Who Is the World’s Strongest Appraiser? ~Living in Another World With Satisfying Meals~

Patchwork And Pillowcases

That day, Yuuri was all smiles. Well, he always smiled, but that day he seemed particularly happy. No one could figure out why. After all, Yuuri often looked very, very happy about things that didn’t seem like a big deal to anyone else.

In Yuuri’s hands were several cloth bags. They were sewn together pieces of fabric. To be precise, they were bags made by patching together fabric cut to the same size. In short, he was making patchwork cloth bags. The patterns varied, but the basic shape was all the same. And there were 20 such bags.

While arranging the completed cloth bags, Yuuri was also doing something different that day: sun-drying the pillows. All of them. Unlike futons, even if all the pillows were gathered together, they wouldn’t get in the way. All the pillows were sun-dried, puffed up nicely, and piled on the living room table.

“Pillows get so fluffy when they’re sun-dried.”

Yuuri smiled as he packed the pillows into the cloth bags one after another. The pillows, now in their new covers, were then carried to each room by the apprentices. Sometimes, if the owner was present, the pillow was handed over right there.

The pillows at the hideout were filled with straw. They weren’t very high, but they were a bit firm. While Yuuri found them hard, they seemed to be common in this world. They were affordable, practical pillows. Yuuri secretly thought that if you used them for a pillow fight, they’d turn into weapons.

Incidentally, the pillowcase patterns differed slightly between males and females. Cute fabrics with warm colors and floral patterns were used for the women. For the men, it was mostly plain fabrics in cool colors. Yuuri’s own pillow was somewhere in between, with masculine colors but feminine patterns. He was good at making practical, hobbyist items that didn’t seem out of place.

“Wow, it’s so cute!”

Hugging the pillow in its cute cover and rubbing her cheek against it was Lelei. Being a cat beastman hybrid, her emotions were very easy to read. If she had ears and a tail, they’d probably make it even clearer. Lelei, expressive and honest, immediately switched from the plain white pillow she had before to the cute cover Yuuri made. Simple.

Of course, everyone else looked somewhat pleased too. The previous pillows were communal property, indistinguishable after a mass sun-drying. So having personalized pillowcases was a little joy. No deep meaning was necessary. Having a personal item makes anyone happy. And with each design being unique, the joy was even greater.

“Ah, Licht, this one’s yours.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“The lining is padded with cotton, so it’s soft.”

“…What?”

Licht, receiving the black and blue pillowcase from Yuuri, thanked him. But everyone in the room questioned Yuuri’s next casual comment.

Licht touched his pillow. It was soft. Straw pillows are hard. They can’t use fluffy down or cotton pillows. Straw is abundant and refillable, so the hideout used straw pillows. But the pillow Licht touched now was somewhat softer.

“Yuuri, my pillow feels soft?”

“Yes. I heard you had trouble sleeping on hard pillows.”

“Yeah, I said that, but…”

“The fabric shop’s granny gave me some leftover cotton, so I sewed it in. That’s why yours is double-layered.”

“I see…”

Licht, the oldest among the trainees of the Scarlet Lynx, kept poking his pillow. At 24, he joined Ali’s group to relearn the basics, being both a swordsman and spearman. A reliable elder brother if silent, but actually a sensitive soul. His trademark was the dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep due to hard pillows.

“Wait! Why only Licht’s pillow?”

“Eh?”

“It’s unfair!” Lelei shouted. Yuuri looked puzzled, but Lelei, pointing at Licht’s happy expression with his softer pillow, shouted again.

“Why is Licht’s pillow special? It’s unfair!”

“Only Licht said he couldn’t sleep well on a hard pillow…”

“I can sleep, but soft is better! Unfair!”

Lelei shook Yuuri by the shoulders, shouting. Even as Yuuri staggered under the assault, others decided to intervene and scold Lelei. Tifaana’s non-smiling scolding was terrifying.

Though she appeared gentle, Tifaana was actually considered the scariest of the mentors. Gentle smiles masked her wrath. Meanwhile, Jake was seen as the lenient one, though rough handling of books was a death sentence.

“Lelei, I understand how you feel. But shaking Yuuri like that isn’t right, is it?”

“…Yes.”

“He’s not like you. He’s not trained at all. If he lost consciousness, what would you do?”

“I didn’t mean to be that strong…”

“You mustn’t assume a hybrid like you and an untrained human like him have the same tolerance.”

“Sorry!”

Tifaana’s smiling yet terrifying demeanor made everyone avert their eyes to avoid getting involved.

“Let me know how it feels to use, okay?”

“Sure.”

“Yuuri, I want a cotton one too.”

“There’s no more cotton or fabric.”

“…That’s harsh.”

Yuuri’s smiling refusal made Kuresh sulk. Joining the apprentices in touching Licht’s pillow, he felt like a child whose mother favored their sibling.

Seeing the button-closed pillowcases and Licht’s thicker pillow, Brooke nodded thoughtfully. Frau beside him smiled slightly.

The adults thought, that if they provided materials, Yuuri would likely make pillowcases for them too. And they were right. Yuuri loved making things for others. Understanding this, the adults were calm in their decision to ask.

The younger ones didn’t think of it due to lack of funds. Yuuri could afford materials from his earnings from mayonnaise, scrunchies, and hairpins—another way he survived in this world without using cheats.

“Licht, let me touch it again!”

“Sure.”

“So fluffy… I’ll buy a fluffy pillow someday!”

Lelei’s declaration, echoed by four apprentices behind her, raised their fists. Kuresh, not participating, was enjoying the softness of Lelei’s pillow. Compared to the hard straw pillows, even a slightly fluffy surface made a big difference.

Not joining the ruckus were Ali and Jake, who either didn’t need pillows or preferred hard ones. They appreciated the pillowcases, checked their pillows contentedly, and returned to their rooms.

Later, Brooke, Frau, and even Tifaana requested custom pillowcases, providing their own materials.