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

I Want To Add A Cool Tag

“Anyway, give Roo-chan a cool decoration, please.”

“…Yuuri, for now, don’t block the entrance with slimes.”

“Got it!”

“Kyupipii!”

Bright seemed unsure where to start with Yuuri’s sudden appearance in the workshop. However, he wished that the slime that came with Yuuri, bouncing around playfully, would stop drawing attention to itself. He didn’t want the neighbors to see a clueless boy and his bouncing slime at the entrance. Somehow.

Bright, who let Yuuri and his somewhat unusual golden-transparent slime inside, noticed another person present who wasn’t invited. Although it wasn’t surprising, given this person’s tendency to enter uninvited.

“Why is Leone here too?”

“Is it a problem if I’m here?”

“No, not really. …Ah, were you curious about what Yuuri was up to?”

“Yes, I was curious. What do you think this kid asked me?”

“Huh?”

Yuuri, who had casually entered the workshop with a cheerful tone, was explaining to the bouncing Rooks, “Roo-chan, you shouldn’t touch things you like in other places, okay?” as if speaking to a child. Well, if you think of it as training a familiar, it’s not entirely wrong. Although the way he spoke was definitely more suited for toddlers. And Rooks, understanding this, bounced in response. A very clever familiar indeed.

Seeing this scene, Leopold sighed. Today’s lovely older sister was beautiful as always. When smiling gently, one might even mistake him for a woman for a moment. However, aside from his appearance and tone, he was still definitely a man, so most people are put off by the gap between his voice and manner. Bright was one of the rare ones who wasn’t.

The reason was that for a true craftsman, what mattered was Leopold’s attitude and sensibility towards his work, and he had no interest in his personal preferences or tastes.

“This kid asked me, ‘Where can I buy accessories for Roo-chan?’ There’s no such thing for sale!”

Leopold, who generally accepted and smiled at most things, was clearly shocked this time. He ended up shouting and apologizing for the inconvenience, which was quite typical of him. Bright made a face of surprise. They might have accessories for familiars, but they were usually collars for tagging.

However, there were no accessories designed to be embedded in slimes. How would you even attach something to a jelly-like life form?

“So, since it’s not sold, who should I ask to make it?”

“Me.”

“You’re the only craftsman who seems likely to handle such an absurd situation.”

“…I won’t deny that…”

Bright, having known Leopold for a long time, could endure a bit of unreasonable requests. Also, he was aware of Yuuri’s lack of ill intent and that he was merely expressing his genuine thoughts. If this had been a normal craftsman with no prior knowledge, they would surely have been turned away. Accessories for familiars are typically leather collars used just for tagging, not for decoration. What Yuuri was asking for, “something cool,” was completely different.

With a sigh, Bright called Yuuri over. Yuuri obediently came over, and Rooks hopped along at his feet. It was charming in appearance, but the requested content was quite offbeat, leaving Bright confused.

“So, what exactly do you want me to make?”

“Please make a cool decoration for Roo-chan. It’s for this tag.”

“Well, how exactly do you decorate a slime? I’ve never had such a request before.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

When Bright said there was no precedent, Yuuri tilted his head and started thinking. Then, he took out a notebook and a mechanical pencil from his favorite student bag. The notebook, with grid lines, was versatile for both Japanese and English writing, and also suited for drawing diagrams. Thanks to this notebook, class notes were always beautifully done.

Aside from that, Yuuri began to sketch in the notebook. Not being very skilled at drawing, it was more like a diagram than an illustration. What Yuuri drew was a design of a small crown, including its size when placed on a slime’s head for comparison.

The design was a simple crown with three peaks, similar to what you might see in a child’s drawing, with a request to embed the tag in the center. The idea was not to adorn the crown with many decorations, but to make it a bit more stylish than just attaching the tag, reflecting some unknown master’s heart or perhaps a bit of an Otomen soul.

“Oh, how cute. Will we attach this crown where the tag is now?”

“Yes. Since it’s a small crown, it’ll serve as a little accent.”

“…And I’m supposed to make this?”

“Can you do it for me?”

“I’ll charge you for it.”

“I understand.”

Yuuri, who bowed his head, received a nod from Bright with a sigh. Who thinks of putting a crown on a slime’s head? However, since it would be a palm-sized crown, it might be a bit cute if placed on Rooks’s head, which is about the size of a soccer ball. It would be much more stylish than a simple hexagon tag with a familiar emblem on its forehead.

