"So... is this okay?"
With a large bump on his head, Kiryuuin looked at Rice Shower helplessly. After being lectured by Aoi, he had now changed into a Mr. Rabbit mask from Alice in Wonderland. This seemingly cute and harmless mask finally allowed Kiryuuin to sit next to Rice Shower.
Rice Shower had now followed him to the studio.
"Mm... it's okay..."
Rice Shower timidly nodded, and her complexion had indeed improved a lot. However, Kiryuuin seemed to still hear her muttering, "The manager is not a bad person... The manager is not a bad person..."
"..."
For the first time, Kiryuuin felt a sense of sorrow about his own existence.
"Ahem... Alright, what do you want to drink? Barley tea or orange juice?"
Kiryuuin's studio was equipped with a small freezer. To ease the atmosphere, Kiryuuin decided to approach her from a different angle.
After all, for the two of them to communicate normally, they could better complete the upcoming work.
"Orange, orange juice."
Rice Shower said softly. Kiryuuin tried hard to discern what she was saying, then took a can from the freezer.
"Here, you just sit here. I'll tell you what to do in a moment, understand?"
"Hmm…"
Kiryuuin took a small toolbox from a nearby drawer and placed it directly in front of Rice Shower.
"This is what I lent Asama before. It has molds and carving tools. What I need you to do is to polish these semi-finished parts and refine them."
Kiryuuin said, picking up a processed part from the table. "Roughly like this will do. If you're not very skilled, you can practice with the parts to your left, understand?"
"…Yes, I will try…"
Rice Shower glanced at Mr. Rabbit, and with Kiryuuin mentioning Kazuo again, she regained her confidence and nodded seriously.
"Then I'll demonstrate once. You watch and then do it, and I'll see if there are any problems."
When Kiryuuin switched to work mode, he clearly seemed like a different person, completely devoid of his usual lazy demeanor.
.
"By the way, isn't there a G1 race today?"
"Oh, really? I forgot you didn't mention it! It's the NHK Mile Cup, right?"
"I remember Maruzensky is in it!?"
"That 'supercar' racer?"
The conversations of the customers in the shop made Aoi suddenly realize, like waking from a dream, and he clapped his hands, saying:
"I see, Kazuo and the others went to watch the G1 NHK Mile Cup."
Just as the baseball qualifiers had also ended, Aoi quickly picked up the shop's remote control and changed the TV channel.
Although these open invitationals don't receive as much attention as the Triple Crown races, globally, they are highly renowned.
After all, many international racers are invited to participate in this competition.
Aoi took a moment to peek into the back room, checking on Kiryuuin's studio. He saw Rice Shower diligently following Kiryuuin's instructions, and Kiryuuin was patiently teaching her.
Aoi couldn't help but feel relieved. At least for now, the two seemed to be getting along quite well.
.
"Is this okay…?"
Rice Shower looked at Kiryuuin with some uncertainty, and although he was wearing a mask, he knew his expression must be very strange.
The reason was simple: he was holding the part Rice Shower had given him in his left hand, and in his right hand was the one he had polished himself… From his perspective, he couldn't see much difference; they were practically identical… This was quite astonishing.
Rice Shower initially seemed to have no understanding of these things, and even the use of the tools was slowly taught to her by Kiryuuin, hand by hand.
And after only one demonstration… she had produced a perfect, finished product, without missing a single step… This?
One must know, Kiryuuin already considered Kazuo's comprehension ability to be remarkably strong.
Even with Kazuo's learning ability, he had failed twice the first time he did this… Rice Shower… "Um… Is it not good?"
Seeing Kiryuuin remain silent, Rice Shower's face instantly darkened, thinking she had made another mistake and upset him.
"No… I'm just a little surprised. You did very well. Hmm… Just keep going. Make these parts according to the standard you just achieved. Can you do that?"
"…! Yes! Rice Shower understands!!"
For this child, the affirmation of others was actually the most encouraging power.
Perhaps she didn't even realize how pure and unadulterated the smile she just showed was.
Even Kiryuuin, a grown man, found that smile to be too brilliant.
He subtly turned his face and cleared his throat, saying, "Alright then, if you don't understand anything, just ask me."
.
Another half an hour passed.
Only when his phone received a message did Kiryuuin suddenly snap out of his focused work state.
Once he settled down, he tended to focus solely on the task at hand and forget about his surroundings… When he turned his head, what he saw shocked him.
Rice Shower's small square table was filled with parts; the amount he had given her earlier was all completed… And that wasn't all; they were all made to the same specifications.
But what surprised him even more was—
Among the parts Rice Shower had made, three were finished products, not just refined semi-finished ones.
"You… How did you do that?"
Kiryuuin could not hide his surprise at this moment. He looked at Rice Shower in shock; this was not something one could do just by wanting to.
Moreover, he hadn't demonstrated any of these things to her… He had only taught her steps that even a beginner could slowly learn, or so he thought… Rice Shower was startled by Kiryuuin's sudden exclamations. She shrank her neck and cautiously looked at Kiryuuin, saying, "After I finished, I wanted to ask the shop owner what else to do… But I saw the shop owner was very focused just now… I didn't dare to disturb you… So I just kept doing it the way you did…"
"So you watched how I did it? And then you did it the same way?"
Rice Shower nodded hesitantly, her eyes flickering. "Rice Shower… Should I not have done that? I'm sorry… Rice Shower shouldn't have made decisions on her own… It's all my fault…"
"No…"
Kiryuuin slowly shook his head, saying, "You did very well, even beyond my expectations…"
He finally understood. The girl in front of him was still a beginner, yet she could complete such work… Actually, it was very simple; it was Rice Shower's talent—
That was an extremely strong ability to imitate!
Here at Shuke, most images of German maids would be taken down, it's really hard to find one that won't be.
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