Citrine would do anything for her beloved Murmur.
Now that puberty has just arrived, Citrine isn’t an adult yet, so she doesn’t fully understand the greatness of love.
But she knows the warmth of love that Murmur taught her better than anyone else.
“Murmur, do you want to know? Did you find the maid sister?”
That’s why Citrine could only look at Murmur, who boldly held her hand and asked a question, with a flustered expression.
“I’m sorry. It seems like it will take more time than I thought.”
“Murmur is okay.”
Citrine bit her lip slightly as she looked at Murmur, who spoke somewhat indifferently.
‘To think I can’t give Murmur what she wants…!’
If you have money, you can do anything.
Citrine, who firmly believed in this, found this situation quite unpleasant.
She mobilized all the information networks of the Crimson Nexus Trading Company and spent money lavishly from her pocket, but there was no gain.
“Is the maid you mentioned really a doll, Murmur?”
“Yes, a doll with black hair.”
Citrine felt sorry inside.
‘Maids who are good at housework and rune magic were easier and more numerous to find than I thought.’
But the conditions attached to it were too strict.
Black-haired commoner and a doll.
Moreover, Murmur’s pick was firm.
There was no room for compromise.
“Murmur, do you want to ask? Is it difficult?”
“N-no, it’s not.”
Looking at Murmur’s indifferent expression, Citrine covered her mouth with her right hand.
“Oh~hohoho! You’re underestimating the power of our Crimson Nexus Trading Company!”
“Then Murmur just has to wait, right?”
“Of course! We will definitely find the maid sister who is a master of housework and rune magic, a black-haired commoner, and…”
Citrine hoped that this condition was just Murmur’s misunderstanding.
“…a doll-like maid sister.”
‘Yes, Murmur believes in Citrine.’
Murmur, with a slight smile, looked at Citrine and spread her arms.
“Ah… Murmur is so warm and soft today.”
Citrine quickly bent down and hugged Murmur, patting her back.
‘But a doll… a doll is really…!’
Citrine, who thought there was nothing she couldn’t do with heavy gold coins, found this situation very awkward.
* * *
“There’s something I couldn’t say because Citrine might feel bad.”
Nicasia’s voice was very small and cautious.
Citrine was having a small tea time and strategy meeting with Esme in the princess’s room.
So Murmur wasn’t in this room.
Originally, Murmur was caught by Professor Aiaie during this after-class time, talking about difficult magic.
“If it’s about Murmur, you can speak freely.”
“…Don’t you think Citrine is a bit strange?”
Citrine quietly sipped the fragrant black tea.
“Citrine must have searched hard, but according to my findings, there is no doll that Murmur wants anywhere.”
“Even if the previous conditions were barely met, more than five people were disqualified because of the doll.”
“That’s right. No matter how I think about it, this condition is impossible.”
Nicasia’s voice was still cautious.
“So I thought… maybe Murmur is so tired that she made such a request?”
“Murmur is not that weak.”
“But Citrine… let’s be honest for a moment. Esme too.”
Esme, who was munching on chocolate chip cookies at the table, stopped her hand.
Unfortunately, Monica was in the village of the morning star, offering prayers, so she couldn’t attend this tea time.
“Murmur is only in the 5th grade of elementary school.”
Nicasia looked at Esme and Citrine’s faces.
“And Murmur has been living alone for over 5 years.”
“Since the 1st grade?”
“I asked Iris, the dorm mother. Until the 3rd grade, there were professors or staff who took care of her.”
Citrine didn’t open her mouth since she already knew the story.
“But she still lived alone, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. They just did some laundry or took her to the classroom or took care of her a bit during summer vacation.”
“I heard she has been living completely alone since the 4th grade.”
Nicasia nodded.
“Everyone has seen Murmur’s room, right?”
“Umm… it wasn’t ordinary.”
“More than half of her clothes were ones I bought for her.”
Citrine spoke calmly, and Esme chewed her cookie while looking around.
“Murmur never showed any signs, but she must have been really struggling.”
“Gulp… really? But Murmur never said she was struggling.”
“Yes, I’ve never heard Murmur say that her daily life was difficult. But…”
Nicasia made an awkward expression.
“People get greedy when they want something.”
“Murmur is greedy…?”
Esme made a face that she couldn’t imagine it.
Murmur even gave the shiny gem she got last time to Torlin, saying she didn’t need it.
‘She never asked Citrine to buy her food or clothes…’
In Esme’s eyes, Murmur was a strange demon race who had no greed at all.
“I don’t think… that’s the case.”
“I don’t think Murmur has much greed either. But Esme… put yourself in Murmur’s shoes.”
“Murmur has been living alone at Cosmos Academy for 5 years without any friends.”
Citrine and Nicasia were building a block tower in a completely wrong way.
Moreover, their misunderstanding had some basis.
“All the Demeter buildings look the same. She must have heard ‘no’ so many times that she gave up.”
“Think about Professor Marea.”
“…Uh?”
Esme made a surprised face.
“R-right? Murmur never said she hated Professor Marea for discriminating against her or that she wouldn’t take martial arts class.”
“That’s right. Murmur just accepts it when adults say no…”
“Then Nicasia, Esme, me, and Monica appeared and became her friends.”
Citrine thought in her heart that she was ‘a little’ different.
Of course, Nicasia was also thinking something similar.
