Invitation to the Otto Residence
Several days later, I received an official letter of invitation from Corinna through Otto.
“Isn’t a letter of invitation a bit much for a little kid like me? Aren’t these usually sent to parents? It’ll be up to my Mom and Dad whether I can even go in the first place,” I said, which caused Otto to raise an eyebrow and shake his head.
“You’re the only one in your family who can read properly, remember? And you can’t decline this invitation anyway. If you do, your mom and older sister will probably get fired from their jobs.”
“Wha?! Wh-Why is that?!”
Apparently, Corinna belonged to a wealthy merchant family, and thanks in part to her skills as a seamstress, she was an influential member of the Tailors’ Guild. After much explanation, I learned that, allegorically, Tuuli’s apprenticeship was like the position of part-time worker, Mom as a full-time dyer was like a store manager, and finally Corinna being a higher-up in the Guild was like being on the board of directors. In short: status-based societies were scary. If someone above you in status invited you somewhere, there was simply no way you could refuse. Okay. I’ll remember that.
Incidentally, if this were a summons from Otto rather than Corinna, Dad could refuse it thanks to being a higher ranked soldier. This could get complicated.
“Plus, I was thinking this would be a good opportunity for you to learn about letters of invitation.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Otto taught me how to write a response to a letter of invitation, which was written on a thin sheet of wood.
“An invitation from Lady Corinna?! To you, Myne?! Why?!”
“Otto told her about our (simple all-in-one shampoo) and she wanted to try it out.”
“My goodness! I can’t believe this!” Mom fell into a panic the moment she saw the official invitation I came home with. She was panicking so hard I asked if I should turn the summons down, which made her eyes shoot open with anger. “Don’t be ridiculous! You have to be polite and not offend her!”
“Understood! I’ll be careful.” Otto was apparently right. The invitation was more of a summons than anything.
Mom hurriedly began to fix up my apron. My normal clothing would be too rude to visit Corinna with, it seemed. As she did so, she gave me as many warnings as she could think of about how to properly respond to a letter of invitation without being rude. I was just going to teach her how to use the shampoo, but for some reason everyone was going crazy about it.
“Aw, I’m so jealous, Myne... And I’m the one who made the stuff, too.”
“Can Tuuli go with me, Mom?”
“Don’t even think about it! She wasn’t invited.” I had thought up the shampoo myself, but Tuuli was the one actually making it. To me it made sense for Tuuli to go as well, but apparently it would be very rude to bring her along uninvited, so no matter how envious Tuuli was, she had to stay home.
Just like last time, I would be meeting Otto at third bell by the plaza. After putting the apron Mom fixed up for me on top of my usual clothing, I headed there with Dad. Inside my usual tote bag was a small jar of shampoo and a comb.
When we arrived at the fountain in the plaza, Otto was already there waiting. “Fear not, Captain. I take full responsibility for your daughter and will ensure she remains safe. Okay, let’s go, Myne.”
“Okay. Bye, Dad.” I waved goodbye to Dad and started walking in the direction of the castle walls with Otto.
Otto’s place was apparently close to the inner wall. As rent got higher the closer you got to the nobles’ quarter beyond the wall, I could presume that Otto lived in a fairly high-class area. “Mr. Otto, you’re living this close to the inner wall even though you work as a soldier?”
“My pay could never cover this. Corinna’s family gave us an upper floor of their home. Her elder brother, reluctant to give up his cute little sister, insisted on it.”
Speaking of which, I did remember hearing at some point that Otto had married into Corinna’s family rather than vice versa. That made sense; without the help of his wife’s family, a low ranking soldier could never afford a home in this rich part of the city. I could imagine that Otto, poor as he was having spent all of his life savings on buying citizenship, didn’t exactly put Corinna’s family in the best situation.
The further north we went, the more my surroundings and the people within them changed. Clothes ceased being hand-me-downs and began to have extravagant styles with fluttering excess cloth. The stores located on the first floor of buildings changed as well. They grew larger with more employees, and a greater number of customers were going in and out. More carriages were traveling across the main street and less of them were pulled by donkeys.
It was shocking to me that the city would change so much within my own walking distance. I had read about status-based societies in books, and I knew what they were like on paper, but the reality was far different from what I had imagined. I looked all over the place while blinking in surprise.
