NOVEL NEXT Chapter 24
Harvested Leftovers And Sachets
“Hey, are you throwing these flowers away?”
One afternoon, Yuuri asked curiously. In front of him, Kuresh and Lelei were sorting plants they had probably gathered from a dungeon. The flowers Yuuri was poking at, with their roots cut off, were lying on the ground, giving off a pleasant scent.
“Oh, those are the parts we don’t need. We only need the roots for the request.”
“But we can’t identify them without the flowers, so we bring everything back.”
“…So, you don’t need these? Can I have them?”
“Sure, but… what are you gonna do with them?”
“Thanks!”
Yuuri gathered the flowers and trimmed them with scissors, cutting off just the flowers and stuffing them into his school bag. Yuuri’s bag was a high-performance magic bag, so even when he stuffed things in carelessly, they would be sorted and organized inside. Although it was quite the cheat, Yuuri only saw it as convenient. As always.
Kuresh and Lelei watched Yuuri’s work with smiles before returning to their tasks. Yuuri kept gathering the flowers they discarded. Passersby smiled at the heartwarming scene, though the trio didn’t notice.
About ten days later, one day, Yuuri was handing out small cloth bags to the members of Scarlet Lynx. Unsure of what they were, everyone accepted them. Men received simple, undecorated pouches, while women received pouches adorned with ribbons and embroidery. The feminine ones were well-suited for the girls.
Yakk peeked inside his pouch and muttered, “Huh?” It was another cloth bag, more like a cushion, tightly sewn. The contents were unknown.
“Yuuri, what’s this?”
“This is called a sachet. It’s a scented bag.”
Everyone repeated the word, unfamiliar to adventurers and their apprentices. However, as the name suggested, the bags emitted a soft floral scent.
Lelei suddenly exclaimed, “Yuuri, are these those flowers from before?”
“Correct~. Lelei, you have a strong sense of smell.”
“Well, I’m half cat beastman, after all. But why do they smell so good? I thought they’d withered by now.”
Lelei’s question was valid. Flowers packed in bags like this shouldn’t keep their fragrance. Smiling, Yuuri explained.
“Inside, there’s dried, crushed flowers and fabric soaked with a bit of perfume.”
“Oh… That’s different from withering?”
“Yes. It’s like removing the moisture before they wither. The scent remains, and the perfume adds to it, making it a sachet.”
Lelei examined the sachet joyfully. The women seemed to appreciate the scented bags. However, the men, unsure of what to do with them, played with them in their hands. Unless they were into fashion, scented bags wouldn’t interest them.
“Yuuri, we don’t know how to use these.”
“Hmm, how about putting them in your bag or a drawer with your clothes?”
“Won’t the smell transfer to the clothes?”
“It’s not that strong, so it’ll act more as a deodorizer.”
“”Deodorizer?””
Yakk and Kuresh, peering from behind, echoed each other. Yuuri answered calmly. Their synchronized confusion made them look like brothers.
Just then, Magg, who had been silent, had an idea and ran off with his sachet. The others followed in surprise. Magg placed his sachet at the entrance, among the shoes. Their hideout had separate shoes for exploration and everyday wear, so the shoe rack was always full.
“Magg, what are you doing?”
“Shoes. Deodorize.”
“Oh, you mean putting it here to deal with shoe odor?”
“Yes.”
Yuuri laughed at the suggestion. The men nodded and placed their sachets by their shoes. Though it was a different use, Yuuri watched with a smile.
Yuuri thought of making more sachets as deodorizers for the entrance, bathroom, and toilet, but the flowers he had were too few. He also wanted to give them as gifts to his friends as thanks.
Thanks to mayonnaise, scrunchies, and hairpins, Yuuri had some savings in the production guild, which he used to buy perfume and cloth for the sachets. Although Ali grumbled about not spending on himself, Yuuri didn’t mind, as he lacked for nothing in daily life.
As a non-adventurer, once his essentials were covered, he didn’t need much else. He didn’t need weapons, armor, or dungeon-exploring gear like the others. With no use for his money, he spent it on the sachet materials.
“Yuuri, you’re really skilled.”
“Really? It’s not that hard.”
“To us, sewing alone is difficult.”
“Really?”
Kuresh admired Yuuri’s handiwork, but Yuuri was nonchalant. To him, it was easy, though boys unfamiliar with sewing would find it hard. The women, too, doubted they could make pouches with lace and decorative buttons. Yuuri didn’t realize his abnormal skills.
The women generally liked the sachets. Lelei, with her sharp sense of smell, decided to store hers with clothes. Tifana put hers in her accessory pouch. Frau, after some thought, placed hers in a drawer with handkerchiefs. Though not accustomed to perfume, they enjoyed the pleasant scent.
“…Are you planning to sell these?”
“Huh?”
“Like your scrunchies and hairpins, do you plan to sell these sachets?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then don’t mention them outside. It’s troublesome.”
“Understood.”
Yuuri nodded obediently to Ali’s words. Everyone was listening, but Yuuri had no intention of making money or doing business. The sachets were just gifts of gratitude and a way to not waste the flowers.
Smiling at his own sachet, Yuuri’s was simply made with white cloth and embroidery, a small ribbon for a touch of charm. Not too flashy but subtly cute.
Yuuri loved cute and beautiful things but knew objectively what suited him. He made a moderately cute sachet for himself.
“You keep making strange things.”
Ali sighed.
Yuuri looked up at him. With their height difference, Yuuri looked up straight into Ali’s eyes and asked,
“Is it a bother?”
Ali looked down at him, then answered, “No.” Yuuri smiled brightly at Ali’s response.
“Thank you.”
Ali and everyone else accepted Yuuri, the eccentric outsider, despite his unusual ways. He was a non-combatant in a treasure-hunting clan, yet he was welcomed.
“If you plan to make and sell something, tell us first.”
“Got it.”
Such exchanges had become a familiar sight in Scarlet Lynx.