“Here is your refill of tea. Please, Master.”
“Thank you, Emily.”
Emily, who had brought the refill from the kitchen, sat down next to Kent after placing the tea on the table, just as she had done before.
“You mentioned you had a contract with Catherine’s grandfather and great-grandfather. What was this shop like in the past?”
“Well, this building, which served as both the store and residence, was originally built by Catherine’s great-grandfather. As you know, this place was originally a popular diner that served food and drinks for commoners. Even back then, when it first opened, not as much as now, but the customers were quite numerous. I was born around that time.”
Emily began to talk about her past.
“I heard that Catherine’s great-grandfather and great-grandmother worked hard to save money to build this place. I don’t know now, but perhaps it was my birth that gave them such affection for the shop. By the time the shop was built, Catherine’s grandfather, their son, had already been born, and they were living very happily. At that time, I also worked diligently as a shop-attached fairy.”
Emily spoke of that time with nostalgia.
“Emily, what did you do in the shop?”
“Not much different from now, you know? I did everything related to the shop, from taking orders and serving customers, which are front-of-house duties, to cooking and washing dishes in the back, and other miscellaneous tasks.”
“I see. But you weren’t in this form back then, were you?”
He recalled hearing before that shop-attached fairies could change their appearance to match the preferences and desires of their master. Emily’s current physique was modeled after Marie’s, to Kent’s liking. Kent became interested and asked Emily what she looked like in the past.
“Well, I looked like this.”
“Whoa!”
Emily changed her body shape as she spoke.
“Wow. So this is what you looked like before.”
“It’s a little embarrassing when you stare so much.”
Emily looked embarrassed next to Kent. Her physique was that of a standard build, close to Rachel’s or Patty’s, and she wore ordinary clothes that commoners would wear, along with a white apron. It seemed they didn’t have a shop uniform back then.
“Your face is still Emily’s, but with a changed body, you look like a completely different person.”
“No matter how my appearance changes, my inner self is still me, so please don’t treat me too differently. When fairies become visible, they can change their body shape to some extent freely if they have enough magic power. So, if you have any requests, please let me know. The shop is doing well now, so I have plenty of magic power, and I think I can reproduce your desired appearance, including costumes.”
“I understand. I’ll make a request if I get the chance.”
He had enjoyed dressing up with costumes before, but if he included body shape changes, the variety would increase considerably. Kent thought he would ask Emily for a request again at some point.
“There’s one thing I’m curious about. You said you had a contract with Catherine’s grandfather and great-grandfather before me, right?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Can a fairy change masters on their own?”
“Generally, no. Once a contract is made, it is automatically canceled if the Master cancels it or if the Master passes away. However, depending on the type of fairy, some types can only receive magic power from their Master. In such cases, if the contract is canceled, they gradually lose their magic power and some may even disappear. Also, with this type of fairy, if the Master’s magic power is depleted, they may not be able to maintain their body and disappear.”
“Is that so? So, if my magic power runs out, will that happen to me too?”
Hearing about the fairies’ disappearance made Kent anxious, and he asked Emily.
“Don’t worry about me, Al, and Hanako, who are currently contracted with you, Master. We each have separate means of magic supply, so while we can’t exert the same great power as now, we can maintain our bodies and can probably search for new masters. So, it’s possible.”
“Is that so? I’m relieved to hear that.”
Kent had worried about his magic power running out, but he felt relieved after hearing Emily’s explanation.
“Emily, you were released from your contract because your former owner passed away, right?”
“Yes. Catherine’s great-grandfather lived out his natural lifespan, and at that time, the contract transferred to her grandfather. As for her grandfather…”
Emily’s words trailed off, and she hesitated, unsure how to continue.
“Did I perhaps ask something I shouldn’t have?”
“No, there’s no need to hide it now… but… they went out on a trip to find rare ingredients, and there was an accident…”
“What?”
Kent was shocked by Emily’s words.
“At that time, Marie-sama was young, and I heard she was left with the neighbors for her safety by her parents, who judged it unsafe for her to accompany them. Since she was good friends with a boy her age who lived next door, she was taken in by them after her parents passed away. Unfortunately, there was no one to manage the shop, and I lost my power. I had no way of knowing what happened afterward.”
Marie had told him that she married her childhood friend who lived next door and took over her family’s bakery business, running it together with her husband. After her husband was gone, she had been running the bakery with their daughter, Catherine. Kent couldn’t recall when he started helping out, but he assumed it was after Marie and Catherine began managing the shop together.
“After that, until Kent-san became my Master, I lost my power and was restricted in my actions, so I could only do simple cleaning in my original form. When Catherine was young, she sometimes came to see me and we played together. But gradually, the number of times we met decreased, and she stopped coming to play.”
“I see. You spent your time feeling lonely.”
Kent felt an overwhelming emotion and gently hugged Emily, patting her head.
“Master. It’s embarrassing when you do things like that. What if someone sees us?”
“Who? There’s no one here.”
“…”
Kent said that, but Emily’s gaze was fixed somewhere else. When Kent followed her gaze, he saw a woman standing there with a surprised expression.
“K-Kent. Did you… have that kind of relationship with Emily?”
“Huh? Elnet. No, it’s not like that…”
“Master, how cruel of you. You made me say all sorts of things…”
Kent frantically tried to explain to Elnet, who had returned, but Emily, with a mischievous look, casually said something.
“Kent, you scoundrel…”
“Elnet-sama, it’s a joke. We were just talking about the shop’s past.”
“R-Really?”
Emily told Elnet the truth as she was starting to get annoyed.
“Emily, you joke around too, huh?”
“Fairies are naturally mischievous, you know. Hehehe.”
Kent and Elnet were surprised by such words coming from Emily, who usually seemed so serious. After that, Elnet joined them, and they spent a leisurely holiday chatting.
“Kent-san, what’s gotten into you today?”
“What do you mean?”
As night fell, Marie, who was already in bed and ready to sleep, said to Kent.
“No, I was just thinking about how much you’ve been through, Marie.”
Saying that, Kent hugged Marie tightly and patted her head.
“Oh my, Kent-san. But when you’re so gentle like this, I can’t help but feel a flutter like a maiden, even at my age. In return, I’ll give you some special treatment tonight.”
“Hauu.”
With that, Kent and Marie began their long night together again.