“Here’s the place. I live on the third floor.”
“Third floor?!” Otto lived on the third floor of a seven-story building. It was common for buildings to have a store on the first floor with the owner of the store living on the second floor with their family. The third through sixth floors tended to be rented out, and the top floor often housed live-in apprentices and workers.
Homes got more expensive the closer they were to a well and to the main street. I lived on the fifth floor of a building closer to the gate than anything, which should tell you all you need to know about my family’s economic status. Since Otto’s family was given the floor right above the owner’s floor, I could imagine that Otto’s wife was the prize daughter of a wealthy company.
Well... I’m impressed they let the marriage happen. Consider me surprised. I get the feeling that there’s a pretty big status difference between a traveling merchant and a company daughter.
“I’m home, Corinna. Myne’s with me.”
“Welcome, Myne. Thank you for coming. I am Corinna, Otto’s wife.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Corinna. I’m Myne. I owe a lot to Mr. Otto.”
I was seeing Corinna for the first time and she was shockingly cute, perhaps the most adorable woman I had ever seen. Her pale cream-colored hair, resembling a full moon beaming with sunlight, was fluffy yet held together in such a way that accentuated the slender nape of her neck. Her eyes were silvery gray, which gave her entire body a sort of pale splendor. Corinna defined the phrase ephemeral beauty.
And yet... her boobs were huge. Her parts that stuck out really stuck out, giving her a perfect hourglass figure complete with a tight waist. ...Mr. Otto, you’re so SHALLOW!
We went to the parlor and I couldn’t help but let out an awed gasp at the beautiful patchwork tapestries hanging from the walls. It was my first time seeing a home with such lively decoration in this world. I could tell from the amount of clothes and scraps of cloth that this room was for negotiating with customers and talking about work. There was something about the decorations that made me feel relaxed.
That said, for the home of a wealthy merchant, the place was a lot more plain and simple than I expected. The tables, chairs, and furniture had no designs carved into them, nor were they polished to a shine. They were simple and made of wood. I did remember reading a book that mentioned the homes of northern countries tended to be simple so that they could endure constant use throughout snowed-in winters.
“Myne, I do appreciate you coming all this way for me. I heard from Otto that you have devised a substance which cleans the hair. I’ve been quite looking forward to this,” said Corina as she poured me herb tea. I could tell just from her gentle voice and tone that she was the well-raised daughter of a wealthy family. She had the warm, fluffy atmosphere of a woman whose mere presence provided spiritual healing. I felt an urge to protect her rising within me.
“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you too, Corinna. You’re just as beautiful as I heard, and the outfits you have on display here are even more impressive than I had expected.”
“...I see you are quite the polite little girl. And your hair is as pretty as Otto suggested. Will my hair become as silky as yours, I wonder?” Corinna stroked my hair with enraptured eyes. In order to make the shampoo look as impressive as possible, Mom and Tuuli both scrubbed my hair as clean as they could last night. My hair was even more silky than usual.
“Shall we begin without further ado?” I took out the jar from my tote bag and Corinna’s face brightened up. The way she showed her emotions so honestly was very cute. I could understand why Otto doted on her so much. “We have to prepare your hair for the washing first. Might I ask for a bucket of water, and a cloth for wiping your hair?”
Otto got to work immediately, as if silently saying that physical labor was best left for men. As he got the water ready, Corinna changed into clothes that she wouldn’t mind getting wet. I lined up a cloth for wiping, the small jar, and the comb next to Otto as he prepared the bucket.
“So this is the stuff, huh? How’s it work?” Otto, eyes gleaming with interest, shook the jar, peered inside, and smelled its contents. I suddenly had horrible visions of Otto getting in the way of the hair washing, not shutting up, trying to flirt with Corinna, and basically just being a pain in my side.
“Mr. Otto, please wait in a separate room once the water is ready. It would be very boorish of you to spy on a woman prettying herself up.”
“Quite so. Otto dear, please wait outside.” With Corinna’s support, we managed to force Otto out of the bedroom despite his determination to stay inside. I could hear his footsteps as he paced outside of the door, but I blocked it out and picked up the jar. Then, with Corinna’s full attention, I began pouring it into the bucket while giving an explanation of what I was doing.
