Chapter 12
“Grandpa?”
In this world, the only one I could call “grandpa” was the wooden puppet grandfather.
At the sound of my voice echoing through the room, Calion’s gaze turned toward me.
—Have you been well?
—Riri! How have you been?!
—Nice to see you! I contacted you while the shop was closed!
Warm voices followed the grandfather’s greeting, and familiar faces appeared.
—I’m here too, Riri!! Don’t forget me!
Even the green-framed mirror from inside the shop chimed in, though it had no visible body.
It seemed they couldn’t see Calion. If they had, they wouldn’t be greeting so casually.
‘They’d panic and tell me to send him back immediately.’
Still, I had met many things along the way that made me agree with the saying “life gets harder when you leave home.” My nose tingled for a moment, but I tilted my head.
“By the way, how are you contacting me?”
I sat down properly and fiddled with my braided hair.
—Riri! Did you already forget just because you left the shop?
—How cold. You didn’t erase your memories of the shop, did you?
—I wasn’t there at the time, but… wait, are you saying you might actually forget us?!
Ah. It had been a long time since I heard such noisy chatter—loud enough to burst my ears.
I shook my head and muttered softly, but my face was clearly smiling.
Then the grandfather spoke, ignoring the others.
—You know this one’s consciousness comes and goes.
“Right.”
—When its consciousness returns, we sometimes use it as a communication tool.
That jogged my memory.
This mirror was originally a medium that allowed us to talk.
Generally, objects are divided into those with consciousness and those without. But occasionally, there are “mutations”—objects that alternate between having and not having consciousness.
And in the end, those objects usually become non-sentient.
Everything I had seen so far had eventually lost its consciousness. I had assumed this mirror had reached that fate too.
‘But it seems it came back.’
When its consciousness returned, it could be used like a communication device—similar to video calls from my past life using a phone.
Though it looked like an ordinary mirror, the wooden puppet grandfather suspected that faint mana within it was the reason it could be used this way.
—It seems it was once an artifact, and after some modifications, it was sold here.
After recalling his words, I remembered how to contact them.
‘You just say the trace of the toy you lost and its name.’
So what was my trace?
“Did I leave something behind?”
—A hairpin!
Ah. That explains the strange feeling of emptiness I’d had.
I nodded as if everything was finally clear.
This kind of thing had apparently been normal.
Contacting objects that had already been sold—just like calling someone on a phone in my past life.
Of course, it didn’t happen often.
‘In the end, most of us forgot each other anyway.’
They worried I might forget them, but in reality, it was the toys in the shop who forgot those who had left.
Everyone except me.
—Who even are these people? It feels weird, make them go away!
—Don’t use me like a normal communication device! I am a 500-year-old artifact—!
While I was lost in thought, I snapped back at the mirror’s shrill voice.
That was when I noticed Calion watching curiously from behind, while the mirror artifact steamed with frustration.
“Guess I should hang up now!”
I wanted to catch up more, but if I continued, I wasn’t confident I could handle their anger later.
They all sounded disappointed.
—What?! Already?!
—What a shame.
—Even if you like your owner, don’t forget us!
That’s what I should be saying.
I shrugged and nodded at their complaints.
Once their noisy voices disappeared, the mirror finally seemed less irritated.
Soon, only the grandfather remained in the shop.
—Riri, take care of yourself.
He really does feel like my grandfather.
An odd feeling rose in my chest. I bit my lip awkwardly and nodded.
Even though I couldn’t meet his eyes, hearing someone worry about me still felt unfamiliar.
The atmosphere grew heavy for a moment, but the grandfather soon spoke again.
—The kingdom has been quite unstable lately.
“……”
—Political conflicts are getting worse, and there have even been fires. Yesterday, the lamp shop next door burned down.
I hadn’t known that.
So I really had been living in a well.
A little embarrassed, I scratched my head and looked at him.
The stern-looking grandfather now seemed to be smiling gently.
—Well then, I should go.
“Please take care. I hope we can meet again soon.”
Even though toys can’t truly express emotions like humans.
—Be happy, always.
“Yes. I will.”
His warm voice slowly faded.
—A toy’s happiness makes its owner happy too.
3 Days Later
“W-what are you doing?”
After the call ended, Calion’s ears were bright red.
The reason was simple.
“I’m admiring your face!”
Riri’s face was far too close.
Even if she was a doll, her button-like eyes staring directly at him was incredibly uncomfortable.
Beside them, the mirror artifact pretended to gag, clearly disgusted.
‘She’s definitely strange.’
Calion thought this while trying to refocus on his book.
He used to attend lessons with Henry, but after his grades surpassed Henry’s at some point, he stopped attending entirely.
Officially, it was said Henry didn’t want to study together.
‘The Duke probably just hates seeing me outperform his son.’
At least the mansion had a huge library.
Calion had already read nearly half of it. Since he couldn’t attend proper classes, he absorbed knowledge through books instead.
He never broke his self-imposed rule:
Eight hours of reading every morning and evening.
But—
“Today feels a bit hard.”
He muttered quietly.
He glanced at Riri, who was looking at him as if just seeing him made her happy.
Everyone else looked at him with disgust or discomfort.
Even without hearing thoughts, it was obvious.
But this strange doll—who had suddenly appeared in his world—looked at him as if he was something precious.
Unexpected things kept happening because of her.
‘But I don’t hate it.’
That was the problem.
He pretended to write on old paper and glanced at her again.
Objectively speaking, she should have been unpleasant to look at.
“Maybe she’s not so bad… after all.”
“Huh? What was that?!”
Riri suddenly turned toward him.
Calion quickly shut his mouth and pretended nothing happened.
He wondered if dolls had good hearing.
Then he caught a small conversation nearby.
—Why do you keep staring at Calion like that?
From the moment Calion started hearing Riri’s voice, he also began hearing faint voices from objects.
He had heard everything.
From the mirror conversations, to greetings with toys earlier.
‘She probably doesn’t know.’
There was no reason to hide it, but no need to say it either.
Besides, watching her talk cheerfully to things she thought couldn’t hear her was… a little cute.
Thud.
“Calion?”
His pen fell to the floor.
The voices stopped briefly.
Riri called out, but he didn’t answer.
He suddenly stood up.
“Are you tired?”
—But it’s not even lunchtime yet?
Calion awkwardly walked toward the bed.
It was the first time in years he had lain down before noon.
But he couldn’t help it.
‘My face is hot.’
His face burned red like a ripe apple, and he didn’t know why.
Cute?
She wasn’t cute by any normal standard.
Then why am I thinking that?
He buried himself under the blanket and covered his mouth tightly.
The doll that had invaded his world was making him feel strange.
He closed his eyes tightly and breathed deeply.
“One… two… three…”
It was a method taught by the woman who had raised him like a son for six years before he entered the orphanage.
When emotions became overwhelming, she told him to count to three and breathe slowly.
As he thought of her, he also remembered her daughter.
A girl one year younger than him.
They used to fight often.
What was her name again?
Before he could recall, the memory blurred.
The woman had died from illness, and after that, he was separated from her daughter.
Around that time, he was sold into the slave market.
He snapped back to reality at Riri’s voice.
—Anyway, why do you keep staring at Calion?
“I just… want him to be happy!”
Calion slowly opened his eyes.
“If the toy is happy, then the owner will be happy too. That’s what I was told.”
The grandfather said so. And the grandfather is always right.
Riri’s voice echoed faintly.
“I’m happy just looking at Calion, so you’ll probably be happy soon too!”
Calion frowned slightly.
She really was a strange doll.
And because of her strange words, his heart felt unsettled.
