Drawn Mochi Volume 6 Chapter 4.2: Forest, Village, And Wall*3

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“Um, she says it’s okay if they can’t see them. But they just want someone who will take care of them even if they can’t see them. …At the very least, they don’t care if they don’t believe in fairies, they just want someone interested in them…” (Ange)

　…I see. So, in the end, what kind of people are interested in fairies…?

“…Hey, Tougo.” (Fay)

　While I was pondering over the fairy’s request, Fay was standing beside me with a flash of inspiration on his face.

“I have a good idea.” (Fay)

　…a good idea?

　…the next day, the reception for the interview started.

　The receptionist in charge was me and Lila. We just sit at the desk and ask them to give us their paperwork. We talk a little bit there, but only a little bit. It was not an interview.

　Laocles will process the documents we received in the seat behind us. We just check them in and sort them out, but we put a little screen in front of the desk so the people who come in can’t see what we’re doing.

　…And Lian and Ange are working around. They guided people who came to waiting seats and handed out tea and sweets to those waiting. Lian’s ice spirit helped with this. Little ice birds fly by, handing out serial number tags and letting them know the next number.

　Since it was a venue like this… the farmers, who seemed to think they were just going to hand in their documents and go home, were a little confused.

　The receptionist were kids like me and Lila, and there were two more kids working. There is one adult behind us, but he is Laocles, who clearly looks more suited to modeling, guarding or escorting than clerical work. Plus, tea and snacks are served. …Well, it may be a strange atmosphere.

　But this is the important thing.

　…Why go to the trouble of having them come to the site and submit the paperwork after they’ve been there? Because this is the first round of interviews.

　Of course, we are not interviewing them. I’m only going to talk a little bit about it, and that’s just for reference.

　The most important thing is… the fairies.

　Among the people waiting, there were some whose eyes were moving here and there.

　Those people are the ones who can “see”. People who can see fairies.

　…Because there are over 100 fairies gathered in this room right now.

　Those who can see fairies can see a lot of activity. So, I don’t think they’ll be able to remain relaxed. Yeah…

　The fairies are looking at the people who are waiting. And they check to see if they hit the mark.

　…When I tried to find out what made someone “popular,” I found that it generally meant “does he fit in with the forest?” Temperament, sensitivity to magic, etc. Apparently, that’s something fairies can sense. That’s amazing.

　If the fairies find someone they’re interested in, we’ll stamp a fairy seal on the document that person brought with them once it’s in Laocles’ hands. It means that they are approved by the fairies.

　On the other hand, if the fairies think, “This person is absolutely no good!” If the fairies think “This person is definitely not good enough,” we will also put their stamp of “Rejected” when the documents come into the hands of Laocles. There were around 10 documents that were stamped with “Rejected”. When I showed it to Ms. Croix later, she laughed and said, “Oh, this is one is a spy. They are a colleague of mine, but aren’t they currently living in a house that is hostile to the Redgard family?” …The observational eyes of fairies are amazing.

　…Thus, we completed the first round of selection with the fairies. The fairies seemed to have a lot of fun with this, so I guess that’s a good thing.

“One hundred down to twenty-five…” (Tougo)

“Amazing.” (Lila)

　If there are only 25 people, I can interview them again and if they’re good, we’ll hire them. With this, we can finish the interview in one day!

“Thank you. All of you were helpful.” (Tougo)

　When I thanked the fairies, they were smiling happily.

“Umm, ‘We are honored to be able to help you, Lord Spirit’…” (Ange)

　Oh, I see. I guess the fairies worship me a little too much…

“You know. Ange is also happy to help Brother Tougo.” (Ange)

　…Ange also shyly says that while fidgeting, so… I feel ticklish. Very ticklish…

　The following week, those who were rejected were notified. Then, a total of 35 people will be invited to Redgard territory, including 25 people that the fairies like and 10 people chosen from our human perspective. Interviews were held there.

　…We don’t have enough horse-drawn carriages because we have to have so many people coming and going at once. So, I drew a horse-drawn carriage and materialized it. It’s a hollow carriage with rubber tires, like a car. I thought that would be good because it would absorb vibrations.