Bright proceeded with details like the metal material, coloring, size, and texture while talking to Yuuri. Meanwhile, Rooks, who had been bouncing around, was placed next to Leopold as it was causing a distraction. The beautiful older sister wasn’t surprised by a familiar slime (after all, he was a former adventurer) and was enjoying the smooth texture of Rooks’s skin.

“Roo-chan, don’t cause trouble for Leone-san, okay?”

“Kyuu?”

“It’s fine, Yuuri-chan. This child seems to understand my words well.”

“Oh, Roo-chan is very smart. Arrol even said, ‘You don’t need to train him, just talking to him normally will make him understand!’”

“Oh my, Arrol-chan gives such a strong recommendation, that’s impressive.”

“Kyuu!”

Patted and praised, Rooks bounced happily. Yuuri also smiled with pleasure at the praise for Rooks. It was as if he was being thanked for acknowledging his beloved familiar. Though, in reality, Rooks was Yuuri’s familiar, so that was correct. …In terms of sensation, Rooks was more like a pet.

Yes, Rooks was clever, but that was because, objectively, it only looked like a lower to mid-level slime. If it were an Ancient Slime, being that clever would be normal and a piece of cake. However, Yuuri, being forbidden by Ally and Arrol from revealing the species name (including its mutated and named status), did not mention it.

In fact, Yuuri had forgotten about 80% of Rooks’s species name and other details. Because it didn’t concern him. What mattered to Yuuri was that Rooks was a friendly, smart, and cute slime. Being an ultra-rare monster didn’t matter. His natural demeanor remained unaffected.

While chatting, Bright finished making a prototype. He handed a small crown to Yuuri, but the tag wasn’t attached yet. The plan was to adjust it if the crown worked and then embed the tag at the end. So, Yuuri placed the somewhat rough prototype crown on Rooks’s head.

“Kyuii?”

“How’s the size, Roo-chan? Does it hurt? Is it okay?”

“Kyu.”

“Yuuri-chan, slimes have almost no sense of pain. As long as the core isn’t harmed, there’s probably no pain.”

“Is that so, Roo-chan?”

“Kyukyu!”

Rooks, who bounced and showed that it was fine, was holding the crown in place so it wouldn’t fall off the spot where the tag was embedded. Seeing Rooks spinning around and searching for something, Yuuri took out a folding mirror from his magic bag. He opened it and held the mirror up to Rooks.

Seeing his reflection with the small crown on his head, Rooks stopped bouncing for a while and stayed still. Yuuri, Bright, and Leopold all watched Rooks’s reaction. After all, a slime this intelligent would surely resist an accessory it didn’t like.

“Kyu!”

“Oh, it seems Roo-chan likes it.”

“…Somehow, I’m more nervous than when dealing with human customers.”

“Even slimes have preferences.”

Rooks bounced happily, apparently pleased with the crown Bright made. Then, moving to Bright’s feet, Rooks repeatedly bowed his head. …It was clear that the bowing was due to the crown, but it was a bit hard to tell otherwise since slimes are round.

“…Um, so it’s happy?”

“Is Roo-chan thanking Bright?”

“Kyu!”

“But, since this is still a prototype, you need to return it today so it can be finished properly.”

“Kyu…”

When Yuuri tried to remove the crown, Rooks shook his body in dissatisfaction and tried to bounce away. Leopold, who caught him, held Rooks and patted him to calm him down.

“I understand that you like it. But, Bright wants to give you a properly finished product, not just a rough prototype, right?”

“Kyu?”

“He’ll prepare something even more wonderful. So, you need to return it properly today.”

“…Kyu?”

“Yes, he’ll give you a much better one once it’s done.”

“Kyupi!”

Understanding Bright’s words, Rooks jumped down from Leopold’s arms and faced Bright. He pushed out the crown he had been holding in place. Bright caught the fallen crown and patted the overly clever slime’s head.

“Alright, Yuuri, I’ll let you know when it’s finished.”

“Thank you.”

“Kyu!”

Next to Yuuri, who bowed his head, Rooks did the same. His gesture seemed to say, “Please take good care of my crown!” The three of them couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

Later, with the completed crown and tag, Rooks was in high spirits. Subsequently, more people began using crowns for slime tags.