Chapter 46 – Child

Ṛεаԁ өη Ｋɑｔ​Ṛ​ҽａđɩ​ṅցСаϝе

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“So. What on earth happened that made you shut yourself in for three days, Mari?”

Only after the satisfying meal was over did Andreina bring up what she had wanted to ask from the beginning. Hosanna didn’t add anything, but he was looking with questioning eyes, as if he was just as curious.

I glanced at the two of them, hid my face with the teacup Andreina had given me, and finally sighed and said,

“…You won’t laugh if you hear it, right?”

“I absolutely won’t laugh, so you don’t have to worry. Hosanna won’t either.”

“I won’t laugh as Andreina says. But if it’s too absurd, I might laugh without realizing it.”

“Was it really necessary to add that last part?”

“Haha, I’m one who doesn’t lie.”

“I-I’m okay… Actually, it’s a reason that wouldn’t be strange to laugh at…”

Hosanna smiled at Andreina’s rebuke and sipped her tea. I hurriedly interjected, feeling that if I stayed still, Andreina might raise her voice.

I didn’t want the two of them fighting because of my foolishness. To varying degrees, both Andreina and Hosanna were good connections for me.

And I also didn’t feel comfortable being stuck between fighting people. Actually, that was the biggest reason. Even if it wasn’t my fault, being caught between fighting people made my heart race a lot.

I’d rather be treated like a fool alone. After calming Andreina, I took a deep breath and slowly continued speaking.

“…As Hosanna knows, I’ve been preparing to create a new core to control another doll besides Wooden Figure No. 505.”

“I even supported you with 200,000 gold.”

“Yes, thanks to Hosanna, I had a lot less to do. Though it didn’t work out well…”

“It didn’t work out well? Is making that core so difficult?”

“It wasn’t difficult. The attempts themselves didn’t require many materials. It’s just…”

“Ah, don’t tell me there was a probability involved again?”

“Yes, there was a probability involved…”

“A probability involved? What does that mean?”

Hosanna, having seen a similar spectacle before, quickly understood, but Andreina, who didn’t know much except that I handled dolls, asked with a face mixed with bewilderment and disappointment.

I was a little flustered as to why she was suddenly feeling disappointed, but I calmly explained.

“It means that when making a core, it doesn’t always succeed, and there are cases of failure. Have you ever tried something called a ‘draw’, Andreina?”

“A draw… I’ve heard that some people who gamble do such things.”

Gacha was a type of gambling, so it wasn’t a completely wrong understanding. I smiled awkwardly and continued speaking.

“It’s a similar feeling. If you succeed, you can get it, but if you fail, you lose everything… Ah, in my case, it was 50%.”

“50%? How much is that?”

“About one success for every two attempts?”

“Hmm, isn’t that a fairly high probability? You’re guaranteed to succeed if you do it twice, right?”

“That’s generally correct if you think about it normally… But it’s a little different. The core creation skill I use has a fixed 50% success rate no matter how many times I try. So, um, it means that even if you try twice in a row, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be completed, and there’s still a chance of failure. Even in more attempts than that.”

It was what is commonly called an independent trial, a term familiar to those who often play games.

Of course, I was only familiar with it and roughly knew what it meant, but I didn’t know it accurately enough to explain it to others.

Fortunately, Andreina seemed to understand my clumsy explanation and nodded, saying,

“So, no matter how many attempts you make, there’s always a chance of failure?”

“That’s right. No matter how high the probability, as long as there’s a chance of failure, there’s no guarantee of success…”

“How many times did you fail to be acting like such a mess?”

At Hosanna’s question, I hesitated and carefully said,

“…Seven times.”

“Seven times? You’re definitely unlucky, but… Just for that?”

“J-Just for that?! I poured my entire fortune into it, and nothing’s left…!”

Each attempt cost 50,000 gold if I added up the magic stones that I could have sold, so a total of 350,000 gold disappeared without a trace.

Of course, Hosanna had supported me with 200,000 gold of that, but it was still 150,000 gold. How much did I fight with rabbits to gather that, and that effort disappeared without a trace with a few button presses.

