544 - - 542. Negotiations...?

Finally, the cushion that would bring down the Great Spirit of Snow was completed. There were some unexpected things, such as Mel's distant look, and Sylphy, Belle, and Gina liked the cushion, but it was highly praised, so I guess it will charm the Great Spirit of Snow too.

We arrived at the place where the Great Spirit of the Snow is sleeping, as requested by Sylphy. The snowstorm was as heavy as ever, but it didn't matter, because Sylphy was protecting us from it.

And of course, the Great Spirit of Snow does not respond to Sylphy's call. He is probably sleeping.

I don't care about trespassing, since it's not worth my while to pay attention to a type like the Great Spirit of Snow, so I go into the cave.

"Well, where are they?"

He's not on the polar bear pelt he was sleeping on the last time I was here. I guess he's in a different furry mood today.

It's hard to tell, since it's the size of a cat when it's small and the Great Spirit of Snow is also equipped with a silky fur, so it blends in with the fur of the sleeping area. I feel like I'm looking for a mistake.

"There she is, Sylphy. Don't tell me she's there."

I couldn't help but stop Sylphy's words.

"Yuta, what's going on all of a sudden?"

"Well, I'm kind of in the mood to find out for myself."

I like looking for mistakes a lot. Whenever I see it on TV, I always give it a try.

"...... Yuta, why don't you just give up?"

Had it been ten minutes or so?　My eyes are bloodshot, but I can't find it. Why is that?

"Are you really in this cave?"

If it's a foul pattern that there was no mistake, I'll complain about it.

"Yes, I'm here. Are we done?"

"...... yeah."

I'm a little disappointed, but I'm sorry to put Sylphy through any more pointless entertainment.

"I'm here."

"What?"

I thought I looked for you there.　I think it was the fur of some kind of sheep-like demon, or a lump of fur, or something like that, and I can't remember the name of it, but it looked more like wool than bedding!　I remember thinking, "What the heck is this?

Sylphy put her hand into the woolen mass and pulled it up, and the Great Spirit of Snow appeared in front of her, holding her by the scruff of her neck. And he was still sleeping.

Had he been sleeping buried in the wool? I guess it's against the rules to hide yourself so completely from view.

"Come on, wake up. I know it's a hassle, but I came all the way here for you."

Sylphy blurted out her true feelings.

Well, I can't complain since the purpose of recruiting the Great Spirit of Snow is to play in the snow and to enjoy hot food in a cold place for unproductive purposes.

"...... what the hell. You guys are here again?"

The <> at the end of the word disappears when I'm surprised, but it doesn't disappear when I wake up from sleep. In a way, it might be amazing.

"Nya!"

Sylphy tosses the Great Spirit of Snow onto a nearby fur coat and quickly steps back behind me. She doesn't seem to have the slightest intention of participating in the negotiations.

The snow genie spun around and landed on the fur, as if it could fly away. It still looks like a cat.

"Umyuu. ......So, what are you doing here?"

That cat's signature face-washing gesture is definitely an act. It must be ingrained in him to avoid trouble by acting cute. He's still a cute little genie.

"You promised me the other day that if I brought good bedding you'd move to paradise..."

I'm sure I'd lose my temper if someone told me they'd forgotten about me after drinking out of a cask of precious spirits and bragging about their bedding to me so much.

"What, you didn't give up after seeing all these furs?"

The Great Spirit of Snow is wide-eyed in amazement. Was that boast of my collection meant to make me give up?

Well, he seemed very happy when he was talking to me, and I guess he just wanted to show off more than 90% of his collection.

"Yes, I brought it with me, so please keep your promise."

"Well, I admire your spirit. But even if you've hunted rare and strong demons with Sylphy's help, the problem is the comfort of their pelts. Do you know that?"

...... I never thought of hunting demons and bringing their pelts. I mean, that's impossible in such a short period of time. We won't even finish processing the pelts.

Maybe this genie's been sleeping too much and has lost his sense of time.

"Just check it out for now..."

After seeing the reaction of Sylphy and the others, I am already convinced that we are going to win.

All we have to do now is to make them fall down quickly with the cushion so that they won't make any strange mistakes, and then we can take them home.

You take out a huge cushion and place it down with a thud in front of the Great Spirit of Snow. At first it's a beaded cushion made from a branch of the spirit tree.

What's that?　The Great Spirit of Snow is making a gesture like an American comedy.

It's a strangely cute gesture that may have struck a nerve, and it's a gesture that is sure to piss you off.

"Is something wrong?"

"Did you not listen to me properly?　The fur is the best comfort. This nonsense is evil. I'll come back later."

Ah, it's that thing peculiar to enthusiasts, that obsession that others don't understand. The fact that it's not fur seems to have dampened the spirits of the Great Spirit of Snow.

