair?” Al

“Yeah, that’d be great” Silvio

“Actually, I have a pair for Silvio” Al

“Really?” Silvio

Silvio’s face lights up and he comes over.

“Yes, these” Al

“Rabbit?” Silvio

“I call them Pyonkichi” Al

Pyonkichi: a slipper made from clean white cloth. The whiteness calls forth the image of a snow rabbit, and the long protruding ears are the most prominent decoration. The slippers are well made by the master Alfred to the smallest details, and special materials are used to ensure a great feel. The round eyes and brown nose are so cute, they’re a good item to wear.

“It’s a cute slipper” Silvio

“That’s true, they’re warmer than shoes and softer too!” Al

“Right?” Silvio

Silvio looks to immediately appreciate them, he’s playing with the ears.

“Thanks, Al. I’ll enjoy these.” Silvio

“Uh, yeah, please do” Al

The smile was so innocent I felt a little guilty. It’s ephemeral and you want to protect it like a parent. If you look at the gap between his current expression and his normal expression, that makes it even bigger. How does he have this power at only nine years of age?

Silvio grabs a cookie then moves on from the living room. Should I follow him so I don’t get pulled into Elna and Eleanora’s conflict?

“Wait” Eleanora

“What?” Al

“You have them, another pair of Gekota-kun?” Eleanora

Eleanora, don’t put too much strength into grabbing me, you’ll rip or crush something, me.

“No, I didn’t get enough cloth to make another Gekota” Al

“Even though you could make a Pyonkichi?” Eleanora

Even Elna is somewhat suspicious about my priorities.

“I didn’t dye the cloth for Gekota-kun, I bought the cloth as white and green.” Al

“Don’t you have another pair?” Eleanora

“Maybe a Tonkichi?” Al

“Nope” Eleanora

“Don’t need it” Elna

What’s wrong with Tonkichi? Even though it’s cute too!

“Actually, I did make one more pair” Al

“Oh, what kind of animal is this one” Elna

“Is it cuter than Gekota-kun?” Eleanora

Elna and Eleanora are expecting something amazing.

“Well, this doesn’t suit either of you, it’s made for a specific person” Al

“It could be cute like Silvio’s.” Eleanora

“Yes, we won’t be able to tell if you don’t show us” Elna

“Show us” Eleanora

“This is what I made for that person” Al

“I don’t need it” Eleanora

When I showed the last pair, they refused and said they wanted another pair of Gekota-kun to be made as soon as possible. After that, I purchased more materials and ended up making several more pairs for maids and even some visitors.

“Hmm? What is this?” Nord

When Nord entered his office, he found a large wooden box on his desk. He didn’t remember such a thing being there before. It looks a bit simple to be a gift from one of his aristocratic friends.

When he picked up the wooden box, it was heavy enough to convey a sense of strength. He opened up the string that tied the lid down.

“What’s this? A letter?” Nord

When he opened the lid, Nord noticed something that appeared to be a letter on top. He prefers to check letters before examining the contents, so he opens it. If it was misdelivered, it’s better to know as soon as possible.

When opened, the letter said:

Thanks you for your hard work, we have prepared a perfectly matched footwear for Baron Nord Slowlette.

Ryuta: the very image of a dragon made with red cloth. Each scale is cut and sewn on by the master Alfred, such that you can spot the careful attention of its creator. The part where the foot is placed resembles a dragon’s belly and wings that look ready to fly away are sewn onto the side. On the instep lives a dragon’s face that seems ready to bite or growl at any moment.

It is a footwear uniquely designed for a Dragon Slayer.

From Alfred, with love from the bottom of my heart.

“I don’t know what to say…” Nord