It’s only natural to lose motivation when your efforts turn to nothing. When I protested with wronged eyes, Hosanna laughed and said,

“Of course, I understand your feelings of injustice. But if you think about it differently, you’ve only failed after trying seven times, right?”

“B-But I failed seven times with a 50% probability…!”

“If there was a limit to how many times you could try, and if you weren’t capable of gathering materials, I would have thought it was a big deal too. But that’s not the case, is it? You can try as many times as you want, and unlike before, you’re capable of gathering materials as much as you want.”

“That’s… But…!”

I was wronged, but I couldn’t think of anything to refute. Hosanna’s words were all correct. Arguing against that would be no different from a child being stubborn.

As I couldn’t say anything and only bit my lip, Andreina, who had been quietly watching our conversation, wrapped her arm around my shoulder and pulled me into her embrace.

“Ah, A-Andreina…?”

“Listening quietly, aren’t you being too harsh on Mari?”

“Harsh? I’m just stating the facts, Saintess.”

“Of course, it’s true that Mari was sulking for a not-so-great reason, as Hosanna said. If she hadn’t given up and had continued to work hard, she would have succeeded, but it’s Mari’s fault for giving up halfway and shutting herself in.”

“Excuse me?”

“Ah, Andreina?”

I definitely thought she was trying to protect me, but when I listened closely, something was strange. Hosanna was also so surprised that Andreina would say such a thing that he widened his eyes and tried to ask again.

Fortunately, Andreina’s words didn’t end there.

“If Mari were an adult, I would have scolded her harshly like Hosanna. But Mari is still a child. She’s a child who needs comfort more than criticism for giving up.”

Of course, the following words weren’t very good for me either.

“I, A-Andreina. I’m an adult, you know…”

“…Indeed, as the Saintess said, Mari was still a child. I admit that there were parts where I spoke too strictly.”

“Hosanna…?”

…Didn’t I diligently appeal that I was an adult from the first time we met? But why do both of them treat me like a child… As I was blankly thinking that, Hosanna sipped his tea and continued speaking.

“But, I don’t think it’s good to just coddle her like that. It’s true that Mari is young, but the Saintess knows very well that she can’t stay a child forever, right? Above all, it was none other than the Saintess’s master who created the situation that requires her to be that way-“

“Stop. Don’t say any more than that.”

“Yes. I don’t want to be on bad terms with someone as good as the Saintess either.”

I alternated my gaze between Andreina, who was glaring, and Hosanna, who was meeting her gaze without flinching, with a helpless look.

Just a moment ago, it seemed like the atmosphere was comfortable, if not friendly, but how did it become so cold? The sight of the two of them, who seemed ready to fight at any moment if given the chance, made my heart beat wildly and my head throb.

I hate this kind of atmosphere. I took a small breath and hurriedly pondered how to draw their attention.

Fortunately, the method came to mind quickly.

“T-There!”

When I shouted in a trembling voice, the gazes that had been coldly looking at each other softened and turned to me.

I brought my hands together in front of my chest to control the trembling and shouted.

“D-Don’t you want to go to a café together…?!”

“A café? It might be open now, but… Why all of a sudden?”

“I-It’s just suddenly. I feel like eating something sweet… That’s how it is! Don’t you feel that way, Hosanna?! And Andreina too!”

“Hmm, I don’t know…”

“I don’t really… If you want a snack, I can make one for you quickly.”

I didn’t really feel like eating a snack either. It was clear that I would get indigestion no matter what I ate in this atmosphere, so how could I eat?

The suggestion to go to a café was only to change the atmosphere. I shook my head at Andreina’s words and said,

“O-Of course, it’s good if Andreina makes it for me, but today I feel like going to a café…!”

At the same time, I gave Hosanna a desperate look. Whatever it was, I asked him to play along with my words.

Fortunately, Hosanna noticed my gaze and shrugged as if he couldn’t help it, saying,

“Well, Mari said so, so how about we go together, Saintess?”

“…Your attitude has changed from before.”

“As the Saintess said, Mari is still a child. It’s only natural for an adult to listen to a child’s request.”

At Hosanna’s sly words, Andreina narrowed her brow slightly and then let out a small sigh.

More than that, I’m not a child…

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading today too!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
The guy in the coffin is completely left alone, how sad.

Nah, not sad at all, go rot!

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