After saying all that, he turned his head to the side and lay down on the fur.

"Well, I'm really proud of this one, so would you mind trying it out?"

"You're wasting your time."

I thought I could make him fall in one shot if I tried, but I didn't calculate that he would stumble before I could try.

I mean, wasting time is just sleeping. It only takes two seconds to move a meter or so.

I have been wondering since my last visit, is there really no problem in scouting this genie?

I was fine with this great spirit as long as all I had to do was to make it snow on the empty island, but I was beginning to wonder if he could even make it snow properly.

"What are you doing?

I grab the Great Spirit of Snow, or rather, the lazy cat by the neck and toss him onto the cushion. It's not that I'm having trouble convincing him.

It's just that I don't really care anymore, and I thought this would be quicker.

I probably wouldn't have been able to do it if I had seen him before he got smaller, so I guess I'm happy about that.

"You're rude!

The Great Spirit of Snow, who was about to express his anger at the sudden action, stuck to the cushion as if he had melted in the middle of his rage. Very easy.

"This scent is the spirit tree, but that's not all. This beautiful cloth that looks as if it were made by human hands...it must have come from the dungeon!

You started talking about cushions, but at least take your face off the cushion and talk about them.

I can't get into my head if he talks like a slouching panda, which used to be popular in the past.

But he seems to be really surprised at the disappearance of the <> at the end of his words.

"Hmm, it's quite a brilliant piece of material. But that's not the only thing of real value. But that's not all. What does this mean?　In all my years, I've never felt anything like this!"

This is starting to sound like something out of a gastronomic comic book.

If I were a chef right now, I'd be wowing the judges, who are all gourmets in their own right. Next, we'll get to the reveal part.

"Mmm, the fresh aroma of the spirit tree is faintly perceptible as you lean back. There is no doubt that the material used inside is spirit tree. But was there ever a material that could produce such a sensation in a spirit tree?　Leaves?　No, not even leaves can give this feeling. What is the meaning of this?"

Huh?　It was almost time for us to talk, to show our ingenuity, and to make a grand round, but the judges got lost in their thoughts.

"Sylphy. I can take that to mean you like it, can't I?"

The words are full of praise, but the strangely serious face of the Great Spirit of Snow makes me a little uneasy.

"Yes, even if you say no, they will follow you."

Well, that's not very nice. Yeah, I've never felt so much gratitude from this great spirit of snow.

"By the way, Yuta. I'm sure you will succeed in recruiting them, but what about the contract?　By the looks of him, he'll probably accept it."

Contract?　Oh, you mean a contract with a genie.

My contracted genie has a new great genie!　I would normally be excited about ...... but I don't know what's going on.

I guess she's just trying to get a feel for it, but the way she's munching on the cushion looks like she's trying to get a feel for a cat's boobies.

Yes, they look and behave very cute, but most of them are just acting to be lazy. I don't think there are more disadvantages than advantages to signing a contract.

"...... I'll stop you."

Just enough to make it snow. Let them sleep on that cushion on the top island.

"Yes, that would be nice."

When I told him that I would not sign the contract, Sylphy seemed to be happy to see me. The active Sylphy and the Great Spirit of the Snow don't match each other personality-wise, which is understandable.

"Human!　What's this feel like!　I want to see inside!"

I guess it's finally time to reveal the truth. And for the first time ever.　I was called. No, have the undead called me that before?

Well, I'm the only human here, so it's understandable, but it's very strange to be called like that by a spirit.

My name is Yuta.

"I don't care about that, I want to see what's inside!"

My name got passed around like that. Well, I don't mind that much, because I'm feeling pretty rude inside.

As a small revenge for my name being passed around, I'll stop caring. And another cushion of sweet smelling sap is also out of the question.

I'll save it as a trump card in case I want to put that great spirit of snow to work.

"That's the cushion my apprentice sewed with all his heart, I don't want him to take it apart. I'll show you what it's made of, but you'll have to put up with this."

He takes out a bowl of beads from his magic bag and places it in front of the Great Spirit of Snow.

"Is this it?　These little round grains were in the cloth. This is the secret of the feeling. This is made of the wood of the spirit tree! I guess you can't underestimate things made by human beings.

Ordinary people would not use a magic cloth and a branch of a spirit tree for a cushion.

At least we have convinced the judges of the competition.

"Are you satisfied with this?　Then you'll come with me, won't you?"

"M......"

Huh?　You don't seem to like it.

"If you don't come, I'll take this cushion back with me."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute ...... I was just in shock that I got screwed over by a human a little bit. Okay, I'll go with you. So that cushion is mine."

We've successfully recruited the Great Spirit of Snow!

...... Shouldn't there be something more touching when new friends are added in a fantasy world?

Is it right for a ...... fantasy to recruit a great spirit by catching it with a thing?