NOVEL NEXT Chapter 87.1
Magnet, Earrings, And Necklace
Yuuri rolled the small mineral in his palm, poked it, and then looked back at Bright. Today, Yuuri was visiting the workshop as a way to kill time. Normally, he’d likely be scolded for such behavior, but Yuuri wasn’t a nuisance—in fact, he often cleaned up or prepared drinks on his own, so no one complained. Why did this Otomen go to someone else’s place just to do housework, though?
“This is a magnet, right? What do you mean it has no use?”
“Huh? Well, it’s not really good for accessories—the color’s bad too.”
Bright answered Yuuri’s question without hesitation. Yes, the object in Yuuri’s hand was indeed a magnet. Although it looked different from a processed magnet, it stuck together or repelled when brought close. Whether it was the same as modern magnets was unclear, but it was definitely a magnet. To Bright, who was an accessory craftsman, magnets weren’t a necessary material. Apparently, a friend had left it behind because it was too small to be useful. In other words, it was treated as a worthless stone. Yuuri had found the discarded magnet in the corner of the room and was rolling it in his palm. Hearing Bright’s words about it having no use, Yuuri tilted his head. He couldn’t help but be puzzled. Yuuri knew that magnets could be used for accessories—not as decoration, but as a practical part of the accessory’s mechanism.
“But it’d be handy if you used it as a clasp.”
“Huh?”
“As a clasp.”
While petting Rooks, who was diligently cleaning the floor nearby, Yuuri explained. Bright’s face showed he was taken aback. This was a concept he hadn’t thought of before. But Bright recovered quickly. He was used to brainstorming ideas with the somewhat eccentric Yuuri, so he was adaptable.
… Honestly, compared to the shock of Yuuri’s previous request for “something cute for Rooks,” this was nothing. That incident ranked among the top three shocks of Bright’s life.
“How would you use it?”
“As a clasp for earrings, so it holds the ear, or for necklaces, so it’s easy to put on and take off with the magnet behind the neck.”
“…That’s pretty specific.”
“They had those in my hometown.”
He wasn’t lying. Yuuri really did know about such accessories. Even though Bright looked at him skeptically, it was true. … It’s just that Yuuri’s hometown wasn’t in another country, but another world. In fact, there were many kinds of magnetic earrings. These were particularly popular among girls who couldn’t pierce their ears. Unlike clip-on earrings, magnetic ones looked more like actual piercings, making them appealing to girls who wanted to appear more mature.
As for the necklace, the selling point was the ease of attaching and detaching it with a magnet at the back of the neck. Some chains even allowed the pendant to be swapped out. With regular clasps, fastening them behind your neck is hard since you can’t see. If the chain is long, you can fasten it in front and rotate it, but with tighter designs, that’s not possible. In such cases, a magnet makes things easier.
Yuuri took a notebook out of the schoolbag he always carried (more like he was told to carry by Ali). The notebook was a magic item, but he didn’t care about that and started drawing diagrams to explain to Bright. The mechanical pencil he used was also a magic item, but again, Yuuri didn’t care. To him, it was just a handy tool that never ran out of lead. He was also relieved that he didn’t have to restock his familiar tools in this new world. Using unfamiliar tools is difficult.
To be specific, if he were given a pen that had to be dipped in an ink bottle, he wouldn’t be able to write neatly. For the record, Yuuri was writing in Japanese, but it somehow got automatically translated so that people in this world understood it. The reverse was true as well. It was a chaotic situation where the text looked like another world’s script, but he was reading Japanese. Yuuri didn’t mind as long as it made sense.
“See? You can use magnets for earring clasps and necklace clasps like this.”
“…I see. The necklace would be easier to put on and take off, and the earrings are great for people who don’t have pierced ears.”
“Exactly. Some say that clip-on earrings can pinch and hurt.”
“Alright, let’s try making some prototypes.”
Bright smiled excitedly as he took on Yuuri’s idea and dove into his work. The magnet, which he had considered useless up until now, was suddenly the center of his attention. Muttering to himself, he began crafting, his hands working without hesitation. He likely already had a clear image of the finished product in his mind. Meanwhile, Yuuri and Rooks silently continued cleaning behind him. Rooks absorbed the tiny metal fragments, while Yuuri wiped down shelves and equipment. They were perfectly in sync, as usual. After all, they were master and familiar. …
What? Familiars don’t do cleaning? Well, too late now. They were enjoying it. Bright managed his small workshop alone, and there was a living space in the back. Though he could handle basic chores, it was impossible to keep the floors spotless while working, so traces of his work were usually scattered around. But ever since Yuuri started visiting, that had decreased—a lot. Dramatically so.