“This is called (simple all-in-one shampoo). Fill the bucket about half full with water, then pour this much of the shampoo inside of it. We will be dipping your hair into this and cleaning it. Would you please undo your hair?”
Corinna undid her hair and timidly dipped it into the bucket. Her hair wasn’t as dirty as I had expected, perhaps due to her having washed it ahead of time. I splashed more and more water on her hair to clean it down to the roots. “Be especially sure to clean your scalp thoroughly.”
“...Having another clean my hair feels quite nice. I hadn’t the faintest idea this would be so pleasant.”
“I’m sure Otto would gladly wash your hair for you if you asked,” I said. After a pause, I continued with, “He would probably butt in even if you didn’t ask.”
Corinna gave a quiet laugh. “Oh my, was it not boorish to observe a woman while she’s prettying up?”
“...I just said that because I didn’t want him flirting with you while I was working.”
“Oh my! Aha, I do wonder how Otto behaves outside of the house, if a little girl such as yourself would fear that from him.”
Corinna had more hair than Tuuli and thus washing it was more difficult, but there was no mistaking that the number of nails I would receive depended directly on how satisfied Corinna was with the shampoo. I used the extent of my skill to wash her hair as thoroughly as possible.
“...Myne, sweetie. Might I ask you something?” said Corinna, her tone a bit more stiff than before. I reflexively tensed up, fearing that she was about to ask me how to make the shampoo. “Truly, what is Otto like when working at the gate?”
Her question was so unexpected that I couldn’t help but let out a surprised “Huh?”
Corinna’s expression clouded. “He abandoned his life as a merchant for me, so I can’t help but feel a tad worried...”
“Ohhh, you don’t need to worry about that. He’s still being quite the merchant at the gate.” Despite claiming to be so busy, he handled all of the budget season work himself, negotiated with the merchants that came to sell equipment and commodities, exploited his position as city guard to obtain as much information as possible, and so on. Otto was still behaving just like a merchant.
“Come again...? He’s being a merchant, at the gate? Despite being a guard?”
“Yes. In particular, Otto is the spitting image of a merchant when he negotiates with the merchants that come to sell goods at the gate and squeezes out as much of a bargain as possible. He has the sinister, conniving smile of a merchant on his face each day as a matter of course.”
“Ahaha, he looks like a merchant to you? I see, then it must be so. Mmm... I feel that your words are just the emotional support I needed.” Corinna’s cream-colored hair got silkier as I wiped it with the cloth, and increased in luster like a shining pearl as I diligently ran the comb through it. I thought the same thing when I was washing Lutz’s blonde hair, but seriously, I was jealous.
“If you can, please try to use a wooden comb. The wood will absorb the liquid and help make your hair look more lustrous.”
“Very well. And... gracious, this is even prettier than I imagined.” Corinna let out an awed murmur as she touched her own hair.
“Your hair has a pretty color to begin with, and you seem to have been taking good care of it on your own, so the silkiness came out even easier than normal. All you have to do is repeat this process once every five to seven days,” I explained while pointing at the jar, which had some shampoo left within it.
But Corinna just tilted her head in confusion. “You’re gracing me with the leftovers as well? Goodness, I couldn’t just take it unrewarded. Allow me to give you a gift first.”
“It’s fine. Otto’s giving me nails in return for all this.”
“...Nails? Truly? Is he not selling you short?”
He was, but that was fine with me. I would be getting the nails I needed without telling them how to make the shampoo, and on top of that, I could just ask for more stuff whenever Corinna wanted more shampoo.
“Ahem. Myne, my clothes have gotten a little wet and I wish to change. Would you be a dear and wait outside with Otto for a bit?”
I nodded, but when I opened the door to go outside, Otto practically pounced with the look of a starving bear who had finally found food. “Corinna?!”
“My clothes got wet and so I am changing. Otto, do entertain Myne while I’m busy.” Corinna poked her head out of the slightly opened door and spoke with a smile. Her damp hair spilled across her wet clothes, which when combined with her shy tone gave her a strange air of sensuality.
“Forgive me for showing myself like this. I will be changed in no time.” Corinna shut the door to the bedroom immediately once I was in the hall. I glanced at Otto and saw that he was staring at the closed door in a daze. Seeing how in awe he was, I made a little triumphant pose on the inside. Today had undoubtedly ended in my solid victory.
