「There are a few more problems as well… and so Nana Ambrotivi von Ratrius D. McMillan Tetestetes Vanessa Ako Marcellit El Rosemary Yamada will now think foolishly」
「…Eh? Foolishly? Um, what do you mean?」
I had been worrying about how to collect hair from people I knew without being seen as a pervert… but Nana-san said there were more problems besides that.
「Regarding this idea of collecting hair…」
「Yeah」
「What will you do about the bald ones?」
「…………」
She said her entire full name just to say that…
Somehow it really did feel like foolish thinking.
And at least try to say it a bit more gently…
「The bald have no hair to collect」
「…Yeah」
Well, yes… if they had hair, they would not be bald…
Nana-san was right. Even if I wanted hair, I could not collect it from someone who had none.
In fact, they probably wanted it more than I did.
「Um… that part is fine」
「Fine in what way?」
「I will not revive the bald, so it is fine」
「You will not revive the bald…」
I felt like I had just said something terribly harsh.
As if I had declared the ‘bald had no value worth reviving’.
「No, that is not what I meant. I just do not have any bald acquaintances」
「Ah, I see. Now that you mention it… I do not remember seeing anyone bald in the village」
「Right?」
「Or rather, I have never seen one at all… has there ever been a bald person in the village…?」
「Eh? Um…… wait?」
「There were none, were there…?」
「I do not think so… and now that I think about it, I have not seen anyone like that since I was reborn…」
I had never thought about it before, but looking back, it was true.
「Could it be that bald people do not exist in this world…?」
「Eh? I wonder…」
If that were true, then why…? Did Deis-san set it that way? What was she thinking when she did that…
Well, maybe there are people who would be saved by such a world…
「Ah, by chance, it’s just that elves don’t go bald?」
Since being reborn, I had never seen anyone who was not an Elf.
Maybe bald people existed among humans or beastkin, just not among Elves.
「Maybe it is some Elf trait?」
「A trait of not going bald?」
「Not exactly a trait of not going bald… but, you know how Elves are always beautiful? I think that is an Elf trait too. So, because of that trait…」
「In other words, since Elves have the trait of being beautiful, they cannot go bald?」
「Yeah. Something like that…」
Elf traits include things like ‘long lifespan’, ‘sharp eyesight’, ‘forest walking’, and being ‘beautiful’.
Because of this ‘beauty trait’, they cannot become bald… or rather, baldness is not allowed.
That was my guess.
「That sounds sad. So, no matter how well-groomed someone is, if they are bald, they cannot belong to the beautiful category…」
That is sad… I think there are cool bald people, though…
「Anyway, because of that, everyone I know has hair. Which means collecting hair should be possible」
「It seems so. Then, one more thing」
「One more?」
「After foolishly thinking this through, there is another point that concerns me」
「Okay. What is it?」
I hoped this one was not actually foolish.
「Master said you would collect the hair of people you know. By people you know… how far does that reach?」
「Hm? What do you mean how far?」
「Which acquaintances count? Surely you do not mean the entire village… wait, do you?」
「No, that is… impossible」
Meiyu Village is not large, but that would still be unreasonable.
And collecting hair from everyone in the village sounds terrifying. Too grotesque.
「Not everyone, but… that means I have to choose. That also feels wrong」
「How many will you choose?」
「What should I do…? My family, the people I often play with, the ones who have helped me, and then…」
This is tough. If I start thinking about this person and that person, I will never finish.
「You sound like someone struggling with who to send wedding invitations to」
Nana-san gives a weirdly casual comparison while I am seriously thinking about it.
「This is tough, I really can’t decide」
「Then how about choosing the top five people with the highest affection?」
「That is… well, in the end it will probably come down to something like that」
If I do not dress it up with fancy words, it will end up being my personal affection ranking.
I do not want to announce that ranking in front of Nana-san though.
「Isn’t five too few?」
「Is it? Hair is meant to be insurance in case the body cannot be found, so that seems reasonable」
「Maybe…」
「The revival potion itself is insurance for if someone dies, so the hair is insurance for the insurance. I do not think you need to collect so much」
It is unlikely that a body would go missing and not even a single strand of hair could be found.
Maybe Nana-san is right.
「So Master, choose five. We will collect their hair」
「Five, huh…」
「Let me get some paper and write it down」
Nana-san gathers paper and a feather pen.
While watching her, I start thinking about who the five should be.
「Anyway, the first one is obviously me, right? I, Nana Ambrotivi von Ratrius――」
「Wait, wait」
Nana-san casually tries to slip herself onto the list.
And she is trying to pad out the name again. Twice in such a short time is not allowed, Nana-san.
I quickly confiscate her feather pen, but she had already written Nana Ambrotivi von Ratrius D. Macmillan Tetestetes on the paper.
It is just a memo, so writing Nana would have been enough. How much space does she want to take for herself…
「What is it now?」
「You started writing without permission. Why did you just decide on your own?」
「Wait, I am not guaranteed a spot?」
「Well… no, or maybe… am I supposed to guarantee you a spot…?」
Setting aside whether she ranks first in affection, when I think about all the conditions, it feels like Nana-san is guaranteed a spot.
「Hmm… then the first person really is Nana-san, which leaves four more…」
「Yes. The rest is up to you」
「Right… well, Father and Mother are guaranteed」
I quickly added Father and Mother to the paper.
「Then there are two left」
「Only two… isn’t five too strict after all?」
「Maybe… but let’s fill it out to the end」
「Hmm…」
Only two left. Who should I choose? For now――
「Ah, before that, I should store some of my own hair too, right?」
「Yes. Yggdrasil-sama should also have some stored, but it might be best if we keep some here as well」
「Then I should write it down so I don’t forget」
I added Alexis to the list.
「That leaves one person」
「Wait, what, this counts too?」
That was unexpected. I only wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget, and it ended up taking a slot.
Nana-san, Father, Mother, me――that already makes four. Only one left…
「This is too much, Nana-san. Only one person left…」
「…There is no choice. Then family will be a separate category. Choose five people besides family」
「Really? Thank you, Nana-san」
「It is fine, Master」
Nana-san smiles with a soft, benevolent expression.
When I think about it, I am not entirely sure why I need her permission or why I am thanking her.
Anyway, thanks to her kindness, the rule became family plus five people. I thought it over and chose five people outside my family, then wrote their names on the paper.
「Alright. Then we will collect the hair of everyone on this list, the people whose hair I want」
「When you call it a list of people whose hair you want, it sounds like a list of bald people who want hair」
「I never made such a sad list…」
next chapter: Woodworking Series No. 39 『Cigar Box』
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