　Also, the material of the carriage is aluminum. If it were made of wood, it would be very heavy, and I felt sorry for the horse that pulls the carriage.

　And the horse that pulls the carriage is a unicorn.

　…Unicorns are said to be much stronger than horses without horns. So, they can run easily even on a route that would be tiring for a normal horse.

　I was a little worried about whether it would be safe for the horses to go outside, but they thought, “A person who has the guts to attack a unicorn pulling a carriage with the Redgarde family emblem on it must move from Redgarde territory to the territory directly under the Royal Capital.” Fay said, “They won’t be on the same path.” So, I decided to them send his away. I’m still worried, so Laocles and Ms, Croix are riding in one of the carriages.

　Then, an interview will be held during that time. Since it was for 35 people, we decided to split them.

　The interviewers were Fay, Fay’s father and brother, and me.

　…I wonder if it’s okay for me to be included. Can I be an interviewer? Me?

　Well, we are interviewing in pairs, so I’m not the only one choosing the people, so I feel safe in that sense…

　…I got worried and asked Fay, who was working with me on the interview, and he simply answered.

“Don’t worry. It’s alright. You’re here for a reason.” (Fay)

　…I didn’t quite understand, so I asked for a bit more explanation, and Fay laughed and explained it to me.

“The people we will interview are those who don’t have the Fairy Seal. In other words, the fairies, don’t have any particular problems with them, but they don’t think they’re good either. In other words, they’re the ones who were chosen for their abilities.” (Fay)

　Yep. I understand that.

“And I’ll drop anyone who looks at you and tries to take advantage of you. That’s all there is to it, you know?” (Fay)

　…eh.

　It’s true that Lila and I live in the forest, and there are also Lian and Ange, who are younger than us. After all, there are many creatures that are weaker than humans. So, if Fay doesn’t think they can get along well with me, it’s better for them not to come… Do you mean that?

　I had some doubts and asked Fay, and he scratched his cheek as he answered me.

“…You know. In the first place, the person who looks at you and thinks you’re really just a kid that has no sense of magic, or something like that… while living in a place full of magical beasts. They’re not suited for the forest, are they?” (Fay)

　…Is that so?

“Now that I think about it, two of the people from the ten who came earlier looked at me and asked, “Are you a Spirit?”

　When I said this as I remembered, Fay smiled and nodded.

“I get it. Somehow, you don’t look like a human, or maybe you seem far too removed from the real world, or also you’re very fluffy.” (Fay)

　Doesn’t that mean I am a fluffy person? Then, does that mean I am not human?

“…well, is it a sensitivity to magic, or the presence? I don’t know. It changes a little bit, you know. Especially when you’re near the forest.” (Fay)

　I see. I guess when I’m in the forest, my forest spirit side comes out more strongly.

　…Have I become that far away from being a human? I have a slightly complicated feeling… but if I can become a forest-compatibility checker, well, that’s okay.

　So, we ended up interviewing 10 people and 25 people with Faye’s father and brother. Thank you for the help.

“…Interviews are tough.” (Tougo)

“That’s right. But, well, it looks like some good people will come thanks to you…” (Fay)

　I’m sure there were a few people among the 10 people that I felt like, “This person is really good,” or “This person is amazing,” or “I think I can get along with this person.” It would be great if there were many people like that. I want to make the forest filled with people like them.

“Well, thanks to you, it’s going to be great for us, too. You’re going to be able to harvest in the summer, right?” (Fay)

“Yeah. The fruits are already ripe, so we can ship them right away.” (Tougo)

　When I answered, Fay laughed with a half-surprised look on his face.

“Well, thank you for your hard work, Tougo. Is there anything else I can help you with?” (Fay)

“What? No, that’s fine. I’ll take care of the field expansion, and I’ll make the house… and Fay has already done all the advertising and interviewing…” (Tougo)

　…However, after I answered that, I suddenly remembered and decided to tell Fay.

“If I had to say one thing, I would like Lila to stop calling Laocles.” (Tougo)

　But,

“That’s too bad, but I can’t do that.” (Fay)

　Fay laughed and instantly refused.

　Well, yeah. I kind of expected it.