“Eheheh. So, Otto. Didn’t Corinna look super beautiful? Did you fall in love with her all over again? Her cream-colored hair was gleaming like jewels...”
“Ngh! Corinna!”
“Hold on, Otto! She’s in the middle of changing!”
Otto had gulped for air and then charged straight for the door. I hurriedly grabbed onto his arm, but of course, I lacked a fraction of the strength necessary to stop him.
“Otto, do you intend to show Myne my nakedness?” Corinna’s calm warning from beyond the door struck Otto like lightning. He stopped in place. Then, after a brief silence, he turned slowly around and — with a frighteningly composed smile — clasped me on the shoulders.
“Listen, Myne. Would you do me a favor and remember some important errands you have to do?” Translation: I’ve fallen in love with my wife all over again and wish to spend a passionate evening with her, so please leave at once. I hear you loud and clear, Otto.
“I might remember something, depending on how many nails I’m given,” I said with a grin, glancing at the bag of nails resting atop the kitchen table. Otto looked back and forth between me and the nails, having a serious internal debate on the matter. It was beyond clear that he was weighing on an internal scale his merchant instinct for maximum profit and his love for his wife.
“If you give me all of them, I might be able to think of an excuse that will convince Dad.” The moment I said that, Otto remembered that he had told Dad he would take care of me. He immediately pushed the whole bag of nails into my hand with a smile. Things had gone just as planned, so I politely took my leave.
...Well, I ended up with a lot more nails than expected, but that was fine. Otto could just focus on having his fun.
With the nail-filled bag in hand, I began the journey home alone. The nails were heavy. Individually they were light, but together the weight really added up. My arms started wobbling after just a bit of walking.
...This isn’t working. I need to rest. My arms hurt. At this rate, I won’t even make it all the way home.
Upon reaching the central plaza’s fountain, I sat down to take a break. I shook my wobbly arms and massaged them. After a bit of that, Lutz walked by in front of me, probably on his way home from somewhere.
“Oh? Lutz? What’re you doing here?”
“Myne?! That’s my line! Why are you here? Wha? Are you alone?!”
My range of activity was generally restrained to the gate and the forest. I would always take the shortest path to my destination, so I generally didn’t pass through the plaza. Lutz, knowing that I never went anywhere on my own and needed someone to watch over me even when going to the forest, was stunned to see me on my lonesome.
“I’m on my way home from Otto’s place. He gave me this many nails! They’re pretty heavy though, and he lives kinda far away, so I’m taking a break.”
“I’ll carry’m for you. Why didn’t you have him walk you home?” I gave Lutz the bag of nails while he mumbled complaints. The bag that had been heavy enough to hurt my arms seemed to weigh nothing from Lutz’s perspective.
As Lutz and I walked home together, we discussed what our days had been like. Lutz had apparently gone to ask people who dealt with wood for a living and so on for advice on what trees would make good paper or tororo. In Japan we would normally use crushed up sunset hibiscuses for washi making, but in this world, the juices of an edible fruit or a shram bug would be the most suitable.
...Y-Yuck. I sure hope we don’t need bug juices. Though bugs will probably be the easiest to get year round.
“Now that we have nails, we can make the steamer.”
“Yeah? How big’s it gonna be? You said you were gonna make it to match one of our pots, but did your mom say you could use a pot?”
We wouldn’t need that big of a steamer for the wood at first, but if possible, I wanted one that matched the size of a pot. However, just about every family only had as many pots as they needed for cooking. Mom probably wouldn’t lend me a pot no matter what I said.
“...I haven’t asked yet. And actually, at one point, she got mad at me for putting what she thought wasn’t food into a pot.” If dried fish was enough to make Mom mad, I couldn’t imagine that she would lend a pot to me for steaming and boiling wood.
“Then we’re screwed, huh? What’re we gonna do? I can’t make a pot on my own.” Pots were expensive. Very expensive. They were the kind of thing you used for a lifetime, repairing them as they broke. Kids like us couldn’t get our hands on a pot easily, and making one involved dealing with metal, which was too difficult.
“...We can start with the suketa instead. That won’t be impossible once we settle on the size.”
“Haaah. Yeah, guess we gotta start with what we can.”
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