“Nicasia is the imperial princess, Citrine is the adopted daughter of a famous merchant, Monica is the saintess, and I am the eldest daughter of a count family.”
Esme admired the block tower that Citrine and Nicasia had built completely wrong.
This story was very plausible.
“The glitter, wealth, and leisure that she had never experienced before… we showed them to her as if it were natural.”
“We even invited Murmur to our mansion to play.”
“Esme, remember? We took her to the Milky Way in Starlight Alley and bought her a woolen pajama.”
“… … Murmur only had very old pajamas, right?”
Esme put down her cookie and covered her mouth with her hand.
“She… never dreamed of such things…”
“That’s right. From Murmur’s perspective, our kindness must have felt like thirst.”
“It’s actually a sales tactic used by merchants.”
Citrine let out a deep sigh.
“So… she wanted a super maid sister? But a maid seems a bit sudden, doesn’t it?”
Nicasia shook her head.
“Rather, that’s why it’s a maid.”
“Murmur must have unconsciously wanted a maid who is good at housework.”
“Eh… why?”
Esme really didn’t understand.
“Esme… I have three maids.”
“And I have Balkan, though he’s not a maid.”
“Uh… I have Pearl.”
Esme covered her mouth with a ‘no way’ expression.
“And Monica has Sister Anna.”
“Murmur must have naturally envied the attendants that all her friends have.”
“Ah… so that’s why… she made such an impossible condition?”
Esme was at a loss.
“Uh… it’s not because of me, is it? I bragged to Murmur about Pearl making delicious food…”
“I did too. Esme… I think we didn’t take care of Murmur enough.”
Esme let out a deep sigh.
“I thought Murmur was talking about a ‘doll’ in a different context.”
“… … Do you have any interesting stories about dolls?”
Esme thought for a moment and then nodded.
“Citrine, don’t you think of something when you hear ‘maid’ and ‘doll’?”
Citrine fiddled with her red hair and then clapped her hands.
“Maid and doll! That’s it! A maid doll!”
“A maid doll?”
Unlike usual, Nicasia didn’t know the story that Esme and Citrine knew.
“Thinking about it, the answer was simple!”
“That’s right! As much as Murmur envied us, she didn’t say she wanted something she couldn’t have!”
“Um… I’m embarrassed, but can you explain what a maid doll is?”
Esme smiled.
“It’s called a maid doll, but that’s not its exact name.”
“The exact product name is ‘Maghauscia.'”
Nicasia still had a puzzled expression.
“Nicasia, you’ll know right away if you hear the name of the store in Starlight Alley!”
“Oh~hohoho! That’s right!”
“Um… what kind of store is it?”
As Nicasia tilted her head, Esme continued the explanation.
“It’s ‘Seir’s Doll Store’ in Starlight Alley! Do you remember now, Nicasia? I first saw Maghauscia there. At first, I thought it was a real maid!”
“Actually, the store owner uses Maghauscia to do business. Customers don’t even know it’s a doll and give orders to the maid.”
Citrine smiled slightly.
“So at first, I didn’t know it was a magic-powered doll. Later, the store owner explained it to me. It’s made by applying the principle of golems!”
“You know what a golem is, right, Nicasia?”
Nicasia nodded.
“Maghauscia can move much more delicately than a golem. Its name means ‘magic-powered machine at home.'”
Citrine nodded and added.
“Our trading company also handles it. It’s not a popular item because of its appearance, but there is a definite demand for it.”
Citrine didn’t call Maghauscia a doll, so unlike Esme, she didn’t think of it right away.
“Maghauscia… Maghauscia… I’ve never heard of it.”
“Nicasia, you’re a princess, right? If you can hire a real maid, there’s no reason to buy such a thing.”
“I heard that nobles living alone or in magic towers buy it for various reasons!”
Nicasia and Citrine’s messed-up block tower was topped with a shining star by Esme.
“That’s why… it’s so like Murmur.”
Poor Murmur’s situation.
The reason she talked about a ‘doll.’
A way to really solve the problem.
The three’s misunderstanding took on a perfect shape.
“Citrine, Esme. Do you know where to buy that ‘Maghauscia’?”
“Of course. Our trading company handles it, so we can get it anytime.”
“Then! How about making a doll that meets Murmur’s conditions?”
At Esme’s bold suggestion, Citrine smiled.
“Oh~hohoho! Making a Maghauscia is nothing!”
“We just need to emphasize the black hair and commoner elements!”
“Murmur must have wanted a ‘Maghauscia’ but found the name too difficult, so she called it a doll!”
Citrine nodded.
“Actually, Maghauscia has articulated joints. It looks like a doll no matter where you look.”
“Citrine, I’ll cover the materials and costs needed for production as much as possible.”
“Oh~hohoho! It’s okay. Our trading company can handle it, so don’t worry about such expenses.”
“Ah… then Nicasia! How about we prepare the maid uniform?”
The three, who had started running in the completely wrong direction, smiled brightly and began preparing a ‘gift’ for Murmur.
“It’s a chance to give Murmur the perfect maid doll she wanted!”
“Great!!! Citrine will prepare the doll, and we’ll prepare the clothes!”
The three, who were laughing, surprisingly hit the right answer.
Anyway, the ‘Vesta’ that Murmur wanted was ultimately ‘Maghauscia.’
It’s just that it existed in a form that even Murmur couldn’t imagine.